Promised To A Stranger

Mr. Grayson Miller and his wife, Mary Miller, sit in their private lounge drinking some veuve clicquot—something they had gotten as a souvenir from one of their family trips in France— while discussing their new contract, which would be finalized by the richest man in town, James Smith. It’s worth billions of dollars. They’ve been so nervous about this contract because it would be a huge breakthrough for them.

 “Honey, How are the files coming along?” Mary asks her husband. She was always the brains behind the Millers’ wealth. 

“Ethan is sorting out the rest of the papers… I just have to check and make sure everything is in order for Mr. Smith,” Grayson replied.

 Before Mary could reply, Grayson received a call from their accountant. As he answered, Mary sipped on some wine.

 “Speak,” Grayson said, his tone direct and firm.

  “Sir, while I was reviewing and calculating our expenses, I…Sir, um, how do I put this-”

“Speak clearly,Madison. I can’t understand you when you talk like that,” Mr. Miller cut her off.

“The company’s account has been debited, and we’ve lost a large sum of money,” She says nervously.

“How much, Madison?” Grayson’s voice dropped low and serious, Mary sensed immediately that something was wrong. 

“Ninety-nine percent of our total income, Sir,” Madison blurted out. 

“How did this happen?” 

“I have no idea, sir,” Madison said, trying to catch her breath.

“I need you to give me details of that account. We need to find out who did this,” said Mr. Miller. He didn’t wait for Madison’s reply; he just hung up the phone abruptly.

“What’s wrong, honey?” asked Mrs. Miller, her face full of worry.

 Mr Grayson told her everything, explaining that he didn’t know what had happened or how such massive loss could have occurred.

“WHAT!!” Exclaimed Mrs. Miller, rising from her seat in shock and anger. “We need to find out who did this—now!” 

Mr Grayson called Ethan to let him know what had just happened, and asked if he had finished organizing the documents.

 “Yes, sir… I’m almost done,” said Ethan.

“Alright… the meeting is in two days, so every single detail has to be perfect. No mistakes,” Grayson ordered.

Mr. Miller got off the line with his assistant. Meanwhile, Mary sat back down and took another sip of her wine,trying to process the shocking news. Just then, their youngest daughter, Sophia, walked casually into the lounge. She was still treated as the baby of the house— even though she was twenty three, she was spoiled and always got exactly what she wanted.

“Hey, Mum,” said Sophia.

 “Not now, Sophia.” With everything that had just happened, Mrs. Miller was in no mood to deal with her.

“What’s wrong with her, Dad?”

 “Look, Sophia… we just lost a huge amount of money from the company, so I need you to go to your room,” said Mr. Miller. Truth be told, Sophia was starting to really irritate him.

“But Dad, I needed money to get this new Chanel bag I saw online,” she said, holding up her phone and pointing straight at the picture of the bag on the screen. 

The husband and wife stare at each other in total disbelief. Mr. Miller simply stood up and walked out of the lounge.

“Are you serious right now, Sophia?” Mrs. Miller  shouted 

“But Mum, I… Mum!” Sophia called after her, but her mother had already walked out.

The next morning, Mrs. Miller wakes up to the sound of her husband talking on the phone… 

“What do you mean he’s on his way? He agreed to come by 12:30,” said Mr. Grayson.

“Sir, I don’t know— I just got his Email this morning on my way to work,” Ethan said 

Mr. Grayson hung up the phone and told his wife to freshen up and get ready. “Honey, are you awake? Get dressed – Mr. Smith will be at the office in an hour.” 

She got up quickly, and within fifteen minutes she was fully dressed.

The black sedan pulled up at the company building. Its towering façade gleamed in blue glass and dark steel. They stepped inside and made their way up to the last floor, entering through a polished marble foyer – the private VIP entrance reserved strictly for meetings of this kind. The door stood slightly ajar, and the moment they walked in, it was obvious that Mr. Smith was impatient and in a rush.

“Good morning, sir,” said Mr. Grayson as he shook hands with Mr. James Smith. It felt almost unreal to finally meet him in person. After exchanging pleasantries, they sat down and began the meeting.

“I know you're wondering why I came so early,” said Mr. Smith. 

“Yes, sir,” replied Mr. Grayson.

“Before I begin – how is business, and how are your daughters?” Mr. Smith asked. 

“My daughters? How did you know I have daughters?” Mr. Grayson asked, taken aback – this was their very first meeting.

“I have a proposal before I sign the contract,” Mr. Smith said, ignoring the question.

Mr. Grayson sat up straight to listen, though he still wondered how Mr. Smith had known about his daughters. 

 “I need one of your daughters to marry my son,” Mr Smith blurted out.

Mr. Grayson froze for a moment, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him.

He let out a short, uneasy chuckle and said, “Sir, I don’t understand. Are you saying my daughter is to marry your son?”

“I’m sure you heard me quite well,” Mr. Smith replied firmly, placing his pen down on the contract. “Your business is in shambles, or so I heard. My money is the only thing that can save it. And If you’re worried about my son, I’ll handle everything – you have my word.”

Mr. Grayson leaned back in his chair and glanced at his wife,his eyes wide with disbelief. “That is an outrageous demand, sir!” 

“Think carefully,” Mr. Smith said, his tone calm but unyielding,leaving no room for negotiation. 

Mr. Grayson fell silent, his mind racing. He thought of the heavy losses they had just suffered and how this might be their only way out. 

“Should I give you sometime to–” 

“NO!!” Shouted Mrs. Miller

 “We accept.”

Before Mr. Grayson could react, Mr. Smith had already signed the contract, and his wife assured him that it would be done and that he would get feedback soon. “You have my word, sir.”

After Mr. Smith left, Mr. Grayson is seen talking to his assistant, then walks out with his wife. He just couldn’t bring himself to say a word. He had lost money, yes – but giving his daughter away for money is simply too much. Still, he needs the funds, all while making inquiries to find out who was behind this.

“Honey, you know we need this money,” Mrs. Miller said as they entered the house. “We just have to talk to our daughters, and everything will be fine.” 

“But our babies, Mary our–” He broke off, startled at the sight of Emma, his eldest daughter. 

Emma had always been the independent type; she never wanted to rely on anyone. Even though her father had told her many times to ask for help whenever she needed it, she rarely did.

“Where are you going, young lady?” Asked Mrs. Miller. 

“I’m going for a job interview?” Emma said, confused. She'd told her mother only a month ago that she planned to start looking for work soon.

“No need for that. You’ll be getting married in two weeks,” said Mrs. Miller, her voice steady but avoiding Emma’s eyes.

“What?! My birthday is in two weeks… Mom– what’s going on?” Emma was so confused she could barely speak.