Wife for Hire

Chapter 3: Drama Begins . . . Now

Chapter 3: Drama Begins . . . Now

"You know prostitutes get equal pensions in Europe."

"Shut up, Arman," I said annoyed. I hadn't yet revealed to my brothers what I had decided with Noah. As the oldest child, I was supposed to establish the morals and values these two morons were supposed to follow. However, I already knew I was teaching them the wrong lesson about marriage. "Noah and I are getting married."

The boys who had been busy playing Fortnite resumed their game, paying no attention to my words.

I sighed and plopped down on the edge of their hard mattress.

"Y'all, we're getting a citizenship soon," I tried again.

This time, Ishak spared me a glance and raised an eyebrow. "Did you buy a scratch off again? You should really stop wasting money like that. You aren't winning the lottery."

I narrowed my eyes at him as he and Arman laughed. "I'm marrying Noah!"

Now, their expressions turned serious and one of them turned off the game. They stared at me half in shock and half in hope.

"We send you on one date and you already have the guy? The pimples on your right cheek didn't scare him away?" Arman asked incredulously.

This was one of the reasons why I hated having younger brothers. They were never serious and took it upon themselves to make fun of me.

"It's just leftover scars!" I said defensively. "Besides, he's only marrying me so he can use me as a pawn against his orthodox mother who won't let him marry his girlfriend."

"It doesn't make sense though," Ishak said. "Why would he marry you if he has a girlfriend? Even if his mother is against their relationship, what good would having you as a wife would do for him?"

"His mom hates me," I said flatly. The boys were still lost. "Geez, he wants to show how much his girlfriend is better than me. She probably doesn't have acne scars, and when his mother sees that, she will immediately tell him to divorce me and marry his girlfriend."

"In the meantime, you'll get a Green Card?" Arman asked. The hope spread all over his face warmed me.

"Yes sir." I nodded with a grin.

"What's going to happen to us?" Ishak asked concerned. When I gave him a puzzled look, he elaborated, "I mean, what will be our living arrangements? You have to live with your husband once you're married, but what about Arman and me?"

Though Noah had opened up a new door for the three of us, he had also imposed upon new stress. I hadn't thought about this at all.

"We can live alone," Arman said lightly. "I mean, I'll be eighteen in a few months. You're sixteen. We aren't children who can't be left alone."

"Oh no," I said, shaking my head. "I can't leave you two alone. Damn it! I have to talk to Noah about this."

"Oh come on, even if you lived with us, it's not like you could save us from a break in or something," Arman pointed out. "Plus, you're out all day working and coming back home at midnight to sleep for a few hours before heading off to work again. Ishak and I cook, do our homework, and wait for you. You're as good as invisible."

"Ouch," I said slightly offended. He wasn't wrong, but the words stung. My brothers barely saw me all day because of my job. "Though you have a fair point, I'm still the adult and would like to get back to you on this topic before I get married."

"When are you getting married, by the way?" Ishak asked curiously.

"Tomorrow."

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You see, Noah and I definitely wanted to do a formal wedding ceremony with the priests and all, but later. He wanted me to apply for my Green Card ASAP, so we didn't waste any time and his girlfriend wouldn't jump at his throat.

Therefore, we went to the courthouse the next day with his girlfriend, Olivia, and one of my friends from work, Catalina. They were the witnesses to our official marriage.

I couldn't thank Catalina enough to rescue me in a position as such. Noah and I were supposed to bring in a witness each. Although I hadn't showed up to work in the last few days (I told my employer I had a family emergency), Catalina still came to be my friend and witness.

After the marriage was official, Noah and I stepped out of the building.

Catalina had to leave to go to work, so I was left in an awkward situation. Officially, I was Noah's wife and standing next to him was his girlfriend.

Olivia had this natural beauty about her that even with minimal makeup, she was breathtaking. Her eyes were a light shade of brown with a darker brown ring outlining it. Her nose was short and cute--something I longed for. As for her high cheekbones, she must be thankful to her great genetics. The only off putting thing about her perfect petite body was the outfit. 

She wore an ankle length brown skirt which had the design of trousers. So, it was hard to tell whether she was wearing pants or a skirt. As for the top, she wore an oversized white t-shirt tucked in her pants-skirt thing. Odd combination, but then again, I didn't have much fashion sense in the first place.

I wore a white skater dress I had gotten for my high school graduation but never got around to wearing. It was full sleeved. I wore a pair of white leggings underneath. For someone who had grown up in a conservative household, I had a hard time showing skin.

"Just so we are clear, this marriage is strictly a business arrangement," said Olivia. Although she said it in a lighthearted tone, I knew the underlying message. Noah was hers. 

"Trust me, I only want the green card and I'll be out of your way after that." I promised. "Thank you for going along with this charade. Not everyone willingly signs up for this."

She waved her hand dismissively. "If it wasn't for Noah, I would've never allowed for this marriage to happen."

Noah, who stood quietly texting on his phone, finally looked up at us. "What did I do?"

Olivia rolled her eyes and hooped her arm around his. "You got married. Not to me."

"Just wait a little bit. Once mom's convinced, we are all going to laugh at this marriage." He assured. 

I quietly nodded and kept mum. Noah was doing me an enormous favor by marrying me. No way could I afford to say the wrong thing and get in trouble. 

"So, is she moving in with us, Noah?" Olivia asked him.

I blinked between the two for a moment, not knowing they had been living in together. Even Noah had been caught off guard. Nevertheless, he cleared his throat in clear discomfort before composing a plausible reply.

"Remember, we are broken up for the world. Lulu and I have to live together to keep up this marriage charade," he told her.

"Oh crap, I totally forgot," she said. "Let me go home first and move out my stuff. I don't want Lulu to accidentally step on a pin cushion or a needle." 

I furrowed my eyebrows in curiosity. 

Olivia planted a quick kiss on Noah's cheek before running off. I turned to him questioningly.

"She's a fashion designer," he explained. "Sewing machines, pin cushions, needles, pins, etc. is all over our penthouse."

Before I could process his girlfriend's career, he dropped another crucial piece of information.

"Penthouse?" I muttered.

"Yeah, c'mon. Let's go," he said, making a motion to touch my arm or hand.

I quickly started moving towards his BMW, giving him no reason to lay a finger on me. 

Rest assured, there was no way I was going to let this relationship become anything more than a business arrangment. I didn't want to give Olivia and Noah a reason to take away my green card.

Finally, things were working out for my family.