Chapter 5

Putting a half-billion-dollar villa on the line as a bet?

Noel's words left everyone completely stunned.

Even Lulu couldn't help but grin with excitement.

He'd fallen right into her trap!

"Alright then, you said it! I'll be waiting to see how you two make fools of yourselves in a month."

Afraid they might back out, Lulu quickly agreed. In her opinion, there was no way Noel could win this bet.

Even with Yvette's help, making ten billion in just a month was pure fantasy.

They were both truly fools!

She hadn't expected the Nimbus Highlands villa would be hers so easily.

"All right, I won't interfere in your affairs. But today is a family gathering, so we can't afford to let things get ugly," Dylan finally said, breaking his silence.

To everyone's surprise, Dylan wasn't angry at Noel for risking the villa. Instead, he seemed to believe in the younger man.

Could this plain-looking bumpkin actually have some impressive skills after all?

All the Quinton family members present were left wondering. They just couldn't figure out what power Noel might have to win this bet.

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the banquet grew warm and lively.

"Yvette, Noel will be sleeping in your room tonight," Dylan said, grabbing their hands with a laugh. "You two better hurry up and give this old man some grandchildren!"

"Grandpa, I'm not ready yet..." Yvette blurted out, feeling a little flustered at the thought of living together so soon.

"Don't worry, Grandpa," Noel said confidently. "We promise to get the job done."

Noel stood up and gave the old man a reassuring look, smoothly easing the awkwardness for Yvette.

"W-what are you saying?"

Hearing Noel's words, Yvette looked down and blushed deeply.

After the banquet ended, Yvette had no choice but to lead Noel back to her room to rest.

Even though Dylan had promised them the villa, the deed hadn't been transferred yet. So for now, they had to stay at the Quinton family's residence.

Yvette's room was simply decorated, but the pink wallpaper all around gave away her girlish heart.

"I never thought we'd get to see each other again," Noel said as he settled onto the couch, flashing her a smile. "Since we're legally married now, I should give you this money back."

With that, he pulled out 20 thousand dollars and set it on the table.

At the sight of the money, Yvette's face instantly flushed. It was the hush money she had thrown at Noel that morning.

She never expected the world to be so small, or that she'd end up marrying this man.

"Don't get the wrong idea! I married you only because I didn't want to upset Grandpa," she hurried to explain.

Noel looked her over and teased, "Is that the only reason?"

Under Noel's gaze, Yvette's heart skipped a beat. After a moment's hesitation, she decided to be honest.

"Of course not. I know Grandpa values you, so I need this marriage. Better to control my own fate than be someone who can be sacrificed at any moment."

At that moment, Yvette's eyes showed a flash of determination. This was something she wasn't going to hide from Noel.

"Are you not afraid I might back out after hearing all this?"

Noel chuckled lightly. He had already seen right through Yvette's true intentions.

That was exactly why he liked her even more for her honest nature.

"So, I prepared this for you."

Yvette pulled out a contract and handed it to Noel.

"We can be contract spouses. During this time, I'll fulfill all my duties as your wife, and all you have to do is help me secure my place in the Quinton family. When the time's right, you can choose to divorce me anytime you want.

"Of course, I'll pay you three million as compensation."

Noel looked down at the contract in his hands, a strange expression crossing his face.

"But what if you end up liking me?"

"Never gonna happen." Yvette fixed him with a cold glare, looking every bit the icy beauty again.

"Alright, I'm in."

Noel didn't hesitate for a second.

Before she knew it, he had signed his name on the contract.

"You're really agreeing to this?"

Yvette's eyes widened, surprised beyond words. She'd expected him to refuse or maybe use the contract to drive up the price.

She never imagined he'd be this straightforward.

Tucking the contract away, Yvette frowned and sighed. "Don't worry about the bet with my sister. I'll do everything I can to help you. Even if we lose, we'll just give her the villa."

Originally, she might have been able to help Noel reach one hundred million with her company's business, but ten billion?

Yvette had no choice but to accept defeat.

The Nimbus Highlands villa was probably lost for good.

"Who says we'll lose? Making ten billion isn't exactly rocket science."

Kicked back on the couch with one leg crossed over the other, Noel looked as calm as ever.

"Who do you think you are? The richest man in Chansear District, Tyler Lewis?" Yvette snapped.

She hated how blindly cocky Noel could be. If he weren't so full of himself, he wouldn't have made such an unrealistic bet.

"Tyler?" Noel laughed. "That guy used to be a grunt up on Fangspire Mountain. Didn't expect him to become the richest man in Chansear District."

"Could you stop bragging for one second?" Yvette rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure if her grandfather was blind or just fooled. Noel didn't exactly seem like a good guy to her.

Just then, Yvette's phone on the table started ringing nonstop.

She glanced at the caller ID, her brow furrowing. A flash of annoyance crossed her eyes.

"That Lester family heir bothering you again?" Noel asked, glancing over. He'd obviously heard about her being arranged to marry into the Lester family.

"That's my personal business. I can handle it." Yvette said firmly, then hung up.

But the phone rang again almost immediately.

"Let me handle this." Noel stood up and smiled at her. "Helping my wife out of trouble—that's what a husband's for."

"Who's your wife?"

Yvette's face flushed red, but Noel had grabbed her phone before she could say anything else.

The call connected.

"Yvette, why won't you answer? Don't you know how much I miss you—"

"Give it a rest, lover boy. My wife's already in bed."

Zachary's voice was still coming through the phone when Noel cut him off.

"What? Who the hell are you? Why do you have Yvette's phone?"

Click.

Noel didn't waste a second. He hung up and looked at Yvette.

"Play along."

Before Yvette could even react, a hand slid around her waist and pulled her into his arms.

Snap!

Noel held her tight and took a photo, then sent it straight to Zachary. After that, he blocked Zachary's number.

Yvette couldn't help but laugh at what Noel had just done. She could only imagine the look on Zachary's face when he saw that photo. After all the times he harassed her, this felt like sweet revenge.

What Noel did was like giving that jerk a taste of his own medicine.

"Let me go!"

Noticing Noel's intense gaze, Yvette suddenly realized how close they were. Flushing, she quickly wriggled free.

"I don't know how I missed this yesterday. You're not just beautiful, you're downright deadly when you smile."

Noel grinned and brought his fingers up to smell the scent of her hair still lingering on his fingers.

That just made Yvette even more embarrassed and annoyed.

"I'm warning you," she said, crossing her arms. "We're just contract spouses. Don't forget your place."

With that, she strode over to the bed and pointed at the couch nearby.

"I'm sleeping here tonight. You can take the couch."

Seeing how quickly Yvette's mood flipped, Noel let out a helpless sigh.

"It's not like we haven't shared a bed before. Why the sudden fuss?"

"Go to hell!"

Before he could react, a pillow came flying straight at him.