While Mary was working, a stranger made her an unusual offer—to be his companion for a week. Shocked by the proposal, Mary threw the stranger out and told him never to return. However, when her father revealed that they might lose the farm due to his debts, Mary realized she had no choice but to accept the stranger’s offer.
Mary, a young woman who has spent her entire life on a farm, has never left her village. After finishing school, she started working in her father’s farm shop, and for several years, her life has resembled “Groundhog Day.”
Today was another ordinary workday. Mary was stocking the shelves when a man in an expensive suit approached her. The man was holding a piece of cheese.
“Excuse me, is this lactose-free?” the man asked about the cheese.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: AI
“I’m afraid not, sir,” Mary replied.
“Do you have anything lactose-free?” the man inquired further.
“We’re a farm shop; we sell homemade products, so no,” Mary explained.
“Too bad,” the man said, sounding disappointed.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: AI
“You’re not from around here, are you, sir?” Mary asked, noticing his attire.
“No, I’m here on business. Is it that obvious?” he chuckled.
“Your suit gives you away,” Mary said with a smile.The man looked down at his suit and laughed.
“I suppose you’re right. Are you local?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: AI
“I’ve lived here all my life,” Mary responded.
“Do you like it here?” the man asked, genuinely curious.
“I mean, it’s okay, but I’ve always dreamed of leaving. To see the world, you know?” Mary confessed.
The man paused for a moment and then said, “I think I can help you with that. We can actually help each other.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: AI
“What do you mean?” Mary asked, intrigued.
“I’m going through an important period right now and need a woman to accompany me to social events. I’m willing to pay you $5000, and it’s just for a week,” he offered.
Mary froze, her face showing shock. Did he think she was that kind of woman? She wasn’t about to agree to something like that. “How dare you! I’m a respectable woman and won’t go to bed with a stranger!” Mary shouted at him.
“You misunderstood me—” the man tried to explain, but Mary didn’t let him finish. She slapped him and walked away.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Shutterstock
A few minutes later, the man approached the checkout counter, where Mary was sitting, with a basket of strawberries. Mary silently scanned the strawberries and told him the total.
“I’m sorry about what happened earlier. I didn’t mean to offend you. I really just need someone to accompany me, nothing more,” he said sincerely.
“I’m not for sale,” Mary replied, repeating the amount for the strawberries. The man paid and left the farm shop. Mary sighed heavily.
Mary looked for her father but couldn’t find him anywhere. She eventually found him in the store’s storage room, sitting with a sad expression on his face.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: AI
“Is everything okay?” Mary asked.
“Yes, yes. Don’t worry,” her father replied.
“Dad,” Mary pressed, sensing something was wrong.
Her father sighed. “Remember I recently bought livestock for the farm?” Mary nodded. “I didn’t exactly buy them. I owe money for them, money I don’t have. The condition was that if I didn’t pay back in a month, they’d take the farm.”
“Oh, Dad,” Mary said, hugging him. “We’ll figure this out. Together.”Mary realized she would now have to accept the man’s offer to help her father.
She found the man at the local hotel and told him she agreed to his proposal. The man introduced himself as Nicholas, and Mary learned he was a successful businessman.
Mary told her father that she got a job in the city for a week but didn’t mention what it was. The next morning, Mary and Nicholas left for the town.
The first thing Nicholas did was take Mary shopping to buy her new clothes. Mary took it as an insult, but Nicholas explained they needed to buy her evening dresses so she could attend social events with him.
They bought several dresses, and Nicholas insisted on buying more clothes for her. Mary felt uncomfortable, but Nicholas purchased the clothes himself.
When Mary and Nicholas attended their first event, Mary noticed people staring at them.”Why are they looking at us like that?” Mary asked.
“Don’t mind them. Rich people love to gossip,” Nicholas replied.
While Nicholas was talking to some men, Mary stood by the champagne stand, feeling abandoned. She didn’t know anyone besides Nicholas, and these people were far from her usual social circle. Two women about her age approached her.
“Hi, I’m Annabelle,” one of the women introduced herself.
“My name is Felicity,” the other one said.
“Mary,” she replied, feeling very uncomfortable around these women, who seemed to be evaluating her.
“Tell me, Mary, how did you manage to snag our famous playboy?” Felicity asked.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” Mary said, puzzled.
“Nicholas. He’s never had a girlfriend for more than two days. And he never brought any of them to public events,” Annabelle explained.
“Probably because he needed to pay them for it,” Felicity added, implying women of a certain profession. Both women laughed, and Mary gave a nervous chuckle.
“So, how did you do it?” Annabelle insisted.
Mary caught a concerned look from Nicholas. “I think when it’s love, things just happen naturally,” Mary said, trying to sound convincing, though she was never good at lying.
“Love, huh? I see,” Annabelle said. She took Felicity’s arm.
“It was nice meeting you, Mary.” The women walked away, still laughing. Mary exhaled in relief.
She grabbed a glass of champagne and drank it in one gulp. She rarely drank, and the glass quickly affected her. Nicholas approached her, looking worried.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’re some kind of celebrity here? And that women are hunting you?” Mary asked, annoyed.
“I didn’t think it was that important. And you’re exaggerating,” Nicholas laughed.
“They nearly devoured me with their eyes.”
“Alright, let’s go meet some representatives of the opposite sex. Maybe we can find you a man,” Nicholas teased.
“I don’t need a man,” Mary replied.
Nicholas offered his arm for Mary to take. She did and then quickly grabbed another glass of champagne before Nicholas led her to meet the “cream of society.”
Mary had accompanied Nicholas to all events and meetings for the past four days. Now, she was resting in her hotel room, which Nicholas had booked for her.
Mary was starting to get into it, though she still felt it wasn’t quite her lifestyle. Spending almost all her time with Nicholas, she realized he was a shark in this business.
He charmed everyone with his charisma, getting people to do what he wanted, but he never let anyone get too close. Mary could understand why someone might love Nicholas. He was attractive, enjoyed challenges, knew how to care or at least pretend to, and had a great sense of humor.
Mary stopped herself from thinking too far. She decided to go outside to clear her head. She saw Nicholas sitting by the pool in a lounge chair, wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts.
His hair was wet and tousled, a stark contrast to his usual suited, perfectly groomed appearance. He looked so vulnerable, so appealing.
“Hey,” Mary said softly, not wanting to startle him.
“Oh, hey,” Nicholas responded, clearly pulled from his thoughts.
“Can’t sleep?”
“No,” Mary replied, sitting on the lounge chair next to him.
“Neither can I,” he said. “So, how do you like this life? My life?” Nicholas asked, rubbing his eyes.
“I feel out of place. Like an imposter, which I guess I am,” Mary smiled.
“Let me tell you a secret—I feel the same way.”
They both laughed.
“I never wanted this life—at least not this early. I wanted to travel, see the world, meet people,” Nicholas confessed.
“Why didn’t you?” Mary asked.
“My dad died when I was 19. I had to take over his company. I was a kid, but I had to grow up fast.”
“I get it. My father says I should take over the farm since I turned 18.”
“And you don’t want to?”
Mary shrugged. “I don’t know if I’m ready to spend my whole life on the farm.”
“But at least your father believes in you. No one takes me seriously because of my reputation, which you’ve heard about,” Nicholas said, smiling. “That’s why I asked for your help, to show everyone I can be serious.”
“Why is that so important?” Mary asked.
“The company’s not doing well, and I need investors, but no one wants to risk their money. I can’t lose the company; it’s the only thing I have left from my father.”
“That’s not true,” Mary said.
“What?” Nicholas frowned.
Mary couldn’t help but smile. “That’s not true. The company isn’t the only thing left from your father. There’s also you,” Mary said, tapping his chest.
Nicholas covered her hand with his, and their eyes met. Mary saw not a successful businessman but a vulnerable young man for the first time. Nicholas leaned in to kiss her, and Mary closed her eyes in anticipation.
“Mr. Nicholas, you have a call,” the concierge interrupted. Mary and Nicholas quickly pulled away from each other.
“Coming, thank you,” Nicholas said, standing up. He turned to Mary as if wanting to say something but then stopped himself.
Walking towards the hotel entrance, he said, “Goodnight, Mary.”
Mary remained outside, staring at the water, not entirely understanding what had just happened.
The next day, Mary and Nicholas attended a charity gala. They barely spoke after the previous night’s incident. Mary couldn’t stand it anymore and decided to find Nicholas to talk to.
She saw him talking to his friend Dominic. Mary was about to approach them when Dominic asked, “So, what’s going on with you and Mary?”
Mary hid behind the door to listen to their conversation.
“What’s going on with Mary? You know I hired her,” Nicholas replied.
“Man, I’ve never seen you look at a girl like that,” Dominic said. Mary smiled, hearing Dominic’s words.
“Don’t talk nonsense. It’s just a business arrangement,” Nicholas laughed.
“I don’t believe it. You don’t look at your employees like that. Maybe this means our Nicholas is finally ready to settle down and start a family?”
Nicholas laughed again. “Are you kidding? You know me. I’m a playboy and a party guy. My relationship with Mary is just a façade.”
Mary felt hurt by Nicholas’s words. She thought they were at least friends.
“Well, if you say so.”
“And even if I decided to settle down, it wouldn’t be with Mary. She’s just a provincial girl from a farm who hasn’t seen anything beyond it. I’d never date someone like her.”
Tears streamed down Mary’s cheeks, and she covered her mouth to stifle her sobs. She ran from the charity event, caught a taxi, and returned to the hotel.
She quickly packed her things, still crying, unable to believe Nicholas had treated her so cruelly. She wrote a note saying she didn’t need Nicholas or his money and left it on the bedside table, along with everything he had bought for her.
Mary handed the room key to the concierge, asking him to give it to Nicholas, and used her last money to buy a bus ticket home.
A few days had passed since Mary ran away from Nicholas. She still struggled to accept his betrayal. Mary’s father still couldn’t find the money to repay the debt, so they would soon lose the farm, and Mary didn’t know how they would cope.
But this helped push thoughts of Nicholas to the back of her mind, as it was no longer her primary problem. Despite the impending loss of the farm, Mary still had to work.
So she was cleaning the pigsty when she heard the sound of a car engine. She looked outside to see who it was and saw a black luxury car. Nicholas. Mary hid back in the barn.
“Mary! Mary!” Nicholas shouted. “Mary! Please, we need to talk!”
Mary peeked outside, not wanting her father to hear Nicholas. “Why are you here, Nicholas?” she asked.
“Mary, please. Let’s talk.”
“I have nothing to say to you,” Mary said, about to return to the barn, but Nicholas’s question stopped her.
“Why did you leave so suddenly?”
Mary felt anger rising. “Why did I leave so suddenly? Because I’m just a provincial girl who hasn’t seen anything beyond her farm! Because I don’t deserve to be with the Great Nicholas!”
“How do you know…? Were you eavesdropping on me and Dominic?”
“Yes! And you know what? I’m glad I did! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known what a rotten person you really are!”
“Mary, I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t tell me what you meant or didn’t mean. You said it! And you said it so confidently!” Mary shouted.
“Because I was scared!” Nicholas yelled back. “I was scared of the feelings you made me have! I was scared because you suddenly had more power over me than I had over myself! I…” Mary’s heart started pounding.
Nicholas looked down, then back into her eyes. “Since you left, I can’t eat, I can’t sleep. You’re the first thing I think about when I fall asleep and the first thing I remember when I wake up. Damn it, Mary! There’s an investors’ meeting right now deciding the fate of my company! And I’m here, standing in front of you!”
“I don’t believe a word you’re saying, Nicholas,” Mary said, going back into the barn.
A few seconds later, Nicholas appeared before her, his expensive shoes and pants covered in mud.
“Mary, please,” Nicholas whispered. But Mary ignored him. “Tell me you hate me!” he suddenly shouted.
“Tell me you don’t want to see me! Say it, and I’ll leave right now and never come back.” But Mary couldn’t say that. She didn’t want Nicholas to leave. Not now. “Say it, Mary!”
“I can’t!” Mary cried. Tears streamed down her face. “I can’t! Even after you said those horrible things about me! I… I can’t,” she whispered the last phrase. “Why does it matter so much, Nicholas? Why does it matter what I feel?”
“Because I love you! I fell in love with you the moment I saw you by those shelves in the store. And when you left, my whole world collapsed.”Mary froze, but she couldn’t allow herself to be fooled by Nicholas’s lies again.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” Nicholas stepped closer to Mary. She felt like she could hear his heart beating in sync with hers. “When you left, everything I had, everything I wanted, became meaningless.”
Mary shook her head. Nicholas took her hand and placed it on his chest. “Feel how my heart beats. Feel what you do to me.”
Tears streamed down Mary’s cheeks. Nicholas continued, “I want to be with you. I want to show you the world.”
Mary placed her hand on Nicholas’s neck and kissed him. Nicholas wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.
“Mary! You won’t believe what happened!” Mary’s father interrupted them. Mary quickly pulled away from Nicholas, his hand still on her waist.”I understand I interrupted something?” her father said.
“No, no, Dad. This is Nicholas,” Mary tried to steady her voice. She wanted to remove Nicholas’s hand from her waist, but he wouldn’t let go.
“So, what did you want to say?” she asked her father.
“Someone paid off all my debts! The farm is ours!” her father said joyfully. Mary looked at Nicholas in surprise. He smiled.
“Was it you?” she asked. Nicholas shrugged playfully and kissed Mary again. Mary felt like the whole world had disappeared, leaving just the two of them.