A wealthy tycoon made his son tie the knot with a down-to-earth farmer as a tough lesson. But he was blown away by what his son pulled off…

But now that it was here, something didn’t feel right. He glanced out the window again, watching as Emma worked in the distance, her figure silhouetted against the setting sun. What kind of offer, Richard asked slowly, wary of where this conversation was headed.

You’ve proven you can handle responsibility, Henry said, at least in the sense that you haven’t completely failed out there. I’m willing to bring you back into the back into the company. But there are conditions.

Of course there were. There were always conditions with Henry Thompson. Nothing came without strings attached.

And what are those conditions, Richard asked, his jaw tightening. You’ll return to New York, take up a position at the company, and you’ll leave the farm. You’ll leave Emma, Henry said.

His tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. This was always meant to be temporary, Richard. I didn’t expect you to stay out there forever.

Now it’s time to come home. Richard’s stomach churned at the cold finality of his father’s words. Leave the farm.

Leave Emma. It was so simple to Henry, so black and white. Richard could feel the weight of the offer settling on his shoulders, suffocating him.

This was what he had wanted, wasn’t it? To get out. To return to his old life. To escape the farm and everything it represented.

But now, standing in the kitchen of that small farmhouse, his fingers gripping the edge of the counter, Richard wasn’t sure anymore. He had hated this place when he first arrived. Hated the work.

Hated the isolation. Hated everything about it. But over the last few weeks, something had shifted.

The farm had become something more than just a punishment. It had become real. And Emma.

Emma wasn’t just the woman he had been forced to marry. She had become something else. Someone else.

He didn’t know exactly what she meant to him yet, but the thought of leaving her, of walking away from this life and going back to the cold, sterile world of New York, made his chest tighten with a sense of loss he hadn’t expected. I don’t know, Richard said quietly. The words slipping out before he could stop them.

Henry’s voice hardened. This isn’t a request, Richard. I’m giving you a way out.

Don’t be a fool. You don’t belong out there. Come home and take your place where you belong.

Richard stared out the window, his mind racing. This was his chance. His chance to get everything back.

The money. The power. The life he had always known.

But at what cost? Could he really walk away from the farm? From Emma? From the strange, uncertain future that had started to take root here? I need to think about it, Richard said finally, his voice tight. Henry’s silence on the other end of the line spoke volumes. Don’t take too long, he said coldly.

You don’t have forever. The line went dead, and Richard was left standing in the kitchen, the phone still in his hand, the weight of his father’s ultimatum hanging over him like a storm cloud. The next morning, Richard woke up with a knot in his stomach.

His father’s offer loomed over him like a dark cloud, casting a shadow on everything he did. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this was some kind of test, another move in Henry’s never-ending game of control. But this time, the stakes felt different.

Richard went through the motions of the morning chores, but his mind wasn’t on the work. It was on Emma, on the farm, on New York, on the life he had once wanted so desperately to return to, and the life he had unexpectedly found here. The two worlds felt so far apart, and yet, Henry was asking him to choose between them.

He couldn’t avoid the conversation any longer. After dinner, Richard found Emma in the living room, reading by the light of the fire. She glanced up when he entered but didn’t say anything, waiting for him to speak.

We need to talk, Richard said, his voice tight. Emma closed her book and set it aside, her expression serious. What’s going on? Richard took a deep breath, the words heavy on his tongue…