Chapter 4

“And who is this?” Dawson said, pointing at Jessica.

“This is Jessica. She’s my wife,” Xavier said, taking Jessica’s hand and gently guiding her forward.

Jessica stepped forward and looked at the grandfather. He looked healthier than she had expected. Was Xavier sure his grandfather had end-stage liver cancer?

“Good afternoon, Mr. Delgado,” Jessica said, giving him a slight bow. How could she have ever imagined standing before a self-made billionaire, let alone speaking to him? She could feel her feet sweating inside her shoes.

“Good afternoon, Jessica,” Dawson said with a smile. For reasons even he didn’t understand, he liked Jessica immediately.

“Please, call me Dawson,” he added.

“Oh, can I?” Jessica asked hesitantly.

Dawson could tell she wasn’t entirely comfortable.

“Did Xavier only tell you this morning that he was a Delgado?” Dawson asked, noticing her surprise.

“...Hmm...” she stuttered, unsure of what to say.

“Papa,” Xavier warned.

“I’m just asking your lovely wife why she feels so uncomfortable,” Dawson replied.

“I’m not uncomfortable,” Jessica said quickly. She didn’t want to be the reason Xavier got caught in a lie, but she wasn’t a professional actress or even a good liar.

“Relax,” Xavier whispered in her ear. The warmth of his breath against her skin made her shiver.

“Sit,” Dawson said, pointing to the chair beside his bed.

Jessica pointed at herself, and Dawson nodded. She took the seat beside him.

“I’m happy you agreed to marry my grumpy grandson,” Dawson said.

“Papa,” Xavier said again, his voice carrying a warning.

“I’m sure you’ll grow to like him even more,” Dawson continued, ignoring Xavier, who was now breathing heavily while muttering complaints under his breath.

“Please take care of him,” Dawson said.

Jessica could feel the love radiating from the grandfather toward his grandson.

“He’s still a child at heart,” Dawson added in a whisper.

“I will,” Jessica said softly. She didn’t know when the words had slipped out, but seeing the grandfather’s affection and fragile condition made her want to comfort him somehow.

Her response shocked both men. Dawson had expected her to avoid answering, while Xavier wondered why she would agree to do favors for complete strangers. For all she knew, they could have been serial kidnappers or killers. Yet she trusted them completely.

“Let me allow the newlyweds to get back to their business,” Dawson teased.

A blush crept onto Jessica’s face. Although she had no intention of sleeping with Xavier, hearing it still made her feel strange.

She had remained a virgin throughout her relationship with Burke. She had planned to give herself to him only after marriage, and that was why he had agreed to wait.

“I’ll come say hello tomorrow,” Jessica said as she stood up.

She imagined it must get lonely staying alone in a hospital room all day, and since she wasn’t doing anything anyway, perhaps she could visit him.

“I would love that.”

The couple left the hospital room after exchanging several more pleasantries and goodbyes.

Jessica realized she liked Dawson. He was a lovable old man. She could see where Xavier had inherited his looks from. His aloofness and coldness, she guessed, came from losing his parents.

They drove to the house where she would be staying. She knew she couldn’t return to her apartment, so she followed him home.

He drove through the gates of a massive mansion and parked at the front entrance. A man hurried over to collect the keys and re-park the car.

The man recoiled in shock when he saw a strange woman stepping out beside Xavier. Jessica got out and followed after him.

Since he had started working there, he had never seen Xavier show any interest in women. Some of the household staff had even assumed he was gay.

“Gather the staff,” Xavier instructed the woman they met at the door. She looked to be in her mid-forties.

“Yes, young master,” she replied before heading inside.

Jessica pinched herself and winced at the pain. She was convinced this had to be a dream. How else could she have ended up married to a billionaire so suddenly?

“Come with me,” Xavier said, turning back after noticing she had stopped in the doorway.

Jessica carefully studied the mansion and was convinced it could pass for a castle. It was far too grand and beautiful.

Xavier walked into the sitting room and took a seat. He needed to introduce his wife to the household staff. They may have married at first sight without truly knowing each other, but he was a gentleman, and he intended to make sure she lived comfortably for the year they would stay together.

“Welcome, young master,” the staff greeted one by one as they entered the sitting room.

Xavier merely nodded in response.

None of them could hide their shock at seeing a woman seated beside him. It was something they had never witnessed before. The woman in her mid-forties had worked at the Delgado mansion since she was a teenager, and this was the first time she had ever seen the young master with a woman.

“Is this everyone?” Xavier asked when the woman from the doorway entered as well.

“Yes, young master,” she replied.

Jessica quickly counted fourteen household staff members.

That was practically an entire football team and substitutes. Considering the size of the mansion, though, the number made sense. It felt surreal to her that she had gone from nearly becoming a housewife to marrying a billionaire in less than a day. She had never planned for this, but somehow, this was now her life.

Her phone vibrated inside her bag, but she ignored it.

“This is Roselle. She’s the head housekeeper,” Xavier said, gesturing toward the woman in her mid-forties.

“And this is my wife,” Xavier announced.

The entire household staff gasped in shock.

The young master was married.