Chapter 3

Fiona's POV:

When we entered the marriage registry building, the woman in charge glanced at Rowan and me before gesturing for us to take our seats.

"Yes? Can I have your identity cards?" she asked. I nervously pulled out mine and handed it over.

Her brows furrowed as she returned my card. A middle-aged woman, she smiled and studied Rowan's face—he looked like a handsome actor.

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

Only then did it hit me: I came from a lower-class family, while Rowan's 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 you're having a secret marriage instead of marrying their daughter?" she pressed, embarrassing me as I lowered my head.

The Andrews ranked among the city's influential families.

"Mrs. Judge, I don't owe you any explanation. If you can't do your job, I'll call your manager to register our marriage. And I don't want this in the news," Rowan replied coldly, his eyes threatening. He didn't care that Mrs. Judge could be his mother.

"Sure. I'll register your marriage now," she said, quickly pulling out the form.

"Fill this. And know you both can't divorce until after six months," she added, her voice cold.

"We're aware," Rowan told her coldly. He pulled out his pen, filled in his name, signed it, and passed the form to me.

"Fill it and sign," Rowan said, not glancing at me in Mrs. Judge's office.

Nervously, I asked for his pen—I hadn't brought one.

Rowan handed it over; he always kept it clipped to his shirt, ready to sign documents anytime.

I quickly read the marriage documents, filled in my name, and signed before Rowan could change his mind. I felt hostility radiating from him.

Once I finished, Rowan took the papers first and glanced at them.

Seeing my signature, he nodded and handed them to Mrs. Judge to finalize our marriage.

"Done," Mrs. Judge said, handing Rowan a copy of the documents.

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

"Let's go," he said, sparing me no glance.

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

"Where's Mr. Albert?" I asked about his friend.

"Waiting for us," Rowan said, pointing to the black Jeep ahead of his in the parking lot.

We walked up to Albert; Rowan strode faster in his black suit, exuding arrogance.

I lowered my head and kept pace until we reached Albert's car.

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

"Yes. We're just waiting on the contract terms stating the marriage expires in two years. Where is it?" Rowan asked as I stood beside the car, listening.

Albert drew a deep breath and pulled out the file. He handed it to Rowan, who read it.

"Fine. Here's the contract, Fiona. You'll agree to divorce me after two years, and I'll compensate you with 20 percent of Carson Group's net worth by then," Rowan said, handing me a copy.

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

"Sign it," Rowan said. I knew if I backed out, he'd file for divorce anyway—even if we had to wait six months.

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

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

"Done," I said, handing the file to Rowan.

Rowan smiled with relief, though I saw Albert's jaw clench.

"See, Albert? I told you Fiona's a good woman and she'll help me. Now I just need to inherit Grandpa's wealth. Get it processed as soon as possible—no delays. And I'm taking Fiona home to introduce her to my family. Even if it's short-term, she still has to meet them," Rowan said. Albert's jaw clenched tighter.

"Good luck inheriting your fortune. I'll get the paperwork ready," Albert said as he prepared to start his car and glanced at me again.

"Don't regret this," Albert said with a mocking tone. I lowered my head and watched him drive off.

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

I wanted to say no, but I nodded. "Okay."

Rowan's phone rang. He pulled it out, and I saw "my baby" flash on the screen.

"Hello, baby," Rowan said shamelessly in front of me, not caring if his words broke my heart.

What had I been thinking? I'd agreed to marry him, knowing he loved another woman—his true love.

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

"Babe, I explained: I can't let Grandpa's 100-million-dollar fortune go to charity. He set it up while alive, and I had no choice but to marry Fiona. Please understand—I didn't marry her because I love her," Rowan said, walking away from me to speak with his lover. But I heard her shout.

"Rowan, you promised you'd love only me and marry only me. Why not tell your grandpa I accepted your proposal, but after I return from winning Miss World and the modeling contest in New York?" she sobbed over the call.

"Babe, when are you coming back? Fiona and I will divorce as soon as you do. Don't worry about her," Rowan said firmly. His words shattered my heart.

Even if I got 20 percent of Carson Group, it couldn't compensate for the emotional damage from Rowan's cruel words.

"Babe, are you sure you won't develop feelings for her? Fiona's pretty. Why not marry an ugly, chubby woman? Why her?"

I lowered my head, avoiding Rowan's gaze. I didn't want to meet his eyes. I knew I wasn't ugly, but I'd been too busy working for him—winning contracts, sealing deals—to realize I was pretty enough to win my own man.

Rowan fumbled for an explanation. "I can't marry an ugly woman, Sage. I couldn't live with her. Fiona will move in to convince Grandpa we're married. You know I can't fool him. Even at 75, he's sharper than you think."

Sage gritted out, "I'm not happy about this, Rowan. Will you have sex with her? You promised not to touch another woman."

"Don't worry, Sage. Even if I touch Fiona, she's just an outlet to relieve stress. She'll never carry my baby. Trust me."

My fists clenched as I heard Rowan call me an outlet for stress.

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

I couldn't stand there listening to him speak so lowly of me.

My eyes stung with tears, but I held them back.

Rowan ended his call with Sage and walked to the car.

I avoided his face, and he didn't apologize.

Rowan opened the car door for me. "Get in." He shut it and climbed into the driver's seat.