4| The Dinner

Fiona's POV

Seeing my moody state, Rowan cleared his throat and apologized, "I am sorry about the call, but you know that I love Sage very much. I just had to explain to her what our marriage is all about. You don't have to get mad at me because of it."

I nodded, even when what I wanted to do was yell at him and tell him that I didn't want to hear about Sage. I pressed my lips and looked away as Rowan started the car.

My stomach grumbled as I hadn't eaten, and Rowan drove me away from the bureau of marriage affairs, navigating his way along the road.

"Where are you taking me to? I am famished," I asked him weakly as I avoided meeting his gaze.

"Oh, that's right. We should stop at a nearby restaurant for breakfast. I also want to stop at a jewelry store to get rings for our marriage so that my grandpa won't think that we are only faking it to claim his wealth," Rowan said softly, his gaze on the road as he navigated his steering wheel toward the nearest restaurant in the city.

"But it's a fake marriage. We do not need to wear rings," I said, not wanting the ring, especially after hearing how intimately he spoke with Sage on the call.

Rowan drew his breath and gritted out, "Fiona, you agreed to marry me. You will have to accept my ring. So no need to argue about this."

I pressed my lips and looked away from Rowan's face when he pulled his car to a stop at the restaurant.

"Let's go in for our breakfast. We have a lot to catch up on today," Rowan said, and I nodded and got out of the car with him.

As we both walked into the restaurant, I could hear the sound of the other patrons gossiping in the restaurant.

"Oh my god! Isn't that Rowan Carson, the billionaire CEO of Carson Group? I heard he is in a relationship with model Sage Andrews. How come he is here so early with another woman? Do you think he is cheating on her?"

Some of the young women glared at me as I lowered my head and walked along with Rowan, who led me to a table for us to have our meals.

The table had four chairs, so Rowan and I filled two seats before the waitress came to take our order.

"Welcome to our restaurant, ma'am, sir. What are your orders?"

Rowan looked at me and asked, "What would you like to eat?"

Looking at the menu, I asked, "A plate of pasta is enough?"

"Will that be all, madam?" the waitress asked, to which I nodded, not looking at her face. She glanced at Rowan and asked him, "How about your order, Mr. Carson?"

It hadn't occurred to me that Rowan was already popular. This was the first time that I was going to a restaurant with him, and I assumed that he must have been here with Sage Andrews. She was his true love, so why wouldn't he be hanging out with her?

"Anything she chooses," Rowan said, pointing at me. The waitress's eyes widened, and she looked at me and replied, "On it."

When the meal arrived, Rowan and I began to eat. I did not raise my head to meet his gaze. I could feel his eyes all over my body.

Why was Rowan staring at me like that? Did he regret marrying me now? I pondered silently, not bothering to ask him.

My phone rang in my bag as I placed it on my thighs.

"Excuse me, sir," I said, knowing that Rowan was watching me like a hawk.

I quickly took out my phone and glanced at the caller's name. My mind raced as I thought it was my best friend, Mary Silas, calling back to know if the marriage had gone through. However, I was stunned to see my father's name etched on my phone screen.

Clearing my throat, I quickly picked up Dad's call.

"Fiona, where are you?" Dad asked, his voice cold.

"Dad, I went out with my boss today," I replied nervously, knowing that I had secretly gotten married without informing my parents.

"Fiona, did I not inform you that you are to meet with Josh Edwards today? You are to marry Mr. Edwards's only son. How can you forget what we discussed on Monday?" my dad snapped, and I froze.

"Dad," my cheeks flushed, knowing that Mr. Edwards was a busy man and Rowan's competition. We had met once before he rushed over to meet my parents and proposed to them that he wanted to marry me.

How could Josh think that I wanted to marry him? He flirted with many pretty women, and he had been flirting with me too in the company.

"Fiona, come on now. Josh is coming today by 2 p.m., and you need to go on a date with him so that you can marry. You're 22 years old and old enough to marry. When I married your mother, she was 18 years old," Dad said firmly.

"Dad, that was olden days. This is the twenty-first century. I cannot marry a man that I do not love," I replied, my voice cold, knowing that I was lying to my father. I told him that I could not marry a man that I did not love, yet how had I ended up marrying my boss for a two-year marriage contract?

"Fiona, this calls for no negotiation. Come home quickly. And I won't call you for this again. Before 2 p.m., you should be home to welcome Edwards's son. Got it?" my dad demanded, his voice firm and not giving me room to refute.

I avoided looking at my boss's face, as I could feel Rowan's gaze crawling over my skin.

"Got it, Dad," I replied annoyingly, and I could feel the mood around the dining table become tense.

"Good. I will call you later," Dad said before the call ended.

However, as I dropped my phone, it rang again, and I picked it up, avoiding meeting Rowan's gaze. His mood had turned the table gloomy, but I avoided meeting his blue eyes.

"Hello, who is this?" I asked, seeing it was an unknown contact. My mind told me that it was a call from Josh Edwards.

"Is this my future wife, Fiona Gabriel? I told you that I will marry you, didn't I?" Josh asked, his voice laced with amusement.

I dared not meet Rowan's gaze, seeing that he could snap and snatch my phone at any moment.

My boss hadn't been annoyed with me for the past six months that I had worked for him. But now, his mood continued to grow icy.

"Mr. Edwards, how did you get my contact?" I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral and to show Rowan that I was not the one who gave Josh my contact.

"Your dad, of course. Ever since I saw you at Carson Group, I cannot stop dreaming about you. I see you every night in my dreams, and I cannot stop thinking about the beautiful kids that we will have together, Fiona. How much does Rowan pay you? From my findings about Rowan's company, I heard he pays you only 200,000 per month. You should quit that job. I will pay you 1 million. Besides, you will be my wife, and with your potential, I am sure that Edwards Group will grow to the top of the global company icons," Josh said, his voice bubbling with excitement, and a cold sweat broke on my forehead.

Before I could respond, Rowan rose to his feet, snatched my phone from my ear, startling me as he yelled, "Josh, Fiona is never going to marry you. She is my wife. So forget about Fiona coming to work for you or marrying you. We are legally married. Don't call her contact again."

I stared at Rowan with wide eyes as he ended the call and blocked Josh's contact on my phone.

My anger flared as I saw the other patrons looking at us in shock in the restaurant as they heard Rowan publicly declare me as his wife.

"Mr. Carson, why did you end my call like that? You promised to keep our marriage a secret because you have a true love. What right do you have to interfere in my own affair?" I queried Rowan coldly, as I could not believe the partiality. He told me that I was his wife on paper only and I shouldn't broadcast that I was his wife—a trophy that any other woman would be proud to post and announce on her social media page. And yet, he had snatched my phone and declined my potential suitor. Was that how I interfered with his relationship with Sage?