Charlotte looked around, noting the single foldout chair in the office and scowled.
“Aileen, I’ll step outside to make some phone calls and let the two of you speak in private. One of you can give me a wave from the door when, and if, you are ready to discuss a formal arrangement and I’ll come back in. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” Yakov said, answering for her.
Charlotte ignored him, keeping her focus on Aileen. “Aileen?”
“Yes, that’s fine,” she agreed.
It was obvious that Yakov Seputre was used to calling the shots. He frowned at Charlotte and she shot him an equally stern look. Aileen wasn’t sure what it meant, but she felt certain it was an unspoken warning. She had to wonder if he was dangerous, but decided Charlotte wouldn’t have left her alone with him at all if she had felt he was. She also suspected he wouldn’t be on the agency’s client list at all if they thought he might be a harm to anyone assigned to him.
“Sit down,” he said, waving toward the chair. “I don’t have much time.”
Already, Aileen didn’t care for him.
“Listen, I don’t have time to sugar coat this. I’m not a pleasant man. That won’t change. I run a big business and it takes up most of my time. I can’t be bothered with trying to please some woman enough that she’ll deem life with me suitable enough to marry me. I’m pretty sure that any woman that would choose me would be more interested in my bank account than my affections, anyway. So, I plan to skip all that shit and just pay someone to pretend to be my wife for the next few months. I’m paying half a million to come live with me and act like you love me and want to have my children. No sex, not even shared beds. I have a spare room with its own bath on a separate floor that you can have for your own. All living expenses while residing under my roof are paid for.”
Aileen sat there, looking at him in disbelief.
“Well?” he prompted.
“Did you say half a million dollars?”
“Yes. Ten percent up front. The remainder at the end of our contract.”
“And it is only for three months?”
“More or less. It could be two or it could be up to six, but you would be compensated at an extra twenty percent for each month beyond the original contract.”
“You don’t even know if we would get along.”
“It doesn’t matter if we get along. We can hate one another’s guts. As long as we are able to give others the impression that we are a happily married couple, that is all that matters.”
Aileen considered this for less than thirty seconds. It was the best offer she was going to get from anyone, that was certain.
“Okay. When do we start?” she replied
“As soon as possible. I can’t just spring you on folks. I’ll need to at least introduce you around, say I’ve been seeing you in secret for a while and we’ve decided to marry.”
“Sign me up then.”
“Great,” he replied, standing and opening the door to motion toward Charlotte that she could return.
Aileen stayed where she was, trying to absorb what was happening. A part of her wanted to change her mind, to bolt. Surely, this was too good to be true. Who pays half a million dollars and perhaps more to a woman in order to fool his clan into believing he has a wife? She posed the question to Charlotte on the way back to the office.
“A man who has a lot more than that to lose if he doesn’t. He’s well vetted, Aileen. This is not a scam. By the time we get back to my office, the money will already be in escrow via transfer from Mr. Seputre to our bank. We’ll finalize your paperwork and give you the down payment in cash. You’ll receive the final payment the same way. It will be listed in our books only as a consultation service to protect the privacy of both the client and you. The non-disclosure you both signed back in his office prevents either from revealing any more information than that. If you are asked by anyone about the nature of the transaction, you are to direct them to us.”
“What if something happens? What if I change my mind? What if there is an issue once I’m in his home?”
“You have three days to get your personal affairs in order and change your mind. If you decide this isn’t for you after all, you’ll be required to return the down payment, in full. Keep in mind that this is not our money, but the money of the client that we have been fronted with guarantees to deliver. Any failure to return it in the event that you reconsider will not be looked upon kindly and measures will be taken to recover our loss.”