"Nope, " was Long Jie's reply.

"Then, do I look like I was forced to come here?"

Long Jie carefully thought it thoroughly and shook his head.

The girl sitting across him was looking fine and didn't appear to be afraid or wary of anything. If there was anything, she looked like she had a good sleep last night.

On the other hand, the person who he had assumed to be her kidnapper looked like he had trouble sleeping last night.

Although Alexander's face was extremely handsome, the dark circles under his eyes was proof that he still hasn't cured his acute insomnia.

Feeling pity for his brother, Long Jie dropped the matter and asked another question, "Where did you meet my third brother? What's your relationship with him?"

Yan Xiaoran paused and wanted to respond when Alexander beat her to it and said, "She's my fiance."

As soon as the word 'fiance' was dropped, Long Jie knocked his chair over as he abruptly stood up from the bomb his brother had just dropped at their table.

He was not the only one who had a shocked expression on his face, Yan Xiaoran had her eyes wide open like she didn't expect him to say this at all.

"Why are you acting like you didn't know of this?!" Long Jie stabbed a finger at her direction and accused her for having reacted in the same way he did.

However, Yan Xiaoran was completely stupefied at Alexander's words.

"I'm not his fiance!" She said loudly, "I mean, I was but, not anymore!"

"Don't lie! Third brother already said you are." Long Jie retorted.

Yan Xiaoran felt her head aching from this.

So what if he said it? Does his words automatically make her his fiance? Yan Xiaoran didn't think so.

Yan Xiaoran turned her head to look at Alexander who looked at her with clear but dark eyes. He didn't seem to have any kind of intention to clear things out to the other man.

Feeling helpless, Yan Xiaoran explained, "I was his fiance when I accepted his grandfather's proposal. However, yesterday I backed down from his proposal which technically means that I am not his fiance anymore."

As she was explaining, she noticed how the other two people beside herself and Alexander changed their expression of shock to anger. She didn't know why but as soon as the word 'grandfather' came out of her mouth, the two of them had dark faces as if they swallowed something they shouldn't have.

"Did… did I say something wrong?" Noticing the sudden change of the atmosphere in the dining hall, she knew that there must be something wrong.

The lady beside her had a forced smile on her face as she said, "There's nothing wrong dear. Why don't I pick some clothes for you to wear while you take a bath?"

Yan Xiaoran was startled at the lady's avoidance of her question, but she didn't refuse since she also wanted to get out of her dirty clothes and take a bath. Although she badly wanted to know what was so wrong with her mentioning Robert Qu, Yan Xiaoran knew better that it was not something she should know if the other party was unwilling to speak.

She stood up from her chair and followed the lady upstairs.

…

"Did I just hear her right? Grandfather?! Bullshit!" Long Jie cursed and slammed his fist on the table making the platters and cutlery shook at the impact.

He looked at Alexander with disbelief in his eyes, "Did you know this? That girl is the woman your grandfather handpicked for you and you just accepted it? Third brother, no, Alexander, have you forgotten what that family did to you?"

Remembering how much the Qu family had tried several times to eliminate Alexander, Long Jie felt bitter anger and resentment towards those hateful people. Not only that, Robert Qu, who was Alexander's grandfather did nothing to dissuade their constant attacks and instead, watched on like a VIP audience in a movie theatre.

And now? He tried to push a woman towards his grandson? For what? Long Jie felt even more anger at the thought that the lady he had just met earlier was a spy sent by Robert Qu.

"It's not like what you are thinking," Alexander simply said as an explanation after observing Long Jie's ugly expression.

"What do you mean it's not?"

"Yan Xiaoran knew nothing of what happened. She didn't know that I already threw away the Qu family or that man."

"So, that's her name. sound familiar. However, why did you still accept this arrangement?" Long Jie asked him. He believed that Alexander wanted nothing from the Qu family or from Robert Qu. However, he couldn't think of any reason as to why Alexander would accept being engaged to a woman that was recommended to him by his grandfather.

"Long Jie." Alexander looked at him with cold eyes, "Do you think I'm that stupid to forget what they did to me?"

Long Jie swallowed hard under those cold eyes.

"Then… are you saying that you're going to use that woman against that family?"

Alexander narrowed his eyes at him, "Use her against them?"

Long Jie said, "Yes…"

Alexander leaned forward to put his chin on top of the back of his hand and smiled, but his smile didn't reach his eyes and looked extremely scary to look at.

"She's more useful by my side. Why should I let others have a taste?"