Chapter 10 Cracks in the Armor
1000 Words
The next morning, Gena woke before sunrise.
For several moments, she remained motionless beneath the blanket, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling above her.
Then reality returned.
The villa.
Jared.
The argument.
The way he had looked at her after she told him she wasn't his property.
Her chest tightened.
She slowly sat up.
The other side of the bed was untouched.
Cold.
Empty.
A strange sense of relief washed over her.
At least he had respected her space.
After changing into a simple white sundress, she quietly left the room.
The villa was silent.
The distant sound of waves drifted through the open windows.
Following the sound, she walked outside and discovered Jared sitting alone on the beach.
His sleeves were rolled up.
His feet buried in the sand.
A cup of black coffee rested beside him.
For the first time since she met him—
He looked human.
Not intimidating.
Not controlling.
Just... tired.
Gena hesitated.
Then immediately turned around.
Nope.
Not her problem.
She had barely taken three steps when his voice stopped her.
"Good morning."
She closed her eyes briefly.
Of course he noticed.
Slowly, she turned.
"Good morning."
Silence followed.
Neither moved.
Neither smiled.
Finally, Jared glanced at the empty chair beside him.
"Sit."
The familiar command irritated her immediately.
"No."
His eyebrow rose.
"No?"
"No."
To her surprise—
A faint smile appeared.
Gone almost instantly.
But she saw it.
And somehow it annoyed her even more.
Instead of arguing, she sat on a nearby lounge chair several feet away.
Far enough to feel safe.
Close enough to be polite.
Jared studied the ocean.
"You always run."
Gena frowned.
"And you always chase."
His jaw tightened.
Neither spoke for a while.
The waves filled the silence.
Eventually, he broke it.
"Why did you marry me?"
The question caught her off guard.
She looked at him.
For the first time, there was no accusation in his eyes.
Only curiosity.
Perhaps even confusion.
Gena looked away.
"Your parents helped me when I had nothing."
His expression remained unreadable.
"My father mentioned that."
"He saved my future."
Her voice softened.
"When my scholarship was at risk, he stepped in."
Jared frowned.
That wasn't the answer he expected.
He had spent years believing she manipulated his parents.
That she had planned everything.
That she wanted the Jacobo fortune.
Yet the woman sitting beside him spoke about gratitude instead of money.
It unsettled him.
"That still doesn't explain marriage."
Gena smiled bitterly.
"Your mother was dying."
His body stiffened.
The words struck harder than she intended.
"Her final wish was seeing you married."
The ocean suddenly seemed quieter.
Gena continued softly.
"I couldn't refuse her."
Jared remained silent.
Because for the first time—
His version of the story was beginning to c***k.
Back in the city...
Sarah sat inside a luxury café, staring at her untouched coffee.
She had spent years believing she understood Jared.
Yet lately—
Nothing made sense.
The man who once ignored every woman around him suddenly seemed obsessed with one.
His wife.
Sarah's fingernails dug into her palm.
Gena.
The beautiful wife who appeared out of nowhere.
The wife Jared claimed not to want.
And yet couldn't stop watching.
Sarah hated it.
More importantly—
She refused to lose.
Slowly, she pulled out her phone.
There were ways to make difficult women disappear.
Three days later...
The villa trip ended.
And surprisingly—
No major arguments happened.
Not because things improved.
But because both Jared and Gena seemed exhausted from fighting.
Their conversations remained cautious.
Their distance remained intact.
Yet something had changed.
Neither could deny it.
They had finally begun seeing glimpses of the real person behind the resentment.
Unfortunately—
Peace never lasted long.
The moment they returned to J Corporation, trouble was waiting.
Cherry burst into Gena's office without knocking.
"Boss!"
Gena nearly dropped her coffee.
"What happened?"
Cherry looked horrified.
"Social media."
Immediately suspicious, Gena grabbed her phone.
A popular entertainment page had uploaded photos.
Dozens of photos.
Photos from the restobar.
Photos showing Jared dragging Gena toward his car.
Photos showing him carrying her while she looked half asleep.
Photos showing his protective arm around her waist.
The caption made everything worse.
"Business Tycoon Jared Jacobo Caught Choosing Mystery Beauty Over Famous Actress Sarah Valencia!"
Gena closed her eyes.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
Cherry looked ready to cry.
"The comments are insane."
Unfortunately, she was right.
Thousands of comments flooded the post.
Some praised Gena's beauty.
Others attacked her.
Many accused her of being a mistress.
Several accused her of stealing Sarah's boyfriend.
Gena's stomach dropped.
This was exactly what she feared.
Public attention.
Public judgment.
Public humiliation.
Before she could speak—
The office door opened.
Jared entered.
Ado followed behind him.
His expression was colder than usual.
Which meant—
He had seen it.
The room became silent.
Cherry wisely backed away.
"I'll pretend I don't exist."
And then she disappeared.
Coward.
Gena glared at the door.
Jared placed his phone on her desk.
The article filled the screen.
"I'll handle it."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Gena folded her arms.
"Handle what?"
"This."
"The public already thinks I'm your mistress."
His eyes darkened.
"You're my wife."
"There was no need for anyone to know."
"There is now."
Something in his tone made her uneasy.
Very uneasy.
Slowly—
Jared sat across from her desk.
Then delivered a statement that made her blood run cold.
"I'm holding a press conference."
Gena stared.
"...What?"
"A public announcement."
Her heartbeat accelerated.
"No."
His gaze remained steady.
"Yes."
"You can't be serious."
"I am."
Gena stood so quickly her chair nearly tipped over.
"You don't get to decide that!"
"And you don't get to keep hiding."
The room crackled with tension.
Neither backed down.
Neither looked away.
Finally, Jared spoke.
Quietly.
Firmly.
Dangerously.
"The world is going to know you're Mrs. Jared Jacobo."
And for the first time—
Gena realized the biggest battle of their marriage was only beginning.
- Writer
