Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 116

"Nelson, there are some local specialties in the trunk that Lucinda's mom packed for us, could you ask the guys to bring them in?"

Stefan gave the order and then turned to his wife, "Lucy, let's go in."

Lucinda nodded.

When Stefan asked Nelson to move the gifts they had brought, Lucinda worried the Anderson clan might not like the presents from the Moores. But then she remembered the Andersons knew all about her background.

What the Moore family could offer were these things. Whether the Andersons would like them or not, she would accept their reaction and stay cool.

The decor in the hall was vintage but low-key luxurious. Even the chairs were made of high-quality wood.

Patrick and Savannah were sitting on the sofa, surrounded by their children.

When Stefan walked in with Lucinda, everyone was dazzled by her beauty.

Even though Stefan had shown Lucinda's picture when he announced their marriage, the Andersons thought she was much prettier in person.

"You must be Lucinda."

A woman, who looked a bit like Stefan, got up and walked over with a smile. She warmly hooked her arm through Lucinda's and patted away Stefan's hand that was holding Lucinda's, completely claiming Lucinda for herself.

"I'm Stefan's aunt, Bettina Anderson."

The woman introduced herself.

Lucinda politely greeted her.

"Good, good."

The woman laughed heartily.

Bettina announced to the room, "I like this girl. From now on, she's under my protection. If anyone dares to bully Lucinda, you'll have to deal with me. You've been warned!"

With that, she took out a bracelet and gave it to Lucinda, saying, "This is my gift to you."

Lucinda didn't know much about jewelry, but she knew that Bettina's gift must be expensive. She wanted to refuse.

Bettina said firmly, "No refusing. If you refuse, it means you look down on my gift."

Lucinda said, "...Thank you then, Bettina."

Savannah, who had five sons and a daughter, doted on her daughter the most.

Bettina held a high position in the Anderson family, cherished not only by her parents but also by her brothers. No one else in the family dared to provoke her.

The younger generation loved their aunt Bettina.

Whenever Stefan and his brothers felt wronged at home, they liked to go to Bettina's place to vent.

Another middle-aged woman laughed, "Bettina, don't steal Stefan's rights. This is his wife."

Everyone laughed.

"Grandpa, grandma."

Lucinda was led by Bettina to Patrick and Savannah. She affectionately called out to them.

Patrick was usually stern with others

But when he met Lucinda, he looked gentle and lovingly responded. Savannah directly took Lucinda from Bettina, pulled her to sit next to her, and asked lovingly, "Are you tired from the journey? Are you hungry? Dinner will be ready soon."

"Grandma, I wasn't bored with Stefan by my side."

Lucinda didn't dare to say that she had been sleeping for most of the journey.

When she woke up, they were almost home.

"He's the boring one. Having a conversation with him is really boring."

Savannah's words hinted at her dissatisfaction with Stefan.

Lucinda blinked. Stefan had said a lot to her.

Both elders expressed their fondness for Lucinda. Whether the people present truly liked Lucinda or just pretended to, at least they showed goodwill on the surface.

With Stefan's introduction, Lucinda got to know the people present, who were Stefan's uncles and aunts.

Stefan's parents were still traveling abroad and hadn't returned, so she couldn't meet them yet.

Nelson directed the guys to bring in the gifts from the Moore family.

These included a bag of sweet potatoes, half a bag of taro, half a bag of cassava, and a big sack of fruits from the Moore's orchard, a cage of chickens, and two baskets of eggs. There was even a big bag of vegetables.

"Grandpa, grandma, these are all gifts from my mother-in-law for you all to try. They're all homegrown, absolutely organic."

Stefan told the elders.

Savannah patted Lucinda's hand with a smile, "Lucy, your mom is really polite. We're all family here, no need to be so formal."

Lucinda smiled and replied, "Grandma, it's because we're family that my mom didn't hesitate to send so many things."

Bettina chimed in, "Exactly, we're family. There's no need to be so formal. Mom, I want to eat chicken and sweet potatoes tomorrow. I haven't had sweet potatoes in a long time. I miss them." Savannah reminded her daughter, "Didn't you bring back a bag last time you visited? That was less than a month ago."

Was that a long time ago?

"Our family is big, a bag of sweet potatoes can be eaten in 10 days."

Savannah laughed, "A family of foodies."

Listening to the mother-daughter banter, Lucinda's tension gradually eased.

She believed Stefan's words.

His family was just like hers, ordinary people.

They could talk about stocks, real estate, finance, as well as farming and planting.

No wonder people say the Anderson family is a very special family.

Lucinda loved such a rich family.

She was confident that she would soon fit into the Anderson family. What Lucinda didn't have a clue about was that all of this was pre-arranged by Stefan. He specifically asked his family to chat up about crops in front of Lucinda to help her chill out.

To make Lucinda buy into the idea that their family's relationship is tight-knit, that the distance between them isn't a mile wide, and that they all come from the same world.

Have to say, Stefan was really considerate when it came to taking care of people. "Savannah, dinner is ready."

A female housekeeper walked over and said respectfully.

"It's time for dinner, Lucy."

After Lucinda got up, she helped Savannah to her feet.

Stefan timely took his grandma's other hand, the couple together assisting Savannah to lead the way.

Patrick walked by himself, Bettina wanted to lend a hand, but he gave her the cold shoulder.

As Patrick got up, he was grumbling under his breath, but no one could catch what he was saying.

However, everyone could take a wild guess. He had always been with Savannah, but his grandson and Lucinda had hogged her since they returned.

Patrick was cheesed off, but he didn't want to rain on Stefan's parade, nor did he want to throw a fit in front of Lucinda.

The table was loaded with delicious food, but they were all simple dishes.

The Anderson family's chef was poached from a Michelin-starred restaurant, so even simple dishes were made to look like a million bucks.

Usually, during meal times, there would be servants waiting on them. But since Lucinda was back, fearing she might feel out of sorts, the usual servants were sent packing, leaving only the family to break bread together.