The Billionaire's Pretend Wife (Isabella)
Chapter 69 Sixty Nine

That day, Jacob got back home at midnight. He expected Isabelle to be asleep already, but to his surprise, she was in the kitchen, baking cookies.

"Hi," she greeted cheerfully when he appeared in the kitchen doorway. "How was your day?"

Smiling at her cheerfulness-which he found quite odd at such a late hour-he said, "It was good, thanks. Why aren't you asleep yet?"

He had barely seen her the past weekend because she had ended up spending most of her time at the company, working on the final design for the Green Leaf project.

She had looked awfully tired that morning, and he thought that once her design was approved, she would take the opportunity to have a good rest. Instead, here she was, baking at midnight.

"I haven't seen much of you the past three days because I've been working overtime, so I wanted to wait for you tonight."

"Oh?" he asked, as warmth spread in his insides. Did she realise how that sounded? It was like they were a real couple. Had she missed him? He knew he had missed her. It made him happy that she wanted to spend time with him.

She nodded eagerly. "I decided to bake cookies while I waited. It's been so long since I baked."

"I can't wait to taste them," he told her, heading to the other side of the counter and taking a seat on a stool. He had been busy all day, but no amount of fatigue was going to make him turn away from this chance to bask in her attention. "How was work?"

Her smile widened, and her eyes twinkled as she replied, "Oh, it was amazing!" Leaning against the counter on the other side, she said, "I got a raise!"

Jacob pretended to be surprised and raised a brow. "Oh, really?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! It was a reward from Logan Larson, the CEO of the company. I was so surprised! It isn't yet time for the annual review of salaries, but he said it was a reward for my good work. Oh, did I tell you that my final design for the Green Leaf project was finally accepted?"

He chuckled at her excited tone. "No, you didn't."

"Well, it did. That's why he gave me a raise, I think. I never thought anything like that could happen when I was just a newcomer at the company!"

He nodded. "Sounds like a good boss."

She clapped her hands together happily. "He is! I always thought he was intimidating because of his mysterious nature, but it happens that he is so approachable. And nice! He also really cares about his employees. Do you know, he asked me if anyone was harassing me at work."

"He did?" Jacob humoured her, loving the flow of the conversation. He was feeling all kinds of good things from hearing her praise him so much. This was exactly why he had contacted her as Logan. If he had known, he would have done this long ago!

"Yes," she replied enthusiastically. "He truly cares. If anyone bullies me at work again, I'll not hesitate to tell him."

"You should tell me too," Jacob told her. "If anyone bullies you at work."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Of course, but I wouldn't want to worry you. He is my boss, so he'll be able to handle it promptly. I feel that I can do my job well now without worrying about someone trying to exploit me."

Jacob shifted on the stool. "You don't think I can help you if you get into trouble at work?"

He had no idea why her comment about trusting her work troubles with Logan rather than him bothered him. After all, he was one and the same man. But before, even though she hadn't thought he could help, she had still told him her work problems.

Now, if she thought her boss was in her corner and could help her, she wouldn't bother sharing anything at home with him. He rubbed a hand over his hair. What was he thinking?

Even if she only wanted to tell her boss, it would still be him. But still, he felt it wouldn't be the same. To her, Logan was a different person. She would never know it was actually him. The more he thought about it, the less highly he thought of his idea. He couldn't believe he was getting jealous of himself.

"I just don't want you to worry," she repeated. She could as well have just said that yes, she didn't think he could help her with her work troubles.

His mood was quickly plummeting.

He now realised getting gratitude and compliments from her indirectly wasn't enough. He wanted her to be saying all of those nice things while knowing it was him who was responsible. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ Find ɴøᴠel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

He wanted her to have that bright smile and a twinkle in her eyes because she was thinking of how wonderful he was to her.

"You speak so highly of him and yet you've never met him," he commented sourly. He was feeling exactly as he would if she was talking so highly of Jason, or that damned college senior of hers, or whichever other man she thought was helping her out.

She blinked, as if taken aback by his sudden negativity. And then her dazed look was gone, and she waved a hand dismissively. "Does it matter? A person's quality doesn't depend on their appearance. I've only talked with him online, and he has shown that he is a very pleasant person. That's all I need to know."

"Is that so? Why is he so mysterious, then? Maybe he is a bad guy who wants to take advantage of you. You trust poeople so easily." He couldn't for the life of him tell why he was speaking ill of himself, but he did it anyway.

Isabelle gave him a ridiculous look. "Why would he do that? He is Logan Larson, CEO of the most prestigious company in the fashion industry. I'm just an entry-level designer. Why would he be interested in me? And I think he is mysterious because he is always so busy, so it's not easy for us ordinary workers to meet him. But I saw him once, from the back."

He arched his brow, his body stiffening. "You did? Where?"

When? What if he had blown his cover?

She nodded. "I'm pretty sure it was him. He was in the lobby at the company. I didn't see him clearly, but he had this aura..." she trailed off and sighed. "I could just tell it was someone important. I feel like I would know him if I met him face to face. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Why do you think he has ulterior motives, anyway? Do you know him?" She waggled her brow playfully. "You know lots of people, don't you?"

He couldn't help but smile again. "Don't mind me," he said. "I'm just a little unhappy because as your husband, I can't just sit here and listen to you praise another man like that."

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