Page 17 of The Prince's Green Card Scheme

“Promise me you’ll be careful. Don’t do anything without letting me know, okay?”

“Okay, I promise.”

But even as I can see the doubt in her eyes, I grow more and more certain. It’s weird, but this is going to be for the better. I don’t know why, but I know it. Somewhere deep inside, I know that this is right.

CHAPTER 9

PAOLO

Even though Chloe assured me she was going be here, I still have a moment of fear that she won’t show up.

I arrived at the courthouse thirty minutes early and immediately started freaking out that she wasn’t going to be here. Not that she had any obligation to arrive early.

But I don’t know what I’m going to do if this doesn’t work out. There’s no way I can make myself do this again. Meeting Chloe was fun, but hunting down someone else with Bellamari citizenship just to pay them off seems like far too much work. Plus, my bank account isn’t infinite. It’s not sad, for sure, but it’s not going to be able to handle too many more of these big purchases.

No. It’s either Chloe or I’m just going to have to think of something else.

As the time for our appointment grows closer, I get more and more nervous. The woman at reception throws me a sympathetic look, and I wonder just how many people like me she’s seen.

Just how many people have promised to sign their lives away and never showed up?

This whole thing is making me really reassess how I feel about marriage. Not that I felt particularly favorable towards it before, but this is just the worst. I don’t think I could handle the stress of depending on another person, let alone the big fanfare of a real wedding.

At least if I’m by myself, I know I only have to look afterme.

What am I going to do if I have to start genuinely worrying about her too?

I guess I had assumed that any girl I tried this on would just agree to the paperwork and then leave immediately, not wanting to be any further part of my life. I would understand that. After all, if someone paid me a fortune just to sign a piece of paper, I wouldn’t feel any obligation to them at all. Gratitude, perhaps.

But it doesn’t seem like any real basis for a relationship.

And it wouldn’t be, except me and Chloe just seemed to click so well. I’ve spent a long year chatting up girls, going home to their beds, giving them a really good time. It’s been fun getting to know them a little. Some of them I’ve even gone back to a bunch of times.

Plenty of them were very nice. Plenty of them made me laugh. But none of them clicked like me and Chloe did.

I’m not any sort of believer in true love. None of that destiny, or knowing at first sight, or anything like that. But that is almost what this feels like. Like something real.

It’s not real, though, I remind myself.All this is just a way to get home.

I look at my phone again. Maybe she’s let me know that she’s not going to show up. My heart freezes when I see that I do have a message from her.Stuck in traffic, be there in five.

It’s a cold, efficient message. Nothing like the kind of thing you would expect two people about to get married to say to each other.

But it does soothe my nerves. She hasn’t forgotten.

I really am going home.

When Chloe walks through the door, I jump to my feet and I can’t help but grin at her.

She’s wearing white. It’s not exactly a bridal gown, but it does make her look absolutely beautiful. The fabric clings to her waist, and the skirt billows around her knees, drawing my attention to her long legs and the plunge of her cleavage.

“Hello,” I say.

She smiles back at me. “Hello.”

“I’m glad you came.”

“Were you starting to worry I wouldn’t?”

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