The Billionaire's Pretend Wife (Isabella)

Kevin shot a curious glance at his boss in the backseat and quickly looked away. He had just brought the luxury car to a stop outside the house that his boss frequented nowadays. He couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what Jacob was up to.

Especially as he removed his designer suit and pulled on a shabby jacket over his shirt.

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, wondering whether to ask the questions in his mind or not. He didn't want to cross any boundaries, but this was beyond astonishing, he couldn't help the curiosity. Plus, he wasn't getting paid to stick his nose into the boss's personal business...

In fact, sticking it where it wasn't wanted would be a sure way of losing his pay.

After changing into the jacket, Jacob went ahead to remove his Italian leather dress shoes and replaced them with work boots.

Kevin's attention went back to the neighbourhood outside. Surely, the car looked out of place in such a place, and especially outside the shabby home his boss was using.

"Come get me at the same time tomorrow," Jacob told him as he fixed his jacket. "Not a moment earlier."

"Yes boss," Kevin agreed. That was another weird thing going on with his boss lately. He had instructed him to pick him up later than usual...it was as if he was purposely avoiding something. Kevin cleared his throat, curiosity finally winning over. "Why do you come to this house nowadays?"

Jacob's hooded gaze met his eyes in the rearview mirror. Kevin squirmed on his seat. "I mean...it doesn't look like somewhere you would live." He still remembered the interior from that one morning he had delivered breakfast only to find that Jacob had already eaten. Since that day, he had been trying to figure out exactly why his wealthy boss was living in such a house, but he was none the wiser.

"That is none of your business, Kevin," Jacob told him. "If you want to keep your job, I'd advise you to stay out of my personal affairs."

Kevin swallowed and gave a quick nod. "Of course, boss. I understand. I apologise." At least all he got was a warning...

Jacob left the car and headed into the house in his alternate set of clothing. He had thought deeply about how to convince his new wife that he wasn't well-off, and dressing the part was part of the plan. It was hard to make someone believe you were short of money when you dressed in designer suits and shoes only found in luxury brand stores.

Besides, he couldn't keep using the borrowing excuse forever. As far as Isabelle was concerned, he had hired expensive outfits on their wedding day and to her parents house to make a good impression. It would make no sense to wear like that on days when he was apparently out working blue collar jobs.

When he walked into the house, Isabelle was lying on the sofa, reading a book. But that wasn't what really caught his eyes. Besides reading, she was also bathing her feet in a basin placed on the floor. And, she was wearing a pair of shorts that left her thighs and legs exposed. His eyes lingered on her soft creamy skin, went down her legs...

Shaking his head, he drew his eyes from her naked limbs and walked forward. Reaching for a throw blanket on the sofa, he unfolded it and placed it carefully on her naked thighs. She looked up at him, her eyes curious, but he ignored the question in them. He wasn't about to admit that her sitting there with her creamy thighs on display would make it hard for him to focus on anything else.

Clearing his throat, he took a seat next to her, leaving some space between them. "How did the interview go?" he asked.

Early that morning, he had woken up to the sight of her rushing around the house, getting dressed to leave for another interview at the Larson Group. She had told him excitedly about how she had received an apology from the company and been invited for another interview. Of course, he had known about it all, and even now, he knew what happened after she went back to the company. Still, he wanted to hear the details from her.

Isabelle closed her book and placed it on the coffee table. Sighing, she leaned back on the sofa and gave him a soft smile. "It was crazy, but everything went well in the end."

"Yeah? Did they tell you why they had rejected you before?"

"I was right about Ann," she told him. "She made up lies about my reputation and convinced the other interviewers to reject my application. If the vice president didn't call me back, I never would have known what happened. I have no idea how he figured out Ann was lying, given that she had already convinced the others, but whatever happened, I'm grateful."

"What kind of lies did she tell?" Jacob asked, fully immersed in her story. He could hear in her voice that she was no longer worried, and he liked that. It was the opposite of the previous evening when she had been down with resignation after being rejected.

Isabelle nibbled on her bottom lip and looked away. "Oh, you know. Just lies that made it seem like I didn't deserve the job."

"Like?"

Isabelle gave Jacob an hesitant look. She hadn't expected that he would be so interested in what had happened at the Larson Group. He was looking at her expectantly, as if he couldn't wait to hear the details of everything that happened. "Well, she accused me of stealing another student's design while we were in college."

His brow creased. "That's a serious accusation."

She nodded. "Yes, and it was more than enough to have me rejected. But it's a lie, you know. I never stole anyone's design. In fact, the opposite is true. Anyway, I made it clear to the vice president that if he checked with the college, he would find out the truth. Ann eventually admitted to lying, so there's no need for that now."

"She must be still bitter about you beating her to the scholarship," he commented.

"Oh, she still is," Isabelle agreed. "This was her idea of revenge. In the end, she got fired, so it backfired on her."

"They fired her?"

"Yeah. Her accusations were damaging and she broke company rules. I was happy to know that the company takes such issues seriously."

Jacob nodded. "They did well. I would have fired her as well. When such employees are allowed to stain the company with such unscrupulous actions, it doesn't bode well for business. The Larson Group would have been disadvantaged to lose a designer like you on account of her unprofessionalism."

Isabelle's smile widened at Jacob's words. He not only agreed with Ann's fate, but also praised her skills. She felt that he was reliable-just like he had been the previous night when she had been feeling down due to the rejection.

Now that she was no longer absorbed in the book she was reading, she took notice of his appearance. She took in his shabby work jacket and how weary he appeared, the same as he had the previous night. Since he was interested in her job and how her day had been, she figured it was safe to ask him about his.

"What job do you do?" she asked.

Jacob hadn't expected Isabelle to ask about his job, but he knew he should have seen it coming after showing so much interest in hers. But he wasn't worried-he already had an answer for her. "I work as a part-time sanitation worker."

He knew it was the kind of job that most prideful wealthy people would look down on, and he couldn't help but anticipate Isabelle's response. Not only was he posing as a sanitation worker, but also as a part- time employee. He must sound like one hell of an unreliable partner to a wealthy heiress...

"I hope you don't mind... I wish I had a stable job, but that's all I have for now," he told her.

Isabelle shook her head instantly. "No, it's okay. I don't have a problem with that."

His heart swelled at her warm words. Was there anything that could throw her off?

"We are just a couple on paper, anyway," she added, "so it shouldn't matter. Don't feel pressured to impress me."

Just as fast as his heart had swelled, it crashed. Huh. So that was it-she just didn't care. Why had he expected her to give a damn, anyway? They were just a nominal couple. Of course she didn't have a problem with him being a part-time sanitation worker. It was simply none of her business.

Turning his face away from her, he rested back on the sofa and fell silent. Did this mean that nothing about him left an impression on her, just because they were a nominal couple? He clenched his teeth in displeasure. After all the interest he had shown in her personal life...

Beside him, Isabelle didn't miss the sudden change in his demeanour. She struggled to figure out what she had said that could be offending, but she couldn't figure it out.

She didn't mind his line of work or the fact that he was a part-time worker. And, she wished he wouldn't beat himself up about it. She wasn't going to be like her mother and sister who expected him to be a wealthy man, forcing him to borrow outfits and gifts.

She had thought reassuring him to not pressure himself would be a good idea, but he didn't look relieved at all.

He was so hard to read.