The Austin Arrangement

CHAPTER 14:TYPICAL JEREMY AUSTIN!

My eyes were on him as he looked out the window of the hospital room.
Alex has had a couple of days to prepare for this talk,4 to be exact. Even given the time to prepare for this conversation mentally,the truth of it all didn't go down any easier.
Alex is a friend,a good friend. I'm sure right now he's thinking he could have done something to prevent this from happening, prevent my fake marriage to a man I didn't even know.

Truthfully,he couldn't have done anything to help me. I wouldn't have allowed him to anyway.
It was my responsibility to figure this out and I did. I made the best out of the situation and I did what I had to do.

Alex sighed."I wish you would have come to me,Vanessa.
I'm not swimming in money like the Austin's are,but we could have found a way to figure this out together."

"I appreciate that,Alex. I do. But I didn't want to burden anyone with my problems,they were mine to figure out alone."
I looked at my Father,knowing that I did everything I could to keep us afloat. That saying,I don't think he would be proud of the choices I've made over the past year.

"Finley doesn't know,Does he?"

I shook my head in reply."He needed to focus on school,on the life plans that he had. He was a wreck after the accident..I didn't want to make it worse by stressing the fact that we were totally pennyless."

Alex shrugged his shoulders."He could have gotten a job,that would have been at least some contribution to bills that needed paying."

"No,Alex."I said,softly."He needed a normal life,no matter how much I had to suffer to give that to him.
He's my Baby Brother,I need to look out for him."

He turned around and looked at me."Suffer? Now I'm scared.
What the hell has that man been doing to you?"

Of course his mind went to places it shouldn't. It is Jeremy Austin we're talking about after all.Everyone knows what he's like. He treats women like crap and they're the women he likes.For the women he doesn't like,it's much worse. No Respect at all!!
I've been through this,I already know the man he is.

"Nothing,He didn't do anything.Jeremy wasn't very pleasant at first,but I think he's warming up to me now.
He wasn't keen on this whole Arrangement,he was forced into it by his Father. I guess it was Tom's way of making sure his son looked the part when it came to the business side of things."

"Well i kind of understand his Father's reasons,even though this whole thing is weird."Alex crossed the room and sat on the uncomfortable leather armchair.
"Who would want to do business with a man like Jeremy Austin,he has a bad reputation."

"Jeremy and I both get something out of it,I guess."I looked at my Dad and sighed."I really wish he would wake up already,I need him."

I looked at the fresh bouquet on the little white press beside my Dad's bed.
Almost every time I come in here, there's a fresh bouquet with no card left. I wonder who's sending these?

"Does anyone else know about your marriage being a sham? Tasha or maybe Jeremy's family.
You seem to be quite close with his Mother."

"She doesn't know."I glanced over at him from the bed."Natasha neither,I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth.She would have taken my problems on as her own and I didn't want that."

"I'm guessing you want me to keep this from her then?"

"Please. I don't want her to know about this,Alex.Jeremy and I will be divorced in a couple of months and this will all be over."
I sighed,thinking about all of it. My life will never be the same again after this marriage ends. I've been an Austin,I've been his wife and I've lived his lifestyle.
I'll still be attached to his life, whether it's through this Family or because of the fact I'll still be known as the wife of Billionaire Jeremy Austin even after the divorce is final.