Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 138

"Stefan didn't do anything wrong; don't pick on him." Lucinda defended her husband.

Ike poked her forehead lightly again, chiding her, "You're really biased towards your hubby, huh?"

Lucinda, clinging to Ike's arm, pleaded playfully, "I messed up this time, but I'll be careful next time, okay? Don't blame Stefan."

"Next time? This time scared the bejesus out of me. If something actually happened to you, what would our parents do?"

Ike's anger was fueled by fear. He remembered the fright he had.

"There won't be a next time. I'm alright now; don't be mad. You'll age faster if you're always mad. You're a handsome hunk; you haven't found a wife yet, so you can't afford to get old." Ike was both annoyed and amused.

"Let's not tell our parents about this, and definitely not our grandparents." Lucinda advised him.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Telling our parents would give them a heart attack."

Ike finished his sentence and shot Stefan several glares.

He was unaware that his mother had already told Lucinda about her origins, and even less that the incident was caused by Lucinda's background. He thought it was Stefan's identity that had brought trouble upon Lucinda.

When he first heard that Lucinda was marrying Stefan, he was extremely anxious, dropping everything at work to rush back and stop the wedding, but to no avail.

He had warned Lucinda that Stefan was not as benign as he seemed and that she couldn't handle him.

Once she knew about Stefan's true identity, Lucinda had thoughts of divorce. Ike fully supported Lucinda's decision to divorce, but Stefan was too cunning and sweet-talked his sister into staying. Now that the two of them had announced their engagement, he had nothing more to say.

"This isn't Stefan's fault."

Having been siblings for over twenty years, Lucinda knew Ike well. She knew Ike was blaming Stefan after seeing him glare at him.

"If it's not his fault, whose is it? Only he could attract such trouble." Ike retorted rudely.

"This is actually my fault. I think it's because of my background."

Ike was taken aback, then scolded, "What nonsense are you spouting? You're my real sister; we're blood siblings!"

"Ike."

Lucinda leaned on Ike's arm, feeling warm inside, "I'm your sister, and I'll always be your sister. But we don't share the same parents. Mom already told me; she even gave me the necklace I wore as a child and the clothes she found me in."

Ike fell silent.

When did this happen?

Did their mother tell Lucinda about her origins during the days she came home?

She even gave her the necklace she wore as a child.

Ike was lost for words.

At the same time, he was a bit scared of losing Lucinda.

Ike was especially fond of his sister. They had been each other's support systems for over twenty years. But now, his sister might be taken away by Stefan. He couldn't accept this reality, let alone the possibility of Lucinda leaving him to return to her biological parents.

If Lucinda's biological parents had a son, then they would become real siblings. Then what would his relationship with Lucinda be?

Deep down, Ike was scared of losing Lucinda, but he didn't show it on the surface.

His heart was in turmoil, but it was only for a moment.

They had been siblings for over twenty years. He believed Lucinda wouldn't forget their bond. Even if she found her biological parents, she would still keep in touch with them.

"Do you know who your biological parents are?" Ike asked gravely.

Lucinda shook her head, "I don't know yet. Stefan's people are still investigating. We're only guessing that it might be my biological parents' enemies that are after me."

The dangerous men she met, the dreams she had, everything pointed to her origins.

"So what do we do now? We don't know anything, but they've already made a move on you. Lucy, are you sure you still want to acknowledge them after you replace them?" Ike realized Lucinda's background could be complicated.

He didn't know how many dramatic twists were hidden in it.

Stefan said gravely, "No matter who they are, I won't let them hurt Lucy."

Thinking of today's incident, Ike was glad for the first time that Lucinda married Stefan. Because Stefan was able to mobilize a large amount of manpower and resources in a short time to thoroughly search for Lucinda, which drove the bad guys into a corner and forced them to let Lucinda go in order to escape.

If Lucinda weren't with Stefan, even if he, as her brother, called the police right away, it would be too late.

"Stefan, let me know once you replace out."

"I will."

From his eyes, Stefan could see Ike's gratitude. He knew his actions had Ike's approval. He believed he could protect Lucinda.

Owen told his bodyguards not to follow him and entered the Serendipity Cafe alone.

The cafe was supposed to be renovated today, but due to Lucinda's incident, Cecilia wasn't in the mood to handle it. So she told the workers to start tomorrow since some materials weren't ready yet. Now, only Cecilia was in the cafe.

After Lucinda safely returned, she was taken back to Diamond Ridge Estates by Stefan. They had been living a sweet life for a while, and Lucinda hadn't had time to let Cecilia know she was safe. Even Ike had forgotten that Cecilia was anxiously waiting for news.

After seeing Owen walk in, Cecilia rushed up to him, asking anxiously, "Mr. Martinez, how's Lucy? Did you replace her? Is Lucy hurt? She called me, but the call was cut off as soon as I picked up, and then her phone was off."

Owen watched her fidget and deliberately teased her, saying, "I got my hands dirty for this, and now I'm starving, parched, and beat."

Cecilia immediately ushered him to a table and earnestly said, "Mr. Martinez, sit down. I'll fetch you a glass of ice water. What do you fancy? We're not open today, so there's no food, but there are plenty of restaurants around. Tell me what you want, and I'll run out and get it for you."

"I skipped my siesta to help you out, and I still have work this afternoon. Can you whip me up a cup of coffee to perk me up?"

"No problem, Mr. Martinez. Please tell me if Lucy is okay. Has she been rescued?"

"She's back, yes."

By the time Owen and his guys arrived on the scene, Stefan was just picking up Lucinda to take her home.

When the two rivals met face to face, Stefan seemed to catch on to something. He even rolled down his window and nodded at Owen; his lips moved, but Owen didn't catch what Stefan said. He figured he probably said something like "Thanks".