Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 397

Mr. Liam was getting antsy.

He couldn't wait to make Tiffany his wife.

Sure, they were living together already, but marriage was a whole different ball game.

Cecilia, meanwhile, was happily congratulating Tiffany, a hint of envy in her voice.

It was only Darlene who remained silent in their group chat. Cecilia sent her a quick mention.

After a while, Darlene replied, "Caught up with my sister. Congrats, Tiffany."

Turned out, she'd just received a call from one of her contacts informing her that the esteemed gentleman, Owen, had requested that she personally deliver the results of an investigation.

Darlene suspected that Owen was curious about the real identity of the woman behind her renowned detective agency.

She had always been low-profile and rarely interacted directly with clients, but her agency had gained quite a reputation in Pinehurst, sparking interest in the boss' identity.

But Darlene had no intention of revealing herself to Owen. Instead, she dispatched her most trusted assistant to meet with him. After all, no one knew she was the one running the show, not even her own sister.

Owen, oblivious to all this, noticed Cecilia's cheerful demeanor and asked, "What's the good news? Share it with me."

"Tiffany is getting married and she asked me to be her bridesmaid," Cecilia revealed.

At that, Owen's eyes lit up. If Cecilia was going to be Tiffany's bridesmaid, it would only be fitting for him to be Liam's best man. But that was easier said than done, considering he had no relationship with Liam and was viewed as an enemy by the Anderson family, who were on Stefan's side.

It would be incredibly awkward for him to ask Liam, "Hey, can I be your best man?"

Feeling a bit deflated, Owen sighed, "Liam is one lucky guy."

He made it seem so easy, winning the heart of a beautiful woman and having it all. Cecilia chose not to respond and they continued their meal in silence.

When the food delivery arrived, they ate in comfortable silence. Seeing Cecilia enjoying her meal, Owen found his appetite whetted too.

The coffee shop was usually quiet in the evening.

Around nine, Basil clocked out. Seeing no customers coming in, Cecilia decided to close up early.

Owen was more than happy to help, seeing it as an opportunity to spend more time with Cecilia.

Once the shop was closed, Owen, like a magician, produced two movie tickets, "How about a movie?"

"At this hour?" Cecilia raised an eyebrow but took the tickets nonetheless. It was for a new release, a horror film with excellent reviews. Despite the genre, she was interested in watching it. "It's not late, the night is just starting," Owen reasoned.

After some thought, Cecilia agreed. Owen's face lit up at her response, causing Cecilia to laugh, "You're acting like you've never seen a movie before."

"In a cinema? No, I haven't."

Having a home theater, Owen had never felt the need to go to a cinema. Moreover, Ruby, the girl he used to like, was never interested in going either. Cecilia was left speechless.

Owen took her hand and Cecilia didn't resist. He gripped her hand tightly, nervous that she might pull away. Despite having had physical contact before, he felt as jittery as a teenager, his heart racing at the simple act of holding her hand.

Half an hour later, Owen was watching Cecilia, who was engrossed in the movie and munching on the snacks he'd prepared for her. Despite the terrifying plot, she didn't seem scared at all.

He had been ready to comfort her in case she got scared, but she seemed perfectly fine.

Meanwhile, the other couples in the cinema were huddled together, the women seeking comfort in their partners' arms.

Owen could only sigh. Cecilia probably wouldn't be scared of a prowler either.

He wondered if the hero-saving-the-damsel scenario he had planned would be of any use.

"Cecilia," he called out.

"Hmm?" She glanced at him before returning her attention to the movie.

"Are you scared?" he asked after a moment's pause.

"It's just a movie, there's nothing to be scared of," she responded before turning to him, "Are you scared?"

"It's quite terrifying," he confessed.

Cecilia laughed, "You can just look away."

After a moment's thought, she added, "You can move closer if you want."

With that, Owen unashamedly buried his face in Cecilia's chest, startling her so much that she dropped her snacks.

"Cecilia, I'm really scared. This movie is too terrifying," he whimpered, clinging to her and shivering dramatically.

Cecilia could only roll her eyes. His antics had attracted the attention of the other moviegoers. Even if she wanted to slap him, she couldn't do it in front of everyone. Instead, she wrapped an arm around him and explained to the others, "He's a scaredy-cat. He jumps at the slightest sound, even a clap of thunder. He's even scared by a movie."

The others could only stare. They'd never seen someone make such a shameless move look so innocent.

Don't matter what others think, in the end, Owen had his way and was quite pleased with himself.

Unfortunately, his satisfaction was short-lived. Within two minutes, Cecilia had shoved him off, giving his thigh a hard pinch, which nearly made him scream in pain.

It was late at night when the movie finally ended.

Emerging from the cinema, Owen had a bruise on his thigh, a souvenir from Cecilia's pinch.

Well, it served him right for pulling the same stunt one too many times.

Initially, Cecilia might not have understood Owen's intentions when he invited her to watch a movie. But when he suddenly drew her into his embrace, holding her tightly, she began to see the light. The first time he invited her to a movie, he chose a super scary one, probably hoping she'd be so frightened she would instinctively cling to him, thus closing the gap between them.

Lucy had written about this trick in her novels.

Could it be that this man had been reading Lucy's novels? Taking cues from Lucy's fictional leading man?