Chapter 6

Elliott had hit the nail on the head. Ivan's and Anne's expressions darkened even further, but they spoke up in an attempt to maintain their dignity anyway.

"Save your concern. We're perfectly capable of shopping on our own," Ivan retorted.

"That's right," Anne chimed in. "Why do you care what we buy?"

Just then, Elliott got a notification from the system.

"Conquest Mission Activated!"

"Conquest Target: Anne Cohen"

"Age: 22"

"Height: 5 feet 6 inches"

"Weight: 108 pounds"

"Beauty Rating: 83"

"Host Affection Level: 0"

"When the selected Conquest Target's Host Affection Level exceeds 95 points, the conquest is deemed successful, and the target will become the Host's Soulmate."

"Upon completion of the conquest, the Host will be rewarded with 50% of the amount spent on the conquest in the form of personal monetary wealth as well as the conquest's innate talents and skills."

"Acquirable Enhancement Points: 30 (Points can be used to enhance the Host's physical attributes, including physique, stamina, strength, speed, and more.)"

"Acquirable Skills: "Playing the Field" Mastery"

Elliott was speechless to find that Anne was now a conquest target, too. Wasn't this a bit too ironic of a cliché? He no longer wanted to have anything to do with Anne, but the damn system made her his target, too.

Nevertheless, after he recalled the way he had been disdained for being poor, the situation no longer felt all that bad to him. Anne could prove to be a decent pawn if used correctly. After all, as long as he spent money on his targets, he would get back 50% of his spending once his conquest succeeded.

Well, it was now up to him to see if he was in the mood to spend any money on Anne.

Meanwhile, Elliott was stunned to see that she had zero affection for him. Regardless of what happened between them today, they'd been dating for a month and had known each other for over three years. How was it that her Host Affection Level was still 0?

They met during their first year of college, and they were in their final year now. Throughout these years, Elliott worshipped the ground Anne walked on, but she didn't even have the slightest bit of affection for him.

This revelation left Elliott feeling a little disillusioned. This explained why people said the rich found love and the poor could only watch from the sidelines. Did true love and affection exist in this world? Money seemed more important than all else.

Yet another discovery left him stupefied. Once he succeeded in his conquest mission with Selena, he would master the skills of photography, editing, and public speaking. However, the skill he could get from Anne was playing the field.

This explained everything. Over the last three or so years, Elliott had merely been part of the roster while Anne played the field.

Now he knew why whenever he felt as though he was on the verge of winning her over, she would suddenly grow a little distant from him and refuse to be his girlfriend.

Yet, when he became disheartened and stopped hanging around her, she would show him a bit of attention and get him back—only to hold him at arm's length when he tried to confess his feelings to her once more.

Just like that, Anne kept Elliott on the hook for over three years. It turned out he was nothing more than one of her many targets. It now made perfect sense why she took so long to agree to go out with him.

Who knew what happened to her a month ago that moved her enough for her to decide to be his girlfriend?

Alas, after only a month, she cheated on him.

Elliott wanted to curse.

Such was the case for men. Once they were hurt, they learned from their lessons. After experiencing this heartbreak, Elliott grew wiser and more mature. He decided not to develop real feelings for any woman. Otherwise, he would be the one who got hurt.

With the system in his pocket, he was determined not to get caught up in romantic feelings anymore. All he cared about was money.

Although Anne was despicable for playing the field and toying with guys' emotions, Ivan was just as deplorable. Even though he knew that Anne was Elliott's girlfriend, he attempted to steal her away anyway.

Well, since Ivan enjoyed stealing other people's girlfriends away, Elliott was going to pay him back in kind right here and now to piss him off!

Out of his thirst for revenge and for the sake of using more of his Conquest Fund, Elliott decided to spend some money on Anne as well.

It stung Anne when Elliott mocked them for not being able to afford the shoes. She looked at Ivan, and once he nodded back at her, she started browsing the bags on display.

After a short while, a small handbag caught her eye. Since it was barely bigger than the palm of her hand, she figured it couldn't be that expensive.

"What do you think about this bag, Ivan?" Anne asked as she struck a pose with the bag.

It had to be acknowledged that the bag suited her quite well. It even made her look even more attractive.

"Sure. It looks nice!" Ivan replied.

Anne relaxed. Elliott had just spent a million dollars on a membership card for Selena, while they hadn't bought a single thing yet after entering the boutique. Since the bag looked good and shouldn't be all that expensive, they could just get it.

"How much is this bag?" Anne asked.

Summer replied, "You have excellent taste, miss. This is a newly released model from this season. It is a limited-edition clutch bag that's made from a single piece of genuine crocodile leather. While its original price is 38,888 dollars, it is currently on sale for 36,666 dollars."

Anne and Ivan nearly had a breakdown when they heard the price. What kind of rotten luck was this? They'd assumed that such a tiny handbag wouldn't cost that much, but it was even more expensive than the shoes!

Both of them had stiffened. Neither one knew how to react.

Eyeing them with a smirk, Elliott said, "That's an exquisite-looking bag. It suits you. You should buy it!"

Unable to speak, Anne looked at Ivan.

"Am I supposed to buy it just because you tell me to?" Ivan snapped. "What a disgrace that would be! I'm not buying it!"

Alas, Elliott exposed them by responding bluntly, "Oh? Don't tell me it's because you can't afford it."

"Why, you! I've got the money. I just don't want to buy the bag!" Ivan roared.

He and Anne tagged along to humiliate Elliott, but he ended up being the one humiliated instead. To make matters worse, he couldn't even fight back.

"Sure. Go ahead and talk big when you've got no leg to stand on," Elliott remarked tauntingly with a laugh. Turning to Summer, he continued, "Wrap this bag up for me, along with a set of all the shoes, clothes, and accessories from this series. I'd like to give them to Ms. Cohen here."

When Elliott first started speaking, Anne felt rather forlorn. She assumed that he was buying even more things for Selena. However, when she heard that the items were for her, her eyes flashed with surprise.

She figured that since she was his ex-girlfriend, he still had a thing for her. Her Host Affection Level began increasing. Even her gaze became a lot more gentle when she looked at him.

"Conquest Target Anne Cohen gains 30 affection points for a present total of 30 affection points."

After seeing the Host Affection Level listed above Anne's head, Elliott sneered inwardly. This proved that money was indeed the most important thing.

When it came to winning Anne's favor, everything he did for her over the last few years paled in comparison to just spending some money on her.

The bag, shoes, clothes, and accessories all came up to slightly over 100,000 dollars. Ivan's face immediately turned pale with anger. He didn't have that kind of money! Who would've expected Elliott to pull a stunt like this?

Anne was his girlfriend now. Elliott was clearly trying to make him get cheated on right to his face! Moreover, the flash of glee in Anne's eyes only served to fuel his rage.

"Who needs your stuff, Elliott? Who do you think you are?" Ivan hollered as he grabbed Anne's hand and tried to leave. "Let's go, Anne!"

Ivan didn't want to stick around any longer. It would only piss him off.

Meanwhile, Anne was conflicted. How was she supposed to turn away from over 100,000 dollars worth of luxury items?

Ivan tugged on Anne's hand, but when she didn't move, he became even more infuriated. "Why aren't you moving, Anne? Come on!"

Anne had no choice but to let him drag her off. Yet, after she'd only taken a single step, Elliott called out, "Hang on!"

Ivan turned around and snapped, "What do you want, Elliott?"