Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 141

"You're Ruby's childhood friend. Even though I can't stand her drama, I have to admit you're totally smitten with her. No way in hell would I be dumb enough to marry a guy who's already got another woman in his heart."

Owen rolled his eyes, "Alright, I can live with that."

He'd been burned pretty badly by Ruby; he even thought about throwing in the towel a couple times. But every time Ruby played cute, trying to sweet-talk him, he just couldn't let go.

Now that Stefan had Lucinda, Ruby should get the message and move on. He still might stand a chance.

"I'll go make you a cup of coffee." Cecilia headed straight inside, and Owen acknowledged her with a nod.

Waiting was a real bore, so he got up and took a stroll around the shop. Even though Ruby had done a number on the place, after tidying up, you could still see its original charm. The interior was tastefully decorated and cozy. It was a nice place to grab a coffee, have some dessert, and shoot the breeze with friends.

"Cecilia, who did the interior design for your shop?"

"Lucy and I. We were on top of the workers every day, making sure everything was just as we designed it. Pretty good, right?"

"Who did the design?"

"Lucy. She studied design. She's just a free spirit who didn't want to be tied down in a corporate job. I wanted to open a shop, so I asked her to join me. We opened this coffee shop together." Business wasn't great at first, but now it was picking up.

Owen acknowledged her with a nod.

He'd seen Lucinda's profile. The woman had indeed studied design but chose not to pursue it due to her love for freedom. Had the design world lost a talent?

Now that she was part of the Anderson family and Stefan doted on her day and night, she was even less likely to go back to a corporate job.

"Do you want sugar in your coffee?"

Owen thought for a moment, "Just a bit."

Cecilia added a little sugar for him.

She came out with his coffee and handed it to him, watching him carefully.

Owen thought her eyes were particularly bright. She was beautiful, but her eyes were her most dazzling feature.

"Do you always serve your customers like this?"

Cecilia had no choice but to return the coffee to where he was sitting earlier and put it on the table.

They both sat down, and Cecilia watched Owen drink his coffee.

Even though her gaze was clear with no hint of affection, Owen couldn't resist saying, "If you keep staring at me like this, I'll think you've fallen for me. Handsome guys like me tend to make quite an impression on women."

"Don't worry. With so many women falling for you at first sight, I won't be joining the competition."

Cecilia shifted her gaze, "You enjoy your coffee. I'll go back to my book."

"What's the book that's got you so hooked?"

"You bigwigs wouldn't be interested. But stories of your love affairs always seem to be a hit. No matter what's trending online, the bigwigs' stories always draw a crowd." "Guess a lot of people are dreaming of being Cinderella."

Owen said nonchalantly, "How many young, successful CEOs do you think actually cross paths with the female lead? Guys like Stefan and I inherited our businesses; we're not entrepreneurs. Generally speaking, men who have achieved the same kind of wealth as the male leads in those novels are usually quite a bit older. The younger ones are in their thirties or forties and are already married." "Thank God you're not a novelist."

Owen smirked, "Do I need to make a living writing novels? I'm more likely to be the male lead in them."

"How about I have Lucy write you into her novel as a side character?"

Owen looked displeased, "With my status and position, I'm only good enough to be a side character? Write me as the male lead. I wouldn't want Lucinda to write me into her novel. She's Stefan's wife, and who knows if she'll make me out to be ugly, fat, lecherous, and cunning. The author holds the life and death of every character in their hands."

Cecilia laughed, "Have you ever read a romance novel?"

"When I was younger, I read a few to impress a girl I liked..."

"You did put in quite an effort for Ms. Scott." Cecilia's tone was a bit sarcastic.

Owen picked up on the sarcasm, but he didn't feel like arguing with Cecilia at the moment. He pretended not to notice and continued sipping his coffee that Cecilia had made for him, "If I love her, I love her deeply. If I don't, then I don't at all."

If he truly gave up on Ruby, he would let go of her completely.

Cecilia didn't respond, unsure of what to say next.

They usually end up arguing every time they meet, and neither of them was ever willing to back down.

It was rare for them to have a peaceful chat like today.

She didn't want to upset him, especially since he'd done her a huge favor.

At the Martinez family's home.

Trenton was sitting alone under a big tree in the yard. After a while, the butler came out of the house and brought him a glass of water. "Sit with me for a while."

The butler respectfully replied, "What would you like to talk about?"

"What if I lied to someone and got caught, and then they got mad. I tried to explain, but they're still mad. What should I do?"

Trenton sighed, "I actually really enjoy chatting with them and discussing various topics."

Because they were his peers, they had a lot in common.

He was used to being pampered, and he thought that once the Yates family knew his true identity, they would treat him as an important guest. But he didn't even qualify as a regular guest.

Of course, this also changed his perception of the Yates family. At least they weren't after the Martinez family's wealth.

The Yates family wasn't after the Martinez family's money. They had no power or influence, and he liked Cecilia. He thought she would make a good wife for his grandson.

"You can prepare a sincere apology gift and personally apologize. I think they will forgive you."

Trenton thought about his intentions and shook his head, "No, they won't."

The people of the Yates family would only dislike him more.

"How many days will Ruby be detained?"

"Fifteen days. It's been about five days already, so she still has a few more days before she can be released."

It had been days since all this started. The butler knew Owen was head over heels for Ruby, but Trenton couldn't stand her. Still, he had to keep tabs on Ruby, in case Trenton grilled him on her whereabouts. Trenton furrowed his brow, "Has it been five days already? Feels like she just went in."

"She should be locked up in there for good; don't let her out. The moment she's out, she'll be nothing but trouble for Owen. Man, Owen's such a sucker when it comes to love!"

There had to be a better match for him out there.

How could his favorite grandson be smitten with Ruby?

"She'll be out in a few days... time's running out." Trenton mumbled to himself.

The butler didn't quite catch his drift.

What did he mean by time was running out?

What was Trenton up to?

Turned out that Trenton was planning to push Owen to tie the knot before Ruby got out; that way, Ruby wouldn't have Owen as a backup plan.

That cunning woman was aiming for the top-dogs in Pinehurst's social circle. He couldn't interfere with others, but there was no way in hell he'd let his grandson's wife be Ruby!