Chapter 1:The letter
Daphne Harper stood at the edge of her father’s study, a room no one had entered in weeks. Dust danced in the golden sunlight that streamed through the window, settling gently over old books, maps, and photographs that captured a lifetime of memories.
Her fingers trembled as she picked up the sealed envelope the lawyer had handed her that morning. To my daughter, Daphne, it read in her father’s familiar handwriting.
She opened it.
“My dearest Daphne,
If you’re reading this, I’m already gone. I wish I had more time to prepare you for what’s to come, but life is never kind with timing. Years ago, I made a promise with my best friend, Gregory Winchester. We dreamed of uniting our families—not for power, but for legacy, for protection. I trust Gregory, and I trust his son Xavier to take care of you.
You will be his wife.”
Daphne dropped the letter as if it had burned her.
Wife?
She hadn’t even spoken to Xavier Winchester since they were teenagers—just brief, cold introductions at business events. He was serious. Arrogant. Unreachable.
And now… she was supposed to marry him?
She turned around to face the lawyer. “There must be some mistake.”
He shook his head gently. “Your father’s will was clear. The contract is legally binding.”
