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Chapter 16 Sixteen
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 17 Seventeen
Isabelle came to her feet when Jason got to their table, and so did Seth beside her.“Good afternoon. Ms Cruz,” he greeted. “How is your first day going?”“Good afternoon, Mr Del Mundo,” she replied, smiling at him. “Good so far.”“Are you having any problems? Is anyone giving you a hard time?” he asked, a serious look on his face.His serious expression and firm words surprised Isabelle a little. Sure, he had been so helpful during the interview process so it shouldn’t be a surprise, but he sounded very concerned. His manner implied that he was concerned in her not just because she was an employee, but almost as if he had a personal investment in her.Before she could assure him that she wasn’t having any trouble at all, Seth spoke to him. “You don’t need to worry about that, Mr Del Mundo. If Ms Cruz runs into any problems, I’ll help her through.”Jason turned to Seth and noticed how he hovered over Isabelle, as though protectively. He cleared his throat and looked between the two. “
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 18 Eighteen
Jacob scoffed as Isabelle narrated how she thought Seth was the one who helped her with the interview. Had he gone through all this trouble to give her a fair shot at the job only for her to think it was another man who helped her? She must think really highly of the guy.“Did he tell you that?” he asked, crossing his arms across his chest. At that point, they were just standing in the middle of the alley, immersed in their argument.“No,” she replied, blowing away stray strands of hair from her face. “But it makes sense. Nobody else at the company knows me personally, so he’s the only one who could have spoken for me against Ann. He’s a head designer, so I think he’s close to the vice president. Plus, he comes from a powerful family. He probably has some influence around here.”The more she talked about the guy, the more Jacob’s irritation grew. Did she say he was her senior? Did she have a crush on him or something? Just because he was not her lover didn’t mean she wasn’t interested
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 19 Nineteen
Jacob and Isabelle turned around at the sound of the voice. Their eyes fell on Naomi, standing near a black BMW that was parked outside the nearby building. Beside her was a man Isabelle had never seen before.“Hi, Naomi,” Isabelle greeted her tersely, ignoring her earlier words. She wasn’t interested in having a fight with her sister in front of Jacob. Just a few minutes ago, she had told him that everything was fine with her family. If Naomi didn’t back off, he might get the idea that she’s hiding something.Instead of replying to her greeting, Naomi turned to the man beside her and hooked her arm through his. “Babe, this is my sister, Isabelle.” Turning back to Isabelle, she said, “This is Arnold, my boyfriend.”She didn’t even bother introducing Jacob, but that was the last thing on Isabelle’s mind. New boyfriend? What on earth happened to Raymond? Wasn’t she supposedly pregnant with his child? As she looked from Arnold to Naomi, her sister gave her a pointed look, her lips stretc
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 20 Twenty
“What is going on?” Isabelle asked when Jacob didn’t offer any explanation about the sudden change in their means of transport. “Whose car is this?”Jacob shifted in his seat to look at her. “Since it’s your first day at work, I wanted to do something special for you. So I hired this car to pick you up.”Isabelle didn’t know what to say at first. Of course, the only way he could pick her up with such an expensive car was if he rented one. But why would he go to such an extent? They weren’t a real couple. Still, it warmed her heart that he wanted to do something special for her on her first day at work.“Thanks,” she told him. “It’s a nice ride.”It was better than nice. It was the kind of car only the very wealthy drove—and she knew that meant the renting fee had to be quite high. While it was nice that he thought to do this for her, she couldn’t ignore the financial implication. She was out of cash and he was making money on a part-time job.They couldn’t afford to splurge on unneces
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 21 Twenty One
On the evening of Isabelle’s third day at the Larson Group, Seth appeared at her desk when it was time to go home. Isabelle hadn’t seen much of him the past two days, besides when they had lunch together. Part of it was because she was avoiding him actively–even though Jacob had accepted her explanation about their relationship, she didn’t want to risk another misunderstanding. The other reason was because they weren’t in the same departments and were both busy at work.When he appeared, she was gathering her things, ready to leave. Most of her co-workers had already left.“I came by to see if you want to get off work together,” Seth said when he got to her desk.The request was innocent enough, she supposed, but she couldn’t help thinking about the last time they had left the building together.When she hesitated, he added, “I haven’t seen much of you these last couple of days, I was hoping to catch up. You can tell me about how you’re getting along with work.”She appreciated his co
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 22 Twenty Two
“The landlord is on the line,” the realtor said, holding his phone toward Isabelle. “You can talk to him.” When Isabelle took the phone and turned away, the man gave Jacob a wink–a sign that everything was going smoothly.“Hello, I’m looking at an apartment here and I understand that the rent is only three hundred bucks?” Isabelle said into the phone.“That’s right,” the man on the phone replied. “I know it sounds shocking, but I’m about to move abroad and wanted to get tenants before I leave. I figured I would get a tenant quickly if I lowered the rent.”“Oh,” Isabelle muttered. That kind of made sense, she decided. If the landlord was moving abroad, it made sense that he would lower the rent to quickly attract a tenant. She still thought the rent was too low, but as long as the landlord had confirmed it, she was willing to let it be.“Feel assured and take the house,” the landlord continued. “I was very happy to get a call that someone wanted the house. Please don’t worry about the
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 23 Twenty Three
When he didn’t seem to pay attention to her plea, Isabelle grasped his arm and pushed it away. She was clearly only going to get out of this by having to–“Just a sec,” Jacob said, his voice gentle. She went still as he reached up and touched her forehead, then wiped his palm over her skin. “You’ve got a bit of sweat here.”“Oh,” she mumbled, her face going hot. Was that it? He just wanted to wipe her forehead? He should have said earlier. And here she was, getting wild ideas…Jacob could barely keep his lips from splitting into a wide grin. So maybe he enjoyed seeing her frazzled by his proximity a little too much. And he was also guilty of enjoying having her trapped in his arm a lot. But he couldn’t help it–she was just too adorable.He half-expected her to keep pushing against him after he said he was wiping her sweat, but she didn’t. Instead, she stilled and let him go ahead, her struggle gone. What had she thought he was going to do?“Are you done?” she asked after a few seconds
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 24 Twenty Four
Isabelle picked up the form and ran her fingers around the edges nervously. “Even if there are side effects, they said that they will compensate me.”Jacob gave her a look that suggested he thought that was ridiculous. “And you believed them?”“It’s in the registration form.”His brow furrowed. “Let’s say they are not lying, what if the drug has serious side effects on your health? Are you okay with that just because they’ll compensate you? What if you suffer permanent effects?”“Many people have done this before,” she said, trying to calm him down. She couldn’t understand why he was so angry about it. “You’re overthinking, I’ll be fine.”“Overthinking?” he scoffed. “Don’t you care about your health at all?”“I need the money, okay?” she told him finally, dropping her gaze to the floor. “I need money urgently and this was the best option I could find.”“What?” he asked, his voice full of disbelief. “You’re putting yourself in danger because of money?”Isabelle clenched her teeth toget
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The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 93 Epilogue
Four Years Later“Mummy!”“Daddy!”“Mummy!”“Daddy!”As the two toddlers rushed through the room trying to outdo each other with the screaming, Isabelle turned away from her laptop and got ready to receive the three-year-old boy who came barreling into her arms.On the other side of the room, Jacob put away the tray of vegetables he was carrying outside to the barbecue just before their daughter barreled into him and wrapped a tiny arm around his legs, the other pointed accusingly towards her brother.“Daddy, Raul is being mean to me again!”Jacob reached down and scooped her into his arms. “Is he? What did he do this time, Ruthie?”Now secure in his mother’s arms, Raul turned to glare at his twin sister. “It was my turn. You never let me have my turn!”“But then you called me ugly!”“Did you call your sister ugly, Raul?” Isabelle asked.He looked at her, blinked, and then shook his head dramatically. “I didn’t.”“You did!” his sister claimed. And then she started crying.Raul stared
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 92 Ninety Two
Isabelle swallowed nervously and took a step back. “I…we–”“We?” he interrupted, his gaze hardening. “Are you two a couple now?”“Let me explain,” she told him, lifting a hand to slow him down. “I left the apartment that night. I didn’t know there was a storm coming, and that the bus services had been suspended. He saw me at the bus stop.”When she stopped, he arched an eyebrow and asked, “And?”“He took me to his house–”“His house?” he cut her off once again. He paced, his jaw tense. “I knew it. That shameless jerk…” He suddenly changed direction and headed for the door. “I’ll finish what he started right now.”Isabelle rushed after him and grabbed his arm before he got to the door. “I’m not done yet.”“Do I need to hear anything else? If you’ve been living with that man–”“I only stayed for one night,” she told him hurriedly. “I didn’t have time to look for somewhere to move into because of the storm. I stayed just that night, in his guest room. The next day, I got a room in Hillsi
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 91 Ninety One
Isabelle frowned. “What was the point of the arrangement, then?”“It was your adoptive parents who wanted a share of the Garcias’ wealth, fame, and glory. The pact was their condition to an old business deal. If they had really wanted to cancel it, I would have obliged them in a second.”“But…they were afraid of your wrath. They acted like there was no way out of the arrangement. Besides Ruth’s issue, that’s why I agreed…they had adopted me and taken care of me. If I could do that one thing for them…” she trailed off and sighed.“Then, it appears that your adoptive father was determined to marry one of his daughters into the Garcia family, come what may. You happened to be the ideal backup when their eldest claimed to be pregnant.”She immediately shook her head. “No, my… Francis would never do that. He…in that household, he was the only one who treated me decently.”“Are you sure he wouldn't? I’m assuming he is the only one who knows the true nature of the marriage agreement. If his
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 90 Ninety
Isabelle couldn’t stop her body from trembling as she hurried to the elevator and pressed the call button. What was he doing here? Why had he come to look for her at her work? He was already with Naomi. Was that not enough to get back at her for lying?Jacob walked past her and pressed the call button for the executive elevator.“We can’t use that one,” she told him.“We can,” he said as the doors opened. He reached for her arm, wrapped his fingers firmly around her, and pulled her into the elevator with him. He pressed the button for the executive floor.“What are you doing?” she asked, attempting to free her arm from his grip.“We’ll talk in my office,” he said, setting a steely gaze on the closed doors.“Office? What are you talking about?”A small part of her was convinced she was dreaming. Or hallucinating. None of this made any sense. She knew Jacob was bold, but this was pushing it. He couldn’t just come to her company and do whatever he wished.He looked down at her, one brow
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 89 Eighty Nine
Jacob brushed Seth’s hand off his shoulder, irritated. “Is that any of your business?”“It is,” Seth said, getting in his face. “If you’ve come to cause trouble at her work.”Jacob narrowed his eyes. What did this man know? He had been civil enough during that dinner. Why did he look ready to give him a beating?“If you must know,” he told him flatly, “I’m here to get my wife. Why, do you have a problem with that?”Seth pointed a finger in his face. “You’ll not get anywhere near her.”Jason stepped towards Seth and pulled him back, about to warn him to watch his mouth if he still wanted to keep his job.Seth beat him to it. “Do you know this asshole, Jason?”“Shut up, idiot!” Jason seethed, standing directly between the two men. “What do you think you are doing?”Seth indicated Jacob. “Call security to throw this man out.”“Why would he do that?” Jacob asked, stepping closer and putting a hand on Jason’s shoulder to push him aside.“She ran away from you so you came to cause trouble a
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 88 Eighty Eight
Jacob spent the next two days in the hospital and left on Monday. They were the longest two days of his life, and only Jason giving him multiple updates per day about Isabelle’s whereabouts kept him from saying damn it all and leaving against the doctor’s advice.He left the hospital in Jason’s company, with Kevin driving them. It was only a few minutes’ ride to the company, but he felt like it was taking forever.Jacob looked at his watch. It was twenty minutes to nine o’clock. He knew for a fact that Isabelle was already at work because Jason had her department director report to him the moment she showed up.He exhaled heavily. He couldn’t wait to see her face…hear her voice…hold her…If she would let him.He tapped his fingers on his thigh rapidly. The memory of that day at the hospital flashed through his mind. How she had run away from him, and the accusations her sister had made.The fingers on his lap curled into a fist. He refused to believe it. His sweet Isabelle would never
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 87 Eighty Seven
Isabelle had thought she knew what heartbreak felt like. But even when she had caught her ex in bed with her sister, it hadn’t hurt this way. Not even close.All of a sudden, sitting at the kitchen table with her shoulders drooped and her sobbing face in her hands, she realised the true extent of her feelings for Jacob.All along, she had held her feelings for him back because she had known she was lying to him. She hadn’t allowed herself to take a moment to feel their depth. Now…they hit her like a tornado.She was in love with her pretend husband.But it didn’t matter, because she had lost him.She had known from the beginning he didn’t belong to her. She had known a day would come when her deception would come between them. And, she had known she would hate hurting him. But she hadn’t thought she would be left with a broken heart.She squeezed her eyes shut as an image of the photo Naomi had sent her shuttled through her mind’s eye. She couldn’t stand it. She couldn’t bear the thou
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 86 Eighty Six
When Isabelle left her hospital room accompanied by Seth, Naomi appeared from behind the corner she was hiding in.She watched the backs of the two as they left, unaware that she had been at the door while they talked, and she had heard everything.Isabelle was pregnant with Jacob’s child? Naomi clenched her teeth and huffed. She was going to do everything she could to make sure that her adoptive sister left the city as soon as she could. Before Jacob woke up, and before Isabelle found out Jacob was actually Logan Larson.Naomi wasn’t going to let her win this time. She was the one who was supposed to marry Jacob in the first place. And now that she knew his real worth, she wasn’t going to let her stupid adoptive sister keep him. If Jacob woke up and found out about the baby…She shook her head. That couldn’t happen. She wanted Isabelle out of his life completely. When he woke up, she would be nowhere to be found. Once Naomi let him know that his wife had eloped with another man, it w
The Billionaire's Pretend Wife Chapter 85 Eighty Five
After the doctor left, Isabelle convinced Seth that he didn’t need to stay the night. She was safe now, and she didn’t want to inconvenience him given that he had work the next day.From the look on his face, she could tell that he was deeply worried about her, but he said nothing regarding the news her doctor had just delivered.He told her that he would be there first thing in the morning to see her. She told him he didn’t need to trouble himself, but he insisted.Once he was gone, she was finally able to process what the doctor had said. She was pregnant. With Jacob’s child. She thought they had taken enough precautions when they slept together, but obviously they hadn’t been careful enough. Was it that morning they ditched protection?Whatever had happened, it didn’t matter. She ended up pregnant anyway, and that was what she needed to think about.Whenever Isabelle had thought of having her own family, she had imagined a home with a loving husband and happy kids. She wanted her k
