~Zee
Three whole days had passed and no solution had been provided to my predicament. My meeting with the investors was a day away and I was stressed, unprepared and locked behind bars like a common criminal.
Just as I was about to give up, a police officer walked to my cell and unlocked the gates, "come with me," he said, his thick accent betraying him.
I scurried to my feet and followed without asking questions. He led me to what seemed like a conference room. The door was pushed open and the man from the airport was seated with two men and a woman.
I was instructed to sit and before speaking to us, the woman asked the police officer to excuse us.
He was initially hesitant but when one of the men introduced himself as a lawyer, the police officer had no option than to leave.
"Tell me you have good news, I'm tired of sitting around when I have business to attend to," the man said to his lawyer.
The lawyer nodded and pulled out a binder from his suitcase.
"This is Julie, she works at the embassy and she would be helping us," the lawyer explained.
Julie gave us a brief smile, stretching her hand across the table for a handshake.
"I was beyond devastated when I heard about your case, Mr Maxwell," she said to the man.
For someone I had gotten arrested with, this was the first of hearing his name. I have heard of a few prominent Maxwells and I strongly suspected he was Maxwell Orlando, because of all the special treatment everyone was throwing his way.
Julie went ahead to explain why we had gotten arrested. We were charged with indecent exposure because of how we were dressed and the receptionist had told the police we were sharing a hotel room and the UAE is strongly against cohabitation of unmarried couples.
Maxwell's jaw ticked, his fingers gripping the table so hard that they turned white. Our eyes met for the first time and the way he glared at me made me feel extremely weird.
Why was he mad at me? This was as much as his fault as it was mine.
I tore my eyes away from him and focused on Julie and the lawyers.
"Can they please grant us bail? I have a very important meeting tomorrow," I asked no one in particular.
Julie shook her head, "because of the nature of your case, you're at risk of getting deported," she said.
My breath caught in my throat.
I can't get deported, not when I had so much at stake. What would I tell my family?
"So we are to rot in here?" Maxwell asked, his voice rising slightly.
Julie paused, her hesitation obvious.
"There is a solution but I highly doubt it will sit right with you," she declared.
"I'll do anything to get out of here. Please, Julie," I breathed.
Julie paused again before sliding two documents towards Maxwell and I.
My fingers hovered on the first page, feeling a pit form in my stomach.
I finally flipped the first page and what I saw made me shut it immediately.
"No fucking way," I spat, shoving the document back at her.
Maxwell opened his and immediately burst into laughter.
"Do I need to hire new lawyers?" he hissed, his eyes narrowing.
"This is the best option for you, Mr Maxwell," one of the lawyers said, shoving the documents back at us.
"I am not marrying this arrogant man," I announced, crossing my arms across my chest.
"Don't flatter yourself, I wouldn't settle for someone like you either," Maxwell retorted.
I rolled my eyes and turned to Julie, "would I be allowed to attend my meeting before getting deported?"
She shook her head and my heart sank.
"If you both sign the marriage certificate, the major case would be dropped and you can plead for a fine for indecent exposure," the Lawyer explained.
My mouth went dry. I was stranded and the only way out was to agree to marry this jerk.
I looked up at him and it was obvious he was as confused as I was.
After what seemed like an eternity, Maxwell spoke up, "I'll sign the certificate."
"What about you, Zee?" Julie asked.
I sighed heavily, there was no other option. I nodded and proceeded to sign the certificate. From the certificate, I could see my suspicions were true, he was Maxwell Orlando, no wonder he looked so familiar.
As soon as Maxwell dropped his pen, he turned to his lawyer, "how long before I can get a divorce?"
"A year," the lawyer responded.
"Fine, I do not wish to cross paths with you until it's time for us to get a divorce," Maxwell said to me.
I scoffed, " meeting you was no fun either, see you in a year time," I said as coldly as I possibly could even though his obvious hatred for our fake marriage made me feel odd.
The paperwork was filed and we were immediately released. We were given back our phones and just like I had expected, not even a single family member had called or texted me.
The only notifications I got were from numerous posts I had been tagged in. While I was stranded in a jail cell, my parents and sister were on vacation in Greece.
The posts were photos from fancy restaurants and Lisa's massive shopping hauls.
My chest burned but I managed to blink back my tears. Everything would be over as soon as I won over the new investors.
I got a new hotel room,much more smaller than the previous but it was all the comfort I needed.
I spent the night chugging coffee, reading, memorizing and redoing pictorial analysis of my pitch.
By morning, I was completely burned out but I was very ready to meet the investors.
At exactly 10am, a shiny black limo pulled up at the front of the hotel and a chauffeur opened the door for me.
We drove for several minutes before arriving st the entrance of a very tall building.
I was in awe at how grand it was, everything was so bright and shiny.
The most gorgeous woman welcomed me and directed me to the conference hall where some of the investors were already seated. They welcomed me with warm handshakes and we sat together, catching up while we waited for the others to arrive.
They soon arrived and the meeting swung into action. I delivered everything exactly how I memorized it, explaining every single chart and their silent nods was the motivation I needed to keep pushing.
I spent several long minutes buttering up the investors and telling them how this expansion would greatly boost their City's economy and provide employment as we planned to hire a greater percentage of residents.
I answered every question, cleared every doubt and finally, I managed to win over eight out of ten investors.
I broke the news to my family almost immediately. I was expecting a celebration or a pat on the back but I didn't even get a text back.
I felt an odd sinking feeling in my chest. This was supposed to be my big break but my family had managed to ruin it for me.
I sighed heavily, sinking into the seat of my taxi.
During the quiet ride, I frequently checked Lisa's instagram, scrolling through her endless posts to see if she had maybe made a post to congratulate me but there was absolutely nothing.
As if she had noticed me stalking her, my phone began ringing and Lisa's name flashed across my screen.
I answered immediately, my excitement getting the best of me.
"Where are you?" Lisa asked coldly.
I paused, "Still in Dubai," I retorted. "Did mom and dad say anything about me and the investors? I asked curiously.
"Yes, that's why you must return home immediately," she said, her voice sounding excited all of a sudden. "I can't wait for you to see the surprise."