Chapter 509 I Only Want to Marry You
In the Office.
Lila filled Victoria in on last night's events.
"That's the whole story. I couldn't sleep all night because of it," she groaned, resting her chin on her arms as she slumped across her desk with a heavy sigh.
Victoria remained silent for a moment before speaking frankly, "If you lost sleep over this, it means you're conflicted. Part of you actually wants to go back to the Rodriguez family with him."
"So why hesitate? Lila, you're not usually indecisive," Victoria said with a shrug, as if the solution was obvious.
Lila shook her head, her face a mixture of exhaustion and uncertainty. "Let's drop it. I need more time to think." She looked up at Victoria. "Why are you at the office so early anyway?"
Since Victoria had handed Horizon Group over to Wesley, she rarely came to the office anymore.
"I need to speak with Wesley about something," Victoria replied.
"Go ahead then. I need some time alone with my thoughts."
Victoria nodded, understanding Lila's stubborn nature. She knew once Lila made up her mind, only Lila herself could change it.
As Victoria stood to leave, she hesitated.
"What is it?" Lila asked, noticing her pause.
Victoria cleared her throat, seeming to weigh her words. "There's something I should tell you, as your friend."
Lila raised an eyebrow, sitting up straighter. "What?"
"Owen knows about your blind date."
Victoria had learned this from Alexander last night but hadn't had time to tell Lila.
"What?" Lila's drowsiness vanished instantly.
"Then why didn't he say anything last night?" she muttered, bewildered.
Victoria simply shrugged, indicating she didn't know, then left to find Wesley.
Alone, Lila tried to recall if Owen had acted strangely the previous night. Nothing seemed off, except when he'd asked, "Is there anything you're hiding from me?"
She smacked her forehead in frustration.
At noon, Lila received a call from her mother. Seeing "Queen" on her caller ID made her heart sink, but she didn't dare ignore it.
"Hi Mom, what's up? I'm busy right..."
Eve cut her off. "Lila, I don't care how busy you are. Be at the blind date at two o'clock this afternoon!"
"But Mom, I just went on one yesterday..."
"Don't make excuses. This one's different—you'll like him, I promise," Eve continued excitedly. "I've personally vetted him myself."
Lila frowned. "Wait, you didn't vet the previous ones?"
"Those were arranged by your aunt. I was too busy then."
"If you were too busy, why arrange so many blind dates?"
"I wanted you to have options! You might find someone you like eventually."
"You're such a wonderful mother," Lila said sarcastically. "Most parents can't bear to see their daughters married off, but you're trying every trick to get rid of me."
"Getting you married doesn't mean you can't come home," Eve retorted. "I'm worried you'll end up alone."
In the end, she agreed, but insisted this would be the last time.
"Remember, two o'clock. I'll text you the address," Eve reminded her before hanging up.
At 2:10 PM, Lila arrived late again.
She entered a private restaurant with an elegant atmosphere. The place was quiet with beautiful décor—exactly her style. How had she never discovered this place after living in Ridgefield for so long?
She approached the hostess, who guided her through the restaurant. Each table was separated by curtains, creating intimate dining spaces. The interior featured lush greenery, creating a comfortable, inviting ambiance.
"Your table is right here, ma'am," the hostess said before departing.
Through the curtain, Lila could make out a silhouette already seated inside.
Without hesitation, she pushed aside the curtain and entered, sitting down without even looking at her date—her usual tactic.
When she finally looked up, she froze in shock.
Wasn't this Owen, who had texted her five minutes ago saying he had surgery scheduled?
Why was he sitting in her blind date's place?
Lila thought she must be seeing things, but she knew she wasn't.
Shocked, confused, and slightly afraid, she blurted out, "What are you doing here? I thought you were at the hospital preparing for surgery?"
Owen remained perfectly calm. "If I hadn't said that, would you have come to this blind date with me?"
Though flustered, Lila caught the key phrase. "What did you say? A blind date with you?"
Owen adjusted his glasses, his eyes intense behind the lenses.
"That's right," he said evenly. "I'm your blind date today."
He smiled faintly, as if saying, "Surprised? Your blind date is your boyfriend!"
Lila was silent.
Had her mother set her up, or had this seemingly gentle man tricked her?
"So you've met my mother?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Yes, and she likes me very much," Owen replied.
Lila bit her lip, saying nothing. She knew she was in the wrong.
After taking a deep breath, she asked, "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Owen looked directly at her. "Nothing complicated. I just want to marry you."
Before she could formulate a response, Owen spoke again, "Lila, you don't have a choice anymore."
She looked at him. "What do you mean?"
Without hesitation, Owen replied, "Your mother said if you don't marry me, she'll disown you."
"What?" Lila stared at him in disbelief. "Owen, you can't just make things up like that."
Owen remained completely composed. "If you don't believe me, ask her yourself."
For some reason, she did exactly that, sending her mother a text.
The response wasn't a text but an immediate phone call.
Before Lila could speak, Eve launched into a monologue. "Yes, I said that. I think Owen is perfect for you. He's tall, handsome, from a medical family, polite, and refined—exactly what your impulsive personality needs. Plus, his mother and I are friends. I almost overlooked him, but thankfully he's still single. Stop being so picky and trust my judgment—after all, that's how I chose your father. I've already told my friends we're planning your wedding, so don't you dare back out!"
Lila found the conversation increasingly absurd.
"Mom, I have to go. Talk later," she said, hanging up.
Owen smiled when she ended the call. "See? I wasn't lying."
Lila felt thoroughly outmaneuvered. "What did you say to my mother?" she asked, curious how he'd won her over so completely after just one meeting.
Suddenly, someone burst through the curtain with a high-pitched voice, "Owen, is that really you?"
Before either could react, the newcomer had slid into the empty seat beside Owen.
Audrey Carroll clung to Owen's arm like an excited bird. "Owen, I heard you were dining here! I thought I was seeing things, but it really is you! How have you been? I messaged you when I got back to the country, but you never responded."
Audrey completely ignored Lila, focusing solely on Owen.
Lila had never heard such an affected voice in her life. Watching Audrey's wandering hands, she narrowed her eyes with one thought: to pry those hands off her boyfriend.
Owen was about to pull away, but decided to wait and see how Lila would react.
She didn't disappoint him.
"Who's pulling my hair?!" came a sudden shriek.
Lila had boldly stepped forward, grabbed a handful of Audrey's hair, and yanked it back hard.
The pain forced Audrey to release Owen's arm and stand up, only to lose her balance and land ungracefully on the floor when Lila let go.
Outside, people had heard the scream and were trying to peek through the curtain gaps. A server hurried to inform the manager about the disturbance involving their VIP guests.
Audrey, wearing a dress, found herself in an awkward position on the floor.
Lila positioned herself next to Owen, blocking his view of Audrey and vice versa.
Owen remained seated, seemingly unbothered.
"Who do you think you are? Why did you pull my hair?" Audrey demanded, glaring up at Lila.
Lila crossed her arms, looking down at her with a smirk. "I should be asking you that. What are you doing barging in on me and my boyfriend's meal?"
"Boyfriend?" Audrey echoed in disbelief.
Lila stepped aside slightly and pointed at Owen.
"Impossible! Owen can't be your boyfriend!" Audrey immediately denied.
Lila smiled calmly. "Actually, he won't be my boyfriend for much longer."
Owen, still seated, suddenly tensed, his eyes growing cold.
What did Lila mean by that?
As he was about to stand, Lila continued, "You've got it all wrong. He prefers women exactly like me. In fact," she leaned down toward Audrey, "we're getting married soon."
The statement hit Audrey like a bombshell. Her eyes widened in shock.
Conversely, Owen's cold expression instantly transformed into surprise and joy. Had he heard correctly?
Lila wasn't stupid. When Audrey had burst in with eyes only for Owen, she'd immediately recognized Audrey's feelings for him. But Owen was hers now, regardless of who had known him first, and she wasn't about to let another woman touch him.
"That's impossible!" Audrey shook her head in denial, standing up to face Lila.
Though Lila was half a head taller and clearly dominated the confrontation, Audrey turned to Owen. "Owen, what this woman just said..."
Before she could finish, Owen suddenly stood up and gripped Lila's shoulders, facing her directly.
"Did you mean what you just said?" he asked excitedly. "You'll marry me?"
Lila, caught off-balance by his reaction, realized she might have spoken too impulsively.
Audrey's eyes immediately welled with tears. "Owen..."
"What's going on here?" came an intrusive voice as someone else entered the private dining space.
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