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\nFor illustration purposes only. | Source: AI<\/p>\n
While Mary was working, a stranger made her an unusual offer\u2014to 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\u2019s offer.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s farm shop, and for several years, her life has resembled \u201cGroundhog Day.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me, is this lactose-free?\u201d the man asked about the cheese.<\/p>\n
\nFor illustration purposes only. | Source: AI<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m afraid not, sir,\u201d Mary replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have anything lactose-free?\u201d the man inquired further.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a farm shop; we sell homemade products, so no,\u201d Mary explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo bad,\u201d the man said, sounding disappointed.<\/p>\n
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\nFor illustration purposes only. | Source: AI<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not from around here, are you, sir?\u201d Mary asked, noticing his attire.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I\u2019m here on business. Is it that obvious?\u201d he chuckled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour suit gives you away,\u201d Mary said with a smile.The man looked down at his suit and laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI suppose you\u2019re right. Are you local?\u201d<\/p>\n
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\nFor illustration purposes only. | Source: AI<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve lived here all my life,\u201d Mary responded.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you like it here?\u201d the man asked, genuinely curious.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, it\u2019s okay, but I\u2019ve always dreamed of leaving. To see the world, you know?\u201d Mary confessed.<\/p>\n
The man paused for a moment and then said, \u201cI think I can help you with that. We can actually help each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\nFor illustration purposes only. | Source: AI<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Mary asked, intrigued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going through an important period right now and need a woman to accompany me to social events. I\u2019m willing to pay you $5000, and it\u2019s just for a week,\u201d he offered.<\/p>\n
Mary froze, her face showing shock. Did he think she was that kind of woman? She wasn\u2019t about to agree to something like that. \u201cHow dare you! I\u2019m a respectable woman and won\u2019t go to bed with a stranger!\u201d Mary shouted at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou misunderstood me\u2014\u201d the man tried to explain, but Mary didn\u2019t let him finish. She slapped him and walked away.<\/p>\n
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\nFor illustration purposes only. | Source: Shutterstock<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry about what happened earlier. I didn\u2019t mean to offend you. I really just need someone to accompany me, nothing more,\u201d he said sincerely.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not for sale,\u201d Mary replied, repeating the amount for the strawberries. The man paid and left the farm shop. Mary sighed heavily.<\/p>\n
Mary looked for her father but couldn\u2019t find him anywhere. She eventually found him in the store\u2019s storage room, sitting with a sad expression on his face.<\/p>\n
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\nFor illustration purposes only. | Source: AI<\/p>\n
\u201cIs everything okay?\u201d Mary asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, yes. Don\u2019t worry,\u201d her father replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad,\u201d Mary pressed, sensing something was wrong.<\/p>\n
Her father sighed. \u201cRemember I recently bought livestock for the farm?\u201d Mary nodded. \u201cI didn\u2019t exactly buy them. I owe money for them, money I don\u2019t have. The condition was that if I didn\u2019t pay back in a month, they\u2019d take the farm.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Dad,\u201d Mary said, hugging him. \u201cWe\u2019ll figure this out. Together.\u201dMary realized she would now have to accept the man\u2019s offer to help her father.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Mary told her father that she got a job in the city for a week but didn\u2019t mention what it was. The next morning, Mary and Nicholas left for the town.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
They bought several dresses, and Nicholas insisted on buying more clothes for her. Mary felt uncomfortable, but Nicholas purchased the clothes himself.<\/p>\n
When Mary and Nicholas attended their first event, Mary noticed people staring at them.\u201dWhy are they looking at us like that?\u201d Mary asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t mind them. Rich people love to gossip,\u201d Nicholas replied.<\/p>\n
While Nicholas was talking to some men, Mary stood by the champagne stand, feeling abandoned. She didn\u2019t know anyone besides Nicholas, and these people were far from her usual social circle. Two women about her age approached her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi, I\u2019m Annabelle,\u201d one of the women introduced herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy name is Felicity,\u201d the other one said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMary,\u201d she replied, feeling very uncomfortable around these women, who seemed to be evaluating her.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me, Mary, how did you manage to snag our famous playboy?\u201d Felicity asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure what you mean,\u201d Mary said, puzzled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNicholas. He\u2019s never had a girlfriend for more than two days. And he never brought any of them to public events,\u201d Annabelle explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably because he needed to pay them for it,\u201d Felicity added, implying women of a certain profession. Both women laughed, and Mary gave a nervous chuckle.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, how did you do it?\u201d Annabelle insisted.<\/p>\n
Mary caught a concerned look from Nicholas. \u201cI think when it\u2019s love, things just happen naturally,\u201d Mary said, trying to sound convincing, though she was never good at lying.<\/p>\n
\u201cLove, huh? I see,\u201d Annabelle said. She took Felicity\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was nice meeting you, Mary.\u201d The women walked away, still laughing. Mary exhaled in relief.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you okay?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me you\u2019re some kind of celebrity here? And that women are hunting you?\u201d Mary asked, annoyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t think it was that important. And you\u2019re exaggerating,\u201d Nicholas laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey nearly devoured me with their eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright, let\u2019s go meet some representatives of the opposite sex. Maybe we can find you a man,\u201d Nicholas teased.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t need a man,\u201d Mary replied.<\/p>\n
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 \u201ccream of society.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Mary was starting to get into it, though she still felt it wasn\u2019t quite her lifestyle. Spending almost all her time with Nicholas, she realized he was a shark in this business.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
His hair was wet and tousled, a stark contrast to his usual suited, perfectly groomed appearance. He looked so vulnerable, so appealing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey,\u201d Mary said softly, not wanting to startle him.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, hey,\u201d Nicholas responded, clearly pulled from his thoughts.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Mary replied, sitting on the lounge chair next to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither can I,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, how do you like this life? My life?\u201d Nicholas asked, rubbing his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel out of place. Like an imposter, which I guess I am,\u201d Mary smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me tell you a secret\u2014I feel the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n
They both laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never wanted this life\u2014at least not this early. I wanted to travel, see the world, meet people,\u201d Nicholas confessed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you?\u201d Mary asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad died when I was 19. I had to take over his company. I was a kid, but I had to grow up fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI get it. My father says I should take over the farm since I turned 18.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you don\u2019t want to?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary shrugged. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019m ready to spend my whole life on the farm.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut at least your father believes in you. No one takes me seriously because of my reputation, which you\u2019ve heard about,\u201d Nicholas said, smiling. \u201cThat\u2019s why I asked for your help, to show everyone I can be serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy is that so important?\u201d Mary asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe company\u2019s not doing well, and I need investors, but no one wants to risk their money. I can\u2019t lose the company; it\u2019s the only thing I have left from my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not true,\u201d Mary said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Nicholas frowned.<\/p>\n
Mary couldn\u2019t help but smile. \u201cThat\u2019s not true. The company isn\u2019t the only thing left from your father. There\u2019s also you,\u201d Mary said, tapping his chest.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Nicholas, you have a call,\u201d the concierge interrupted. Mary and Nicholas quickly pulled away from each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing, thank you,\u201d Nicholas said, standing up. He turned to Mary as if wanting to say something but then stopped himself.<\/p>\n
Walking towards the hotel entrance, he said, \u201cGoodnight, Mary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary remained outside, staring at the water, not entirely understanding what had just happened.<\/p>\n
The next day, Mary and Nicholas attended a charity gala. They barely spoke after the previous night\u2019s incident. Mary couldn\u2019t stand it anymore and decided to find Nicholas to talk to.<\/p>\n
She saw him talking to his friend Dominic. Mary was about to approach them when Dominic asked, \u201cSo, what\u2019s going on with you and Mary?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary hid behind the door to listen to their conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on with Mary? You know I hired her,\u201d Nicholas replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cMan, I\u2019ve never seen you look at a girl like that,\u201d Dominic said. Mary smiled, hearing Dominic\u2019s words.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t talk nonsense. It\u2019s just a business arrangement,\u201d Nicholas laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t believe it. You don\u2019t look at your employees like that. Maybe this means our Nicholas is finally ready to settle down and start a family?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nicholas laughed again. \u201cAre you kidding? You know me. I\u2019m a playboy and a party guy. My relationship with Mary is just a fa\u00e7ade.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary felt hurt by Nicholas\u2019s words. She thought they were at least friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, if you say so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd even if I decided to settle down, it wouldn\u2019t be with Mary. She\u2019s just a provincial girl from a farm who hasn\u2019t seen anything beyond it. I\u2019d never date someone like her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tears streamed down Mary\u2019s cheeks, and she covered her mouth to stifle her sobs. She ran from the charity event, caught a taxi, and returned to the hotel.<\/p>\n
She quickly packed her things, still crying, unable to believe Nicholas had treated her so cruelly. She wrote a note saying she didn\u2019t need Nicholas or his money and left it on the bedside table, along with everything he had bought for her.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
A few days had passed since Mary ran away from Nicholas. She still struggled to accept his betrayal. Mary\u2019s father still couldn\u2019t find the money to repay the debt, so they would soon lose the farm, and Mary didn\u2019t know how they would cope.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cMary! Mary!\u201d Nicholas shouted. \u201cMary! Please, we need to talk!\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary peeked outside, not wanting her father to hear Nicholas. \u201cWhy are you here, Nicholas?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cMary, please. Let\u2019s talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have nothing to say to you,\u201d Mary said, about to return to the barn, but Nicholas\u2019s question stopped her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you leave so suddenly?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary felt anger rising. \u201cWhy did I leave so suddenly? Because I\u2019m just a provincial girl who hasn\u2019t seen anything beyond her farm! Because I don\u2019t deserve to be with the Great Nicholas!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know\u2026? Were you eavesdropping on me and Dominic?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes! And you know what? I\u2019m glad I did! Otherwise, I wouldn\u2019t have known what a rotten person you really are!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMary, I didn\u2019t mean\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tell me what you meant or didn\u2019t mean. You said it! And you said it so confidently!\u201d Mary shouted.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was scared!\u201d Nicholas yelled back. \u201cI 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\u2026\u201d Mary\u2019s heart started pounding.<\/p>\n
Nicholas looked down, then back into her eyes. \u201cSince you left, I can\u2019t eat, I can\u2019t sleep. You\u2019re the first thing I think about when I fall asleep and the first thing I remember when I wake up. Damn it, Mary! There\u2019s an investors\u2019 meeting right now deciding the fate of my company! And I\u2019m here, standing in front of you!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t believe a word you\u2019re saying, Nicholas,\u201d Mary said, going back into the barn.<\/p>\n
A few seconds later, Nicholas appeared before her, his expensive shoes and pants covered in mud.<\/p>\n
\u201cMary, please,\u201d Nicholas whispered. But Mary ignored him. \u201cTell me you hate me!\u201d he suddenly shouted.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me you don\u2019t want to see me! Say it, and I\u2019ll leave right now and never come back.\u201d But Mary couldn\u2019t say that. She didn\u2019t want Nicholas to leave. Not now. \u201cSay it, Mary!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t!\u201d Mary cried. Tears streamed down her face. \u201cI can\u2019t! Even after you said those horrible things about me! I\u2026 I can\u2019t,\u201d she whispered the last phrase. \u201cWhy does it matter so much, Nicholas? Why does it matter what I feel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause 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.\u201dMary froze, but she couldn\u2019t allow herself to be fooled by Nicholas\u2019s lies again.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t believe me, do you?\u201d Nicholas stepped closer to Mary. She felt like she could hear his heart beating in sync with hers. \u201cWhen you left, everything I had, everything I wanted, became meaningless.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary shook her head. Nicholas took her hand and placed it on his chest. \u201cFeel how my heart beats. Feel what you do to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tears streamed down Mary\u2019s cheeks. Nicholas continued, \u201cI want to be with you. I want to show you the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary placed her hand on Nicholas\u2019s neck and kissed him. Nicholas wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cMary! You won\u2019t believe what happened!\u201d Mary\u2019s father interrupted them. Mary quickly pulled away from Nicholas, his hand still on her waist.\u201dI understand I interrupted something?\u201d her father said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no, Dad. This is Nicholas,\u201d Mary tried to steady her voice. She wanted to remove Nicholas\u2019s hand from her waist, but he wouldn\u2019t let go.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, what did you want to say?\u201d she asked her father.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone paid off all my debts! The farm is ours!\u201d her father said joyfully. Mary looked at Nicholas in surprise. He smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it you?\u201d she asked. Nicholas shrugged playfully and kissed Mary again. Mary felt like the whole world had disappeared, leaving just the two of them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While Mary was working, a stranger made her an unusual offer\u2014to 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10869"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10876,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10869\/revisions\/10876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}