I Now Pronounce You Husband and Wife

This is my first attempt at writing and posting a story. I am pretty excited but also extremely nervous. I look forward to feedback and your reviews/comments. Please read and enjoy. Thanks!

Story Summary: Jake Knightley and Emma Woodhouse find themselves in a modern day arranged marriage. Can an unlikely situation force two people who hate each other to start working together and eventually fall in love?

Prologue

An eleven-year-old Jake Knightley stood just outside the room watching his father smile and give a soft kiss to the newborn baby in his arms, his little brother, John Knightley. His other arm was around his new young wife who snuggled contently into his side. The joy his father felt with his new family was obvious in the way he carefully handled the baby boy like he couldn't imagine a more precious prize. There was no thought or place for his older son, the product of his first marriage to a wife who was deemed proper by society's standards but had been a deeply ill-suited match from the beginning. The constant fighting between two people who clearly despised each other and had never had any interest in making the marriage a success took a heavy toll in developing any sort of real relationship between the boy and his father. Of course, both parents understood this to be normal as was common in their circles where marriage could be for many reason's including money, status, or business dealings, with love not really an expectation on either side. Even when the parents eventually decided to go their separate ways, there was no question that Jake would stay with his father as he had to get a proper education and learn how to eventually run the family business. This afforded him the best private schools, nannies, drivers and anything that money could buy but no close familial relationship with either of his parents.

Over the years, it became standard for Jake to always be standing just outside watching while his father gave his undivided attention to his younger son and wife. The ruthless businessman and normally stern father were completely different and putty in John's hands. His father's second marriage was to a much younger woman who didn't come with any great connections but was nevertheless very loyal to his father and made him into a much happier person. She might never be the perfect society wife in terms of her education and connections, but no one would dare say such a thing out loud about one of the top energy company's CEO's wife. Of course, as is the case with these situations, children start understanding and using their power to get exactly what they want and as John grew older, he knew exactly how to charm everyone from his parents to the household staff to fulfil his demands. The role of the forgotten heir and charming but spoilt younger son suited the boy's personalities as well and where Jake was naturally quiet and thoughtful, John was always filled with mischief and laughter.

Over time everyone just assumed that Jake would always get the best marks in school and seamlessly transition into running the family business. This was very different from the expectations for John which revolved around his charm and fun. It was evident in the camaraderie between father and younger son which was filled with discussions of how the boy's day went or small family outings ending with ice cream and toys. Of course, it was understood that John would also join the business, but it was generally agreed that his options were wide open of how he would want to be involved.

It wasn't that any of the adults were deliberately trying to be cruel but once a pattern has been set, life has a way of continuing in a certain path unless one is forced to change. Jake's mother loved her son and had demanded he be raised by the best nannies. She came in and out of his life to check up on him but was inevitably busy with her many charity projects or latest grand romance. His step-mom didn't necessarily resent his presence in her life but simply took her cue from her husband and treated him with the same polite interest he reserved for his older son. Likewise, the brothers grew up in the same house and had access to the same education and activities, but the eleven-year age gap didn't exactly help them become any closer. As the year's progressed, where Jake had always been secretly jealous of his father's close bond with his younger brother, now John was resentful of never being included or taken seriously in the business discussions. The boys were now adults, but their family setup combined with life long resentment on both sides ensured the brothers would never be more than two people forced to interact for the sake of family and business, each continuing to fulfill the role they had been thrust into as children.