Marry Me (1)

The children were innocent and had committed no sins toward the Qin family. However, Adrienne understood that their mere existence was already a threat to the other members of the Qin family, which could easily have been avoided if Richard Qin had remained faithful to his wife.

Adrienne met Lennox's gaze, which was as cold as the northern star, his expression pensive. He was possibly thinking of another plan in case she rejected his offer. A man like him would surely not accept defeat easily.

"Is there a time limit?" She asked. If Lennox were in a hurry, she would rather not accept the deal. She also had some personal matters she needed to deal with.

Lennox equally sized her up. He knew he was being unreasonable for asking her to do this when they both knew it would be dangerous for her. Gavin had a valid reason to be worried about her safety. If his relatives knew she was aiding him to secure his position and his inheritance, they might attempt to take her life as well.

Adrienne Jiang had recently turned eighteen, but something about her made him think she was mature enough to decide rationally. She was a young lady who had yet to reach her prime, but her eyes reflected someone who had already experienced enough bitterness in life.

She stared at him quietly. Her clear obsidian eyes were akin to a cold lake in winter without any hint of warmth. Lennox thought that it was her most beautiful attribute. Furthermore, she had an expression that exudes an austere charm. How could Lennox even think of ignoring this young lady before him?

"No, but I would prefer it if you retrieve them immediately. My relatives haven't turned their attention to them yet since they are more wary of the progress of my recovery." He answered truthfully.

"You are using my mother against me. Indeed, misery loves company. Is this the reason why you sought me? Mr. Qin, do you think my services are cheap?" Adrienne spoke calmly, but Lennox and Gavin felt the slight chill in her tone.

"Name your price then, Miss Jiang." Lennox didn't think she would agree so easily to his proposition.

"$1 million for each child." Adrienne started, placing the files on the table before leaning against the windowsill. "When the right time comes, you should marry me. We can discuss the details of this marriage later, but know that I don't intend to be your wife for a long time."

Lennox wasn't the only one stunned upon hearing it, even Gavin couldn't believe what Adrienne was saying. Was she out of her mind? Didn't she know what entailed the title of Lennox Qin's wife?

It was Lennox who recovered first from his shock. He let out a chuckle and gave Adrienne a freezing look. A look that made many of his enemies tremble in the past.

"What would Miss Jiang gain from marrying a crippled and useless man like me?" He spat venomously. If Adrienne Jiang was after his money, then this woman was no different from the other women who tried to pin him down with marriage before.

"Protection from my father." Adrienne said without batting an eyelid. "Unlike you, I wasn't born as a man. My father would try to discredit me for the succession of the Jiang Corporation in favor of handing it over to his bastard son. Soon, he will try to sell me off in a transaction disguised as marriage."

Lennox opened his mouth but found himself unable to say anything. Of course, it wasn't the first time he had heard of such a thing. Marrying daughters to more affluent and influential families to gain something was quite prevalent in their social circle. With the type of father she had, it seemed like Adrienne Jiang wasn't safe from this arrangement.

"If I have to marry, it should be on my terms. I should be the one who gets the most out of it and not my father," Adrienne added. "If you are worried that I'm only marrying you for money, the $6 million I would get from you is enough for me. You can draft a prenuptial agreement to protect you and your finances against me once we marry…"

Lennox and Gavin exchanged stares as they agreed that Adrienne was very smart to consider this far into her future. However, for her to propose an arranged marriage between her and Lennox, wasn't it too reckless on her part?

Indeed, Lennox Qin would be able to protect her from being married off by her father to other men, but didn't Adrienne know she would also gain enemies by just being Lennox's wife?

"Don't you want to marry out of love?" Lennox asked in return, meeting Adrienne's equally cold gaze. This young woman was undoubtedly a cold beauty. It wouldn't be hard for her to find a husband with the kind of face she had though.

Her lips curved slightly as if she had just heard the biggest joke in her life. Adrienne thought she knew what love was in her previous life, only to be proven wrong in the end. After her rebirth, she didn't believe in love. As quickly as one falls in love, one can fall out of love just as fast. Then what? Either the relationship ends or it becomes toxic.

"Love?" She scoffed and shook her head. "Love is a luxury not everyone can afford. When you marry for love, it generally means you have all your other needs met, which I don't. I'm a person who worries about safety and survival. I have no time to seek the man of my dreams and marry him. Also, respect should be the foundation of marriage, not love. You need mutual respect, shared goals, and compatibility way more than love to have a sustainable, lasting relationship. When love wanes, the marriage gets shaky. When the romance stops, the nuptials die."

Just look at what happened to her mother. The entire Zhao family vehemently opposed the marriage, but Rosemary was determined to marry Lewis Jiang. Although she wasn't openly disowned, the Zhao family had cut off their connections and communications with her.