Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 149

"Ms. Yates is a real sweetheart."

It was rare for Stefan to praise a woman other than Lucinda.

He glanced at Owen.

Owen got the hint and snorted, "I only have eyes for Ruby."

"Well then, I'll leave it at that. After all, you're the one who's going to suffer, not me. Just remember, if you keep meddling in my affairs because of Ruby or helping Ruby to keep tabs on me, don't blame me for not being polite!"

"You're not exactly polite to me in the first place."

Owen mumbled under his breath.

"If you've got nothing else, you can scram now."

Stefan said, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Can you show me how? Owen, thank you!"

"Don't be so formal; it's not my style."

Owen looked uncomfortable. "It's not my thing when you thank me so formally."

Stefan took a couple of steps forward and kicked at him.

Owen dodged swiftly.

"Stefan, what the heck?"

"You said you're not used to being thanked, so how about a kick? You're used to that, right? You're such a pain in the ass."

"You're the pain in the ass, Stefan. You didn't come here to thank me today; you came to piss me off. I'm about to die of anger."

"Your eyes are still open, and you're claiming to be dead from anger?"

Stefan scoffed at him and said as he walked out, "Let me know when you're really dead from anger."

Owen: "Goodbye!"

Stefan pushed open the office door and left. He slammed the door with a loud bang.

Owen yelled in the direction of the door, "Stefan, if you break my door, you're buying me a new one."

Stefan was long gone and didn't hear his cursing.

After a while, Owen called in his bodyguard, handed him the gift from Stefan, and said, "This is a check from Stefan. Cash it in and share it with the others. We should take Stefan's money." The bodyguard hesitated for a moment, then quickly took the envelope under Owen's glare.

"Next time something like this happens, you guys need to move faster and take more money from Stefan."

The bodyguard stayed silent. They were all following Owen's orders. All the gifts from Stefan that Owen didn't accept were given to them. Working for someone like this was promising.

Lucinda placed the washed cherries in front of Cecilia.

"These cherries are sweet and big, and they're fresh. Go ahead and eat."

Cecilia put down her phone, picked a cherry, and jokingly said to Lucinda, "You're a whole different person after becoming part of the Anderson family. You're even willing to buy such large and fresh cherries." She loved cherries too, but they were too expensive.

In the past, they would only look at them, unable to afford or bear to buy them.

"If you've got food, stop talking."

Lucinda cheerfully stuffed a cherry into Cecilia's mouth.

"Stefan always gives me lots of pocket money; I can't even spend it all, so I bought some cherries."

"You could buy clothes, handbags, jewelry, and so on. If you only picked the expensive ones to buy, then maybe his pocket money wouldn't be enough."

Lucinda sat next to her and said, "Forget it."

Her closet was full of clothes, handbags, jewelry, and so on. So much that it made her dizzy.

Lucinda didn't say anything because she was afraid Cecilia would accuse her of showing off.

"What were you thinking about just now? You were so focused. You've seemed a bit distracted ever since you came in. Cecilia, are you hiding something from me?"

Cecilia's demeanor reminded Lucinda of her own reaction when she first found out Stefan was the heir of a wealthy family.

"I wasn't thinking about anything; I was just bored and daydreaming."

Lucinda gave her a quiet look for a couple of minutes, then laughed and said, "If you're really that bored, you could make some desserts for us to try and for the construction workers' afternoon tea." "I don't feel like moving; I just wanna daydream."

Lucinda knew Cecilia had something on her mind, but she didn't want to talk about it, so Lucinda didn't press further.

"Lucy, have you figured out who's responsible for what happened yesterday?"

Cecilia asked with concern.

She spoke softly. She didn't want the construction workers to hear.

The media hadn't reported Lucinda's kidnapping from yesterday.

If they had found out, Serendipity Cafe would be a hot topic again.

But the media didn't dare disturb Lucinda's peaceful life on a whim.

When Stefan announced their marital status, it caused a sensation. But the media didn't disturb Lucinda's life. She knew Stefan had secretly warned everyone.

Lucinda liked a quiet and harmonious life.

Stefan did his best to give her the life she wanted.

"We're still investigating; we haven't figured it out yet."

Lucinda also replied softly. After a moment, she whispered to Cecilia, "Cecilia, I have to tell you something. We're good friends, and you'll find out about this sooner or later. The incident yesterday might be related to this."

"What is it?"

Cecilia leaned in closer and said, "Speak softly."

"I'm not the biological child of the Moore family."

"You're not the Moore family's. What? What did you say?"

Cecilia's voice suddenly turned shrill.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing and exclaimed,

Then she quickly covered her mouth, and the construction workers glanced over and then went back to their work.

"Who told you that?"

Cecilia whispered, "How could you not be the biological child of the Moore family? Ike and your parents treat you so well, I can't believe you're not their biological child."

Lucinda let out a sigh. "I didn't believe it either, but that's just the facts. It was only after I married Stefan that I found out."

"The Andersons ran a background check on you?"

"Do you really think they would accept a woman they know nothing about?"

Cecilia fell silent.

Fair enough.

Owen's marriage to her was also a result of mutual understanding and acquaintance. Owen's grandpa even personally visited her home and got to know her family background and situation before deciding to let Owen marry her.

She and Lucinda both came from decent families, which was why the Andersons agreed to Stefan marrying Lucinda.

"You're just telling me about this now?"

"I needed some time to digest the news, cool down, and then tell you."

After a moment of thought, Cecilia hugged Lucinda sympathetically and said, "You really shouldn't keep such big news from me, worrying all by yourself. You should have told me, It feels a lot better to vent when you're troubled. But now that you have Mr. Coleman by your side, he can comfort you. Sometimes I feel like I might just be a third wheel."

Cecilia's words were laced with humor.