Mr. Alexander was staring at some invisible on the table between us. He was silent for a moment and then said.
' You are right here Jane. You are doing us more a favor than entering a 50 50 deal. The thing is that you are the best candidate we have. Emilio, even if it is true that he has a rather large number of female acquaintances, cannot simply trust anyone with this. We have to much at stake here Jane. And I know you. I know how hard working you are and most importantly how you handle situations with fairness and logic. We needed someone like you, so your visa problem was just icing on the cake.'
Woah this was not what I expected to hear from Mr. Alexander. He was being honest, and I could not just turn my back on this. Emilio shifted in the sofa next to me drawing my attention.
' Look Jane, I know this is hard. It is hard for me too, but we can at least enter this deal as two people who are trying their best to save what matters to them. My grandma's happiness matters a lot to me, and I know your careers matters to you. This is enough for us to understand each other' he said while holding my gaze.
I tried to break the contact but there was something holding me back almost as if projecting me towards him. I could feel a pull nudging me to go towards this person. The person I should try to avoid as much as I could. I closed my eyes and said
' I am willing to do the contract thing but...' I opened my eyes and looked at him
' There are conditions Emilio'
Mr. Alexander interjected.
' We can discuss about the amount you'll get once the contract is over. You can opt for a transaction right after signing the papers or after completion of...'
He stopped and looked at me in a strange way. It must be because I was utterly confused about what he was saying. What amount? What transaction? Ohhhh
' You are thinking about money?' I asked Emilio
' Yes, do not worry. We will give you whatever is reasonable, and you could... '
' Stop! I do not want money for this. I never meant money for God's sake' I tried to control myself and inhaled deeply and continued. Obviously, both were quite startled.
' By conditions I meant, where am I supposed to stay? Will we stay in the same house? For how long should we go on with the marriage pretense? There should not be any public appearances together. For example, attending parties etc... I do not want that. I do not want my colleagues to know that I am married to my boss's son... Too many complications'
' Jane dear, one day or the other they will know. It is not something you can hide from them. You will have to tell them as soon as possible' reprimanded Mr. Alexander.
'So I am supposed to explain that one day I am a hardcore spinster and the other one I am happily married to prince charming?'
Emilio chuckled next to me, and I had no idea why but then he said.
'Therefore we need planning. We need to go through every single detail to make this convincing, not only for my family but for the immigration office too.'
He paused and took a catalogue from the table. He handed it over to me and went on.
' There are some jewelry designs in it. Choose one that you like for the wedding ring. Choose for me too if you like. We will stay in my apartment which is two blocks away from this building. The contract will be for 1 year term. I do not like parties much so there will not be any public appearances but yes you can be clicked by some paparazzi. But don't worry I will have my security detail look after those situations if ever it happens. But first are there any other things you would like to know or clear out?'
I was surprised by his prompt and firm replies. There has been something that I wanted to discuss with him.
' There's something I wanted to request you. I know it sort of personal, but I have to make it clear before we go forward... It's humm... Uhh.. '
' Jane, you have nothing to be afraid of. I will do everything I can to make this as comfortable as it can be for you... '
I hesitated and finally let it out.
' If people are going to assume that we are really married, I would like to request you to keep your relationships away from the house I'll be staying.'