Chapter III

My parents were completely in the dark, but in such a setting, faced with a swarm of congratulations, they could only maintain stiff, frozen smiles.

After all, who would dare publicly slight Alexander Winston?

Midway through the banquet, my mother pulled me into a lounge where my father was pacing anxiously. She immediately locked the door.

"Victoria, have you lost your mind? How could you get engaged to Alexander?"

"Because... he is a far more suitable ally than Oliver," I replied rationally.

"Suitable?" My father stopped pacing. "He is certainly a formidable figure, but he is a full ten years older than you! And his methods in the business world are ruthless; everyone calls him 'The Tyrant.'"

"So what? Only a man like that can command the room, don't you think?" I retorted.

"But... those rumors about his physical hidden ailment..." My mother stopped, hesitating to speak further.

That was indeed a thorny issue.

Before I could fabricate an excuse, a knock sounded at the door.

My mother opened it to find Alexander standing there, his expression composed.

My parents immediately switched to the deferential demeanor reserved for business tycoons. "Mr. Winston, what brings you here?"

"I believe we need to talk regarding the future of Victoria and myself," Alexander said calmly.

I don't know what he said to my parents inside, but when they emerged, their attitude had undergone a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.

"Alexander is a man worth entrusting," my father said, patting my shoulder with a tone of admiration. "Though he is a bit older, he can give you the security and status that Oliver never could."

As for Oliver, who had abandoned his family responsibilities for so-called true love, he had already been struck from the list of potential heirs by my father.