Willow West's eyelashes trembled. Her hand clutching the phone tightened.
She finally responded, "I have to go tomorrow!"
"That depends on your performance tonight!
Willow, I know you won't let me down!"
Melanie Ulrich was still speaking, her words a mix of threats and coaxing.
After a long moment, Willow finally nodded.
"Mm, I understand."
Willow hung up.
The light in her eyes dimmed further.
Melanie Ulrich knew Willow wasn't as harmless and dull as she looked.
Melanie had seen it the year Willow was sent to the Etiquette Academy.
But she didn't care how much Willow resisted.
Because even the toughest person has a weak spot.
And a certain person was Willow's Achilles' heel.
Aiden Pierce watched her trembling eyelashes and couldn't help but sneer softly. "Everyone says the West Family's discipline is strict, that Eldest Miss West is the woman every man in Aethelgard wants to marry.
I never thought Eldest Miss West would need to resort to such a crude tactic like securing her position with a child to solidify her marriage.
How ironic."
Ignoring the sarcasm in Aiden Pierce's eyes, Willow's gaze fell on the slight bob of his Adam's apple.
"Who in all of Aethelgard doesn't know that you, Uncle Pierce, are a cold, ascetic dinosaur who stays away from women?
And yet you can't handle it either, can you?"
Fresh off her browbeating from Melanie Ulrich, Willow let loose on Aiden Pierce, her small mouth firing off retorts without a hint of fear.
Like a combative rooster.
Melanie always bound her with invisible threads. But what she didn't realize was that the more restraints she applied, the tighter the shackles became.
And the tighter the shackles, the easier they are to break.
She told her to be the pure Eldest Miss West, and in response, she would hire male models.
Aiden Pierce said, "I hope you keep your word."
Willow was taken aback. "What did I say?"
The man's gaze turned colder. "Do I need to remind you of what you just said?"
Willow thought for a moment, and her eyes instantly lit up.
The curve of her lips grew more audacious, and even the corners of her eyes seemed to tilt upward with mischief.
She reached out and grabbed Aiden Pierce's tie. With a slight tug, she pulled him down, forcing him to bend toward her.
He looked down at her, taking in her every provocation.
"Aiden Pierce. Sleep with me?"
The seductive intent in her words was unmistakable.
Aiden Pierce was stunned for a moment, not processing it at first.
'Was this little quail... inviting him to bed?'
A wave of desire surged through him, yet his body stiffened involuntarily.
Feeling his body suddenly go rigid, Willow narrowed her eyes. The mockery in her doe-like eyes was practically overflowing.
Her red lips parted, her voice dripping with scorn. "Scared?"
Without waiting for Aiden's reply, she nodded knowingly. "You're right. How could an old dinosaur like you do something like this?
There's a generation gap between us, after all. No need to force it."
Willow's hand snaked up his side, deftly hooking open his trench coat pocket and smoothly slipping his phone back inside.
"Didn't you want compensation, Uncle Pierce?"
His voice was laced with a hint of huskiness. "And how do you plan on compensating me?"
"Since you're clearly not interested in me paying with my body, how about we discuss a partnership?"
"Given the West Family's current situation, if I wanted a partnership, I could just go straight to Roman West.
What project could your branch of the family possibly have that's worth my time?
Don't tell me you're talking about that money pit of a project?"
The implication was clear: Aiden Pierce had no interest in Ethan West's project.
Willow didn't take Aiden's words as an insult.
After all, everyone in Aethelgard knew how much Old Master West favored his younger son.
The inheritance was bound to fall into his hands.
Ethan West was greedy, but he wasn't as capable as Roman West.
For years, he had been overshadowed by Roman's presence.
That was until two years ago, when Ethan West somehow got involved with a holographic project.
At first, everyone thought Ethan was just making a desperate gamble in his fight for the inheritance.
After all, holographic technology was still far from perfect in many areas.
But then, Ethan began announcing a series of project updates, which made considerable waves within the industry.
The data released by Ethan's research institute was surprisingly precise and sophisticated.
It looked as if Ethan's institute had truly mastered the core holographic data.
Even so, no one dared to rush into a partnership with the West Family.
Everyone decided to wait and see.
After all, the research was an incredible cash burn.
Sure enough, a year ago, the holographic research hit a bottleneck.
There was one data point they couldn't overcome for the longest time, and as a result, the project stagnated.
Outsiders were unaware of this, as the project's progress was kept confidential.
Unless Ethan revealed it himself, no one would know the true state of the research.
The higher everyone had propped Ethan up, the more painful his fall was now.
But only he knew the full extent of it.
Therefore, he chose the Sterling Family—wealthy, but not old money—as partners for a marriage alliance.
To put it bluntly, Ethan was now broke and desperately needed a willing fool to act as a moneybag for his research.
The Sterlings were nouveau riche. They had no shortage of money, only a lack of opportunity to make a name for themselves in Aethelgard.
If the holographic project actually succeeded, the Sterlings would ascend into Aethelgard's high society.
Furthermore, if a woman like Willow—sought after by every man in Aethelgard—married into the Sterling Family, they would become the envy of many.
The Wests and the Sterlings, each with their own agenda, had brokered this marriage.
The chances of calling off Willow's engagement were slim to none.
'What if I could secure Aiden Pierce's investment?'
An idea sparked in Willow's mind.
"Don't put it so harshly!
Right now, the West Family's research data on holography is the most comprehensive and groundbreaking..."
He scoffed. "Those high-and-mighty words might work on the Sterlings.
Little West, do you take me for a fool?
Years ago, the ones who pioneered the concept of holography in this country were Professor Nathaniel Sutton and his wife.
They were the ones who began its development and research.
Those two were hailed as academic geniuses, and even they couldn't fully perfect the holographic data.
What makes you think I'd believe that Ethan West, a nobody hack in the industry, can perfect it?"
At the mention of Nathaniel Sutton's name, Willow's body gave an involuntary shiver.
Aiden keenly felt her tremble. His gaze dropped to her thin clothes, and he couldn't help but frown.
He took off his trench coat and draped it over her slender, delicate shoulders, pulling it closed for her.
"I'm a businessman. I'm best at weighing pros and cons.
Naturally, I won't throw my money down the drain."
Willow grew frustrated.
"In that case, there's nothing more to discuss!"
The thought of Melanie Ulrich's words and her humiliating tactics made Willow feel even more suffocated.
'That bastard Aiden Pierce... last night he was all over me like a man possessed, refusing to let go!'
'But now he won't sleep with me, which means I have to go find another man!'
'Otherwise, there's no way I'll be able to fool Melanie!'
As if seeing right through her, Aiden tightened his grip on her wrist and murmured, "Paying with your body... that's not out of the question."