Chapter 1
My marriage to Fei didn’t start as a love story, but as a business deal.
I was nervous when she called me into her office, since it never meant anything good—usually more work or a reprimand of some kind. She sat behind her sleek, silver desk, her fingers steepled as her eyes bore into mine. It wasn’t even nine a.m. yet.
“Emery, marry me,” she said.
I hadn’t had my first cup of coffee, so I thought I’d misheard her. “What?”
Fei sighed, as if she was disappointed by my slowness. “I want you to marry me, and remain married to me, for three years. Then I can apply for U.S. Citizenship.”
“But why…for citizenship? And—to me?” I’d been Fei’s secretary for a little over a year now, but our relationship was strictly professional. While I was definitely attracted to Fei (and who wouldn’t be, with that sharp jawline, silky black hair, and toned arms that only came from long hours spent at the gym), I wasn’t so disillusioned as to think she was attracted to me.
“Yes. Due to…unforeseen circumstances, my work visa is expired. Applying for U.S. citizenship will take too long, so a Green Card marriage is my best option,” she explained. It made sense; Fei was an executive with Bayview Technologies, and it would be difficult to run a company from across the Pacific Ocean. Teleconferences could only accomplish so much.
“But…me?” I asked again, afraid of the answer.
Fei stood up and walked around her desk until we were face to face. “I understand that you have outstanding student loan debt. If you marry me, I’m willing to pay it off. We also have a pre-existing relationship, which will make our marriage seem more believable to Immigration Services.”
So to translate: she chose me because it was convenient, and because there was something she could hold over my head. Fei really knew how to make a girl feel special.
When I didn’t respond right away, mouth hanging open like a fish’s, Fei clasped a hand on my shoulder. “I would like your answer soon. I have a meeting in twenty minutes.”
Anger flared through my veins at that, white-hot like a firework. I squirmed out from her hold, seething. “Well excuse me! It’s not like I expected to be proposed to by my boss when I came into work this morning!”
Fei blinked at me, and then returned to her seat on the other side of her desk. She opened up her laptop and began typing. “I’ll give you until the end of the week, then.”
Face burning, I stomped out of her office.
San Francisco was an expensive place to live. Crippling rent on top of my crippling student loan payments meant that I needed another job. On the weekends, I worked at an upscale restaurant in the Marina district, fancy enough to draw the grossly rich down from Pacific Heights, but not so pricey that the occasional tourist couldn’t stumble in on their way to Fisherman’s Wharf. That Friday, I’d snuck out of work at hour early to make it to the restaurant in time for the dinner rush, and to avoid giving Fei an answer. I felt a bit guilty, since she’d been strangely nice to me since she proposed, not even yelling when I forget to send her the slides for the quarterly budget meeting (could you blame me? I was distracted). Perhaps she was trying to convince me being married to her wouldn’t be complete hell.
The dinner rush had me running around like a chicken with its head cut off, as it always does. When the hostess told me I had another table out on the patio, I wanted to cry. I didn’t. Instead I slapped on a smile, and pushed my way through the French doors.
“Hi,” I started, going into my usual spiel as I dug my notepad out of my apron pocket. “I’m Emer—” I stopped. Rather than a wrinkly old couple out for their anniversary dinner or a tired tourist mom trying to corral her family of four, I was met with my boss. “—Fei?”
“I never got your answer.” Fei said, narrowing her eyes like she was a predator sizing up prey.
I flustered. “T-this is inappropriate, I’m at work right now—”
“Yes, you are. After working over forty hours for me this week. Tell me, Emery, do either of your jobs use your English degree from Stanford? Do you even have time to write? Will these tips make a dent in your debt?”
My gaze dropped to my feet in shame, then scanned the (thankfully) empty patio, to make sure no one overheard our conversation. Fei sighed, as if I was the crazy one for not jumping at the chance to instantly alleviate my debt, especially when the price to pay is something as nonchalant and insignificant as marriage. Once again, I had no answer.
“I’ll take your silence as a yes,” she said. Fei stood up, sliding her hands into her pockets as she sauntered past me. “I’ve already made the appointment at the courthouse for Monday morning at ten. If you can, bring a friend to act as a witness. There’s no pressure to dress up beyond your normal work attire or wear white. I’ll see you then.”
On the bright side, I had one less table to serve that night.
Thus, at only twenty- four, I got married in yesterday’s makeup and dirty white converse. I hadn’t meant for it to go that way, but that’s how it happened. Under the impression that I was totally fine with entering a fraudulent marriage with my boss, I went to my Sunday shift at the restaurant only to have a breakdown in the bathroom. My coworker Maya found me and offered to take me home. One thing led to another, and I ended up getting shitfaced with Maya, spilling my guts and drowning my sorrows with vodka cranberries.
At 10:09am the next morning, I sprinted down Goodlett Place to get to City Hall, trying to ignore how the slap of my heels against the pavement only exacerbated my headache. Fei was waiting for me in the shade of the building, brow set in a scowl and a cigarette dangling out of her mouth.
And God, that woman looked like she’d just stepped out of a Vogue issue. Fei’s suit was charcoal gray and fitted, accentuating her long legs and the delicious triangular build of her torso. I didn’t miss the glint of a silver watch on her wrist, or how her hair was gelled just so to give it that tousled, wet look. The way she looked at me as I approached made me shiver, and not solely out of fear. Fei could’ve starred in one of my fantasies if she wasn’t currently starring in a nightmare.
Maybe I was still a little drunk, as it was the only logical reason my brain-to-mouth filter suddenly stopped working. “Soooo hot.”
Fei raised one perfect, dark eyebrow. I really, really wanted to die.
“Y-yeah, I’m hot! Because it’s the middle of June! And I ran here!” I squeaked, praying Fei didn’t notice the blush that spread from the tips of my ears to my chest.
Fei only made a noncommittal noise, flicked the finished butt of her cigarette away, and pushed through the doors to City Hall. Caught between the mortification of nearly hitting on my boss and indignation at Fei’s littering habits, I stumbled in after her.
As if looking like a drunk college girl on my wedding day wasn’t enough, it seemed that Fei had invited Hal to be our witness. Hal was an older gentleman with white hair and a stooped back, who had been on the board of Bayview Technologies since its founding (I always suspected his role was more ceremonial that functional). He would chat with me after meetings, rehashing the same two conversations about his grandchildren or how he struggled to keep snails out of his garden. Sweet and fatherly yes, but mildly burdensome when you’re on a tight schedule.
Hal greeted us both when we entered the civil clerk’s office. “Good morning, ladies! Exciting day, isn’t it?”
“Yes, very crucial,” Fei replied. She looped and arm through Hal’s and led him to a wooden bench in the waiting area. “I apologize for our tardiness.”
“Nonsense, nonsense! I’m just glad you asked me to be your witness. Who’d have guessed such a touching office romance was blooming right under our noses!” Hal chuckled. “How long have you two lovebirds been hiding your secret?”
Shit. Everything had happened so fast. We hadn’t worked out a story yet. Nervous, I fiddled with the hem of my dress. “Well…”
“About eight months ago,” Fei said, without hesitation. “After my car accident. Emery was the only one who visited me in the hospital every day, bringing me my work as well as homemade treats. I couldn’t not fall in love with her. We kept our relationship secret because we didn’t want to involve HR.”
My jaw went slack. I’d forgotten about that, and assumed Fei had too, since she hadn’t seemed very grateful in the moment. Even from the confines of a hospital bed, she was as tyrannical and demanding as ever.
“Of course, of course. Your secret is safe with me. Rules should never get in the way of true love,” Hal replied, eyes misty.
An assistant stepped out of the chamber office to call us inside. The presiding civil judge began our wedding by asking to see our IDs, and then asked simple questions about our relationship, which Fei answered. For how long had we been a couple? Eight months, apparently. Were we living together? Not yet, but we would be (What?). Did both parties consensually desire to enter this union? Hmm. The lines were blurred on that one. Finally, the judged asked if we wanted to move to the grand staircase, located beneath the picturesque white marble rotunda, to exchange our vows. Much more romantic than a cramped and dim office.
Fei and I answered in unison. “No.”
The judge didn’t press, likely because this wasn’t the first marriage he’d seen were two people got hitched for reasons other than love. “Very well,” he said. “Do you, Fei Chu, take Emery Stills to be your wife?”
“I do,” Fei said, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a black velvet box. Inside, nestled in a bed of silk, was a gold ring. The band was thin, with several golden beads branching off like the delicate leaves of a willow branch. Three diamonds, square-cut and brilliantly white, sat on top. Simple yet elegant, and definitely the most expensive thing I’d likely ever wear. Fei’s warm hands contrasted sharply with the cool metal of the ring as she slid it onto my finger. I was so bewitched, I nearly missed my cue.
“And do you, Emery Stills, take Fei Chu to be your wife?”
“I-I do.”
By the power appointed to him by the state of California and San Francisco County, the judge pronounced us married.
Hal clapped, and Fei kissed me, hard. Lip-bruising, breath-stealing, fingers-tangled-in-my-unwashed-hair hard. Her lips were warm and firm, tinged with the menthol aftertaste of her last cigarette. It wasn’t my first kiss, but it might have been my best one. With Fei’s hands still tangled in my hair and her eyes locked on mine, I nearly believed we were in love.
A photo flash put an end to the fantasy. Off to the side, the judge’s assistant was helping Hal snap pictures on an outdated smartphone. Like a switch flipped, Fei released her hold on me to go examine the photos, and picking out several to have Hal send to her. Any warm feeling died right there as I was reminded that Fei and I were both just actors in a long con.
We collected our marriage license, completed the relevant paperwork, and exited City Hall. Hal embraced us both, congratulating us one final time before hailing a taxi. I checked my phone for the time, but instead saw a notification from my banking app. 200,000 dollars had been deposited in my account.
“Did you just—”
“Mn,” Fei replied, putting on dark-tinted designer sunglasses to filter out the midday sun. “You’ll receive the rest once I’m eligible for American citizenship. We can discuss terminating the marriage at that point as well.”
While the marriage was fake, it still hurt to hear Fei discuss divorce so casually. A part of me wanted to punch her perfect white teeth in, but I refrained considering the woman had just paid me nearly a quarter of a million dollars. “Yeah, okay. And…thanks. For the money.”
Fei waved off my thanks as a sleek, black sports car pulled up to the curb. I recognized the man inside as a company chauffer. “No need. I’m merely fulfilling my end of the bargain, as I’m sure you’ll fulfill yours.” Before she slid into the car’s backseat, Fei slipped her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose. The sun was in her eyes at this angle, softening her typically cold gaze as her irises glowed a warm amber. “You can take the rest of the day off. I’ll see you tomorrow, alright, baby?”
By the time I’d recovered from the shock of baby, Fei was already gone, headed toward the high rises and steel skyscrapers of downtown San Francisco, where she would no doubt make important monetary decisions and carve out the future of Bayview Technologies with a firm hand. I merely sat down on a wooden bench.
I’d never had a head for money, which is probably why I ended up as an English major swamped in debt. Unlike Fei, I wasn’t cold, wasn’t good at keeping my distance. I twisted my wedding ring around my finger. Three years. We’d make it, only because Fei was ruthless in pursuit of her goals. I wondered if that’s what I was: a goal, and means to an end. The pretty gold ring on my finger suddenly began to feel a lot more like a shackle.
