Surprise Marriage to a Billionaire
Chapter 139: The Best Candidate

Chapter 139: The Best Candidate

Rain felt her pulse quicken as she entered the ancestral mansion with Alexander. She wasn’t sure how to react to meeting William, Alexander’s younger brother and the mastermind behind her surprise marriage.

A beautiful smile instantly spread across her face as her father-in-law greeted her warmly when he saw them approaching. He was in the middle of a conversation with a man whose back was turned to them.

"They’re here," her father-in-law, announced with a smile. The man turned slowly, and Rain’s eyes finally met the familiar face of William Lancaster.

"Big Brother," William muttered awkwardly, his gaze shifting nervously toward Alexander. "How have you been?"

Alexander’s response was cold and silent. His expression darkened, his jaw tightening as he stared at William without a word.

Rock quickly stepped in, trying to ease the tension. "Come here, Rain, and let me formally introduce you to my youngest son, William."

Rain studied William carefully. While he and Alexander shared some similarities—tall stature, and strong features—they were also very different. William had lively blue eyes and playful air, contrasting sharply with Alexander’s intense grey gaze, which always seemed to hide secrets.

Before she could speak, William burst out with a comment that made her twitch. "Oh, so you’re the real Rain Clayton! You look much better than the fake one! But I have to give the fake one credit—she’s good with makeup. She really nailed your look."

Rain’s lips thinned, her expression remaining stoic as she extended her hand to shake his. She didn’t smile. She didn’t need to. She could feel Alexander’s cold glare burning into William, who did his best to avoid his older brother’s gaze.

"So you didn’t know she wasn’t me when you registered the marriage certificate?" Rain questioned sharply.

"Of course not!" William said defensively. "I genuinely thought she was you. She looked exactly like you in the pictures she sent me. But now that I’m seeing you up close... I guess there are some differences I didn’t catch before." He narrowed his eyes, scanning her face with newfound scrutiny.

"That’s enough," Alexander interrupted, his tone cold and commanding. "Just tell us everything—how this happened, every detail."

William’s face paled under the intensity of his brother’s gaze, and Rain had to bite back a laugh. William looked so rattled.

Rock cleared his throat and gestured toward the living room. "Let’s all sit down and discuss this properly."

Everyone moved toward the couches, the tension in the room thick as they took their seats. Rock looked at William sternly. "Now, tell us the full story, from start to finish. And don’t leave anything out."

"So this is how it began..." William started with a sigh. "Dad’s been constantly bugging both me and Alexander for more than a month about settling down and finding a wife. Honestly, it was annoying. He’s never been like that before, but I guess as a man gets older, especially without a partner, he becomes more persistent about wanting his offspring to settle down and give him grandchildren."

"This brat!" Rock, their father, pretended to take a swing at William, who quickly dodged, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright! I get it. Most fathers are as cliche as you. But seriously, Dad... I’m only twenty-eight!"

"Get to the point, William!" Alexander commanded sternly.

Rain gulped, wondering what would happen if William knew the real reason behind their father’s sudden persistence. She glanced at Alexander, and despite his stoic exterior, she could see the pain in his eyes—the pain of knowing they would lose their father sooner than expected. She bit the inside of her cheek, forcing herself to keep her emotions in check, just like Alexander.

With a shrug, William continued, "Dad mentioned that he’d stop nagging if at least one of us settled down. So, that gave me an idea."

Turning to Alexander with a smirk, William murmured, "You’re practically married to your work, and since you’re the oldest, I figured Dad would be thrilled if you were the one to get hitched first. I had this feeling you’d end up an old bachelor if I didn’t step in."

"What?!" Alexander erupted, his face darkening.

Father Rock chuckled and added, "I have to agree with William on this. I was starting to worry that, between the two of you, you’d be the one who’d never settle down."

"Not to mention the horrendous rumors that you have a thing for your assistant, Tyron..." William wriggled in exaggerated disgust. "So, I thought, why not find someone who could really catch your attention?"

"You went to Venus?" Rain interrupted, eyeing William curiously.

"Oh yes!" William nodded enthusiastically. "It’s this matchmaking company for elites that a friend recommended. None of the candidates really caught my eye until one of the employees mentioned a woman who didn’t pass the screening because she was an illegitimate child of the Clayton family."

"What?!" Rain and Alexander exclaimed in unison.

Alexander turned to Rain, frowning. "You applied to a matchmaking service?" he questioned, his voice filled with disbelief.

Rain’s eyes widened, shaking her head quickly. "No! Why would I do that? It was probably Sanya. She works there... she must’ve done it without telling me." Rain sighed.

"Oh right, that’s the name of the employee who spoke with me. Sanya Reed!" William exclaimed, nodding as if recalling a fond memory. "She sold you well, sister-in-law! She went on and on, praising you to the skies, even cursing Venus for not approving your profile when, in her words, you were literally the best candidate there!"

Rain’s heart skipped a beat hearing Sanya’s name. This was all starting to make sense. But she would want to have Sanya’s side of the story.

"So, out of curiosity, I asked to see the profile," William explained. "Sanya sent me everything, and I found out you were also working undercover at GIS. Your profile was impressive. At that moment, I knew someone like you was exactly what my brother needed. Not your background, but who you are. Our father always taught us that it’s not a person’s family or background that defines them but their character!"