Business as Usual

by Hughes, E.

  “Congratulations,” I answered coldly, ignoring Ethan’s pensive stare as he drummed the end of his pen on the table absently.

  “There’s more…” father continued. “I’m not sure how you’ll feel about this Elizabeth, but I really need your help.”

  Finally, the truth was coming out. I wondered what type of imposition would follow next. “What is it?”

  “Now that AmeriAsia, of which, Ethan is part owner, has a controlling interest in the Gold Dust Hotel, the government will adjust his Visa status. Unfortunately, the adjustment will bar Ethan from working and traveling to the U.S. His current Visa gives him employee status, it does not grant him permission to visit the States as a business owner, which is what he will become after the agreement has been signed. Unfortunately, Mr. Yu’s investment depends entirely on Ethan overseeing the project.”

  “In other words, the deal is off if Ethan can’t oversee the project here in the States. What can we do to help?”

  I waited for father to continue, as I was obviously missing the point. All eyes in the room were on me.

  “A green card would allow Ethan to live in the United States for ten years, with the opportunity to apply for permanent residency in five. We’ve spoken to various attorneys about obtaining a new Visa status or immediate residency for Ethan, and unfortunately, all avenues have been exhausted. It could take years and we don’t have a lot of time. However, there is one other option that we haven’t discussed with our attorneys… with good reason. If Ethan were to marry he could not only apply for a green card right away, but also permanent residency after three years.”

  Daddy sat his briefcase on the table, took some documents out, and sat one before me, Mr. Yu, and Ethan.

  I looked at the document, which read

  Prenuptial Agreement:

  ‘This agreement made in triplicate this

  12th day of February, 2012

  Parties:

  Ethan ‘Xiaoming Yu

  (Of the city of Las Vegas in the State of Nevada)

  and

  Elizabeth Byron

  (Of the city of San Diego in the State of California, & the city of Chicago, in the State of Illinois)

  This prenuptial Agreement is made between Ethan ‘Xiaoming Yu’ thereinafter referred to as “Mr. Yu” and Elizabeth Byron, thereinafter referred to as “Ms. Byron”, who are contemplating marriage to each other…’

  I read the line ‘who are contemplating marriage to each other’ twice. When had I contemplated marriage to anyone other than Danny?

  “What in the hell is this?” I asked, unleashing the fury building within me ever since my father revealed that he and Mr. Yu had already worked out an agreement.

  “I am not to be bartered as a part of some business deal!” I shrieked. “How dare you!” I was out of my seat, pointing my finger accusingly at my father’s face. Dad had seen me angry before, but that anger had never been directed at him. He looked shocked, not quite expecting my reaction. Realizing that I was on the brink of losing control I rescinded the invectives rolling to the tip of my tongue and waited for my father to speak.

  “You have two minutes then I am out of here!”

  Dad was on his feet in seconds, hands on my shoulders as if to keep me from leaving the room.

  “I’m sorry, Elizabeth, I had no idea this would upset you so much.”

  “How could this not upset me? You lied to get me to come to Vegas when you already worked something out with Mr. Yu. Then you present me with some prenuptial agreement for Ethan Yu? Are you mad? Have you lost your mind?”

  Who did my father think he was, planning my life in such a manner and under such shady conditions!

  “You have no right to ask this of me. I’m not marrying him or anybody else!” I scoffed. I felt Ethan’s now piercing gaze on my back as I glared at father.

  “Perhaps, we should give the two of you a moment,” Mr. Yu suggested with a disappointed look on his face.

  The situation was my father’s fault. Mr. Yu and Ethan discussed their end of the deal at length, perhaps weeks in advance of coming to Vegas. They were on the same page, but my father and I were not. I felt bad about my choice of words and for flat out refusing in the manner I did. I realized how mortified the two men must have been. Though neither could have been more mortified than I felt when my father and Mr. Yu finally revealed their hair-brained scheme.

  “I apologize for my behavior, Mr. Yu. It’s just that, this is a bit unexpected. Not to mention illegal.” I ignored Ethan and focused on his father, who over the years had been so kind to me.

  “I can make my investments in China or some other company,” Ethan snapped, the color draining from his face. “I don’t need this.”

  He gathered the documents he had been given from the table, dropping some of them on the floor as he stalked out with Mr. Yu chasing his haughty son out the door. Finally, my father and I were alone.

  “How could you?” I asked.

  “I’m sorry I lied, baby. But I knew you wouldn’t come if I told you.”

  “What about Danny? What about the fact that you are asking me to commit a crime?”

  “I would never impose on you if it wasn’t absolutely necessary, sweetie. I don’t feel good about this,” he said, lowering his head. “But I wouldn’t ask if Ethan wasn’t a good guy. I’m not asking you to consummate the marriage.”

  “Dad!”

  I started to storm out, but Dad lifted a hand, gesturing for me to stay. “Lizzie, come on. You said you would do anything for me. I’ve given you everything you could ever ask for and I ask you to do one thing for me, and you can’t help me out? And it’s not like an arranged marriage is really a crime.”

  I folded both of my arms. “Semantics. And the guilt trip is not working.”

  “Three years, that’s all I ask. Ethan is a respectful young man, his father and I are good friends, and we know the two of you will get along. I know you love Danny. But… he’s not right for you, honey.”

  “And Ethan is?”

  I turned away from my father, sighing.

  “You promised you would do anything for me, Elizabeth. I dedicated my entire life to raising you, putting you through college, and helping you buy your condo. When have I asked for anything in return?”

  “I never asked for any of those things!” I countered.

  “When your mother walked out,” he said, voice lowering, “who stayed behind to pick up the pieces? When you were devastated, I was there for you,” father accused.

  How long was he going to use that against me? Of course Dad was right. He was there for me, through thick and thin, rain hail sleet or snow. But I couldn’t help but wonder… if he was willing to break laws to build his hotel, would he be willing to engage in illegal maneuvers for Byron Energy? Were the rumors true? I didn’t want to know.

  “I’m a proud man,” my father said. “Please, Lizzie. Don’t make me ask again.”

  And that was his plea. Don’t make him ask again. From the sound of his voice I knew the hotel wasn’t the only thing on the line. “What are you so afraid of?” I asked.

  Dad sighed, and his jaws tensed as he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down. “Please, honey? You’re the only person in the world I can turn to right now. I need you, sweetie.”

  My heart broke when I looked into Daddy’s eyes. The marriage would be a piece of paper, legal and binding like numerous contracts I signed throughout the week. Then it would be over. Ethan was in on the plan so nothing would really change, except marrying Danny would happen later than I originally planned.

  “And how long would I have to stay married to him?” I begrudgingly asked.

  “Three years and that’s it, honey.”

  Dad gathered the prenuptial agreement from the table and held it before me.

  “Ethan already signed.”

  Dad pointed at Ethan’s signature. Was this really happening? Would I go through with something so shady? Would my father ask me to do somethi
ng like this if he weren’t in serious trouble?

  I wanted to ask him about his problems again, but I knew he would never tell me. Dad would not want me to worry about him. All I had to do was get married and pretend to be in love for three years to help my father with a multi-billion dollar deal. Thinking about it further, what was in it for Mr. Yu and his son? Like Ethan said, there were other businesses he could easily invest in and monitor from China. Something was going on and I was determined to get to the bottom of it. Just as Daddy’s stock was beginning to recover, AmeriAsia was on the scene again. The timing was suspect and Daddy was nervous.

  “Fine, Daddy… I’ll do it. But hell or high water, if this thing lasts more than three and a half years, I’m done. Contract or not.”

  Marrying Ethan would get me that much closer to the truth. It was a sacrifice worth making for a man who had endured so much over the past few years. Lies, treachery, and hostile takeovers…he’d been through it all and was still standing. I was certain he had a plan and would let me in on it later, I just had to dig up the evidence he needed when the time was right.

  In a fit of excitement Dad pulled me into a bear hug, sweeping me off of my feet as he spun me around.

  “Thank you, Lizzie! You won’t regret this, I promise baby. I know this is a bit of a sacrifice, but on the plus side, a few perks comes with the arrangement.”

  Dad set me back on my feet and flipped through the pages of the contract.

  “You get $500,000 for every year that you’re married. You get an additional $500,000 for every male child that results from the union, $250,000 for

  each female child.”

  “Dad! You said no one is expecting us to consummate this marriage. It’s not real, remember?”

  “Right, but just in case the two of you…”

  “It’s not going to happen!” I snapped. “I’m in love with Daniel, got it?”

  “This business with Daniel Williams is finished,” said father, tersely. “He’s a threat.”

  “The only threat is you!” I snapped. “Just when I thought we were getting closer, you pull this rabbit out of your hat.”

  “I’m prepared to do what I must to protect you, Elizabeth. And if that means playing hardball to keep Daniel out of the picture then so be it. The Byron name, our livelihood, and your freedom is on the line. I need you to understand that.”

  “Leave him alone, Dad. He didn’t do anything to any of us. Stay away from Danny or the deal’s off, I mean it.”

  “Okay…okay,” Dad said, backing off. “Let’s get this document signed and the two of you can head over to the chapel and make it legal.”

  “Wait, you don’t expect us to get married today?”

  “Why else would we have the meeting in Vegas? Quickie weddings!” Dad exclaimed, rushing toward the door. “You can do it the day after tomorrow. Okay?” He gestured for Mr. Yu and Ethan to come back inside, waving them in. The men had been waiting in the corridor for me and Dad to finish our private chat.

  “I have terrific news… Elizabeth has agreed to marry Ethan,” Dad announced.

  Mr. Yu broke into a smile. “Welcome to the Yu family, Elizabeth,” he said, taking me by the hands.

  “Thank you, Mr. Yu. Again, I apologize for my reaction, earlier.”

  “You have no one to blame… but your father,” he winked. “I’m sure you and Ethan will get along just fine.”

  I nearly forgot about the man at the center of our rift. Ethan, who had come in behind his father moments earlier, shrugged then sat at the conference table, completely unruffled, leg folded across his lap. He fished around his pocket for a cigar, which he proceeded to smoke in the room, despite the “No-Smoking” sign on the wall.

  While I stood there wondering why Ethan would be willing to go through with the farce that was to be our marriage, father called Rick, his assistant, and told him to bring a notary signing Agent to the conference room. Thankfully, the Concord had a notary office for the various business deals taking place at the mall.

  “It’s 1:25 and I have a plane to catch,” Mr. Yu said, gathering documents and stuffing them into his briefcase.

  I wondered why he wasn’t staying for my fake wedding to his son.

  “You’re leaving?” I asked.

  Mr. Yu smiled.

  “When a young couple in love runs away to elope in Las Vegas, their parents are not usually part of the process.”

  ‘If only we were a young couple in love!’ I thought.

  Rick arrived with a notary agent twenty minutes later, long enough for my father and Mr. Yu to witness my signing of the document. But not before my father left us with a bit of advice. And then we were alone.

  “You are officially on vacation, effective immediately,” my father said. “Ethan booked a trip…a honeymoon of course, for appearances sake. As far as I know, you’ll be taking the eleven o’ clock flight to China with Ethan tonight. I understand a second wedding is to take place in Guangzhou.”

  “I changed my mind about going to China. We’ll go when Elizabeth is ready. I have something else in mind for our honeymoon,” Ethan said.

  “Would have been nice if you shared those arrangements with me,” I said. “I’m a part of this too.”

  Ethan shrugged and puffed his cigar like he didn’t have a care in the world, which really pissed me off. The sanctity of marriage clearly meant nothing to him, whereas I was completely torn up about our situation.

  “Spend time together like young newlyweds. Trust me, shit will hit the fan when news about your marriage gets out. The media will question the authenticity of your relationship.”

  “With good reason,” I quipped.

  “It’s not a joke,” my father said, looking serious. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

  “Yadda yadda yadda, I get it Dad, pretend we’re married for real.”

  “We will be,” Ethan said.

  “On paper,” I shot back. The only man I wanted to be married to ‘for real’ was Danny.

  Ethan and I watched as our fathers left, leaving us alone in the big empty conference room. If this was a business meeting, would I have reservations about being alone with Ethan, working quietly side by side?

  Ethan waited until the door was closed then shuffled the neatly coiffed hair style he’d adopted in his father’s presence into a mess of hair. He then leaned against the edge of the conference table, sitting down as he knocked our prenuptial agreement and a pile of other documents onto the floor.

  What were we supposed to say to each other now that we were getting married? I scraped the documents from the floor and sat them on the table again, anything to avoid looking at him. Suddenly, Ethan perked up like he remembered something important.

  “I have something for you,” he said, reaching into the interior of his jacket.

  I waited, afraid of what he was about to do as he dove into his pocket. Ethan produced a small black ring box and extended it toward me. I shook my head in dismay.

  “Really, Ethan… it’s not necessary. Please don’t,” I protested.

  “What’s wrong?” he replied nonchalantly, popping the box open. I flinched like he offered a pox infected blanket. Ethan smacked his lips derisively and grabbed my hand, gripping it firmly as he pulled me close enough to see what was inside of the box. His lips were a breath away from my face. Suddenly, my heart was in my throat. I was supposed to be looking at the ring, but instead found myself staring ahead at the lines of his chest, showing where the buttons parted at the top of his shirt. I was suddenly acutely aware of his maleness and the all too primitive potential behind it. What was Ethan like outside of the office? What if I actually started to like him?

  Resenting my errant thoughts I pretended to focus on the ring. “It’s really beautiful,” I said, biting down an overwhelming desire to cry. I’d been imposed upon in the worst way. My actions or inaction could shape the future of not only our companies, but whether or not Ethan would stay in America.

  “Lau po?
Shenme shi?”

  “Wo mei shi (I’m fine)!” I snapped. “And don’t call me wife. I’m not your wife.”

  The musty smell of Ethan’s cigar was stagnant as he blew a cloud of smoke into the air. I gave him an irate look as he extended the ring box again. “Put it on,” he said, with a familiarity I resented.

  I finally looked at the ring. It was a gorgeous crystal clear rose tinted diamond. “It’s beautiful,” I said. “But I can’t accept it.”

  “Why not,” Ethan asked, gazing fiercely into my eyes.

  “It’s too generous. A ring this beautiful deserves a real engagement.”

  The rose colored diamond was extremely rare, and also very expensive. Why would he invest so much in a marriage that wasn’t even real? Ethan sighed.

  I found myself gazing at the aquarium on the other side of the room, looking at the exotic sea fish swimming around the large saltwater tank. I longed for a life so uncomplicated and simple as trickling noises from the filter filled the room.

  Ethan took the ring out of the box and slid it onto my finger. The gesture was too much. “What are you doing?” I demanded, trying to draw my hand away from him.

  “The lady doth protest too much, methinks,” he smiled, strengthening his grip with a devious grin on his face. “It’s just a ring, Elizabeth.”

  I rolled my eyes. Why’d he have to be so cute?

  “We might as well get used to each other” he said. “We’ll be sharing our lives for a long time.” Ethan leaned close and swept an arm around my waist, drawing my body close to his. I gave him a look like he had lost his mind despite the inexplicable heat emanating between us.

  “That’s all we’ll be sharing, so don’t get any ideas!” I huffed.

  “I’m not the one with the ideas,” he teased, “But now that you mention it…”