I looked at Alan and smiled before saying, "Mr. Alan, we already gave Anthony a chance. He was the one who didn't want it. I'm still from a prestigious family. I don't need to lower myself and cling to a man for an engagement. If he doesn't want to be with me, then someone else will."

After hearing those words, Anthony visibly relaxed. "Claire, I'm so glad you understand!"

But just as he said that, Alan slapped him hard across the face. "You idiot! Now, all of the Lake family's upcoming projects will fall apart. Let's see how you'll live your pampered, rich-boy life then!"

Lila turned toward the direction of my voice, with a serene smile on her face. "Thank you so much, Ms. Sterling."

I had to admit that Lila had an ethereal air about her. But people like that didn't survive among the elite.

This was a world where the weak were devoured by the strong, after all.

I coldly replied, "There's no need to thank me."

Then, in front of everyone, I walked straight over to Shane York, the northwest mining tycoon who had been sitting quietly in a corner this entire time.

He looked up at me in surprise.

His skin had a bronze hue, and a smoky, earthy scent surrounded him. It felt as if he had just come from the mines.

I approached him and sat sideways on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. Then, I commanded, "Kiss me."

When he hesitated, I cupped his face and kissed him first. I heard him take a deep breath before he gripped the back of my head and forcefully kissed me back.

It was a long time before he let me go. Our foreheads rested against each other as we locked gazes.

Panting heavily, Shane huskily asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

I didn't move away. Instead, I spoke loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear. "I like you. I want to be with you."

In my previous life, it was this very man who had gone to great lengths to avenge me after I took my own life. It was he who brought Anthony to justice. He had knelt down in front of my grave in sorrow, bringing news that Anthony ended up in prison.

"I'm sorry I came too late," he apologized to my headstone.

That was when I realized that this man, who had clashed with me since we were young, had loved me very deeply.

Not far away, Anthony shouted, "Claire, what do you think you're doing?"

Leaning against Shane's chest, I turned to look at him. "You fell in love at first sight, so why can't I?"

"I know you like me, but you didn't have to grab a random man and kiss him just to get revenge on me," Anthony said.

I let out a cold laugh and mocked, "Do you think you're worthy of my feelings?"

Shane's breath caught, and his grip on my waist tightened.

Not allowing me to speak to Anthony any further, he grabbed my chin and turned my head back. "I mean it. From this day on, you're mine."

He took my hand, looked down at the plain ring on my finger, and frowned. "That's so ugly. I'll get you a prettier one."

Shane moved quickly. By the next evening, his assistant flew in on a private jet, bringing a case full of stunning engagement rings straight to my doorstep.

Standing before me in the glow of the sunset, Shane swept his hand across them. "Tell me, which one do you like?"

I stood there, completely stunned.

"Let me guess, you like all of them," Anthony remarked. "Then I'll keep them all. You can wear a different one every day."

I felt like he was going a little overboard and couldn't help but say, "Mr. York, nobody wears an engagement ring before actually getting engaged."

Had he lost his mind?

Shane had a moment of realization as he let out a hearty laugh. "Right. I just got too excited."

As he spoke, he reached out to take my hand. "I'd be so over the moon if I could marry you…"

I looked at Anthony, who was six feet three in height, bowing his head before me like a big puppy, and burst out laughing.

Mom cleared her throat, folding her arms as she leaned against the doorway. "I haven't agreed to this yet. If you want to marry a daughter of the Lake family, you'll have to bring something to the table."

Shane nodded. "I understand, Mrs. Sterling. Fortunately, I came prepared with the necessary documents."

As soon as he finished speaking, his assistant handed him a thick stack of documents. I clearly saw the words "Land Transfer Agreement" printed on them.

"These are all mines that I haven't fully excavated yet. But don't worry. I've checked everything. They're all excellent deposits," Shane said.

He handed the entire stack of contracts to Mom. Then, he clapped his hands, and several more private jets landed right outside our house.

Crates of gold, silver, and jewels were delivered to our house, one after another. In a matter of minutes, the entire house sparkled as bright as daylight.

He truly was a mining tycoon. Everything he did just dazzled.

Even Dad, who always had sharp eyes, silently put on his sunglasses when he returned to this scene.

Shane grinned. "Is this enough? This is all just a part of my business. I sincerely want to marry Claire, and I hope you'll give us your blessing."

With that, he dropped to his knees in front of us. I stood frozen beside my parents, suddenly at a loss for words.

My parents merely stared at the scene, feeling completely dumbfounded. It took a while before Dad regained his composure and said, "Alright. Get up already."

I immediately helped Shane up to his feet and eagerly asked, "Mom, Dad, does he pass?"

Mom's eyes sparkled with amusement as she flipped through the contracts and couldn't stop herself from remarking, "Not bad. I approve of this marriage."

"How about you?" She turned to Dad.

He kept a stern expression and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to get married, young lady? There's no need to agree so quickly. Go back and wait for our decision."

But I knew that Dad was already leaning toward approval. He just needed a night to think about it, and he would come around.

After all, our family might be far from the northwest, but breaking into the market there would take us to another level.

Besides, who would say no to money?

Moreover, I was actually a fan of this union. That made it all the more perfect.

The next day, Dad officially announced the dissolution of my engagement with Anthony. Yet, the photo he posted with the news was of all the gold and jewels that Shane had left in our living room.

With that kind of hint, everyone knew that my family would join hands with Shane's family.

I tugged eagerly at his sleeve, holding my phone up to his face as my eyes sparkled. "Look, my dad said yes! We can start planning the engagement party now!"

Shane immediately put down his eating utensils and lifted me into his arms. He spun me around as his eyes shimmered with emotion. "This is amazing! I can finally marry the person I've dreamed about day and night!"

Shane then pulled me into his arms, trapping me between him and the seat. He stared directly at my lips, and his face made it obvious that he wanted a kiss.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.

Ten minutes later, both of us were breathless, gasping for air. His smile wouldn't fade, and the bronze tone of his skin made the sparkle in his eyes even more intense. "Claire, I'm so happy."

To show his determination to get married, Shane quickly set the engagement party for a month later.

By sheer coincidence, it landed on the exact same day as Anthony's wedding, but at locations directly opposite each other.

It meant that we would definitely run into them.

Anthony received news of our engagement. When he saw the date, he sent a message to me. "Claire, I don't love you anymore. Why must you deliberately pick the same day as my wedding with Lila to have your engagement party? Even if you do this, I won't go back to you."

Then he sent another message. "Stop thinking about me. If you keep this up, Lila will overthink things."

But before I could even read the full message, Shane snatched my phone from my hand.

Frowning, he immediately sent a voice message in response. "How do you even compare to me? Why would my fiancee still be thinking about you?"

And just like that, a sense of competitiveness was ignited.

Anthony had rented a giant screen downtown to play a video announcing his wedding to Lila. But not even ten minutes later, Shane paid more to take over the slot. Then, he bought every single screen in the region to broadcast our engagement instead.

Anthony had arranged for two sports car convoys to pick up the bride, but before the purchase went through, Shane paid ten times the price to buy them out. He even added 99 more luxury cars on top of that.

Any time Anthony wanted to buy something, Shane would intercept it on the spot.

Running out of funds, Anthony grew increasingly frustrated. "True love doesn't need money to prove itself. Claire, I really pity you. You're marrying a man who only thinks about money."

I didn't bother replying as I rolled my eyes in silence.

He lived a luxurious lifestyle that was funded by his family's wealth, and he had the nerve to act like it wasn't important.

On the day of the engagement, I was picked up by a fleet of luxury cars. Behind the lead car were dozens more, with Shane's close friends in the passenger seats, holding flags with our photo printed on them.

Everyone was thrilled to be a part of such a grand event.

No matter who passed by, they couldn't help but glance over.

In contrast, Anthony only had a single car that he had to drive himself. He looked absolutely livid.

I sat proudly in the lead car and glanced his way with a smirk. "Don't scowl. It's a happy day! Cheer up!"

Lila was in the passenger's seat, and her face was red with anger. "Ms. Sterling, is this really necessary?"

Shane coldly snorted before saying, "So what? He's just flaunting some temporary wealth. Guys like him don't have any real heritage or background. He'll fall eventually. People like you wouldn't understand what real love is!"

Sure, we didn't understand love. But at least we weren't like him who spent years in college and still hadn't taken over any family responsibilities.

My engagement party turned out to be a spectacular success. Almost everyone had received invitations to both events, but most chose to come to mine.

First, they could see that the Sterling family was not to be trifled with.

Second, they sought to participate in the mining trade in the northwest, as there was significant profit to be made.

Halfway through the event, Anthony sent me a clearly agitated message. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"