"Do you think it will work?" Drake, his bestfriend since birth and lawyer asked him, doubt and skepticism evident on his face.

"Yes, it will. No one will ask anything as long as I have a proof - a marriage contract - proving that i am married. If they will ask to meet her then I will just pay someone to pose as my girlfriend. I will even pay a person to stand as the clergy who solemnized our vow if they will ask for more proof." Lucas answered while still looking over the glass window in his office - his empire.

The Harrison building - the main office of his business - is located at the heart of Manhattan. His business was build by his own hands from the mud it was in. He was the one who have been working tirelessly to regain their status and wealth ever since his father gambled all their fortune including the family's business that has been passed down from generation to generation.

He was barely eighteen when he asked his father to step down from being the CEO of the company. Taking risk here and there - eventhough everybody doubted that he will rise - he made it to the top on his own. Five years since he took the position, he acquired again almost all of their company, buying all the stocks and ownership from different people whom his father lost in gambling. Now, on his 30's, he was included on the billionaire's list in the whole world, his company had been in the Forbes 500. Some would say that he had everything that a person can ask in life: looks, money and an empire - and he agrees - but not his paternal grandmother. Helen, the matriarch of the family - she may be on her 70's now but the woman has a balls of a man on his prime. She was the one who urged him to take the position from his father even if he was her own flesh - her son, she dutifully had his back during those turbulent times.

Now, she is pressing him to get married and have a family - even to the extent of matchmaking him to different woman, she even asked the support of his loving mother. Drat it!, if not for the pressure of everyone around him, he will not be in this kind of problem.

"Are you really sure about this?" The voice of Drake pulled him out of his trance.

"I already told you a thousand times that I am sure of this. It will not fail." He sighed and sat on the armchair in front of him, before he continued, talking slowly as if his bestfriend is an imbecile.

"We will make a marriage contract with a fake name with a fake data of the said woman and file it in the court. At least that one is foolproof eventhough everything was made up. I will just tell them that i got married in secret when I was younger, let's say 25 years old and that i did not tell them because we got separated when her family found out about it." He exhaled after his long explanation. A raised brow was the only response he got from Drake.

"What's with the raised brow?" He asked exasperated.

"Just for the sake of asking..Let's say that you were really got separated because of her family, what will you tell them if they asked you - especially your grandmother - the reason why they did so?" Drake asked as if conceding to his ingenious plan.

"Well, it's because she's not yet an adult at that time, only seventeen, almost eighteen." He answered without a pause.

"You really thought this so, huh?!" Drake asked incredulously.

"Yes! Yes i did! I thought this thoroughly, especially if this concerns my future, my whole being." A deflated sigh came from Drake's pursed lips.

After a while Drake finally agreed. "Fine! I will do it! Only because I will have a chance of telling you 'I told you so' when the time comes that this will all go downhill. And don't bring me with you." Drake finished with a raised arm expressing his helplessness on the matter.

It really is bothering him - this plan that Lucas - his genius bestfriend and boss is planning. He can fully understand Lucas and his reasons for doing this. His grandmother and mother are both bothering him to get a wife. Always planning a party or attending a party where they will drag Lucas and paired him with different woman. They are not subtle, nor careful at the least and his bestfriend is always on his beast mode due to pressure. There was even a time that they dump a baby on him, as if by doing so, his bestfriend will finally have the heart to wed someone. Hell will freeze over when that happens - Lucas words not his. He considers himself lucky since his family is not pushing him to marriage life, they let him be. If ever they will try whatever Lucas' family is doing, he might run away. A deep sigh emanated from him.

"Okay. So what will be the name of your wife?" He asked while taking a pen and a pad.

Lucas pursed his lips and crinkled his brows in concentration as he thinks of a proper name for his fake wife.

"Claire, her name will be Claire Marie. As for the family name..let's use an old one so as to prevent my family to linked her to anyone. Let's see..maybe Sullivan will do. There are many Sullivans in this country and not all are related. Remember in the university, we know about ten people with the surname but they are not related with each other." A nod from Drake confirms his concurence.

Lucas continued his made up data. "So she will be Claire Marie Sullivan. She's seventeen during our marriage. Her birthday will be July 7, 1995. Her hometown will be somewhere north. So the wedding day will be sometime in June because she wants to be a june bride." He smiled after the elaborate detail that he came up with, glancing Drake's way.

Drake ended up shaking his head at Lucas' complete data of his fake bride.

"So she will be seven years your junior." He stated as a matter of fact.

"Yes, why? Is there a problem?" He asked with a raised brow.

"None, no problem at all" Another deep breath was taken before Drake opened his mouth again.

"Just remember that I am doing this because I don't want the hassle of drafting a prenup or the going to courts filing a divorce if we will use a real person for this charade." Drake uttered.

"Just admit that you're lazy with your work." Lucas answered with a smirk.

"What lazy, i am not lazy, you're a slavedriver! You want everything polished even if it already is!" Drake huffed his exasperation. That made Lucas ruthless in the business world, he wants everything polished and without loopholes.

"Just do it man. I will handle all the consequences if this will go downhill. Just be discreet, okay?" Lucas said eyeing his bestfriend.

"I am discreet!" At the annoyed expression of Drake, Lucas guffawed.

"Really?! You're discreet? You remembered that time when we will still in university -"

"Hey, stop it! Don't remind me of that time!" Drake interrupted him, enraged and immediately stood up turned and walked towards the door.

Lucas stopped him with his words, "Thank you for supporting me with this Drake. I really appreciate it." He said sincerely.

"You know I will always have your back. You can count on me, even with crazy things or crazy plan. We're more of brothers that just friends Lucas. It is just that I am really not into the plan wholeheartedly. But if it will make you sleep peacefully at night then I am in. But if karma will bite your behind, count me out, okay because we both know karma is a bitch." Drake finished with a grin before he went out the room taking his things with the pad where all the necessary details of this whole plan is written.

When Drake left, Lucas let out a deep sigh and prayed to whoever is above that his plan will work to his benefit. But a whisper entered his head.

'Karma is a bitch.'

************************************

Hey there guys! I hope you like this story. It will be my first. Any comments, may it be positive or negative is highly appreciated.

Ciao! Au revoir!

-blue