I thought I’d found the perfect man, the one who made me believe in love again. But when his true intentions came to light, everything changed. What I discovered shattered not only my dreams, but also the future I had imagined with him.
People always say money solves all problems. But I never believed that. For me, the greatest wealth was loving and being loved, but at 29, I hadn’t yet experienced that happiness.
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Until recently, my family was quite wealthy, and even though I only used my parents’ money while I was studying and didn’t take a single cent from them after graduating, people still told me how lucky I was.
I’d always known the value of money. My grandmother had lifted me out of poverty and taught me to value every cent.
But he always told me that money wasn’t the most important thing in life. I took that lesson to heart, but my father didn’t seem to understand.
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When his business began to fail, he collapsed, fell into depression, and thought his life was over.
That was his choice, and although I tried to encourage him, he wasn’t interested in listening.
At the same time, I was determined to find love, but no matter how hard I tried or how many dates I went on, nothing worked out.
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I was almost ready to give up. Maybe I wasn’t meant to be happy, maybe I’d be alone forever. Then, one day, I met him.
I had gone out to eat at the cafeteria near my office, a routine I followed every day. But that day, I saw him.
A man in an elegant suit who looked like the whole world belonged to him. I quickly stepped back, realizing I’d been staring at him too long, but he didn’t even notice.
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I had gotten used to it, all my life I had been a discreet and unnoticed girl.
But then something I didn’t expect happened. While I was sitting at my table waiting for my order, the same man casually walked over and sat down at my table.
I was speechless, not knowing how to react. Why would someone like him sit next to someone like me?
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“Can I help you with something?” I stammered, surprised.
“I saw such a beautiful woman sitting here and I couldn’t help but join her,” he said, extending his hand to me. “Drake.”
“Caroline,” I said, offering my hand for her to shake. But instead, she took it gently and kissed it.
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“Nice to meet you, Caroline. Do you mind if I sit here?” Drake asked.
“N-No,” I replied.
We talked throughout my lunch break. Drake turned out to be a businessman, but I didn’t really care.
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He was a true gentleman, intelligent and thoughtful. It felt like time had stopped, and I didn’t even realize how my break had ended. I looked at my watch and exclaimed.
“Oh no, I have to go,” I said.
“Okay, it’s been a pleasure meeting you,” Drake said.
“Same here,” I said, and ran out of the cafeteria.
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When I was almost back in my office, I realized I hadn’t given Drake my number.
I quickly turned around and ran back to the cafeteria, but by the time I got there, he was gone.
I felt like crying right there, maybe I really wasn’t meant to be happy.
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That night, I was heading home, completely dejected. I cursed the world for my bad luck.
Outside the house, Sam was watering the roses. He was our gardener, and I’d known him since childhood, as his father had worked for us before.
“You look down,” Sam said, looking at me.
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“Why doesn’t anyone notice me? And when they do, they disappear,” I said.
“I’ve always had my eye on you, and I’m still here,” Sam replied.
“Yes, but it’s different,” I replied, heading inside.
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I was about to go to my room when I heard voices coming from the living room, so I decided to look inside. When I walked in, I froze. There he was, sitting with my father.
“Drake?” I asked, surprised.
“Caroline!” Drake replied, equally surprised.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
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“Do I have business with your… father?” Drake suggested, and I nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t get your number, but you left pretty fast.”
“I realized too late, and when I came back, you were already gone,” I said.
“Well, I won’t make that mistake again. Do you want to go on a date with me?” Drake asked.
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“Yes, of course,” I replied.
That weekend, Drake took me on the most romantic date of my life. He prepared a dinner for two on the rooftop of a building, overlooking the entire city.
He gave me a huge bouquet of roses and hired musicians. We talked until late into the night, and then Drake drove me home and gave me a soft kiss goodbye.
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That’s how our relationship began. Three months passed like a fairy tale.
I felt like a real princess, and Drake literally carried me in his arms. One day, he picked me up and blindfolded me.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
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“Surprise,” Drake replied.
He gently sat me in the car, and we drove somewhere. I had no idea where we were going until I heard the sound of the ocean.
Drake helped me out of the car, and when I felt the sand beneath my feet, I realized we were at the beach.
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He removed my blindfold and I saw a table set for dinner, candles everywhere and a huge bouquet of flowers on the table.
“Oh, Drake,” I said.
He took my hand and sat me down at the table. We spent a lovely evening, talking about everything and nothing.
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“Look at the sky,” Drake said.
I looked up and saw a plane circling above us.
“Do you think I’ve never seen an airplane?” I asked with a smile.
“You just have to look,” Drake said.
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Suddenly, the plane started writing something in the sky. At first, I didn’t understand what it was, but soon the message became clear: “Will you marry me?”
I exclaimed in shock, and when I turned to look at Drake, he was already on one knee, holding a ring. He opened his mouth to say something, but I didn’t give him the chance.
“Yes! Yes! And yes!” I shouted.
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Drake put the ring on my finger, stood up, and kissed me.
“I love you,” Drake said.
“I love you too,” I replied.
We spent a little more time at the beach and then Drake drove me home.
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I kissed her goodbye and got out of the car. I walked up the driveway to the house, happy and admiring my ring,
“Wow, you’re glowing,” Sam said, and I hadn’t even noticed him at first.
I showed him the ring with joy. “I’m getting married!” I exclaimed.
“Oh… congratulations,” Sam said, but his face showed no joy.
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“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“I just remembered your grandmother’s words: beware of powerful men,” Sam said.
“What’s all this about?” I asked, frustrated.
“I’m just worried about you,” Sam replied.
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“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m happy,” I said, and walked in.
One night, Drake visited us. My father had already accepted him as a son, and they were discussing plans to merge their companies and save my father’s business from bankruptcy.
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When dinner time came, I went to find Drake, who was on the phone. I gently opened the bedroom door and was about to enter when Drake’s words stopped me, and I decided to eavesdrop.
“Of course, she has no idea,” Drake said. “Everything is going according to plan. She’s a complete idiot with rose-colored glasses, and her father is just as dumb. He thinks the company will stay with him, but as soon as we get married, I’ll keep the company and throw her away like garbage.”
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Then he paused, listening to the person on the other end of the line.
“I’m telling you, you wouldn’t believe how good things are. Her father even suggested I date his daughter. He sold her to me like she was an object. I don’t care about her. What matters is money,” Drake said.
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My eyes filled with tears, but I told myself not to cry. I couldn’t believe two of the people I trusted most could be so cruel to me. I immediately went to my father’s office and burst in without knocking.
“You sold me Drake?!” I yelled.
“What? Honey, where’s this coming from?” my dad asked.
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“I know everything. I know you offered Drake a date to become your partner,” I yelled.
“I thought you liked Drake. We both would have benefited,” my father said.
“Are you making fun of me?! I’m not a thing for sale!” I yelled.
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“What’s going on here? Is everything okay?” Drake asked, entering the office upon hearing the shouts.
“Don’t act like a goody two shoes! I heard everything! I know you’re using me,” I yelled.
Drake sneered. “It’s been the best three months of your life, you said so yourself. I don’t understand what you’re complaining about,” he said.
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“Are you serious? You were just playing with me!” I yelled.
“Caroline, it’s just business, nothing personal,” Drake said.
“How can you say that? Don’t you have a conscience?” I asked him.
“Yes, but it goes silent when I look at my bank account,” Drake said.
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“You’re an idiot! How could I have been so blind?” I yelled.
“Caroline, I’m sure we can find a peaceful solution to this,” my father said.
“A peaceful solution? How about the truth? Drake was going to cheat on you too. He didn’t want to help you, he wanted to take over your company after we got married,” I yelled.
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“What? Drake, is it true?” my father asked, shocked.
“Listen, we can discuss everything diplomatically,” Drake said.
“Discuss it yourselves. I’m fed up with both of you,” I said, leaving the office.
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As soon as I stepped outside, I couldn’t hold it back any longer and burst into tears. Sam approached, his face worried.
“Are you okay? What happened?”
“It’s horrible, I’m such an idiot. Drake was lying to me the whole time and I was so stupid to think I’d finally found love. It seems I don’t deserve to be loved,” I sobbed.
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“Everyone deserves love, especially you. You’re one of the most wonderful people I know,” Sam said, unexpectedly pulling a rose from his back and offering it to me.
I smiled. “Thank you,” I said.
“Anything to see your smile,” Sam said.
She was right, I deserved love. And maybe my love was much closer than I thought, I thought as I looked into Sam’s eyes.
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