Resembling an ocean of metal and glass, the city stretched in all directions. The steely Kavanagh Building, clad in blue-tinted glass, stood among the skyscrapers.

Inside a conference room with a long, rectangular wooden table, men sat in leather office chairs, while behind them, a panoramic view of the city brightened the meeting.

Joseph Howard Kavanagh and his team, alongside several members of the board of directors, sat across from Formosus Ratisbonne and his legal representatives.

“Mr. Kavanagh, there is only one requirement here: marriage,” said the gentleman’s lawyer, turning to another page of the contract file.

The lawyer was a dashing golden-haired man, who resembled a Teutonic knight, but lacked a knight of old’s honor and integrity. No one in this room had the integrity of a great man, they were just bad men loaded with money.

“Excuse me?” Joseph asked, his voice glacial.

Joseph Howard Kavanagh, the fifth-richest man in the country, stared at the lawyer in panic.

“You are not married, are you, Mr. Kavanagh?”

Joseph turned his attention to wrinkly Formosus Ratisbonne, the widowed and childless elderly billionaire who had a long, narrow face with aged, ashen skin that appeared even paler in contrast to his thick grey hair.

This peculiar condition had not appeared during the preliminary negotiation, and Joseph had certainly not expected to come across as an ultimatum. He wanted to buy Formosus Ratisbonne’s billion-dollar property empire: Ratisbonne Square and the surrounding estates, which were worth billions in ground rents, giving Joseph control over rental income and landholdings.

“I have a fiancée,” Joseph said, lying straight in everybody’s faces.

He was, after all, a low-key, intensely private man, and he intended to remain that way if he wanted to stay at the top of his game, free from media interference and hangers-on constantly on his back. Even the people who worked closely with him knew very little about his personal life. He kept his private affairs so carefully concealed that everything beyond his professional life appeared dim and blurred to those around him. For that reason, he was willing to risk speaking such a big lie, confident that no one in the room knew enough about his personal life to contradict him. In truth, he was a lonely man whose life was empty.

The lawyer laughed, while Mr. Ratisbonne brought his hands to his mouth.

“Oh, do you now? Where is she? Why haven’t you mention her before? Who is she? Do you take us for fools?”

Joseph said defiantly. “ I can assure you that my fiancée exists.”

He spoke with a unshakable and bone-chilling confidence that Joseph came off as offended by their skepticism and mistrust.

He was a man of bold and reckless courage, he was prepared to continue to lie to obtain what he wanted. On the other hand, he understood that his fiancée would have to become real.

“Where is your fiancée then?” the lawyer asked coldly.

“She’s at work.”

“Of course! They’re always at work,” the lawyer laughed sarcastically.

Mr. Ratisbonne leaned toward his lawyer and whispered something in his ear. Then, in a chilly silence, the lawyer nodded before addressing Joseph again.

“Mr. Kavanagh, Mr. Ratisbonne has devoted a considerable portion of his life and fortune to charitable work and providing assistance to families. He places great importance on family unity and the institution of marriage.”

“My private life has nothing to do with my business affairs,” Joseph replied.

“These are Mr. Ratisbonne’s terms, and not ours.”

“And what exactly does he expect me to do?”

“He expects you to have a wife, Mr. Kavanagh. Not a marriage of convenience.”

In complete disbelief, Joseph leaned back in his chair, with mouth shut.

“Are you really in a serious relationship with your fiancée?”

“Yes. As I’ve already told you, she is engaged to me.”

“May I ask how long you have been together?”

“Long enough to know that I intend to marry her.”

“Then perhaps them requirement will not difficult to fulfill.”

“I don’t believe it will.”

“Mr.Ratisbonne wishes to meet your future wife before the contracts are signed.”

Joseph looked at the lawyer.

“That can be arranged.”

“Excellent. We shall expect to meet your fiancée within the next few weeks, as Mr. Ratisbonne will next week be attending a social convention in Budapest in support of the Church’s charitable foundation, led by Cardinal Sainz. The monetary transaction will take place upon your marriage and the submission of the necessary documentation.”

Wordless, Joseph just shook his head, thinking he had to introduce to them a woman who did not exist.

They shook hands, and Mr. Ratisbonne looked Joseph straight in the eyes and said, “Mr. Kavanagh, I am willing to proceed with this business because I see great potential in your company.”

Joseph didn’t really care what this old fool thought of his company.

“I won’t disappoint you, Mr. Ratisbonne,” he replied charmingly.

Where was he going to find a woman convincing enough to pass herself off as his girlfriend and eventually marry him, only for him to dump her after buying the Ratisbonne’s estates?

~~~~~

It was a cold and windy Monday evening, around six o’clock. People strolled through the streets, laughing; the police made their rounds; the shops were closed, but the restaurants and bars remained open, illuminated and noisy.

After a day of exhausting negotiations, tedious meetings, and the extraordinary condition imposed by Formosus Ratisbonne, Joseph Kavanagh made his way to an Irish pub in the cosmos of the city’s old, historic district.

The interior of the pub was cozy, the walls were moss green, the wooden furniture was dark brown, and the lamps cast a warm yellow light. The pub had a section with tables, while the bar featured a long counter accompanied by a row of high wooden stools with green seats. Behind the counter, shelves displayed all kinds of liquor bottles, drinking glasses, and bar equipment. The bartenders prepared drinks and pulled the taps, filling pint glasses with foaming beer.

Joseph sat at a table for two. Staring at the empty chair opposite him, he thought about the absurdity of his lie. He had spent much of the afternoon wondering how he could possibly find a woman willing to marry him within a few weeks. He was forty-four years old, one of the wealthiest men in the country who didn't go out much and didn't really socialise with women. The waiter approached, and Joseph ordered his drink and an appetizer of ham sandwiches on biscuits with apricot mustard.

He looked around and saw that he was surrounded by couples of all ages. The waiters came and went, passing between tables, their footsteps and the clinking of cutlery muffled by laughter and casual conversations. Reflecting on his loneliness, he remembered his late parents, who had enjoyed a loving marriage. In the past, he had once hoped to find the same happiness, but his experiences had left him disillusioned, coming to believe that women were only interested in his fortune and social status rather than his heart and well-being.

He sighed sadly, almost hopelessly. If only God would send a woman his way, his life would be so much easier. Then his fiancée could become a reality, and he could finally put an end to this ridiculous predicament. But she would have to be someone suitable, a woman willing to endure the absurdity of his situation and the lies that came with it. Above all, she could not be some cheap, opportunistic woman interested in his billions of money.

Tiredly, he turned to see whether a line had formed outside, as the pub was generally busy at this time of night. Just as he was about to turn his attention away from the entrance, a long lock of light-golden hair caught his eye. A young woman stood near the entrance. Joseph observed her sad, worried, and unfriendly expression. She had a youthful face, a straight nose, and full lips. He wondered whether her lips were as sweet as honeycomb and as soft as butter. Her wheat-colored, wavy hair was particularly beautiful, extending below her waist, and her chocolate-colored eyes resembled chatoyant gemstones.

A flush crept up his face, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a small smile as Joseph noticed that her clothes did little to conceal her curves. Dressed in jeans, a blouse, and a green sweatshirt, she seemed somewhat out of place among the city night. It was really her hesitant manner that caught his attention because she lingered near the entrance, looking around, as though she did not quite know where to go or what to do.

Sighting and pressing his lips together, he thought that this young woman was pretty. As he frowned at the thought, he took a sip of his dark beer, and Joseph immediately felt as though a bucket of arctic water had been poured over his head. Could she be the answer to all his problems? He wondered what she would do next, his gaze inevitably drifting back to her.

As she walked toward the bar, her hair fluttered, and when she sat down on one of the circular bar stools, she rested her arms on the wooden counter. Since the other stools were empty, she was a lonely figure at the bar.

Despite his anxiety and his sudden urge to approach her like a vulture, Joseph restrained himself, thinking she could not have been more than twenty years old, he thought, and she would probably be asked to leave the bar. What a shame. She was a pretty girl who might otherwise have passed herself off as his fiancée. Nonetheless, as though God Himself were playing the ace of spades in Joseph’s favor, a tattooed security guard, with his intimidating expression, headed straight toward her. The bald guy had barely approached when she pulled her ID card from her wallet and showed it to him. After examining it, the guard rushed away.

Now things were looking better for Joseph, and now he felt a glimmer of hope and smirked terribly. So, this young lady was of legal age after all. Joseph smiled, noticing the irritation evident on her face. This must happen to her all the time, he thought. She spoke to the bartender, who walked away and returned a few minutes later with a glass of Coca-Cola. Smiling faintly, Joseph found her choice rather silly. She leafed through the menu until the waiter approached, and she ordered her food.

Just as Joseph was about to approach her, he noticed three young men entering the pub and heading toward her.