My Amnesic Ex Married My Sister, So I Married His Uncle-Chapter 12: I Heard the Civil Affairs Bureau Is Working Overtime Today
A broad, warm palm gently patted the top of Stella Sterling’s head.
"Saving my life is a big deal. You can hold onto that favor for other wishes."
Her emotions whipsawed in an instant. Stella stared blankly at Owen Rhodes, not knowing how to react.
Her brain checked out again. Stella asked, "Can I only make one wish?"
She heard Owen let out a light chuckle. "That depends on your performance?"
She had been isolated and helpless for a long time; she didn’t know what it felt like to be unconditionally supported and trusted.
But she didn’t doubt Owen’s words.
She didn’t know where this sense of trust came from.
’It was irrational and inexplicable.’
"Whoa—"
A discordant note suddenly broke the tender atmosphere.
The one behind the discordant note was standing not far away, covering his mouth in an exaggerated fashion.
Stella turned her head, her gaze meeting several pairs of spectating eyes, and she instantly felt her face burn even hotter.
Owen shot him a look, and Silas Jacobs immediately threw up his hands in surrender.
"I didn’t mean to interrupt you two, but the plane is about to take off. The flight attendants were too embarrassed to disturb you, so I had to be the mood-killer."
The two flight attendants beside him wore friendly and envious smiles, looking like they wanted to approach but were too shy.
Owen watched as the blush on Stella’s profile deepened, the crimson rapidly spreading to her slender neck, then to the base of her ears, and finally to their tips.
’So she’s this shy.’
’Then how was she so calm when I was naked in front of her before?’
This was a question Owen Rhodes still hadn’t figured out twelve hours later, when the plane landed at Aeridor Airport.
After getting off the plane, Stella was like a little quail, following closely at Owen’s side.
There was a simple reason for this. Before they deplaned, Owen had already made her arrangements crystal clear.
At that moment, the plane was taxiing on the runway. Owen looked busy, replying to messages on his phone while talking to her.
"Do you have any plans after we land?"
Stella shook her head obediently. "No."
’Are you kidding me? Besides the people on this plane, practically no one knows I’ve landed in Jandor.’
Besides, ever since she learned Owen’s identity, she felt a sort of instinctual compliance.
She hadn’t been a "good girl" for a long time.
But in front of Owen, she couldn’t bring herself to be "bad."
Her "badness" was nothing in the face of Owen Rhodes.
All that rebellion in front of Ms. Jennings, that arrogance before Chase Sterling, that malice toward Kiana Sterling—it all vanished in front of Owen, leaving her like a kitten facing a tiger, not daring to act up.
Even though Owen had always been perfectly polite to her, she just didn’t dare.
Or rather, there was no need.
So she was very obedient to him.
Owen’s fingers flew across the screen. When he spoke, it was as casual as asking about the weather.
"Perfect. I heard the Marriage Bureau is working overtime today. How about we go get our marriage certificate?"
"???"
’Wait, I think I left my brain up in the sky.’
Stella blinked. "...This urgent?"
"I don’t like to waste time. Besides," Owen looked up at her, "once we have the certificate, you won’t have to secretly worry about me backing out, will you?"
Stella had reminded him several times that he still had a chance to back out. She was seemingly pushing him away, but in reality, she was probably just worried he wasn’t resolute enough.
His broad palm landed gently on her head. "Let’s go. I’ll give you some peace of mind."
Stella averted her gaze. ’How did he know again...’
’It seems nothing can be hidden from his eyes.’
Those eyes looked so gentle, but they were actually sharp enough to see through everything.
Stella felt that perhaps because she’d slept on the plane, she still didn’t feel like her feet were on solid ground. She felt like she was floating as she walked.
Floating all the way as she followed Owen.
When she floated to the Marriage Bureau, a Ghost was parked not far from the entrance.
A young man in a suit waited respectfully in front of the car. Owen told her to wait a moment and got into the vehicle.
The man who had been casually dressed in a white T-shirt and beach shorts before getting into the car emerged in a well-tailored, high-quality, dark gray suit.
His bangs, which had previously almost covered his eyes, were now seemingly casually swept back and parted, revealing his deep, gentle eyes.
Owen’s face was already ridiculously attractive. Once he changed his clothes, he exuded an air of capable, noble, steady, and cool composure that made it even harder to look away.
Stella felt herself floating even more.
By the time she came to her senses, Owen had already pressed the little red marriage certificate into her hand.
It was too surreal.
Ever since meeting Owen, everything had become surreal.
Stella stared blankly at the red booklet in her hand, momentarily unsure what expression to make.
But, before that—
"Owen Rhodes."
"Yes."
"About our marriage... can we keep it a secret for now?"
’Gavin Sterling wants to marry me off for an alliance. Ha, as if I’d let him get his way.’
’Besides, my husband is Owen Rhodes!’
’An ace in the hole should always be played last for maximum shock and awe!’
But that was all just a joke.
The truth was, although Owen had said getting married wouldn’t cause him any trouble, she knew he was just saying that to comfort her.
She wasn’t some naive, delicate flower who didn’t understand anything.
The marriage contract was still missing, and who was to say this wasn’t a double-edged sword?
Once that marriage contract was exposed, Owen would inevitably be affected.
Owen had helped her so much; she couldn’t just stab him in the back.
But she really didn’t know where the marriage contract was.
’I’ll have to go back and look for it carefully.’
So, until the marriage contract was found, it was safer to keep her marriage to Owen a secret.
Worried he might not agree, Stella quickly added, "Don’t worry, it’s only temporary. Of course, if you need to announce it publicly, I’ll cooperate with you... I know this is a bit of a willful request, if you—"
Owen cut her off. "Fine."
He answered so quickly that Stella looked up at him in surprise.
His expression was natural, showing no signs of reluctance or difficulty.
Stella let out a soft sigh and finally broke into a relieved smile, extending her hand to Owen.
"My apologies for the trouble, Mr. Rhodes."
Hearing this, Owen’s lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.
He was no stranger to the title "Mr. Rhodes."
Two simple words, nothing special.
Perhaps because their status was different now, when those two words came from Stella’s mouth, he felt they carried a subtle intimacy that stirred his heart.
He took her porcelain-white hand. "As I should, Mrs. Rhodes."
