Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 79

Eric said, "Ruby, whatever you had with my bro in the past, he's married now, so you better keep your distance, to avoid any misunderstanding with my sister-in-law."

"Eric, are you guys just cool with that woman being your sister-in-law?" Ruby vented, seething with jealousy, "Do you know what kind of family she comes from? Her family's economic conditions are very ordinary, they can't possibly match up to the Andersons. And she's an orphan, just a charity case taken in by the Moores."

Ruby thought herself a perfect match for Stefan in every way, and she should be his wife!

"My bro picked her, so even if she was a beggar, if he married her, I'd accept her as my sister-in- law."

Eric was curious, but he respected Stefan's choice.

He believed Stefan wouldn't just wing it when it came to such an important matter.

Even though they did get hitched out of the blue, they've known each other for eleven years.

Ruby was left speechless.

"I'm going ." Eric didn't want to argue with Ruby anymore.

When Fiona found out that Stefan was a rich man, she was shook but she didn't grill him on the spot about his secret. Instead, she quietly had dinner with the Andersons.

After dinner, the two old folks from the Anderson family wisely let Eric take them home, leaving Stefan to keep Ike and Fiona company.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hide my identity."

Stefan finally got a chance to apologize and explain to Fiona.

Fiona didn't say a word, just sat silently, lost in her own thoughts.

Stefan continued, "I just prefer to keep a low profile, don't want too many people knowing about my status, to avoid unnecessary trouble."

Ike scoffed, "So when you and Lucy were getting married, were you worried that we would ask you for a big fat wedding gift, so you decided to continue hiding?"

"Ike, that's not what I meant. Lucy is my wife, and what's mine is hers, even if I gave her all my assets as a wedding gift, I'd be willing."

Ike just seized every opportunity to embarrass him, and he couldn't even get mad.

Fiona remained silent.

Stefan apologized over and over, but she didn't say a word.

"Mom."

Lucinda called to her mother and gently patted her arm.

Fiona slapped her hand away.

She stood up, pulling Lucinda with her, and said to the two men, "We need to have a little mother- daughter chat."

Stefan watched as Fiona led his wife away, feeling anxious inside, but his face didn't show it.

He moved his chair closer to Ike.

He picked up a bottle of wine, intending to pour Ike a glass.

"I drove myself here." Ike reminded him. Ike hadn't touched a drop of wine for the whole night.

Stefan had to abandon the idea of pouring him wine.

"Ike."

"Call me brother." Ike suddenly requested with a smile, "You're married to my sister, so you should regard me as your older brother like she does. It's only right. Stefan, go on, call me brother."

He thought Stefan wouldn't do it, but as soon as he finished speaking, Stefan called him "brother =."

Ike was taken aback, then burst out laughing.

While slapping Stefan's shoulder, he laughed and said, "Stefan, you were really popular back in school, you know, any girl who saw you in person would be into you. We were all super jealous, we even placed bets on whether you'd accept a girl's advances in the four years of college."

"I bet that you wouldn't, but they all thought you would, in the end, I won a lot. Who would've thought the one who caught you would be my dear sister, hahaha, come on, call me brother a few more times, it'll make my day."

"Brother, brother."

"Stop!" Ike ordered, laughing, "Go on, say it."

"What will mom say to Lucy?"

"How would I know, I'm not mom. Are you getting nervous, scared?"

Stefan denied it, "I was just wondering, mom wanted to talk to Lucy about something important, she didn't even let you, her own son, listen."

"I'm not going to eavesdrop."

"And I didn't ask you to."

Ike laughed as he looked at Stefan.

He never thought his old schoolmate would fall for his sister, it was just a bit early, after all, his sister was only thirteen or fourteen at the time.

But he had to hand it to Stefan, he had an eye for beauty, and he knew his sister would grow up to be gorgeous.

Fiona pulled her daughter aside, and directly said to her, "Lucinda, Stefan is not right for you, you guys should just split amicably."

Before Lucinda could respond, Fiona solemnly said, "Life in a rich family is too complicated, they say once you enter a rich family it's like diving into the deep sea, and things are complicated in there. You're smart and not a pushover, but your straightforward and innocent personality doesn't fit with the rich."

"Stefan's grandparents may seem nice, but that's just on the surface, who knows how much trouble they can be? Not to mention his parents, if you marry into the Andersons, the pressure will crush you.

"Rich families' marriages are usually alliances, and our family doesn't have the financial strength to form an alliance with the Andersons. Stefan has many brothers, his younger brothers will definitely marry into rich families, and the rich heiresses might look down on you.NôvelDrama.Org owns © this.

"Marrying into a rich family is tough. Women who marry into a rich family rarely have freedom, even doing what they want is difficult. You're a bit of a slacker, don't have any grand ambitions, but you're a free spirit, you'll find the rules of a rich family hard to handle.

"Lucy, I’m not trying to break you guys up, but reality is harsh, so I don't want you to be hurt all over, better a short pain than a long one. You and Stefan just got married not long ago, and your feelings for each other are not that deep yet, so just divorce him."

Fiona's thoughts were similar to Ruby's, they both genuinely wanted Lucinda to leave Stefan.

Over at the Anderson family, there was no resistance, but Lucinda was meeting some pushback on her end.

"Mom, Stefan and I have already..."

Fiona said, filled with self-blaming, "It's all my fault, I pushed you too hard to get married, causing you and Stefan to rush into marriage. I thought Stefan was from a regular family like ours, he even said his parents were just managing a flower farm, with rice and other crops growing at home. How the heck did he turn out to be the heir of the richest family?!"

The richest family also farms?

Fiona had never dipped her toes in high society, so her understanding of the wealthy was all gleaned off TV dramas.

The picture Stefan painted of the Anderson family left Fiona with the impression of an unusual rich family.

In TV dramas, the story of a prince and a common girl always involves the girl facing all sorts of hardships and injustices.

Fiona didn't want Lucinda to be like the common girls in the dramas. She didn't necessarily expect her daughter to live a life of wealth and luxury.

"As long as you aren't pregnant, that's all that matters. People are more open-minded these days. Even if you divorce, you can still find a good partner."