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“Yes and no,” Ezra told me. “What I’m saying is that that money makes it so that they are all over the New York city social scene.”
My eyebrow rose once more in confusion. “And?”
“And the common person doesn’t give a shit that their mayor’s wife knows which fork to use. They want someone they can relate to.”
“And you think that they can relate to me?” It was by far one of the most amusing things I had heard. I knew which fork to use. I’d gone to cotillion. I’d also had a closet full of designer clothing and hadn’t attended college because there’d been no need for higher education.
“Yes, I do think that people will be able to relate to you. A normal woman. You’ve worked. You’ve struggled. You are someone that people will be able to relate to. They haven’t seen you all over the tabloids.”
Ezra had a point. Even in my past life, I hadn’t been in the tabloids. Bratva girls were expected to stay out of the public eye. We were meant to bolster our husbands and make ties within the family. We weren’t for public consumption.
I sighed. “I hope that this will work out the way that you hope it will.” I had resigned myself to my situation last night when I took Ezra’s money. Not only was this the best option that I had to keep myself and Julia from ending up homeless, I couldn’t ignore the fact that Ezra was looking to take down the very people who had destroyed both of our lives.
“Here,” I said, placing my own folder on the desk. “These are the papers you asked me to bring.”
Ezra’s blue eyes locked into mine, and once more, I wondered what he saw in me. Ezra was drop dead gorgeous. Probably the handsomest man that I’d ever seen in my life. Almost any woman in New York would want to be with him, and despite what he said to me, I wondered why he’d chosen me. Was it because he smelled the desperation on me?
“Thank you,” Ezra said, taking the folder from me. “I hope you understand why I need this information.”
I nodded. “I do. Probably best to make sure that there aren’t any skeletons in my closet before we announce this all to the world.”
He nodded, but I noticed the flush on his cheeks. A part of him knew that all of this was an odd situation. It was why I’d asked him for the money I had. I needed to get ID, and Ricky was the best in the business. He hadn’t just created these papers for me. He’d crafted a whole new identity. Ezra could run any background check that he wanted, and I would come up clean.
That knowledge eased some of the tightness in my chest.
“There are some other things I wanted to discuss.” Ezra moved my file away from him and pulled his document between us.
“The contract.” It was odd to say. All relationships were a contract of sorts. I wasn’t the type of person who believed otherwise. Years ago, when I’d been a naive teenager, I’d thought myself in love with Nikolai. Looking back, I knew that I was in love with what he could give me, and he’d felt the same way.
“I know that’s not very romantic…” Ezra trailed off.
I shook my head. “You don’t have to worry about that,” I assured him. “I’m not here because you promised me an epic romance. This is a business arrangement.”
For a moment, I wondered if that was the wrong thing to say, but after a beat, Ezra gave me a curt nod. The lawyer in him took over, and he began to discuss what I was agreeing to do.
“If we do this, I want you to know that even if I don't win, I will ensure that you’ll be protected. By entering into this agreement, you’ll receive certain monetary compensation.”
I nodded and looked at the contract. The prideful part of me wanted to tell him that I wasn’t doing this for the money, but I couldn’t. I needed the money; I absolutely needed it. “What happens if you do win?” I asked. That had been a question that I’d grappled with last night. If Ezra won, I would be thrust in the spotlight, for who knew how long. I wasn’t sure if that was something I was interested in or ready for.
“If I win, we will get married. Then…”
“You’ll run for President?” I asked cheekily. I was joking but also not. Ezra might want to be mayor to end the mafia crime in New York, but I suspected that this was just the start of things. He was the type of man who was both idealistic and realistic. He knew that he couldn’t change the world, but something told me that that wasn’t going to stop him from trying.
From the long span of silence that stretched out between us, I knew that I wasn’t wrong. “Would that be something you’re interested in?”
I shook my head. “Not really,” I told him, honestly. “I’m not someone who craves the spotlight. In fact, I’m actively against it. The thought of it makes me want to vomit.” It was the most honest I could be with him. Even if I were to ignore how thrusting myself into the spotlight might endanger my life, I was telling the truth. I’d never been comfortable when eyes were on me.
I’d dreamed of living a quiet life. Of raising children and having normal family dinners. But it seemed that that was a pipe dream. That type of life wasn’t in the cards for me.
A smile came on Ezra’s face. “That right there is why you are perfect.”
I sighed. I didn’t feel perfect for all of this. I felt like a fish out of water, and I was sure that Ezra was going to figure that out at any moment, and if he didn’t figure that out, I was sure he’d discover any of the other secrets I was keeping that made me the worst person to align himself with.
“This contract is designed to protect you,” Ezra said. “I don’t want you to feel pressured into doing anything that you don’t want to.”
I nodded and looked at the document. It was several pages long and seeing it made me feel even more stressed out. “Look,” I said, “I think that this is the worst idea that anyone has ever had, maybe ever…”
“Wow,” Ezra said. “I’m sure that there are worse ideas out there.” His voice was lighthearted, and I knew that he thought that I was going to laugh. Unfortunately, for him, I wasn’t joking. This whole thing felt like a ticking bomb, and I wondered how much it would destroy when it exploded. “Look,” he said, gesturing to the document. “Whatever happens here I am going to make sure that you are taken care of. You don’t have to worry about that. Whatever happens, I assure you that you will be shielded from any fallout.”
