Chapter Four
1116 Words
Eleanor and Jack walked out of the wedding chapel with their marriage certificate.
“Well, that went as unexpected,” Eleanor said to herself as she looked at the paper she was holding in her hand.
Jack smiled and folded his hands into his trouser pockets. "I told you tonight would be an unforgettable one. What do you think?"
Eleanor chuckled quietly. “Oh well, I hope it is not the biggest mistake which I will ever make,” She muttered under her breath.
Jack chuckled. "Oh, come on. What’s the worst that could happen?"
Eleanor glanced at him, "Ever heard of the word regret?"
"Regret is only for people who don't know how to have fun," Jack said, grinning.
Eleanor rolled her eyes. “Well, I guess we will know how much fun we are having when the morning comes."
Jack hailed a taxi and both of them entered the backseat of the car. "Take us to the Sinclair residence," he told the driver.
Eleanor scoffed. "You make it sound like we are going to some palace or something."
Jack leaned back, stretching his arms over the back of the seats. "You never know. I'm a man of great taste."
Eleanor chuckled. "Yeah right. I'll believe that when I see it".
The city lights flew by their car as they ride and chatted, getting even dizzier from their drinks.
By the time the two of them got to Jack’s classy apartment, Eleanor was already struggling to keep her eyes open.
As they went inside, Eleanor was shocked at the luxury of the apartment. The house had huge tall windows, a spacious modern layout, with expensive furniture that screamed wealth.
Jack lazily kicked off his shoes. "You can have the bed while I just crash on the couch."
Eleanor yawned, "I don't mind sharing. But no funny business, Mr. Sinclair." She jokingly scolded.
Jack smiled. "I can't make any promises."
Eleanor shot him a playful glare before collapsing on the bed. Jack lay down beside her, and they both drifted off to sleep.
---
The Next Morning
Eleanor woke up to a feeling of warmth beside her. She rubs the sleep off her eyes and tries to open them fully as she adjusts to the sunlight that pierced through the curtains of the window.
Suddenly she paused. Something felt off.
Her head was pounding from last night's drinks, but that was not the problem. The real problem was the hand that was placed around her slender waist.
Eleanor's breathing quickened as she cautiously tilted her head towards the person next to her. He was fast asleep, with his disheveled hair and calm breathing.
As she looked at him sleeping peacefully, something seemed to stir in her chest, but she quickly pushed the feelings aways.
As Eleanor turned to get out of bed, her eyes suddenly fell on her hand.
A ring!
A wedding ring!
Eleanor gasped, "Oh no," and pulled her hand back as if it was on fire.
Eleanor's movement seemed to have woken Jack up because he moved slightly and groaned, before trying to open his eyes.
Eleanor barely had any second to react before Jack's gaze followed hers, first to the ring on her finger, then to the marriage certificate lying on the nightstand.
For a moment, there was complete silence.
Then—
"What the hell?"
Jack quickly stood up, almost knocking down the lamp beside the bed. His eyes, filled with shock and accusation, quickly darted to Eleanor.
Eleanor raised her hands in defense. "Don't give me that look! Whatever happened here was done by both of us?"
Jack's jaw clenched, his expression darkening. "You..." He let out an angry sigh then threw his hands over his head, raking his fingers through his hair, “You knew who I was, didn’t you?”
Eleanor's eyes widened in confusion. "What?"
Jack threw the marriage certificate towards her, his voice rising. "You knew exactly what you were doing! You acted innocent, but you knew whose name you were signing next to."
Eleanor scoffed, pulling off the covers and getting out of bed. "You actually think I did all this for your money?"
Jack threw his legs over the side of the bed, his eyes still glaring at Eleanor. "Don't play dumb with me. Don't pretend you just happened to marry me by accident."
Eleanor clenched her arms as she raised her voice. "Last night was a stupid drunken mistake between us. I have no idea what your problem is!"
Jack let out a sarcastic laugh. "Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you don’t recognize the name Jack Sinclair."
Eleanor scoffed. "Should I?"
A broad sarcastic smile spread across Jack's lips.. "Do you even follow the news from the business world? Do you keep up with business billionaires?"
Eleanor's heart sank.
Billionaire?
Eleanor's eyes widened. "You're...the Jack Sinclair?"
Jack clenched his jaw. "Are you surprised?"
Eleanor stared at him, speechless. She had heard of Jack Sinclair before, CEO, real estate mogul, a man who practically had Vegas in his pocket.
Jack gritted his teeth. "So tell me Eleanor, what is your game?"
Eleanor scoffed. "You have got to be kidding me. You actually think I planned this?"
Jack’s gaze became cold. "I’ve seen this before. Women pretending to stumble into my life, acting like they don’t know who I am, and then suddenly they want my ring on their finger."
Eleanor was furious. "That is not what happened here."
"So, explain why the hell we are married legally married." Jack shouted with frustration.
Eleanor's fists tightened. "I don't know. Maybe because we were drunk and stupid, okay?"
Jack stared at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with a heavy sigh, he muttered, "I need coffee."
Eleanor scoffed. "Coffee? I need a whole damn life reset."
Jack ran a hand over his face. "Well, congratulations Eleanor. You are officially Mrs. Sinclair."
Eleanor let out a frustrated groan and dropped onto the bed.
"What? Reality finally sinking in?" Jack said with sarcasm in his voice.
Eleanor shot him a glare. "I will personally file for an annulment today."
Jack smirked. "I will be counting on it."
An awkward silence fell between them. Eleanor's heart was still racing, her thoughts running wildly.
Married.
She was actually married.
To a billionaire.
Jack grabbed his phone and checked something on the screen. Then his expression turned even darker.
Eleanor turned her gaze to him. "What's wrong?"
Jack turned the screen toward her.
The headline slammed into her like a truck.
"Billionaire Jack Sinclair's Secret Vegas Wedding—Who is the Mystery Bride?"
Eleanor’s mouth fell open. "Oh… shit."
Jack’s expression twisted. "Yeah. We have a bigger problem."
- Writer
