June in Sage County felt like the whole world had been tossed into a damp, sticky oven straight out of the monsoon season.
When Vicky Sinclair finally tracked Joanna Sinclair down after traveling all the way from River Town, Joanna was on the muddy playground, lazily bouncing a basketball. She didn’t even bother glancing over when Vicky showed up—just flicked her wrist and sent the ball cleanly through the hoop.
A three-pointer.
One of the boys nearby whistled. “Damn, that’s sick!”
Vicky looked down at the mud splattered on her pant legs, her expression dark enough to squeeze water from.
She frowned toward the court and saw Joanna dressed in an oversized white men’s shirt and tiny denim shorts, her hair tied high, her face all cold edges and quiet distance.
Annoyingly gorgeous.
That aloof, untouchable vibe—just like her mother.
Vicky cursed silently until she felt satisfied, then forced a half-smile and called out, “Joanna.”
Joanna sank another shot before finally turning toward the woman. “And you are?”
Vicky stumbled, awkward. “I… I’m your mother—”
“My mother? She died when I was four.” Joanna let out a short, cold laugh, one brow lifting. “You’re Vicky, right? I remember you. Just spit it out.”
After Joanna’s birth mother passed away, Mr. Sinclair rushed to marry Vicky—complete with her three-year-old daughter Cecilia. It didn’t take a genius to see he’d had that little family lined up long before.
Since stepping into the Sinclair house, Vicky had made it very clear she couldn’t stand the child left behind by the ex-wife. A few well-timed complaints in Mr. Sinclair’s ear, and Joanna was shipped off to the countryside.
But now Vicky had no choice but to come find her.
“Joanna, I’m here to bring you home,” Vicky said.
“Nope.” Joanna waved her off, already turning away.
“Hey!” Vicky panicked a little and grabbed her arm. “I heard you skipped the college entrance exam. What are you going to do with your life if you don’t go to school? Come back to River Town with me. Your dad arranged a marriage for you.”
Joanna frowned.
Knew it. Vicky didn’t drag herself out here for anything good. So dear old dad wanted to marry her off.
“Joanna, you might not know,” Vicky continued, “the Sinclair business has been struggling. Your father’s company is in real trouble. If you marry into the Ashford Clan, they’ll give us a hundred million. Your father’s company could be saved!”
"Where's Cecilia Sinclair? Why isn't she the one getting married?"
Joanna Sinclair shook the water bottle in her hand, impatience written all over her face. For a second, Vicky Sinclair actually thought that bottle might come flying straight at her.
"Cecilia is only eighteen… and she's impulsive. She's nothing like you—so gentle and easy to handle. If you and Hubert Ashford got together, you'd definitely get along…"
Gentle and easy to handle? Vicky must have mixed her up with someone else.
Joanna let out a short, cold laugh. All that fuss over just one billion—they were really ready to sell her off. In their eyes, she was worth that little.
And she was only one year older than Cecilia Sinclair anyway.
But that name—Hubert Ashford—sounded oddly familiar.
Joanna pulled out her phone, opened a program, turned the screen sideways, and tapped a few commands. Soon, a line of old chat logs popped up on the dark screen: "I checked the guy you're looking into. No photos, but he's been in River Town these past few years. Only confirmed he's from the Ashford Clan."
So this Hubert Ashford—was he from that Ashford family?
Joanna typed in a few lines of code. In the next second, Hubert Ashford’s file flashed onto the screen.
Hubert Ashford, from the Ashford Clan of River Town. Only twenty‑six, yet already the unquestioned head of the Huihong Corporation.
If fate hadn’t slapped him down—he’d been crippled in a car accident, and not even top specialists could fix him.
The man in the picture sat in a wheelchair, chin slightly tilted up, brows drawn tight. His profile looked cold, distant—sharp like winter steel.
His eyes held a chill that felt almost familiar. Joanna’s heart skipped a beat without warning. She had no idea why, but something about him tugged at her memory.
She pushed the thought aside and said bluntly, "So you want investment through marriage, but you can’t bring yourselves to send Cecilia to marry a disabled man. You want me to go in her place?"
Vicky’s face changed instantly. How could a girl who grew up in the countryside possibly know all this?
She stood frozen for a long moment before forcing out, "Joanna, Cecilia is still young. You just need to handle the engagement with Hubert Ashford for now. Once Cecilia reaches the legal age for marriage, you two can switch back."
Joanna almost laughed out loud.
Did Vicky think she was stupid? Or did she think the Ashford Clan were idiots?
Not even a toddler would believe such nonsense.
"If you want me to marry him, it's not impossible…" Joanna curved her lips, a hint of mockery in her smile. "But I have one condition."
