I think I found her

 

Carina gritted her teeth. Why is she always criticized for her choice of New York's football team? "The Mets have their own heart and personality, and I need a man who can root out lowliness. I won't sleep with a Yankees fan."

"You're desperate. I'm giving up," Anna said. "Number two: love of books, art and poetry." She paused to think about it, then shrugged. "I accept. Three: believe in monogamy. Very important on the list. Number four: want children." She looked up. "How many kids?"

Carina smiled at the thought. "I want three. But that's for the two of you to decide. Should I specifically put how many people on the list?"

"No, Mother Earth will make it right." Anna continued. "Number of years: knowing how to communicate with a woman. A very good thing. I get sick of reading about Venus and Mars. I've read the entire series and still haven't found a reason. Number six: love animals." She groaned. "It's as bad as the Mets!"

(Venus and Mars: There is a very famous book called Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray. It talks about the gender difference of Male and Female. Each gender has its own habits, The book offers many ideas for improving the relationship between men and women through understanding the communication and emotional needs of the opposite sex. mentioned, the book affirms the view that men and women are from two different planets, and that it is essential to learn the behavioral codes of the opposite sex. The female mirror comes from the goddess of beauty Venus, and the male shield and spear symbol comes from the ancient Greek god of war Mars.)

Carina spun around to face her. "If he hates dogs, how can I continue my volunteering at the shelter? And what if he's a hunter? I'll want to wake up in the middle of the night and find one dead deer staring at me from the mantelpiece."

"You're so emotional." Anna returned with the list. "Number 7: has a code of ethics and believes in honesty. This should be number one on the list, but damn it, I'm not even a fan of the Mets. Number eight: one great lover." She wiggled her eyebrows. "That would be number two on my list. Now I believe the target might even appear. Maybe you're not as hopeless as I thought."

Carina swallowed hard, terror curling up inside her. "Go on."

"Number 9: has a strong sense of family. Conscious - he reminds me of that damn Walton guy. Okay number 10 is..."

Clock ticking. Carina watched Anna read the entry again.

"Carina, I think I'm misreading 10."

Carina sighed. "Probably not."

Anna read the last request. "There's $150,000 in cash available." She looked up. "I need more details."

Carina lifted her chin. "I need a man I can love, plus have $150,000 to throw away. And I need him urgently."

Anna shook her head as if she had just emerged from the water. "For what?"

"To save Tara."

Anna blinked. "Tara?"

"Uhm, it's my mom's house. You know, it's like in the movie, Gone with the Wind, isn't it? Remember how my mom used to joke about needing more cotton to pay the bills? I did I'm not telling you how bad it is, Maggs. My mom wants to sell it and I can't let her. They don't have the money, and have nowhere else to go. I'll do whatever it takes. help them, even get married. Just like Scarlett."

Anna groaned and grabbed her purse. She took out her phone and dialed a few numbers.

"What are you doing?" Carina fought paEricing at the thought her best friend wouldn't understand. After all, she had never asked a man to solve her problems before. Oh, that's unfortunate.

"Forget about my date. I think that new idea needs further discussion. Now, I'm going to call my therapist. She's nice, private, and she'll be fine. get a midnight appointment."

Carina laughed. "You really are a great friend, Anna."

"Okay, tell me about that."

...

Eric Swann has a fortune within his reach.

But to get the one thing he wanted, he needed a wife.

Eric believes in a lot of things. Work hard to accomplish the goal. Control your anger and relax when a moment becomes confrontational. And the creation of buildings. Solid buildings, with impeccable design. Smooth angles and sharp lines blend together. Brick, concrete and glass seem to confirm the solidity that people crave in everyday life. The moment of astonishment when one looks at that last creature for the first time. All the things there mean to you.

Eric doesn't believe in eternal love, marriage and family. These things made no sense to him, and he decided not to mix these social issues into his own life.

Unfortunately, Uncle Earl changed the rules.

Eric's stomach curled, and his humorous discomfort was almost caused by a laugh that escaped his lips. He stood up from his leather chair, took off his navy jacket, silk tie, and snow-white shirt. Lightning fast he unfastened the belt of his pants, and quickly he changed into a pair of canvas pants and a matching T-shirt. He slipped both feet into his Nike Air sneakers and entered a private room inside his office, which he filled with mockups, sketches, inspirational photographs, a treadmill, some dumbbells, and a full bar of everything. He pressed the button on the remote control to play the MP3 player. The melody of the song La Traviata filled the room and erased all thoughts from his mind.

He turned on the treadmill and tried not to think about smoking. Even after five years, when the stress spiked to a high level, he still longed for a cigarette. Frustrated with his weakness when cravings raged, he went to practice. Running will calm him down, especially in an environment he's completely in control of. There were no loud voices interrupting his concentration, no scorching sunlight, no rocks or pebbles blocking his path. He adjusted the control panel and ran at a steady speed so that it could lead him to a solution.

Although he understood his uncle's intentions, the feeling of betrayal slowly eroded in him. In the end, a single family member he loved used him as a pawn.

Eric shook his head. You should have seen this ahead of time. Uncle Earl had spent the past few months spitting out the importance of family, and he had thought Eric's reaction had been lackluster. Eric wondered why his uncle was surprised. After all, his family should be an advertising model for contraception.

As Eric drifted in and out of relationships, one thing became very clear – all women want to get married, and marriage means chaos. Fight with emotions. Children are thrown onto the sidewalk, eager to get lots of attention. Needs more space, until eventually becomes like all other relationships. Divorce. With children who are hurt.

No, thanks.

He lowered himself to speed up and adjust the speed as thoughts whirled around in his head. Uncle Earl remained stubbornly optimistic that a woman would come and save his grandson's life. A heart attack happened suddenly and quickly. When the lawyers finally considered this didn't sound like a flock of vultures sniffing at the scent of blood, Eric thought legalizing the terms would be easy. His sister, Anna, has made her point pretty clear that she doesn't want to mess with the company. Uncle Earl has no other relatives. So for the first time, Eric believes in luck. Finally, he had something that was completely his own.

Until a lawyer reads the will.

Then he realized that it was toying with him.

He will inherit most of the shares of Dreamscape as soon as he is married. The marriage must last for a year, with any woman he chooses, and a prenuptial agreement is acceptable. If Eric decides not to comply with his uncle's wishes, he will still get to keep 50%, the remainder will be divided among the board members, and Eric will be nothing but a substitute. look. Instead of creating buildings, he gets stuck in corporate meetings and jockeying for power, which is exactly what he doesn't want to do with his life.

And Uncle Earl knew.

So now Eric needed to find a wife right away.

He pressed the switch and lowered himself forward. He slowed down and adjusted his breathing. With the correct method, his mind removed all feelings of emptiness and cycled through all possibilities. He stepped off the treadmill, grabbed a bottle of chilled Evian from the minibar, and returned to his chair. He swallowed the clean, cold liquid, and placed the bottle on his desk. Waited a few minutes as he gathered his thoughts. Then, pick up the gilded pen and roll it between his fingers.

He wrote down every word, every nail that would drive into his own coffin.

Find a wife.

He would not waste any more time whining about this injustice. Eric decided to create a clear list of the qualities his wife needed, and see if he could think of any suitable candidates.

Immediately, the image of Gabriella appeared, but he immediately dismissed that thought. A gorgeous supermodel he is currently dating would be perfect for great social and sexual functions, but not for marriage. Gabriella is a very astute conversationalist and he loves her company, but he fears she might fall in love with him. She had hummed her desire to have children, and that was a prerequisite. No matter how many ground rules you lay down for a marriage, emotions will ruin it. She will become jealous and demanding, like any normal wife. No prenuptial agreement will fuel her greed once she feels betrayed.

He took another water bottle and ran his thumb over the circular mouth of the water bottle. He once read that if someone made a list of all the qualities he wanted in a woman, she would show up. Eric frowned as he grabbed the thought that crossed his mind. He was almost certain of the theory that the universe was preordained. Take what's fun for you. Some metaphysical crap that he didn't believe in.

But today he is desperate.

He put his pen on the left corner of the page and wrote down his list.

A woman who doesn't love me.

A woman I have no desire to sleep with.

A woman without a large family.

A woman without any pets.

A woman who does not want to have children.

A woman with an independent career.

A woman who would see this relationship as a win-win.

A woman who is not overly sensitive or impulsive.

A woman I can trust

Eric reads through the list. He knew that some of the qualities he wanted seemed stubbornly optimistic, but if the cosmological theory worked, he could get everything he wanted. He needed a woman who would look at her venture as a business opportunity. Perhaps, someone yearns for a large sum of money. He intended to provide a decent benefit, but he wanted this marriage only in name. No sex and no jealousy. Not a woman is too emotional nor love.

No mess is nothing but a perfect marriage.

He sifted through every woman he'd dated in the past, every single girlfriend he'd exchanged a few words with, every work relationship he'd had lunch with.

He couldn't bring out anyone.

Disappointment crawled up his nerve endings. He is a man in his thirties, quite attractive, intelligent, and financially secure. And he couldn't find a decent woman to marry.

He only had a week to find his wife.

His cell phone rings. Eric picked it up. "Swann."

"Eric, it's me, it's Anna." She paused for a moment. "Have you found a wife yet?"

A chuckle was captured on his lips. His sister is the only woman in the world who receives his smiles on a regular basis. Even sometimes it's your pain. "Working on it."

"I think I found her."

His heart rate accelerated. "Who is it?"

Another silence. "You have to meet her conditions but I don't think they will matter. Don't be prejudiced. Be open. I know that's not your forte. But you can trust her. that."

He checked the last item on his list. A strange buzzing sounded in his ears as a warning for his sister's next words. "Who is it, Maggs?"

Silence fell on the phone for a moment. "Carina."

The room whirled around in a vertigo at the familiar name from his past. The only thought that flashed through him was like a spell in the blinking neon lights, more and more.

Damn it, impossible.