Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 83

Stefan deduced from Lucinda's dreams that she wasn't an abandoned baby.

Edgar said, "You're talking about the Moore family, right? Ike would want to strangle you if he heard you. The Moores are all straight shooters, they wouldn't do something like child trafficking." Stefan gave him a sidelong glance, "I'm just guessing that maybe Lucinda was once kidnapped and escaped, then was adopted by the Moore family."

What a wild theory!

The Moores would never be involved in child trafficking.

"So, if your wife was indeed adopted by the Moore family, how would you handle it?" Edgar asked curiously.

Stefan retorted, "What do you think I should do? Lucinda is my wife, whether she's a Moore by birth or not, that won't change. My decision to marry her has nothing to do with her background." The Andersons, being top dogs in Pinehurst, didn't need to marry for status.

The elders in their family had always said that, although the previous generation might have needed to marry for power, their generation had the freedom to choose their own wives.

As long as the woman they liked came from a good family and was well-mannered, the elders wouldn't object.

Of course, they'd be happier if the woman was from the same social class. It's always easier when you're dealing with your own kind.

"You're the firstborn of the Andersons, the CEO of Ascend Global. If your wife doesn't come from a notable family, how will she fit into the high society of Pinehurst? Do you really think that just by giving her the Anderson name, she'll be able to hold her own in society? Unless she doesn't socialize at all, do you think that's possible?"

The women of the Anderson family were expected to accompany their husbands to various social events.

High society parties might seem glamorous, but that didn't mean there's no competition. After all, where there were people, there's competition.

Stefan already had a lot of suitors, and if his wife didn't come from a significant background, she'd definitely be bullied when accompanying him to these parties.

Recalling Lucinda's performance at their first party together, Stefan confidently said, "Even without a family background, Lucinda handled herself well at the party. She's naturally beautiful and can handle any situation. She seems to be born for the high society life."

"If she doesn't want to accompany me to these events, she's free to do as she pleases. We don't have a lot of restrictions in our family."

His mom and aunts lived pretty free and easy lives. His mom even chatted with the cleaning crew sometimes.

Edgar fell silent for a while, then said, "Lucinda must have done a lot of good deeds to have ended up with you."

Stefan doted on his wife a lot.

Edgar would bet that soon all of Pinehurst will be saying that Stefan spoils his wife without limits.

His boss was well on his way down that road and showing no signs of stopping.

"I'm not worried about that. What I am worried about is that my wife's mother would persuade Lucinda to leave me because I'm too rich," Stefan said, looking troubled.

Even without Lucinda telling him, he could guess this.

Lucinda's mother initially liked him a lot, but then she thought he was too rich and high-status for Lucy, even persuading Lucy to divorce him.

Edgar laughed, "Boss, so you do have moments when people don't like you."

"Shut it, if you dare to mock me, I'll send you off to some poor and remote place." Edgar immediately stopped laughing.

He, being a man of refined tastes, didn't want to go to some backwater place.

"How's the investigation on those people I asked you to look into?"

At this, Edgar's expression turned serious.

"I was just about to report back to you. I spent a lot of time and money digging into their backgrounds, and now I finally have some leads. They're gangsters, not from Pinehurst, and they're underlings of some big shot. They were probably paid a hefty sum to murder someone."

Looking at the change in his boss's expression, Edgar said in a softer voice, "They've targeted your wife. That means the person they're planning to murder is your wife."

"They're aiming to murder your wife and it has nothing to do with you. Boss, you should ask your wife if she's offended anyone. Someone actually spent a lot of money to hire the big shot's underlings to murder her."

Stefan's face went serious and he asked in a deep voice, "Who's this big shot?"

He was a legitimate businessman, dealing only in lawful businesses.

However, when he needed information, he couldn't rely solely on detective agencies.

Sometimes, he would have to deal with gangsters; obviously not him personally, but through Edgar's people.

"Mr. Jack."

Edgar replied softly, explaining, "Mr. Jack is universally recognized in the underworld as a force to be reckoned with. He has trained many assassins, but his fees are high, not just anyone can afford his crew." His wife wasn't a Moore by birth.

Now, without even knowing her biological parents, she's already in trouble.

"Can you replace out who's pulling the strings in the background?"

"Not yet, but from the accounts, we found that the commission was paid from Whiterun."

Edgar continued, "Now, Mr. Jack's people have stopped. They probably realized you're investigating and terminated the collaboration."

The people behind this were probably afraid they'd be exposed through Mr. Jack's people.

"So, if they've terminated the collaboration, does that mean my Lucy is safe for now?"

Edgar didn't dare answer this question.

He said, "Not having a clear target now is even riskier. 'Cause our enemies are lurking in the shadows while we're out in the open." Suddenly, Stefan felt that having only Zoey and Zack secretly protecting Lucinda wasn't enough.

He needed to arrange more people to protect Lucinda.

Now, his job wasn't just to protect Lucinda but also to figure out her true identity. To solve a problem, you gotta replace its root.

Stefan had a hunch that his wife's real identity was critical. Otherwise, no one would spend big bucks to hire Mr. Jack's people to assassinate her.

The day Mr. Jack's guys approached Lucinda but didn't make a move, maybe they weren't sure Lucinda was their target.

Lucky them they didn't make a move.

Every time Stefan remembered that day, he would get goose bumps.

"Boss, I think you should let the Moore family know about this. They know well that your wife ain't their biological daughter. They love your wife so much, they definitely don't want her in danger. They would certainly cooperate with you to reveal your wife's origins," Edgar suggested.

Stefan pondered for a moment, thinking Edgar's words made sense.

"We were able to trace the commission to Whiterun, so we must focus on investigating Whiterun to ensure we get to the real culprit," Stefan warned Edgar.

Once he told the Moore family the truth, he would do everything he could to help his wife replace her real parents.

Even if she didn't want to meet her birth parents, at least she could understand why she was almost assassinated, eliminate the potential danger around her, allowing her to live happily in the Anderson family.