My Fiancé Left Me at the Altar, So I Married His Billionaire Father

On my wedding day, my groom fled. I stood in the bridal lounge of the Cole Grand Resort, wearing a wedding dress worth two hundred thousand dollars, and asked my assistant for the third time, "Where exactly is Ryan?" My assistant kept her head down, her face paler than my dress. "Mr. Cole's private jet left Kingsmere forty minutes ago, bound for Valdoria. He was accompanied by Vanessa Lane," she said. Excellent. My fiancé had not only run away from the wedding but also taken his secret lover whom he had hidden for half a year. Outside, two hundred guests had already taken their seats, and a dozen financial media outlets were waiting to broadcast the wedding live. Today was not only my wedding to Ryan but also the day Bennett Hotels and Cole Resorts were set to announce their partnership. If he had said he didn't want to marry me a day earlier, I could have had my lawyers cancel the agreement. But he chose to flee after everyone had arrived. This wasn't about pursuing true love. This was trampling both my dignity and the Bennett family's reputation into the dirt. My father was so furious that he nearly smashed his phone. My mother, while instructing the PR department to contain the news, took my hand and said, "Claire, cancel the wedding for now. Leave the rest to us." Cancel? If I canceled now, by tomorrow the whole world would know that the heir of the Bennett family had been abandoned on her wedding day. Ryan could be sipping champagne on the beach with his true love, while I would have to stand before the board and explain why a woman who couldn't even keep her fiancé had the right to take over the hotel group. Why should I have to accept that? Just then, my phone lit up. It was a message from Ryan. Ryan: Claire, I'm sorry, I can't marry a woman I don't love. Ryan: Vanessa wants nothing from me. She's even willing to give up everything for me. You're so strong, you probably don't need me. Ryan: Don't wait. I stared at those three words for two seconds and let out a laugh. Who was waiting for him? I was just thinking about how to make him pay in the most spectacular way when he came back. Suddenly, the hallway outside the lounge fell silent. The executives and staff who had been crowding the corridor parted to make way. A man walked in. Julian Cole, forty-six years old, the chairman of Cole Resorts and Ryan's adoptive father. He had broad shoulders and long legs, a tall and straight build. Even in formal attire, the firm lines of his chest muscles were faintly visible beneath his shirt, drawing more than a few glances. Ryan's mother had married Julian when Ryan was thirteen. After she passed away, Julian formally adopted Ryan and raised him as his sole heir. Unfortunately, even the best mentor couldn't fix a born fool. Julian wore a black formal suit today. With his broad shoulders and long legs, he looked more like a groom than the intended one standing among the crowd. His gaze fell on me and paused for a moment. "Claire, this is the Cole family's responsibility," he said, his voice low and steady. "I've blocked that plane from being used in Valdoria, and I will cover all losses from the canceled wedding. As for Ryan, when he returns, I will make him personally apologize to you and your family." That was the perfect solution. Unfortunately, I didn't want an apology anymore. Through the open door of the lounge, I glanced at the red carpet covered in white roses outside, then looked back at the man before me. A crazy idea suddenly popped into my head. Since the Cole family had ruined this wedding, they should be the ones to compensate me. As for which groom they would give me as compensation, I thought the one right in front of me was perfect. "Julian," I said, holding up the hem of my wedding dress and walking over to him. "The Bennett family originally agreed to an alliance with the Cole family, right?" He looked at me and didn't deny it. "That's right," he said. I pressed on, "Then the groom doesn't necessarily have to be Ryan." Gasps erupted around us. Something finally changed in Julian's eyes. That deep gaze swept over my body, carrying a warmth that made my cheeks flush. "Who do you want to replace him with?" he asked. He'd clearly already guessed, yet he insisted on hearing me say it. Fine. It wasn't me who'd be losing face. I held out my hand to him with a perfectly sincere smile. "You. Julian Cole, will you be my groom?" I asked.