My rich parents demanded I marry to inherit the family business, so I picked a \u201csimple girl\u201d to spite them. But soon, I found out she was hiding a big secret.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll admit it. I\u2019m not proud of how I started all this. I wasn\u2019t looking for a relationship, not even close. I just wanted to annoy my parents.<\/p>\n
You see, I\u2019ve always lived the way I wanted, with no rules. Parties, fast cars, fancy vacations. And why not? My family was rich, and I knew I\u2019d take over my father\u2019s company one day.<\/p>\n
But then my parents called me in for \u201ca serious talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cListen, Alex,\u201d my dad said, leaning forward like he was making a deal. \u201cYour mother and I think it\u2019s time you grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrow up?\u201d I laughed, leaning back. \u201cYou mean get married?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly,\u201d he said with a nod, not looking away. \u201cYou\u2019re almost 30. If you want the company, we need to see real responsibility. That means a wife, a home. You can\u2019t lead a business on your own like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother added in, shaking her head. \u201cYour father worked his whole life for this, Alex. We can\u2019t leave the future of the business to someone who treats life like a game.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was mad. They wanted a wife? I\u2019d give them one. If they thought they could control me, I\u2019d show them they were wrong. I\u2019d bring someone into their world who\u2019d make them regret asking.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when I met Lena.<\/p>\n
Lena wasn\u2019t from the usual places I met women. I saw her helping out at a quiet charity event. She looked plain, maybe even shy, in a simple dress with her hair pulled back. No expensive brands, just calm and\u2026 real.<\/p>\n
When I said hello, she just nodded and said, \u201cNice to meet you, Alex.\u201d She barely looked at me, like she wasn\u2019t impressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, where are you from, Lena?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, just a small town,\u201d she said with a small smile. \u201cNothing special.\u201d Her voice was soft, and her eyes were careful.<\/p>\n
Perfect.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, Lena,\u201d I started, getting to the point. \u201cWhat do you think about marriage?\u201d<\/p>\n
She lifted an eyebrow. \u201cSorry?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know it sounds weird,\u201d I said, forcing a smile. \u201cBut I\u2019m looking for someone to marry. I\u2026 have my reasons. But you\u2019ll need to pass a few \u2018tests\u2019 first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena looked at me, then laughed. \u201cWell, isn\u2019t that funny,\u201d she said, her eyes shining in a way I didn\u2019t understand. \u201cI was just thinking I might try some \u2018marriage\u2019 myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d I asked. \u201cSo\u2026 deal?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena studied me, then shrugged. \u201cAlright, Alex. But promise me one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo questions about my past. Let\u2019s keep it easy. Just a girl from a small town, that\u2019s all they need to know. You okay with that?\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled. \u201cPerfect.\u201d<\/p>\n
When I brought Lena to meet my parents, they looked s.h.oc.ked. My mom\u2019s eyebrows lifted when she saw Lena\u2019s simple dress and quiet nature.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh\u2026 Lena, is it?\u201d she asked, pretending to smile.<\/p>\n
Dad frowned. \u201cAlex, this\u2026 isn\u2019t quite what we had in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, you wanted me to settle down,\u201d I said, smiling wide. \u201cAnd Lena\u2019s great for me. She\u2019s calm, honest, and doesn\u2019t care about all this rich-people stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena played the role well. Every polite answer, every unsure look during fancy talk\u2014my parents hated it.<\/p>\n
But still\u2026 something about her didn\u2019t quite add up. She seemed perfect for my plan, but sometimes I\u2019d catch a strange look in her eye\u2014something like\u2026 amusement.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure this is what you want, Alex?\u201d she asked me one night after dinner with my parents.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than ever,\u201d I laughed. \u201cThey\u2019re freaking out, Lena. It\u2019s working.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d she said, her voice soft, almost too soft. \u201cGlad I could help.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was so focused on my parents\u2019 reaction that I didn\u2019t pay enough attention to Lena\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Then the charity ball came. My parents went all out\u2014chandeliers, white tablecloths, shiny silverware.<\/p>\n
Lena walked in next to me, her simple outfit standing out among the glitter and gowns. Exactly what I planned.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust remember,\u201d I whispered. \u201cTonight\u2019s the last test.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked up. \u201cI know the drill.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stayed close to her as she talked softly, smiled gently, and stayed quiet. My parents glanced at her a few times but didn\u2019t say much.<\/p>\n
Then, suddenly, the mayor came up to us, smiling wide.<\/p>\n
\u201cLena! What a surprise!\u201d he said, shaking her hand.<\/p>\n
My parents\u2019 jaws dropped. I froze. The mayor knew Lena?<\/p>\n
Lena gave a polite smile but looked a bit stiff. \u201cGood to see you too, Mayor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, people are still talking about that children\u2019s hospital your family helped build,\u201d he said. \u201cYour support meant a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena nodded. \u201cI\u2019m glad to hear that. We just want to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
He moved on, leaving us in silence. My mom finally asked, \u201cAlex\u2026 what was that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could speak, Jack, a family friend, came over looking shocked. \u201cLena! I didn\u2019t know you were back!\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena gave a short laugh. \u201cI didn\u2019t tell many people. I came for\u2026 my wedding,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Jack looked at me, half-laughing. \u201cAlex, you\u2019re marrying Lena the \u2018Charity Princess\u2019? Her family is one of the biggest donors in the state!\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry. I\u2019d heard the name before\u2014everyone had. I just never made the connection.<\/p>\n
Later, I pulled Lena aside. \u201cSo\u2026 \u2018Charity Princess\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n
She sighed. \u201cYes. My family runs the biggest charity in the state. But I stay out of all this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame reason you didn\u2019t tell me your plan. I have my reasons too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew this was fake?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
She nodded. \u201cI\u2019m tired of my parents pushing me to marry for power. I wanted to make my own choice. When I met you, I thought I could help us both.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her. This wasn\u2019t just a shy girl from nowhere. She was strong, smart, and independent.<\/p>\n
While I played games, she gave up her family name to live free. She agreed to this setup just to escape her cage.<\/p>\n
One night while we planned an event, I watched her quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just didn\u2019t know you were this strong,\u201d I said. \u201cYou\u2019ve handled this better than me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled softly. \u201cI\u2019m not doing it for them. I\u2019m doing it for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Right then, I knew things had changed. What started as a joke had become real. I respected her. I wanted to be with her.<\/p>\n
\u201cLena,\u201d I said, \u201cmaybe we should tell them the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded. We weren\u2019t pretending anymore.<\/p>\n
The next day, we asked our parents to sit down. As we got ready to explain everything, I felt strangely calm. I wasn\u2019t afraid. I just knew I was ready\u2014to be honest, and to move forward\u2014with Lena by my side.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My rich parents demanded I marry to inherit the family business, so I picked a \u201csimple girl\u201d to spite them. But soon, I found out she was hiding a big secret. I\u2019ll admit it. I\u2019m not proud of how I started all this. I wasn\u2019t looking for a relationship, not even close. I just wanted […]<\/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-29507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29507","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=29507"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29508,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29507\/revisions\/29508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}