Chapter 12
In Frankland.
Avery, or rather, Zoe, sat at the dining table in a haze.
She was wearing a haute couture gown and a freshly auctioned pink diamond necklace worth millions of dollars. Fixed on the red wine in her glass, her mind drifted.
Everything felt like a dream. She could hardly believe that her life had split into two halves.
Just a month ago, Zoe was in a living hell. She suffered both physically and mentally.
Yet now, here she was in an Orlendian – style villa. She was even drinking one of the world’s rarest wines, of which only ten bottles existed.
Guilt–ridden, her father, Rowan Quinn, spared no effort in making it up to her. It was as if he were desperate to make up for a lifetime of neglect in one fell swoop.
The moment Zoe stepped off the plane, a stretch limousine whisked her away to a villa on the outskirts. The house was dim, lit only by a few scattered candles.
Then, the old man on the bed raised a frail, trembling hand and took hold of hers. “You must be Zoe,” he said, his voice weak. “I… I’m your biological father.”
She pulled her hand back, uneasy.
Rowan had saved her from the hell she’d been living in, but had he not abandoned Michelle, she would never have ended up in that situation in the first place.
Zoe knew better than to jump from the frying pan back into the fire with the man who started it all. She was not ready to forgive him.
But Rowan sighed and slowly said, “I’ve regretted abandoning you and Michelle every single day, but I had no choice. The project I was involved in was top–secret, so I was confined to a lab for years. I couldn’t bear the thought of you both waiting in an empty home for me, year after year, so I suggested a divorce.
“But when I finally got out, she was gone. I sent for you at once, but a crisis dragged me back into the lab. Now it’s finally over, but the years of radiation in that lab have given me cancer… I suppose this is my rightful penance.”
Rowan gave a bitter smile, his eyes filled with regret. “Zoe, I don’t expect your forgiveness. My only wish is that you’ll inherit my estate and live the rest of your life well.”
Hearing that, Zoe’s nose stung. Before she could stop herself, tears fell.
Every word she had so carefully rehearsed for this moment vanished from her mind.
Chapter 12
2/2
She rushed forward, threw her arms around him, and choked out between sobs, “I’ll consider forgiving you… but only if you promise me one thing.”
Rowan’s dim eyes brightened. “Anything. Just say it and I’ll agree.”
“Just stay with me a little longer. I haven’t felt loved in such a long time,” Zoe said.
At that, the man who had endured a lifetime broke down in tears. They clung to each other, weeping.
After coaxing him to sleep, Zoe stepped out and placed a hand on the doctor’s shoulder. “How much time does he have?” she asked.
“About a month,” the doctor said, sighing.
He paused for a moment before adding, “In Midernia, there’s a notion that sometimes, you can cheat fate with a celebration. A wedding, for instance, is thought to lift the spirits. It gives someone a reason to fight and hold on a little longer.”
Hearing that, Zoe suddenly recalled the arranged marriage Rowan had mentioned on the phone. She nodded.
Honoring the marriage had been her promise from the start. The idea of it improving his health was merely secondary.
“Start preparing for the wedding,” Zoe calmly said.
The butler looked at her in surprise and replied, “But Ms. Quinn, you haven’t even met the groom. Isn’t this too hasty?”
She thought back to her failed marriage and let out a mocking laugh. “What does it matter? Don’t they all end the same way?”
Zoe no longer believed in love. However, if marriage could bring advantages and benefits to everyone, then why not?
She vowed to live for herself for the rest of her life. Marriage would no longer be a shackle, but a stepping stone.
She would never again depend on a man. With this money, she would build her career and forge her own path.
Drawing a deep breath, Zoe straightened her back and walked away.
At the end of the villa corridor, a tall man leaned lazily against the wall. “I’ve finally found you, “he said, a smile tugging at his lips.
