Jett Westgate's gaze fell on Annelise Valentine's radiant face—a face that practically screamed, 'I'm here to crash your party, and I'm doing it right in front of you.'
Hiring male models, booking out the whole floor... It was all just to provoke him, to make him be the one to call off the engagement.
'Trying to out-crazy me, though?'
The smile on Jett Westgate's face deepened. He took a drag from his cigarette and said,
"Go on, get all the female models up here."
"I want them to fill this entire floor. Don't leave a single empty spot."
He paused and gently flicked the ash from his cigarette. "If there aren't enough, go poach them from other clubs. Tell the owners that I, Jett Westgate, am using their people tonight. Whatever they lose, I'll compensate them tenfold."
Kian Miller and the others exchanged glances, their expressions becoming a chaotic mix of emotions. Their boss was usually calm and composed, but once a certain switch was flipped, he'd go completely wild, acting with utter disregard for the consequences.
They wanted to say something, but one look at the absolute control on Jett Westgate's face and they swallowed their words.
When Jett Westgate made a decision, no one dared to object, and no one could change his mind.
A few moments later, the elevators began to run nonstop, bringing up wave after wave of female models.
Chloe Fairchild understood Jett Westgate's intentions almost immediately.
She leaned closer to Annelise, a little indignant on her friend's behalf. "Annelise, it looks like Jett Westgate is determined to go against you! You hire male models, so he hires female models. And he hired so many! It's obvious he's trying to one-up you."
Annelise Valentine frowned as she watched the floor rapidly fill up. "One-up me? In his dreams!"
Sean Conrad was mesmerized by the spectacle, his charming eyes sparkling, when suddenly Chloe Fairchild, who was standing beside him, viciously twisted his ear.
"Sean Conrad! Where do you think you're looking? Have some self-respect, will you! We're here to back Annelise up, not to help you pick your next girlfriend!"
Chloe Fairchild glared at him, not loosening her grip in the slightest.
"OW, ow, ow! That hurts! Chloe, let go! I was wrong, I was wrong! I'll stop looking!"
Zane Patterson, however, was his usual lazy self, lounging on the sofa with his long legs propped up on the coffee table.
Watching Annelise glare daggers as she competed with Jett Westgate didn't give him a headache at all. On the contrary, he was secretly thrilled.
That's right. Thrilled!
He couldn't wait for Jett Westgate and Annelise Valentine to despise each other. The faster this engagement fell apart, the better!
Seeing that her own display of force was about to be overshadowed by the army of models Jett Westgate had summoned, a furious fire began to blaze inside Annelise.
She wasn't one to take things lying down.
She shot to her feet. "Come on!" she said to the others. "We're going downstairs!"
Chloe Fairchild, Zane Patterson, and Sean Conrad got up and followed her almost simultaneously. They didn't ask any questions. At a time like this, the right move was to follow Annelise's lead.
The group turned and headed for the elevators, which meant they would inevitably have to pass the sofa area where Jett Westgate and his friends were sitting.
This time, they didn't bother playing the game of "accidental" glances.
She turned her head, her gaze locking directly onto Jett Westgate.
There was a mocking glint in Jett Westgate's eyes, a look of condescending calm that seemed to say, 'What are you going to do about it?'
The fire inside Annelise burned even hotter. Neither of them said a word, but the air crackled with unspoken conflict.
"Annelise, what are we going downstairs for?" Chloe finally asked, but only after the elevator doors had closed.
Annelise adjusted her hair in the reflection of the elevator doors. "To tear this place down."
The elevator fell silent for a moment.
Sean Conrad was the first to crack. "W-wait! Annelise! When you say 'tear down,' do you mean... in the literal, physical sense?"
Annelise replied, "I mean it literally. Do I need to spell it out for you?"
Sean Conrad: "…"
'He understood perfectly, but he wished he didn't!'
Zane Patterson, a roguish grin on his face, raised an eyebrow. "Sounds good to me. I've never liked this place anyway. Where do we start?"
Annelise raised her hand and pointed to the expensive 7D wrap-around screen that took up the entire wall behind the DJ booth.
"That screen."
Zane Patterson: "Got it."
Sean Conrad stammered, "Wait... we're in Jett Westgate's territory! We're going to trash his club right in front of him! A-Are you sure?!"
Annelise: "Absolutely, one hundred percent certain."
"Don't worry, Jett Westgate won't dare to do anything to me."
"We're getting engaged soon anyway. Nivelis belongs to Jett Westgate now, but from both a legal and a logical standpoint, it'll be mine soon enough."
"I'm just smashing up my own property," she said with a brazen blink, "that's not illegal, is it?"
Chloe Fairchild raised a hand to her throbbing temples. For a moment, she found herself completely unable to argue with Annelise's peculiar and twisted logic.
The elevator doors slid open, and Zane Patterson immediately slung an arm over Sean Conrad's shoulders, dragging him toward the DJ booth.
"Hey! Whoa, whoa! Zane! Mr. Patterson! My lord and savior!" Sean Conrad yelled as he was dragged along in a headlock. "I never said I was going with you! Smashing a screen is a technical skill! I'm a delicate flower, I can't do any heavy lifting! I'm not cut out for this, really! I support you in spirit, one hundred percent!"
Zane Patterson just laughed, not slowing his pace. "Cut the crap!"
Annelise and Chloe didn't follow them. Instead, they leaned against the bar, watching from a distance.
Zane moved with surprising speed. Without a hint of hesitation, he snatched up a nearby liquor bottle, weighed it in his hand, and hurled it at the giant screen.
CRASH!!!
The glass bottle shattered against the screen, sending liquor flying. A large section of the display instantly went dark, a web of cracks spreading across its surface.
The party downstairs came to a screeching halt. The entire club was dead silent for a few seconds. Then, the dim mood lighting was replaced by the bright, overhead house lights.
Upstairs, Kian Miller shot up from the sofa. "Jett, they... they smashed the screen!"
His face was a mask of disbelief that screamed, 'Have they lost their fucking minds?'
In all of Nivelis's history, Annelise's crew were the very first to ever so brazenly smash its most iconic piece of equipment.
Jett Westgate finally moved. He rose from the sofa, exuding the oppressive aura of a gathering storm. His gaze swept over the chaos downstairs before finally landing on Annelise, who was leaning against the bar.
Seeing this, Kian Miller, Leo Lennox, and Hugo Summers quickly fell in step behind him.
The group took the elevator downstairs. The moment the doors opened on the first floor, all eyes were drawn to Jett Westgate as he stepped out.
The crowd instinctively parted, clearing a path wherever he walked.
Whispers rippled through the crowd:
"Who is that? He's so handsome!"
"I don't know, but he must be someone important…"
"The guy who smashed the screen is so dead…"
Chloe nudged Annelise's arm. "Annelise, he's coming."
Annelise composed herself, lifting her gaze to meet the approaching Jett Westgate.
His towering height made him stand out in the crowd, and he radiated an aura of both aloofness and immense power.
'Handsome.'
'So damn handsome.'
'He was exactly her type!'
The very next second, however, Jett Westgate's long, powerful fingers wrapped around her neck.
"Miss Valentine… bringing people to trash my club? You've got some nerve."