THE BILLIONAIRE’S PLACEHOLDER

Rose’s POV

The steak had been sitting on the dining table for three hours, turning cold already. I spent the whole afternoon setting up the dining room, uncorking wine, and lighting candles that had now melted down to nothing.

My hand remained inside my right pocket, squeezing the white envelope from the clinic until the paper was completely ruined. Inside were my pregnancy test results and sonogram. I had been waiting all day to see Jake’s face when I finally told him he was going to be a dad. My mind kept replaying old memories, back when we had almost only five dollars to our name.

The elevator down the hall chimed.

I jumped. Water from my glass splashed onto my dress, but I didn’t have time to dry it.  I pulled my hand from my pocket, quickly checked my hair in the reflection of the silver bowl on the table and put on a smile. 

I looked around. Seven years ago, we had absolutely nothing. Now, we owned this entire penthouse.

The front door swung open and Jake walked inside.  Usually, he would walk straight over to wrap his arms around me, but today he stopped a few steps away. He did not look at the set table, or me. His eyes just stayed fixed to the floor. His hands were empty, no flowers or gifts for me.

“Happy anniversary, Jake,” I said, nervously. “Rose,” he said, while staring coldly with eyes that once adored me. His tone sounded exactly like the one he used when he talked to clients at the bank.

“You're late,” I said, forcing a small laugh to make the situation feel less tense. “The food is getting cold. Sit down, I have a big surprise for you.”

Jake stayed exactly where he stood. “I can't stay for dinner, Rose,” he said. The words hit me like a blow to my chest, making it hard to even breathe well.I looked at the untouched steak and the wine, feeling like a complete fool in my new dress.

“It's our second wedding anniversary, Jake,” I said, stepping closer to touch his arm.  “We have been together for seven years. You promised tonight would be different. 

He stepped back, pulling his arm away.

“Things change, Rose,” Jake looked away before he continued. “The business is in a different stage now. The Montgomery family gave us money to save the company last year. You saw the contract.”

“I saw the papers, Jake. But nowhere in that contract did it say you had to treat your wife like a stranger,” I said, my voice shaking.

Before he could answer, the front door swung open again. A tall woman in a sparkling dress walked inside. She looked around our living room, inspecting the walls as if she were checking into a hotel. Then she walked up to Jake and wrapped her arm around his.

“This place is much smaller than I remembered from the photos,” Vivian said. “But I suppose it'll do. Jake, you didn't mention the assistant would still be here.”

Assistant.

I looked at her, then at Jake. I wanted him to tell her she was wrong, that I was his wife. This was our home and she didn’t belong here.

But Jake did not say a word. He just looked at her with a familiar warmth, a look I hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Who is she, Jake?” I demanded.

Jake cleared his throat, still refusing to look at me.

“Rose, this is Vivian Montgomery,” he said.

“I know her name from the bank files. Why is she in our home on our anniversary?”

Vivian laughed and strolled over to the dining table. She flicked one of the roses I had arranged in the center of the table. “Oh. Artificial,” she said, turning back to Jake.

“Our home? Jake, you did not tell me she was so funny”

“Vivian, please,” Jake muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

I stepped toward him. “Explain this to me. Now.”

Jake took a deep breath and finally looked at me. “She is my wife,” he said.

I looked down at the ring on my finger. We had held a real wedding ceremony two years ago, with a cake, vows, and legal papers.

“That’s a lie,” I said, my voice shaking. “What are you saying?”

“Our marriage wasn't legal, Rose,” Jake said, walking to the bar to pour himself a glass of whiskey. He downed it in one gulp before turning back to face me. “I married Vivian years ago in a private arrangement. It was the only way her family would grant us the loan. Without their money, the company would have gone under.”

“You gave up seven years of our life for a loan?”

“I did what was necessary to survive,” Jake said, setting the glass down on the table. “Vivian was away, but now she's back. She's the lady of this house, the one the public and the board need to see by my side.”

He stepped closer. “You were the brains that built my company, Rose,” he said. “But you aren't the woman who belongs by my side.”

Vivian stepped closer, tossed her hair and walked right past me, making her hair touch my face.

She smiled as though she were complimenting me. “You were a wonderful placeholder, Rose. Thank you for taking care of my husband while I was away, but the real wife is back now. You can go back to your office work.”

Placeholder. For seven years, I gave this man my ideas, my youth, and my sleep. I helped make him into who he is, and I was just a seat warmer. Jake just paced the room, completely unbothered.

“What happens now?” I asked.

“You’ll stay for five months,” Jake said. “Vivian doesn’t know the New York business or the board members. You are the only one who does. You’ll be her assistant and train her to take over your job.”

I stood frozen. I wanted to touch my stomach, but I stopped myself. Jake couldn't find out. He didn't deserve to be a father to my baby.

 If I packed my bags and walked out now, Jake would block my accounts and make sure I never found another job. I would be broke with a baby on the way. I needed to stay for the next five months to secure my stability and protect my child.

“Five months,” I said, looking right at him. “I'll stay for exactly five months. But after that, I'm leaving, and you'll never see me again.”

Jake looked surprised. He probably expected me to cry and beg.

“Good,” Jake said, turning back to Vivian. “I told you, professional.”

Vivian pointed at the dining table. “Get rid of this food. The smell is making me sick. Then, carry my bags up to the master bedroom. I'm exhausted.”

I just stood there while he let her turn me into a servant.

 “Yes, ma'am,” I said.

I went into the kitchen to clear the dishes. But before I could put them down, Vivian screamed. A glass had shattered in the dining room. Jake yelled her name, and just I froze by the sink.