Chapter 17: Am I Really Worse Than Her?

In the car, Yanis leaned against the seat, her head slightly tilted as she gazed at Zane, who was focused on driving.

Yanis found the side of Zane's face particularly attractive.

Despite feeling a little intoxicated, Yanis wasn't completely drunk today. She managed to keep her wits about her.

After studying the side of Zane's face for a while, Yanis spoke up, "Zane!"

Zane turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Need some water?"

Yanis shook her head and tried again, "Zane!"

"Go ahead."

"Why don't you like me?"

Before Zane could reply, Yanis continued, "What do you see in Neve?"

Zane inquired, "How much did you drink?"

Yanis held up a finger, gesturing, "Just half of that big glass."

"So you're relatively sober now, right?"

Yanis withdrew her hand, furrowed her brows, and whispered, "I've always wondered why Neve has held a place in your heart for so long. I spent five years trying to win you over, but it was all in vain."

She paused, her voice choked with emotion. "Zane, do you really think I'm inferior to her?"

Hearing the sadness in Yanis' voice, Zane stole a sideways glance at her.

In that moment, he was taken aback.

He had seen Yanis cry before.

He had witnessed tears rolling down her cheeks.

When Yanis faced the Thompson family's mistreatment, she often shed tears.

But he had never seen her eyes well up with unshed tears that looked so heart-wrenching.

The car came to a sudden stop at a traffic light.

Zane turned to face her. "Yanis."

Yanis looked up at him and asked, "Why won't you answer my question?"

Zane gazed at her, reaching out to gently wipe the tear from the corner of her eye with his thumb, the salty droplet leaving a trail on his fingertip.

Yanis remained unchanged.

But Zane felt a twinge of guilt for her.

He wanted to embrace her and... kiss her.

Zane couldn't resist it.

He cupped Yanis' jaw and kissed her.

Tears continued to trickle down Yanis' cheeks, and Zane noticed that they tasted salty.

"Stop, Zane."

Zane remained silent, but he deepened the kiss.

The traffic light turned green.

The car behind honked impatiently.

Only then did Zane release his hold on Yanis' jaw, his eyes burning with something intense. He accelerated the car and drove off at a fast pace.

Yanis was stunned by the unexpected kiss for a long moment.

After a while, she sat up straight without saying anything.

Soon, Zane pulled up to D-king Castle.

He turned off the engine, got out of the car, and walked around to open the passenger door, looking at Yanis, who was sitting upright in her seat. "Can you walk on your own?"

Yanis turned her face towards him, her voice slightly nasal as she said, "Zane, I signed the papers today."

Zane frowned at her words. "So what?"

"After all the formalities are done, we'll be complete strangers."

"It seems you're eager to cut all ties with me."

Yanis continued, "Then you can marry Miss Bennett."

Hearing Yanis' words, Zane's face turned livid. He leaned over and unbuckled her seat belt. Then he reached out, "Get out of the car on your own, or I'll carry you out."

Yanis shook her head. "I won't..."

Before she could finish, Zane bent down and lifted her out of the car.

"Zane, what are you doing?"

"Shut up!"

Yanis fell silent immediately. She instinctively wrapped her arm around Zane's neck, fearing he might drop her on the floor as he closed the car door.

Zane carried her inside, went upstairs, and gently placed her on the bed in the master bedroom. As he began to remove her shoes and coat, Yanis covered her chest defensively, looking at Zane with caution. "What do you want to do?"