The Billionaire’s Fake Marriage

“Describe to me in one word — meeting your romantic partner from another country, online.”

“International Love by Pitbull” a link appeared below Janet’s hint few seconds later. Janet knew this song and so it made her chuckle.

“I was looking for something subtle.” she typed again.

“Soulmate from outer world.” another reply appeared.

“I am looking for just one word.” she typed.

Seconds went by and nobody replied before somebody typed — “Dateline”

“Like Dateline? The News program?” Janet wondered.

“No, like international date line.” the responder started typing, “It separates the world into various time zones. It’s invisible but exists — like the love from a foreign country that you have not seen or maybe even heard of before. It’s very much real, but you just cannot touch or feel it.”

It made Janet think. She really liked the idea but Dateline was not only too familiar a name but also a registered trademark.

“Sorry, it’s registered. But I really liked the concept,” she typed.

“Well at least we are getting somewhere,” the responder typed.

“What the hell are you doing?” Kitty asked her reading the chats. “You are going to tell them everything about your idea. Stop it!”

“Just let me be. I think I have something here.” Janet asked for some more time as she typed into the chat box — “I really liked the idea of something that exists beyond your reach or grasp, but makes you yearn for it. Like a long lost love that you crave to be with.”

“I was also using the word Date as a hook. You know .. international date line.. and date.. like will you be my date?” the responder typed in.

Janet could see the appeal but the possibility of legal hassles kept her away from using this name, “I love this name, but there could be some complications.. legally.” she replied.

“Jan, that is enough. We need to stop this right now.” Kitty reminded her.

But Janet was enjoying this virtual brainstorming. This stranger was giving her a new perspective on how to come up with a name. However, she also knew that Kitty was right.

“Jan, get out of there. Right now!” this time Kitty was firm.

“But I am having so much fun!” Janet pleaded like a child.

Kitty knew Janet was never going to stop and so she pulled the plug. With one swift move, she turned her laptop off.

“Are you out of your mind? You can’t just go on telling random strangers over the internet about your next big idea.”

But Janet was not listening to Kitty. Now she was thinking of the oceans and the date line. She could feel the yearning of that long love that she had not seen or touched before in her life. And it gave her goosebumps.

“Are you okay?” Kitty asked looking at Janet.

“I think I got it!” she replied with a smile.

Kitty could see that Janet was staring into space without blinking and there was a big smile on her face. Normally, it would have freaked out somebody who did not know Janet, but Kitty knew this face meant Janet was on the verge of a breakthrough.

“Tell me!” Kitty said, knowing Janet was going to drop a name any moment now.

“You know.. something that is beyond any boundary or control. Where love can feel free and safe, without any worry of any political or moral constraint.”

Janet looked at Kitty with a knowing smile.

“Something like international waters?” Kitty replied after thinking for a few seconds.

Janet smiled and looked into Kitty’s eyes.

“High Seas,” she said.

And it hit Kitty right there. This name was perfect for their service. It represented everything their idea stood for. Janet had done it again.

“High Seas,” Kitty thought. “I love it.”

“I know you do.” Janet said with a big smile.

Finally, they had an idea and a name.

*****

“I love it,” Rebecca declared her love instantly after hearing the name. “Let me check if it’s available and I will get it registered.”

“We already did. It’s available and we have bought the domains. So all we need you to do is get it registered.” Kitty told Rebecca.

“Awesome! I will prepare the paperwork right away. What are you guys going to do now?”

“We are going to setup a team that will take care of everything technical. I will get my team from CookUp to do this. I trust them blindly,” Janet replied.

“First, we need to come up with a marketing strategy and set up a backend. These two things have to be done simultaneously. After that we can talk about creating the website and app. And once we are done with that, we will need to start advertising.” Kitty already had it all figured out.

“Remember, its bigger than CookUp,” Janet reminded Kitty. “This time we are going to launch it simultaneously in several countries.”

“Absolutely! And I know just the people for this job.” Kitty knew her job quite well.

Janet knew she could count on Kitty and Rebecca and so she focused on how to get the service working. She discussed the idea with the developer team that helped her with CookUp. Together they came up with a strategy to make meeting people from strange countries a breeze. It was both safe and fun, and just the way Janet had imagined it.

The developers were now working to create a website and app that were interconnected. On the other hand, Kitty was busy with the marketing team trying to figure out how to get the service the best exposure all over the globe. The plan was to create a buzz among the public all over the world as if something big is about to come their way. And after the hype has been generated, the service was to be launched like a big event.

The marketing team suggested creating a short film to launch on social media with a love story that transcended geographical boundaries. Janet really liked the idea and another team was formed to create a series of videos.

“This is going to be amazing,” Kitty said while looking at the briefs. Janet could see how excited she was.

*****

A beautiful girl was standing in the fields, looking around as if searching for something or somebody. A handsome man was in the mountains, roaming aimlessly before he stopped and looked into space. Together both of them were separated by a thin boundary that was almost invisible. They were trapped in their two different worlds with their backs towards each other. And slowly, they start turning around, feeling each other’s presence. The moment their eyes met each other, they stood there frozen in the moment — two people from different worlds, finally meeting face to face. But then they realized that their worlds were different, and impossible to meet. With a strong yearning in their heart and desire in their eyes, they tried to touch each other, but all they felt was an invisible border between themselves. The longing intensified and so did the efforts. They tried to break the invisible separation using rocks and their hands. But all their efforts were futile and they almost gave up looking into each other’s eyes. And then, something happened — Their worlds started to change and soon both of them were standing in one realm that was more beautiful than the worlds they came from. It was a world filled with warm light and soothing breeze touching their faces and hair. The ocean was visible all around them in its full glory. The two of them stood up and looked at each other — the invisible wall was not there anymore. They were now free to touch each other and the first thing they did was to hold each other’s hands. They walked closer and looked into each other’s eyes.

High Seas appeared on the screen as the lovers went out of focus. A beautiful female voice read the name, “High Seas — Love without boundaries.”

A small message appeared on the side of the screen saying, “Available for download on iOS and Android.”

“So what do you think?” Kitty asked Janet. Both of them were sitting in front of a big screen, watching this short promotional video that was about to be launched on social media sites.

Janet took some time to phrase her response and then said, “I don’t know. It felt a little too mushy.”

“It resonates very well with our target demographics.” Kitty informed Janet how this seemed to be the perfect video for their brand.

“I think I need some more time to say anything about this video. What else do you have?” Janet said massaging her eyes.