$20,000. It was everything I had, saved penny by penny since I was a kid. And I was about to hand it to a complete stranger. “Nina, I found your gigolo.
I’m sure you’ll like him. He’s super handsome and has a perfect body. ”
That was Angel, my friend, the one who’d set this whole thing up. A contract marriage, she’d called it.
He needed the money, and I needed a husband. Simple. “And he knows this is a contract marriage, right? ”
“Of course.
He needs the money. Just remember, don’t reveal your identity. ”
I got that. I wasn’t about to tell some stranger who I really was.
My grandfather had been trying to marry me off to the Harris family’s son for months. When I refused, he kicked me out. So here I was, knocking on a stranger’s hotel room door, ready to buy a husband. Was it 806 or 809?
I think it was 806. The door opened. I gasped. He was beautiful.
Tall, with sharp features and a body that looked like it belonged in a magazine. I owed Angel a big thank you. “So, you must be…” I started. “Yeah, I am.
”
“Do you think we could do this since I… yeah. ”
“Great. So, you think we can get this done in like 10 minutes? ” I asked.
“10 minutes? Too long. Five works. We can do five.
”
I snorted. “With that face and that body, I owe Angel a big thank you. ”
He looked at me, confused. “What?
”
“I’m sorry. Do you do this a lot? ”
“What? No, this is my first time.
Do you do this a lot? ”
“It’s my first time, too. ”
“Why are you doing this? ” he asked.
“I have no better option. Why are you doing this? ”
“Forced by circumstances. Let’s get started.
”
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re in a hurry. ”
“All right, of what are you doing? ” He looked panicked.
“Did you just say we—? ”
“You’re right. We didn’t discuss the price. I’m sorry.
”
I’d come prepared. “$20,000. Non-negotiable. ”
He blinked.
For a moment, I thought he’d ask for more. Instead, his voice softened. “Look, $20,000 is all I have. My parents passed away when I was really young.
It took me a long time to save this money myself. ”
His expression changed. “I’m sorry to hear that. Do you really have to do this?
”
“Yeah. Why else would I be here? ”
“I appreciate your resolve and your strength, but you know this is illegal, right? ”
“What?
No, it’s not. As long as you have your ID. ”
“ID? ”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much all you need to get married.
”
He stared at me. “You were talking about marriage this whole time? ”
“Yes. Didn’t Angel fill you in?
”
“Someone kicked me out because they wanted me to marry someone else and I don’t want to get married. So, here we are. ”
“Poor girl. ”
I handed him the money.
“$20,000. It’s all I have. ”
He took a deep breath. “Let’s get married.
”
Afterward, I felt strange. I really was married now. I should have felt free, but instead I just felt… lost. “I should go.
I have a lot to do. But if you need anything, just call me. ”
“Wait, I’ll give you a ride. ”
“You have a car?
”
“Uh, I mean, I’ll call a cab. No, you don’t have to do that. That’s really expensive. I’ll just take the subway.
”
He insisted. A few minutes later, we pulled up to a house that made my jaw drop. A black luxury car waited outside. A man in a suit opened my door.
“President Harris. ”
My husband—Winston—stepped out. “Uh, Mr. Jackson.
This is Mr. Jackson. I sometimes drive for him. ”
The older man eyed me.
“Well, being a driver is definitely better than being a gigolo. ”
My new husband shot him a look. “Don’t you have something to go do? ”
Mr.
Jackson smirked. “Right. Drive safe. You got this, President Harris.
”
I froze. President Harris? Before I could say anything, Winston grabbed my arm. “Never knew you had a gigolo job.
”
“Oh, shut up. ”
“So, who’s the girl? ”
“My new wife. ”
Later, my grandfather’s assistant found me waiting in his office.
“Miss Lena, please get in the vehicle. Mr. Shaw is waiting. ”
Grandpa was furious.
“Where have you been? You’re supposed to be meeting the Harris family’s son. ”
“Grandpa, I got married. Now that I’m married, I don’t have anything to do with the Harris family, right?
”
“Look, I know that you can’t accept this now, but you can’t just go marry some random guy. Go get divorced now. ”
“No. No way.
”
“Come on. I’m sure he’s way better for me than that Harris. ”
“But you don’t even know him. ”
“Oh, I know.
I’ve heard he likes men. ”
His assistant frowned. “Miss Shaw, your grandfather is merely concerned that your potential suitor might only be interested in your wealth. ”
“Oh, don’t worry about that.
He has no idea who I am. I hide my identity. ”
“But then why did he marry you so suddenly? ”
“My looks, obviously.
And $20,000. ”
Grandpa grumbled. “He’s superficial. ”
“So what?
I married him for his looks, too. ”
In the end, Grandpa sighed. “Okay, you have my blessing. ”
“Yay!
Thank you. You are the best grandpa in the world. ”
“Look, listen to me. You’re still going to go do that Harris Group internship.
You’re going to learn a lot there. ”
“Fine, but I want to keep my identity a secret. I really don’t want anyone knowing who I am. I need to earn my place there.
”
“Okay, I can agree with that. ”
“Just one more thing. Since you are married, you should live with your husband. ”
“You’re going to kick me out?
”
“Fine, I’ll buy my own house. ”
I started hunting for a place. I found a villa I loved, but the price was ridiculous. I couldn’t afford it.
Renting, maybe. The real estate agent walked me through it. Mr. Jackson was there too—he was the one showing it.
He knew I was Winston’s wife. “So, that man over there, that is my husband and he’s kind of broke and I don’t want to make him feel bad,” I whispered to the agent. “Do you think that you could possibly sell me this house and then tell him you’d rent it to him for about $2,000 a month? ”
“Your husband is broke?
” she asked, surprised. “Yeah. ”
“Why do you know him? ” she asked.
“I mean, he’s— hey,” Winston interrupted. “What are we chatting about here? ”
“Um, I was just trying to see if she could lower the prices up front because they’re just through the roof. Crazy expensive.
”
Mr. Jackson chuckled. “Well, if you like it, how about I just buy it and I’ll rent it out to the two of you as a wedding gift. Say… $2,000 a month?
”
Winston’s eyes went wide. “What? I didn’t expect Mr. Jackson to be so generous.
”
That’s my money, I thought. Later, Winston asked, “So, what if we moved in together to honor Mr. Jackson’s gift? ”
“You want to live together?
”
“If you don’t want to, it’s fine. I know this marriage is temporary. It’s just that my salary is like $2,000 a month. I can’t afford the rent.
”
“Well, it’s fine. No, it’s fine. I’ll just tell Mr. Jackson I can’t accept.
”
“What’s the matter? ” I asked. “I’ll split the rent with you. Let’s live together.
”
“Thank you. ”
I got a call from my grandfather’s assistant. “Tomorrow we’re having lunch with the Harris family at Royal Garden. ”
“Fine.
I’ll be there. ”
“Beware. ”
“Uh, who are you talking to? ” Winston asked from the couch.
“Are you seeing another gigolo? ”
“What? No. Who do you think I am?
”
“Prove it then. ”
“Why should I? I’m not giving you my phone and you’re not going to take advantage of me. ”
He pushed me down on the couch, trying to grab my phone.
“You just had something in your eye. ”
“It’s called eye shadow. Now get off. ”
After I got up, he noticed me looking something up on my laptop.
“What are you doing? Why are you looking up Harris Group? ”
“I’m thinking about applying for a job there. I want to see what their CEO looks like.
Don’t you? ”
He shrugged. “I want to see what their CEO looks like. Do you?
”
“Let’s unpack your luggage first. ”
“I want to see that man first. ”
He rolled his eyes. “You want to see a man before building our little home?
No. I get it. He’s a billionaire and I will never be that. That’s honestly my fault.
”
“Stop. Just stop. Okay. Go unpack first.
”
“Jeez, how can a grown man act so pitiful? ” I muttered. The next day, I found him at the dining table, looking at his phone. “Son, I need you to do something.
”
“Everything is settled now. Can I please see what the CEO looks like? ”
He showed me a photo of a man in a suit, but his face was hidden. “What?
How can this be? God, he’s so mysterious. The rumors about him must be true. ”
“What rumors?
”
“You don’t know about the rumors? Some say that he likes men and some say that he hates socializing and that is why he never shows his face in public. ”
He started coughing. “What is up with you?
I wasn’t talking about you. ”
“I’m sorry. I’m just shocked. It’s shocking news.
”
“It seems like you don’t really like him. ”
“Why does there have to be a reason? ”
“Then why are you going to go work for him? ”
“Work is work.
I mean, you’re friends with all these big shots like Mr. Jackson, and what are you still doing as a gigolo? ”
“The normal life is not really for me. ”
“I get that, but you’re married now to me, and I think it may be time to look for a more stable job.
”
“Yeah, you’re right. Wait, why don’t we apply to the Harris Group together? ”
“Wait, what? ”
“I know it may seem out of reach for you, but you never know.
You could get really lucky. But no more buts. Come on, I will send in your resume tonight. ”
He sighed and agreed.
Later that night, I heard a crash downstairs. I grabbed a tennis racket. “What are you doing? Why do you have a racket?
” I asked. “Well, I thought someone was breaking in and I didn’t want to die. What are you doing up? ”
“Mr.
Jackson gave me a task. ”
“What? Well, I was working on the resume and I was trying to go to bed, but somebody was down here making a ruckus. ”
“I’m sorry.
I thought you were sleeping. ”
“I know. Anyway, now that we are both up, I have a question about your resume. I saw that you went to Harvard Business School.
Is that true? ”
He looked down. “I made that part up, ‘cause, you know, I knew I wasn’t going to get the job. So, might as well.
”
“Anyway, I forgot to tell you that Mr. Jackson wants me to drive him to a business dinner tomorrow. So, I won’t be home for dinner. ”
“Great.
What a coincidence, because something came up for me, too. ”
“Oh, really? ”
“Yeah. You just stayed up really late working on our resume.
You going to be okay? ”
“Don’t worry about me. I can protect myself, but you sleep with one eye open tonight. ”
“Good night.
”
The dinner was a grand affair at a high-end restaurant. My grandfather had arranged for me to meet the Harris family’s son there. I waited in the powder room, dreading it. When I came out, I almost ran straight into Winston.
“Did we get through? Oh, great. Yes, I’ll be there on time. Thank you so much.
”
He was on the phone, and then his eyes landed on me. “Yes, Winston. Why don’t you go bring her over? ”
“What are you doing here?
” I hissed. “What? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be driving Mr.
Jackson? ”
“Okay, Miss Winter. Mr. Jackson’s dinner meeting is here and he asked me to find someone in the lady’s room.
”
“What are you doing? ” I asked. “I thought you had a side job. ”
“Yeah, I work here as a waitress.
”
“Just like that? Isn’t this pretty? Besides, this is a high-end restaurant. Appearance is crucial for waitresses.
”
“But you look so sharp. ”
“Thanks, Mr. Jackson just instructed. Well, I should go back to serving food.
See you. ”
I sat down at the table with the Harris family. “Hi, I’m so sorry for the delay. ”
“It’s no big deal.
Did you bump into my son on the way? He went to the restroom to bring you here. ”
He hadn’t. Maybe he didn’t want this marriage either.
Good. I made my excuses and left. Later, my grandfather found me. “Sorry, Winston.
Where have you been? Michelle thought you left, so she left, too. ”
“Excuse me. I have to take this.
”
“Oh, but take the day off. I want to take you somewhere. ”
“Sorry. Do I have something on my face?
”
“Only tenderness. ”
“Winston. Who are you talking to? If you were fooling around outside, I will break your legs right here in front of Mr.
Shaw. ”
“That’s my wife. It was a business call. I was closing a deal.
”
“Oh, well. Go take care of it. Please go. ”
He left, then returned and took my hand.
“So, aren’t you curious about where we’re going? ”
“Well, as long as it makes you happy, I don’t care. You wouldn’t hurt me, right? ”
“Maybe.
I can be bad, you know. Have mercy on me. I will work hard. ”
“All right.
If you want to make some money, follow me. ”
We pulled up to a giant corporate tower. “Wait, did you quit your side gig? We’re going to the Harris Group for an interview.
”
“What? Can we not go? ”
“We’re already here. Brave.
”
“No, I’m not scared. ”
“Oh, yes, you are. ”
“Wait, did you service someone from here? ”
“No.
No. ”
