Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 279

Lucinda glanced at Ruby, her brows furrowed in thought. She then turned to Stefan with a smile and said, "Darling, since Mr. Martinez invited us, it would be rude to decline. We need to respect him for Cecilia's sake."

"Alright, then let's go in."

Owen felt a pang of bitterness. Would they have accepted the invitation if he wasn't involved with Cecilia?

Stefan took Lucinda's hand, and they walked past Ruby.

Ruby wept bitterly, her face a mess of anguish. She glanced up suddenly, her eyes filled with hatred towards the couple who came to see her in her lowest moment.

Lucinda! Unbearable!

Not only did she have Stefan, but she also came to gloat when Ruby was down.

Upon seeing Owen trailing behind Stefan and Lucinda, Ruby couldn't help but scream, "Owen!"

Owen paused for a moment but didn't look back. Soon, he had disappeared into the distance with Stefan and Lucinda.

Ruby pounded the ground in frustration.

She had lost Owen! She had nothing left!

After what felt like an eternity of crying, Ruby finally managed to call her mother to pick her up. She couldn't drive herself home, fearing she might cause an accident.

Megan didn't need to ask her daughter what was wrong for it was all too evident. She had warned Ruby to let go of her obsession with Stefan and accept Owen's love instead. Ruby didn't listen, and now she was paying the price.

A few minutes later.

In the opulent living room, Owen's father smiled warmly at Stefan and his wife, looking at them as if they were his own grandchildren.

Derek presented a box of jewelry. He handed the box to Owen's father.

Owen's father accepted the box and turned to Lucinda with a kind smile, saying, "Ms. Moore, I didn't have a gift for you the last time we met. I hope this makes up for it."

With that, he handed the box to Lucinda.

Lucinda stood up gracefully and thanked him, "Mr. Martinez, thank you for your gift. You're too kind."

Owen's father expected Lucinda to decline and prepared himself to persuade her to accept the gift. He was surprised when Lucinda accepted it without hesitation.

She might be thinking, It’s a gift from the enemy's grandfather; why would she refuse it and lose out?

No wonder Stefan had his eyes on her; she was a girl with potential.

"By the way, I had some interactions with your grandparents in the past. Now that they're in Pinehurst, I hope to catch up with them."

Lucinda, sitting back next to Stefan, smiled and said, "My grandparents are planning to go back to Skywatch today. If you want to visit them, it might take some time since Skywatch is quite far."

"They're leaving so soon? Why not stay a few more days?"

"They said they couldn’t sleep well in a new place. It makes them uncomfortable."

Trenton was taken aback and at a loss for words.

After a moment, he turned his attention back to Stefan, whom he liked very much.

"Stefan, you're a lucky kid."

Trenton glanced at Owen with a hint of dissatisfaction. "You're much better than our Owen."

Stefan replied confidently, "I've always been better than Owen. I'm a lucky person. Many people say that God is on my side."

Trenton and Owen thought to themselves, Stefan had no shame!

"Stefan, there's something I need to thank you for."

"No need to thank me. You should thank my wife. It's all her idea."

Every time Trenton chatted with Stefan, he felt a bit uncomfortable. Soon, he made an excuse about being tired and needing to rest.

Stefan stood up and said, "Trenton, we won't disturb your rest. We'll leave now. We'll invite you for coffee some other time."

Lucinda also stood up and graciously added, "I'll treat you to coffee, Trenton. As many cups as you want."

Trenton's face twitched. At his age, one cup of coffee would keep him awake all night. Lucinda was offering multiple cups; was she trying to turn him into an insomniac?

This couple was truly ridiculous.

"Owen, see Stefan out."

Trenton instructed the silent Owen to see Stefan and Lucinda off.

Owen got up silently and saw off the annoying couple.

Lucinda didn't forget to take the gift Trenton gave her.

Watching her take the jewelry box and leave, Trenton's face twitched again. He had underestimated Lucinda. He thought she was just a pretty and ordinary girl when he first saw her at the cafe. He didn't expect Stefan would fall for her.

Now he finally understood.

Owen only escorted them to the door and then stopped. "I'll stop here."

Stefan said impatiently, "You make it sound like we're close! If you're upset, just cry it out. You can cry in front of me. I promise I won't laugh."

Owen retorted angrily, "If you didn't laugh at me, the sun would rise from the west."

Stefan laughed heartily, patted his shoulder, and said, "You really know me well. Alright, I know you're upset. No need to see us off. You did well today; keep it up!"

Owen glared at him angrily.

Still laughing, Stefan went to his wife. Under Owen's sullen gaze, they left. Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Owen stood at the door for a long time before reentering the house.

His grandfather was no longer in the hall, probably in his room.

After scolding Ruby, his mother also went upstairs, probably to chastise Megan over the phone.

Owen was standing there, totally lost, having no clue what to do.

Even though he was no longer head over heels for Ruby, their decade-long relationship still felt like a knife twisting in his heart.

If he said he wasn't hurting, he'd be totally bullshitting!

He pulled out his phone, thinking about giving Cecilia a ring, but as soon as the call connected, he quickly hung up.

He was in desperate need of some comfort right now, but Cecilia's words might just end up being another stab in the heart.