Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 103

"Stefan, come on, let's eat." Vincent called out to Stefan in a jolly tone.

The two old folks of the Moore family also warmly invited Stefan to join them.

"Stefan, we're all family here, no need to be all stiff and formal. You don't have to bring so many gifts next time you come over." Vincent took the gifts from Stefan's hands.

Stefan chuckled and said, "I didn't buy much, just some health supplements for grandpa and grandma, and some sleep aids for Fiona as I heard she has trouble sleeping."

"Vincent, these two bottles of wine are for you." Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Of course, Stefan didn't forget about Vincent.

Even though Vincent verbally objected to Stefan spending so much money, his eyes gleamed at the sight of the wine bottles.

Lucinda quickly reminded her father, "Dad, just have a little, don't overdo it."

"I know, I never drink too much."

He loved his liquor, but never went overboard. He would drink moderately during meals, and a tad more when guests were over. All in all, he wasn't a heavy drinker.

Lucinda took Stefan to wash their hands. Soon, the family sat down to enjoy their dinner.

During the meal, Lucinda worried that Stefan might not be used to their family's vibe, so she took care of him and made sure he ate plenty. Stefan wasn't picky. Whatever dish Lucinda served him, he ate. Even if Lucinda served him greens, he could taste the flavors.

The Moore family watched Lucinda keep serving Stefan food and were pretty much speechless. By now, everyone knew about Stefan's status and position. Fiona had discussed this with Lucinda's grandparents, hoping they could persuade Lucinda to break up with Stefan. But it seemed like her daughter and Stefan didn't plan on doing so.

After the meal, Stefan offered to clean up. "Fiona, I got this, why don't you go watch TV on the couch? I'll take care of it."

Stefan understood that Lucinda's mother probably thought he was too rich and high-status to do household chores. He wanted to blend into the Moore family and reassure Lucinda's mother, making her believe he could make Lucinda happy.

If Lucinda married him, he absolutely wouldn't let her suffer. He would definitely make Lucinda happy.

"Stefan, we can't let you do this. You're the heir to the Anderson family, the CEO of Ascend Global. In our eyes, you shouldn't be doing such things."

Fiona tried to stop Stefan from doing the chores.

Regardless of whether they would break up or not, she didn't dare let him do housework after knowing his status.

She then told her daughter, "Lucinda, you clean up and let Stefan chat with your dad."

Lucinda instinctively said, "Mom, when we're out, Stefan is the one who cooks, does the dishes, cleans the house, and all that jazz. He's got the housework covered, don't worry, he won't break anything."

Fiona was dumbfounded. Her daughter actually had the heir to the Anderson family doing all the household chores.

Lucinda guided her mother to the couch, saying, "Mom, you've worked hard for us all your life. Now we can share the workload. You should rest a bit."

Stefan immediately started cleaning up and preparing to do the dishes.

Lucinda was in charge of tidying up the dining table.

When Stefan walked into the kitchen, Fiona quietly said to her daughter, "Lucinda, Stefan has a special status. You can't be unfair to him, always making him do things that don't match his status."

"Mom, actually, he's doing this voluntarily. He just wants to show you his good side. Can't you at least give him this chance?"

Fiona was lost for words.

Vincent also chimed in, "Lucy's right. If Stefan wants to make an effort, you should give him a chance. See if he's capable of giving your daughter a happy life."

Fiona, "Lucy, come with me. Let's talk outside."

At this moment, Stefan was doing the dishes, so he couldn't hear what Lucy and her mother were saying.

Lucinda agreed and picked a bunch of cleaned grapes from the fruit plate.

The Moore family's yard was not big, far from the size of Stefan's private villa, let alone the Ascend Estate. Lucinda hadn't been to the Ascend Estate yet, so she didn't know how big it actually was.

Fiona saw her daughter still remembered to bring snacks and couldn't help but shake her head in exasperation. "Lucy, tell me, what are you thinking? Did you take what I said last time to heart?"

Lucinda ate a couple of grapes, finding them sweet and seedless, very convenient to eat. She picked one up and brought it to her mother's mouth, saying, "Mom, these grapes are really sweet. Try one."

Fiona took the grape and ate it.

"Mom, Stefan and I have signed a marriage agreement, and I was the one who confessed to him first. Now our marriage is public knowledge, and everyone in the city knows we're husband and wife. I've thought about it. I do have feelings for him, I even like him a lot. Since I confessed to him first, I should take responsibility. I want to be with him. No matter how big the gap between us is, or how many difficulties there will be in the future, I'm willing to take on the challenges and face all sorts of difficulties in life with him."

Lucinda said this very seriously. This was her decision after much thought. She no longer considered divorcing Stefan. In her words, since she confessed to Stefan first, she would take responsibility for him till the end.

Fiona cautioned her, "The Andersons are the richest family in town. You're gonna be dealing with his kin, aren't you worried you won't handle it well?"

"Rich folks have a ton of house rules. They might get their knickers in a twist if you want to come back home. They might worry you're gonna take their stuff."

Lucinda chuckled, "Mom, I ain't scared. I wanna give it a shot. I believe I can handle it. From what I know about Stefan and his siblings and grandparents, they aren’t gonna think I'm pilfering just 'cause I go home. I wouldn't do that. I can earn my own dough. If there is anything that our home needs, I'll buy it with my money."

"If they want you to play the housewife and quit your job, how will you handle it? You're a free spirit. You can't stand strict rules. Lucy, I am not trying to mess up your relationship. I just think the gap

between y'all is too big. I'm worried you'll get ditched and end up heartbroken. You were down in the dumps over George for so long, you almost decided to swear off marriage and stay single."

Lucinda, "Mom, George and Stefan are apples and oranges. And, there were other reasons George and I broke up. I admit, I was gutted when I first split with George, but I bounced back, didn't I? Mentioning George now, I'm cool as a cucumber. I feel nothing, which means I'm totally over him."