Rebecca Quentin shook her head in confusion. "Why does he want to marry me?" They seemed to be from two different worlds and had never even met.
"Because..." Alexander Quentin hesitated for a moment. "Because you look very much like his late girlfriend."
Rebecca's eyes widened. "I look like his girlfriend?"
"At first, I doubted it too, until Howard Geoffrey sent me a photo of his late girlfriend..." As he spoke, Alexander Quentin pulled out the cell phone he always carried and found a photo. "Look, this is Howard's ex-girlfriend. Doesn't she look a lot like you?"
Staring at the strikingly similar, beautiful face on the phone screen, Rebecca found it hard to believe. "She... she... she is Howard Geoffrey's girlfriend?"
At first glance, she thought the person in the photo was herself. Upon closer inspection, however, she realized the woman in the picture had more delicate features and a more elegant bearing than her own. The real woman's beauty perhaps far surpassed hers.
Alexander Quentin sighed softly. "Yes, she was Howard Geoffrey's girlfriend. She was ill-fated; half a year ago, just as she and Howard were about to marry, she was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Her death was a huge blow to him. It wasn't until Howard accidentally learned of your existence that..."
So... the reason he wanted to marry her was because she resembled the girlfriend he deeply loved...
When she realized this, Rebecca's heart felt as if it had plummeted to the depths, and she staggered back a step.
Alexander Quentin quickly steadied his daughter, apologizing, "Becca, I'm sorry. It's all my fault..."
Rebecca slowly looked up at her father, her gaze dull, her voice bitter. "Father, I respect any choice you make for me, but marriage isn't a game. I can't be someone's substitute for my entire life. Let's go talk to Howard Geoffrey and call off our marriage. Such a ridiculous union will only end up wasting both our lives."
She had to admit, she had feelings for him, especially after last night. But when the real reason he wanted to marry her was laid bare, all her feelings for him curdled into a dull ache of sorrow and disappointment.
How she wished everything was as her father had initially told her—that he wanted to marry her because he liked her. But reality had proven otherwise, and this truth deeply wounded her. Still, things hadn't reached their worst. Everything could still be salvaged. At most, she would only have lost her virginity.
After listening to Becca's words, Alexander Quentin didn't respond immediately. Instead, he shook his head in anguish, saying sorrowfully, "Becca, it's all my fault for bringing this upon you. But if we ask Howard Geoffrey to call off the wedding, all the help he previously gave Quentin will become a debt Quentin owes to 'Skytop'. The market share Quentin has built with 'Skytop's' support over the last six months will instantly crumble, and Quentin will go bankrupt in a moment..."
Rebecca had never imagined so many interests were entangled in this seemingly simple marriage. Her mind was a mess, and she fell silent again.
Alexander Quentin continued to blame himself. "Becca, I'm sorry. I was muddle-headed to deceive you in the beginning. Please, say something. Don't just stand there in a daze. If you don't want to go through with this, I'll go to Howard Geoffrey right now and call off the marriage. Even if it means losing Quentin, I don't want to see you wronged."