Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 88

"Lucy." Stefan caught up with Lucinda, grabbing her hand and pulling her into his arms.

"Let go of me!"

Lucinda struggled, trying to push him away, but his grip was too strong, and she couldn't break free.

"Let me go!"

"Lucy, there's really nothing between me and Ruby. I've never loved her, nor have I ever made any promises to her. Those are just rumors spread by others, they assumed that she and I were a couple."

Stefan didn't know how many times he had to explain his relationship with Ruby to Lucinda.

He truly didn't love Ruby.

Ten years ago, Ruby tried to seduce him, but he was young and strong-willed and didn't fall for her.

Ruby's failure to seduce him made her feel humiliated, so she left the country.

Out of respect for their past growing up together, he didn't make a fuss about Ruby's attempt to bed him.

"Lucy, don't be mad. From now on, I won't answer any calls from Ruby."

"Block her number."

"Okay, I'll block her."

"She called me a slut."

"She's the slut."

"I already cursed her out, so you don't have to do it for me."

Stefan stared at her, somewhat puzzled.

In love, the first to fall is often the most vulnerable.

Stefan was deeply vulnerable.

His deep affection for Lucinda made him dread her anger. When she was upset, he felt disoriented.

Even the indomitable Mr. Coleman had his weakness, and Lucinda was it. She was his soft spot, his vulnerability.

Anyone daring to harm her would face repercussions.

Spotting his unease, Lucinda burst into laughter.

Reacting instantly to her laughter, Stefan drew her close, enveloping her in a tight embrace.

His voice shaky, he whispered, "Lucy, my heart stopped when you walked away just now."

"Let's go, we're going down the mountain, I'm hungry."

Lucinda gently pushed him away, but as soon as he let go, he grabbed her hand again.

"I'll take you to eat."

The small storm was blown away by the mountain wind, disappearing without a trace.

...

"Smash it, smash it hard!"

Dressed in black and wearing sunglasses, Ruby stormed into Serendipity Cafe with a group of thugs. At her command, they started trashing the place.

The customers in the shop were scared and ran outside.

"What are you doing?"

Cecilia came out from the back room, holding a tray with two cups of coffee for the customers.

Seeing people smashing her shop, she instinctively rushed forward and yelled.

Ruby was furious when she saw Cecilia.

When she saw Cecilia at Owen's place, she thought Cecilia looked familiar but couldn't remember why.

Now that she saw Cecilia in Lucinda's shop, she realized.

This was Lucinda's partner.

What a bitch!

Lucinda stole her Stefan, and Cecilia was stealing her Owen. They were both bitches, shameless!

"So it's you!"

Ruby sharply struck Cecilia's face.

Caught off guard, Cecilia felt a stinging sensation on her left cheek.

Initially, she didn't recognize her assailant, but upon hearing Ruby's voice, it became clear. In retaliation, Cecilia flung coffee from a nearby tray at Ruby.

Although Ruby was known for her aggressive nature, she hadn't anticipated Cecilia's resistance.

The scalding coffee hit Ruby, causing her to cry out and frantically wipe it from her face.

"Bitch!" Ruby was furious, "You and Lucinda are both bitches! You all attack me. Teach this woman a lesson for me!"

Cecilia quickly put down the tray and picked up a chair, ready to hit anyone who approached her.

The customers who were scared off earlier, after calming down a bit, saw the situation and quickly called the police.

Several luxury cars quickly arrived.

Owen hadn't even gotten out of the car, and his bodyguards had already jumped out.

"Why are you just standing there? Go inside, and bring out Ms. Scott!" Owen commanded his bodyguards.

Upon hearing that Ruby had instigated a commotion against Lucinda, Owen sensed trouble brewing. Although Ruby had often been unpleasant to him, he couldn't bear to see her in danger or face consequences for her actions.

Ruby's impulsiveness had led her to instigate a brawl and potentially harm people. If Lucinda reported to the police, Ruby would be in hot water.

Recognizing the urgency, the bodyguards promptly intervened, halting Ruby's thugs from vandalizing the cafe and ensuring Cecilia's safety.

"Ms. Scott, Mr. Owen is waiting for you outside." Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

Two bodyguards, not waiting for Ruby's reaction, picked her up and walked out, not caring about her struggle.

"Let me go, I want to ruin Lucinda's shop. She's a bitch! She stole my man. Look at this bitch who steals other people's men, this is what she gets!"

Ruby thrashed about, intentionally twisting the truth.

She aimed to paint Lucinda in a bad light, suggesting to the bystanders that Lucinda had stolen her partner.

She wondered how Lucinda could continue her business and life in town under such scrutiny.

In Ruby's mind, Lucinda didn't have the experience to rival her.

Soon, Owen's two bodyguards escorted Ruby to Owen's car.

"Ruby."

Owen stopped Ruby, who still wanted to get out of the car, "Do you want to go to jail? You vandalized someone's shop and hurt people. Someone's already called the police. When the police come, even if you don't go to jail, you'll be detained."

Ruby stopped struggling after his roar.

"Owen."

Ruby threw herself into Owen's arms, sobbing, "Stefan has publicly announced his marriage, he didn't give me any chance. Why does he treat me like this, haven't I been good enough to him? In what way am I worse than Lucinda?"

Owen heaved a sigh, pulled her into a tight hug, and comforted, "Ruby, he doesn't love you. Not before, not now, not ever. Just give it up, girl. It's not that you're not as good as Lucinda, it's just that he only has eyes for Lucinda. No other woman stands a chance."

Stefan did have a soft side.

But he only showed it to Lucinda.

"Lucinda doesn't deserve him!"

"Whether they're a match or not, it's his call. Ruby, just let it go. Don't waste your time on him."

Can't she see the depth of his love and recognize his value?

Ruby pulled away from his embrace.

She wiped away a tear, then said determinedly, "If I can't have him, I won't let Lucinda be happy!"

When Owen heard her words, he felt she had changed. This wasn't the perfect woman he had in his mind.

"Ruby, stay in the car. I'll handle this mess."

Owen recalled that Cecilia co-owned Serendipity Cafe and knew she wasn't someone to be trifled with.

When Ruby vandalized her cafe, Cecilia was unlikely to let it slide.

Owen stepped out of his car and approached the cafe.

Cecilia realized that the man who intervened earlier was one of Owen’s bodyguards. Regardless of Owen’s motives, she felt gratitude.

The bodyguards, however, felt slightly uncomfortable with the appreciation, given that their intervention wasn’t really for Cecilia's sake but for Ms. Scott's.