Chapter 8 - Price

Seeing Juliet's shocked expression, Bill's face remained as cold as ever.

 

"Don't misunderstand. I don't want a divorce not because of you, but because I don't want a second marriage. If I get divorced, my mother will force me to marry another woman. The reason I registered with you today is that I mistook you for the woman my mother arranged for me to marry.

 

If you agree not to divorce, I'll try to get along with you. If, after a month, you don't meet my standards, we'll divorce then! You can also evaluate me! If you have any demands, tell me now, and I'll try to satisfy them."

 

Bill's words made Juliet want to laugh.

 

But she only wanted to end the conversation quickly; she was in a hurry to leave.

 

"Mr. Bill, let me be clear: I want a divorce. I really do! If you don't want to get married, no one is going to force you. Our values and lifestyles are clearly incompatible. Even if we had a month, or a year, or ten years, it still wouldn't work!"

 

Juliet's tone was calm, but her eyes were resolute.

 

Bill's expression remained stern and serious.

 

"Miss, are you dissatisfied with my conditions? Do you want me to buy you a house? Or do you want a car and jewelry? Name your price!"

 

Bill's tone was so self-assured that it made Juliet laugh. How much money could he possibly have as a salesman?

 

Just then, the McDonald's manager brought over two family meal buckets.

 

"Sir, please pack everything to go. We won't be eating here."

 

Juliet couldn't stomach dealing with this arrogant and incompetent man any longer.

 

"There's nothing more to say."

 

"Hey... wait a minute, lady..."

 

Seeing Juliet about to leave, Bill felt a sudden headache.

 

He had assumed the negotiation would go smoothly, but it turned out they couldn't even have a proper conversation. This was nothing like the business negotiations he was used to.

 

"My name is Juliet!" she repeated.

 

"Juliet! So what's your view on love?" Bill's question caught Juliet off guard, but she immediately responded, "Pure, simple, mutually supportive. It would be great if it lasted a lifetime, but if not, I'll accept that too."

 

Juliet's view on love was straightforward and sincere.

 

But to Bill, it seemed unrealistic.

 

"What you're talking about is a fairy tale in today's society. It's not practical."

 

He wasn't pessimistic about love, but in today's world, pure and simple love was rare.

 

He had been groomed since childhood to take over the Zhanxin Group, with a bunch of younger siblings who all feared him.

 

He believed in non-marriage and planned to choose a successor from among his siblings' children. That way, there would be fewer worries and selfish motives.

 

If it hadn't been for Honey saving his mother, he wouldn't have agreed to this marriage. But Honey was too flashy for his taste.

 

Now that Honey hadn't shown up, but Juliet had, it was a convenient way to make his mother give up on her plans.

 

But all along, he suspected Juliet had ulterior motives.

 

He thought he could use Juliet to keep his mother from pushing him to marry Honey. After a while, he'd find an excuse to divorce Juliet and go back to his carefree life.

 

"Miss Juliet, here's a car key, for the black car outside, and a house key for the apartment above the teahouse. You can move in whenever you're ready. Think it over carefully!"

 

With that, Bill tossed the keys on the table and walked out.

 

Juliet was about to chase after him, but the family meal buckets weren't packed yet, so she had to wait.

 

As Bill stepped out of McDonald's, he turned a corner and was about to get into the Rolls-Royce waiting by the roadside. His bodyguard had just gotten out to open the door for him when Juliet suddenly came running out, carrying the family meal buckets in her hand.