Chapter 131

"Damn it!"

Outside the restaurant.

Tyler sat in his sports car.

He watched with his own eyes as Sherry affectionately hooked her arm through Jack's, got into the car, and sped off into the distance.

In an instant.

Tyler's expression turned incredibly ugly.

He slammed his fist down on the steering wheel, and the horn let out a piercing, prolonged wail.

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently.

The dappled sunlight outside the car window swept across his twisted face, cutting his features into a patchwork of light and shadow that made him look particularly menacing.

Sherry wasn't just Imperial City's Director of Military Procurement—she held real power.

And she was stunningly beautiful.

Tyler's family and Sherry's family were practically old friends, with close ties and plenty of business dealings.

In Imperial City's elite circles, everyone assumed it was only a matter of time before Tyler and Sherry walked down the aisle—not just a union between two young people, but a deep binding of interests between two powerful families.

Tyler had long regarded this sexy woman as his property.

But now.

She'd been stolen right out from under him by some nobody he couldn't even be bothered to look at!

To Tyler, this was a naked humiliation!

"Jack..." Tyler stared fixedly at the car disappearing around the corner, his eyes taking on a bloodshot tinge as he ground out the name through clenched teeth, as if he wanted to chew him up, bones and all.

What right did some nobody with zero connections have to touch a woman he'd set his sights on?

"Fine. Just fine..." Tyler laughed bitterly, a bone-chilling growl rising from his chest.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the rage that threatened to consume his rationality.

In this dog-eat-dog world of Imperial City, anger was the cheapest emotion.

As the future heir to his family, he had to stay calm at all times.

Tyler slowly released the steering wheel he'd dented with his own fist, pulled a silk handkerchief from his suit pocket, and methodically wiped the blood from his knuckles.

"Since you want to play, I'll play with you."

He pulled out an encrypted phone and dialed a number.

"Yeah, it's me." Tyler's voice had returned to its usual icy arrogance. "I need you to put out a hit right now. I'm offering five hundred thousand dollars for someone's life. His name is Jack."

The person on the other end seemed to acknowledge.

Tyler hung up and tossed the phone carelessly onto the passenger seat, his gaze sweeping coldly over the bustling street outside.

"Also, notify our family's people in the Military Procurement office to immediately cut off all resource support to Sherry. I want her to know just how unstable her position as Director really is without my family backing her."

Tyler started the car, the engine letting out a low growl.

"As for Jack!"

"Touch what's mine, and you won't even get a chance to regret it."

The car slowly merged into traffic, a flash of ruthlessness crossing Tyler's eyes.

This game was only just beginning.

.........

The car had barely been moving for a few minutes.

When Sherry pulled over.

A call was coming in.

Looking at the caller ID, Sherry's brow furrowed slightly, but she still answered the phone.

"Mom."

Sherry's voice was cool and detached.

"How did things go with Tyler?"

The voice on the other end belonged to Sherry's mother, and just listening to it, you could hear the authority and unquestionable pressure of someone long accustomed to power.

And a certain mercenary quality.

"Fine, I guess." Sherry gripped the steering wheel with one hand, her gaze calmly fixed on the traffic ahead, her tone utterly flat.

As she spoke, though, the corners of her mouth curved upward slightly.

Thinking about the utterly defeated look on Tyler's face after Jack had put him in his place made her want to laugh.

A man like that thought he could marry her?

What a joke.

In her entire life, she'd only ever been with one man.

At that thought.

Sherry subtly turned her head to glance at Jack.

Even though Jack had hurt her before, when he appeared in front of her again.

She still threw herself at him like a moth to a flame, completely reckless.

Sherry knew.

She was done for in this lifetime.

Destined to fall into Jack's hands.

"Fine, you guess?"

Her mother on the other end keenly picked up on that barely perceptible note of pleasure in her daughter's tone, and her brow immediately furrowed.

As a society matron who'd spent years navigating Imperial City's elite circles, she knew Sherry all too well.

Before, Sherry had been so resistant when she'd arranged this meeting with Tyler.

Yet now she sounded so pleased.

Sherry's mother immediately sensed something was off.

However, she didn't press the issue, instead saying to Sherry, "Well then, since you're satisfied with him too, why don't we find a time to formalize your engagement to Tyler?"

"After all, you're not getting any younger. It's time to find yourself a proper match."

"A proper match?"

Sherry sounded like she'd just heard the world's funniest joke, and let out a soft laugh.

She knew it. Her mother hadn't arranged this meeting with Tyler just to 'meet'—she wanted to push through a marriage alliance between the two families.

"Mom, this 'proper match' you're talking about—is that just packaging me up like merchandise and selling me to the Tyler family in exchange for more benefits for you all in Imperial City?"

The other end of the line fell into dead silence, and then her mother's voice came through, suppressing her fury in a low growl, "Sherry! What kind of attitude is that? How is Tyler not good enough for you? Do you even realize what nonsense you're spouting!"

"I'm perfectly clear-headed, Mom." Sherry gripped the steering wheel, but her eyes only grew more determined. She took a deep breath, her tone ice-cold and resolute. "You don't need to waste any more effort on Tyler. Because I already have someone I care about."

"What did you just say?"

Her mother's voice shot up sharply, filled with disbelieving fury. "Who is it? What's his name, where's he from, what does his family do, does he have money?"

"His name is Jack. He's poor. But I love him." Sherry turned to look at Jack and said flatly, though her tone was utterly firm.

"Sherry!"

"Do you have any idea what you're doing? Tyler is such a perfect catch and you're turning him down—for some poor nobody!"

"I know exactly what I'm doing." Sherry calmly cut her off. "I've only ever been with one man, and he's the only one I ever will be with. As for Tyler... he was never my choice."

"You—" Sherry's mother was shaking with rage, her voice trembling. "Fine. Very well! Since you insist on being so foolish, don't blame me for being ruthless! Starting tomorrow, the family will cut off all your funding. The reshuffle is coming up soon—without the family's support, let's see if you can hold onto your position as Director of Military Procurement."

"Once you're out of that position and out of money, I'd like to see just how long you and your poor nobody can last in Imperial City!"

"Suit yourself."

Sherry replied coolly, then pressed the end call button without hesitation.

The car fell silent once more.

Sherry tossed her phone aside, leaned back against the seat, and let out a long breath.

"Do you regret it?" Jack's voice came from beside her, low and calm.