A shower?
Isabelle looked towards the bathroom. It was the only private place in the house. It at least solved one of her problems. She would never have to change in his presence. She wished he did her the same courtesy and stopped undressing in front of her.
“Yes,” she said, nodding. Still keeping her gaze from him, she walked towards where her suitcases were sitting. Opening one, she looked for a towel and a change of clothes.
Then, without another word to him or a glance towards his side, she hurried towards the bathroom, opened the door, and disappeared inside.
The bathroom was not as spacious as the one back home, but it had enough space for a shower, the toilet, and counter space. There was no bathtub, but that was fine. She could live without those relaxing herbal baths she had gotten used to at her family home. A small price to pay, she decided.
Looking at herself in the mirror, she cursed softly. Her face was still covered in all the makeup she had worn for the wedding. She had forgotten to bring along her makeup remover from her luggage.
Placing the towel and change of clothes on the counter, she opened the door. She was one step into the room when she noticed that Jacob was now shirtless. She froze for a second, her face burning as she took in his bare torso. His abdomen muscles were well-formed, and the V-line above his waistband–
“Like what you see?”
Mortified, she looked up to find him watching her, a lopsided smirk on his face. She stepped back quickly and closed the door behind her.
Ugh, why was she so nervous? She would have to stop being flustered so easily around him.
Moving away from the door, she decided that soap was a good enough makeup remover. Sighing, she got busy removing the pins in her hair.
When Isabelle left the bathroom, she was a lot more composed. She had spent the time in the shower berating herself for being so jumpy around him and resolving to change that. If she showed him that she was nervous, he would undoubtedly take advantage of her.
Jacob was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, sipping on a glass of water when she appeared.
She gestured towards her suitcases. “I’ll unpack while you shower.”
He nodded. “I’ve left half of the closet bare for you,” he told her.
She nodded, looking towards the closet’s double doors. Like everything else in the house, they would be sharing that.
She was happy to have some time to herself as he showered. But it didn’t last long as he soon reappeared, looking fresh. She was just finishing unpacking her clothes and shoes.
“You didn’t want to marry me, did you?” he asked as she stuffed her empty suitcase above the closet.
After stowing her suitcase away, she took a deep breath and turned to him. “Of course not. It was our family’s agreement, and I’m happy to honour it.”
“Really? You don’t look happy about it. Not used to your new circumstances?” he continued, his eyes focusing on her face.
She turned away and headed towards the kitchen. “I’m just not used to you,” she told him. Then she got busy looking for a glass and filling it with water at the sink. Wrapping her hands around the glass, she turned back around to face him.
Jacob took a seat on one of the two armchairs in the house and regarded Isabelle. Was she really just nervous, and didn’t mind being married to him? Maybe if he was open about his thoughts about the entire arrangement, she could drop her act.
“I only married you because it was my mother’s wish. I don’t want, or even need, this marriage. So, while we are married in their eyes, I don’t consider you my wife. Let’s act as a normal couple in front of others, but stay clear of each other’s private lives.”
Isabelle nodded. “Okay.”
Okay? That was all she was going to say?
“But that doesn’t mean you can have other lovers,” he noted, recalling what he had heard about her debauchery. “Just because we are only pretending to be a normal couple doesn’t mean you can sleep around.”
She looked up at him then, her smooth brow frowning. What, did she expect him to allow her to have other men beside him? It was one thing that pretending a unless asshole to put her off. But to actually allow her to have a lover when everyone thought she was his wife? No way in hell.
“Of course, if you want sex so much, I’m willing to act like a husband in that manner,” he offered.
Isabelle coughed into her glass of water. “No,” she said when she recovered. “No thanks. We are only a couple outside this house.”
“What, you don’t think I can satisfy your needs?” he asked. Women had always flocked to him. A woman of her character, who was known to have no shortage of lovers, must surely appreciate what he was offering.
“As you have mentioned,” she told him, “we are only pretending to be a couple. I’ll do well in that matter. Don’t worry, I won’t be involved in any relations with anyone as long as I’m your wife. Just don’t meddle in my life.”
Isabelle gobbled down her water and turned away from him as she placed the glass back. The nerve of him to talk to her as if she was a cheater when he was the one everyone knew was a womaniser. He knew nothing about her. And yet, it appeared that he had already pegged her as someone who would have sex with him when they were only pretending to be a couple. Ah! If anything, she should be the one warning him against embarrassing her by keeping up with his reckless lifestyle.
Jacob did not miss the sharpness in Isabelle’s voice as she told him she would adhere to his demands. She couldn’t be offended, could she? It was no secret that she slept around with many men–
He frowned. Why wasn’t anything adding up? At first, he had thought that she was acting to fool him into thinking she was someone she was not. But, not only had she not complained about being warned about having lovers, but she had also refused his offer to take care of her sexual needs.
Then there was all that blushing, being flustered… And claiming to not mind being married to him. Him, the poor illegitimate son of the Garcias. She, the spoilt first-born daughter of the Cruzes who could date any wealthy bachelor worth millions.
It didn’t seem that she would be so willing about the entire arrangement. If anything, she should be looking down on him, telling him that he couldn’t tell her how to behave.
Was she really the eldest daughter of the Cruz family who he had received information about?
Rising from the armchair, he approached her. He touched her shoulder when he got to her so that she could face him.
She did, her eyes meeting his. “What?” she asked, sounding a little annoyed. He had really offended her, hadn’t he?
“Are you really the eldest daughter of the Cruz family?” he asked, watching her face closely for her reaction.
Isabelle’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 figur
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
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
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
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
“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
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
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