Home Общество «I Need A Woman And You Need A Home»—The Billionaire Declared To The Rejected Bride…

«I Need A Woman And You Need A Home»—The Billionaire Declared To The Rejected Bride…

7 августа, 2025

Sophia stared at him as if he had appeared from another planet. “A proposition?”

“A way for you to start over immediately, with dignity and purpose,” James said carefully. “But first, you should know that whatever has happened here today, it’s not a reflection of your worth. Any man who would abandon you at the altar is a fool who doesn’t deserve you.”

For the first time since he had entered the church, James saw a flicker of something other than devastation in Sophia’s eyes—curiosity, perhaps, or just surprise at his unexpected appearance and words.

“I think,” he said gently, “that you and I should have a conversation about turning this worst day of your life into the first day of something much better.”

Three hours later, Sophia sat alone in the small garden behind the church. Her wedding dress was wrinkled and stained with tears, her carefully styled hair had fallen loose around her shoulders, and her makeup was streaked down her cheeks. Rebecca and her parents had begged her to come home with them, but she had insisted she needed time alone to think. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the garden.

The irony wasn’t lost on her that she was supposed to be at her reception right now, dancing with her new husband, surrounded by friends and family celebrating their love. Instead, she was sitting on a stone bench, wondering how her life had fallen apart so completely in a single day. She heard footsteps on the gravel path and looked up, expecting to see Rebecca returning to check on her.

Instead, she saw a tall man in an expensive suit walking toward her. He was handsome in a refined way, with dark hair and kind eyes, but she had never seen him before.

“Excuse me,” he said gently, stopping a respectful distance away. “I don’t mean to intrude, but are you all right?”

Sophia almost laughed at the question. All right? She was about as far from all right as a person could be. But something in his voice—a genuine concern rather than mere politeness—made her look at him more carefully.

“I’m fine,” she lied, her voice hoarse from crying.

The man studied her for a moment, taking in her wedding dress and obvious distress. “I’m James Crawford. I was driving by and saw you here. You look like you might need help.”

“James Crawford,” she repeated, the name sounding familiar. Then it clicked. “The businessman? Crawford Industries?”

He nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable with the recognition. “Yes, but right now I’m just someone who noticed that you seem to be having the worst day of your life.”

Despite everything, Sophia felt a small smile tug at the corner of her mouth. “That’s probably the most accurate thing anyone has said to me today.”

James stepped closer, his expression gentle. “Do you have somewhere to go? Someone to call?”

The simple questions opened the floodgates again, and fresh tears began to fall. “I was supposed to get married today,” she said, her voice breaking. “But my fiancé, he just… left. He didn’t show up. I don’t understand why.”

James’s face softened with sympathy. “I’m so sorry. That’s unforgivable.”

“Everyone keeps saying it’s for the best,” Sophia continued, the words pouring out of her. “But how can it be for the best? I loved him. I thought he loved me. We had plans, a whole life mapped out together. And now I have nothing. No job, no home that doesn’t have his things in it, no future that makes sense anymore.”

James sat down on the bench beside her, maintaining a respectful distance. “What’s your name?”

“Sophia. Sophia Bennett.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. You’re a complete stranger.”

“Sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger,” James said quietly. “And for what it’s worth, any man who would abandon you on your wedding day is a fool who doesn’t deserve you.”

Something in his tone made Sophia look at him more closely. There was a sadness in his eyes that matched her own, a loneliness that spoke of his own disappointments.

“You sound like you know something about being disappointed by people,” she said.

James was quiet for a moment, then nodded. “My business partner and best friend betrayed me last year. Stole clients, spread lies about me, tried to destroy everything I’d worked for. I thought I knew him, thought our friendship meant something. I was wrong.”

“I’m sorry,” Sophia said, meaning it. “That must have been awful.”

“It was. But I survived it, and you’ll survive this too.” James looked at her seriously. “The question is, what are you going to do now?”

Sophia shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. My friend offered to let me stay with her, but she has a small apartment and two roommates already. My parents want me to come home, but that feels like going backward. I need to start over somehow, but I don’t even know where to begin.”

James was quiet for several minutes, and Sophia could see him thinking something through. Finally, he turned to her with an expression she couldn’t quite read.

“This might sound crazy,” he said slowly, “but I have a proposition for you.”

Sophia raised an eyebrow. “A proposition?”

“I need a wife,” James said simply. “Not for love or romance, but for business and social reasons. My company deals with a lot of traditional clients who expect their business partners to be settled, family men. Being single has started to hurt my credibility and my ability to close deals.”

Sophia stared at him, sure she had misheard. “You’re asking me to marry you? We just met.”

“I’m asking you to consider a business arrangement,” James clarified. “A marriage of convenience, if you will. You need stability and a fresh start. I need a wife who can handle social situations and business entertaining. We could help each other.”

The suggestion was so unexpected that Sophia didn’t know how to respond. Part of her wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it, but another part of her was intrigued despite herself.

“You don’t even know me,” she pointed out.

“I know you were left at the altar today, and you’re handling it with more grace than most people would,” James replied. “I know you’re beautiful, well-spoken, and clearly capable of planning major events. Those are exactly the qualities I need in a business partner.”

“A business partner,” Sophia repeated, “not a wife in the traditional sense.”

“Exactly. We would maintain our own lives, our own space within the arrangement. No expectations beyond what we agree to upfront.” James paused. “It would give you time to figure out what you want to do next, without having to worry about the practical things like housing and income.”

Sophia looked down at her ruined wedding dress, then back at this strange man who had appeared in her darkest hour with an offer that was either completely insane or exactly what she needed.

The next morning, Sophia woke up in Rebecca’s cramped apartment, momentarily confused about where she was. Then the memories of the previous day came flooding back, and she felt the familiar ache in her chest. Tyler was gone. Her wedding was ruined. Her life was in shambles. But there was something else—something that had kept her awake most of the night: James Crawford’s unexpected offer.

She had told him she would think about it, and he had given her his business card before leaving her at the church.

“You’re up early,” Rebecca said, emerging from the tiny kitchen with two cups of coffee. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been hit by a truck,” Sophia admitted, accepting the coffee gratefully. “But also… confused.”

She told Rebecca about James’s proposition, watching her friend’s eyes grow wider with each detail.

“Are you completely out of your mind?” Rebecca asked when Sophia finished. “You can’t marry a stranger, Sophia. That’s not a solution; that’s jumping from one problem into a potentially bigger one.”

“But what if it’s not?” Sophia said, surprising herself with how much she had apparently thought about this. “What if it’s exactly what I need right now? A chance to start over without having to worry about survival.”

“What do you even know about this guy? He could be dangerous or crazy or…”

“He’s James Crawford,” Sophia interrupted. “I looked him up online this morning. He’s legitimate, Rebecca. Crawford Industries is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He’s been featured in business magazines, he does charity work, and there’s never been any scandal associated with him.”

Rebecca set down her coffee cup hard. “That doesn’t mean he’s not crazy, Sophia. Normal people don’t propose marriage to strangers in church gardens.”

“Normal people also don’t get abandoned at the altar,” Sophia replied quietly. “Maybe this is my chance to take control of my life instead of just letting things happen to me.”

Before Rebecca could respond, Sophia’s phone rang. She looked at the screen and felt her heart skip a beat. It was Tyler.

“Don’t answer it,” Rebecca said immediately.

But Sophia was already sliding her finger across the screen. “Hello?”

“Sophia, thank God,” Tyler’s voice sounded strained, panicked. “I’ve been trying to reach you since yesterday. Are you okay?”

“Am I okay?” Sophia’s voice rose with disbelief. “You left me at the altar, Tyler. In front of everyone we know. How exactly did you think I would be?”

“I can explain everything,” Tyler said quickly. “I got scared, okay? It wasn’t about you; it was about me. The commitment, the pressure, everything felt so permanent, and I just… I panicked.”

“So you ran away,” Sophia said, her voice deadly calm now. “On our wedding day. Instead of talking to me, instead of being honest about your feelings, you just disappeared.”

“I know it was wrong,” Tyler continued, his words coming faster now. “But I’ve had time to think, and I realize what a mistake I made. I love you, Sophia. I want to marry you. We can reschedule, have a ceremony just us and our families.”

“No,” Sophia said, the word coming out stronger and clearer than she expected.

“What?”

“I said no, Tyler. You had your chance to marry me, and you chose to run instead. You don’t get to come back now and pretend like nothing happened.”

“But, Sophia, I love you.”

“If you loved me, you would have shown up yesterday,” Sophia said, feeling a strange sense of power in her voice. “If you loved me, you would have talked to me about your fears instead of leaving me standing there like a fool.”

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