Jacob Graham: The Underestimated Lord

CHAPTER 5: HE'S MARRIED?

Celine's words echoed in Jacob's mind as he walked home. **Don't touch me until l've fallen for you."*

It sounded more like a warning to him than anything, but she'd smiled when she finished.

He couldn't help but chuckle. It wasn't an unreasonable demand, but her sudden frustration after making it puzzled him.

She was a strong-willed woman yet occasionally

Vulnerable, what was he expecting? She had been groomed right from childhood to be that way.

Back at home, Jacob pushed open the door, and he immediately stopped right in his tracks at the sight of the blind date sitting smugly in the living room.

She had draped herself across the sofa like she owned the place, her smile wide and taunting.

The pile of gifts she'd brought-luxury handbags, imported wines, and a designer scarf-lay spread across the coffee table, and he wondered if today was her birthday.

"Didn't think l'd let you off that easy, did you?" she teased, twirling a strand of her perfectly styled hair.

Jacob raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "I'm not sure what

You're hoping for, but l've already made it clear there's nothing between us." He said, his tone hard and challenging, but she still smiled.

And then her smile faltered for a moment before she regained composure.

"Oh, come on. You returned a gift worth tens of millions? That's cute, but let's not pretend I don't need someone like me. I'm doing you a favor." She said and winked.

Before he could reply, his mother walked in, eyes lighting up at the sight of the visitor. "Oh, you're still here! I was just about to prepare dinner. Why don't you stay and join us?"

Cindy's expression softened into feigned politeness and Jacob felt like dragging her out.

"Oh, Auntie, I'd love to!" She whined

Jacob clenched his jaw, silently fuming as his mother bustled into the kitchen. He turned to Cindy, who was smiling mischievously, his voice low and firm.

"I'll say this once: leave now before you embarrass yourself."

Her sweet demeanor dropped like a mask. "Embarrass myself? I'm your mother's best friend's daughter, just so you know, and I was invited here."

"So ?"

"So I'm staying. Do you know how many men would kill to be in your shoes? You're lucky I even gave you the time of day."

Jacob gritted his teeth, getting quite angry with the whole thing.

"And you're lucky I haven't asked you to leave in front of my mother."

Before the conversation could escalate further, his younger sister, May, burst into the room, holding a paper in her hand.

"Bro, is this real?" she asked, her voice tinged with both excitement and disbelief.

He looked at the paper and froze. It was the marriage certificate.

His sister's wide eyes darted between him and the beautiful face of Celine in the photo.

"You two got married?" Cindy exclaimed.

His mother reappeared, wiping her hands on her apron. "What'sgoing on?"

"He's married!" his sister blurted, thrusting the certificate into their mother's hands.

Silence fell over the room as his mother inspected the document. Her eyes welled up, a mix of joy.

and confusion. "You… didn't tell me? Who is she? How did this happen?"

Cindy stood frozen, her face a mask of disbelief as she processed everything that was happening.

Jacob cleared his throat, forcing himself to remain composed.

"We met a while back while I was still in the military. It wasn't something I planned, but... we fell in love. We wanted to keep it private until it felt right to share."

His sister's eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Something was right.

"You? Secretly in love? With *her*?"

"She's stunning!" their mother exclaimed, her voice tinged with pride. "But why didn't you tell us?

sooner? What does she do? Where does she live?"

Jacob's mind raced as he thought of a quick lie, anything at all as far as it would convince them. "She's a senior executive at a large company. Her work keeps her incredibly busy, which is why we haven't had a chance to visit us together yet."

His mother's face softened, her pride pushing out her confusion.

"A senior executive? My son married someone so accomplished? I couldn't be happier!"

Cindy finally found her voice, though it came out bitter and biting. "You're married? To someone like *her*?" She scoffed, glaring at the marriage.

certificate. "I bet it's a sham. There's no way she'd settle for someone like you."

"That's enough," Jacob snapped. His voice was firm. He stepped closer, his towering presence silencing

her. "You've overstayed your welcome. Leave now."

Cindy opened her mouth to argue but quickly thought better of it under his steely gaze.

She grabbed her purse and stormed out, her heels clicking angrily against the floor.

Once the door slammed shut, his mother sighed. "That girl… I'm glad you didn't end up with her."

She turned back to the marriage certificate, her expression softening again. "But when can we meet your wife? I want to know the woman who captured my son's heart."

Jacob hesitated, his carefully constructed lie beginning to feel like a trap. "She's… Really busy. But I'll arrange something soon."

His sister, May, smirked, clearly skeptical. "I'll l believe it when I see it."

Later that evening, Jacob sat alone in his room, staring at the marriage certificate. Celine's calm, unreadable face stared back at him. What was he supposed to do now? His family's questions would only grow louder, and Celine's blunt declaration that their marriage was merely a transaction didn't exactly lend itself to family introductions.

Soon they might suspect they might get angry or feel betrayed when they find out about this.

This wasn't his intention. It was never to keep things from them.

Pulling out his phone, he typed a quick message to Celine:

"We might need to meet sooner than expected. My family wants to meet you."

He hesitated before hitting send, unsure of how she'd react. But the message was already gone.