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A Painful Past: Good Offer

The next day, Sharon woke up to a ray of beautiful sunshine. She looked at the bedstand and spotted a note from Peter.

**"Went fishing. Breakfast is downstairs. Peter."

She folded the note and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face before heading downstairs. Peter had prepared for her toast, eggs and bacon which she helped herself to.

Not too long after, Peter returned with a fresh new batch of fish. He walked into the house and spotted her in the kitchen area.

"Good morning," Sharon greeted him awkwardly, remembering her nightmare last night and how he held her to comfort her.

"Good morning, Sharon. How did you sleep?" He inquired.

"Better than I'd expected. Thank you for last night," she said awkwardly.

Peter looked at her with curiosity, "So, you want to tell me what you dreamt about?" He asked.

She nodded, "Maybe talking about it will help me."

They went out onto the porch and sat on a swing chair attached to the roof of the entryway. Sharon was silent for a while, staring at the sea and gathering her thoughts before finally speaking.

"To understand why I tried to kill myself and why I'm having nightmares, I'll have to start from the beginning. It's...a very long story," she told Peter.

"I've got nothing to do so I have all the time in the world," he replied.

Her thoughts travel back to sixteen years ago when she was just a little girl and she relived what her life was like back then...before she met HIM!


She was the only child born to William and Jessica Thompson in Jacksonville, Oregon in the mid-years of the nineteenth century in the year 1852. The Thompsons weren't very wealthy but they always had food on their table because of the hard work of Sharon's father; Mr William, who was a small-scale farmer.

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**JACKSONVILLE, 1860

A few days before Sharon's eighth birthday, a strange man arrived at their house with a group of people. They stepped out of their automobiles and walked up to the front door. Sharon was sitting outside and he saw her painting a picture.

"That's a very nice painting, my dear," he bent over and said to her.

"Thank you, sir," she said to the man with a smile.

Mr William stepped out to inquire about the man's visit to his home.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. How may I help you?" He asked politely.

"Good afternoon, Mr William. My name is Addicus James Worthington and I'm here with a business proposal," he replied proudly.

Mr Worthington was a man in his early thirties. From his appearance, he seemed to be a very accomplished businessman. He was tall and quite handsome with a dark aura about him. Clad in his tailored suit, rocking a Van Dyke, and holding a black walking cane with a golden hilt, he looked like a tycoon whose intent was to make more money and that was exactly why he was there.

"What business proposal?" Mr William asked.

"If you don't mind, sir, perhaps my associates and I can come in and discuss this further. The sun is quite gruesome," he said.

Mr William invited them in and was about to introduce the man to his wife, Jessica when he took the courtesy of doing it himself.

"The name's Worthington; Addicus James Worthington," he said while taking her hand and kissing it. "I'm here with a business proposal for your husband; one that will make you very happy I'm sure."

They went in and took their seats. Mrs Jessica put out some tea for the men and stood beside her husband. Mr Worthington's lawyer placed a small document on the table and began explaining.

"My name is Jacobos Winston, the attorney for Worthington Enterprise. My client, Mr Worthington would like to obtain ownership of Mr Thompson's piece of land. He's prepared to offer the sum of three million dollars for it and knowing that the land is used for farming which in turn feeds your family, he's throwing in a few acres of land at Dickson's avenue for you to continue farming on. These are all the necessary documents for you to sign. Any questions?"

Mr William looked at the men and then at his wife, feeling a bit confused.

"Why would you be willing to pay me three million for my land? If I'm being honest, it's not worth that much," he asked.

"The location of the land and its biological contents perfectly align with my needs and I wish to invest it in various...business expeditions," Mr Worthington said with confidence about him, convinced that the offer was too good to be refused.

Mr William stared at his wife, his eyes asking for her opinion and of course, her gaze said "do it". It would be an amazing opportunity to change their lives for the better. Mr William, on the other hand, didn't feel the same way.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen but I'm afraid I cannot accept your offer," Mr William spoke out.

"Does the offer not meet your needs because I can increase it to...say, four million?" Worthington replied.

"It's not about the money. This land has been passed down from generation to generation in my family. It's a part of my lineage and I can't be the one to end that tradition by selling it to a stranger," he retorted.

Mr Worthington sighed, having not been expecting this much pushback from Mr William.

"I'll give you a few days to discuss it with your family and I'll return for your final answer. I'll leave a copy of the documents with you to go through and if you make your decision before I return, give me a call," he said while handing him his business card.

Mr William saw them out and before Worthington entered his car, he looked at him and said, "I hope you'll make the right choice."

And they left.

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That night, Mr William had a heated conversation with his wife about the land.

"Why not, huh, why not? You always spoke about expanding the farm. Now you have the chance to with a big land and four million dollars but you're refusing to listen to reason," she nagged at him.

"I have a duty to my ancestors to preserve their legacy and to always honour them," he replied.

"And what about your duty to your family? What about your daughter's future?" She asked him, not being able to fathom the reason for his refusal.

"I don't need a rich man's money to provide for my family. I already have a plan and I..."

"This is a chance to make a better life without having to scrape and toil so hard. We can do it all faster than we ever anticipated," she cut him off.

"And what about my family's legacy?" He asked.

"What legacy? It's just land. An empty piece of land with no properties on it. It doesn't really mean anything except maybe your ancestors played on it when they were children but other than that, the land has no other sentimental value to you and its financial worth is definitely not up to four million dollars but this man is offering that much," Jessica said.

"And you don't think that's strange?" He asked, truly wondering why Mr Worthington was willing to pay so much.

"Who cares? It's our gain and his loss," she said as she walked up to him, cupping his face with her hands. "Just read the paperwork tonight and sign it. Don't let this golden chance slip away from us," she said with a more sombre tone.

"I'll take a look at his offer but I make no promises," he smiled at his wife and kissed her.

"I'll go tuck Sharon in. Your screams must have frightened her," he teased before going to tuck his daughter in.

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