Isabelle's eyes went back to her groom, purposely avoiding his eyes. The man was handsome, way more than Raymond, she found herself thinking. But then again, maybe that was her broken heart trying to soothe the ache.
She shook her head. His looks shouldn't matter. After her father made the payment for Ruth's treatment, she would remain married to the man. Rather than his looks, she should be more worried about whether he truly was a drunk and womaniser. She could give up marrying for love, but that didn't mean she would be happy playing house with a man like that. As her eyes appraised him, they landed on the brooch on his suit jacket. She frowned a little as she recognised the piece. Wasn't that brooch worth around two million? How could Jacob afford that if he was just a lowly poor man? Jacob noticed the moment Isabelle noticed his brooch and frowned. He looked down at the pricey jewellery and smiled. "Do you like it?" He leaned in, getting closer to her ear. Lowering his voice, he whispered, "It's actually a fake, borrowed it from a friend." She nodded and pulled back, her face flushing. "Yeah, uh, it looks real," she said, pulling her hand from his arm and stepping away. He was happy his little lie had worked-otherwise, how would he explain wearing a brooch worth two million when he was trying to pass off as poor? But he was also confused as his bride withdrew from him, as if suddenly shy of their closeness. Mh. Was she putting up a show? According to his source, the eldest daughter of the Cruz family was anything but demure. He had expected to meet a bold seductress. But his bride seemed to be doing her best to avoid his gaze, and now, she was putting physical distance between them. Before he could think of a way to draw her from her shell, the woman who had attempted to waylay him appeared, a man in tow. "Hello, Jacob," she greeted him, a tight smile on her lips. "I'm Naomi, Isabelle's sister. This is Raymond, my boyfriend." Jacob appraised her casually. Now, this was the kind of reaction he had expected to get from the eldest daughter of the Cruz family. A woman who looked at him with apparent desire in her eyes. Not one who blushed so easily and avoided his eyes. But, wasn't she being a little too obvious in front of her sister? Not to mention she was with her boyfriend. Jacob gave a cursory glance at his bride, only to find that her expression had changed. Her flustered look was gone, and now, she was staring at the two with a closed-off attitude. Did she not like them? Raymond turned his attention to Isabelle, looking a bit squeamish. "Isabelle...uh, you look beautiful." Jacob caught a slight tightening in Isabelle's jaw as if she was grinding her teeth. When she didn't pay attention to him, Raymond stepped back to Naomi's side. "I heard that you're jobless. It must have cost a lot to hire that suit. But don't worry, since we are going to be family now, my boyfriend can offer you a job at his company," Naomi told him before turning to Raymond. "Right, babe?" Isabelle bristled at her sister's shamelessness. How dare she say something like that? She looked towards Jacob, afraid that Naomi's attitude had offended him. She was surprised to find him regarding the two with a slight lift of his mouth, not looking offended at all. In fact, he looked more amused than anything. What came out of his mouth surprised her even more. "Thanks for the offer, but I'd rather be an idler than work for you." Naomi huffed, turning her nose up in the air. "So much pride does not suit a poor man. Are you planning on living on my sister's money?" Isabelle stepped forward and got in her sister's face. "That's enough, Naomi. We'd like to begin the ceremony now." Naomi scoffed but still stepped back. "Good luck with your pauper," she said as she dragged Raymond with her towards the exit. Isabelle was happy to see them go. The day was already unpleasant enough without having to see their faces. With Naomi gone, the ceremony started and proceeded smoothly. Nobody from Jacob's family showed up, but Isabelle decided that was a non-issue. What mattered was that the agreement between the two families was now fulfilled. After bidding farewell to their guests, it was finally time for Jacob to bring Isabelle to their new home. Jacob was relieved the ceremony was over. Now, all that remained was to take his bride home to show her the kind of life she was about to begin living. If he was lucky, she would cancel the marriage as soon as possible and set him free. That way, he would have fulfilled his mother's last wish to marry the eldest daughter of the Cruz family. It wouldn't be on him if she hated his lifestyle and divorced him... According to what he had heard about the Cruz's eldest daughter, she would probably not even want to spend a night in the small house he had prepared. So when his new wife walked into the small, old house and told him that it looked nice, he was caught by surprise. While it was a tidy house, it was like a studio apartment-everything from the bedroom to the living room and the kitchen was all arranged together. The Cruzs lived in a huge mansion. How could she be so calm about the arrangement? As Isabelle looked around her new home, she thought that it was inconvenient. She had hoped to have a separate bedroom from her new husband, but it seemed as if that wasn't an option. There was one room and one bed. In fact, it looked so much like the servants' quarters tucked away at the back of the compound of her family's compound. Practical, but nothing luxurious about it. But at least it looked nice. While it was a far cry from her adoptive family's mansion, it looked homely and tidy enough. The size wasn't an issue to her. Before Francis and Lucy adopted her, she had lived at the orphanage, sharing a dorm with many other girls. She had learned from a young age to be thankful for having a roof over her head. Not many orphans were as lucky. The one bed...that was the real issue. There wasn't even any extra space where she could move in an extra bed for herself. Her eyes landed on the three-seater sofa in the house. She could fit there, right? While his new bride took in her new home, Jacob moved to the bed and removed his jacket. Maybe she was okay with the house, but had she thought about the mechanics of the entire arrangement? There wasn't much privacy in the room. They would be sharing a bed, a bathroom, and everything else.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 sh
"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