Chapter 3

Noel's expression darkened the moment Lulu finished speaking. Any goodwill he might've had for her vanished in an instant.

"I'm not from some posh family, but that doesn't mean I'll settle for just anyone!" Noel said, his voice cool.

The color drained from Lulu's face, then returned in a flash of anger. She sneered.

"Keep pretending you're something you're not. In case you haven't heard, I already accepted Mr. Warren's proposal."

She raised her right hand and flaunted the diamond on her ring finger. "See this? Ten carats. Six million. That's a luxury someone like you couldn't afford in ten lifetimes."

"Wait, she means Bruce Warren from that Warren family?" someone murmured. "One of the Four Pillars in Hibiscus City?"

Hearing Lulu's words, all the Quinton family members were stunned. A few even looked at her with open envy.

Meanwhile, Noel stood where he was, his expression icy cold.

"Outrageous!" Dylan snapped, pointing a trembling finger at Lulu. "This engagement was agreed upon 15 years ago. Do you want me to become a man who breaks his word?"

Jacob stepped in quickly, trying to calm him. "Dad, come on. It's not the old days anymore. We can't be so backward about these things.

"Mr. Warren genuinely cares about Lulu. Besides, the Warren family's a top-tier power in Hibiscus City. They've already agreed that once the marriage goes through, they'll invest a billion into Quinton Pharmaceuticals. That could save the company.

"As for this poor kid... just throw him some money and send him on his way."

Smack!

The sharp crack of a slap echoed across the room.

"Fool!" Dylan shouted, face red with fury. "Compared to Noel, the Warren family is nothing!"

His body shook as he doubled over in a fit of coughing, clearly pushed to the brink by rage.

Jacob clutched his stinging cheek, looking both hurt and helpless. As long as the old man was still alive, he would never be the true head of the Quinton family.

Meanwhile, Lulu could only stare in disbelief. As far as she was concerned, her grandfather had lost his mind.

That guy? A broke nobody from the mountains? He wasn't even fit to breathe the same air as Bruce. How could he possibly be worthy of marrying her?

And yet, they wanted her to marry him?

She didn't even want to imagine how miserable the rest of her life would be if she went along with this.

"I don't care who marries him," Lulu snapped, head high and full of defiance. "It won't be me.

"I already belong to Mr. Warren. Becoming part of the Warren family is my destiny. There's no way I'm lowering myself to marry this loser."

Her words sent another wave of shock through the room.

Dylan looked like he'd been slapped, and his hands trembled with rage.

"You shameless girl! You've brought disgrace to the entire Quinton family."

He suddenly doubled over, coughing violently, his body too weak to handle the fury building inside him.

"Dad!"

"Grandpa!"

The Quinton family members rushed toward him, panic written all over their faces.

Noel moved fastest. He caught the old man before he could fall, holding him steady with firm hands.

"Easy, sir. Please, don't get worked up. If your granddaughter doesn't want the engagement, then let's call it off. No need to force anything."

Dylan looked devastated, his face pale and filled with guilt.

"Noel, our family owes you an apology. Even if I die, I won't be able to face the Divine Sage. I've failed him."

Off to the side, Yvette stood in silence, her heart heavy. For all the chaos, she could only feel a strange sense of emptiness.

Even now, her grandfather still only cared about Lulu's marriage.

Everyone knew Lulu was his favorite. She had been spoiled from day one, never once held accountable for anything she did. No matter how wrong she was, he always looked the other way.

But Yvette? She was the one raised to put the family first. Every decision she made was careful, calculated, and selfless. Even her own marriage was being used as a bargaining chip.

Three days from now, her father planned to marry her off to Zachary Lester, the eldest son of the Lester family. William Quinton was hoping to secure a powerful alliance by doing so.

But everyone in Hibiscus City knew what kind of man Zachary was. Arrogant, entitled, and cruel. He wasted his days in nightclubs and was infamous for bullying men and molesting women.

Marrying someone like him was no different than walking into a pit of fire. However, Yvette couldn't fight the marriage that had already been arranged.

Just because she was a woman, she was expected to sacrifice everything for the family.

She didn't understand it.

She and Lulu were both daughters of the Quinton family. So why was Lulu allowed to defy everyone just because she was Dylan's favorite, while Yvette had to grit her teeth and endure it all in silence?

Maybe it wasn't just about being a daughter of the Quinton family.

Maybe it had everything to do with that long-standing engagement and being Noel's fiancee.

That was the title Dylan truly cared about.

Compared to a spoiled, arrogant rich boy like Zachary, Noel suddenly seemed like a much better man in Yvette's eyes. He wasn't flashy. He didn't have money or status.

But at least he wasn't rotten to the core.

If Yvette's only option was marrying someone she didn't love, she'd rather take her chances with Noel.

A flicker of determination lit up her eyes.

She was ready to bet everything on him.

Yvette took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said clearly, "If Lulu won't marry him, I will."

The entire room went dead silent.

A pin drop could be heard as every head turned toward her in shock.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, as if convinced they had misheard her.

Even her parents looked at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Yvette, what nonsense are you saying?" William barked.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. As the eldest son, Jacob had already refused to marry off his daughter. So, why would William want to marry off his daughter to a man beneath their status?

William was already powerless within the Quinton family. Now, he hoped to secure his position by marrying his daughter into a noble family.

But marry her off to a nobody like Noel?

That would ruin everything. They'd lose all hope of influence, and they'd be sidelined for good.

"I'm not talking nonsense," Yvette said, lifting her chin and locking eyes with her father. "If I'm going to be forced into a marriage anyway, I'd rather choose someone myself."

She turned to face her grandfather and raised her voice.

"Our family is not the kind that breaks promises. I'll marry Noel! Please allow it, Grandpa!"

The entire room froze.

Did Yvette just ask to marry Noel?

Was she really trying to steal her cousin's man?

The Quinton family members didn't know what to make of it.

Yvette wasn't just anybody. She was the second daughter of the Quinton family, elegant and respected. Plenty of men had chased after her, but she never gave any of them the time of day.

And now she wanted to marry a guy who showed up looking like he just walked off a farm?

"Yvette, you—" William started, but before he could say more, Jacob cut in.

"I agree."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Yvette's always been a good and dutiful daughter. If she's willing to take on this marriage, then I say it's the best solution. It preserves our family's reputation and still lets Lulu marry into the Warren family. That's a win-win."

Win-win?

William's face turned bright red with anger.

Easy for him to say. His daughter wasn't the one being sacrificed!

The rest of the family members began nodding along.

"I think Jacob has a point."

"Since Yvette's willing, let's consider this matter settled."

As long as it didn't affect their own interests, none of them really cared about some old engagement.

Dylan turned to Noel.

"Noel, what do you think of Yvette? She might be the second daughter of the family, but she's always been kind-hearted. She runs one of our branch companies now, so she's at least somewhat worthy of you."

Somewhat worthy?

The people around couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at the remark.

Only Noel remained serious, locking eyes with Yvette. Feeling the weight of his gaze, she quickly looked down.

It was as if they had known each other long before this moment.

"I'll do as you say, sir," Noel said with a soft smile.

With that, Noel had shown Dylan the respect he deserved.

Dylan's pale face finally broke into a smile. "Good. In that case, you and Yvette should go register your marriage today."

Relief swept across Lulu's side of the family. One could almost see the smug satisfaction on their faces. With the engagement officially off her shoulders, Lulu was free to marry into the prestigious Warren family.

But Dylan wasn't finished.

"There's one more thing," he said, suddenly remembering. "I bought a villa on Nimbus Highlands. It cost half a billion, and I intended it as a wedding gift from the Quinton family."

"Since the marriage is settled, I'll transfer the villa to Noel and Yvette's names in a few days!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jacob and his entire family froze.