"How did you know my zodiac is the Dog? Does my baby know me that well? You've even memorized it?"
Annelise Valentine: "...?!"
"I was insulting you! Do you understand?! Insulting you!"
But Jett Westgate acted as if he hadn't heard her, still reveling in his own discovery. His suggestive gaze swept over her.
"It seems I hold a special place in my baby's heart after all. You even did a background check just to insult me."
Annelise Valentine was speechless. Staring at Jett Westgate's handsome, punchable face, which screamed, 'I knew you cared about me,' she understood for the first time what it felt like to be a scholar arguing with a soldier—utterly pointless.
'No, to be more precise, it's a case of a fine lady meeting a scoundrel, left fuming with no outlet.'
After a chaotic, blood-boiling evening of confrontation, Annelise Valentine returned to her room and stewed in anger for some time, nearly pounding her pillow flat.
After her anger subsided, rationality gradually returned.
She suddenly realized something.
'This man, Jett Westgate, is ruthless and shameless, yet he always seems calm and in complete control. The more I fight back, the more amused he seems to be.'
'This can't go on!'
'The engagement party is tomorrow. I have to find a way to call it off without hurting Grandpa's feelings.'
She thought for a moment, her brow furrowed in concentration. She ran through every possible tactic she could think of—soft, hard, overt, and covert.
She thought and thought until her head was about to explode when finally, a flash of inspiration struck. There was a way!
She grabbed her phone and opened her chat with Jett Westgate:
Are you free for lunch? Let's eat. I want to talk.
Jett Westgate replied quickly:
Okay.
***
The Parris Restaurant was one of the highest scenic restaurants in Veridia, offering a private, luxurious environment and an exceptional view.
Annelise Valentine and Jett Westgate sat in a private booth by the window, overlooking the vibrant city life of Veridia below.
She pushed the menu toward Jett Westgate. "Order whatever you want."
"I'll have whatever my baby is having."
The corner of Annelise Valentine's mouth twitched, and the polite expression she had just put on almost crumbled.
"Can you not call me baby?"
Jett Westgate's expression was open but held a roguish edge. "Alright. Wife."
"You...!" She was about to erupt, but seeing the waiter still standing by, she decided to let it go for now.
She gave her order, "The usual, please."
"Of course, Miss Valentine."
Only when all the dishes had been served and she was sure they wouldn't be disturbed again did Annelise Valentine speak:
"Actually, I invited you to lunch because I wanted to talk."
Jett Westgate looked up. "Oh? What does my baby want to talk about?"
Annelise Valentine took a black card and a business contract out of her purse.
"I know that Zenith Group has recently been expanding into the new fields of industrial robotics and intelligent production lines."
"A subsidiary under the Valentine Family happens to specialize in this exact area. I am currently the legal representative of this subsidiary."
She tapped the document. "This contains technology sharing agreements, R&D frameworks, and key information that can bypass international patent barriers. It could save you five to ten years of trial and error and help you avoid many pitfalls."
"As for this card, I know you don't need money, but consider it a small, personal compensation from me."
"I hope we can dissolve our engagement peacefully. To the public, we can say it was due to incompatible personalities, or that I'm simply not ready for marriage. All the blame and negative fallout can be placed on me. I won't let the Westgate Family or you lose any face."
After speaking, she fell silent, waiting for Jett Westgate's reaction. Her heart began to beat uncontrollably faster.
The Valentine Family was a business family, and Annelise Valentine had been raised with a business mindset.
'In business, you talk business. There are no permanent friends or enemies, only interests. As long as the terms were right, theoretically, no deal was impossible.'
Jett Westgate's gaze shifted from her face to the black card and contract on the table.
"Compensation?" he repeated the word, his tone unreadable. "A contract?"
He leaned back slightly, and the aura around him seemed to undergo a subtle change.
"Annelise Valentine." He suddenly used her full name. "Do you think I need an arranged marriage to secure a business opportunity? Or that I need compensation to end an engagement?"
'Annelise Valentine knew it. Jett Westgate was not going to be easy.'
"I also own a multinational company that deals in overseas import-export trade. Its profits are substantial... I can transfer it to you, free of charge."
"I'll also give you my wineries in Vesperia."
"And two mansions in Vestria's Silicon Valley. They're practically priceless. I'll give them to you for free."
...
Annelise Valentine threw out her bargaining chips one after another. From real estate to financial capital and network resources, she brought out almost every hard asset she could think of.
'Her mind was racing, calculations clicking into place. She couldn't beat him with brute force, so she'd use benefits! Businesspeople prized profit above all. She refused to believe anyone could be unmoved by so many tangible benefits. It was just an engagement. How could that compare to cold, hard cash?'
Jett Westgate's expression grew darker and darker.
With every item she listed, the chill in his eyes deepened.
She had underestimated him, and she had underestimated the Westgate Family.
While the Valentine Family was rich, the Westgate Family wasn't just rich—they were powerful.
The things she listed might be a life's pursuit for an ordinary person, but in Jett Westgate's eyes, they were nothing more than toys for playing house.
Her desperation to persuade him with material benefits, to achieve her goal of breaking the engagement—it made him feel deeply belittled and insulted.
'It was true, at first, he hadn't been particularly enthusiastic about this marriage alliance.'
'It was just something arranged by the family elders, and the other party was the Valentine Family, who were of equal standing. In his mind, it didn't much matter who he married. It would just be one more person in the house, someone to have around. He was even prepared for a marriage where they wouldn't interfere in each other's lives.'
'But Annelise was different from what he had expected.'
'She was... actually quite interesting.'
'He even faintly felt that spending the next few decades with such a vibrant and lively person wouldn't be so hard to accept.'
'But what was he hearing now?'
'She didn't just dislike him; she was utterly opposed to him!'
Jett Westgate didn't understand. He came from a top-tier, powerful family. His looks and charisma were impeccable, his abilities and methods outstanding. He had been the center of attention since childhood. The line of people who wanted to use him or marry him could stretch from Aethelgard to Freyenne!
So why was she so unwilling to marry him?
This completely ignited Jett Westgate's competitive spirit and his desire to conquer.
He no longer dwelled on the compensation and the contract, but instead threw out the most fundamental question:
"Why are you unwilling to marry me?"
"I want the truth."
"I am the sole heiress of the Valentine Family. My parents are devoted to each other, so there's none of that drama with illegitimate children fighting over the inheritance. I went to study in Vestria at thirteen and graduated with straight A-pluses. I'm a Grade-10 certified pianist and a professional-level street dancer. My allowance has more digits than a phone number, and the real estate in my name is simply countless."
"To put it dramatically, the line of men who want to marry into the Valentine Family would circle Veridia three times."