The Billionaire's Pretend Wife (Isabella)
Chapter 6 Six

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 registered in his brain was the mouthwatering aroma filling the room. At first, he thought he was dreaming. Then he opened his eyes and checked the kitchen.

It was Isabelle. She was moving behind the counter, flipping something on a pan on the stove. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and shifted his long legs to the floor. She really was making breakfast. While he was still staring at her, she turned, a pan in hand. Her eyes flew to him and she gave him a small smile.

"Morning. Breakfast is ready."

"Morning," he replied, finally getting to his feet. "I'll pop into the bathroom for a sec."

As he went, he tried wrapping the entire thing around his head. It seemed as if everything about her was catching him by surprise. But then again, he hadn't expected to wake up to breakfast prepared by his pretend wife.

When he got back into the room, Isabelle had already prepared the breakfast table. He joined her and appraised the bowls of steaming food. And a pot of freshly brewed coffee that she got hold of and asked, "Coffee?"

He nodded, smiling. "Yes, thank you." When was the last time he had a home-cooked meal? He couldn't remember.

As the two sat down for breakfast, Isabelle noticed how heartily Jacob ate his portions. She knew she was a good cook, but she hadn't expected him to wolf everything down as if it was the most delicious meal he had ever had.

"Wow, that was very delicious," he complimented when he was done. "Thank you."

"Sure," she replied, unsure of how else to react. He looked genuinely pleased.

"You're a very good cook. I wouldn't mind eating your food every day."

Was he serious or exaggerating? Well, it didn't matter...

"I have to go somewhere," she told him, rising from her seat. "You will wash the dishes."

She headed over to the bed and picked up her purse as he asked, "Where are you going?"

To her parents, but she wasn't going to tell him that. It wasn't any of his business, anyway. They had agreed to stay out of each other's business. "See you later," she told him instead, leaving quickly.

A few minutes after Isabelle left, there was a knock on the door. When Jacob went to open it, he found Kevin, his assistant, on the other side.

"Good morning, Boss. I brought your breakfast," Kevin said as he walked into the house.

Jacob closed the door and went in after him, heading for the kitchen table to continue gathering the used dishes. "I already had breakfast," he informed his assistant. "Isabelle made it."

Kevin watched in astonishment as Jacob cleared the table. "You what? She... But... But you only eat food from the restaurant."

He knew how picky his boss was with food. He only ever ate food from one restaurant. To imagine that he had eaten breakfast prepared by his new wife...

"Stop gawking and help me clean up," Jacob admonished. "I have somewhere to be soon."

***

Isabelle had only one agenda for her visit home; to get the money for Ruth's treatment. She was already planning on how after getting the money, she would go straight to the hospital to see that Ruth's treatment began right away.

Lucy, Francis, and Naomi were in the dining room, having breakfast.

"We are having cash flow problems at the moment, so we can't pay the bill right now," Lucy said, sipping on a cup of tea after Isabelle told her what she wanted.

"What?" Isabelle exclaimed. "You told me that as soon as I married Jacob, you would pay her bill!"

"And I'm telling you that we don't have the money right now," Lucy told her.

"Then why did you promise that you would pay the money if you knew you couldn't? Ruth can't afford to wait any longer," she pointed out, getting upset. She felt like she was having a nightmare. How could they do this to her? The only reason she agreed to marry Jacob Garcia was because her parents promised to pay Ruth's medical bill right away. How could they now tell her that they couldn't after she had married the man?

"Don't worry, I'll try to get you the money before this evening," Francis offered from his place at the head of the table. "When I go to my office later, I'll have my accountant-"

"Francis!" Lucy interrupted him. "You know very well that we cannot afford to pay the money right now. Do you know how expensive treatment for kidney failure is? We cannot afford to use any funds from the company at the moment. She can wait!"

"If she could wait, I would have looked for the money elsewhere instead of agreeing to marry some man I've never even met!"

"Where is he, anyway?" Naomi asked. "How could he let his new wife go back to her parent's house alone the day after the wedding? Doesn't he want to come to greet his in-laws?" Clasping her hands below her chin, she gave Isabelle a sympathetic look. "Oh, or is he too ashamed to step foot here? Maybe he doesn't have a nice suit to wear today?"

"Shut up, Naomi!" Isabelle snapped at her. How dare she make fun of her when she was the cause for all this! She should have never agreed to get married in Naomi's stead. How stupid could she be to think that the Cruzes would keep their end of the deal? When had they ever treated her fairly?

"How dare you talk to my daughter like that?" Lucy shouted, putting her cup down and shooting to her feet. "Only one day out of this house, and you're already behaving like an ingrate?"

"Lucy-" Francis tried to calm her down, but she held a palm out to him, shutting him up.

"The nerve of you to storm in here and start demanding money, as if we owe you anything. You are no longer a member of this family, do you hear?" Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the Find_Nøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Isabelle folded her hands into fists as she met Lucy's hateful gaze head-on. In her peripheral vision, she saw Naomi rise from her seat too.

"Throw her out, mother. If I ever see her face in this house again, I might just throw up."

Isabelle scoffed. "So after having me marry him in your stead, you now declare that I'm not a member of this family?"

"You never were," Lucy told her, grabbing her arm and pushing her away. "Get out!"

Isabelle grind her teeth together as she caught herself on the table to keep from stumbling to the floor. She wished there was something she could say or do to make them keep their promise. But after everything they had put her through, she knew it would be in vain. They had used her as they wanted, and now they didn't need her anymore.

Straightening, she turned on her feet and stalked out of the room. Naomi went with her, escorting her to the door. She opened it and as Isabelle was walking through it, she pushed her from the back, causing her to stumble onto the porch outside.

"Go back to wherever you came from," she sneered.

As Isabelle stumbled onto the porch, she was about to fall, but someone caught her in their arms. Puzzled, she looked up.

"Jacob?"

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