1 The Alliance

“What did you say? Mr. Rook wants me to marry his son? How can he be so awful? Isn’t he afraid my dad will climb out of his grave and strangle him?”

Nola Avery had just come home when a so called gift from heaven dropped straight onto her head.

She did not want to get married this young.

How had the Rook family set their sights on her?

“Nola, calm down. At worst, we can refuse the marriage.”

Meryl Avery could not bear to sacrifice her sister’s happiness either, but the Avery family was now in a crisis.

Before their father passed away, he had signed a performance based agreement with the Rook family, and the deadline had now arrived. According to the terms, the Rook family was supposed to acquire Avery River Freight. After Meryl begged them again and again, the Rook family agreed to let the Avery family keep its equity and avoid layoffs on one condition. Her younger sister had to marry the second young master of the Rook family.

Otherwise, once ARF was acquired, thousands of employees from top to bottom would face the risk of layoffs and a complete management reshuffle.

Nola had never dealt with the Rook family, but in all of Eastbourne, even in all of Cathay, who had not heard of their power?

They were the biggest shipping giant in Cathay.

Calder Rook, the head of the Rook family, was a famous shipping magnate.

The Rook family’s Rook Maritime Group owned the largest container fleet and dry bulk fleet in the world. It was the shipping company with the highest total carrying capacity on the planet, and Calder was the undisputed shipping king of Cathay.

No one could afford to offend the Rook family.

“If we refuse the marriage, we’ll offend the Rook family. Then the Avery family is finished, and Dad’s life’s work will be finished too. Even if the marriage has to be called off, we can’t be the ones to say it. We have to make them cancel it themselves.”

Nola’s mind spun quickly. If she did not want to surrender to fate, she had to fight it to the end.

“You have a plan? But the Rook family will be here soon.”

Meryl gripped her sister’s hand tightly, worry written across her face.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

Before long, Calder, the man who held the final say in the Rook family, came personally to discuss the marriage.

“Nola, come out. Mr. Rook is here.”

After making tea for Calder, Meryl called toward the room.

Nola came out and stepped into the living room. Through the brim of her hat, she secretly studied the middle aged man sitting upright on the sofa.

His brows and eyes were sharp, his nose high and straight, and his thin lips were pressed together slightly. He wore a dark suit cut with exquisite precision, his shirt collar fastened neatly. A luxury watch showed beneath his cuff. His fingers were long, with clean, distinct knuckles.

Even without saying a word, he gave off a steady and powerful presence, as if he had been born to sit high above others like a king.

So this was Calder.

What old friend of her father?

He wanted to acquire Avery River Freight. How was that any different from digging up her father’s grave?

The first moment Meryl saw her sister, she nearly lost control of her expression. She quickly introduced her. “Mr. Rook, this is Nola. Nola, greet Mr. Rook.”

“Hello, Mr. Rook,” Nola answered obediently with her head lowered.

Calder set down his teacup and lifted his dark eyes to look at the girl before him.

She wore a loose, oversized coat, and a large hat covered her entire head, hiding her face. But her belly was swollen, making her look about four or five months pregnant.

“This is Nola? What happened to her stomach?”

A trace of doubt crossed Calder’s thick brows.

“Mr. Rook, I’m pregnant.”

Nola retched, then continued, “You want me to marry your son, right? If you don’t mind him becoming a father before becoming a groom, I have no objections. It just so happens that the baby in my belly needs a dad.”

Calder was silent.

Seeing his brows furrow so hard they could crush an elephant, Nola secretly rejoiced.

Hehe. Only an idiot would take responsibility for someone else’s baby, right? Let’s see if you still want this marriage now.

Meryl quietly gave her sister a thumbs up, then looked at Calder. “Mr. Rook, it’s my fault for being too busy with work. She was deceived and got pregnant, and now she’s already a few months along. With her situation, there’s no way she can marry into the Rook family. So perhaps...”

“Pregnancy is not an issue.”

Calder’s expression was cold and stern, but his words landed with weight.

“Wha... what? You don’t mind my sister being like this?”

Meryl’s heart lurched. Nola nearly bit her tongue. This move did not work?

“I told you. Your father and I were close friends. Now that he is gone, I should look after you sisters. If Nola has a child, the Rook family can raise it. It is only one more mouth to feed.”

Calder remained calm, but his deep, unreadable dark eyes seemed able to see through everything.

Damn it.

Had this old man seen through her disguise?

“Mr. Rook, my baby and I thank you first. Thank your whole family.”

Nola pulled down her hat, revealing her face.

Her originally pure and pretty little face had turned dark and patchy. Her cheeks were covered in pits, her two thick cartoon brows connected into one line, and her lips looked like sausages. When she opened her mouth and smiled, it was full of large yellow teeth. The garlic and onion smell pouring from her mouth was so foul it made people queasy.

Even Meryl was startled by her sister’s appearance.

But it was a brilliant move.

The Rook family would never accept such an ugly daughter in law.

“How did this girl become so different from when she was little?”

Calder had seen Nola when she was a child. Back then, the little girl had been fair and tender, with big eyes like black grapes. Everyone said she would surely grow into a beauty. But now...

Meryl explained, “Mr. Rook, my sister didn’t grow up well. It’s a pity. As you can see, with her appearance, she really isn’t worthy of the Rook family. Why don’t we just forget this marriage?”

“The marriage proceeds as planned.”

“!!!”

One month later.

Nola and the Rook family’s youngest son, Soren, held their wedding aboard The Meridian Queen, the largest ocean liner owned by Rook Maritime Group.

Inside the banquet hall, well dressed guests moved beneath glittering lights, and the entire room shimmered with luxury.

The Rook family’s relatives and friends, along with prominent figures from the business world, were all in attendance.

When the auspicious hour arrived, Meryl, as Nola’s only family representative, held her hand and led her into the banquet hall.

Countless eyes turned toward them at once. Nola wore a pure white wedding gown adorned with diamonds, breathtakingly beautiful. Meryl wore a white dress with a pink diamond necklace. There were no other unnecessary decorations, yet she looked dignified and elegant.

The beauty of the two sisters drew praise, but there was also plenty of criticism. Many believed this marriage was the Avery family reaching far above their station.

The groom, Soren, had yet to appear.

Calder’s face was as dark as water. He lowered his voice and ordered people to find him. Even if they had to tie him up, they were to drag him back.

Since the ceremony could not begin on time, Calder publicly explained that his son was absent for special reasons. He announced that the ceremony would be made up the next day, while the evening banquet would continue as planned.

After that, Nola changed into an evening gown and returned to the wedding banquet. Guests came forward one after another to offer toasts, and both Nola and Meryl drank quite a lot.

When the banquet ended, Meryl took Nola back to her room to rest. Both of their room cards were in Nola’s clutch.

“Nola, where’s the room card?”

Nola’s little face was flushed. In a daze, she opened the small clutch, took out a card, and handed it to her sister.

“710...”

Meryl was terribly dizzy. She mistook 16 for 10 and brought her sister to the room. When the door would not open, she called a waiter to unlock it.

After helping her sister settle into bed, Meryl took another room card from Nola’s clutch and went to find a room to rest.

The groom, Soren, had been delivered by helicopter. The bodyguards supported the drunken Soren and brought him to the room.

Calder ordered, “Throw him inside. Without my order, no one lets him out.”

After dealing with his son, he began to feel unwell and had to return to his own room.

Back at the door of Room 710, Calder swiped his card and opened the door.

A faint fragrance drifted out.