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He Married Her for a Green Card, So I Married a Billionaire
Novelix
Completed
I gave Ryan ten years, my inheritance, and the technology that built his company. When my visa is about to expire, he still refuses to marry me. Then I find him at the county clerk’s office with his intern, planning a temporary marriage so she can get a green card. He expects me to wait until he divorces her. Instead, I marry Graham Whitaker, a billionaire whose life I saved twelve years ago and who never forgot me. When Ryan tries to destroy my new marriage, I expose his fraud, reclaim my patents, and bring his empire crashing down. Now he wants me back. He’s far too late.
Chapters (3)
第1章
When the third denial notice from USCIS arrives, I panic and call Ryan, my boyfriend of ten years.
“The extension was denied again. The lawyer says if I don’t…”
Ryan cuts me off before I can finish.
“Let me guess. If I don’t marry you, you’ll have to leave the country?”
“Ryan, this is real. My legal status expires in seven days. If I can’t file another valid petition before then, I have to leave.”
“I’m tired of hearing that excuse.”
He doesn’t even try to hide how annoyed he is.
“If that were true, they would’ve kicked you out years ago. You wouldn’t still be here.”
“Maren’s right. You wanna get married so bad, you keep using this visa thing to pressure me.”
“I was gonna marry you. But every time you pull this, it makes me want to do it even less.”
Before I can explain, he hangs up. The line goes dead.
We’ve been together for ten years.
I’ve brought up marriage well over a hundred times, and every conversation goes nowhere.
I used to think we had more time.
But my work visa extension has been denied three times, and my current legal status expires in seven days.
If I can’t submit another valid application before then, I’ll have to leave the United States.
After waiting ten years, I can’t afford to wait any longer, and I don’t want to.
I sit in silence for a moment, then open my social media account and write a post.
[Looking for a husband. Must be willing to get married within seven days. Serious inquiries only.]
Less than a minute after I post it, my phone starts buzzing.
Within minutes, there are more than a hundred comments.
My DMs keep blowing up too.
[That desperate to stay in the country?]
[How much are you paying?]
[Post a picture first. If you’re hot, I might consider it.]
[Marriage sounds fine. What’s in it for me?]
Most people are just making fun of me.
Others send me filthy, graphic messages that make my stomach turn.
I ignore the comments and open my DMs, scrolling past one disgusting message after another.
Then a black-and-white profile picture catches my attention.
There are no photos, no posts, and no personal information on the account.
It only shows that he lives here in Las Vegas.
He sends just one line.
[Meet me outside the county clerk’s office at nine tomorrow morning.]
It’s blunt, almost cold, but at least it sounds serious.
While I’m staring at his empty profile, another message appears.
[After we meet, if you’re not comfortable, you can walk away. I won’t pressure you.]
He hasn’t made any filthy jokes or asked me to name my price.
That already puts him ahead of everyone else.
I stop overthinking it and type one word back.
[Okay.]
It’s after midnight when Ryan comes home.
I’m putting the last few pieces of clothing into my suitcase.
Now that I’ve decided to marry someone else, there’s no turning back.
Ryan stops in the bedroom doorway, takes one look at the large suitcase beside me, and scowls.
“What the hell are you doing now?”
“All you ever do is pressure me to marry you. Do you ever stop and think about how much stress I’m under?”
He loosens his tie and stares me down.
“You’ve got no family here and barely any friends. Where exactly are you gonna go?”
“Where can you even go without me?”
“You’ve got way too much time on your hands. That’s why you keep coming up with new ways to make my life miserable.”
He walks past me and deliberately kicks the suitcase.
It falls onto its side with a heavy thud, spilling the clothes I just packed across the floor.
Ryan doesn’t look back.
He goes straight into his study and slams the door.
I crouch down and quietly put everything back into the suitcase.
He knows I have no family in this country.
That’s why he keeps letting Maren wedge herself between us.
He knows my ability to stay here depends on this relationship, so he’s convinced I’ll never actually leave him.
This time, he’s wrong.
I’m done with him.
第2章
The suitcase is heavy.
I drag it to the front door.
The moment I step outside, a gust of wind slams the door shut behind me.
Ryan hears it from upstairs and texts me right away.
[Slamming the door that hard just to make sure I hear you?]
[Celia, this is getting old. If you think I’m gonna come running after you, you’re wrong.]
[Let’s see how many days you last on your own.]
I don’t know when the man I once loved became someone I can barely stand.
Instead of replying, I block his number.
I glance back at the mansion one last time and almost laugh.
All the money and praise must’ve made Ryan forget who he used to be.
When we met ten years ago, he was a broke kid who’d grown up in foster care.
He had no family money, no connections, and a mountain of student loans.
No matter how hard he worked, no one with real money would give him a chance.
I gave up a research job that would’ve kept sponsoring my work visa and poured every dollar of the inheritance my parents left me into his company.
I also developed its first product and the core technology it still depends on.
Ryan Foster wouldn’t be where he is today without me.
It’s freezing out, and the late-fall wind cuts right through my clothes.
It’s hard to get a rideshare this far inside the gated community, so I drag my suitcase toward the main road.
About fifteen minutes later, a red Maserati speeds past me.
Its tires hit a puddle and send muddy water all over me.
Before I can react, the Maserati backs up and stops beside me.
The driver’s window rolls down.
Maren is behind the wheel, her makeup perfect as always.
Ryan started changing about six months ago, right after Maren showed up.
She was the new intern at his company.
One afternoon, I brought Ryan lunch like I always did and caught him with his arms around her.
He let go of her right away.
“She lost her balance. I couldn’t just let her fall.”
I glared at him.
“There’s a big difference between catching someone and holding her in your arms.”
Maren teared up instantly.
“I’m sorry, Celia. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t tripped, you wouldn’t have gotten the wrong idea about Ryan.”
“Please don’t fight because of me.”
That was enough to set Ryan off.
“What the hell are you accusing me of?”
“That was completely innocent. You didn’t grow up in the States, so maybe you’re reading too much into it. I’m not gonna hold that against you.”
“But don’t come back to the office. I’m not gonna let you cause a scene over every little thing and make everyone uncomfortable again.”
After that, I wasn’t even allowed inside the company.
Security stopped me at the entrance every time.
And whenever I showed even a hint of annoyance about Maren, Ryan would shut me out for days.
In the end, I was always the one who gave in first.
“Celia? Wow, it really is you.”
Maren looks me up and down, openly smirking.
“I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Her eyes drop to my mud-soaked clothes, and she covers her mouth in fake surprise.
“Oh my God. I got your clothes filthy.”
“Ryan just bought me this car, and I’m still getting used to it. You’re not mad, right?”
She runs a hand over the steering wheel and grins.
“Maybe I’ll mention it to Ryan. He can buy you ten new outfits.”
It sounds like an apology, but there isn’t a trace of guilt on her face.
And that last line is a flat-out taunt.
I’m done with Ryan, and I’m not about to let Maren walk all over me.
I stare her down.
“You’re the one who ruined my clothes. Why should Ryan pay for them?”
“What are you to him, exactly?”
第3章
Maren clearly didn’t expect me to fight back. Her smirk slips for a second.
The old me never confronted her.
All Ryan had to do was ignore me for a few days, and I’d apologize first and pretend nothing had happened.
I was too afraid to question Maren because I knew it would only make him resent me more.
Then she laughs in my face.
“What’s gotten into you today? Finally had enough?”
“All I have to do is get upset, and Ryan shuts you out. How many times has this happened now? And you still haven’t learned?”
She leans against the window and takes her time looking at my soaked, miserable clothes.
“Ryan could’ve looked into it and found out your extension really was denied.”
“He knows your legal status is about to expire too.”
I grip the suitcase handle tighter.
Maren grins, pleased with herself.
“But so what?”
“All I have to do is tell him you’re using your visa problems to force him into marriage, and he believes me.”
“You’ve been with him for ten years. So what? He’d still take my word over yours any day.”
Her gaze drops to my suitcase.
“Seven days left, right?”
“You’d better wise up, or you really will end up getting kicked out of the country.”
“Maybe you should beg me. Be nice, and I might put in a good word for you and get Ryan to marry you.”
So even Maren knows exactly what Ryan has been using to keep me trapped.
They both think I won’t give up ten years with him or risk my chance to stay in this country.
No matter how badly they treat me, they’re sure I’ll eventually crawl back and beg.
They’re wrong.
Ryan isn’t the only man I can marry.
“Maren, know what Ryan says to me all the time?”
She frowns.
“What?”
“He says I didn’t grow up here, so I don’t understand how things work. That I don’t understand him.”
Her confidence slips. I smile.
“But ... neither did you.”
Maren came to the United States through an exchange program.
It ended months ago.
She has no new sponsor and no legal authorization to keep working.
I once saw her paperwork in Ryan’s study.
That’s why she’s so desperate to get close to him.
Staying with a man who’s already rich and successful is much easier than finding a new job and another sponsor on her own.
She gets to stay in the country and live in luxury while she’s at it.
What she doesn’t know is that Ryan built everything he has with what I gave him.
The money that launched his company came from my inheritance.
The core product he takes so much pride in runs on my technology.
I gave him everything he has. I can take it back too.
There’s nothing else to say to Maren.
I turn and keep dragging my suitcase toward the main road.
She shouts after me almost immediately.
“You think exposing my status is gonna change anything?”
“Ryan already knows my work permit expired!”
“And he hired the best immigration lawyer in the city to help me!”
My steps falter, but I don’t look back.
So Ryan knew all along.
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand the rules here.
And it wasn’t that he refused to get involved in someone else’s immigration mess.
He just wasn’t willing to do any of it for me.
I find a nearby hotel and check in for the night.
I don’t sleep at all.
At six in the morning, Ryan finally realizes I blocked him and calls from another number.
The second I answer, he starts yelling.
“Celia, have you lost your damn mind?”
“For ten years, you’ve lived in my house, eaten my food, and spent my money. When have I ever treated you badly?”
“Can you quit with the drama already?”
I take a slow breath.
“Is that really how you remember the last ten years? Me living off you?”
Ryan goes silent.
After a long pause, his voice finally softens.
“Come home now, and I’ll forget this ever happened.”
For a second, I’m surprised.
It’s the first time he’s ever been the one to back down.
Then he keeps going.
“Maren told me she ran into you last night and accidentally splashed you. She said you cursed her out and humiliated her over her immigration status.”
“Come back and apologize to her, and maybe we can get our marriage license today.”
I’m so furious, all I can do is laugh.
“Don’t bother.”
“I’ve already found someone else.”
