Chapter 4 Unveiled Desires

"Ah, Alex my friend," Albert grinned at him. "Wasn't expecting you so soon. I was just trying to impress this stunning woman before you interrupted."

Alex's scowl deepened as he noticed they were still holding hands.

"And that stunning woman happens to be my wife!" he gritted.

Albert's eyes widened. He looked at Jane, who was watching in amusement, and back at Alex. "Man, are you kidding?"

"Do I look like I am?"

"Damn, I didn't know," Albert said but still didn't release her hand.

"It's okay, it isn't your fault," Jane said with a smile, and Alex frowned, still noticing their intertwined hands. "Can you let go of my wife now?"

Albert slowly let go. "But damn, Alex! How can your best friend not know that you're married?"

Wow, best friend? I didn't know my husband had a bestie.

"If I remember correctly, you just got back from a two-month business trip to Spain," Alex replied. "And I never knew I would end up getting married while you were away."

Jane swallowed but said nothing.

"But you should have told me on the phone, man."

"And would you have left the almighty contract to attend my wedding?" Alex asked, arching a brow.

"I might have," Albert replied seriously.

"Alright, man, my bad," Alex said with a small smile. "Just see it as my surprise welcome back present to you."

"Ugh! You aren't forgiven," Albert said, pretending to sulk, and Jane smiled.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise," Alex said, with an eye roll.

He walked to Jane's side, and surprisingly to her, he placed a kiss on her cheek as his hand circled her waist.

"Albert, meet my beautiful wife, Jane, and Jane, Albert, the stubborn person who has the privilege of being my favorite friend. And mind you, he is bad news to women."

Albert grinned. "It's not my fault that women always like me." He wiggled his brows at Jane.

"Well, I can assure you that my wife is not included," Alex snapped, and Albert grinned even more.

"Alright, man, calm down, will you? Jeez!" He smiled at Jane. "A pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Jordan."

"Same here, Albert," she smiled back.

"Alex is a very lucky man," he continued. "But you're definitely not lucky to have married him."

He fled from the office as Alex lunged towards him. Jane laughed, and Alex shook his head with a smile.

"I'll wait downstairs!" Albert called from the other side of the door, and Jane and Alex heard his footsteps as he walked away.

"He's right, you know," Jane commented. "I don't see myself as the luckiest woman in the world to have married you."

"Was that why you were flirting with him in my office?" he asked with a serious expression.

"I wasn't flirting with him," she snapped. "Besides, why do you care?"

"Unfortunately, I don't," he said smoothly.

Right, he doesn't.

"And that's a point I want to make now," he continued. "This marriage might be based on a contract, but in the public eye, it shouldn't look like it."

"Oh, now I know why," Jane murmured.

"What?" he shrugged. "I was wondering why you were acting all loving towards me a few minutes ago. So you mean we have to act like the happiest married couple while in public?"

"Exactly," he nodded. "Otherwise, people will wonder why we married when we are not in love with each other. They'll begin to look for possible reasons why we undertook matrimony, and I don't want my family name making headlines on an arranged marriage."

"I understand," she replied drily.

He smirked. "Good."

She took a deep breath. "So, since we are going to act in public from now on, I presume we are to have lunch together as well, from now onwards?"

He nodded. "Yes, unless a good reason that shoudn't happen, arises."

"This is going to be hard," she muttered. "We can't even stand each other, let alone act like a couple in love in public!"

"Oh, I can stand you," he teased. "And as you said, it will only be acting. Just think of yourself as an actress from now on, who is ready at all times when the need for action arises."

"Noted."

"Good."

"Can we go now? I'm hungry."

*****************

In the evening, They drove back home together, having achieved only a partial success at lunch earlier that day. They had dined with Albert at an exclusive restaurant, and the three of them had thoroughly enjoyed each other's company, except for Alex occasionally displaying a grumpy demeanor. Albert proved to be a charismatic individual, quite unlike Jane's husband. Although she had only met Albert that day, she found herself drawn to him. They shared laughter and common ground, often teaming up against Alex, who was clearly displeased by their camaraderie.

However, Jane didn't mind provoking Alex, as he had annoyed her the previous day. She pondered how fortunate he was that she wasn't the type to engage in extramarital affairs. Upon entering the house, Alex remained in his grumpy mood, ignoring Jane as he made his way upstairs. In response, she stuck her tongue out playfully at his retreating figure, then proceeded to the sitting room and absentmindedly flipped through the TV channels.

As she idled there, her phone rang, and she glanced at the unfamiliar number before answering. "Hello?" she greeted, met with silence on the other end. "Is someone there? I'm not in the mood for pranks right now." Again, silence ensued, followed by a heavy sigh. "Jane," the caller finally spoke.

Jane froze, recognizing the voice. "James. Uh, hi," she responded hesitantly. "How are you?"

There was a moment of hesitation before James replied, "I'm good too, just missing you. I happened to see you at the restaurant today with Alex and his friend."

"Oh, you were there?" Jane asked, unsure of how to continue the conversation.

"Yes, I arrived before you guys," James chuckled dryly. "You and Alex seemed to have a great connection. You looked genuinely happy with him."

"James..."

"No, Jane," he interrupted. "I'm not asking you to explain anything. I understand that the way things ended wasn't your fault."

Jane let out a sigh. "James, can you..."

"Can I see you tomorrow? Anytime you prefer?"

She was taken aback. "Um, James, I've already started working, so..."

"How about after work?" he suggested.

"After work..." Jane contemplated for a moment. "Alright, I'll see you after work tomorrow."

"Would 7 pm be suitable for you?" James inquired. "I... I would like us to have dinner at my place."

The notion of having dinner at James place intrigued Jane. She couldn't help but wonder what Alex would say or think if he found out about her plans. Dismissing the thought, she concluded that he wouldn't even care. All she had to do was ensure she discreetly entered and left James' place to avoid any unwanted attention from the paparazzi.

"Okay, no problem," she finally replied.

"Really? Alright, 7 pm it is," James said, his voice infused with excitement. "I can't wait to see you."

After ending the call, Jane headed to the bedroom to freshen up. As she entered and closed the door behind her, she was met with a surprising sight. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, quickly turning away when she noticed her naked husband, James, putting on his boxer briefs.

"What in heaven's name are you doing here?" she questioned in disbelief.

"Last time I checked, this was my house and my bedroom," he retorted.

"But you haven't been sleeping here!" she exclaimed, astonished.

"And no matter how much you want me to, I don't intend to sleep here tonight," he declared.

"Ugh! I'd rather share a bed with a gorilla than with you," she snapped.

"Whatever helps you sleep. I'm out of here," he muttered, moving towards the door. Jane turned to look at him. He was dressed in a sky-blue shirt and dark jeans, with his hair still slightly damp from the shower.

"Where are you going?" she asked, curious about his sudden departure.

"Out," he replied simply.

"But you just returned from work," she reasoned. "Where else are you planning to go?"

"I fail to see how that's any of your business," he drily remarked.

"Right. It isn't," she retorted. She couldn't fathom why she was acting concerned about him, like a caring wife.

He stood in front of her, staring intently, causing her to blink. "What?"

"If you don't want me to leave, all you have to do is say it," he drawled.

Jane's eyes widened. "Why would I not want you to?"

"Then step aside," he said drily, gesturing towards the door.

"Oh," she responded, realizing her mistake. He said nothing as he passed by her and slammed the door, causing her to jump. "Jeez, what's gotten into him?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, thank God it's not my problem."

That night, Alex did not return. Jane waited in the living room until midnight before giving up and retiring to her room. He must have gone to see his lover, Michelle. Where else could he be? She lay on the bed and played some games to keep herself awake but eventually drifted off to sleep.

*********

"That scoundrel!" Jane muttered under her breath as she sat alone in a restaurant near the office building, having lunch. Earlier that morning, Alex, her husband, hadn't returned home, so she had been driven to work by the driver. In the afternoon, before lunch, she had decided to visit Alex and give him some documents to review.

As she approached Alex's secretary, a fashionable lady slightly older than Jane, looked up and greeted her nervously. "Good morning, Mrs. Jordan."

"Good morning, Miss... Baldwin, right? How are you today?" Jane replied.

"I'm fine, thank you, madam. And you?" Baldwin responded.

"Great," Jane said. "Is my husband in the office?"

"Uh, yes, madam," Baldwin stammered, visibly nervous. Jane raised an eyebrow in response.

"I need to give him these documents," Jane said slowly.

"Oh, okay, ma'am. Just hand them over, and I'll make sure he gets them," Baldwin replied breathlessly.

"Don't worry," Jane said, flashing a saccharine smile. "I'll give them to him myself. There's something I need to discuss with him anyway."

"Alright, um, I'll inform him that you're here," Baldwin said.

"That won't be necessary. I'm his wife," Jane declared, ignoring Baldwin's attempt to call out after her.

Jane walked to Alex's office door, pushed it open, and sucked in a sharp breath at the scene before her. Alex was seated behind his large desk, with a woman she recognized as Michelle sitting on his lap, her revealing attire leaving little to the imagination. They were engaged in an intimate moment but quickly turned to face Jane when she entered. However, it was too late for them to hide their actions completely; Jane had already caught them in the act.

Alex appeared somewhat shocked, while a smug smile played on Michelle's lips, making no effort to cover herself. Jane cleared her throat and stepped further into the room.

"I came to give you these," she said, forcefully slamming the files on the table, then turned to leave without waiting for a response.

Jane passed by the secretary, who had her face down, and ignored her.

It wasn't the secretary's fault, after all.

*********

Now, Jane sat alone, having lunch, when a voice sounded beside her. "Hello, madam. May I join you?"

She looked up and saw the smiling face of Mirabelle Jones and smiled back. "Of course you may."

"I was going to sit at the table next to this one, but when I saw you, I decided to join you," Mirabelle said. "I hope you don't mind, madam?"

"Of course I don't," Jane smiled. "And please, call me Jane."

"Oh no, no, I can't," Mirabelle replied, laughing lightly. "You're not only my boss but also my boss's wife, so I can't."

"But I want you to," Jane insisted. "Besides, we're not in the office at the moment."

"Well..." Mirabelle hesitated.

"As your boss, I'm ordering you to call me Jane," Jane playfully asserted, and they shared another laugh.

"Yes, boss," Mirabelle replied, and they laughed again.

"Do you usually wear your spectacles during lunch?" Jane teased with a smile.

"Oh," Mirabelle responded, suddenly realizing she still had her glasses on, and promptly took them off. "Don't mind me; I'm just used to having them on."

"Oh, please, if you have an eye issue, feel free to keep them on," Jane said seriously.

Mirabelle giggled. "No, I don't

. I just like wearing them when I'm working."

"It gives you a serious look," Jane commented, and they both laughed.

"We employees always want our employers and colleagues to see that we take our work seriously. Wearing spectacles is one way to convey that," Mirabelle explained, and they laughed again, already enjoying each other's company.

Mirabelle was evidently not as serious as she appeared. They placed their respective orders and engaged in conversations about their personal lives, with Jane discreetly avoiding any mention of her marriage to Alex. Although she was beginning to see Mirabelle as a friend, Jane didn't trust her enough yet to share such intimate details.

After their lunch, they returned to the office together, and Jane made a point of avoiding Alex throughout the day. He didn't even come to her office, especially after the incident, which infuriated her.

When it was time to go home in the evening, Jane didn't bother checking on Alex or calling the driver. Instead, she hailed a taxi to take her home. Upon reaching home at six p.m., she remembered her dinner plans with James.

Despite the day's events involving Alex and Michelle, there was no part of Jane that wished to cancel her dinner date with James. In fact, even if there had been, she wouldn't have heeded it. Alex wouldn't be the only one playing this game.

Jane dressed in a blue bodycon dress with long sleeves and nude platform heels. She applied some makeup, grabbed her nude clutch, and was ready to go. Not caring about Alex's potential objections, she took one of the keys to his smaller cars and drove out of the house.

Jane arrived at James' apartment, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. He opened it with a smile on his face, looking dashing in his burgundy T-shirt and jeans.

"Hi," she greeted.

"Hello," he replied, opening the door wider to let her in. His house was just as elegant and luxurious as she remembered. While James was wealthy, Alex was undoubtedly wealthier.

Soft R&B music played from the sound system, and the aroma of a delicious meal filled the air. James wrapped his arms around Jane's waist from behind, and she let out a sigh.

"You look stunning tonight," he whispered in her ear.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"I'm so glad you came. I almost thought you wouldn't."

"I told you I would," she smiled, feeling his lips gently brush against her neck.

"And I'm glad you did. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

They stood in that embrace for a moment before he finally let go of her.

"You must be hungry. Let's eat," James suggested, leading her to a romantically set dining table with candles, flowers, and, of course, food. He pulled out a chair for her, served the meal, and took the seat opposite her after pouring wine into their glasses.

"Thank you," Jane said, appreciative of the effort.

"Anything for you," James replied, smiling at her.

They began to eat, stealing glances at each other and engaging in small talk about work, families, and friends. As Jane looked at James, she couldn't help but sigh, wishing things hadn't unfolded the way they had. She could have been happy with him by now, maybe even married. But fate had a way of toying with one's life, and escaping its clutches seemed impossible.

"That was a delightful meal," Jane said brightly as they sat on the couch in the living room, sipping wine, with John Legend's "All of Me" playing in the background.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," James smiled.

"I loved it. You've always been a great cook," she returned the smile.

"May I have this dance?" James suddenly asked, extending his hand towards her. Jane blinked and then smiled.

"Of course," she accepted his invitation, and he pulled her close as they swayed to the melodious tune of John Legend's "All of Me."

🎵 My head's under water, but I'm breathing fine

You're crazy and I'm out of my mind

'Cause all of me loves all of you... 🎵

It was their favorite song, and after a few moments, they joined their voices in harmony, immersing themselves in the passion of John Legend's music. As the song reached its conclusion, James' lips met hers, sealing the evening with a kiss.