The Billionaire's Pretend Wife (Isabella)
Chapter 20 Twenty

"What is going on?" Isabelle asked when Jacob didn't offer any explanation about the sudden change in their means of transport. "Whose car is this?" Jacob shifted in his seat to look at her. "Since it's your first day at work, I wanted to do something special for you. So I hired this car to pick you up."

Isabelle didn't know what to say at first. Of course, the only way he could pick her up with such an expensive car was if he rented one. But why would he go to such an extent? They weren't a real couple. Still, i warmed her heart that he wanted to do something special for her on her first day at work.

"Thanks," she told him. "It's a nice ride."

It was better than nice. It was the kind of car only the very wealthy drove and she knew that meant the renting fee had to be quite high. While it was nice that he thought to do this for her, she couldn't ignore the financial implication. She was out of cash and he was making money on a part-time job.

They couldn't afford to splurge on unnecessary luxuries-no matter how much she loved the idea of how shocked Naomi must have been when the car showed up.

"I'm glad you like it," he told her.

"But you shouldn't spend so much money on something like this," she said. "Since we are cash-strapped at the moment."

"Of course," Jacob agreed. "I just wanted to do something to celebrate your new job."

It was interesting to listen to Isabelle being all practical about their finances. He had never had to think twice before spending his money-he always had enough to buy whatever he wanted.

Her reaction to his story about hiring the car told him one thing-this was probably not her first time running out of cash. It was as if she was used to it, and knew how to use money sparingly until her next payday. It wasn't a skill he would have expected a wealthy heiress to have. And once again, he couldn't help but think that maybe her money issues were tied to the fight with her family.

***

The next morning, Isabelle took the bus to work. The company was far away from where they lived, and by the time she got to the company, she felt exhausted. It was the complete opposite of the previous evening on the way home.

Riding the Maybach had been pleasant and comfortable, and she had felt completely relaxed by the time they got home. She thought back to the experience fondly and wished she could enjoy such a relaxing ride after a long day at work. But she could only wish-neither she nor Jacob had the money to travel like that daily.

The bus ride wouldn't be so tiring if their house was near the company, but that was something else she couldn't do anything about at the moment. Moving closer to the city would cost a lot of money, and she couldn't afford that at the moment. So she would have to make do with the bus and the subway for now.

When she got to the company, she found out that the department director, Mr Grayson, wanted to meet her. Mr Grayson supervised all the designers in her department and made important decisions concerning projects.

When she walked into his office, he stood up from his desk and came around to shake her hand. "Good morning, Ms Cruz. Welcome to the Larson Group. How are you liking it so far?" Isabelle gave him her hand in greeting and a smile. "Thank you, sir. I'm settling in well, thanks."

She expected him to let go of her hand soon after, but he didn't. Instead, he gripped her hand tightly in his and ran his eyes over her, from head to toe. There was nothing casual or professional about his probing gaze-he was checking her out blatantly. "That's good to hear," he said, "I'm happy to have you in my department. I hope we will work well together."

"Yes, sir," she agreed, and tried to free her hand. It wasn't even half a minute since meeting him and yet he was already making her skin crawl. When his eyes lifted back to her face, the look in them made her want to throw up. They were leery-and she knew right away she would do well to avoid contact with him. If she could-he was the department head after all.

***

Another long bus ride in the evening after work left Isabelle wishing for a shower and to head straight to bed. That desire multiplied when she thought of how the next day, she would have to go through the same routine. She could do with all the rest she could get.

Jacob was already in the house when she got back, sitting on the couch. Taking off her shoes, she walked over and took a seat next to him and fell back onto the sofa. Then she closed her eyes, planning to rest for a while before taking a shower.

"Are you okay?" Jacob's voice interrupted the silence.

"Yeah," she replied. "Just tired."

"Work?"

"The commute," she said. Work had been okay-if she ignored the early morning interaction with Mr Grayson. "It's a long ride."

"Oh. In that case, we can rent a house near the city company," he offered.

Jacob hadn't planned on making such an offer, but then again, he hadn't expected her to look so weary after work. He could only imagine how tired she was, making the long commute to and from work. He had helped her get the job...he could as well do this too.

It wasn't part of the plan-the only reason he had found the house they were currently living in was to put her off. If they were to move closer to the company, it would be somewhere around the city centre, and the houses there were modern and expensive. Of course, if he was to replace such a house for her and still wish to keep his true identity concealed, he would have to replace a good excuse.

Isabelle opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. "The rent in the city centre is very high. We can't afford it."

"It's only your second day at work and look how weary you already are," he said. "If you're tired like this every day, it might affect your performance at work. Don't worry, I'll look hard for a house with a reasonable rent that's closer to the company."

"Even if you can replace one, I don't think I will be able to pay for it with my current situation," Isabelle pointed out.

"I'll look for a way around that too," he assured her. "I know a lot of people who can help me replace a good house and make an arrangement for rent."

"You're quite resourceful, aren't you?" Isabelle asked, smiling at him. "If you could really replace an affordable house near the company, I'll be really grateful."

As Isabelle settled back on the sofa, she felt a bit relieved. Jacob sounded like he was serious about looking for another house. But even better, he sounded confident about replaceing one. Just the idea that she wouldn't have to put up with the long commute for much longer was enough to make her feel a bit less tired.