Chapter 4: The Outburst

#FIONA

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 though 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 together and looked away as Rowan started the car.

My stomach grumbled; I hadn’t eaten. Rowan drove away from the marriage registry and navigated his way along the road.

"Where are you taking me? I am famished," I asked him weakly, avoiding his gaze.

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

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

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

I pressed my lips and looked away from him when he pulled the car to a stop at the restaurant.

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

As we walked into the restaurant, I could hear other patrons gossiping.

"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. I lowered my head and walked alongside Rowan, who led me to a table.

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

"Welcome to our restaurant, ma’am, sir. What would you like to order?"

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

Looking at the menu, I asked, "Is a plate of pasta enough?"

"Will that be all, madam?" the waitress asked. 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 so popular in this resturant. This was the first time I had gone to a restaurant with him, and I assumed he must have been here with Sage Andrews, his true love. Why wouldn’t he be hanging out with her?

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

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

*Why is he 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, which rested on my lap.

"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, thinking it was my best friend, Mary Silas, calling to check if the marriage went through. However, I felt stunned to see my father's name on the screen.

Clearing my throat, I quickly answered Dad’s call. "Hello, Dad."

"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 were to meet with Josh Edwards today? You are to marry Mr. Edwards’ only son. How can you forget what we discussed on Monday?" Dad snapped, and I froze.

"Dad..." My cheeks flushed. I knew that Josh was a busy man and Rowan’s competition. We had met once before he rushed over to meet my parents and proposed that he wanted me to marry him.

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

"Fiona, come home now. Josh is coming today by 2:00 p.m., and you need to go on a date with him so that you can marry. You're twenty-two years old and old enough to marry. When I married your mother, she was eighteen years old," Dad said firmly.

"Dad, those were the 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 I couldn’t marry a man I didn’t love, yet here I was, married to my boss for a two-year contract.

"Fiona, this allows for no negotiation. Come home quickly. I won’t ask you again. You should be home before 2:00 p.m. to welcome Josh. Got it?" Dad demanded, his voice firm, leaving me no room to refute.

I avoided looking at Rowan's face, feeling his gaze crawling over my skin.

"Got it, Dad," I replied annoyed. 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. I picked it up, avoiding Rowan's gaze. His mood had turned gloomy, but I still avoided meeting his sharp blue eyes.

"Hello, who is this?" I asked, seeing an unknown contact. My mind told me it was likely 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, fearing he might snap and snatch my phone at any moment.

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

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

"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 corporate icons," Josh said, his voice bubbling with excitement. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

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

"What?" Shock gasped rippled in the resturant.

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

Anger flared within me as I saw the other patrons looking at us in shock. They had 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 affairs?" I queried Rowan coldly. I couldn’t believe the partiality. He told me that I was his wife on paper only and that I shouldn’t broadcast that I was his wife—a trophy that any other woman would be proud to post on social media. And yet, he snatched my phone and declined my potential suitor. Was that how I interfered with his relationship with Sage?