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“For one, you can get a green card if you marry me,” I offer up, making her breath hitch, making me think that I have caught her in the hook. “All your visa problems will go away, and you can stay here almost indefinitely without having to worry about visa extensions and deportations ever again.”
Suddenly, she doesn’t seem fazed at all, however. It’s kind of surprising to see such a strong and resilient side to her that it kind of piques my curiosity.
“Or I could just get deported. Try again in a year, then start all over,” Isa points out, rather daringly, I have to say.
“But why do that when you’ve already built so much?” I question, turning my chair around to point at the studios out of my window. “You’re currently at the pinnacle of Hollywood, and you want to give that away?”
My words seem to have very little effect on her, and it’s really starting to make me question how much I really know this woman in front of me.
“Fair point. But I have one more thing to ask,” Isa states, and I simply wave my palm open, urging her to go on. “You’re… Leo Camden. You’re one of the biggest names in Hollywood… the entire filmmaking industry, even. I’m sure you can find someone else to willingly marry you to make all your issues go away. Why me?”
I lean back, smiling at her skillful questioning.
“Well, I don't mean this to sound badly, but I’m afraid you were just at the wrong place at the wrong time, Isa,” I answer, and her face remains unimpressed. “I needed to give an answer to Peyton, and you were there like an answered prayer. Of course, I can’t force you to marry me, and I don’t plan to. We can just say that we’ve fallen out and we’ve canceled the engagement.”
“But…?”
I smirk, unable to stop myself.
“But why would I put us in a losing situation?” I proceed, but it’s not making it any clearer on Isa’s side. “Yes, you’re right. I can probably find someone willing to marry me in a heartbeat, and you can probably just go back to your country and start over, and we’d never be in each other’s lives again. I can even just give up the ownership of the film studio altogether, if it comes down to it, and I’ll probably still live a more-than-comfortable life.”
I stand up and walk toward the window to stare out into the studios that my father built from the ground up and the countless people walking in between with equipment and scripts and costumes in their person. “Any of those things could happen, in any combination, but all of them will have the same result: we’ll both lose something one way or another. I’ll have the studio, you go home and start over; or the ownership is transferred and you might get to keep your job until your new boss says otherwise. There’s more risks involved here.”
She hums and I can see in her brown eyes how she’s processing my logic, and I’m hoping this next part is enough to reel her in completely.
“If we get married, I get to keep my father’s company, and you get to keep your job, and we both lose nothing. I’ll get to keep my father’s legacy alive, and you continue to provide for your family back in your home country. Why wouldn’t I bet on this winning situation?” I ask her, attempting to let her see how I see it.
In a turn of events, Isa seemingly is having her spark of determination back. “This is crazy, you know that, right?” she asks, though it feels rhetorical.
“Absolutely.”
“And you know the risks of being caught in this lie, right?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s a felony,” I inform her, and her breath hitches once more. “And immigration officers will probably start snooping around to confirm the legitimacy of our ‘relationship’.”
“Then why would I ever agree to this,Mr. Camden?” Isa questions, and it’s a very good one. I have to give her that. Though I’m not going to lie and say that I hadn’t anticipated this question all this time.
“Because you love your job,” I quickly answer, stunning her. “You don’t have to say it out loud. I can see it in your eyes. In fact, you love your job so much that you purposefully violated the terms of your visa just to do it,” I point out to her, making her remain silent even more. “Plus, this conversation could have been over the very moment I called you my bride when you came back. You could have denied everything in front of Peyton, but you played along. You would lose your job from deportation anyway, even if you went against me, so you had nothing to lose. But you didn’t. Now why is that?”
Isa opens her mouth to speak, but can’t bring herself to utter out any words… because she knows I’m right.
“Damn it,” she mutters, confirming all of my suspicions.
“So, what do you say?” I reach out my hand for her to shake in agreement.
Isa’s brown eyes kind of pierce right through me as she ponders on her thoughts. Then, they go down to my hands as she shakes her head.
“This is absolutely insane,” she says, and I lightly nod in agreement.
“Will you marry me, Isa?”
Chapter 7
Isa
WhatthehelldidI agree to?
I can’t stop thinking about what just happened. It’s beyond comprehension. Hearing Leo Camden –Leo Camden– ask me to marry him is not something I ever thought I would experience.
