Faux Vows, True Desires

Stefan's hand gently covered her face, right on the side that Ruby had slapped.

"Lucy, does it still hurt?" Stefan asked quietly, his eyes burning with rage.

Ruby had the guts to hurt Lucy!

Did she think Stefan wouldn't hit a woman?

Indeed, Stefan didn't like to hit women, but if anyone messed with his Lucy, he wouldn't mind breaking his own rule for her.

Lucinda pulled his hand away, touched her cheek, and asked him, "Is it still swollen?"

After Ruby left, Cecilia brought some ice to soothe her face, and she didn't feel swollen anymore.

"Even though the swelling has gone down, the fact that Ruby hit you can't be changed." Stefan's voice turned dark in the second half of his sentence, which confused Lucinda a bit. Soon, she got it.

The Stefan she knew was always gentle and courteous, but after knowing Stefan's true identity, she realized he couldn't be a truly nice person.

As the CEO of Ascend Global, he led the company to its peak, which required extraordinary abilities. How could he be a nice guy?

Lucinda had heard of Ascend Global but didn't know much about it.

After renting Stefan as her boyfriend, she specifically searched for the history of Ascend Global and found out that Ascend Global was like a brilliant pearl in Pinehurst.

"Stefan, I hit her too," Lucinda casually mentioned as she grabbed a pack of snacks, tore open the package, and started munching away.

She asked Stefan, "Stefan, how did Ruby find out about us? How did she find my shop?"

"Owen Martinez."

"Oh, right, Mr. Martinez and you are rivals; he's never been a fan of you."

Lucinda recalled Owen's smirking face, glanced at her boyfriend, and asked, "Stefan, how did you and Owen become rivals?"

"He's always had a bone to pick with me. We were on good terms at first, but then, because of Ruby, he started picking on me, and our relationship has been sour since. Besides, the Martinez family's company and the Anderson family's company are in the same industry; we are competitors, so our relationship gradually became hostile."

Lucinda grasped the meaning,"Owen has a thing for Ruby."

"Not just a thing: he's head over heels for her."

"Ruby is into you; Owen is into Ruby; it's a messy love triangle."

Lucinda narrated it like a storyteller, which left Stefan helpless.

He sat down next to her, pulled her into his arms the moment he sat down, and kissed her lips.

Lucinda's eyes widened.

She still held half-eaten snacks in her hand.

She intended to push him away, but suddenly felt a pang of pain on her lips.

He bit her.

Stefan gave her lips a light bite, then let her go. He gently touched her lips, gazing at the lips he'd just bitten. His eyes were passionate, his voice deep and intoxicating; "Lucy, I've never had any feelings for Ruby. I don't love her at all. She's not the girl I liked when I was a kid; you are. Will you come back to my place in Diamond Ridge Estates tonight? I have something to show you."

"Isn't the house in Diamond Ridge Estates rented?"

Stefan gave a chuckle.

Lucinda suddenly felt that her question was rather redundant.

Given Stefan's status, why would he need to rent a house?

She had believed his words before because she didn't know him well enough.

Even though she'd known him for eleven years and he was her brother's college buddy, she realized she didn't know him well enough, which surprised and even saddened her. What a pain!

"Stefan, drink your coffee while it's hot. I have to go; the shop is busy today." Lucinda stood up to leave after saying that.

Stefan held her back, pleading slightly, "Aren't there other staff in your shop? You're the boss; no one would blame you if you slacked off once in a while. Stay a bit longer; keep me company." Lucinda glanced at the documents on his table and said, "Stefan, your time is precious. If I took up your time, you'd lose a lot."

"It's alright; I'm efficient at work. I promise I'll get everything done before leaving work in the afternoon, and I can spend the entire evening with you."

Lucinda blushed slightly. "I didn't ask you to accompany me. You go on with your work; I have to go."

She broke free from his grip and turned to leave.

"Lucy."

He grabbed her from behind, his arms tightly wrapped around her, forcing her to lean on his chest.

"Lucy, let me hold you for a bit longer."

Stefan leaned in and gave her cheek a gentle kiss.

He really wished he could hold her forever.

She let him hold her quietly for a while, then broke free from his grip and scurried away, fearing that he'd keep her there again.

Stefan watched her retreating figure and laughed.

He might have pushed her too hard.

Things were moving too fast; she might need some time to adjust.

But if he didn't push her, she might want to divorce him.

He could only make her quickly adjust to being his wife and to their new relationship.

When Lucinda returned to Serendipity Cafe, she saw an old couple in their eighties supporting each other and peeking into her shop from the entrance.

"Grandpa, grandma, would you like to come in and have a seat?" Lucinda walked up to them and invited them in with a smile.

Both of them turned to look at Lucinda.

Lucinda felt their eyes light up when they saw her, but upon a closer look, they seemed normal, so she thought she must have seen it wrong.

"Little girl, we don't drink coffee. We're old, and coffee keeps us awake," the old lady said timidly. "We'll just stand here and watch." The old man also nodded.

Lucinda swung the glass door open, grinning as she said, "Just because you're in the shop doesn't mean you have to drink coffee. It's hot as hell out there; we've got air conditioning in here. Come in and take a load off. Have a glass of water; it won't hurt."

After speaking, she stepped forward to help the old lady into the shop.

Seeing Lucinda's warmth, the old lady let her assist her into the shop.

When Lucinda wasn't looking, the old lady gave her husband's hand a quick squeeze, a sign for him to keep their identities under wraps.

Little did Lucinda know, these two old folks were Stefan's grandparents, big shots from Ascend Estate.

When they found out that Stefan had secretly tied the knot, they were taken aback but mostly thrilled and overjoyed.

Having done a little snooping on Lucinda's background and found her to be an ordinary girl, the old couple were worried about spooking her, which was why they came incognito to meet their long-awaited granddaughter-in-law.

Everything about Lucinda, from the way she spoke to the way she carried herself, deeply satisfied the old couple.

She was a looker, with a heart of gold and a generous spirit.

She was indeed the type of woman Stefan would marry-absolutely perfect!