Chapter 2 Two

Isabelle twisted her fingers on her lap and cast another look past the seated guests to the entrance of the gardens where her wedding was taking place. Her brow furrowed slightly when there was no sign of Jacob Garcia or any of his family members.

The ceremony had been supposed to start two hours ago. All the guests from her side of the family were already there, but not one from the groom’s side.

Now, she was reduced to nerves as she sat and waited. Was he going to make it? She had never met him, but she had heard that he was an idler. What if he decided to not show up? To be forced into marrying a stranger only to have him ditch you at the altar…

All this not long after what happened with Raymond and her sister. The two were seated on the front row, and she was doing her best to ignore them. Naomi had been stuck to Raymond’s side since they arrived, and a few comments had been thrown around about what a beautiful couple they were.

Isabelle tried not to let it get to her. While it still hurt, she had accepted that she and Raymond were history. Even if she wasn’t marrying someone else for Ruth’s sake, she would never have forgiven him. To not only cheat but to do so with her sister? How had she not found out sooner?

Where did he get the guts to attend her wedding, anyway? Naomi probably dragged him along just to rub it in her face.

Naomi huffed loudly from her seat, interrupting Isabelle’s stream of thought. “I knew that man was nothing but worthless trash. How dare he keep us waiting? If he didn’t want to get married, he should have said so. What a coward!”

Isabelle closed her eyes momentarily, wishing her sister would shut up. Naomi was the reason she was in this predicament, to begin with. Now, she had to pretend to be the eldest daughter of her family to save their reputations.

A murmur rose around her as the guests reacted to Naomi’s accusation.

“Poor girl. I heard he’s joblessand a son already abandoned by the Garcia’s. Who wants such a husband?”

“She could do better.”

“He is an useless drunk.”

“I've also heard of many of his vices. He was sent abroad to study early, but never heard of him getting any degree, maybe he was expelled long ago so he couldn't even find a job.”

“So shameless. Who keeps the bride waiting?”

Isabelle focused on the altar ahead and tried to shut out the rumours. It didn’t matter. Whether Jacob was an idler, poor, drunk, or not, marrying him was the only way she would be able to pay for Ruth’s treatment. She would focus on that.

As the gossip deepened, Naomi spoke up again. “Seriously, our family can do so much better. It’s such an embarrassment to have to wed my sister to him. He is obviously alienated by his own family. Why should we accept him?”

Why was she complaining so much, Isabelle wondered. She wasn’t the one marrying him anymore, was she? Plus, it wasn’t as if she cared about Isabelle’s feelings, so why was she acting as if she did?

Naomi suddenly appeared in Isabelle’s face. “Let’s go, Isabelle. This is embarrassing.”

Isabelle shook her head and remained in her seat. She was going to wait as long as it took for Jacob to get there. If he got there. Surely, the Garcia family wasn’t going to back out of the agreement on the wedding day, were they?

Naomi reached forward to grab Isabelle’s arm, but Isabelle shot to her feet and stepped back. “Let it go, Naomi! There must be a good reason he’s late. Let’s just wait.”

Maybe he was caught in traffic. Or he had not been well-informed when the ceremony commenced.

Naomi scoffed, ready to get into a tirade. But then, the two sisters noticed that the crowd around them had gone silent. Isabelle turned to see what had captured their attention when she saw the man walking towards the reception area.

Her breath caught in her throat as the man stepped into clear sight. Tall, handsome, and well-dressed in a dark blue three-piece suit that properly outlined his broad shoulders, lean physique, and long legs. And his face…oh, his face. His angular jaw, prominent brow, those dark eyes that seemed to be looking right through her even from a distance…

Isabelle’s face flushed and she looked away momentarily as she realised that the man’s eyes were on her. Was this really Jacob Garcia? She hadn’t expected him to look so…put together. Idlers weren’t supposed to look like they had walked out of a men’s fashion magazine.

When she looked back up, she was taken aback to find Naomi had already left her side and was rushing towards the man, a big smile on her face.

“Hi! I’m Naomi.”

Isabelle held back her scoff. She wasn’t even surprised at her sister’s sudden warmth towards the man she was bad-mouthing just a minute ago. She wouldn’t be surprised if Naomi felt ready to marry him now that she saw he wasn’t as shabby as she thought. But that wasn’t possible now, was it? She was pregnant with Raymond’s baby…

Isabelle was expecting the man to entertain her sister, but instead, he brushed right past Naomi and came up to her. He stopped in front of her and caught her gaze before bowing his head slightly. “I’m so sorry to keep you waiting. It was not intentional.”

Isabelle felt her heart swell at his politeness and gesture. The nervousness that had built during the long wait evaporated as she nodded. If this was truly his real nature, the idea of marrying a strange man didn’t seem as daunting as it had before. “It’s alright. I’m happy you made it.”

“May I?” he asked, offering her his arm.

“Sure,” she replied, hooking her hand on his arm and letting him walk her to the front for the ceremony to begin.

As the couple made their way to the altar, Naomi watched, simmering with anger. Was this man really Jacob Garcia? He didn’t look like a jobless idler at all. She had lied about being pregnant to get out of the marriage agreement because she had thought he was worthless. And now here he was, looking like a prince? She clenched her teeth together, her anger doubling as she saw how he looked down at Isabelle. That bitch!

But, she decided, him dressing well didn’t mean anything. He probably borrowed the suit he was wearing. Or hired it.

A man with so much vanity! Naomi was even more sure that he must be a liar!

As they came to the front and stood next to each other, Isabelle was aware of the many surprised gazes directed at Jacob. And how many of the guests leaned towards each other in gossip. She could bet everything she had that the tune of the gossip had now changed.

But, whether or not the gossip was in a positive light, she didn’t want to spend more time there. She wanted to be done with the ceremony as fast as possible. It wasn’t as if this was her dream wedding. Her fantasies about her wedding had usually involved a man she was deeply in love with. A man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Instead, she was getting hitched to a stranger whose name she didn’t even know. And the man she had dreamt of walking down the aisle to? He was now standing beside her sister.

It was time to let go of her silly fantasies. Her life had never been a fairytale, and it looked like it wasn’t about to get any better.

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 recognized the piece. She remembered it was the work of a master she had seen in an exclusive TV interview and the last piece he had painstakingly worked on before retiring. She was impressed by its design and exquisiteness.

Such a piece is not something that can be purchased with a price. How could Jacob get it?