Rebecca Quentin sat listlessly in her garden.
Lost in thought, she didn’t even notice her father’s arrival.
Snapped from her thoughts, Rebecca suddenly looked up. "Daddy!"
Alexander Quentin said, "I heard from Aunt Clare that you’ve been in the garden alone ever since you returned from the hotel. I’m worried about you."
Rebecca said quietly, "I’m fine. I just wanted to get some fresh air in the garden."
Alexander Quentin remarked with concern, "I remember my precious daughter only shows an ’interest’ in strolling through the garden when something is weighing on her mind..."
Rebecca lowered her head and remained silent for a moment before finally confessing, "Daddy, I do have something on my mind."
Alexander Quentin gently stroked his daughter’s soft hair. "What is it? Tell me."
Rebecca looked at her father, her large eyes uncertain, before she finally mustered the courage to blurt out, "Daddy, what’s troubling me is that I never imagined the father I’ve always respected would tell such a monstrous lie, one that has led to this irreversible outcome..."
Alexander Quentin was deeply perplexed, his brow furrowing slightly. "Becca, when did I deceive you? And what is this irreversible outcome?"
The grievances she had suppressed all day finally erupted. Rebecca demanded, "Why did you lie to me that Howard Geoffrey likes me?"
Alexander Quentin feigned innocence. "But that is the truth!"
Becca shook her head vehemently. "No, that’s not the truth! The truth is, Howard has always had a woman by his side whom he cherishes as his own life. They almost got married six months ago! If he had fallen for me a year ago, how could he possibly have such a beloved girlfriend?"
No one noticed the flicker of guilt in Alexander Quentin’s eyes as Rebecca confronted him. However, his years of experience allowed his composure to assert itself instantly. He asked calmly, "Becca, who told you this nonsense? Howard doesn’t have a girlfriend at all!"
Rebecca, slightly incensed, said, "Daddy, never mind who told me. I’m certain this can’t be false..."
Alexander Quentin tried to persuade his daughter but was cut short by her indignant outburst, "Daddy, what on earth could make you lie and insist I marry Howard? Don’t you realize your mistake could ruin my entire life!" Even if this man was outstanding.
Alexander Quentin stood frozen, never having imagined his daughter would so fiercely condemn the path he had meticulously planned for her. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth...
Seeing her father’s silence, Rebecca grew even more incensed. Her voice trembling, she pleaded, "Daddy, I’m begging you, tell me the truth! I really don’t want to walk into a marriage this confused, not even knowing if my own husband cares about me..."
Facing his daughter’s relentless questioning, Alexander Quentin, after a period of deep reflection, finally conceded slowly, "Yes, Daddy admits he deceived you. But Daddy truly had no other choice..."
Rebecca lifted her tear-filled eyes, her voice choked with emotion as she asked, "What reason?"
Alexander Quentin gazed intently at his daughter’s innocent face. He seemed to waver for a moment before finally confessing, "The reason is—half a year ago, Quentin faced a financial crisis due to my poor management. To save Quentin, I borrowed money from everyone I could think of.
"However, the funding gap for Quentin was simply too vast. The money borrowed from friends was exhausted almost immediately, and the banks were no longer willing to extend me any loans. I felt a despair unlike anything I’d ever experienced...
"Who could have predicted that just as I was preparing for bankruptcy, Howard would step in? He leveraged the substantial financial power of his Skytop Group to assist Quentin...
"But, as they say, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. The condition Howard put forth was that you marry him!"