Chapter 122: Chapter 122

After Andrea and Sean drove off, Elena slowly walked towards the porch of Jacob's villa and stood by the 8, hesitant about going in. "Is he going to think that she's cheap if she tells him she's spending the night here? He wouldn't, would he?" she thought.

She glanced down at her watch; it was just a few minutes left for the clock to strike 12 a.m. She wouldn't get a decent cab at this time of day, nor would any of her online car rides be available at this hour.

As she stood there, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and Jacob appeared at the doorframe, wearing a black bathrobe and shorts. His toned chest was exposed, giving her a glimpse of his well-shaped abs.

She immediately looked away and bowed her head as she felt her cheeks heating up from looking.

"What are you doing out here?" Jacob demanded, his arms folded across his chest. His hair was messy, as if he'd just come out of the shower.

"Sean and Andrea dropped me off here since it's already late," Elena said nervously, fiddling with her fingers. "They think we're truly dating."

Please come in." Jacob nodded understandingly and ushered her upstairs to the guestroom. "You can sleep here for the night. I'll get you clean towels shortly."

Elena nodded in understanding and surveyed the simple-looking room with its queen-size bed, portable closet, and side drawer. The room was painted white, giving it a sophisticated appearance.

She sat down on the bed and fetched out her phone from her purse, seeing a text from Andrea saying, "Have a lovely goodnight rest... or maybe not..." accompanied by an emoji with a smirking face.

"Oh Andrea, I'm so sorry for lying to you." Elena smiled as she thought about Andrea.

Jacob knocked on the door that was left open before entering with a towel and a shirt. "I'm sorry, I don't have any female clothing here," he said, carefully placing them on the bed before leaving.

Elena was left dumbfounded when she picked up the shirt from the bed and realized it was a brand-new Versace shirt with its label still intact. "Is he insane?" she thought. "He wants me to use a luxury shirt as a nightdress? The rich really just do as they please."

After taking a shower and putting on the shirt, Elena felt her stomach rumbling. She pouted and looked down at her stomach. "This is not our house; why can't you sense that?" She groaned loudly and lay down on the bed.

She tried her best to fall asleep, but couldn't due to starvation. She decided to check what Jacob had in the kitchen, knowing he must be sleeping already. With that thought in mind, Elena quickly sneaked out of the room, making sure her footsteps were light enough not to alarm anyone.

As she successfully got downstairs, she smiled in victory, only to find Jacob watching a cricket match on the couch while sipping a can of beer. The lights were off, except for the one coming from the TV, which illuminated the room; fortunately, he was backing her and wasn't aware of her presence.

She quickly turned around to leave when she accidentally knocked over something, making an embarrassing sound.

Jacob quickly turned on the light and rushed over to her. "Are you fine? What were you doing in the dark?" He asked, noticing the small cut on her thigh.

"Eww!" Elena winced in pain while attempting to get up by herself. Jacob quickly assisted her.

"I'm so sorry for breaking your vase," Elena apologized embarrassedly.

"What were you doing in the dark?" Jacob demanded again.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to get some fresh air, so I decided to head out," she lied.

"At this time? There's air conditioning in the room."

Elena nibbled on her bottom lip nervously and avoided contact. "Come."  Jacob wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her to the couch. Shortly after, he returned with a mini first aid box and gently cleansed her with spirit. She flinched slightly with her eyes shut and held onto his arm like her life depended on it.

Jacob, who was squatting in front of her, looked at her small, scrunched-up face and her pink, rosy lips, and for a second, he got lost in his little world. This was the first time he was looking at her from a closer view. "Is it done?" Elena asked, waking Jacob from his little trance.

He hurriedly treated her wound and told her she could open her eyes. "See, it's done. You're such a little kid. How did you even become a nurse?" Jacob couldn't help but tease her.

"Why should I tell you?" She pouted her lips and tried to get up, but landed back on the couch.

Jacob almost burst into laughter and had to suppress the urge to let it out. He found her reaction cute and funny. "So, tell me, what were you doing downstairs?"

Elena opened her mouth slightly, trying to come up with another lie, when he pressed his finger on her lips. "Don't lie to me," he said, looking into her eyes.

She gulped down her saliva with great difficulty, feeling as though she would die if he remained this close to her for another minute. As if he had read her mind, he took away his finger and moved back a little from her.

The rumbling sound her stomach made that instant gave her away already. "You're hungry, huh?" Jacob had a mischievous smile on his face.

This time around, Elena couldn't deny it anymore and simply nodded her head. "Can I get something to eat? I'm starving," she said.

"Well, I don't cook, but I think there should be beer in the fridge and some leftover potato chips you can munch on," Jacob said, shrugging his shoulders.

"You know it's good to have proper meals. A healthy meal a day keeps the doctor away...and the pizza delivery person on speed dial," Elena said with a hint of sarcasm.

Jacob scoffed and replied, "Healthy meals are like opinions. Everyone has one, and most of them are bland."

Elena couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Who knew you were this funny?" she said, holding her chest.

"And you look beautiful when you smile like this," Jacob blurted out, staring at her desirably, causing Elena to feel a little cautious around him. They were both grown-up adults staying in the same place, which meant anything could literally happen, and she wasn't down with it.

"I'll go to the kitchen," she stuttered, and she hurriedly disappeared from his sight. Jacob was also stunned by what he had said earlier. "What's wrong with me today?" He rubbed his neck in embarrassment and resumed watching his cricket match like nothing had happened.

Not until the aroma of beef traveled straight into his nostrils...

Shortly after, Elena came out holding two plates of beef stir-fry and white rice. "I'm sure you must be hungry too," she said.

"Wow, how did you make this?" Jacob didn't even know he had such ingredients in his kitchen. Mrs. Jones used to buy lots of ingredients and ask the maid to stock them in the kitchen, but he never cared to take a look since he didn't know how to manage a kitchen.

"I found them lying in your kitchen, almost expired," Elena said advisably. "You know it's not good to waste food like that."

"What was I supposed to do? I'm just a young businessman who doesn't know how to cook," Jacob said defensively.

"At least you should try; there are modern technologies that make cooking much more seamless these days," Elena suggested. "I mean, you have a rice cooker in your kitchen, dude."

After they ate, Jacob went back to his match until he realized they were just a few hours before dawn again. He looked at Elena, who had fallen asleep on the couch while curled up like a worm.

She was murmuring some words he couldn't really understand. He leaned in slightly to listen when Elena jolted up from her sleep and her lips accidentally brushed his.

"What do you think you're doing?" She hurriedly voiced it out as she straightened.

"Relax; I wasn't trying to make any moves on you," Jacob said. "I just heard you murmuring in your sleep, so I only leaned in to listen."

"That was very rude!" Elena exclaimed.

"What? Why are you overreacting? I just explained everything to you right now," Jacob said calmly.

"I don't even know who to trust or not," Elena said tearfully. "I mean, if you find me so cheap, then I guess we should just end this facade and never see each other again."

"Elena, it hasn't gotten that far," Jacob promised. "I promise I don't see you as a cheap or loose woman. I might not know you too well, but I know you're a lady with principles and morals."

"Tell me, how am I supposed to believe anything you say? After you harassed me in front of everyone tonight?" Elena asked in a choked voice, tears threatening to fall out.

"I'm really sorry about that," Jacob apologized sincerely. "I didn't know what came over me, but I can assure you it won't repeat itself."

Elena fell into a mental breakdown immediately after his apology. All her life, she had been visiting her therapist, thinking his sessions were worth it and she was finally normal again, but at this moment she realized she had been deceiving herself.

"Why is all of this happening to me? What did I do wrong to deserve it?" She buried her face in her hands, her arms wrapped around her knees.

Jacob was left at a loss for words; he could barely react to everything going on. One minute ago they were laughing merrily; the other she was sleeping, and now she's crying... He didn't even know what to do—if he should go upstairs and let her be or console her for what he had no idea of.

He hesitated at first but then pulled her closer for a hug, where Elena cried out her heart till his shirt was soaked with her tears. After getting herself back together, she remained in his arms, where she surprisingly found solace.