Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 234

Ruby replied, "I got back first; my mom came back afterwards, but she only stayed for a while."

Jeannie just responded with a nod.

"Ms. Coleman, why didn't you guys tell me when you were coming back? I could've picked you up from the airport."

Jeannie laughed, saying, "If we wanted a pick-up, all we needed was a phone call. No need to bother you."

She had two sons. Even if they're busy, all it took was one call, and they’ll drop everything to pick her up from the airport. Or she could call the housekeeper, who would personally go to the airport.

There were plenty of people around the house; there was really no need to bother Ruby. Belongs © to NôvelDrama.Org.

"It's no bother at all; it'd be my pleasure to pick you up. Ms. Coleman, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to let me know. You always say that Stefan, being a man, might not think of certain things that I might."

"You just got back home; your business must not have settled down yet, right? How could I bother you at such a busy time?"

Mentioning her business, Ruby fell silent for a moment.

"What's up? Are you running into any business troubles?"

Ruby's silence alerted Jeannie that something was off.

Jeannie might be approachable, but that didn't mean she's not sharp. She's lived in high society her whole life; she's seen it all.

"Ms. Coleman, I did run into some business problems."

"What happened? What kind of problems?"

Jeannie was only asking about her problems; she didn't promise to help solve them.

Ruby knew that Jeannie might seem easy to talk to, but she's even more cunning than Olina. Olina was just proud, she's not as deep as Jeannie.

If it were Olina, she'd definitely say she'd help Ruby with any problem.

But Jeannie wouldn't.

"Ms. Coleman, I haven't been back for long due to some issues. Stefan and I had a falling out. He got mad and started to suppress my business. My business just started here; it's not stable yet and can't withstand Stefan's suppression. I'm losing a lot of money now; if Stefan continues like this, all the money I made before will be gone."

Ruby was truly anxious.

What would she have left if she lost her business?

Stefan wasn't hers; Owen had married Cecilia.

She really would have nothing left.

Frederick asked calmly, "What did you do to make Stefan mad? He's always been good at keeping his personal and professional lives separate."

"I didn't do anything; Stefan was misled by someone." Ruby was reluctant to admit.

"Even though Stefan doesn't like you, he's not the type to harm you just because he doesn't like you. At most, he would avoid you, not answer your calls, and not use his status and power to suppress your business. You must've done something to really piss him off."

"You said he was misled? He's a man of his own mind; who could mislead him?"

Jeannie knew Stefan very well.

If Ruby hadn't done something extreme, Stefan wouldn't have been so ruthless in suppressing her business, making her lose everything.

"Ruby, even though you've known Stefan since you were kids, knowing someone doesn't equate to romance. He never developed romantic feelings for you; you should let go of your obsession with him. It's not good for either of you."

Jeannie advised Ruby, "I don't mean to jab at you, but I remember Stefan starting to deliberately keep his distance from you when he was twelve. Even at that age, he was aware of romantic feelings. A man you've known for over twenty years, if he says he doesn't love you, he really doesn't. If he did, he would've expressed it long ago. Even though the Andersons and the Martinezes have always been at odds, Owen's feelings for you were genuine. Ruby, you should learn to appreciate what's right in front of you."

Ruby didn't respond.

She also understood why every time she came back for vacation and wanted to stay at the Andersons, Jeannie always refused.

Jeannie saw it all too clearly.

Actually, Ruby knew it in her heart too.

Stefan really didn't love her. He didn't love her in the past, doesn't love her now, and won't love her in the future.

In Jeannie's words, they've known each other for over twenty years. If he loved her, he would've shown it long ago.

Ten years ago, she climbed onto his bed naked, but he didn't show any desire. He threw her out of his room, along with the blanket, without a shred of affection.

If it weren't for the blanket shielding her and being thrown out like that, she would've been hurt for sure.

At the time, Ruby's face went from red to dark with unbearable shame.

She was only eighteen then, still very young.

For Stefan, Ruby even disregarded her own dignity, but he didn't appreciate it.

After throwing her out, he told her to get lost, then called the housekeeper to kick her out.

Ruby was naked; of course she couldn't let others see her in such a state. She could only pick herself up, wrap herself in the blanket, and leave in tears.

Thinking back, Ruby felt even more reluctant.

Ruby didn't say anything, and Jeannie knew she couldn't let go of her fixation with Stefan.

Jeannie sighed in her heart.

Perhaps only when Stefan got married and had kids would Ruby gradually let go.

Speaking of which, both her sons were not young anymore; getting married and having kids should be on the agenda!

She was so focused on traveling the world with Frederick that she forgot to care about her children's life decisions.

Stefan was twenty-nine and about to turn thirty.

Even though people always said men were at their prime at thirty. But in normal families, thirty-year- old men were already fathers, and their kids might even be old enough to help with chores. There were many workers at Ascend Estate who were just over thirty and already had two kids.

Ruby arrived at the entrance of Ascend Estate with Frederick and Jeannie.

There's a security booth at the entrance of the villa, with guards on shift duty around the clock.

Ruby honked her car horn.

The on-duty guard saw Ruby's car but didn't open the villa's gate. He came out and politely said, "Ms. Scott, Mr. Coleman has made it clear that you cannot enter the villa without his permission."

At this, Ruby's face turned gloomy.

Though she wanted to flip her lid, she held it in. She patiently said to the guard, "Take a look at who's in my car? Mr. Anderson and Ms. Coleman are both here. I'm dropping them off. Hurry up and let me in."

The on-duty guard took a peek into the backseat of Ruby's car, and sure enough, he saw Frederick and Jeannie.

The guard was instantly caught in a bind.

He whipped out his phone and called his captain for instructions. The captain would relay the situation to Mr. Coleman; all he needed to do was wait.