Without showing any signs of being daunted, Liam offered an intimate smile. Shrugging his shoulders, he responded warmly.

“Let’s build on our friendship for today then, the three of us.”

“Unfortunately, I have no interest in fostering friendship with Dr. Cluck.”

“Christoph. Don’t be rude to my friend.”

Marianne whispered softly into his ear with an uncomfortable voice. Christoph had clear likes and dislikes, but he wasn’t rude by nature.

Raised with strict discipline, he was a paragon of nobility. He never revealed his emotions and never acted in a way that would embarrass him in front of others. Therefore, it was extraordinary for him to openly show his dislike.

Had he said he didn’t like Liam?

A sense of impending discomfort during the dinner enveloped Marianne, and she unwittingly swallowed a sigh.

“Then Marianne and I will build our friendship, and Mr. Schneider can watch.”

“Dr. Cluck, a word of advice for you.”

“By all means.”

Liam nodded with a seemingly generous expression. The colder Christoph’s eyes got, the colder they became.

“Don’t covet what belongs to others, or you’ll be asking for trouble. Greed has long been one of the greatest sins of mankind.”

“Mr. Schneider. Marianne belongs to no one. She is her own.”

Liam responded with a sly smile. His statement was irrefutable. She wasn’t property, nor could she belong to anyone. She was only her own.
“No.”

But Christoph decisively denied the statement.

“Marianne Schneider is mine.”

Marianne stared at him. Christoph did not look back at her. His cold, icy gaze pierced Liam.

“As Christoph Schneider is Marianne Cloje’s.”

“……”

A brief silence passed. Her expression disappeared from her face. Liam’s eyes widened as if he had heard something unexpected.

Marianne stopped her breath quietly, not to reveal her disturbance. She felt Liam’s gaze touch her cheek, but she had no room to smile at him.

With just one word, Christoph had shaken her, and she was thoroughly rattled.

Liam’s pupils shifted back to Christoph. As if he had been waiting, Christoph drove the nail in.

“Marianne is my wife, and I am Marianne’s husband. I would prefer you not forget that fact.”

Liam raised his eyebrows. He turned his gaze to Marianne. But Marianne said nothing.

No, it would be more accurate to say she couldn’t. She tightly clenched the edge of the tablecloth and took slow deep breaths.

Christoph said he was his. As Marianne Cloje was his.

Ridiculously, her heart trembled. Greed kept peeking its head. Her feelings for him had not withered, trying to bloom.

Don’t, Marianne. Don’t go down that perilous path again.

Marianne scolded herself. Just now, the words Christoph had said resonated vividly in her ears.

―From ancient times, greed has been one of man’s greatest sins.

Greed.

Her sin.

The desire to possess a perfect man, the object of everyone’s admiration.

Although she felt the two men’s intense gazes, Marianne ultimately did not raise her head. Liam’s gentle voice brushed her ears without any meaning and passed by.

“I will take you.”

“There’s a coachman waiting in front of the restaurant. So however you, Marianne, decide to go back, your friend doesn’t need to worry. Ah, and.”

“?”

Upon suddenly remembering, Christoph added, casting a curious look from Liam. With a convincing voice, Christoph warned.

“I’d prefer never to see you again.”

Though it was a rude greeting, Liam was not at all offended. Listening in one ear and letting it out the other, he looked at Marianne with a pleasant face.
“Then let’s let Marianne choose. Marianne, who would you like to go home with? The stubborn and obstinate Mr. Schneider, or the kind and friendly me?”

“Dr. Cluck.”

Christoph called his name with a somber voice. It was a final warning not to cross the line.

Liam looked at him with a smiling face, as if the name Schneider held no threat to him.

“…….”

Suddenly, Christoph’s eyes narrowed. Liam Cluck, he repeated the name in his mind once again. No family he knew of used the name Cluck.

So, where did his composure come from?

Marianne, who had been looking at both men, shook her head resolutely and firmly replied.

“I will go home alone.”

“…….”

“…….”

Caught off guard by the unexpected answer, both Christoph and Liam closed their mouths simultaneously. Their eyes slowly turned toward Marianne.

She gave a relaxed farewell, pulling up the corners of her mouth.

“I enjoyed dinner today, Liam. And Christoph. I’ll take my leave now. …Just to add, it’s better if you don’t follow me. I don’t like clingy people.”

With that, as if to signal the end of the matter, she coldly turned her back. Liam sighed and dropped his shoulders. And, as if it was all Christoph’s fault, he cast a resentful glance.