Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 144

"Are you really gonna push me like this?"

Trenton calmly replied, "I'm doing this for your own good, Owen. It's time you put an end to this thing with Ruby."

"Even if you force me to marry, as long as my love for Ruby isn't gone, I'll continue loving her. I'd do a lot for her. Your actions are only hurting me and Cecilia."

"If you know that it's hurting you and Cecilia, then stop doing things that'll hurt both of you." Trenton was dead serious.

Owen fell silent.

After a while, he asked, "Why did you choose Cecilia?"

"She doesn't have any power or status. Even if you're cold to her, it won't affect our family's business."

Owen felt a pang of sympathy for Cecilia as he looked at Trenton, and a wave of guilt washed over him.

Trenton targeted Cecilia because of him.

"You're ruthless!"

Trenton calmly responded, "You're my own grandson, and I'm prepared to throw you out of the house. As for Cecilia, I do like her, but that's about it. What do I have to lose?" Owen looked helpless.

"Owen, I've said what I needed to say. Now it's up to you. Are you going to continue being the heir to the Martinez family and the president of the Ikella Group, or are you gonna start from scratch with nothing?"

"I don't care if you hate me. Once you leave the Martinez family, no matter what you want to do, I'll do everything in my power to suppress you to the point where you can't even maintain a basic life." Mockingly, Owen asked, "Is this how you want to see your grandson live?"

"Your relationship with Ruby is not good for you. Do you know what kind of person Stefan is? He would rather marry Lucinda than Ruby. Don't you think Ruby's conditions are better than Lucinda's? Ruby has character issues."

"If she had a bit of sincerity towards you, I wouldn't do this."

Owen was speechless.

He knew very well about Ruby's attitude towards him. Even his rival, Stefan, had tried to talk him out of it.

"Owen, your ID is here. If you've made up your mind, then leave. If you haven't, I'll leave and let you think about it."

Owen was silent for a long time.

He really wanted to resist picking up his ID, leave the Martinez family and Pinehurst, go to a city where Trenton had no influence, and stand up again on his own.

But in the end, he picked up his ID.

"After I get married, you can't interfere in my private affairs anymore."

Trenton's eyes flickered, then he agreed, "As long as you and Cecilia get married, I won't interfere in your private affairs. But I want to make one thing clear. If you want to do something for Ruby, that's your business. But it can't affect the Ikella Group, or else don't blame me for being ruthless to Ruby."

Owen's face darkened, but he promised, "I assure you it won't affect the Martinez family."

"You and Cecilia have to hold a wedding ceremony and let everyone know about your marital status."

"Don't push it too far." He planned to marry Cecilia in secret.

After pondering for a moment, Trenton felt that he was being too harsh, so he compromised, "Fine, the wedding can be postponed. But you have to bring back the marriage certificate for me to check. Don't try to fool me with a fake one. I'll arrange for someone to accompany you to get it."

Owen left a parting remark as he held his ID tightly, "I hope you won't regret the pressure you put on me tonight."

With that, he left, slamming the door behind him.

The moment he left, Trenton's stern expression crumbled.

He muttered to himself, "Owen, perhaps this is the only way to save you from Ruby."

"Cecilia, I'm sorry. But I believe that you and Owen can fall in love."

Cecilia had no idea her life was about to change.

Her brother, Hudson, had invited her out for a barbecue that night. They were having a great time eating and drinking beer.

"Cecilia, you can only drink when you're with me. If you're with other men, you absolutely can't drink."

Hudson was concerned when he saw Cecilia downing beers one after another. Even though it was just beer, it could still get someone drunk if they had a low tolerance.

Cecilia laughed, "Don't worry, I know my limits. I can drink as much beer as I want."

As she bit into a grilled chicken wing, she said, "Now that Lucinda is part of the Anderson family, I can't really invite her out for drinks and barbecue."

Lucinda's marriage hadn't changed their friendship, but there were certain things Cecilia wouldn't involve her in anymore.

In her subconscious, Lucinda was now part of the Anderson family and couldn't do things that could potentially harm her image like before.

When Lucinda was mentioned, Hudson seemed to freeze for a moment.

Cecilia noticed and quietly asked, "You don't have a thing for Lucinda, do you? How come you never said anything all these years?"

If she knew Hudson liked Lucinda, she would have definitely played matchmaker for them.

Hudson quickly recovered and laughed, "When I first met Lucinda, I was a bit smitten. But I soon realized she saw me as her big brother. So I never really fell for her. I just never expected her to marry into the richest family in our city."

"I hope her marriage will be happy."

"It will be. Haven't you seen how good Stefan is to her? The elders of the Anderson family have also met Lucinda. They're all very kind and didn't look down on her because she's from the countryside."

Hudson chuckled and said, "That's good; as long as Stefan loves and protects her, she'll be just fine in the Anderson family. A woman's standing in her husband's house largely depends on how her husband treats her."

"Cecilia, when you're ready to tie the knot, make sure to find a good man. There's no rush; take your time to find the right one. If you can't find a good one, I can take care of you for life."

Cecilia immediately handed Hudson a roasted chicken leg, "Here, have a chicken leg."

Hudson laughed and gently tapped her forehead.

"Don't let mom and dad hear this; they'd blow their tops. Mom's always trying to set me up on blind dates."

Both her parents and grandpa thought it was a big problem that she was 24 and still single. They were always on her case about her marital status.

"Just ignore them; marriage is a big deal. It's for life, so take it slow. Wait until you meet the right one, then get hitched."

Cecilia said cheerfully, "With your words of wisdom, I won't be afraid of Mom's nagging anymore."

All problems were tossed onto Hudson.

Her parents were at their wits' end with Hudson.

Even Grandpa hardly ever pestered Hudson.

That was totally unfair, just because Hudson was a guy!