Chapter 16

 It was early Saturday afternoon when Maggie started getting ready for the charity event she was supposed to go to with Jack. After the bath she took, she styled her hair with a cream she found in the bathroom cabinet; it made her hair shiny. Her natural, soft locks were on a good way to recover from the years of neglect. They looked decent now, so she decided to leave her hair free down her back. She removed a few strands from her face with some pins and added a little bit of mascara and eyeliner on her eyes that made her deep blue eyes stand out even more. A blood-red lipstick added to the look, and upon checking herself in the vanity mirror, she was satisfied with what she saw. Maggie never wore too much makeup. She hated the feeling of having a mask on her face, but she did like to accentuate her features a bit, so she found the middle ground.

One thing she had to admit… there was a good side to this arrangement she made with Jack. She finally had time for herself, a time to pamper herself, and enjoy activities she had no time for before. She's enjoyed long baths and spa treatments she could pull out herself, hair and face masks… she felt a little ashamed for thinking this way, but that didn't change the fact she was enjoying every second of it.

Luckily, the dress she had picked out with Emma the other day was delivered this morning. It was a simple, floor-length, black dress with carefully sewn on sequins, a little loose around her body, but it fitted her perfectly. It accentuated her flawless complexion and beautiful features.

When she was done, she took her clutch and headed downstairs, where Jack was waiting by the stairs wearing a black tuxedo that fitted him perfectly, speaking with Mary that was supposed to stay the night and watch over Eric.

When they heard Maggie coming down the stairs, they both looked up, and Jack swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. A fairy was coming towards him, and he was wordless. He was completely under her spell.

How the hell could he ever think that she was nothing special, that she was average… no, what a mistake. She was beautiful. She was perfect.

"Is there something wrong? Is the dress too much? Emma said it would be fine…" Jack was snapped out of his thought by Maggie's worried voice. He realized he stood there watching her like some creep not saying a thing.

"No, you look good." Jack offered her his hand, and she took it. She didn't miss the smirk or Mary's teary eyes.

Jack helped her to take a seat in the car. He was acting very gentleman-like towards her, and she started to relax and enjoy it, maybe just a little too much. She was close to forgetting how she got here and what her role was, and that can't happen. She didn't want to be the one hurting in the end.

"Your mother will be transferred to a hospital here in the city by the end of next week. I made all of the arrangements." Jack said breaking the silence.

A wide smile lit up Maggie's face. "Thank you,"

"No need to thank me." But he felt unusual happiness himself for making her smile. "So, you remember everything we spoke about earlier?" They had a conversation in his office regarding the story they will both tell the people, details about how they've met, and how long they've been seeing each other.

"Of course."

A few minutes later, they arrived at the hotel where the event was taking place, and the first thing Maggie noticed upon stepping inside was a glamorous setting with many people dressed even more glamorously sitting at the tables or standing around and talking with each other. She felt like she didn't belong there, and her instincts told her to turn around and run, but Jack's strong hand that held hers provided the strength she needed. She was quickly becoming used to having him around, and it felt good to have someone else to depend on, to not be the only one fighting the fight…

They walked around the hall greeting all the people Jack knew, and apparently, he knew a lot of the people present. He introduced Maggie as his wife to all those he knew, and each time he said those words, he could not hide the pride in his voice. He was well aware that it wasn't the truth, but it didn't lessen what he was feeling. It only meant he will have to give his best to make this feeling real and permanent.

After Jack greeted so many people that Maggie lost count and already forgot all of their names and faces, they neared the table where she noticed two familiar faces. Robert and Emma were there, and Maggie was genuinely glad to see them.

"Hi," she said giving a quick hug to Emma and offering her hand for a shake to Robert, but he surprised her when he pulled her into a quick hug too. "How are you?" she asked looking at Emma's baby bump that was, just like Emma wanted, very noticeable.

"We're fineee!" Emma answered smiling.

"Maggie, I have to thank you for what you did the other day," Robert said.

"I'm not sure what I did…" it sounded more like a question.

"I don't know what could have happened if Emma was driving. You might have saved my baby's life."

"Don't think like that, what would have happened if… we are all good and that's the only thing that matters. And, there was no chance in hell she would drive me back home. She drives like crazy!" her comment made Jack and Robert laugh, while Emma just smirked before she rose to her feet and pulled Maggie by a hand.

"You're accompanying me on the way to the restroom." When they were away from Jack and Robert enough that they couldn't hear their conversation, Emma leaned towards Maggie's ear and whispered, "You and Jack seemed close…"

"Yeah, well, it's part of the roll…" Maggie furrowed her brows in confusion.

"I don't think so… I've known Jack for a long time, and I have never seen him acting like this. I think he likes you for real." Maggie said nothing to this. She didn't know what to think of what she just heard.

While she's been lost in her thoughts, they arrived at the restroom, and luckily, there were only two women inside, fixing their makeup in front of the giant mirror. Maggie and Emma went into the cabins, and while they were inside, they could hear the door of the restroom open and close and the sound of heels tapping on the floor tiles. Just before Maggie put her hand on the door handle intending to get out, she heard giggles.

"Have you seen that girl that Jackson Peters introduces as his wife to everyone? I mean, come on! She's such a gold-digger. She's way too young for him! There can't be more to them, right?" Maggie heard the woman's voice, and she was talking about her.

"I don't know, girl. He seemed serious…" the other voice said.

"I hoped that I would get my hands on him," her voice carried a note that made Maggie nauseous, but the next second she heard a door of the cabin next to the one she was in slam and Emma's angry voice.

"You should mind your own business, bitches, unless you want me to start talking. And you know that I would have something to say!"

Once Maggie was sure they were out, she opened the door and got out of the cabin to come face to face with fuming Emma. They returned to the table where Jack and Robert were sitting, and Jack noticed the change in Maggie's mood. She had a hard time faking a smile for the rest of the night.

"I told you that this is one ugly and fake world. That's why I was so excited to have you." Emma was a little rough around the edges, but she had a pure soul. This comment lifted Maggie's spirits a bit, so a subtle smile lit up her face.

Later through the night, when the host of the event, a gray-haired, tall and lean man got on the stage and held his speech, Maggie was left wordless when she heard that her 'husband' was one of the main beneficiaries of this charity fund that helped to save homeless kids from the streets and that funded numerous orphanages all around the country.

She never expected something like this from him, no, just the opposite, and that's what made this surprise even greater.

Soon after the speech, Robert and Emma got up to leave. He was so considerate towards his pregnant wife, he didn't want to tire her too much. Before they left, Emma leaned towards Jack and whispered something in his ear. Maggie noticed his jaw clench, and his eyes glistened with an ominous shine.

"Are you ready to leave?" he asked just after his friends left.

"Of course," Maggie confirmed, took her clutch, and accepted his hand.

They returned home in silence, and Maggie headed to her room after wishing him goodnight. She opened the door and was about to go in when his voice stopped her.

"Maggie…" Jack called her name, and she turned around to face him. He sighed visibly and said: "Nothing… goodnight, sleep well."

Maggie entered her room, and while she was getting ready for bed, she couldn't help but think that Jack wanted to say something else.