Chapter Five
1291 Words
As Eleanor fixed her eyes on the screen of Jack's phone, her stomach seemed to twist into a knot.
Just seeing the title of the article alone put her to an emotional standstill, as if she had been hit by the harshest blow to the stomach.
"Billionaire Jack Carter’s Secret Vegas Wedding—Who is the Mystery Bride?"
Eleanor could feel her heart beating, and it seemed as if it filled up to her ears.
The article quickly became a popular topic and by the time it was posted, comments were already flowing with people trying to figure out their relationship.
Some considered it as just hype, while others branded her as a gold digger who has landed herself a rich husband.
Eleanor chuckled dryly. "This has to be a joke."
Jack’s grip tightened around his phone. "Do I look like I’m laughing?"
Eleanor rubbed her temples, massaging her head from the hangover and stress. "How did the media even find out? Was someone watching us last night?"
Jack exhaled deeply. "Vegas never sleeps. A drunk billionaire getting married? That's a headline that sells itself."
Eleanor shot him a glare and gritted her teeth. "Maybe, if someone had mentioned they were a billionaire, we would not be in this whole mess."
Jack snorted, crossing his arms. "Oh, please. Don’t act like you had no part in this. You were right there beside me, signing that damn certificate."
"Yeah, because I thought it was a joke! Not a breaking news scandal!" Eleanor exclaimed, her voice rising in frustration as she paced across the room.
Jack raked his hands through his hair with frustration clearly written in his face. "Look, arguing about this won't change anything. What we need to figure out is how to handle the situation," he said with a firm voice.
Eleanor stopped pacing and turned to face him. "Easy. We just get an annulment and that's it. Problem solved."
Jack let out a dry laugh. "You think it's that simple? The media will continue to dig further if we try to annul the marriage, and it will only make things worse."
Eleanor's brows knitted in confusion. "Worse how?"
Jack walked closer to Eleanor, his blue eyes locking into hers. "It will look like we did something dirty and tried to cover it up with the marriage. The media will go with that intuition and my name gets dragged through the mud. My business will suffer, investors will question my ability, and I'll lose millions of dollars." He exhaled deeply, "This isn't about some personal embarrassment, Eleanor, it's my whole life on the line."
Eleanor clenched her jaw. "So, what are you saying... You expect me to stay married to you?" She said with a tone filled with resentment.
Jack ran his hand down his face, his patience already wearing out. "No, but we need to be very smart about it. If we are going to get an annulment, then we need to do it when the media are not watching."
Eleanor scoffed. "Great. So now I’m trapped in a fake marriage to protect your reputation?"
Jack's expression darkened. "Don't act like you are the only person dealing with the situation here. You think I wanted any of this to happen?"
Eleanor let out a sarcastic laugh. "Poor billionaire Jack Sinclair, forced into a fake marriage with a woman he barely knows. What a tragedy."
Jack gritted his teeth in frustration. "You don't understand. My whole life has always been under a radar. Every move I make is watched and always turned into some silly news story. I've spent years building my reputation and business, and one careless night could ruin everything."
Eleanor crossed her arms. "Maybe you should have thought of that before you dared me to get married last night."
Jack inhaled sharply, his patience wearing out. "And maybe you should have said no."
A long silence stretched out between them.
Eleanor's breathing became unsteady, her heart racing with anger.
Jack's expression was unreadable, but his intense gaze made her chest tighten.
Eleanor hated being dragged into his world, hated being exposed to fame and also hated the experience of losing control for the first time in her life.
As much as Eleanor wanted to rage, she took a deep breath first to calm herself down. "Fine," she said with a tight voice. "What do we do?"
Jack looked at her for a moment, trying to see if she was really on board with him.
Then, he raked his hands and sighed deeply. "We need a plan. If we act like this was a drunken mistake, it will only make things worse. But if we play it right..."
"Play it right how?" Eleanor frowned, cutting j******f.
Jack’s lips pressed into a thin line. "We stay married. Just for a little while."
Eleanor’s eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
Jack held up his hands to silence her. "Not forever. Just long enough to make it look real. If we pretend to be a real couple, the media will get bored and move on. Then, in a few months, we can quietly get a move and move our separate ways like none of this ever happened."
Eleanor scoffed. "A few months? You want me to pretend to be your wife for months?"
Jack shot her a glare. "Would you rather have your name dragged all over the internet as a gold digger who tricked a billionaire into marriage?"
Eleanor scowled. "That’s not what happened."
Jack arched a brow. "It doesn't matter. If you walk away now, that is how everyone will see it. But if we could stay married for a little while, we could control the waves."
Eleanor swallowed hard. She hated that he was right.
It was not only that Jack’s reputation was at stake, but hers, too, was on the line. If she walked away now, her name would be tarnished, and her already fragile career would suffer a destructive blow. Having lost her biggest client and being almost jobless, being labeled as a gold digger would only worsen the situation for her.
Eleanor let out a slow breath. "So, what exactly does pretending to be married mean?" She asked, her eyes narrowed slightly.
Jack’s expression remained calm. "We act like a normal couple. Public appearances, interviews if necessary, the whole deal."
Eleanor’s stomach twisted. "And behind closed doors?"
Jack’s face hardened. "We keep it civil. Nothing more, nothing less."
Eleanor ran both her hands through her hair. "This is insane."
Jack smirked slightly. "Welcome to my world."
Eleanor bit her lips as her thoughts ran wild. She hated the idea, but what choice did she have? Playing along was her only option, or she would risk having her entire life fall apart.
Eleanor exhaled sharply. "Fine. But just so we are clear, this is only temporary."
Jack nodded. "Agreed."
Eleanor crossed her arms. "And when this is over, I want a clean break. No complications, no media stories. Just... done."
Jack held out his hand. "Deal."
Eleanor looked at his hands for a while before she finally could take it.
When their fingertips touched, a strange sensation spread in Eleanor's chest, but she quickly suppressed it.
Jack must have felt it too because he hesitated before he slowly let go of her hand.
“Well,” Jack said softly and gradually moved back to the wall. "Looks like we have been stuck with each other for a while, Mrs. Sinclair."
Eleanor sat heavily on the bed and put her face into her hands. "God help me."
A sly smile spread across Jack's face as he gazed at Eleanor with a glint in his eyes.
Neither of them had any idea what they had just signed up for.
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