The Setup (The Dark Billionaire, #1) (2 page)

“Thank you, Mr. Wilson. See you in three weeks. Good night.”

***

I
t was 10:00 p.m. when Jennifer finally got home. Organized as she was, she didn't really need to do any last minute packing. She had already prepared everything a few days ago, so she could take some time for herself before leaving.

She had a light dinner, a Caesar salad, and decided she deserved to take a nice, warm bath. 

At last, she could
really
relax and forget about the office. In five years, it was the second time she was taking such a long vacation. And it was the first time she was taking a bath. Yes, her life was
that
busy, but she enjoyed her job.

Bruce was sometimes difficult to work with, but Jennifer had learned a lot around him, and she knew it was worth the pain. Her dream was to have her own cooking school, but she lacked the confidence to do it; therefore, working with a business savvy leader such as Bruce was an incredible opportunity.

After thirty minutes in the bathtub, she went back to her room to dry her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror. Jennifer had a very athletic body thanks to the three yoga sessions she took every week, during lunch break.

She had beautiful long platinum blonde hair, but in the last few months, she had neglected her look. She wanted something different, maybe to change her style or do something but had never found the time to really think about it.

As she was blow-drying her hair, she looked down and saw that her passport was on the floor, next to her suitcase. It probably fell while I was packing, she thought. She picked it up and turned off the hair dryer. She took a look inside of the little hard book, just to see her face on the photograph.

Ha-ha! Look at that face, I was so young! Jennifer Stuart. Blonde. Blue eyes. 5'7”... What? Wai... wait a minute! Oh my God...

She quickly grabbed her cellphone, and checked the date. She couldn't believe it. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “I am SO stupid! Oooh my Goood!”

Her passport was expired.

“How in the world can I be SO stupid? I can't believe it!” she cried out loud, letting herself fall on her knees, her head in her hands.

Her cellphone rang. She looked at it. It was Bruce.
Come on, not now!
She didn't answer. She wasn't in the mood. And she was supposed to be off, damn it!

Bruce called again, but she didn't pick up. Finally, he sent her a text message:
Major acquisition. Call me back, now.

He wasn't going to leave her alone. She was angry. It was so easy for him to get whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, and there was always someone to get things done for him. Like making sure his passport was not expired for example...  

Jennifer sighed. She took a deep breath, and called Bruce.

“Yes, Mr. Wilson?” she said with a cold voice.

“Jennifer, am I bothering you?”

Silence. Jennifer didn’t like to lie and she wasn’t going to pretend; yes, he was bothering her but she couldn’t say it.

“I guess I am,” he said. “But I'll take that for a
no
. Jennifer, I need your help before you go and it's something that Bernie cannot do for me.”

“Benny,” she said, her voice sharp.

“Yes, whatever. That's really important, and only you can help me. There's this company in East Europe, and I have heard really good things about them. I need you to help me set up a... let's say
major acquisition
.”

“But, Mr. Wilson, it's not something that I can arrange for you overnight, and I...”

“No no, don't worry” Bruce interrupted. “This is not that type of acquisition. Actually, this is not even a business request.”

Jennifer blinked and frowned. What the hell did he want then?

“I'm not sure I understand, Mr. Wilson,” she said, puzzled.

“Okay, this is simple Jennifer. Their service is to offer very high profile mail order brides,” he said with the most natural tone.

What? Are you kidding me?

“Pardon me?” she said. She was appalled.

“I know you’ve heard me, don’t make me repeat please,” he said. “I like the models you’ve picked for my birthday. I assume you know my taste when it comes to women.”

Jennifer couldn’t believe her ears; was he really asking her to find him a wife? Him? Couldn’t he do that by himself?

“You want me to choose a bride for you?” she asked, to confirm she wasn’t dreaming.

“Exactly,” he said. “And I want her to be here in three days.”

“W
hat? This is what he calls a
major acquisition
? Who the hell is he kidding? And he really has to call me the night before I'm supposed to leave for my trip?”

Jennifer was so furious she was thinking out loud.

She couldn't believe it. Why was everything so wrong? Why couldn't she enjoy her life just a little bit after all these years of hard work? She wasn't the type of girl who complained and whined easily, but this time, she had had enough.

First, her passport was expired, and it seemed like she couldn't go to Thailand anymore. It was very unlikely that she could get a refund from the luxurious resort that she had booked in Phuket. And on top of that, Bruce wanted her to work more, when she’d made it clear that she needed a break, fighting for two months to get some time for herself. He clearly didn't respect her. All he cared about was his own interests, his own requests.

And what a request this time!

Jennifer was not shocked, nor surprised by the nature of the job she had to accomplish. She was used to look for models to entertain her boss, but it was a very different kind of situation. The women that he usually dated were not in need, or at least they had many other options to make a living. Gold digging with a billionaire was just an option among other choices, and Jennifer didn't feel any sympathy or pity toward them.

But these brides from East Europe, did they really have a choice? Did they really know what to expect? They were literally
sold
to rich American men, and it was something Jennifer wasn't comfortable with.

Why did Bruce want to participate in this kind of modern slavery? It was disgusting. Was he really looking for a wife?

Bruce, the Hottest Bachelor of the Year
?
Come on, it doesn’t make sense. He can have whoever he wants right now. Why bothering looking somewhere abroad! Oh, I know... he must be bored and probably needs a little change! It’s crazy what a man can do when he has money. That’s ridiculous...
 

Jennifer spent the next hour lying on her bed, unable to get focused and think about what to do next. She was completely furious. She was furious at herself for making such a silly mistake with her passport and not being able to enjoy a long vacation on a beautiful exotic beach.

And most of all, she was furious at her employer for being such a spoiled thirty-five-year-old boy who thought he could afford anything he wanted with his money. A mail order bride, are you kidding me? There are things in life that can't be bought, Bruce. Maybe it’s time for you to grow up and realize that! Jennifer thought, looking at the ceiling.

She turned her head to her bedside table, and saw a book that she had read a few months ago: Think And Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill. It was a classic that Bruce had recommended to her, saying it was this book that set him on track for success several years ago.

In this book, there was a quote that she remembered:

Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.

She thought about it for several minutes, trying to apply it to her situation. She kept thinking for a while but struggled to find any solution that seemed to carry the seed of any benefit whatsoever.

Her phone rang again, interrupting her thoughts. Bruce again, she thought. Unbelievable!

“Yes!” said Jennifer dryly.

“It's me sweetheart, what's going on?” a woman said with a heavy accent.

Jennifer sighed. “Sorry, Grandma,” Jennifer said, guilt in her voice.

“You sound upset. I'm just calling to make sure everything is fine before you leave tomorrow,” her grandmother said.

“I know. I thought it was someone else.”

“New boyfriend?”

“I wish. It was my boss.”

“Your boss? Aren't you supposed to be on holiday by now?”

“That’s exactly why I’m pissed. Yes, I'm supposed to. But my boss is crazy and I'm stupid...”

“Honey, calm down. Tell me what's going on.”

“I forgot to check my passport, and it's expired. I can't go abroad anymore. And my boss wants me to find him a bride from East Europe. He said he wants her to be here in three days. I really don't want to help him with that...”

“Hum. Don't be too hard on yourself about your passport. Everybody makes mistakes and you've been pushing yourself too much lately. It's no big deal, okay? Now, regarding your boss... you told me he was a playboy. How come he wants to be married?”

“I have no idea, Grandma. It doesn’t make sense to be honest. And it’s none of my business.”

“Well, you've been close to him for many years. You’re smart and you're very pretty, honey.”

“And?”

“And... Maybe you should think about it...”

“Think about what?”

“Well, you’re not that young anymore. It’s time to think about the future...”

“Yes, I know, I know, we talked about it Grandma.”

“Don’t you see an opportunity, here?”

“Wait a minute, you mean getting married with Bruce? With my boss? Come on Grandma, this is ridiculous. Do you really know who he is?”

“When I was young, it was not that ridiculous.”

“In the 1950's, yes Grandma but we're in the 21
^th
century now. Secretaries and assistants don't go to work to find a husband anymore. And he’s not the owner of the little shop down the street. He’s a very big guy!”

“This is not about your job position, honey. You're pretty, and he's very handsome. You two get along. You're available and he's looking for someone serious. It's perfect! He even called you to let you know. That's a sign; believe your old Grandma...”

Jennifer laughed. Her grandmother, Margareta was a Hungarian refugee who had arrived in the United States during the Hungarian rebellion of 1956. Good natured and optimistic, she had raised Jennifer's mother and Jennifer herself with a positive outlook on life.

“Yeah, yeah, I will think about it,” Jennifer lied, smiling.

“Are you sure? I know when you lie to me.”

Jennifer giggled. “Fine, I’ll think about it.”

“Okay but don't think too much, okay? You’ll find a solution. I love you. Good night.”

“I love you Grandma. Bye.”

***

I
t was 3:00 p.m., and Margareta was preparing some coffee in the kitchen, when someone knocked at the door. She wasn't expecting anyone.

When she opened the door, a beautiful young woman, with short black hair and sunglasses was standing in front of her.

“May I help you?” asked Margareta.

The stranger laughed.

“It's me, Grandma. Jennifer!”

“My goodness, what have you done to your hair? Come in.”

“You don't like it?” Jennifer said, kicking off her shoes and walking towards the sofa.

“I like it, but I didn't recognize you at all! It really makes you look different... why did you change?”

“Well, I wanted to change my hairstyle for a long time already. And our conversation last night made me think. I want to teach a lesson to Bruce, to make him understand that his money cannot buy everything. Yes, he wants someone serious, but there are other ways to find someone. So I'm not going to send anyone from East Europe to trade their freedom for a green card. Instead, I'm going to meet him and pretend I'm the bride he ordered...”

Margareta joined her hands against her chest.

“Honey, this is not what I meant! I told you not to think
too much
! Have you lost your mind? I was talking about getting married for real, about something serious. Not to play games and role playing. This is a very dangerous plan that you have; you cannot fool your employer like that. You'll probably get fired you know?”

“Mr. Wilson is a tough businessman, but he does have a sense of humor. I'm pretty sure he will enjoy the joke... He will probably recognize me anyway. Don't worry. And I don’t think he can fire me that easily,” replied Jennifer, imitating her grandmother's accent to make her laugh.

Margareta didn’t laugh, though. Her face was wrinkled by concern and anxiety. “You always like to tease me with my accent, huh?” Then, she sighed and shook her head. “Well, you're a grown up. There’s nothing I can do to stop you, but don’t be too confident. You seem to know what you're doing. I hope...”

T
he next morning, Jennifer called Bruce Wilson, calculating that by now, she was supposed to have landed in Thailand.

“Hello Mr. Wilson, I have selected the perfect candidate for your
major acquisition
, and she should be in New York tomorrow morning. Benny will take care of the details. Your chauffeur will pick her up at the airport and send her to your mansion.”

“Excellent,” he said. “How is Thailand by the way?”

“Oh, it's very... hot!”

“Great. What's her name?”

“Her name is Aleksandra Andrei, short black hair and blue eyes. The company told me she's very excited to see you.”

“Perfect. Enjoy your trip over there...”

***

J
ennifer arrived at the airport forty minutes before the plane from Budapest was supposed to land. She wanted to be there before Bruce's chauffeur and waited for a crowd of travelers to rush out of the terminal gates to pretend she was looking for her name.

As she expected, a man in uniform was waiting for her. She walked confidently towards him, to let him know a certain Bruce Wilson was waiting for her. The chauffeur grabbed her luggage and took her to a huge black car, with a grey hood. Jennifer recognized Bruce's luxurious Rolls Royce Ghost. She had seen the car many times before, but it was the first time she was about to see it from the inside. She was definitely impressed, even though she was kind of “used to it” and couldn't imagine how a complete stranger to Bruce's life would have reacted.