Chapter 3

A muscular man, flanked by bodyguards, strode in briskly.

"Lisa, you're my personal secretary. How could you brawl with someone in public like this?"

"You must be Kyle, my fiancé?"

I studied the man before me. I had to admit, Mom had decent taste.

Close to six-foot-three, in a tailored designer suit, he was handsome and refined.

If I had to criticize something, it was the icy indifference in his eyes when he looked at me.

"Mr. Carter. Pleased to meet you. Allow me to introduce myself—I'm Aria Vincent, from..."

"Spare me."

Before I could finish, Kyle raised his hand impatiently, cutting me off.

"I couldn't care less who you are."

I almost thought I was hearing things.

I was supposed to be his future wife, for God's sake.

The engagement party hadn't even started, and my own fiancé was publicly humiliating me. Who would put up with that?

"Mr. Carter, even if we've never met and this is an arranged engagement, it's still rude to cut me off mid-sentence, don't you think?"

My words made Kyle's expression darken immediately.

"Rude? Look at yourself. Do you honestly think you're good enough for me?"

Kyle gave me a disdainful once-over and scoffed,

"Let me make this crystal clear: if my father weren't forcing this marriage, I wouldn't waste a second on some foreign drifter with a questionable past!"

He suddenly raised his voice, addressing everyone in the room.

"And don't delude yourself that this engagement makes you Carter family. I'll never marry you—not in a million years!"

After Kyle's outburst, I just shrugged indifferently.

"Since you've made your feelings clear, I have no interest in forcing this. However..."

My tone suddenly sharpened, dropping several degrees in temperature.

"I don't see any reason to continue with this engagement today, do you?"

I'd intended to end this civilly, but this arrogant heir wouldn't listen—he thought I was just playing hard to get.

"Vincent, cut the games!"

"Do you have any idea how many women in Seattle would kill for this chance?"

Instead of getting angry, I laughed.

"Mr. Carter, I couldn't care less about other women's fantasies. I want nothing to do with you. And this Carter family you're so proud of... please."

My words sparked immediate murmurs throughout the ballroom.

"Unbelievable! She's actually insulting the Carter heir? She must be out of her mind!"

"Right! Kyle Carter is Seattle's most eligible bachelor. This girl has no idea what she's turning down."

“If I were her, I wouldn’t care if it was a dog’s birthday party. Marrying into the Carters is all that matters!”

The skeptical murmurs continued around me, but I tuned them out.

In Seattle, the Carters were certainly considered new money royalty, with business interests up and down the West Coast.

But what did all that wealth matter?

When faced with real power, it was just a number on a screen.

I still remembered watching Kyle’s father, Robert Carter—CEO of Carter Group—groveling before my godfather.

Within thirty minutes, Robert was sweating bullets, terrified of misstepping.

He had no idea his precious alliance was being destroyed by his own son.

“Vincent! I’ll ask you one last time: do you really want to end this engagement?”

I met Kyle’s gaze steadily and nodded firmly.

“Without a doubt.”