"I want not just tonight but all other nights. I can't bear the thought of you sleeping with another man. Can't you please marry me instead?" Leo asked again, his eyes seemed to be pleading for her to say 'yes'.
It was quite the dilemma for Lillian.
If this were someone else telling her things like this, Lillian would have easily said no and told them off for asking something so absurd, like a sudden marriage and so on.
But with Leo, it seems, she had a soft spot for him, and she did not even notice.
"I already gave my answer to that," Lillian reminded. She felt terrible for doing this, and she was already regretting her words and actions, but she did not want to take this risk that could put her whole life into disarray.
She had barely managed to put everything back together.
She had barely managed to keep moving forward because she had to.
If she breaks again, then what would remain of her?
She might entirely give up this time and stop trying in everything else, not just romance, but her whole life. Thus, Lillian did her best to be firm in her decision this time.
However, Leo was determined to shake her resolve.
He sighed deeply and said, "Do you know what I must do if you don't marry me? I have to pay someone to be my bride. I clearly cannot marry someone else for feelings when I am this into you. I don't know what's with me, but I simply don't want to let you go after meeting you again. I had resolved to give up on you and forget about you, since we might simply not be meant for each other. But just when I did, we met again, and now my resolve is gone. I have a feeling that if I give up on you, I'll regret it for my whole life. So I won't."
Lillian gulped, not knowing what to say after hearing something like this.
"I cannot give up on my inheritance since my grandmother's land and assets is the hard work of generations. It is a very important memento and legacy. If you won't marry because you are unsure if you can trust me with your feelings and with your future, then can you trust something tangible instead?" Leo asked all of a sudden.
"What do you mean?" Lillian was puzzled.
"I sincerely like you, Lillian. I understand I cannot force you to like me back the way I like you. But will you marry for something else instead? I'm going to say something outrageous, but I hope you don't take it as an offense. I have simply run out of options, and I don't know what else to say. This is my last resort. Lillian, from what I understand about you so far, you are working hard and saving up for your goals. I have nothing else to offer but money, which happens to be what you need. Lillian, will you marry for XXX amount? I can add more if it's not enough..." Leo then offered her a deal that made her eyes turn into dollar bills.
"You're kidding me!" Lillian gulped.
"I'm serious. Since you said you'll only be able to forget about me after several years, then why not marry me? Instead of paying someone else, I'll pay you for the years you are willing to remain married to me. We can divorce later after I get my inheritance and things settle down. It shouldn't be too obvious, so probably after 2-3 years. You'll be 28 or 29 by then and still have enough time to get married and have children with someone else if you find that you truly don't like me. But if we like each other's company, then let's remain married instead..."
Leo made a long explanation once again, and Lillian saw the logic in it.
No, she saw the dollars in it!
It was a very tempting deal that she was not able to walk away from, even if Leo ended up concluding she was a gold digger.
Leo explained that he needed to get married immediately, and he liked her enough to want to marry her. However, since she rejected him, he had no other choice but to pay someone to marry him so he could get that marriage certificate and show it to his grandmother. He could not fake it since they could easily check the documents and have it verified. Thus, he needed a wife, whether it was real or someone he simply paid, only to divorce after some time. But since he wanted to be in a relationship with her, he offered it to her instead.
The amount Leo offered was staggering. It was life-changing for Lillian. She might not even be able to save up such an amount even after years of more hard work, dedication, and perseverance that society championed.
Lillian had basically used all her younger years for education, work, and the restless grind to reach where she was now.
She worked several jobs at the same time and thrifted her budget all the time.
But if she stops working like a maniac, everything she has now might be gone in a few months; she would be considered lucky if it lasted several years.
With the amount Leo offered her, she could get more investments and maybe even plot a retirement plan so she could finally stop working too hard every single day.
The entire world was in a recession, inflation was crazy, and there were crises everywhere.
The prices of all goods had risen so much that even though Lillian had somehow managed through so much hard work to be in the middle class, from formerly being too poor to afford proper food, her savings would be easily drained if she did not keep grinding relentlessly like a crazed machine. And she had a huge family to support. She was a breadwinner, and there was the orphanage, too.
Thus, Lillian considered Leo's offer as an opportunity.
If she were to be damned after she died for accepting money like this, so be it. She was tired of pain and suffering, of always having to worry if she and her family would survive this recession.
Lillian rather envied those who could refuse an amount like this. For her, it was like throwing away food already on the table in these difficult times.
Her? She would not. Call her a b*tch, a money grubber, a gold digger, or whatever. Lillian did not care anymore. To her, this was a relief. This was something that could end her suffering.