I thought I had 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 uncovered destroyed not only my dreams but also the future I had imagined with him.
People always say that money solves all problems. But I never believed that. To me, the greatest wealth was to love and be loved, yet by the time I was 29, I still hadn’t experienced that happiness.
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 penny from them after graduating, people still told me how lucky I was.
I had always known the value of money. My grandmother had risen from poverty and taught me to value every penny.
But she always told me that money wasn’t the most important thing in life. I took that lesson to heart, but my father seemed to have missed it.
When his business started going bankrupt, he broke down, fell into depression, and thought his life was over.
That was his choice, and while I tried to cheer him up, he wasn’t interested in listening.
At the same time, I firmly decided to find love, but no matter how hard I tried or how many dates I went on, nothing worked.
I was almost ready to give up. Maybe I wasn’t meant to be happy, maybe I’d stay alone forever. Then one day, I met him.
I had gone out for lunch at the café near my office, a routine I followed every day. But that day, I saw him.
A man in a stylish suit who looked as if the whole world belonged to him. I turned away quickly, realizing I had been staring at him too long, but he didn’t even notice.
I had gotten used to that, my whole life I had been an unnoticed, plain wallflower.
But then something happened that I didn’t expect. While I sat at my table waiting for my order, the same man casually walked up and sat at my table.
I was lost for words, not knowing how to react. Why would someone like him sit next to someone like me?
“C-Could I help you with something?” I stammered, surprised.
“I saw such a beautiful woman sitting here and just couldn’t help but join you,” he said, extending his hand. “Drake.”
“Caroline,” I said, offering my hand to shake. But instead, he gently took it and kissed it.
“Very nice to meet you, Caroline. Would you mind if I sit here?” Drake asked.
“N-No,” I replied.
We talked through my entire lunch break. Drake turned out to be a businessman, but I didn’t really care.
He was a true gentleman—smart and considerate. It felt like time had stopped, and I didn’t even notice how my break had ended. I glanced at my watch and gasped.
“Oh no, I have to go,” I said.
“Alright, it was a pleasure meeting you,” Drake said.
“Likewise,” I said and rushed out of the café.
By the time I was almost back at my office, I realized I hadn’t given Drake my number.
I quickly turned around and ran back to the café, but by the time I got there, he was gone.
I wanted to cry right then and there, maybe I really wasn’t meant to be happy.
That evening, I was heading home, completely down. 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, since his father had worked for us before.
“You seem down,” Sam said, looking at me.
“Why doesn’t anyone notice me? And when they do, they disappear,” I said.
“I’ve always noticed you, and I’m still here,” Sam replied.
“Yeah, but it’s different,” I answered, heading inside.
I was about to go to my room when I heard voices coming from the living room, so I decided to peek in. When I entered, I froze. There, sitting with my father, was him.
“Drake?” I asked, surprised.
“Caroline!” Drake replied, just as shocked.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“We have some business with your… father?” Drake suggested, and I nodded. “Sorry I didn’t get your number, but you left so quickly.”
“I realized that too late, and when I came back, you were already gone,” I said.
“Well, I won’t make that mistake again. Will you go on a date with me?” Drake asked.
“Yes, of course,” I replied.
That weekend, Drake took me on the most romantic date of my life. He set up a dinner for two on the roof of a building, with a view of the entire city.
He gave me a huge bouquet of roses and hired musicians. We talked until late into the night, and then Drake took me home and kissed me gently goodbye.
That’s how our relationship started. Three months passed like a fairy tale.
I felt like a true princess, and Drake literally carried me in his arms. One day, he picked me up and blindfolded me.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Surprise,” Drake replied.
He carefully seated 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.
He removed the blindfold, and I saw a table set for dinner, candles everywhere, and a huge bouquet on the table.
“Oh, Drake,” I said.
He took my hand and seated me at the table. We had a lovely evening, talking about everything and nothing.
“Look at the sky,” Drake said.
I looked up and saw a plane circling above us.
“You think I’ve never seen a plane?” I asked with a smile.
“Just watch,” Drake said.
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 gasped 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.
Drake slipped 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 on the beach, and then Drake drove me home.
I kissed him goodbye and got out of the car. As I walked up the path to the house, happy and admiring my ring,
“Wow, you’re glowing,” Sam said, and I hadn’t even noticed him at first.
I happily showed him the ring. “I’m getting married!” I exclaimed.
“Oh… congratulations,” Sam said, but his face didn’t show any joy.
“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.
“You don’t need to worry about me. I’m happy,” I said and walked inside.
One evening, Drake visited us. My father had already accepted him like a son, and they were discussing plans to merge their companies to save my father’s business from bankruptcy.
When dinner time came, I went to fetch Drake, who was on the phone. I gently opened the door to the room and was about to step inside when Drake’s words stopped me, and I decided to eavesdrop.
“Of course, she has no clue,” Drake said. “Everything’s going according to plan. She’s a complete idiot in rose-colored glasses, and her father’s just as bad. He thinks the company will stay with him, but as soon as we marry, I’ll take the company and toss the woman aside like trash.”
Then he paused, listening to the person on the other end of the line.
“I’m telling you, you wouldn’t believe how well things are going. Her father even suggested I date his daughter. He just sold her to me like some object. I don’t care about her. It’s the money that matters,” Drake said.
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I told myself not to cry. I couldn’t believe that two people I trusted most could be so cruel to me. I immediately went to my father’s office and barged in without knocking.
“Did you sell me to Drake?!” I screamed.
“What? Honey, where’s this coming from?” my father asked.
“I know everything. I know you offered Drake to date me so he could become your partner!” I shouted.
“I thought you liked Drake. We both would have benefited,” my father said.
“Are you mocking me?! I’m not some thing to be sold!” I screamed.
“What’s going on here? Is everything alright?” Drake asked, walking into the office at the sound of shouting.
“Don’t act like a good guy! I heard everything! I know you’re using me!” I yelled.
Drake scoffed. “These were the best three months of your life, you said it yourself. I don’t get what you’re complaining about,” he said.
“Are you serious right now? You were just playing with me!” I shouted.
“Caroline, it’s just business, nothing personal,” Drake said.
“How can you say that? Don’t you have any conscience?” I asked.
“It shuts up when I look at my bank account,” Drake said.
“You’re such a jerk! How could I have been so blind?!” I yelled.
“Caroline, I’m sure we can find a peaceful resolution to this,” my father said.
“A peaceful resolution? How about the truth? Drake was going to deceive you too. He didn’t want to help you, he wanted to take your company after we got married!” I shouted.
“What? Drake, is this true?” my father asked, shocked.
“Listen, we can discuss everything diplomatically,” Drake said.
“Discuss it yourselves. I’m done with both of you,” I said, walking out of the office.
As soon as I stepped outside, I couldn’t hold it in anymore, and I broke down in tears. Sam came over, looking concerned.
“Are you okay? How are you?” he asked.
“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. Looks like I don’t deserve to be loved,” I sobbed.
“Everyone deserves love, especially you. You’re one of the most wonderful people I know,” Sam said, unexpectedly pulling a rose from behind his back and offering it to me.
I smiled. “Thank you,” I said.
“Anything just to see your smile,” Sam said.
He was right, I deserved love. And maybe my love was much closer than I realized, I thought as I looked into Sam’s eyes.
