Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 158

Cecilia kept glancing back to make sure her mum wasn't tailing her, and only when she was sure did she breathe a sigh of relief.

But she was worried about being spotted by nosy neighbors, so she skedaddled to Owen's car, tapping his window to signal him to open up, all the while looking back like a thief in broad daylight. Owen had intended to let her ride with his bodyguard, but after hesitating for a good ten seconds, he finally unlocked the door.

Cecilia quickly scrambled into the car, and only when she shut the door did she finally let out a sigh of relief.

As soon as she was in, the driver peeled out.

Owen gave the girl next to him a side-eye.

"Why the rush? You've got someone tailing you?"

"I don't want my mum and neighbors seeing me getting into your car."

Cecilia settled her bag next to her.

Owen furrowed his brow. "Am I not up to your standards?"

"Do you want my family to know about us?"

Owen was left speechless.

She didn't want others to know she got into his car, which left Owen feeling a little miffed. It felt like they were doing something shady.

But when she asked him outright, he was at a loss for words.

After all, he was the one who proposed a hush-hush marriage.

"Do I need to bring a present?"

Cecilia asked.

Owen responded nonchalantly, "No need."

"I am going to meet your parents; shouldn't I bring a present? Isn't it rude to show up empty-handed for my first meeting with my in-laws?"

"Even if you bring a load of gold, my parents won't be thrilled with you."

Cecilia gave him a curious look.

Owen bit his lip slightly before explaining, "My mum adores Ruby and always hoped I'd marry her."

Anyone other than Ruby was a no-go for his mum.

As for his dad, he had his own ideas.

In his dad's eyes, he didn't have to marry Ruby, but he must marry someone of equal social standing and background, which could be helpful on many occasions. "So, I should brace myself for the challenge from your parents?" Cecilia asked.

Owen didn't respond.

Tonight, he was bringing Cecilia home and making their relationship public to his parents, which was bound to cause a stir.

Cecilia, being unwelcome and rejected, was bound to face some humiliation.

But Owen had no intention of shielding her.

He wanted his grandfather to see that this forced marriage would only hurt Cecilia. "Owen, I think I've gotten the short end of the stick here; I've jumped into the fire." "We've already got our marriage certificate; I won't be divorcing you anytime soon." Even though he badly wanted to.

But as long as his grandfather was still alive, he couldn't divorce Cecilia; otherwise, he would lose his status.

Cecilia sighed, "I know, it's all 'cause you helped me out."

To repay him, she could only help him.

"Tonight, I'll talk to my grandfather again, and apart from my family, I won't let anyone else know about us. Remember what you promised; keep it under wraps."

Owen reminded Cecilia, "And don't fall for me; I won't fall for you. My heart belongs to Ruby, and it won't change for anyone else."

Cecilia laughed, leaning in closer to him and gently stroking his face. "Don't worry, I won't fall for you. We are just partners in crime, and I'm just repaying you. Once our deal is done, you pay up." "You are not a greedy person, so don't act like one in front of me."

"But I do enjoy making money, especially from you."

Cecilia straightened up, not joking anymore, and said with a smile, "Seeing my bank balance grow is pure bliss."

Owen was speechless.

Looking at the string of numbers on his bank balance, he felt nothing. They were just Arabic numerals, meaningless.

Cecilia: You rich folks will never understand the joy of saving money.

They chatted all the way back to the Martinez family mansion.

The moment she stepped in, she saw a rockery built within a pool, which also had a musical fountain that was playing soft music. The spray of the fountain was gentle, not too high.

On either side of the fountain, there was a path about three to four meters wide.

Although there were many street lamps along the paths, the night view wasn't as clear as during the day.

Despite that, Cecilia couldn't help but comment to Owen, "Your house is huge, and it's even more stunning at night."

Owen was silent for a moment before saying, "If you ever get a chance to visit the Ascend Estate, you'll replace it even bigger and more beautiful."

His house was big, but it was nothing compared to the Ascend Estate.

"Lucy said she'd invite me to visit Ascend Estate when she's free. Just the thought of getting a free tour there gets me all excited."

Owen was speechless.

From the main gate to the front door of the house, it took several minutes.

Cecilia thought to herself that with such a huge yard, walking around could be quite tiring.

The Martinez family mansion was lavishly decorated.

Getting out of the car, Cecilia looked at the palatial house in front of her, trying hard not to gawk.

"You're back."

Derek came out of the house, and on seeing Cecilia, he courteously said, "Mrs. Martinez."

Cecilia gave a small nod in response to Derek's greeting.

Owen walked straight into the house.

The bodyguards didn't follow.

After walking a few steps, Owen turned around and saw Cecilia still standing in the same spot. He frowned and said, "What are you standing there for? Do you want me to have someone carry you in?" "If you could arrange that, I'd be delighted."

Owen gave her a death glare.

Cecilia moved next to him and stepped on his foot.

Owen almost jumped from the pain.

Cecilia moved closer to his ear and whispered, "Remember, you need me to play along to maintain your status, so you better be polite to me."

"I'm already very polite to you."

Owen said painfully, "Ouch!"

"Anyway, it's not like I broke your foot."

Owen was speechless.

"Why would you just leave me behind? I don't know this place. That was so not cool, man. Consider this a little reminder and lesson. Acting is a two-man show; I'm not doing a solo performance here." Owen: "You're such a penny pincher!"

He'd only wanted to give Cecilia the cold shoulder and ignore her.

But she'd actually stepped on his foot, and hard too. It hurt like hell!

Cecilia grabbed his arm, gave him a sidelong glance, and whispered, "I've given too much."

Owen was speechless again.

He had to muster all his strength not to shake off this woman's hand.