Elaine was furious, pointing a trembling finger at Valerie. “You’re out of line! If you ever dare say something like that again, I’ll tell Finnegan right away. I may not punish you myself, but he won’t be so kind.”

Valerie scoffed. “I can stop talking about it, but don’t even think about forcing me to marry. Elaine Theron, we used to be best friends, but I never imagined that while I treated you as my best friend, you wanted to become my stepmother. By marrying my dad, you gained the status and power that countless people wouldn’t even dare dream of. But have you ever thought about what a woman needs status and power for? Aren’t those things men obsess over? What a woman should pursue most is freedom, independence, and strength.”

She added, “I’m different from you. In this lifetime, I only believe in myself and only love myself. Marriage? To me, that’s an insult.”

Elaine’s expression darkened as well. “Fine, since you’re so uncooperative, I’ll be blunt. The wedding gift they’re offering is a price that even Finnegan would be tempted by. If he agrees, then you won’t have the option to refuse this marriage.”

Valerie’s anger mixed with curiosity. “Oh, really? I’d love to see who’s rich enough to think he can buy me. Go ahead, tell me. How much did he offer that you and Dad both lost your self-control?”

Elaine smiled faintly. “Ten ninth-grade supreme elixirs. And that’s just part of the deal. There are countless other benefits tied to the proposal.”

Valerie’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Ten ninth-grade supreme elixirs? Which family offered this? Or was it one of the three royal clans?”

She was genuinely stunned. Ten ninth-grade supreme elixirs were beyond fortune. It was like a poor man suddenly winning a billion-dollar lottery. The thought alone made her dizzy.

Elaine looked satisfied by her reaction and said with a smirk, “Speechless, aren’t you? I told you, this isn’t an ordinary proposal. Even Finnegan would be impressed. But no, it wasn’t from a noble family, nor any of the royal bloodlines. The one who proposed… was Andrew Lloyd.”

Valerie froze, her face flushing crimson. “What? Andrew? That bastard wants to marry me? He actually thinks I’d be his woman? Who the hell does he think he is?”

Her embarrassment twisted into something strange. She could not help but remember how he had asked her about marriage at the auction. The memory made her pulse quicken like electricity rushing through her veins.

So, that bastard had been eyeing her all along!

What gave him the nerve? Did he think she was that easy to claim?

However, before her thoughts could spiral further, Elaine calmly clarified, “I should’ve been clearer. The one who proposed was Andrew, but the groom isn’t him. He made the proposal on behalf of his junior, Amari Goodman, the eighth-grade divine alchemist from Sovereign’s Apothecary. You know who he is.”

Valerie’s blush vanished instantly, replaced by a wave of shock and anger. “He proposed for his junior? And that junior is Amari Goodman? That old man could be my grandfather! Andrew wants me to marry him off to that old geezer? That bastard! I swear, I’ll never forgive him!”

Her eyes burned red with fury, and her whole body trembled as rage coursed through her.