The moment Isabelle pressed her lips to his, the little restraint that was keeping Jacob from doing something that could have her running into her room snapped.Even if he was determined to not do such a thing, the frenzied passion that surged through his body the moment she kissed him made sure that his efforts were futile.Wrapping his arms around her body, he picked her up and walked to the sofa, their lips still pressed together. The fact that she didn’t pull away or push him away through all that assured him that she wanted this as much as he did.He only separated them as he lay her down on the sofa and hovered above her. Her eyes fluttered open to look at him, and then she nibbled on her bottom lip shyly. Had she known what accepting his request for a kiss could lead to? Or had she thought it was an innocent request?“You’re too naive,” he whispered as he brought his lips down to hers. This time, he kissed her urgently, his firm lips prying her soft ones apart. She submitted to
Isabelle worried her lip with her teeth when the client replied right away, asking that she stop working on the design. Did he no longer want it? Or did he want to put an end to their partnership?Or maybe he did not appreciate her asking for an extension. Some clients were very strict about deadlines and could cancel an entire project if they were delayed even a little.Considering that, she sent him another email, hoping he changed his mind. In the second email, she told him that she would do her best to finish it in time.Even if she had to give up sleep, she was going to get it done.She didn’t want to lose such a client–the chances of finding another one who could pay anything close to fifty thousand dollars for a single design were pretty low. Besides the money, she was keen on building a good reputation. Good feedback from clients was very crucial for her career. If she became known for tardiness, it would become hard to get new clients.She also really liked the client–he was
Lucy Cruz was in the master bedroom with her husband when Isabelle showed up at the front door. The master bedroom was on the first floor, facing the front of the house. It had a balcony on which if they stood, they would have a clear view of Isabelle at the door.When the servant turned Isabelle away, Lucy had thought she would go away. She was determined to ignore her and even have the servants lock her out of the house. But when she threatened to tell Jacob Garcia the truth about their marriage, she froze with fear.She wouldn’t really do that, would she? If the Garcias found out that they had deceived them, there would be consequences.“How dare she?” she muttered, pacing beside the king size bed in the room. “We rescued her from that dirty orphanage and gave her a decent upbringing. And a family she could only have ever dreamed of. How dare she threaten to reveal the truth about Naomi?”“We promised her,” Francis pointed out. “Do not forget that she did us a favour by marrying Ja
The next day, despite finally receiving her first salary at work, Isabelle still felt low because the amount was just a tiny fraction of the surgery fee.It was quickly dawning on her that she needed to look for other sources of income.If she didn’t hurry up with the payment, Ruth might end up losing her chance for the transplantation. If she had to wait again to find another kidney that was a match, it might be too late.At the moment, she didn’t know what to do, and it frustrated her to no end. A thought crossed her mind that maybe she should ask Jacob for help, but she pushed it aside. She knew that Jacob would be willing to help her, but she couldn’t risk him finding out the truth about Ruth and her family.Also, it would be incredibly selfish of her to ask his help when she was lying to him about her identity.She had to forge ahead alone, and this time, she would be more careful compared to when she had wanted to take part in the drug trial.She was about to leave the office wh
Seth blinked in astonishment as he looked from Isabelle to the strange man. Had he heard her right? Husband? Her husband? When did she get married?He cleared his throat and leaned back in his seat, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. From the morning he had seen Isabelle at the flower shop on her first day at work, he had been thinking of how to win her affection.Earlier, when she asked him to dinner, his hopes had shot to a new high. Not once did he imagine that she could be married. His eyes darted to her ring finger. No, she wasn’t wearing any. He would have noticed. And she still went by her maiden name. No wonder he had never suspected she was already married.“I didn’t know you were married,” he told her, feeling his throat go dry. His hands curled into his fists on his thighs. “When did you get married?”When had she met her husband? Where had she met him? The questions flew through his mind, but he didn’t dare ask. It was none of his business. Besides, knowing the answers w
Huffing, Naomi lifted her left hand to her chest and gave Isabelle a horrified look. Then, in a loud voice, she exclaimed, “Oh my God, how could you?”Isabelle frowned at her sister’s horrified tone, and her mind instantly went to work, trying to determine what it is she had done. She gave the two men accompanying her an unsure glance, and then turned back to Naomi. “What are you talking about? What have I done?”“How could you be so greedy and shameless?” she cried out, her voice only getting louder. She was aware of other patrons paying attention to the table, while the two men looked between her and Isabelle.Isabelle now looked thoroughly confused, and the frown on her face deepened. “Excuse me?”Naomi wasn’t going to bring up what had happened at their home, right? Had she been at home when Isabelle went to ask their parents for the money?Maybe she was mad at her for insisting that they give her the money. It would make sense why she was calling her the same insults Lucy had. Bu
As more customers started making negative comments about Naomi, she decided to give the bag to Isabelle.“You can have it,” she said, all but throwing the bag into Isabelle’s hand.Isabelle took the bag and opened it. She was not surprised at all to find a bunch of money inside. Sneering, she took it all out and looked up at Naomi. “Look at that, you’re also carrying quite the amount around. Did you get this from our poor parents, too?”If looks could kill, Isabelle would drop dead from the glare Naomi was directing her way at that moment. And if she had been a cartoon character, smoke would be billowing out of her nose and ears. That didn’t stop Isabelle from going on with her little show and counting the money she had found in her sister’s bag.Once she was done, she put the money back into the bag and held it on her lap. “This bag and the money can partly compensate the money you owe me,” she said, looking up at Naomi.Naomi huffed, and then dove for the bag, but Isabelle shot from
“Do you expect me to believe that after what happened? Why would your sister do that to you?” he asked.“My parents owe me money, but they refused to pay me back after I got married,” she revealed. “My sister also doesn’t want them to pay me, so that’s why she likes picking fights with me.”“Is that all?” Jacob asked, still looking at her closely. Her story still didn’t make sense to him. What he would rather know was why her family owed her money. And why they didn’t want to pay her back. Why was her relationship with them so bad?“It is,” she confirmed, and then looked up to meet his gaze again. “What else could there be to it?”He wanted to ask about why she had a poor relationship with her family, but decided to shelve that. If she wanted to tell him, she would.“Nothing,” he said, looking ahead. After they had walked a few more paces in silence, he addressed the other thing that had bothered him at dinner. “You should tell others that you are married,” he told her.Isabelle faced