Married to Destroy You

Chapter 5

"Finally, you've come out of your cage, Anna..." His words slipped slowly from his lips as he leaned back comfortably in the plush seat bearing the iconic Rolls-Royce emblem.

His head tilted slightly to one side. He blew softly behind Anna's ear, teasing the woman who sat haughtily beside him, her arms crossed.

"It's a rare phenomenon for a busy man like you to have free time to pick me up," Anna replied with a half-sneer. She turned her head to the side to fully gaze at the handsome face with its perfectly defined jawline.

Anna's gaze was met with a wink from the man. "From now on, you'll have to get used to it. I'll pick you up and take you wherever you go."

Anna wanted to spit out more sarcasm. If those words had come from the lips of an unemployed man, she would have had no reason to hesitate.

But it was a different story when those words came from Julian Westwood, a man whose name had been rising in the business world for the past 10 years, a super busy man who even oversaw 300 company branches in Europe, Asia, and America under his name. Moreover, he was Joshua's cousin on his mother's side.

Although he rarely saw him because Julian had been living in Singapore for several years, he knew that this man clearly had a brain similar to Joshua's, an angelic face with a manipulative devil behind it.

"This morning, social media was quite excited about your return. Everyone assumed you came back to attend a state meeting with your father. The meeting should have started by now, right?" The state meeting in question was none other than a closed meeting of the President's Diplomatic Council, where Julian usually attended as his father's spokesperson, who in recent years had held the position of Ambassador and Presidential Diplomatic Envoy.

Anna looked away when she didn't get an answer from Julian. He just gave her a smile without answering.

"I'm flattered. So you read the news about me?" Julian's smile remained the same, but his tone became teasing.

Anna couldn't wait patiently for an answer that made her even more curious. Her slim body shifted closer to Julian. She looked up, bringing her face closer so she could feel his warm breath on her face. "Tell me why you asked to meet me, instead of showing up at the state meeting?"

Julian's dark eyes scanned the face in front of him, beautiful and seductive. Julian admitted that.

Julian raised his eyebrows, curious about what the woman thought of him. "What do you think my purpose is?"

"You came to see me because of my divorce from Joshua." Anna made a statement that was immediately met with Julian's laughter.

"That's right! It's a shame that a woman like you is constantly locked up in a cage without freedom, like a stupid girl. You would be even more beautiful if you flew free, Anna." His words were accompanied by his touch on Anna's chin, pulling her face closer to him. "How about I help you?"

Anna couldn't deny that the man's smile was captivating, full of charm far surpassing Joshua's. His voice was hoarse and seductive, his touch warm. Anna couldn't imagine how many women had fallen for him and his sweet words.

"I don't need your help." Anna's slender fingers gently lowered Julian's fingers that were pinching her chin. "Give your help to someone else. I hope I won't have anything to do with your family after this."

Anna couldn't hide the sadness in her eyes. Slowly, she moved her body back, letting her back rest against the soft leather seat.

"Drop me off at the next stop, thank you for the ride," she said faintly. If you looked closely, Anna's gaze seemed empty, her broken heart making her completely disgusted with the family. Going to France, continuing her mother's business, and living well there was her goal this time. No matter how good Julian's offer was, Anna was sure that going to France was the best choice for her at the moment, even though she would have to deal with her family's complications there.

"I'm not done with you yet, Anna. Just enjoy the ride. You won't leave my car until I allow you to."

.

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The West Holding Company towered over downtown New York, its height surpassing dozens of surrounding buildings. It was built as the main hub of the Westwood family business, which now has hundreds of subsidiaries. Its leader, who controlled this giant business network, was now comfortably seated in his throne room, sitting with his legs crossed while enjoying red wine from his glass. Occasionally, a sigh escapes his lips as he faces the stubborn woman sitting across from him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I'll say it again, Julian... I'm not interested in any tricks you have planned."

Anna had arrived in the room a while ago, not because she wanted to be there, but because Julian had insisted that he had a very good job offer for her. Another reason was that Julian had not allowed her to get out of his car, then dragged her into this room without giving her time to refuse.

How annoying! Anna was not interested in any kind of cooperation. She had not even touched the brown envelope in front of her since Julian had handed it to her ten minutes ago.

Julian sighed heavily, then drained the wine in his glass.

"If you don't open it immediately, you won't know what treasure is inside," he said calmly.

The man's gaze sharpened when he saw that Anna was completely uninterested.

The sound of the glass clattering against the glass table was heard after he placed the glass down carelessly. Julian stood up, his arm outstretched to open the envelope he had prepared, the sheet of paper extended right in front of Anna's face. "Do you want to read it yourself? Or should I read it for you, stubborn lady?"

There was no answer from Anna. It was no longer arrogance that covered Anna's face now, but a strange expression that looked ridiculous after her eyes caught the large title at the top of the document.

Clearly displayed was the bold sentence that read "Marriage Contract," which now made Anna's eyes widen completely. Her hand reached out roughly to grab the sheet, reading its contents carefully.

The document, which she had initially thought contained a business agreement, turned out to be nothing more than a silly joke after she read a few lines of its contents.

Anna's lips twitched incessantly. She had suspected it; no one related to Joshua was completely sane! Her fingers squeezed the document for a moment, her breath coming out harshly before she looked up at Julian.

"Julian... are you kidding me?" Anna's voice was tinged with growling, even though she tried her best to speak normally in order to maintain decorum in Julian's room, which was filled with CCTV cameras.

"Do you think I have time? By agreeing to this cooperation, I guarantee your affairs will run smoothly." A satisfied sneer appeared on Julian's lips. "Especially your affairs with your family in France. Your name has been crossed off that family, hasn't it? You'll get into trouble if you go back, especially if you claim the inheritance of your late mother, which has been taken over by your uncle."

"How much information have you dug up about me? What do you really want from me!" Anna's voice trembled with suppressed anger.

Anna almost spat in Julian's face. She had guessed it! This man had come to see her with some kind of devious plan!

The anger on Anna's face only made Julian smile wider. He stepped forward to close the distance between them, then whispered right into Anna's ear.

"It's simple, marry me, and I'll make sure the inheritance in your uncle's hands returns to you." After his words were delivered, his face slowly receded, wanting to see the woman's reaction. But suddenly, a pair of slender hands wrapped around his neck, making his neck tense for a moment.

"Julian... why are you doing this to me?" Anna's voice echoed softly, but if you really listened closely, her gaze was sharp, filled with suppressed anger, and Julian clearly caught that emotion. That's why he put his arms around her waist and caressed her, a powerful move that usually melted women's hearts.

“Because… I want you, Anna.”

His words pierced Anna’s ears and only served to further provoke her anger.

Now Anna was even more upset than before! Her hands, which had been wrapped around Julian's neck, let go, followed by a hard push that Anna gave to the man's chest, causing Julian to be pushed back two steps.

"If that's your reason, then congratulations... you've made me even more certain to reject your offer. I hope we never meet again!" Anna's words were full of contempt. She was completely fed up with Julian. She should have refused his invitation to meet from the start if it was only to waste her time discussing this ridiculous contract.

Without another word, Anna turned and walked towards the door with her slender body.

The man she left behind didn't move an inch from his spot, his hands tucked into his suit pants pockets. With an expression that was difficult to interpret, he stared intently at Anna's back.

Just before Anna pushed the door open, Julian's voice disturbed her again.

"I invited an important guest for you, Anna. Mr. Edward is on his way here... sit back down... don't leave so quickly..."

The words he spoke were like magic, successfully stopping Anna in her tracks. Her face hardened in a matter of seconds, the emotion in her eyes becoming more apparent, now mixed with a look of disbelief as she turned to look back at Julian.

The man just gave her a subtle smile accompanied by a small nod. His expression provoked Anna's emotions to the core.

After a few seconds, Anna was back in her seat. Julian's smile widened, satisfied that he had managed to stop the woman from leaving.

“Julian, haven’t you crossed the line? Digging into my personal information, and now you’re inviting my lawyer at will?” Sharp as a knife, the words slipped from Anna’s lips. Her cynical gaze fixed on Julian, her fingers briefly clenching the side of her dress.

“Stop interfering in my business!”

What is this man planning? His movements always seem suspicious to Anna. She won't stand idly by if he does anything to interfere with her affairs. The presence of her personal lawyer managed to cancel her plans to leave, because she wanted to know the exact reason why Julian was doing all this.

"You can refuse my offer now. But... who knows what will happen after you see what Mr. Edward has brought? Trust me, I guarantee that no cooperation with me will end in loss."

Like a sly snake, his words sounded so convincing to Anna's ears. The business king's skill with words was unquestionable. One wrong move and she would slip into his trap. Anna was convinced that this man had a big plan carefully laid out behind the scenes to profit from this marriage contract.

Anna didn't say much after that. Her annoyance made her choose to remain silent in the room because she didn't want to continue making small talk with Julian, creating absolute silence between the two of them for 15 long minutes before Mr. Edward arrived.

It seemed that Mr. Edward's arrival was well planned, as evidenced by the many documents he brought with him. The 45-year-old man in a brown suit nodded briefly to Anna, who responded with a slight smile on her face that was beginning to harden.

"Mr. Edward... how did you get here?"

"It seems you don't know, Miss. I used to be the Westwood family's personal lawyer. Mr. Julian invited me here specifically today..." Mr. Edward's voice trailed off uncertainly as he glanced at Julian.

"And is that why you leaked information about my family to a stranger?" Anna glared at Mr. Edward even more sharply after briefly reading the documents about her case displayed on the table. There was no doubt about it, everything Julian knew came from Mr. Edward... the two people in front of her were conspiring together.

"I asked him for that information," Julian said, his expression turning colder as he grabbed one of the red-covered documents and thrust it in front of Anna.

"Maybe you don't know, Anna. The inheritance you are about to seize comes partly from illegal companies under Mrs. Merry's trademark. Maybe you don't really know your mother. Do you think all her wealth is clean? Her fortune is around 250 billion dollars. With that amount, you could live in luxury for the rest of your life. But that will only happen if you dare to set foot on the same dirty ground your mother once stood on." Julian calmly explained the contents of the document.

What Julian said was a fact that Anna had never known. Her fingers felt stiff as she opened page after page. All of her mother's wealth and all of her business ventures were founded on a foundation of shady business practices that supported the success of all her ventures.

The manufacture and smuggling of weapons, and the illegal art trade, were the main foundations supporting the establishment of Sans Company, her mother's business empire.

However, Anna did not care. Even everyone around her did unscrupulous things to expand their businesses. From the Vanderbilt family, Joshua, and her father, none were exempt from using shady business practices as their foundation. Even if it was illegal money, she did not care. Instead of being trash like before, unrecognized even by her own husband, she now prefers to stand on the success her mother left behind, even if it means stepping into the world of illegal business. This is far better than being a helpless and pitiful woman begging for a man's love!

Anna closed the document after reading its entire contents. Julian was the first person she focused on afterward.

"So what's your plan in telling me all this?" Anna asked in a low tone. Her intense gaze held many questions that disturbed her, making her whole mind restless.

"It's not easy for you, or even almost impossible, to take that treasure from your uncle's hands if you're alone. With our cooperation... I promise that treasure will fall into your hands without a single cent missing. There’s no better offer than this, Anna.”

“Then… what do you want in return?”

“It’s simple… I want two things. First, I want your mother’s weapons company to be transferred to my name. Second… I want your body…”