SWNOVELS Chapter 1
Chapter 1
At the bustling station, Alexandra Doherty had just gotten off the train.
Seconds later, her phone rang like crazy. It was a call from her biological father, Peter Doherty.
Who she had reunited with last week.
She reunited with her long–lost father solely to take over her pianist sister’s marriage with the Ranford family of Highclere City.
In exchange, she would receive one million dollars in her account.
Alexandra took out her phone and glanced at the caller ID. Her lips quirked into a smirk.
She picked up the call nonchalantly.
A man’s angry voice boomed from the other side of the phone. “What on earth are you doing, Alexandra? We’ve bought you tickets for the flight, so why weren’t you on the plane? Why didn’t you pick up your phone, either? What the hell are you playing at?”
“My body doesn’t feel well when boarding a plane, Mr. Doherty. I took the train instead.”
“You…
“What? Are you afraid I’ll abscond with your money? And leave your precious daughter at the mercy of that merciless Ranford?” Alexandra snickered.
“How dare you talk to me like that!”
“Why shouldn’t I? Who do you think you are? Did you even raise me?” Alexandra paused and continued, “Our relationship is nothing more than a business, Mr. Doherty‘
The man couldn’t refute a word.
Before the man could reply, Alexandra swiftly hung up. In fact, she had no feelings toward her father, whom she had only
met once.
Likewise, Peter only met his long–lost daughter, who was taken away by mistake, for the first time upon arriving at Costonshire.
He promised to give her one million dollars if she married into the Ranford family on behalf of her sister, who was known. as the daughter of the noble Doherty family.
Alexandra agreed unhesitatingly.
How could she say no to money!
Moreover, she was in straitened circumstances.
She had done her research.
Julian Ranford was the eldest son of the Ranford family and CEO of the Ranford Group.
For that reason, she decided to come to Highclere City.
Most importantly, she hoped that the vast network of the Ranford family could lead her to the person she had been searching for for the past three years.
Alexandra picked up her belongings and walked out of the station smoothly.
06:51 Wed
Chapter!
The autumn breeze carried a hint of warmth from the late summer.
Standing at the bustling gate, Alexandra stretched out a hand to stop a taxi.
Once she got into the car, the driver asked, “Where are you going, young lady?”
“To Ranford Tower,” Alexandra replied.
Meanwhile, on the top floor of Ranford Tower.
Julian had just finished a three–hour board meeting.
Currently, he was resting on the sofa, facing the French windows. The coffee on his table had turned cold, yet he never took a sip.
His eyes were half–lidded; he seemed to be taking a nap.
The autumn sunlight poured through the windows and gently touched his gorgeous face.
His facial features were beyond perfect.
Each subtle contour showed the favor bestowed by the world’s creator.
Julian Ranford was a legend in the business world of Highclere City.
There was no businessman in Highclere City who had never heard of him.
When Ranford Group fell into crisis three years ago after the chairman’s illness, Julian took the long trip back and saved the company from collapse.
He turned a company on the verge of bankruptcy into a new empire.
Within two years, he rose the Ranford Group from the dead and now sat on its throne.
Julian’s assistant, Marco Ranford, carefully grasped the documents in his hands as he stood behind his superior. He didn’t have the heart to wake Julian up
Over the past two months, certain shareholders had been hatching a plot following the deterioration of the health of the former chairman.
Due to this, Julian had been staying overnight at the company for a whole week.
Marco was still hesitating when he noticed Julian’s eyelashes flutter. The man opened one of his eyes and asked, “Have you. gathered the information?”
Julian stretched out his hand. The white sleeve adorned with sparkling cufflinks contrasted sharply with his tanned palm.
Marco handed the file and explained, “This is the information about Alexandra Doherty–the real daughter of the Doherty family. Please have a look, sir.”
Julian crossed his legs and took the file.
He flipped to the first page and saw a picture of a girl.
She looked about 20 years old. She was caught working in the wheat field in a white dress.
However, her face wasn’t shown clearly because the picture was blurry.
Julian only took a glance before flipping to the next page.
Marco glanced at the expressionless CEO and stated, “Alexandra is the long–lost daughter of the Doherty family. A couple at
the hospital mistakenly took her. A week ago, her father found her in the countryside.”
Julian read through the documents without saying a word.
As a powerful family in Highclere City, the Ranfords could easily run a background check through their private detectives.
Marco paused and continued, “Alexandra has spent her entire life in the countryside. She repeated junior high school and later dropped out of high school. She then fell ill and recovered in the countryside. According to our investigation, she dated a boy from the same village three years ago but broke up for unknown reasons. That man disappeared after their breakup. Sir… I strongly believe the Doherty family is plotting something since they dared to fetch a village girl at this time. Julian remained silent as he closed the file. He then motioned to Marco and handed the file back to his assistant.
He had no comments.
He didn’t need a second guess to know what the Doherty family was scheming.
“Why are you staying silent, sir? Everyone in Highclere City knows that Veronica Doherty is the best among all those socialites here. Not to mention, she’s been engaged to you since she was a child! Who knows what rumors have gone into Mr. Doherty’s head? Ever since Mistress Josephine visited him, he has refused to proceed with the marriage and even fetched a village girl to fool you. If Mistress Josephine learns about this, she’ll get sick from anger!”
Marco was indignant at Peter’s sudden change of mind.
On the other hand, Julian frowned at Marco’s rambling.
He stood up and walked to the window.
His lean figure stood tall in front of the dazzling sunlight.
He stood in front of the window on the top floor of the Ranford Tower. It was as if he were a king overlooking the city beneath his feet.
Looking at his superior, Marco couldn’t help but sigh. Julian was the richest, most handsome, and youngest billionaire in Highclere City.
He was the perfect son–in–law, yet Peter dismissed him.
Suddenly, the landline on the desk rang.
Marco hurriedly picked up the phone. “Hello, this is the CEO’s office.”
He was stunned after hearing the other side’s reply.
He then turned to Julian with a weird facial expression. “Uh… The receptionist said a girl named Alexandra Doherty. requested to meet you, sir. She claims to be your fiancee. She’s currently waiting downstairs.”
Julian quirked a brow, feeling rather amused. He smirked. “Let her in
“Yes, sir.” With that, Marco went to fetch the girl.
Ten minutes later, Alexandra entered the office under Marco’s lead.
“Oh my god, the Kanford family is filthy rich!” That was the first thing she thought upon stepping into the office.
Julian sat on the sofa with his legs crossed.
He finally met the rumored fiancee.
The girl had applied some makeup, but that didn’t hide her youthfulness.
The sunlight strongly highlighted her facial features. In particular, her crystal eyes glowed like the white crescent in the night sky.
The dark circles beneath her eyes indicated she didn’t sleep well on the train.
At first glance, she was just an ordinary girl.
Alexandra sat across from Julian and spoke.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Ranford. I’m the daughter of the Doherty family who is engaged to you. In other words, I’m your fiancee. My name is Alexandra Doherty”
Before Julian could say a word, she continued, “I know you don’t wish to marry me. Well, so do I. In that case, let’s make a deal!”