Mr. Rovano Morvane

Valerie Ashford, a 21-year-old girl, was fed up with her monotonous and restricted life. She was under constant surveillance, even though she was home most of the day.

She didn't have any friends, her internet usage was limited to a daily quota, she attended informal schooling, and she had never been able to see the outside world, despite begging her father desperately.

They wouldn't let her leave the mansion because she was the last descendant of the Ashford family, who had been hidden for a long time.

Today, the Ashford family was having a business meeting at the big house, and people started showing up one by one. They were all curious about the invite to tonight's party.

Valerie was sitting in the back garden, lost in thought, when she was slightly startled by the arrival of Jason, her personal valet.

"Hey, Miss, Mr. Nolan's back," Jason said.

"You mean my dad? Has Father come home?" Valerie's eyes were fixed on Jason, and they conveyed hope.

The man nodded. "He just got here. He's waiting for you in the main hall."

Jason reached out his hand to Valerie and helped her to her feet. "Be careful, Miss."

"Thanks, Jason," Valerie whispered.

Valerie immediately ran to meet her father. She hurried down the corridor towards the main hall without a second thought, paying no attention to the floor beneath her feet.

As soon as she got to the hall, her grandma let out a little gasp when she saw Valerie running towards Nolan—her dad—but she almost fell over after bumping into a tall guy.

"Valerie!" Valerie's mom let out a quiet cry.

Nolan let out a sigh of relief, but he felt a bit embarrassed by Valerie's risky behavior in front of his guests who had already arrived.

Nolan figured his wife had forgotten to tell Valerie about the event happening right then.

Meanwhile, Valerie flinched, she would have fallen if the man she bumped into hadn't caught her by the waist. Those piercing black eyes seemed to bore into Valerie's emerald ones, this was the first time Valerie had met a stranger, apart from the family and servants in this grand house.

Valerie blinked a few times, they'd been in that position for quite a while.

The stranger supporting Valerie had black hair styled in a quiff and a good-looking face. A smirk appeared on that handsome face, and Valerie immediately moved to break free from his embrace.

"I'm sorry..." The girl apologized nicely before talking to her dad.

Nolan gave the guest Valerie had just bumped into a slight smile, and the man just nodded, as if he was tolerating what the last of the Ashford family had done.

"Why were you running like that? You're acting like a child, Valerie!" Nolan muttered, a little irritated, once the girl was with him.

Valerie just gave a soft snort and said, "I was excited because Dad's home, but it seems he's not too thrilled to see me."

Valerie then slowly lifted her head, still shy. Her eyes caught sight of the handsome man who had just supported her body so she wouldn't hit the floor.

His gaze was cold, but when their eyes met again, Valerie could see that he was giving her a smirk that made her shiver.

"It looks like the Ashford family has a new member." The handsome guy spoke to Nolan in a casual tone, and his gaze softened, but he still had a lot of charisma.

Valerie was a bit surprised by the man's voice, which sounded more like a guy. She noticed a big difference between how he looked at her and how he spoke to Nolan.

Valerie felt like she was looking at someone completely different from the person who had just smiled at her.

Nolan took a deep breath, and the man seemed like he wasn't ready to talk, but eventually his lips parted, "She's my only daughter, Valerie Ashford."

The guy looked a little surprised, but for some reason Valerie felt like he was putting on an act. She could see that he was acting, and he seemed to be doing it on purpose. But every time their eyes met, Valerie's heart would suddenly race. She felt nervous and also afraid for no reason.

"You're amazing, I'm sure a lot of people don't know about your daughter. Just wanted to let you know that the heir to the Ashford family is actually a woman," the handsome man said. "I'm pretty sure your talent is going to be passed down to her."

"Thanks, Mr. Morvane," Nolan replied.

"Hey, sweetheart, I'm Rovano Morvane." The man reached out his hand to Valerie. His tone was flat, but his face was totally—evil.

Valerie had no choice but to shake his hand, and right away, she could feel a shiver run through her body, her heart was beating faster than usual.

It was like she'd been shocked by an electric current. Then the man's intense gaze and his smirk left Valerie frozen.

Rovano Morvane—Valerie never thought that name would make her feel so confused.

What was she feeling just now? Rovano kept looking at her, and Valerie felt like she was being stripped bare by his stare. It made her feel a bit uneasy.

Nolan thought it was weird that Rovano had been staring at his daughter ever since they got there. The event wasn't supposed to start for another hour, but this guest was especially on time. He and a few other guests had arrived early.

"I didn't know you'd be coming early, so nothing's ready yet, the event doesn't start for another hour," Nolan said to Rovano, who was staring intently at Valerie.

Valerie, who had accidentally returned Rovano's gaze, made Nolan's paternal instincts flare up like a raging fire.

Rovano let out a little breath, a smile starting to spread across his face as he started to look friendly. He was thinking about Valerie, who had caught his eye.

Rovano looked back at Nolan and said, "Oh, I'm always like this, Mr. Ashford. This is especially true when it comes to my potential business partners. Discipline makes for a good first impression."

"I wasn't just guessing. The Morvane family sent their eldest son here. Where on earth is Jordan?" Nolan asked.

Rovano shot a quick look at Valerie, then back at Nolan, and said, "He's in Paris, there's some business from my mother's hospital."

"I've got another idea, on top of the inter-company business," Rovano told Nolan.

"What's up, Mr. Morvane?" Nolan asked casually.

Rovano looked at Valerie, and Nolan immediately followed suit. "I want her."

"Pardon?" Nolan was a bit surprised, Rovano's words had caused a big misunderstanding.

"I want your daughter," Rovano said in a clear and firm voice.

Rovano's demand made Valerie's heart beat faster, especially when he pointed at her without feeling any shame. Valerie grabbed her dress and then just walked out of the hall.

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