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I can’t even picture marrying my head housekeeper of eight years. Agnes was my first house employee. She started when my business took off and I bought my current house in LA. I know I can trust her, but this? “I would never ask that of her. No, I wouldn’t want to blur the lines. Plus, she’s twenty years older than me.”
He clasps his hands together. “Then we hire for the job. Make this an ultra-confidential gig with a contract and an NDA.”
“I’m not going to buy myself a wife,” I scoff, wrinkling my nose.
“She’d be a proper employee with a contract. Nothing sketchy.”
I give him a pointed look. “Max, this is ridiculous.”
He draws a sigh. “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s not that uncommon. It’s just so well-done that no one ever knows about it.”
“And no one could! It would ruin a lot more than just our expansion. If word of this got out, the entire business would be done.”
He raises his palms as if to pacify me. “Of course. That’s why it’d be all tied up. The woman we hire would be under a strict contract. She wouldn’t be able to breathe a word about this.”
“Why would anyone agree to that?”
And why am I even entertaining the idea? This is ludicrous!
“For the money, of course. LA is full of wannabe actresses who can't pay rent. Give her some money and a shot at getting cast in a movie just by being your arm candy at parties. We can even say you met on the Love Connected app and make a success story out of it. We’ll charm the press by claiming it was love at first sight and perfect compatibility thanks to the algorithm. You’ll start by seeing each other in public, then announce your engagement and plan a fast track wedding. Once you’re married, you reel in your investors and start expanding into our target markets. Numbers showed that we’d be steadily profitable within two years. After that, you can end the marriage amicably.”
“Won’t the investors want to pull out when that happens?”
“It’s a possibility, but since the company will be profitable in the new markets, it’s unlikely they’d want to pull the plug on a businessman just because he couldn’t make his marriage work.”
I chew the inside of my cheek, planting my gaze deep into Max’s. “You really think this could work?” Before he can respond, I answer myself. “This is so far-fetched. Everyone will see right through it.”
“I don’t think so. If you play your cards right—go on dates, get seen by the media, share your love story, and get married a few months later, it’s plausible.”
“How long before I could get married? If we do this, it needs to be sooner rather than later.”
“I understand, but it’d look like a scam if you got married out of the blue when society is used to seeing you with a new girl every week.”
I rake my fingers through my hair again. “Assuming we did this, how would we proceed?”
“I can talk to Jen, my girlfriend. She’s an assistant in an indie studio. They have a lot of contacts, plus a studio we could use. That way, there is zero chance of someone tracing it back to Love Connected. We do a casting call. We won’t say too much about the role, and obviously, your name will be left out of it.”
The fact that I’m even considering this blows my mind. I’ve always been dedicated to my business. It’s my life. I built this company from the ground up, and it was the ultimate American Dream success story—though no one knows about my past. But this is another level of dedication.
As doubts linger in my mind, I remember the promise I made to myself a long time ago. I will change my destiny. I will prove to myself—to the world—that I can do big things. That I’m worthy. No matter what anyone thinks. This is just another brick in the process.
“Fine, but I’m choosing the person I’m going to marry.”
“Of course,” Max says, a chuckle escaping his lips as relief floods his face. “I’d expect no less. You’re the boss. Since you’ll be living with this girl, you need to make sure she’s a good fit.”
“Live with her?” I almost choke on my saliva. “Are you serious?”
He winces. “Well, no one would believe you’re actually engaged, and then married, if you don’t live together.”
I clench my fists on the desk, my jaw tight. This is even harder than the marriage part. I don’t like people in my space. My house is my safe haven. Sure, I’ve had my friends Andrew and Wade over once when I first moved to LA, but that’s it. The only other people who have seen the inside of my house are my housekeeping staff, and the only person who has spent significant time there is Agnes, my head housekeeper.
“Look, we don’t have to do any of this,” Max says, interrupting my thoughts. “It’s your call. There are other ways to grow the business.”
I pause to think about it, but I already know my answer. I’m an analytical man, after all. Max and the R&D team spent hours researching all the possible next steps for the company. Expanding to new markets, specifically the Middle East, was by far the best result they got. My marketing team is already working on the project. It would have been a colossal waste of time, money, and resources if we switched gears now in favor of something less profitable. No, I can do this. It’s just another contract. No way will I let this slow me down.
“Call your girlfriend, Max. We’re doing this.”
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