Chapter 5

Isabella’s Pov

“You did what?!” Maryann screamed in my ears. Maryann or Mary like to call her was my friend and roommate. We stayed in a two-bedroom flat and shared the rent.

“Hey…calm down, it is not a bad idea,” I said to her but she shook her head in disagreement.

“When I saw you on the front page of the biggest blog in town and your hands were hooked with the city’s youngest billionaire—who I was surprised you don't know about, I knew something was up.” she continued to blab.

“Mary, it is just business—call it a mutual benefit.” I stood up and walked to the kitchen to get myself a snack.

“Benefits? He asked you to be his girlfriend!” Mary repeated the words I said to her.

“Fake girlfriend.” I corrected

“It is all the same! Do you know he has a fiancee?” She looked at me with concern.

“Ex-fiance!” I corrected it again as I made my milkshake.

“Hennesey Lang is not someone who you make an ex?” she pulled up her I*******m account which had close to ten million followers. “She is the only daughter of the Lang group—a powerful family who run a lot of things here in New York. She is an actress, model, and influencer with a huge fan base named Henney. Her biggest collaboration was the one with the brand named after her.”

I passed Mary her share of the milkshake as she continued to read Hennessy's life biography from Wikipedia.

“Anything else?” I picked up my drink and walked to the living room with some pizza which was in the fridge.

“Yes! Her net worth is over two hundred million dollars and yours is not even on Wikipedia. She started to date Noah Jake the young billionaire last three years and it seems to have ended with Noah deleting every trace of her from his socials but they have been occasionally seen multiple times in events.”

I ran my hands through my hair as I grumbled about this, “Okay, enough. I have heard you, Hennessy Lang cannot be an ex.”

“Finally! I am getting through to you.”

“But I am still going ahead with the plan.” I burst her bubbles as I picked up my phone, dialing the number of Noah’s assistant, “This the one chance to save something precious to me, and if pretending to be the girlfriend of the richest man in New York gets me there, so be it.”

Mary looked at me for a while before shrugging, “If you say so….Just be careful, Hennessy is not someone to mess with.”

Mary picked up her food and walked to her room.

The phone rang twice before it was answered, “Hello.” The voice from the phone came.

“Good afternoon, J-Enterprise, Joshua speaking.”

I took a deep breath, knowing there was no going back, “Is this Master Noah’s secretary speaking?”

“Yes it is, please who is on the line.”

“Hmm, it’s Isabella. I was calling to let you know that I am ready to sign the agreement.”

“Fantastic, I would communicate the time and place for the signing. Please don’t be late.”

The call ended and just like that I had taken the first step in being the girlfriend of Noah Jake. It felt unreal but I was here and I couldn’t go back.

“Dad, I am doing this for you. Hope you are proud and you keep me safe.” I said to myself.

…………………

I stepped out of the most expensive car I had ever stepped foot into. Noah had sent over his car to come to get me after telling me we would have dinner to celebrate and also sign the contract in the restaurant.

I walked into a 5-star restaurant with my knee-length gown which hugged my body perfectly. My hair was packed up with my makeup done to the minimum.

A waitress walked up to me, “Welcome to La Grand Restaurant, do you have a reservation?”

“Yes, under the name of Noah Jake,” I said in a low tone.

She flicked through her iPad and after a while, she looked up, “Oh, see it. This way, Master Jake has already checked in.”

We walked into the lobby and up into the elevator which overlooked the busy night city. We got off on the seventh floor, which has a huge hall and different doors.

She handed me a key card, “This is your key and your table is reserved in room five.”

I took the card and nodded, “Thank you.”

The waitress gave a slight nod and walked out, leaving me to navigate the hall. I looked carefully for room five and when I found it I took a deep breath before I placed the card on the door to unlock the door.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside, my eyes adjusting to the dimly lit room. The table was set for two, with a breathtaking view of the city skyline.

Noah stood up from his seat, a charming smile spreading across his face. "Isabella, you look stunning," he said, his eyes roaming over my dress.

I felt a flutter in my chest as I walked towards him. "Thank you, Noah. You don't look so bad yourself."

We exchanged pleasantries as we sat down, the waiter arriving promptly to take our orders. As we waited for our food to arrive, Noah handed me a folder containing the contract.

I scanned through the pages, my eyes widening at the generous terms. It was a lucrative deal, one that would set me up for life.

Just as I was about to sign the contract, Noah reached out and took my hand, his touch sending shivers down my spine.

"I'm glad you're doing this, Isabella," he said, his eyes locked on mine. "I think we could be great together."

I felt a rush of excitement at his words, and for a moment, I forgot about the contract and the fake girlfriend arrangement. All I could think about was the spark of attraction between us.

And then, just as I was about to respond, the door burst open and a woman strode in, her eyes blazing with anger.

"Noah, what is going on here?" she demanded, her voice dripping with venom.

Noah's eyes narrowed, and he stood up, his face tense. "Hennessy, what are you doing here?”