Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 39

A car pulled up in front of the coffee shop.

Ruby stepped out, dressed in a stylish black business suit, her hair in a bun, and big black sunglasses that covered half her face. With her chin up, she strutted into the coffee shop.

"Ms. Scott?"

Lucinda was taken aback as Ruby sauntered in, but only for a sec. She quickly left her spot behind the cash register to greet Ruby.

"Ms. Scott, what can I get for you, we have..."

"Slap!" Lucinda's hospitable offer was cut short by a slap.

Cecilia, seeing this, rushed over.

"Slap!"

Another resounding smack. Again, the sound of a hand hitting flesh. This time, it was Lucinda slapping Ruby.

Ruby was taken aback, she didn't expect Lucinda to hit her. Holding her slapped cheek, she glared at Lucinda, fuming, "Lucinda, how dare you hit me!"

No one had ever dared to lay a finger on Ruby. And here was Lucinda, smacking her in the face.

"Ms. Scott, respect is mutual. I thought you were a customer, so I respected you. But you slapped me without warning for no reason. I won't just take it lying down. You hit me, so I hit you back." Ruby slapped her, so she slapped Ruby back. Fair trade! No extra punches were thrown.

"You!"

Ruby glared at Lucinda, who stood tall, her gaze unwavering. "Lucinda, you're not fit for Stefan! You're just an average Jane, and Stefan is the heir to the Anderson family, the CEO of Ascend Global. His word is law in the Anderson family, in Ascend Global, and he can do whatever he wants in Pinehurst. What makes you think you're worthy of marrying Stefan? What right do you have to be his wife? Do you think any woman can just become Stefan's wife?"

After Owen handed her Lucinda's information, Ruby couldn't sit still. The man she was interested in was stolen by another woman. If her rival was a woman more accomplished than her, she could accept it. But in what way was Lucinda better than her?

Cecilia moved closer, lightly nudging Lucinda, whispering, "Do you need my help?"

She had some boxing training; she could help Lucinda. Listening to Ruby's accusations and mockery, Cecilia wanted to retort, but she didn't want to steal Lucinda's spotlight. Lucinda gently patted her hand, reassuring her, so Cecilia settled down at a table, ready for the drama to unfold.

"Whether I'm fit for Stefan or not is not for you to decide. I might not be worthy, I might not have anything to show for, but I married Stefan, what are you going to do about it? Ms. Scott, if you're really fit for Stefan, if you're truly worthy of marrying him, why didn't you make a move?"

Ruby was so angry she was speechless. She had tried to get close to Stefan before, but Stefan had no interest in her. After her failure, she felt embarrassed and moved overseas, only coming back occasionally.

This time, she was determined to come back and win Stefan over, whether Stefan was interested in her or not, she was determined to become his wife. She wanted the status of the Anderson family's daughter-in-law, because this would make developing her career in Pinehurst easier.

"You don't need to meddle in my affairs," Ruby said angrily.

Lucinda burst out laughing, "Ms. Scott, you might be overestimating yourself, thinking you're so important that I need to meddle in your affairs? How much are you paying me to meddle in your affairs? Do you know how troublesome it is to meddle in other people's affairs?"

Ruby, "Lucinda, don't be too cocky!"

This woman was so glib! Owen's information didn't mention she was so glib and eloquent, causing her to underestimate Lucinda, now she was at a disadvantage in this rival showdown.

Ruby blamed Owen in her mind, then snapped at Lucinda, "Lucinda, don't think just because you and Stefan went through the formalities, you can be his wife, the Anderson family won't agree to you two being together. You won't rise to the top just because you won Stefan. Keep dreaming!"

"Ms. Scott, you're really funny, if the woman who has already gone through the marriage procedures with him isn't his wife, then who is? What do you think the legal marriage procedures are? Fake? I might jus be daydreaming, but my daydream came true, what can I do?"

Ruby was so angry she was speechless, how infuriating! Even though Lucinda's words weren't exactly insulting her, they were extremely irritating to her.

After a while, Ruby said angrily, "Lucinda, if you don't want to be troubled by the matriarch of the Anderson family, I suggest you hurry up and go through the divorce procedures with Stefan, just pretend nothing happened. I can even help you keep it a secret, they won't trouble you."

"Ms. Scott, haven't you realized, the decision is not up to me, you should go replace Stefan. If you can convince him to divorce me, I'll treat you to dinner, and transfer you twenty bucks. Don't sneer at the amount, if you succeed, I can give you a bit more."

Ruby looked at Lucinda speechlessly. "Lucinda, you just wait and see!"

Ruby was so angry that she turned around and left.

Lucinda said, "My shop isn't going anywhere. As long as the shop's here, I'll be here, waiting."

Ruby stopped, turned around, and glared at Lucinda.

Lucinda was unfazed, not scared in the slightest, but as she was leaving, Lucinda said, "With those big sunglasses on, I can't even see your eyes clearly."

Ruby was just about to lose her breath.

What Lucinda meant was that she was hiding behind her big sunglasses. Lucinda couldn't see her death stare, so she wasn't scared of her! Ugh, so annoying! Ruby really wanted to punch her. What on earth could she do?

But in the end, Ruby chose to leave without throwing a punch. Because she was alone, but Lucinda had backup. She noticed another girl, ready to pounce, with a posture that assured she could take Ruby down any second.

If a real fight broke out, she would be the one at a disadvantage. Ruby wasn't the type to let herself be screwed over.

Now that she knew Lucinda's true identity and had located her shop, she could give Lucinda trouble anytime. There was no need to rush.

Lucinda watched from inside the shop as Ruby walked out the door, got straight into her car, and quickly drove off.

She gently touched her face where Ruby had hit her, feeling the swelling. No doubt, her face must've been all red and swollen. Thankfully, her slap back at Ruby was also strong, leaving Ruby's face red and swollen as she left. Lucinda felt she didn't lose out.

"Lucy, who was that crazy woman? A suitor of Mr. Coleman's?"

"Ruby, she and Stefan have known each other since they were kids. She went abroad and just returned a few days ago. I think she came back for Stefan and caused me trouble when she figured out our relationship."

Cecilia, "Wow, another classic drama plot!"

Lucinda too was speechless. Thinking about her and Stefan's situation, it did feel like something out of a TV drama.