It was suffice to say he had tried everything to win her heart after that. Especially after she started attending the academy.
Polite conversation, gifts, and compliments. He was not one to shy away from spending, with the boundless resources he had access to.
Then he tried pressure.
Then his father.
None of it worked.
Ariana shut him down mercilessly, publicly, and brutally at that.
Well, being the kind soul that she was, calling her rejection brutal was a stretch; she always politely rejected him, but Qinlan was relentless.
Of course, he was not the only one pursuing her, so he told himself that if he never gave up, if he worked on proving his worth, she would eventually choose him in the end.
But of course, he was starting to get jumpy, seeing her interact with other men who were far above his own station. So he tried multiple other methods once again.
And still got rejected. But he had an advantage that other people did not. His father was a close friend of Adam Taur from their time at war, so Qinlan convinced his own father to bring up the matter of uniting their clans to Patriarch Taur.
Unfortunately, Patriarch Taur backed Ariana's decision without hesitation. He obviously thought they were not worthy enough. He wanted something more.
For Troy Orion, that rejection had been a slap across the face.
One he never forgot.
So imagine Qinlan's joy—no, his ecstasy—when a messenger from Clan Taur arrived a week ago, bowing low, asking a single question:
Was the offer still available?
Qinlan had laughed out loud, his mind already racing ahead to the wedding night. He'd picture it every time he bedded his women: He imagined Ariana in their place.
No more rejections and cold stares. Just her writhing under him, her purity shattered by him Troy had smiled for an entire night.
They both knew why this was happening.
The Taur Clan was desperate.
Qinlan wanted Ariana—THE Ariana, coveted by all, and she was finally within his reach. He wanted to sully her, to turn that untouchable flower into his trophy wife.
He'd dreamed of it so many times: He would slowly break her.
And now, once they were betrothed, he would take his time winning her over, and then once the marriage was sealed, he'd have her all to himself, night after night.
But now that he was about to get what he wanted, Qinlan wanted more. Someone with his intelligence would not be sated by something he got so easily in the end, even if they once pined after it.
The chase was part of the fun.
So even though he was happy to finally have the obstacle that was Ariana out of the way, part of him was disappointed that he hadn't been the one to conquer her personally.
The circumstances just happened to work in his favour. He never thought about how much of a hypocrite he was being.
He was the one who had stooped to using any methods to have Ariana, and yet, now that she was within his reach, he wanted a chase!?
'No matter, I will conquer her slowly.' Of course, Qinlan had also heard the rumors. Apparently, Patriarch Taur had disowned his only son.
Which meant that if Qinlan married Ariana…
He would one day become Patriarch of Clan Taur.
His father was the happiest when he heard the news. Once they had the Taur Clan within their grasp, given enough time, they could take it over from within and climb up to the status of a high-ranking clan.
"What did I do in my past life to deserve this kind of karma?" Troy wondered calmly as he stepped out of the carriage first.
Qinlan followed, straightening his clothes, smoothing his red hair, his face glowing with confidence.
Inside, heat pooled in his chest at the thought of Ariana waiting somewhere in that manor—probably in some elegant gown that did nothing to hide her beauty.
He could almost taste her; he could already imagine it when he deflowered her, turning her from a lofty mage into a whimpering slut.
Troy could see his son's lustful thoughts written all over his face. And he shook his head wryly.
He had once been like Qinlan, young and ambitious; he still was. Maybe in another time, if he were still younger, he might have also been infatuated by the Taur girl.
But he still had to remind his son to see the bigger picture; he was well aware that they were not the only ones looking to take advantage of the Taur clan's demise, and they could not afford to be too greedy.
"Remember," Troy said quietly as they walked forward, "Try to win her heart first, and the rest will come easily."
Qinlan nodded, grinning, his mind flashing to how he'd win more than that—her body, her submission, every inch of her sullied by him. "Don't worry, Father."
Ahead of them, Patriarch Taur stood waiting, his posture stiff, his smile a bit forced. Beside him, a pair of beautiful silver flowers.