Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 32

"Lucy..."

"Don't you dare call me Lucy, you've got no right to call me Lucy. Piss off!"

Lucinda made a move to smack him with a broom again.

Scared, George quickly picked up his bank card and bolted for his car. Once in the car, he probably felt safe enough to roll down the window and say to Lucinda, "Lucy, your fake husband is a straight- up broke ass. I saw him earlier, riding a bike that's worse than my old one. Apart from a pretty face, he's got nothing on me. Lucy, I'm ready to help you pay off your debts, buy you a big house to live in, a car to drive, and give you…”

A broom came flying through the car window, smacking him square in the face.

After a few hits, George squirmed out of his car, dodged Lucinda's swings, and only when she pulled out the broom, he got back into the car, not daring to say anything. He drove off like the devil was after him.

Lucinda was really showing some grit. He liked this fiery spirit!

"Ptui!"

Lucinda spat in the direction George had fled. Holding her broom, she stormed back into the shop. The customers in the shop all watched her, some even gave her a thumbs up, thinking she was a real badass.

Lucinda didn't want to be this fierce, but George was just asking for it. He had dumped her for his career, marrying his boss' niece, and now that he had some change to his name, he wanted to keep Lucinda as a lover.

What the hell did he take Lucinda for?

"Did you chase him away?" Cecilia poured a glass of water and handed it to Lucinda.

"Yeah, that jerk, if he dares to show up again, I'll smack him every time."

"After you've beaten him up, I doubt he'll dare to show up anytime soon. Didn't your contract husband come by earlier?"

Lucinda sat at the cashier's table, "Stefan brought me some evening gowns. He has a social event tonight and asked me to do him a favor and be his date."

Cecilia felt something was off but couldn't put her finger on it.

"Cecilia, I've struck gold with this one. Stefan is a real catch, I never dreamed he would have such a high position at Ascend Global, second only to the CEO. I only pay him $500 a month in fees, and he's willing to help me, I've hit the jackpot."

Cecilia looked at her friend's face, which seemed to be glowing with happiness, and couldn't help but throw cold water on her, "You've got your marriage certificate. It's not a hire, You're legally married, for real!"

"Lucy, play with fire, and you'll get burned." Cecilia said and walked away. Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Lucinda opened her mouth to say something but didn't know what to say.

Play with fire and you'll get burned! But she wasn't playing with fire. She and Stefan had an agreement. She was hiring him as a husband to fool her mother, so she wouldn't be nagged to get married and be too scared to go home.

They even had a contract. Hmm, it wouldn't cause any trouble. Lucinda comforted herself.

The afternoon passed quickly. The sun sank into the sea, the dark net of the sky spread out, signaling the arrival of night.

The nightlife in Pinehurst was particularly colorful.

Lucinda changed into her evening gown, deliberately put on her rarely worn high heels, put on a light makeup, and carried a delicate purse, which was quite expensive. It’s a gift from her brother, and she rarely used it.

Tonight she was going to accompany Stefan to a business cocktail party, so she decided to use all her best stuff.

Stefan played the part of her husband with dedication and responsibility, and she also had to do her duty and play the role of his date well.

Lucinda was already very beautiful. All dressed up, she stood on the street, a beautiful sight, and passers-by couldn't help but take a second look. Someone even crashed into a streetlamp while looking at her. But she didn't notice any of this.

Stefan saw Lucinda from a distance. He sped up and soon his bike was parked in front of Lucinda. He looked at her with dark eyes. She was stunningly beautiful at the moment, ethereal; her manner was no less than that of the daughters of the wealthy families. For a moment, Stefan wanted to change his mind and not take her to the party.

Lucinda moved quickly and elegantly sat on his bike.

People were surprised to see a beautiful woman in an evening dress riding a bike. The scene was quite odd.

"Shall we take a taxi?"

"It doesn't matter what kind of transportation we use, Stefan, I don't mind people looking at me weirdly." Lucinda laughed, "If we weren't in a rush, we could leisurely bike there, enjoy the street view, feel the evening breeze, it would be a real joyride."

Stefan also laughed, "Okay, we'll enjoy the evening breeze and the night view as we go."

He rode his bike at a slow pace. It meant she had more time to hold onto his waist. This was his intentional move to increase the intimacy between them.

"Lucy, hold me tight."

Lucinda did as she had done that night, wrapping her arms around his waist. Stefan immediately pedaled his bike, carrying his picture-perfect new wife, heading for the Ascend Hotel.

Ascend Global owns many hotels, just in Pinehurst there are several five-star hotels, the most famous being the Anderson Hotel and Ascend Hotel.

Many people liked to hold banquets here, as it showcased their wealth and status. Tonight's business cocktail party invited all the big shots in Pinehurst, of course, excluding Owen.

It's not that the host didn't want to invite Owen, but because Stefan was coming. Two rivals couldn't appear at the same time, otherwise, if the big shots started a fight, the small folks would suffer.

The bosses in Pinehurst all understood this rule. If they invited Stefan, they wouldn't invite Owen. They had to avoid having the two most formidable young CEOs at the same event.

Of course, if some people insisted on crashing the party, the host would be in a difficult position.

Owen arrived at the Ascend Hotel before Stefan. He was Stefan's sworn enemy. He wouldn't be caught dead in a hotel under Ascend Global, but for some reason, he showed up uninvited.

Every time Owen stepped out, he was flanked by seven or eight men in black. With his posse in tow, he strutted his stuff like he owned the town, giving off a king-in-his-court vibe.

A Rolls-Royce pulled up at the Ascend Hotel. Tonight's host, Mr. Lambert, was taken aback when he saw Owen's ride. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he must’ve been seeing things. He squinted at the car, the license plate.

It was really Owen! What the hell was he doing here?

Owen stepped out of the car, and took a moment to look up at the Ascend Hotel, his eyes unreadable.

"Mr. Martinez." After mentally cursing a few times, Mr. Lambert put on a surprised and delighted face. He greeted him, all smiles, "Mr. Martinez, what an honor it is to have you here. Please, come this way."

Owen gave a nonchalant smile and said, "No rush, I'm waiting for someone."

He was waiting for his arch-nemesis, Stefan!