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Chapter 5 Five
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Isabelle’s heart hammered away in her chest. Why was he suddenly asking that? Had she said something to give herself away?
If he found out the truth and cancelled the marriage… No! She couldn’t let that happen. If he discovered her family’s deceit, her parents would no longer cater for Hannah’s treatment.
“Of course I am,” she replied, crossing her arms across her chest. “Why would you ask that?”
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at her. It made her even more uneasy.
“You are the Garcias' eldest son, right?” she asked, attempting to shift the attention from her to him.
Jacob shoved his hands in his trouser pockets and rocked on his feet. “I am.”
She nodded. “Well then, it’s all good, right?”
Was it? Jacob wondered as he studied Isabelle.
Knowing that he was going to marry a strange woman to fulfil his mother’s wish, he sent someone to investigate the eldest daughter of the Cruzes. He had needed to know about her so he could figure out how to encourage her to divorce him quickly.
But now, he was wondering whether his source had gotten his information wrong.
When Jacob appeared at the wedding, he was ready to meet a haughty woman who would turn hostile at the sight of their living arrangement. Because according to his source, his intended bride would never settle for such a life.
The reality was turning out to be completely different.
Isabelle was not showing any animosity towards the situation. Did she really not mind being married to a poor man she wasn’t even in love with? Was she so devoted to her family that she was willing to sacrifice her own desires to ensure they met their end of the agreement?
Because if that was the case, Jacob was afraid it would be so much harder to get her to divorce him. But that couldn’t happen. Whether this woman was who she said she was or not, he didn’t care. As long as he was concerned, he had fulfilled his mother’s wish and married the eldest daughter of the Cruz family.
Now, all he needed to do was find a way to end the entire thing. What besides passing off as a notorious man could make a wealthy heiress divorce you?
“It’s all good,” he replied finally. “It has been a long day, we should go to sleep.”
“Yeah,” Isabelle said, then her eyes slid past him to the only bed in the room.
Jacob held out one hand to her. “Care to join me?”
She shook her head quickly. “I’ll take the sofa.”
“The bed is big enough for both of us,” he pointed out.
“You’re only my husband on paper, Jacob. Other than that, you’re a stranger to me. I don’t share a bed with strangers.”
He took a step towards her, crowding her. “You don’t?”
Isabelle swallowed as he stepped closer. “I don’t.”
“I’ll not try to touch you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he assured her.
Did he really think she would agree to sleep in the same bed with him when they were in a fake marriage? Ah, or was this one of his ploys to seduce her? She had heard that he was the player, after all. And not long ago, he had offered to satisfy her sexual needs…
She cleared her throat and gestured to the sofa. “I’m good with the sofa.”
She actually wasn’t–after the long day she had had, she was hoping for a good night’s rest. Now, not only was she trapped in a room with a strange man, but she also had to make do with a sofa. None of that screamed ‘good night’s sleep.’ Forget having a good rest. She would be lucky if she could get a few hours of shut-eye.
Jacob shook his head and took yet another step towards her. She wished he would stop doing that. It was getting harder to focus on the important things with him getting in her space. The closer he got, the more attuned she became to the scent of his soap, the slight dampness of his hair, the curve of his upper lip…
She shook her head mentally. Those were not the kind of thoughts she was supposed to be having if she was determined to keep everything platonic.
“No, I can’t have that, he told her. “If you won’t come to bed with me, I’ll take the sofa.”
Would he really do that?
“No, you don’t have to. It’s your bed, after all.”
“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 got to Isabelle, the stronger the whiff he was getting of her soap or shampoo or whatever it was she had used in the bathroom got. And damned if he didn’t want to close the few remaining inches between them and press his nose into her neck, or hair, just to take a deep inhale.
Dammit…was it really possible to play house with this woman without crossing the lines he had intended to draw even before he met her?
He was loving her reactions to him a little too much. As he got closer, she looked as if she wanted to bolt, but also as if she was trying hard to act like he wasn’t affecting her. Her chest was rising a little more rapidly, and her hands had closed into fists.
Maybe while they were stuck in this situation, it wouldn’t hurt to have a little fun…
Moving quickly, he stepped in front of her and placed his other hand on her other side, effectively caging her to the kitchen counter.
Her eyes widened instantly as her hands dropped to brace herself on the surface behind her. “What…what are you doing?”
He leaned in, closing in on her, bringing his lips to her ear. “Would you like us to be a real couple… behind closed doors?”
Her wide eyes fixated on him. “I…I…”
“You’re a beautiful woman,” he whispered, making a point of keeping his voice as low as possible. “I wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with you. And, of course, doing other things that a normal couple would.”
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Isabelle’s face burned red at Jacob’s words and proximity. Why was he suddenly acting this way? She had already made it clear she wasn’t going to share the bed with him, let alone sleep with him! He must be teasing her!His lips so close to her ear, he whispered, “What do you think?”What did she think? She couldn’t think, for one. The only thing she knew was that she needed to get out of that situation…Quickly, she ducked under one of his arms and sprinted across the room to the bathroom. She didn’t care how she looked like running away. She would deal with the embarrassment the next day. Now, all she had to do was remain in the bathroom until he went to sleep and she could slip back into the room.Heaving a sigh, she walked to the mirror and took in her appearance. Her face was a raw shade of red, and when she touched her fingers to it, she felt how hot it was. Whenever was she going to stop having such a reaction to him?When Jacob woke up the next day, the first thing that regist
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When Jacob got to his new in-laws house, he didn’t expect to be welcomed by the sight of his wife all but being thrown out of the house.As Isabelle stumbled onto the porch, he reached forward quickly and caught her arms, steadying her. “What’s going on?” he demanded, taking in her face. Her face was flushed, her lips pursed, while her eyes were teary and red.“Nothing,” she muttered, turning her face away from him and freeing herself from his grip. “What are you doing here?”Jacob looked towards the open door, where Isabelle’s sister had been standing a few seconds ago. Turning around, he spotted Kevin who was carrying several shopping bags. “Kevin, bring them into the house,” he told him.“Okay, boss,” Kevin agreed and walked past the couple into the house.“What is that?” Isabelle asked as she looked closely at the bags Kevin was carrying.“Gifts for my new in-laws,” Jacob answered, and then reached for her hand. “Come on, let’s go inside.”As Isabelle went back into the house in J
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Isabelle was taking in the spectacle unfolding before her when Jacob took her hand and led her towards the front door. Of all the ways she had expected Jacob’s visit to go, that was definitely not one of them. She could still hear her mother and sister’s grumbling as the door closed behind them.Jacob kept his hold on her hand all the way to the front of the house. When he let go, he came to a stop and regarded her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to your parents’ house?”She looked towards the door, half-expecting her mother to appear with more flattering words for Jacob. While she did, she jogged her brain for an excuse to give Jacob. It wasn’t as if she could tell him that she came to collect money that her parents had promised on account that she married him…“Isabelle?” Jacob’s voice urged.Looking away from the door, she faced him and said, “I’m sorry about that. When I left the house, I got a call from my father asking me to come by immediately. I didn’t have time to te
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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
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“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 might not be the kind of person we want in this company.”“What kind of student was she?”“The kind that cheats on exams,” Ann said. “Look, I didn’t want to bring this up because I’m not sure it’s relevant now, but who knows? Maybe she hasn’t changed at all. Back then, she copied a classmate’s design and won an award with it. The other student was disqualified. I have no idea how she managed to convince the professor that she was the original design
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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
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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 from the
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When Isabelle got to the Larson Group building, she headed up to the floor she had been on the previous day. However, when she emerged at the waiting room leading to the room she had been interviewed in, a well-dressed lady approached her.“Are you Isabelle Cruz?” she asked politely.“Yes, that’s me,” Isabelle replied.“Welcome to Larson Group, Ms Cruz. I’m Linda, the vice president’s assistant. Please come with me, the vice president is awaiting you.”Isabelle blinked. “The vice president?”“Yes. I’ll show you the way.”Isabelle went with the lady, surprised at the turn of events. She had expected to be led to an interview room. Why did the vice president want to see her?As they went, she noticed that many people stared at her. Did they know her? The previous day, nobody had really paid her any attention. But then she thought of the apology email from the company. Maybe the people here knew about what had happened with her interview?Linda came to a stop in front of a door and pushe
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
