"Zane, you're afraid that if you confess and Annelise rejects you, you won't even be able to stay friends. Right?"
"But look at the situation. If you don't say anything, do you really think you can just be her good friend forever? Once she's actually married to Jett Westgate, will you still be able to pop up by her side whenever you want?"
Zane Patterson, who had been brooding, seemed to have a sudden realization after hearing Chloe Fairchild's words. He froze.
Then, before the other two could react, he stalked out of the private room, reeking of alcohol.
The moment he opened the door, he ran into a group of rich kids, obviously drunk and stumbling around with their arms slung over each other's shoulders.
"Shit! You got eyes? Watch where you're going when you open a door!"
Seeing that things were about to go south, Sean Conrad and Chloe Fairchild rushed over. The moment they saw those familiar, detestable faces, their hearts sank. 'Shit, why'd we have to run into Ezra Quinn and his pack of hyenas?'
Ezra Quinn was a notorious rich brat in Veridia. He acted all high and mighty because his grandfather held a minor official post in the city and his father was a businessman. He was used to being arrogant and domineering and always had a gaggle of lackeys trailing after him.
He and Zane Patterson's crew had never gotten along. Zane usually hung out at Skyline and rarely set foot in places like The Empyrean Palace, so the karaoke club there was basically Ezra Quinn's home turf.
But since Skyline had been trashed and was now under renovation, he'd made a rare exception and come to The Empyrean Palace.
What a time for their paths to cross.
Zane Patterson said coldly, "Get out of my way."
Ezra Quinn wasn't one to take things lying down. Seeing Zane Patterson—a guy who was always a cut above him—looking like a disheveled, drunken mess, a malicious thought sparked in his mind. 'You dare act tough on my turf?' A wicked flame of anger surged within him.
"Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Patterson himself. What's got you so drunk? Come on, tell us so me and the boys can have a good laugh."
He deliberately dragged out his words, feigning a sudden realization. "Ohhh, I know!"
"Is it because the Valentine and Westgate families are about to announce their engagement? Miss Valentine is about to fly off to Aethelgard and marry up, and you're over here drinking your sorrows away, huh?"
"If you ask me, kid, you're nothing but Annelise Valentine's little simp! You've been kissing her ass for years, at her beck and call, and what'd you get? Not even the title of boyfriend, and she just turns around and gets engaged to a Westgate. Tsk, tsk, how pathetic."
In all of Veridia, there weren't many people who dared to speak to Zane Patterson like that—Ezra Quinn was one of the few.
The only reason Ezra Quinn dared to be so arrogant was that his grandfather held a middling post with Veridia Maritime. He had some real authority, enough to control things at the docks and on the shipping lanes.
But in the eyes of the Patterson Family, his grandfather's bit of power was nothing special. He could cause them minor inconveniences, but he couldn't touch their foundation.
Zane Patterson was already a walking powder keg, looking for a place to explode.
Just a little while ago, right at the gates of the Valentine Ancestral Home, Jett Westgate had whisked Annelise Valentine away right in front of him. It was the first time in his life he'd had to swallow such a bitter, humiliating pill in silence.
He had held back then, worried that making a scene at the Valentine Ancestral Home would disturb the elders and reflect poorly on everyone. That was the only reason he hadn't torn into Jett Westgate right then and there.
He never imagined Ezra Quinn and his cronies would walk right into the line of fire.
Zane Patterson's leg shot out, channeling the absolute peak of his suppressed fury. Fast, precise, and brutal, his foot connected squarely with Ezra Quinn's groin.
"AAGGHHH—!!!"
"Zane Patterson, you motherfucker!"
The kick was so vicious it made every guy watching involuntarily cringe.
Ezra Quinn curled into a ball on the floor like a shrimp, his agonized screams echoing down the hallway.
***
The Azure Promenade, Veridia
A breeze swept in from the river, mingling the city lights with the neon glow of the cruise ships. The Promenade was especially bustling tonight, packed with tourists and dazzlingly bright.
Annelise Valentine was distractedly enjoying the evening breeze with Jett Westgate when she got the call from Chloe Fairchild.
After hanging up, she frowned. "Jett Westgate, it's getting late. You should go home. I have something to take care of."
With that, she turned to leave.
But a second later, a hand grabbed her wrist—again.
Jett Westgate's grip wasn't crushing, but it was firm enough that she couldn't break free.
"It's this late," he said, his voice calm and unreadable. "What could you possibly have to do?"
"Let go," Annelise insisted. "I really have something to do."
Instead of letting go, Jett Westgate used her own momentum to pull her closer.
"Is it for that Patterson boy?"
Annelise froze.
"You're not going."
Annelise was getting angry. "Jett Westgate, I don't have time for your games!"
His expression turned cold as he closed the distance between them, his presence overwhelmingly oppressive. "You think I'm playing games?"
"Right now, you are my fiancée. Jett Westgate's fiancée."
"Rushing off to see another man in the middle of the night, right in front of me? Annelise Valentine, do you really think I'm so good-natured that I'll tolerate this again and again?"
Annelise snapped. "Fiancée? Jett Westgate, can't you tell? I don't want to marry you at all!"
He sneered. "Oh? You don't want to marry me. Then who do you want to marry? Zane Patterson?"
"Shut up!"
Seeing her bristling with anger yet utterly helpless, Jett Westgate was suddenly struck by the urge to tease her.
His gaze fell to her red lips, and in a slow, drawling tone dripping with deliberate provocation, he said:
"Can't seem to shut my mouth,"
"Unless… you kiss me."
Annelise: "…?!"
Annelise's brain short-circuited for a full two seconds.
'Is he bipolar or something?! One second he's all cold threats and sarcasm, and the next he's saying outrageous crap like this!'
"Jett. West. Gate! C-could you have some shame?!"
Jett Westgate watched her, the tips of her ears glowing red and a look on her face like she wanted to pounce on him and bite him. The amusement in his eyes deepened.
"Shame?" He raised an eyebrow, his tone breezy. "What's the point of that, when teasing my wife is so much more interesting?"
Annelise straightened her spine. "I am going over there tonight, no matter what."
Her tone left no room for argument.
"What a coincidence." He took a step forward, completely invading her personal space.
"Because tonight, no matter what, you're staying with me."
Staying with him to watch the view was staying with him. Being locked in a standoff with him was staying with him. Doing anything at all, as long as it was with him, counted as staying.
In short, did she think she could just leave his side to see another man?
Impossible.
"What counts as 'staying with you'? As long as I'm by your side, that's enough?"
Jett Westgate retorted coolly, "What else? How did you imagine you'd be staying with me?"
Annelise steeled herself and agreed with surprising readiness. "Fine! You said it!"
Jett Westgate tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Mm-hm."
Annelise immediately turned and marched toward Jett Westgate's car. "Get in! We're going to The Empyrean Palace!"
Once she was in the car, she looked back and saw Jett Westgate was still a long way off, his posture as leisurely as if he were taking a stroll through his own private garden.
Annelise seethed with impatience and rolled down the window. "Can you hurry up?!"
She glanced at his ridiculously long legs and muttered, "All that leg and he walks like a snail."
When Jett Westgate finally reached the car, he heard her comment. Instead of speeding up, he stopped and lit a cigarette.
"What's the rush? It's not like The Empyrean Palace is going to grow legs and run off."
"Why are you lighting up now? Can you just get in the car! It won't run away, but someone could get hurt!"
"Oh, so you're going to break up a fight."
Jett Westgate took a drag from his cigarette and, in a tone that screamed 'I have plenty of experience with this,' calmly offered his advice: