“It’s a marriage on paper, nothing more,” Dad continues, as if this is a completely normal business arrangement. “It has to be legal, though—YMT will dig up the records if it’s not. This guy’s the top NHL player in the league right now, constantly in the headlines. All you have to do is be his wife for the next three months. Help fix his reputation. Go to a few games, sit in his box seats, be photographed at dinner with him. You know what to do. Make him look like the golden boy everyonewantsto root for again. I mean, the fans already love him, but we need to repair his reputation so that the judge on his case believes he is as innocent as he really is.”
I have no idea what to say to that. I look at Cain whose jaw is ticking but mouth is shut.
“You won’t have to live with him,” he adds quickly, like that’s supposed to make me feel better. “In fact, I insist you don’t. Andthere’s absolutely no need for physical affection—except maybe holding his hand in public once or twice. That’s it. Meanwhile, Cain will handle the legal side of things, and you’ll coordinate with the PR team to clean up his image. By the time his case is dropped, his reputation will be shining, and we'll have made our foray into sports, and the two of you can quietly annul the marriage.”
I stare at him.
“Dad, this is extreme. Even for you,” Cain says.
“You want me to marry this guy to fix his life and save his career?”
My dad nods. “Yes, and so that we can transform the firm. We need to diversify if we want to stay relevant in New York. And that means branching outside of entertainment and picking up athletes. It’ll be a new division in the firm.”
“Isn’t there an intern who could do this?” Cain mutters, sounding exhausted.
But my mind is already spinning.Marriage. To an NHL player with a reputation so bad it requires legal and PR intervention. And all for senior partner.
Three months. That’s all it would be. One very wild, very reckless experience.
I know nothing about hockey, but I can figure out enough to blend in with the girlfriends and wives in the skybox, multitasking on my work when necessary. Then, I’ll escape to my new home by the lake in Brookhaven Connecticut on the weekends and leave this entire charade behind me.
Three months of pretending for senior partner…
“It’s not extreme at all,” Dad says matter-of-factly, “and no, I don’t trust any of the interns not to sleep with this guy. He’s notmy type, but apparently, he's wildly attractive according to the media. And if he messes this up, he loses his contract with theMayhemand goes back to Canada so there’s a lot riding on this for him too.”
“Damn, that’s harsh,” Cain says.
“And we fire him,” Dad continues without skipping a beat. “He has no other representation options. He’s not going to screw this up, and neither will Rosie because she wants senior partner just as badly as this guy wants a multi-year extension on his playing deal.”
Before Cain can say another word, I jump in. I don’t need my big brother speaking for me. I’ve been itching for a change—something to shake up my predictable, so incredibly boring and lonely,good girllife.
What’s a short-term, marriage of convenience on paper compared to making senior partner? This will stir things up, shift me out of the monotony and help me reach my career goals.
“I’ll do it.”
Dad smiles looking pleased and leans back in his chair. “That’s great. I knew I could count on you to come through when I needed you. I’ve already drafted the contract. You’ll both sign it, and it will stay internal to the firm. No one outside this room will know the truth—not even the PR team. Cain will act as his lawyer, I’ll oversee the arrangement as the firm’s owner, and you’ll be his wife. To the outside world, this will look like a whirlwind romance. The PR team will spin it beautifully to bolster both your reputations. And when the time comes to file for divorce in three months, we’ll make the separation look seamless and amicable.”
I nod because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that my father never does anything half-assed. If he’s at the point where he’sasking me to marry this guy without ever having met him, he’s already designed an exit plan for me too.
“Great. So, when’s the wedding?” I ask.
Cain exhales loudly, rubbing his temples. “Can you just take a day to think about this first, Rosie? Please?”
Dad checks his watch, completely ignoring him. “He and the Mayhem team owner should be here in thirty minutes. Go drop off your things and meet me in Conference Room C.”
Cain and I stand, exiting Dad’s office. The moment we’re out of earshot he grabs my elbow and guides me toward his. He closes the door softly and presses a button to fog the windows.
“Dad’s fucking insane.”
I laugh and nod. “He is. But I’m doing it.”
“Rosie, are you sure about this?”
I shrug. “It benefits all of us. You get another win under your belt for what sounds like is an easy misunderstanding of a case, I get to make senior partner, this guy gets to re-sign his contract, and dad expands our business into managing professional athletes. He’s not going to risk messing this up, and neither am I.”
“But you’remarryinghim. You don’t even know the guy. You’ve never seen him before. You have no idea what type of person he is. You don’t know anything about him!”
“It’s not like we’ll actually be married. You heard Dad—no living together, no real relationship. I’ll show up to a few of his games, get photographed with him, coordinate everything with the PR team, make him look good, and then we’ll divorce once you win his case. We’ll hardly spend any time around each other. I bet we’ll never even be alone.”
