Late at night, the Carter Residence was brightly lit.Xyla was dressed neatly. Sitting at her dressing table, she yawned. A maid was doing her hair. "So late, and still making a fuss," she grumbled.The maid, who looked to be in her forties and seemed to have worked for Xyla for a long time, bent down and whispered in her ear, "Mrs. Carter, it's the first time Mr. Sebastian is bringing his girlfriend home. He must be eager for you to meet her.""He brings a girlfriend home just after a marriage has been arranged for him. How timely." Xyla picked up a diamond hairpin from the dressing table, and put it against her hair. "I'll wear this one."Xyla went downstairs with her maid’s help. Everyone in the living room was seated nicely.Geoffrey glanced up at his wife, and said indifferently, "Come over and meet Miss Young."Xyla slowly walked up and glanced at Rosalie, who stood up nervously from the sofa. "Hello, Mrs. Carter."Xyla looked her up and down. "You’re Sebastian's girlfri
Xyla's gaze fell on Rosalie. Her half-smile made Rosalie feel uneasy. However, Rosalie still offered a polite smile. This was her first time meeting Sebastian's mother. Xyla looked well-maintained; she was a beautiful woman with great poise. Sebastian's excellent appearance must be inherited from his parents."Very nice," Xyla said calmly. "When are you two getting married?"As soon as the topic of marriage came up, Rosalie tensed up. She smiled, and said, "Seb and I are still discussing it. As for the wedding, we...""What's there to discuss?" Geoffrey interrupted her.Rosalie was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Marriage is a big deal. Of course, it needs to be properly discussed. And then...""Aren't you in love with each other?" Geoffrey interrupted her again. "Isn’t the reason you announced you’re together and came here in a hurry to explain the situation to us is so you can get married as soon as possible?"Sebastian, worried his father might make things difficult for
After Rosalie entered the restroom, she started vomiting.Sebastian waited anxiously outside.After a while, a pale Rosalie reappeared.“Rose, it's all my fault. If you really don’t want to get married, it's okay. I’ll just tell my father the truth. You don’t have to do this for me…” he began.“I’m fine,” Rosalie reassured him. “It’s just normal morning sickness. It’s nothing serious, and it has nothing to do with you.”To ease his worry, she gave him a gentle smile. “I’m fine now. Let’s go back. We shouldn’t keep them waiting.”They made their way back to the living room after navigating several corridors.Rosalie had specifically asked Sebastian to take her to a more distant restroom, as she was worried someone might overhear her vomiting. If the Carters found out she was marrying Sebastian while pregnant with her ex-husband’s child, it would be a difficult situation to handle. Even though their marriage was fake, it needed to appear real.Back in the living room, because S
The next morning, Rosalie put her documents in her bag. She was ready.She received a call from Sebastian, who said he would arrive in three minutes.Rosalie went downstairs with her bag to wait for him, but as soon as she reached the bottom, a tall and handsome figure ran toward her. “Good morning!”Seeing Yerick, Rosalie was pleasantly surprised. “Yerick! What a coincidence!”Yerick, carrying a backpack, was slim but not frail. He also wore a very bright smile. “You look beautiful today. Are you going on a date?”Rosalie was wearing a V-neck blue lace dress with long sleeves. There was also a lovely necklace around her neck. She looked very elegant and beautiful.“I have something to attend to.”She had made an effort to dress up; if she was going to put on a show, she would go all out. After all, Geoffrey had mentioned that he would send an assistant, who was likely there to check whether they had actually gotten married or not.“So, have you had breakfast?” Yerick asked.“
“Oh. Did he approach you first, or did you start the conversation with him?” Sebastian asked.“He thought I was in a bad mood, so he came over to ask me what was wrong,” Rosalie said. “Were you in a bad mood?” Sebastian asked, concerned.“No, I was just quiet. I wasn’t in a bad mood.”“I see,” Sebastian said thoughtfully. He sensed that Rosalie was hiding something from him. “That Yerick seemed quite enthusiastic about you.”Rosalie blinked in confusion and turned to look at Sebastian’s side profile, sensing a hint of jealousy in his tone.Chuckling, she said, “He’s only eighteen.”“Eighteen…” Sebastian relaxed a bit at the mention of Yerick’s age. However, he suddenly remembered that Rosalie was only twenty-one, just three years older than Yerick.“Eighteen-year-olds are popular nowadays. Many girls like them,” Sebastian said interrogatively.Rosalie nodded. “Yes, Yerick is very sweet. He's like a younger brother. His voice is so soft and cute that it cheers me up when he ta
“Even though it’s a fake marriage, it’s still a spousal relationship. After we’re married, I won’t be fooling around with others,” Sebastian said.In his eyes, there was only Rosalie. There was no room for a third person in a relationship. It would be too crowded.Rosalie looked at Sebastian with a hint of suspicion in her eyes.Noticing Rosalie staring at him, Sebastian asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”He was focused on driving, but from the corner of his eye, he could see Rosalie seemed to be doubting something. He felt uneasy—had she noticed something?Rosalie smiled. “It’s nothing. It’s just that you seem a bit…”She paused, suddenly unsure how to describe Sebastian.He asked curiously, “A bit what?”Rosalie thought for a moment, and came up with a word. “You seem a bit…honest.”“Honest?” Sebastian was puzzled. “You think I’m honest?” No one had ever described him like that before.“Aren’t you? We’re in a fake marriage. You don’t need to be loyal to
When they arrived in the city hall, Geoffrey’s assistant was already waiting.Everything went smoothly, and the couple soon received their marriage certificate.Rosalie stared at the marriage certificate in her hand, her heart racing. She suddenly felt a great deal of pressure. Even though she knew it was a fake marriage and she was only helping a friend, seeing the certificate still made her think about the time she got her certificate with Theodore.Even though it was just over a year ago, it felt like decades.As they exited the city hall, the assistant said, “Mr. and Mrs. Carter, the chairman has requested for you to go home right after you received the marriage certificate so you can have a meal together.”Sebastian nodded. “Alright, I’ll take Rose back.”The assistant left. He had completed his task of witnessing the couple obtaining the certificate in person and ensuring it wasn’t a forgery.After the assistant departed, the two of them looked at each other while holding
“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t know. Anyway, we’ll be away for about a month. During that time, Sebastian and Rose will handle the family affairs,” Geoffrey said.For Sebastian, it was somewhat of a relief that his parents would be away for a while. “Alright, I understand. I’ll take care of the company and family affairs.”Geoffrey responded, “Good. Since your mother and I will be on vacation and there will be no one at home, you and Rose should stay here for now.”Sebastian was afraid Rosalie might feel uncomfortable staying in his parents' house, so he said, “Dad, since Rose and I are married, I plan to buy a new house. So I think…”“We’re not stopping you from buying one,” Geoffrey said. “It’s just that while your mother and I are away, you two can stay here temporarily. You can buy your own place, and after your mother and I return, you can move out. I know you don’t want to live with us.”“This...” Sebastian still wanted to refuse, but Rosalie noticed that Geoffrey seemed