Would she be able to maintain her cool if he undressed in front of her?
As he reached for his tie, he turned around to face her. She was beautiful, that much was clear. Her black hair was gathered at the top of her head in some kind of fancy bun. A few strands at the front were untamed, framing her round face. She was actually kind of cute too... He shook his head at that thought. Cute? God, how mushy. Besides, he didn't care whether she was cute, hot, or plain ugly. He wasn't planning on staying married to her for long. He saw the moment her eyes reverted to him as he unbuttoned his shirt. She blushed instantly and turned away, muttering apologies. Jacob smirked, finding her reaction amusing. She faced the wall and even brought her hands up to cover her eyes. They were going to be sharing this house from today onwards. Was that how she was going to react any time he changed? She was bound to see his naked body at some point. "Would you like to take a shower first?" he asked her. A shower? Isabelle looked towards the bathroom. It was the only private place in the house. It at least solved one of her problems. She would never have to change in his presence. She wished he did her the same courtesy and stopped undressing in front of her. "Yes," she said, nodding. Still keeping her gaze from him, she walked towards where her suitcases were sitting. Opening one, she looked for a towel and a change of clothes. Then, without another word to him or a glance towards his side, she hurried towards the bathroom, opened the door, and disappeared inside. The bathroom was not as spacious as the one back home, but it had enough space for a shower, the toilet, and counter space. There was no bathtub, but that was fine. She could live without those relaxing herbal baths she had gotten used to at her family home. A small price to pay, she decided. Looking at herself in the mirror, she cursed softly. Her face was still covered in all the makeup she had worn for the wedding. She had forgotten to bring along her makeup remover from her luggage. Placing the towel and change of clothes on the counter, she opened the door. She was one step into the room when she noticed that Jacob was now shirtless. She froze for a second, her face burning as she took in his bare torso. His abdomen muscles were well-formed, and the V-line above his waistband- "Like what you see?" Mortified, she looked up to find him watching her, a lopsided smirk on his face. She stepped back quickly and closed the door behind her. Ugh, why was she so nervous? She would have to stop being flustered so easily around him. Moving away from the door, she decided that soap was a good enough makeup remover. Sighing, she got busy removing the pins in her hair. When Isabelle left the bathroom, she was a lot more composed. She had spent the time in the shower berating herself for being so jumpy around him and resolving to change that. If she showed him that she was nervous, he would undoubtedly take advantage of her. Jacob was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, sipping on a glass of water when she appeared. She gestured towards her suitcases. "I'll unpack while you shower." He nodded. "I've left half of the closet bare for you," he told her. She nodded, looking towards the closet's double doors. Like everything else in the house, they would be sharing that. She was happy to have some time to herself as he showered. But it didn't last long as he soon reappeared, looking fresh. She was just finishing unpacking her clothes and shoes. "You didn't want to marry me, did you?" he asked as she stuffed her empty suitcase above the closet. After stowing her suitcase away, she took a deep breath and turned to him. "Of course not. It was our family's agreement, and I'm happy to honour it." "Really? You don't look happy about it," he continued, his eyes focusing on her face. She turned away and headed towards the kitchen. "I'm just not used to you," she told him. Then she got busy looking for a glass and filling it with water at the sink. Wrapping her hands around the glass, she turned back around to face him. Jacob took a seat on one of the two armchairs in the house and regarded Isabelle. Was she really just nervous, and didn't mind being married to him? Maybe if he was open about his thoughts about the entire arrangement, she could drop her act. "I only married you because it was my mother's wish. I don't want, or even need, this marriage. So, while we are married in their eyes, I don't consider you my wife. Let's act as a normal couple in front of others, but stay clear of each other's private lives." Isabelle nodded. "Okay." Okay? That was all she was going to say? "But that doesn't mean you can have other lovers," he noted, recalling what he had heard about her debauchery. "Just because we are only pretending to be a normal couple doesn't mean you can sleep around." She looked up at him then, her smooth brow frowning. What, did she expect him to allow her to have other men beside him? It was one thing to pretend to be poor to put her off. But to actually allow her to have a lover when everyone thought she was his wife? No way in hell."Of course, if you want sex so much, I'm willing to act like a husband in that manner," he offered.Isabelle coughed into her glass of water. "No," she said when she recovered. "No thanks. We are only a couple outside this house.""What, you don't think I can satisfy your needs?" he asked. Women had always flocked to him. A woman of her character, who was known to have no shortage of lovers, must surely appreciate what he was offering."As you have mentioned," she told him, "we are only pretending to be a couple. I'll do well in that matter. Don't worry, I won't be involved in any relations with anyone as long as I'm your wife. Just don't meddle in my life."Isabelle gobbled down her water and turned away from him as she placed the glass back. The nerve of him to talk to her as if she was a cheater when he was the one everyone knew was à womaniser. He knew nothing about her. And yet, it appeared that he had already pegged her as someone who would have sex with him when they were only
"Our bed," he corrected. "And, fake or not, you're my wife, and I won't let you sleep on the sofa."She looked at him, met his gaze for a second, and then looked away. So, even after saying they would only pretend to be a couple in public, was he going to treat her like his wife indoors?"Thanks, then, if you're sure," she told him."But," he said, reaching forward to lean one of his hands on the counter next to her. "Do we really have to resort to that?"Isabelle swallowed, her throat going dry at his sudden closeness. His arm brushed against her side and she stepped to the side, attempting to create more space between them."What?""We are both adults," he said, his eyes running up and down her body openly.Was he checking her out? What exactly was he trying to do? She tried to maintain her composure, but it was hard when his dark eyes rose to hers. They penetrated hers, and for a second, she forgot how to breathe.It wasn't her fault that he was so good-looking...The closer Jacob
"Where is he, anyway?" Naomi asked. "How could he let his new wife go back to her parent's house alone the day after the wedding? Doesn't he want to come to greet his in-laws?" Clasping her hands below her chin, she gave Isabelle a sympathetic look. "Oh, or is he too ashamed to step foot here? Maybe he doesn't have a nice suit to wear today?""Shut up, Naomi!" Isabelle snapped at her. How dare she make fun of her when she was the cause for all this! She should have never agreed to get married in Naomi's stead. How stupid could she be to think that the Cruzes would keep their end of the deal? When had they ever treated her fairly?"How dare you talk to my daughter like that?" Lucy shouted, putting her cup down and shooting to her feet. "Only one day out of this house, and you're already behaving like an ingrate?""Lucy-" Francis tried to calm her down, but she held a palm out to him, shutting him up."The nerve of you to storm in here and start demanding money, as if we owe you anythin
Lucy was beside herself as Kevin gathered all the gifts and put them back into the bags. If she had known Jacob Garcia would show up, she never would have asked Isabelle to leave. She couldn't believe he was taking back all his gifts. To miss out on benefitting from a rich son-in-law just because of something she had said!Beside her, Naomi seethed as she took off the diamond necklace she had already worn around her neck. This had to be a nightmare. There was no doubt that Jacob Garcia was truly a wealthy man. Only an extremely wealthy man could afford the kind of gifts he had brought. And they weren't even fake!She almost shed tears as she realised the kind of life she had missed out on. If only she had married Jacob as intended... She should have never trusted hearsay that he was poor and unreliable. Now, instead of her, it was her wretched adoptive sister who was beside him.Isabelle was taking in the spectacle unfolding before her when Jacob took her hand and led her towards the
After settling in her new home, Isabelle had one more thing to do: find a job. The sooner, the better. She was no longer getting any money from her parents, and Jacob's financial situation wasn't the best.So the sooner she got a job, the better it would be for all of them. Once she found a job, maybe she could look for a new apartment to rent. While the house they were living in wasn't exactly the worst, it was practical at best. Living with Jacob in the same room when they were only pretending to be a couple had its own share of challenges she wished to fix soon.With a good job, she could be able to afford to rent a good apartment where they could each have their own rooms. Also, once she found a job, she would have fewer things to worry about and finally focus on finding ways to raise funds for Ruth's medical bill.She had high hopes of finding a job quickly. Just the other day, she had received a call for an interview from Larson Group, a famous design company that was renowned i
"Yeah, please do tell us," the man sitting next to her encouraged.Ann crossed her arms across her chest and pursed her lips before saying, "I just don't have a good feeling about her, that's all.""That cannot be a good reason to not hire her," someone pointed out. "It sounds as if you have a personal grudge against her. You need to give a good reason why you don't recommend her for the position.""I do not have a personal grudge against her," Ann claimed firmly. "But yes, I know her from school. We were classmates. That's why I know she had a reputation for stealing other girls' boyfriends." Ann shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past her to have seduced the professor to have him accept the design as originally hers.""Oh my God," the other panellist said, covering her mouth in shock. "That's horrible.""You mean she is a cheat?" the man asked. "That's very disappointing. I had high hopes for her."Ann rolled her eyes. "She probably wouldn't have graduated with a certificate if she wasn'
Isabelle looked up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She eyed the pamphlet in his hands and shrugged. "Yeah."Then she looked away again and focused on her laptop. But Jacob didn't miss her tone, and how her face fell at his question."And?" he urged."I didn't get the job.""Oh," he mumbled, frowning. "Can I take a look at your resume?""Sure."He took the document and sat back on the sofa. The more he scrutinised the document, the deeper his frown grew. From what he was seeing, it didn't make sense that she wouldn't pass an interview at the Larson Group.According to her resume, she was a top student at her college and even won a scholarship after winning a design contest. That aside, she had recently won a design championship. Both were enough proof that she was a brilliant upcoming designer."Why were you rejected?" he asked after looking through her resume."Probably because I didn't pass the exam," Isabelle replied. But even as she said that, she doubted it. She
Isabelle walked into the kitchen to the sight of Jacob standing over an overturned recycling bin, with several shattered beer bottles at his feet. He had a broom in one hand and a dustpan in the other, still as he looked at the mess he had made.When Isabelle appeared, he looked from the mess to her and then back again. "I...uh..." he began, then went to rub the back of his neck, but realised that was impossible with the dustpan in his hand. So he dropped his hand and shrugged.Isabelle was relieved that he didn't seem to have hurt himself. But she couldn't help but be amused at how he looked standing there looking at the mess he had made as if not sure how it had happened.He cleared his throat and looked at her. "I was sweeping and then...I hit the bin."Yeah, she had guessed as much. Stepping forward, she reached for his broom. "Let me clean it up.""No," he said, stepping back. "Careful," he added, looking down at the shattered glass. "Don't step on them."Isabelle stepped back fr