My Child and I Married a Billionaire

Chapter 4: Husband

Editor: Henyee Translations

Vivian Mason was nothing if not thick-skinned. Knowing Cecelia had no evidence, she denied the accusation without the slightest hint of guilt. Not only that, she immediately went on the offensive.

"You’re married and have a child? Since when?" Vivian scoffed. "I joined this company a full year before you did, and I’ve never seen either your husband or your kid. Sounds to me like you panicked when we mentioned Mr. Hayes and made the whole thing up to distract everyone."

Several coworkers exchanged curious glances.

They had worked with Cecelia for a long time, but she had always kept to herself. She never talked about her personal life and never received gifts on holidays or special occasions.

How could she suddenly be married with a child?

"That’s right, Cecelia."

"When did this happen?"

"We’ve never heard anything about it."

"Who’s your husband?"

"What does he do?"

"You have to introduce him to us someday!"

Cecelia found the entire situation ridiculous. Why should she have to prove her marriage to a group of coworkers? Her husband was her business, not theirs.

Then again...

Perhaps this was a good opportunity to settle the matter once and for all. Maybe some of the male colleagues who kept trying to flirt with her despite repeated rejection would finally get the message.

"It’s not important when I got married," Cecelia said calmly. "Since everyone seems so interested in meeting my husband, I’ll invite him to dinner tonight." Then she looked at Vivian. "But Vivian, you don’t need to come."

Vivian’s smile froze.

"Mr. Hayes specifically warned me to stay away from people with questionable character. He said it could reflect badly on the company." Cecelia smiled faintly. "You understand how important it is to respect a client’s advice, don’t you?"

Vivian was instantly speechless.

The office immediately erupted into whispers, and the conversation shifted right back onto her. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

The manager, who knew exactly what kind of person Vivian was, also knew that Cecelia wasn’t someone who made accusations without reason. With a dark expression, he ordered Vivian into his office.

Back at her desk, Cecelia sent a message to her best friend, Doris Morton, asking her to pick Candy up from daycare. Only then did she realize she had another problem.

She had promised Damien that she wouldn’t bother him except regarding the marriage certificate and Candy’s paperwork. Yet here she was, asking for another favor before the day was even over.

Would he even agree?

And then there was the restaurant.

Valoria Gardens wasn’t cheap. One meal there could easily cost several months’ worth of rent. She really shouldn’t have let Vivian provoke her. Unfortunately, the words had already been spoken. There was no taking them back now.

After a moment’s hesitation, she sent Damien a message.

Could I ask you for one more favor?

By the time work ended, there was still no reply.

Cecelia immediately understood. He was busy. People in his line of work were probably busiest in the evenings. She shouldn’t have asked in the first place.

Meanwhile, her coworkers were in high spirits and headed to Valoria Gardens with her. The moment they stepped inside, everyone was impressed by the luxurious décor and elegant atmosphere.

"This place is incredible."

"I’ve heard it’s impossible to get a reservation."

"So which room did you book?"

"When is your husband getting here?"

Cecelia forced a smile. "Azure Pine Room on the fifth floor. He’s working overtime, but I’ve already reminded him. He said he’ll come as soon as he can."

The group happily entered the lobby.

Cecelia walked to the front desk to confirm the reservation. A few moments later, her expression changed.

"I’m sorry, ma’am," the receptionist said politely. "We don’t have that reservation in our system."

Cecelia frowned. "What do you mean? I received confirmation."

"I’m very sorry, but the room has already been assigned to another guest."

Cecelia closed her eyes briefly. Then she took a breath. "Fine. Do you have another private room available?"

"I’m sorry, ma’am. All private rooms are fully booked tonight."

The moment Vivian heard that, her eyes lit up. A smug smile spread across her face. "Let me guess." She folded her arms. "You thought it was too expensive and never booked anything at all."

Several coworkers looked uncomfortable.

Vivian continued mercilessly, "Honestly, Cecelia, if you didn’t want to spend the money, you could’ve just said so. Nobody forced you to treat us." She laughed. "So why go through all this trouble just to embarrass yourself?" Her gaze swept around the lobby. "No wonder your husband still hasn’t shown up." She shrugged dramatically. "Turns out neither of you ever intended to treat us."

The atmosphere instantly became awkward.

One coworker hurriedly stepped in. "It’s okay. If we can’t get a room here, we can just go somewhere else."

"Yeah."

"Valoria Gardens is hard to book anyway."

"Let’s just change locations."

Cecelia really wanted to march over and tape Vivian’s mouth shut. How could someone be this shameless? After what had happened earlier, Vivian still had the nerve to show up for a free dinner. Had she never eaten a decent meal before?

Still, now wasn’t the time to argue. Their manager was present. So were all her coworkers. If they left without even finding somewhere to eat, it would be embarrassing for everyone.

Fortunately, Veridia wasn’t short on upscale restaurants. They could always go somewhere else. With that thought, the group turned toward the exit.

Just then, the grand entrance doors swung open.

A line of hotel staff hurried inside first, respectfully leading several distinguished-looking men into the lobby. The man at the front immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Dressed entirely in black, he was tall, elegant, and impossibly handsome. His presence alone commanded attention.

Cecelia froze.

That face...

Wasn’t that her husband?

Or rather, her temporary husband. The one she’d married that very morning.

So he had seen her message after all? And he had actually come?

An inexplicable sense of relief washed over her. Before she could stop herself, she raised a hand and called out, "Honey! Over here!"

Damien frowned. Then lowered his gaze. And saw her.

Again.

This was the third time he had run into her in a single day.

Hadn’t she promised that morning not to bother him? And now she was publicly calling him honey? What exactly was she doing?

"Honey?"

The coworkers stared.

Vivian’s eyes widened in disbelief. That impossibly handsome man? The one who looked like he had stepped straight out of a movie? That was Cecelia’s husband?

Having already called out to him, Cecelia hurried over and hooked her arm through his. She was terrified he might accidentally expose their arrangement.

Looking up at him, she smiled sweetly. "My coworkers insisted on meeting you." She lowered her voice slightly, "I thought you’d be working late and wouldn’t make it for a while. I didn’t expect you to get here so quickly." Then she added, "Did I pull you away from work?"

Behind Damien, several company presidents nearly choked. They stared at the woman clinging to his arm as though they had seen a ghost.

Mr. Vaughn was married? Since when? And how had nobody in the business world heard about it?

Damien looked down at the woman beside him. He had never truly believed her reasons for marrying him were as simple as she’d claimed. Sure enough, less than a day had passed before she had involved him in another situation.

Still...

If helping her today allowed him to repay the debt between them more quickly, perhaps it wasn’t a bad thing.

Although he wasn’t accustomed to women being this close to him, he decided to tolerate it for now.

"No," he said calmly. "It’s fine." His gaze swept over the group. "So you’re all waiting for me?" He nodded slightly. "Then let’s go inside."

Vivian had never expected Cecelia to actually produce a husband. And not just any husband. He was tall, handsome, refined, and charismatic. The kind of man who instantly became the center of attention wherever he went.

Jealousy twisted inside her. Refusing to give up, she seized one final opportunity. "Go inside where?" she said with a sneer. "Cecelia never even managed to reserve a private room. She brought all of us here for nothing and completely embarrassed herself."

No private room? Mr. Vaughn’s wife had come to dine here, and they didn’t have a room available?

Before Damien could say anything, the lobby manager—who had personally come out to welcome him—stepped forward.

"My sincerest apologies," he said immediately. "This was entirely our oversight." He bowed respectfully. "Had we known you and your guests would be visiting tonight, we would have made arrangements in advance."

Turning toward the staff, he continued, "We’ll prepare our largest and most luxurious private room immediately." Then he looked back at the group. "Please make yourselves comfortable in the VIP lounge while we prepare everything." He bowed again. "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience."

The next second, he grabbed his radio and began issuing orders.

Cecelia’s coworkers stood frozen in place. None of them knew what to say anymore