I was halfway through my dinner at my sister’s engagement party when my father raised his glass and said, “To our successful daughter—our pride and joy.” Then he looked straight at me, smirked, and added, “And you? Still in love with that poor farmer?” I stayed silent—until my boyfriend stood up. That’s when my sister’s future father-in-law suddenly pointed at him and blurted, “Wait… that’s you?” And in the next second, the entire room went dead silent… because they had no idea who he really was.

Douglas pushed his chair back abruptly and stood up, staring in disbelief. “You are Aaron Miller, from Miller Agricultural Group and Prairie Distribution Holdings, correct?”

A murmur spread through the room as people began whispering to one another. My father let out a short laugh and said dismissively, “I think you have the wrong person, he just works on a farm.”

Douglas shook his head, still focused on Aaron. “He does work on a farm, but it is roughly twelve thousand acres based on industry reports.”

I blinked in surprise, and Natalie looked just as confused as I felt. My mother paused with her glass in midair, clearly unsure how to react.

My father frowned and said, “What are you talking about?” Douglas looked around the room as if he could not believe no one else knew this information.

“My company has been trying to schedule a meeting with him for months,” Douglas explained. “His business recently acquired multiple distribution centers and now supplies a large portion of regional produce contracts that major companies are competing for.”

He pointed toward Aaron and added, “He has been featured in several business publications and turned down a major acquisition offer not long ago.”