Page 7 of The Marriage Agreement (Agreement)

“What do you think of the proposal?” Osei asks again, but I remain silent, trying to comprehend everything he’s just told me about marrying his brother. The guy who avoided shaking my hand or even looking at me and acts like he tolerates me being friends with Osei. All I ever get from him is a mumbled or whispered ‘hello.’ I’ve found every excuse in the book to avoid his presence. Being friends with Osei doesn’t help because they’re brothers.

I rub my brow to ease the stress I’m feeling, and the hyperventilation coming on in my chest. Osei must be messing with me, but he looks serious. I’ve known him long enough to read and understand his facial expressions. We communicate without talking during gatherings. We’ve always had a good connection, with no sexual attraction. The more we have in common, the more we realize we were probably twins in another life.

“Did you hear what I said?” He reaches across the table to take my hand and shake it, bringing me back to earth from whatever planet I zoned off to at high speed. My ears are still echoing from the crash-landing back to reality.

“I heard you, but I’m not sure I comprehend everything you just said. So, please, explain it to me slowly, like I’m five years old.” He chuckles and nods, lets go of my hand, and leans back.

“I know it’s a lot, so I’ll be very slow. My older brother, Luke Blythe, the enigmatic billionaire, wants to marry you. In exchange, he’ll pay you two million dollars to be his wife for three years. He’ll also have his lawyers file the spousal immigration papers to make sure you get to stay in the U.S..”

“Why does he want to get married now?” I ask. I still can’t understand.

“Even billionaires have problems,” he teases. “You agreeing to marry him gets him the inheritance from his father. Everybody wins,” he exclaims like he’s just completed a magic show.

“Is this really a win for me?” I manage a croaky ask, surprised I can speak at all because there’s a fist lodged in my throat. I start to rub my brow as a stormy headache brews, not to mention my heart pounding against my ribcage.

“My mom called him when I told her about us, and he thought this would help you both out.” I nod, but my whole being is experiencing something I can’t explain. My hands feel sweaty, so I wipe them on my pants. My stomach churns at the thought of marrying a man who barely tolerates me, much less likes me. My brow massage does not stop the sledgehammer headache racing toward me or my rocketing heart rate.

“Your brother is rich, handsome, and I want to believe a healthy, thirty-something guy—”

“Thirty-five,” he interjects. I nod.

“He’s made it clear he doesn’t like me. I don’t think marrying him is a good idea. Tell him thanks, butno thanks.I’ll findsomeone less complicated.” I let out a sigh of relief after saying “no thanks,” words I can’t believe I managed to say considering how desperately I need to extend my stay to finish school. Osei chuckles.

“Did you miss the two million dollars part in all this? And his lawyers working for you?”

“No, but it sounds too good to be true. Ergo, it is too good to be true.” He gives me a side-eye.

“Think about it—your brother changes dates like he changes shirts. One of those women will be happy to warm his bed, be his arm candy. No lawyers needed, and I’m sure he’ll pay less for them too. I just don’t see anyone believing he’ll leave all those options for me.” Osei laughs hard at my words, but I’m correct. He doesn’t lack women who would gladly jump at his agreement.

“Correct on all counts, but they might also catch feelings and want to make it a real marriage, which my brother isn’t interested in.” He gets up, sits next to me, takes my right hand, and turns my face toward him. “Honestly, you’re the best candidate. Beautiful arm candy, no feelings involved, strictly business. You do your thing, and he’ll do whatever he wants to do. The best part is you get to finish school and be eligible to live here, or return to the UK either way—with two million bucks to your name.” He arches his brows with a questioning look of “What’s there to think about?”

“The money sounds good and scary at the same time. Besides, I don’t plan to live here once I graduate.” He scrunches his nose.

“I know, and I still don’t like the thought of you leaving, but I think you and Luke will accommodate each other just fine.” He chuckles. I smack his hand and remove it from mine. This is not funny.

“This is freaking me out—marrying a guy like your brother would call attention. I don’t belong in his world. I want to exist in plain sight, not call attention to myself.” My voice is jittery.

“I think you’ll do just fine,” he says like it’s a walk in the park, while my brain is trying to find ways to freeze his lips. I’m so scared it feels like my heart will jump out of my chest; the stakes are high against me. It doesn’t help that I fancy his brother, and talks of him with other women always bring out claws I didn’t know I had. I’ve trained myself to tune out and act nonchalant whenever Osei mentions his brother’s activities. I seem to have done a good job because Osei can’t tell I have any feelings for his enigmatic brother.

“Let me think about it. Frankly, it’s a lot all at once,” I reply in a clear tone.

“Okay, bedtime.” I nod. We rise, hug, and bid each other goodnight. I head to my room. Everything he said makes sense for me to jump at it. Only, it sounds too good to be true, which is how I ended up in America. I don’t regret coming. I’ve just learned that I need to be more cautious.

When men offer money and appear to agree, it’s important to delve into the true intentions behind their words, because that’s where the truth lies—something I’ve experienced twice now. Once with my no-good uncle, and again with my loser former roommate, Ramsey.

With asshole Ramsey, I should have known better than to believe his lying tongue. The worst part is I stupidly told myself that if I played along with all his demands, except for sex, he would eventually help me—even as he showed signs of being irresponsible and spending the money I worked hard for on frivolous stuff.

“Reality hit when he didn’t know he had butt-dialed me, and I heard him bragging to his friends about how he had me locked down to his every whim, while I was thinking he would marry me and file legal papers for me.

I cried sitting in my car that night when I heard the loose talk on my voicemail. Then, I drove home and laid in my bed,pretending I didn’t know his intentions. Thankfully, he was asleep when I got home. I didn’t sleep that night and left early the next morning.

I arrived at Osei’s door, helpless. He took me in without question. He followed me home to help take my stuff out. Ramsey would return to an empty house that evening.

I closed out our negative-balance joint account, brought it to zero, and opened a new account. I changed my direct deposit to the new account I had opened. I blocked Ramsey from my phone. Basically, I closed his chapter faster than a light switch. He’s now a blip in my story.

I did it all before my next paycheck. He now has to live within his broke limits. He stopped by the hospital, and I refused to talk to him. He called me names and said I would regret leaving him dry.

The idiot even tried to play the victim, which was infuriating. I wanted to slap him, but thank God for my friend Jax, who pulled me away and acted like spilling hot coffee on him was an accident. Now, I’m living with Osei until I get my own place. I hope to graduate with my BSN soon, but I need legal working papers, or I’ll be forced to leave the U.S. without completing my degree. I’d like to get my master’s in nursing, but I guess I should plan to do that in the UK. My brother advised that I finish my education in the U.S. before going to the UK. He said it would make a big difference in settling into life in London. I can get to work right away and won’t have to worry about school in between.

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