3| Marriage Registry

Fiona's POV

When we entered the marriage affairs building, the woman in charge of the marriage registration glanced at Rowan and me before she gestured for us to take our seats.

"Yes, can I have your identity cards?" she asked, and I nervously brought out mine and presented it to her.

Her brows furrowed as she returned my card to me. She was a middle-aged woman. She smiled and looked at Rowan's face, as he was so handsome, like an actor.

"Mr. Carson, are you sure that you want to marry this woman?" she asked, taking me by surprise that she knew Rowan.

Only then did it occur to me that I was from a lower-class family, and Rowan's family were billionaires.

"Yes. Do you have a problem with it, Mrs. Judge?" Rowan asked, his voice cold.

"No. It's just that I thought you were in a relationship with Sage Andrews. Are the Andrews aware that you are having a secret marriage and not marrying their daughter?" she asked further, embarrassing me more as I lowered my head.

The Andrews were among the influential families in the city.

"Mrs. Judge, I do not owe you any explanation. If you cannot do your job, I guess I will call your manager directly to come and register my marriage. And I do not want this getting out in the news," Rowan replied coldly, his eyes laced with threat. He didn't care that Mrs. Judge, as he named her, could have birthed him.

"Sure. I will have your marriage registered now," she said as she quickly brought out the marriage registration form.

"Fill this. And know that you both cannot get a divorce until after six months," she said, her voice cold.

"We are aware," Rowan told her coldly as he took out his pen and filled in his name. He quickly inscribed his signature and passed the form to me.

"Fill it and sign," Rowan said, not sparing me a glance in Mrs. Judge's office.

Nervously, I asked Rowan for his pen, as I hadn't come with any.

Rowan gave me his pen, as he always carried his pen clipped to his shirt, like he was waiting to sign any documents at any time.

I quickly read the marriage documents, filled in my name, and signed it before Rowan changed his mind, as I could feel the hostility emanating from him.

Once I had completely signed the papers, Rowan took it first and glanced at it.

Seeing my signature, he nodded and handed it over to Mrs. Judge to finalize our marriage agreement.

"Done," Mrs. Judge said as she handed the marriage documents copy to Rowan.

"Congratulations," she told us, and Rowan nodded and looked at me.

"Let's go," he said, not sparing a glance at me.

Quietly, I stood up and followed Rowan out of the building.

"Where is Mr. Albert?" I asked Rowan about his friend.

"Waiting for us," Rowan pointed at the black Jeep ahead of his in the parking lot.

We walked up to meet Albert, as Rowan walked faster in his black suit, exuding an air of arrogance.

Lowering my head, I accompanied Rowan until we arrived at Albert's car.

"Are you both now officially married?" Albert asked, his voice laced with mockery.

"Yes. It's just the contract terms that say the marriage will expire in two years? Where is it?" Rowan asked, as I stood beside the car listening to them.

Albert drew a deep breath and brought out the file, handing it over to Rowan, who read it.

"Here's the contract, Fiona. You will agree to divorce me after two years, and I will compensate you with 20% shares of Carson Group's net worth by then," Rowan said as he handed the copy of the contract to me.

My hands trembled as I took it. Deep within my heart, I didn't want our marriage to end, but I had no say in it.

"Sign it," Rowan said, and I knew that if I backed out, he would file for a divorce, even if we had to wait for six months to end our marriage.

"Okay," I muttered, my voice low, as I signed the contract behind Albert's car.

Albert peered at me coldly, but I didn't raise my head to look at him.

"Done," I said, handing the file to Rowan. He smiled with relief, even as I saw Albert's jaw clench.

"Do you see, Albert? I told you that Fiona is a good woman and she would help me out. It's just a matter of inheriting my grandpa's wealth. Get it processed as soon as possible. I don't want to hear any stories. And I am taking Fiona home to introduce her to my family. Though it's only a short-term marriage, she still has to meet them," Rowan said, and Albert's jaw clenched.

"Good luck inheriting your fortune. I will get the paperwork and everything ready," Albert said as he prepared to start his car and looked over at me again.

"Don't regret doing this, Fiona," Albert said in a mocking tone, and I lowered my head and watched him start his car as he drove off.

"Don't let Albert worry you. We are married now, so whether Albert has feelings for you or not, it doesn't count. Maybe after two years, you can go on a date with him. For now, you are my wife and my woman alone. Got it?" Rowan asked, meeting my gaze as he stood in front of me.

I wanted to tell him no, but I nodded. "Okay."

Rowan's phone rang, and he brought it out. I saw the name flash on the screen: My Baby.

"Hello, baby," Rowan said shamelessly in my view, not caring if his actions were breaking my heart.

What did I think of myself? I had already agreed to marry him despite knowing that he had another woman he loved—his one true love.

"Babe, I heard that you just got married to another woman. Who is she?" Sage asked angrily on the phone.

"Babe, I already explained to you that I cannot allow my grandpa's fortune of 100 million to go to charity. Grandpa set it up that way while he is alive, and I have no choice but to marry Fiona. Please, try to understand that I didn't marry her because I love her," Rowan said, walking away from me as he spoke with his lover. But I could hear her shout.

"Rowan, you promised me that you love me and you will marry only me. Why not tell your grandpa that I already accepted to marry you, but after I am back from winning Miss World and the modeling contest in New York?" Sage asked, sobbing over the call.

"Babe, when are you coming back? Fiona and I will get a divorce as soon as you're back. You shouldn't worry about her," Rowan said firmly, his words breaking my heart.

Even if I got 20% shares of Carson Group, it was not enough to compensate for the emotional damage that Rowan's mean words were doing to me.

"Babe, are you sure that you will not develop feelings for Fiona? She is pretty? Why didn't you marry an ugly, chubby woman? Why Fiona?" Sage demanded.

I lowered my head, avoiding Rowan's gaze. I didn't want to meet his eyes. I knew I was not ugly, but I had been too busy working for him—to win contracts and seal business deals—that I didn't realize I was pretty enough to win my own man.

Rowan fumbled to find an explanation. "I cannot marry an ugly woman, Sage. I won't be able to live with her. Fiona will move in with me to make Grandpa believe that we are married. You know that I cannot fool my grandpa. Even if he's 75 years old, he is smarter than you think."

Sage gritted out, "I am not happy about this, Rowan. Will you have sex with Fiona? You promised me that you will not touch another woman."

"Don't worry, Sage. Even if I touch Fiona, she is only an outlet to relieve my stress. She will never carry my baby. Trust me on that."

My fists clenched as I heard Rowan refer to me as an outlet to relieve his stress.

"Are you sure, babe? What if Fiona has a tighter pụssy than mine? Won't you want to get her pregnant to keep her?" Sage asked inquisitively, and I marched away to Rowan's car to wait for him.

I could not stand there and continue to hear him speak so lowly of me.

My eyes stung with tears, and I tried not to let them fall.

Rowan ended his call with Sage, and he walked over to the car to meet me.

I tried not to look at his face, and he didn't even apologize to me.

"Get in," he said, opening his car door for me to sit in, while he shut it and got in the driver's seat.