5| Father's Order

Fiona's POV

"You're my wife, Fiona. I cannot sit back and allow you to confidently chat with another man—let alone a man who is proposing to marry you. Where is that done? Don't forget that we are legally married," Rowan gritted out.

"But you have Sage Andrews's contact, and you chat with her," I challenged him.

"Fiona." Rowan glared at me and said, "Sit down and eat your food first. When we get home, we will sort this out."

I lost my appetite as I didn't want to sit down and eat with him. But it wouldn't be polite to waste the food. Besides, it was my favorite meal. Also, he had requested the same food as mine.

This was the first time that Mr. Carson and I had eaten at the same time. Before, he only requested me to get his lunch and his coffee in his office. He didn't eat with me or care to know what I liked.

Despite my anger, I forced my áss to sit back down, picked up my spoon to eat, and tried to avoid his eyes.

Rowan seized my phone and didn't return it to me. I let him hold the phone as he slid it into his trouser pocket.

I could hear some of the female patrons muttering.

"Are they seriously married? How can Mr. Carson cheat on Sage Andrews? Maybe it's a slip of the tongue. Or maybe it's not a true marriage."

I didn't waste my time glancing over at the gossips. After all, I was famished.

A part of me was happy that Rowan was possessive of me, and maybe he truly wanted me as his wife, even if it was for a short time. But another part of me was sad because I knew it was fake—that he didn't love me and was only using me to pass the time while waiting for his true love to return.

I tried not to think about Sage Andrews, but she was like the shadow that followed Rowan and me wherever we went.

Picking up my spoon, my appetite returned as I tried to think of the part of me that believed Rowan would fall for me—that he would love me within these two years of our marriage.

My mind wandered to the part of Rowan that called me his outlet just to relieve his stress. What if he didn't want to change his outlet and got used to me?

I blushed at the thought of it, and Rowan coughed to make me snap out of my trance.

"Fiona, what are you thinking about? I am done with my meal, and you're still halfway?" Rowan asked, his eyes on me.

"Um, I will finish it now," I replied with a pout as I pursed my lips.

"Stop doing your mouth like that or thinking of other men in front of me. You're my wife now, so learn to know the difference in your status," Rowan said, his voice cold, and I nodded.

"Fine."

I hurried to finish my meal as Rowan stood up and left the restaurant. "I will wait for you in the car park. So hurry up. We have to visit the jewelry store," he whispered into my left ear, keeping his voice low and steady.

Unaware to Rowan, my heart raced at his closeness, at the coolness of his breath that fanned against my left ear.

Rowan walked away, and I focused on finishing my meal.

"Some women are so shameless, openly seducing her boss in broad daylight. I cannot believe her audacity. Sage Andrews needs to hear about this," some female patrons in the restaurant mocked me, but I chose not to reply to them.

After my meal, I rose to my feet and dashed out of the restaurant with my bag, walking outside to the car park to meet Rowan. He stood beside his car, his hand holding his phone as he spoke in a low, steady voice.

"Mom, I do not have a choice. I love Sage, but I have to marry to get Grandpa's assets," Rowan replied.

Mrs. Carson gritted out on the call, "Rowan, we are richer than 100 million. How can you secretly marry a lowlife just to take over your grandpa's fortune? I do not want to see that woman. I will only accept Sage Andrews as my daughter-in-law. Don't bother bringing that woman home to us. And you should file for a divorce immediately before this gets to the public. If you need money, you should have contacted your dad and me. Why did you do this?"

Rowan didn't look at me as he replied, "Mom, Grandpa's legacy matters to me. I cannot close an eye to it. As the first son of the Carson family, I have the right to make my own decision, and I am not divorcing now. We will get a divorce, but not today."

"Rowan!" his mother yelled over the phone. "Don't bring that woman here. It's best that you don't take her home. If you give that woman a chance, what makes you think that she will easily agree to divorce you?"

"Mom," Rowan groaned and said. "It's my choice. And Sage understands. She is not coming back soon, so she agreed for me to marry Fiona to take Grandpa's assets."

"What?" Mrs. Carson gasped, disbelief lacing her voice. "I find this hard to believe, Rowan. What woman will allow her man to marry another woman? You have to come back right now and end whatever you're doing with your secretary!"

The call ended, and Rowan breathed out heavily before he looked over at me.

"Are you ready? I still need to take you home to see my grandpa. Though my mother could be mean, you have to put up with her," Rowan said, his voice soft, and I nodded.

"Alright, sir." I agreed and got into the car as I sat in the front passenger seat.

Rowan remained silent as he waited for me to fasten my seatbelt after he sat in his car. He ignited it and drove ahead to a jewelry store.

When Rowan arrived at the front of the jewelry store, he parked his black sports car and said, "Wait for me here. I will be back."

"How about my phone?" I asked him, as he was still holding my phone.

Rowan hesitated to return my phone, as his eyes flickered with disagreement.

"I won't call Josh again. I promise," I said, before a wave of relief crashed down on his formidable features.

Rowan's gaze softened as he peered at my face. He dipped his right hand into his trouser pocket, and returned my phone to me.

"Good to see that you now know your place as my wife," he said, his voice thick with excitement.

I tried not to blush as I looked away from my boss and took my phone.

"I will be back," Rowan said as he hurriedly got out of the car and moved into the jewelry store to buy rings for us.

I sat in the car waiting for Rowan's return as I powered on my phone after seeing that he had switched it off. I saw my phone ringing with an incoming call from my father.

Anxiety gnawed in my gut, but I steeled myself and answered my father's call.

"Fiona, what did you do to provoke Mr. Edwards's son? He called and said that you are not marrying him and you're married to your boss. Is that true?" Dad asked, his voice booming with anger.

"Dad, I can explain when I get home."

"Fiona, since when did you become like that? So if I didn't ask you, you cannot tell me that you're having an affair with your boss?"

"What? No, Dad. We just got married today," I said.

"What?" My father gasped, and I prayed he didn't have a heart attack.

"Fiona, how can you marry your boss? Why did you secretly get married without informing us? What sort of marriage is that? I do not accept that union, and come home quickly. You are to marry Josh Edwards, and this is final," Dad said.