by Alice Toby
“Why her?”
“I’ve had a couple of run-ins with her, quite literally. She is a cool gal. I think I could get along with her over the year-long merger process.”
“Is she seeing anyone?” Author asks.
“I’ll find out.”
****
Karin feels like a new person. She went home, changed out of her clothes, showered and grabbed dinner before heading back to the office. She is still in a bit of shock after Ryan not only complimented her rather reckless assault on the CEO in the hallway but invited her to take a few hours off to rejuvenate herself.
The intern heads back up to the fourth floor ready to work late into the night if necessary. The top level of Emperor Technologies is still buzzing with activities. Karin makes her way back to the conference room and checks her laptop for messages. It appears that no one has missed her. The intern settles into her chair, ready and waiting for her next assignment.
Ryan walks down the hallway casually looking into each office. He is trying to find the intern who knocked him over just a few hours ago. He recalls inviting her to take some time off to relax. As the CEO passes by the conference room, he sees the young woman sitting alone in an Aeron office chair.
The CEO walks into the conference room. When Karin looks up, she is caught a bit off guard. She jumps to her feet. “Yes, Ryan?”
“Hey, could you come to my office please.”
Karin has no idea what this is about. Ryan is rather cryptic in his request. She wonders if she is about to be fired for taking too much time off on her break. Karin’s neurosis kicks into overdrive as she assumes the worst.
Ryan leads Karin into his office and closes the door behind him. Now, the young intern is convinced that she is about to get fired.
“Have a seat,” Ryan says. Karin takes a seat at the guest chair by the desk. Ryan looks over at the stiff-backed young woman and waves over to her. “Perhaps you would feel more comfortable over on the sofa.”
“Okay.” Karin nervously gets up and takes a seat on the long red leather sofa.
Ryan walks over to his mini-fridge. “Would you like something to drink. I have some orange juice, ice tea, Coke Zero.”
“I’ll take some ice tea.”’
“Alright.”
Ryan grabs a can of Coke Zero while he hands the intern a glass of ice tea. “Thank you,” Karin replies.
“How do you like interning here at Emperor?”
“I really enjoy it. I understand how important this internship is and value it.”
“Great. So, um, what do you think of me?”
Karin is not sure how to respond. “You are a very intelligent and visionary person.”
“Well, I am impressed with your tenacity and your intensity,” Ryan responds.
“Thank you.”
“I need to ask you something rather forward. Are you seeing anyone?”
This question knocks Karin completely off-guard. She has no idea why Ryan would ask this. She knows that this man dates supermodels by the dozen and would not be interested by someone like her. Someone so “ordinary.”
“I was in a relationship six months ago. But I’m really not seeing anyone.”
Ryan places his drink down on his desk. “I have a rather unusual proposal to make to you. Right now, I am having trouble convincing IBS to make me the CEO of the merged company. They see me as immature. And I need to change that image rather drastically. And I have come to the conclusion that the best way to drastically alter my image is by getting married.” Ryan sits next to Karin. “I would like you to be my wife for the next 12 months,” the CEO tells Karin rather straightforwardly.
The proposal is so outlandish that Karin can not even process what was just said to her. “Married?!”
“It would just be just temporary. We would be married until the merger is approved by the shareholders. Then we can get a quiet annulment. Of course, you will be compensated for your cooperation. How does ten million dollars sound?”
Karin doesn’t know how to react. She looks at Ryan, a man whom she has started to feel a strange attraction towards. He is brilliant, handsome, confident, wealthy and just a little bit dangerous. But the idea of participating in a marriage sham is something that the young intern can not wrap her head around. As Karin quickly weighs all the aspects of the proposal, one phrase rings in her head - ten million dollars. It starts to occur to her that Ryan Wilde is offering her more money than she ever thought she would see in her lifetime. She would never have to work again. And all she has to do is simply pretend to be married to one of the most powerful men in the world for one year. Just when Karin is about to come to a decision, a simple two-word question pops into her head. She can’t help but blurt it out.
“Why me?” Karin asks.
“I have to spend a year with someone I could possibly get along with. And I think I can get along with you. Could you get along with me?”
“Sure.”
“Then let’s do it.”
Karin begins to laugh. “Oh my goodness. Why not?!”
“There we go.”
“I am so nervous right now.”
“Don’t be nervous. We have lots of plans to make together. Like, we’re going to have to plan a wedding.”
Karin just shakes her head. She never imagined herself getting married. Never even entertained the thought. “Where would we have the wedding?”
“Anywhere you want.”
The young intern’s head begins to spin. They can have this wedding anywhere in the world. Karin has never even left the United States. Now, she is thinking about having a wedding in Paris. As Karin tries to absorb the enormity of this life-changing turn of events Ryan gets up from the sofa. “I have to go talk to Author. Let me know where you would like to have the wedding and the honeymoon and I’ll take care of it,” he tells the intern.
The CEO leaves his office. Karin is alone. She leans back on the sofa and looks out at the moonlit sky. She shakes her head and tells herself, “Oh wow. I’m getting married.”
CHAPTER FIVE
In his 28 years as an attorney, Author Stevens has never quite worked on a contract quite like this one. He is unaware of any marriage agreement like the one that he is composing on his laptop. Ryan paces around back and forth. “Just keep it simple. We stay married until the merger is approved. Then the marriage shall be annulled and she will receive 10 million dollars in cash.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Absolutely.”
Ryan’s legal consigliere stops typing. “Ryan, perhaps I should not be doing this. I am not your personal attorney.”
“I know but I can not trust them. This agreement can not leave the walls of this office.”
“I am not an expert on marriage law.”
“You are the best lawyer in Silicon Valley. And the highest paid as well. I could not get better advice from anyone else.”
“Then I advise you not to do this.”
“Why?!”
“Because this is California. The marriage laws here are more um, progressive. If Karin challenges the contract, it only takes one judge to rip it in half. She could take you for billions.”
Ryan looks out of Author’s window. “I trust her. Finish the contract.”
Author knows not to push it when his boss gives him a direct order. Author finishes the contract and prints it out. The two men walk back into Ryan’s office where Karin has been sitting on the sofa in a daydream state.
“Hey, Karin. So this is a slight legal matter we must complete,” Ryan explains. Author looks at the young intern and tries to discern if she is someone to be trusted. On the surface, the attorney sees Karin as a sweet and honorable person. But Author’s lifetime of legal experience tells him to never trust anyone. So he doesn’t.
The three sit at a table. Author places the contract in front of Karin. “This states that you and Ryan will be married until the merger of Emperor Technologies and IBS is complete. Upon approval of the merger fro
m both companies’ stakeholders, the marriage will be terminated. You will then receive ten million US dollars in the bank account of your choice. If you divulge this arrangement during the marriage, then you will be in violation of the contract and will not be compensated. If you divulge the contents of this arrangement after the marriage, you will be sued in the amount of fifteen million dollars.”
Karin nervously looks over the contract. “I’ve never signed a contract before,” the young intern remarks as she looks over her name among the lines of legal mumbo jumbo. She notices the huge numbers on the contract itself - $10,000.000.00. The zeroes make her head dizzy. Her fingers shake.
“It’s just a formality,” Ryan explains to her.
Karin nervously picks up a pen and begins to sign.
“Initial in these areas,” Author tells the young intern.
Karin initials several areas of the contract.
“Looks good,” Author tells Ryan.
The CEO smiles. “Well, it looks like we’re going to be married.”
Karin’s exhilaration turns to nervousness. She imagines what her parents will think. How is she going to explain this to people? Ryan is quick to note she is uneasy. He doesn’t want to compound her unsteady emotions with any rash or sudden movement.
“Thanks, Author. Take the rest of the night off,” the CEO tells his General Counsel.
“Have a good evening, Ryan. And have a good evening, Karin.”
“Thanks,” the two of them tell the lawyer.
Author leaves the office. Karin looks over at Ryan still unsure as to how she is supposed to interact with her boss and as well as her soon-to-be-pretend husband. The CEO walks over to Karin and looks at his watch. “You look like you could use the rest of the night off yourself,” Ryan tells the intern.
“My whole body is tingling.”
“Perhaps that’s a good thing.”
“I’ll tell you what. Let me give you a drive home.”
Karin looks at Ryan, this time as a cute guy who wants to give her a ride instead of this intimidating boss. She can’t help but say, “Yeah, sure.”
Karin walks with Ryan. More than a few heads turn as the employees see the most powerful man in Silicon Valley walking with a female intern, at night. It is obvious that he is leaving for the night. It is also obvious that he is leaving with her.
Karin and Ryan walk out into the cool California evening. The CEO’s car is parked right outside of the headquarters’ front doors, perhaps one of the most coveted pieces of real estate in the entire Silicon Valley. Some Emperor employees have to park so far from the building that shuttle vans are provided for those parked in one of the company’s 12 remote parking lots.
The CEO opens the passenger’s side door to his Audi R8 sports car. Karin gets inside. She is rather impressed by the fact that Ryan opened the door for her. Ryan gets inside. She looks around this sleek supercar. It’s not as ostentatious as a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. Given Ryan’s obvious net worth, he doesn’t need to flaunt his wealth. This Audi R8 is simply a fast, well-designed sports car that fits the young CEO’s aesthetic tastes.
“So where do you live?” Ryan asks as he gets into his car.
“I um, share an apartment in Campbell.”
“Oh wow. That’s a heck of a drive in the morning.”
“Yeah. It’s about an hour to get to Palo Alto.”
“Oh, sorry to hear that,” Ryan responds as he fires up the V-10 engine. The young CEO speeds out of the parking lot at breakneck speed. Karin’s body is pushed against the back of the passenger’s side chair. Instead of being scared, she is actually exhilarated. As a skateboarding and snowboarding junkie, she is turned on by speed tinged with a bit of danger.
“How fast have you gone in this thing?” Karin asks.
“On the track or on the road?
”
“I’m almost afraid to ask how fast you have gone on the road.”
“I’ve hit 185.”
“I can’t believe you could go that fast in a production car.”
“Oh well, check this out.”
Ryan floors it. The speedometer whips past the 100 miles per hour mark without strain. Karin’s fingernails dig into sides of the passenger’s side seat. Ryan jets his Audi onto the 101 without any fear of legal repercussions. The R8 slaloms around the few cars still on the freeway at 11 p.m. When Ryan’s radar sounds its alarm, the CEO pounds on his brakes, quickly bringing the sports car within the posted speed limits.
“That was cool!” Karin exclaims.
Ryan laughs and looks at the excited young girl. “I think we’re gonna get along.”
Karin finds herself back at her apartment faster than she had imagined. She figured that Ryan made it from Palo Alto to her shared apartment in about twenty minutes. Much to her delight, the powerful CEO exited the car and opened the door for her. For a moment, she had hoped that Ryan would kiss her.
“Oh no. My car is still back at the office,” Karin remembers.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow. How does 8:30 a.m. sound.”
Karin is a little too shocked to answer right away. Ryan Wilde is going to give her a ride to work. It’s almost too crazy for the intern to comprehend what is happening. “That sounds good.”
“Okay. Good night,” Ryan tells her as he gets back into his car. Karin watches the Audi pull out of the apartment complex and speed into the night. Karin slowly walks up the stairs and opens her apartment door.
“They sure have you working late,” one of Karin’s roommates tells her.
“Yeah,” Karin replies in a daze.
“I hope it’s worth it,” her half-motivated and fully-stoned roommate tells her.
“Yeah. I think it is.”
****
Ryan picks up Karin right at 8:30 a.m. As she enters the Audi, Karin is still unsure how to act around her boss and her future pretend husband. “You look like you got a good night’s sleep,” Ryan says.
“I did. Thanks again for giving me a ride.”
“No problem. I’m glad you are starting to get more comfortable.”
“I’m trying to adjust to this very unique situation.”
“Don’t be nervous. I don’t bite.”
Karin giggles. “Some people would have a hard time believing that.”
“Oh, when you get to know me, you’ll see that I am harmless. I am passionate but harmless.”
The Audi pulls up to the CEO’s reserved spot right at the front of the office. Karin exits the car and escorts Ryan into the office. She can feel the hundreds of eyeballs on her. Her face begins to turn red. Everyone must know something is going on. Karin tries to ignore it as she enters the elevators with her boss.
When the elevator doors open on the fourth level, Karin makes her way to the conference room while Ryan makes his way to his office. “Have a great day,” Ryan tells her.
“I will, honey,” Karin blurts out. She quickly covers her hands over her mouth. Karin is stunned by the verbal slip.
Ryan turns around and looks at the blushing intern. He laughs. “You too, honey!” Ryan taunts as he walks away.
Karin is embarrassed and excited. She makes her way back to the conference room to begin her day as the most awkward intern in the world. Karin begins to check her e-mails, trying her best to keep her head on straight.
“Karin,” a deep voice booms from above. The young intern looks up and sees Author standing outside of the conference room. “Can you come with me for a moment?”
Karin gets up and follows Author to his office. The General Counsel closes the door behind him. Karin begins to wonder if she is in trouble for anything.
“Have a seat,” the lawyer instructs.
Karin nervously sits down on the chair.
“Is anything wrong?”
Author sits down on his highback leather chair and just looks at Karin for a moment. It makes her feel uncomfortable. “How exactly did you get your internship here? After Ryan made me write up this contract for you
to be married to him, I decided to do a little background check on you. And things just don’t add up. All of the interns here are Stanford, MIT, Berkeley or Harvard students. As far as I can see, you dropped out of community college. How exactly did you get your foot inside the door of this company.”
Karin begins to get really nervous. There is no way she can explain the real reason why she gained this internship. She would have to confess to finding the lost prototype satellite phone and jeopardize Scott Appell’s career at the company. The young intern tries her best to think of a cover story. Author Stevens, the experienced lawyer, knows she is thinking of a lie. He knows she is attempting to be evasive. That only makes him want to push the issue further.
“A friend of mine at the company got me this internship.”
“What friend is that?”
“Scott Appell,” Karin squeaks out. She didn’t want to say his name. Karin knows she could have already said too much. The young intern knows she is about to screw everything up. Scott is going to lose his job. Karin is going to lose her marriage proposal to Ryan. No internship. No ten million dollars. Nothing.
“Explain to me how you know him.”
“He goes shopping at Northface, where I used to work.”
“And?”
“And well, um, we got to know each other.”
“Are you fucking him?”
“No!” Karin retorts rather strongly.
“Look, I have to ask.”
“Are you going to talk to Scott?”
“You bet I am.”
“Please don’t!”
“Why?”
Karin fights back the tears. She knows she is cornered. There is no lie should could tell that could possibly get her out of this. “Look, Scott is a good guy. And I promised to keep this secret for him.”
“What secret?” Author presses.
Karin looks at the high-powered lawyer. She bites her lip. Her head gets light. She is hoping, praying that this is some sort of nightmare and that she could wake up and everything would be fine. Karin gets up from the chair. “My word is my bond. I’m not telling you. You can tear up the contract. I’m quitting my internship.”
Author watches Karin get up from the chair. He is slightly surprised by her reaction. “Karin,” he calls out. She doesn’t respond. She walks right up to the door and turns the handle. “Karin. Come back here.”