Faux Vows, True Desires

"Why bother with all that, hon? Being the reigning lady of the house is no easy gig. We've got it good now, don't we? No worries in the world, and everything we need is taken care of." Ashley was upset.

How did she end up marrying a man with no ambition?

"I can't even with you right now. I'm going to go chat with Olina."

Ashley stood up and left the room.

After a few steps, she paused, then turned on her heel and headed into the kitchen.

Soon after, she went out with a maid, who was carrying a tray with three dishes of freshly cooked food.

She couldn't outright stop Owen and Cecilia from being together, but she could definitely plant the seeds of doubt in Olina's mind.

Olina always thought very highly of herself, especially since she considered her son Owen the rightful heir, putting her on a pedestal. She never liked Cecilia much, so a few choice words in Olina's ear, and she would surely act as she always did, putting obstacles in the path of Owen and Cecilia's relationship.

From what Ashley had observed about the Yates family, they weren't the type to social climb or sell their daughter off to the highest bidder.

If Olina showed enough displeasure towards Cecilia, and the Yates were unwilling to see their daughter mistreated, and with Cecilia's spirit, she might just decide never to step foot in the Martinez household fo the rest of her life.

Little did Cecilia know that the seemingly kind Ashley she met for the first time was scheming such plans.

As Lucinda put it, the Martinez and Anderson families were not cut from the same cloth. Being with Owen meant facing a lot.

Even ordinary families squabble over small benefits, turning against each other.

vast interests involved in prominent families like the Andersons,

the courtyard of the main

seemingly stewing in

with a smile as

call, her brows furrowing at the sight of Ashley, but she stopped and asked indifferently,

cook had prepared them this

not my daughter-in-law. She's here for dinner, not 'coming back' for dinner. And we have

She may not be your daughter-in-law now, but with Owen courting her again, she's bound to be my niece-

had the maid carry

Ashley's tone was one of sincere advice, "Olina, Owen's been heartbroken over Ruby. Now he's found solace in Cecilia, who seems quite lovely. It was Trenton who chose her for Owen,

he'll be thirty. People his age are fathers already. Surely, you want grandchildren too, right? Let Owen and Cecilia get back together, so you can enjoy your days as a doting grandma sooner. It doesn't matter that Cecilia comes from a humble background.

Cecilia would mean supporting the Yates. Owen was raised under the stern eye of Trenton, and Olina

intervention, and now, even his choice of a wife was out of her hands. If Trenton had chosen a well-matched heiress for Owen, Olina might have coped. But Cecilia?

being threatened by her son and looking into Cecilia's business shares, Olina had considered

ignited a firestorm inside her. She couldn't let Owen marry Cecilia. It would be a

the other in-laws would have a field

more noble than her sisters-in-law, her son the favorite

couldn't afford to lose on the matter of her

if Trenton liked

old. How much longer

as Owen's mother, she could easily manipulate or dismiss