Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 16

Stefan got a text from Ruby. He read it, but didn't reply.

He never had feelings for Ruby. They just knew each other from their families being close since they were kids.

They practically grew up together, but Stefan wouldn't agree with the idea that they've liked each other since childhood. Stefan looked down at the girl sleeping sweetly against his chest, his gaze softening. He gently touched Lucinda's face with his hand.

Seeing that she didn't wake up, he glanced at the driver, who was focused on the road. He nudged Lucinda a little, then quickly planted a kiss on her cheek.

Stealing a kiss from a girl was both nerve-wracking and chaotic, but also sweet.

After the stolen kiss, Stefan hugged Lucinda tight again, looking ahead as if nothing had happened.

"We're almost there, young master."

"Alright, remember not to call me that when Lucinda and I are together."

"Got it, young master, oh, Mr. Coleman."

The driver immediately changed his way of addressing Stefan.

Suddenly, Lucinda's phone rang.

Stefan wanted to answer it for her, but she woke up.

Realizing she was in Stefan's arms, she quickly moved away.

She gave Stefan an embarrassed smile. She just wanted to take a quick nap, but ended up falling asleep in his arms.

Even though they were legally married, they had an agreement. She was renting him to play her husband, he wasn't her real husband.

According to their agreement, they should avoid physical contact as much as possible.

Lucinda pulled out her phone, checked the caller ID and said to Stefan, "It's Ike." He was definitely calling to check on her.

Lucinda picked up her brother's call.

"Ike."

"Mom wants you guys to come home tonight. Are you back yet?"

"We're on our way. Let me see where we are." Lucinda looked out the window. The driver said, "We're about five minutes away."

Hearing the driver's words, Ike said, "We'll wait for you at home."

Lucinda thought to herself, “If you're not waiting for me at home, where else would you be?”

But she didn't dare to voice her complaints for fear of being scolded by Ike.

Her marriage to Stefan was a big deal to her family.

She got married without her parents' approval!

After hanging up, Lucinda yawned and muttered, "I was woken up by Ike's call before I had enough sleep."

It was almost time for them to get home, so she couldn't go back to sleep.

"Stefan, let's go over our lines."

Stefan raised an eyebrow, "Lines?"

What lines?

"If my family asks us why we got married, what are you going to say?"

Stefan's deep gaze made her feel like he was inscrutable. When he looked at her quietly, it was as if she was the woman he loved most in the world.

In fact, they were just a little more than strangers.

"What do you want me to say?"

Lucinda thought for a moment, then said, "You can say that you've liked me for a long time. Today, you bumped into me and found out I wanted to get married, so you married me."

She couldn't say Stefan was her rented husband. So, she had to come up with a plausible reason to convince her family.

It was mainly to convince her mother. If her mother believed her, she wouldn't have to go on blind dates anymore. She could live a peaceful life.

They could divorce in less than a month.

Trading $500 for a few years of peace and quiet was a good deal to Lucinda.

"Okay."

Stefan replied with a smile, "Sure, I'll answer your parents' questions according to your instructions."

"Besides asking us why we got married, my mom will definitely check your family background. Stefan, you can answer however you like. If you don't want my mom to know the real situation of your family, you can make up some lies."

She didn't mind.

Stefan lightly touched her nose, then laughed, "Your mom would be angry if she heard you say that."

Teaching others to lie to her mother was definitely something Lucinda would come up with.

"I have no choice. My mom keeps urging me to get married. She calls me so many times a day asking the same question. I'm about to go crazy."

It's like she was going to be single for the rest of her life. But she didn't think that being single for life was a big deal.

After complaining about her mom, she began to admire Stefan, "Stefan, your parents are so open- minded. They never interfere with your marriage."

Stefan smiled, "Yes, they're very open-minded. They don't interfere with my romantic life. My grandma always says that marriage is important. You should marry someone you love and who loves you back. That's the key to happiness."

The elders of the Anderson family were indeed forward-thinking.

They were wealthy and powerful, and had many talented young people. Grandma said, there was no need for the Andersons to establish business ties through marriage. They could marry whoever they liked, and the family would not interfere.

Maybe because he was almost 30 and never had a girlfriend, the elders were worried that he might have some issues that he was too embarrassed to talk about.

So, they were eager for him to find a girl he liked and get married.

Grandma almost said that as long as he liked a woman, she would agree to the marriage.

"That's great! My mom just worries about me a lot. My dad and grandparents won't say anything. My grandma even said she didn't want me to get married so soon."

"But in the end, my mom has the final say. My grandparents won't interfere."

Stefan held her hand and could tell she tensed up a bit. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Clearly, this girl wasn't used to them being all touchy-feely.

"Don't worry, I promise I'll get the job done."

Looking at his ridiculously handsome face, Lucinda sighed. "Stefan, if you were a woman, you'd definitely be a stunning beauty who would make millions of men fall for you."

Stefan was speechless.

When they pulled up to the front gate of the Moore family's residence, the driver stopped the car.

He didn't really want to interrupt Stefan and Lucinda's chit-chat, but they had arrived at the destination and he had no choice but to butt in.

"Mr. Coleman, we're here."

Suddenly feeling nervous again, Lucinda held Stefan's hand tightly, whispering in his ear, "Stefan, whether I can live a peaceful life or not, it's all on you now."

Stefan nodded solemnly.

Before they even had a chance to get out of the car, Ike had already come out of the house to greet them.

"Ike." Lucinda called his name after stepping out of the car.

Ignoring her, Ike waited for Stefan to get out of the car and landed a punch on his shoulder.

Lucinda gasped.

"Ike!" she shouted.

Grabbing Stefan by the collar, Ike shouted angrily, "Stefan, you damn sneak, you married my sister without a peep! Tell me, when did you start fancying Lucinda? I treated you like a friend, a bro, an old pal, and this is how you repay me? You didn't say a word and whisked away my only sister!"