"Mom what's wrong?" Mary asked seeing her mom's sad face
"It's nothing to worry about my child." Her mom, Rose replied with a fake smile
"What do you mean it's nothing to worry about? it's making you sad mother what is it?" Mary asked again taking a seat next to her mom
"The thing is Andrew wants you to marry his son." Rose replied
"What! why?" Mary asked in shock
"I don't know Mary he said his son has fallen in love with you." Rose said in worry
"But I've never met his son, no one has. We are only aware that his name is Liam but we don't even know if he exists." Mary said feeling scared
"I know Mary that's the reason I'm sad. He has threatened to take my life if you don't marry his son" Rose said wiping the tears that had gathered in her eyes
"That is madness mother why does he keep doing this to us can't you just say no to him?" Mary asked feeling angry
"I wish I could Mary but I can't. You know I owe him a lot of money and I can't pay him back even if I do my current job as a waitress for the rest of my life." Rose explained
"Mom do you believe he is really going to kill you?" Mary asked
"Surly he will. You know Andrew is a very dangerous man so yes I believe he will kill me if you refuse to marry his son." Rose replied with tears staring down at her palms
"I will do it! Mom I will marry his son" Mary said wiping tears from her own eyes
"Mary what are you saying? Are you sure you want to do this? Mary if you don't want to get married to his son then you don't have to. I am ready to die for you to be happy my child." Rose said looking up at her daughter
"Mom I love you and I don't want Andrew to harm you so I'll marry his son" Mary replied holding her mom's hands
"I'm sorry I got you into this my child." Mary apologized as they both hugged each other still crying.
This is basically how it has always been ever since Peter Mary's dad and Rose's husband passed away. Rose became a widow and a single mom so she had to work really hard to take care of herself and her daughter but that all changed one afternoon.
She was sitting under a tree lost in thoughts when Andrew noticed her and decided to approach her
"What is a beautiful lady like you doing here sitting all alone?" He asked. Rose lifted up her eyes and was met with a gaze from the tall, dark, muscular man who was well dressed in an attire that seemed to cost a fortune
"I'm Andrew by the way and you are?" He asked waiting for a reply from Rose who was staring at him in surprise and admiration
"Rose! my name is Rose" Rose replied as she blushed realizing that the gentleman who had now taken a sit next to her had caught her staring at him
"Okay so what could be the problem fair one? you seemed to be lost in thoughts before I came" Andrew asked with a charming smile
"Umm it's nothing....I-I was just umm..relaxing yes I was relaxing nothing is bothering me" Rose lied with sadness in her eyes as she remembered that she had no idea where the next meal herself and her daughter were going to have would come from and she also remembered that her rent was due and that her landlord had threatened to throw her and her daughter out of the house if she was unable to pay before the week ran out
"Rose you can trust me, who knows I might be of help" Andrew said as he noticed the familiar look of sadness in her eyes
"Why do you care? you don't even know who I am"
"You're a beautiful woman named Rose in need of help or perhaps someone to talk to." Andrew replied making Rose chuckle
"I do need someone to speak to. Well the thing is I'm a widow and a single mom, I've been searching for a job but I can't seem to find one and right now I don't even know what I and my daughter are going to eat. Also my landlord has threatened to throw I and my daughter out of the house because I've not paid the rent." Rose said feeling a bit relieved since she had told someone about her problem
"Oh that's bad! Where is your daughter?"
"I left her at my friend's place" Rose replied
"Umm so what are you going to do?"
" I don't know, I really don't know what to do. If I did I would have been doing it and not sitting here with a million thoughts running through my mind" Rose said in frustration
"I could help you"
"Really!"
"Yes" Andrew replied with a smile
"What do you want in return?" Rose asked feeling wary of the stranger's offer
"For now I want nothing I just want to help but you'll owe me" Andrew replied with a wink
"And I'm rich enough to feed you and your daughter, I also have a house that is not occupied you both can stay there free off charge." He added
"Thank you so much Andrew, words can't even explain how happy I am" Rose said with tears in her eyes accepting the stranger's suspicious offer out of desperation
"I'd like to have your number fair Rose. Oh! before I forget, here....buy something for yourself and your daughter to eat" Andrew said handing her some money which she collected without hesitation. She also gave him her phone number before waving him goodbye and immediately going to get somethings to prepare a delicious meal for herself and her daughter. When she was done shopping she went to pick her daughter up from her friend's place. Seeing the excited look on her face her friend couldn't help but ask if she had won a jackpot.
"Well if that's what it's called." She laughed.
After narrating the story of how she met Andrew her friend warned her about him saying that he was a very dangerous man but she refused to listen because Andrew didn't look dangerous to her
"Rose you know you're not too familiar with this place yet, that man is ruthless and this might be a trap"
"I've been here long enough to know that there is no gang terrorizing this area. How can you even tell me he's a gang leader? he looked harmless to me."
"I think he just decide to lay low for now. I heard he killed a witch's son and that witch placed a curse on him so maybe that's why he has decided to lay low but Rose I'm telling you that man is a bad man"
"Well him being good or bad is none of my concern all that matters is that I need help and he has offered to help me so please stop trying to discourage me" Rose said before taking her daughter out of her friend's place not wanting to hear anything more.
That evening Andrew gave her a call and they agreed that she would move into her new apartment during the weekend.
She went to bed that night feeling so relieved she was so happy that God had finally answered her prayers by sending a stranger to help. It was the most peaceful sleep she had ever had in a really long time
YOU ARE READING
A Stranger's Offer
RomanceA girl gets forced to get married to a man she was never aware of just to break his curse. What happens when she finally gets to know him? Will she fall in love with him and help him break the curse or will she be unhappy for the rest of her life?
