Bride For Rent
Elijah sat at his desk, a fresh unlit cigarette resting lazily on his lips as he stared at the paper before him. He picked it up from the table, and his fingers traced the edge of the envelope over and over again.
He furrowed his brows, his eyes fixed on the seal of the envelope, hoping it would somehow open without his touch and reveal its content which he was already aware of.
The anxiety gnawed on him. Like a poison, it spread through every fiber on his body, and while taking shallow breaths, he rolled the envelope between his thumb and finger.
He pinched the corner of the envelope and tugged at it gently. He was tempted to rip it in two, but he was stopped by a sudden knock on the door, which pulled him out of his thoughts.
He set the unlit cigarette down on the table, took a deep breath and straightened himself on his chair. The envelope slipped from his hands and fell softly on the table.
For a moment, he stared at the door, and his mind struggled to catch up as he tried to mask the overwhelming anxiety that etched across his face.
“Come in,” he called. His voice was more strained than he intended.
The door creaked open, and the familiar face of Jason, his best friend, stepped into the room. Elijah didn’t wait for him to speak, he leaned forward from his chair, and his worry shifted to something else.
“How is he?” Elijah asked, the words tumbling out from his lips in a rush.
Jason hesitated. His eyes glanced briefly at the envelope on the desk before they returned to meet Elijah’s gaze.
“Your grandfather is fine,” Jason said gently. “But he wants to see you.”
Elijah let out a small breath and relaxed back into his chair. A wave of calmness washed over him, knowing his grandfather was okay. He picked up the letter on his desk once more, but before he could say anything, Jason’s eyes darted to the envelope in his hands.
“What’s in the envelope?” He asked curiously.
Elijah paused, brushing the edge of the letter with his fingers before he muttered, “I need to get married.”
Jason blinked, caught off guard by his best friend's announcement. “Are you joking?”
Elijah shook his head with disappointment. He slipped the envelope towards him gently and reached for a lighter in his drawer when he remembered the cigarette on his table.
“See for yourself,” he said as Jason picked up the letter.
Jason watched Elijah struggle to light the tip of his cigarette. He sighed and ripped open the envelope. His eyes scanned its content until they fell on the letters' closure.
He stopped and read it aloud. “In Addition, my grandson, Elijah Moore, will act as CEO of Moore Aviation’s while I recover, and should only be willed the company after one year of being married.”
The words hung in the air for a moment before Jason set the letter down on the table. He stared at Elijah in disbelief. “Have the board seen this?”
Elijah nodded. “They mailed it to me.”
He took a long drag of the cigarette resting lazily on his lips and exhaled sharply. Watching the cloud of smoke curl into the air, he choked on the pungent smell of tobacco that filled the room and coughed roughly.
“Since when did you start smoking?” asked Jason, with a brow raised at his best friend, but he didn’t respond.
He leaned forward from his chair and pressed the tip of his cigarette onto the ashtray. He twisted it gently and tossed away the cigarette once the tip stopped burning.
“Are you going to do it? Get married?” Jason asked.
Elijah growled gently. “What choice do I have? The old man knows he has only but a year to live. He asked me a few days ago to get married before he dies and I said no.”
“So you think this is intentional?” Asked Jason again.
“Yes, it is.” Elijah responded firmly. “But I can't get married. I don't have time, I hate the idea, and I'm not about to jump into a lifelong commitment just because my dying grandfather wished for it.”
Jason considered Elijah's words for a second then shrugged. He took a seat and looked at him with sheer mischief. “What if you marry someone for a year? Just to fulfill your grandfather’s wish.”
Elijah narrowed his eyes and frowned. “What do you mean?”
“A contract,” Jason proposed, leaning against the desk. “You get married to someone who needs something you can offer. In your case, money.”
“And?”
“Once the company is willed to you after a year, you both go your separate ways, make everyone think you got divorced.” Jason beamed a smile.
Elijah leaned back into the chair as the idea settled into his mind. It was crazy, but it could actually work. If he pulled it off successfully, he would please his grandfather and also inherit his family's airline.
He thought for a moment and asked Jason, “Since you thought of this crazy idea, I'm guessing you know someone who's willing to do it. Right?”
Jason nodded slowly, but hesitated before saying, “I do. But you might not like who it is.”
Elijah folded his hands across his chest and raised an eyebrow. “Who is it?”
Jason sighed and looked Elijah dead in the eye. “Elizabeth,” he said without flinching. “She's your best bet.”
Elijah leaned forward from his chair, his hands slowly unfolded from his chest and he stared at his best friend. His jaw tightened at the mention of her name, and a bitter taste of disbelief settled in his mouth.
He tapped his fingers on the desk as the thought of his childhood adversary sank in. He shook his head and pushed himself away from his desk.
“Absolutely not,” he said firmly. “There's no way in hell I'm marrying her.”
