Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 85

Everyone was watching Stefan, curious to see how he'd react to this bold maiden's confession.

"Lucy."

The only thing in Stefan's eyes was Lucinda and the sea of flowers she had given him.

It's not every day a woman gifts a man with flowers, let alone a whole garden of them.

This was something he was supposed to do.

However, she had done this, and it had made him very happy.

Stefan briskly walked over to Lucinda.

She handed him a bouquet of flowers, her smile beaming, "Stefan, these flowers are for you."

Stefan accepted the flowers.

"Thank you, my dear wife."

Upon hearing this, everyone around them was so shocked.

When did Stefan get married?

They had no clue.

There hadn't been any media coverage of their wedding.

Those in the know breathed a sigh of relief.

Now that the boss had publically acknowledged his marriage, they no longer had to keep it hush-hush.

Stefan looked once again at the sea of flowers in front of him.

"Stefan, I like you."

These were the words Lucinda had spelled out with flowers.

He looked at the words "I like you".

He felt a bit disappointed.

She hadn't spelled out "I love you".

"I like you" was too vague. She had said she liked him before, but she would say that she likes others as well.

He thought that their relationship had changed too quickly and she needed time to adjust. But her boldness in expressing her liking for him was already more than enough. He should be satisfied and not be greedy.

"How is it, do you like it? I bought out all the roses in the flower shops and had someone arrange them like this."

Lucinda asked him, laughing.

This was her first time confessing her feelings so boldly.

"It's beautiful."

"Do you like it?"

"Of course I like it."

Hearing his answer, Lucinda smiled happily.

When she had thought of doing this, Cecilia had said that such things should be done by men.

But Lucinda had decided to do it instead. It seemed that Stefan was very happy and liked her surprise.

Stefan took out a pack of tissues, extracted a few, held the flowers Lucinda had given him in one hand, and used the other to wipe the sweat from her forehead. "From now on, just come right in. You're the CEO's wife. You can come and go freely in my company. Don't stand in the sun here, it's too hot. I'll worry about you."

The employees around them: ...

Who said their CEO wouldn't fall for any woman other than Ms. Scott?

Who said their CEO couldn't sweet talk?

Listen to how sweet the CEO's words are. They were all melting, feeling envious of the CEO's wife.

"Everyone can get off work now, you don't have to watch anymore. This is my wife. We've been married for a while now, we just haven't had the wedding ceremony yet."

Stefan, with his arm around his wife, revealed Lucinda's identity to the surrounding employees.

"Mr. Coleman, congratulations."

"Congratulations."

Even though many of them were envious of Lucinda, they didn't show it on their faces and congratulated Stefan instead.

Stefan was in high spirits and thanked anyone who congratulated him.

Everyone: So Mr. Coleman does have a softer side.

Lucinda: Stefan has always been gentle.

In her eyes, Stefan was a perfect gentleman.

Because the company's entrance was decorated with a sea of flowers, any vehicles had to take a detour.

This was a special surprise the CEO's wife had prepared for the CEO. Anyone daring to drive through would be asking for trouble.

However, this sea of flowers couldn't stay here forever.

Stefan called his bodyguards and asked them to carefully transport the sea of flowers to his villa in Diamond Ridge Estates as quickly as possible. He also instructed that without his permission, no one was allowed to touch the sea of flowers.

Even if the flowers withered, they were not to be discarded.

Because this was a gift of affection from Lucinda.

Stefan had publically revealed Lucinda's identity at the company's entrance and instructed the company's PR department, in his name, to officially announce his marriage to Lucinda.

He even attached their marriage certificate.

This news was like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, causing a huge stir in Pinehurst.

Some people congratulated them but not many.

Many more people were envious, jealous, and harbored resentment.

Upon hearing that Stefan was married, Ruby was so angry she almost wrecked her new office.

Adrienne Dewey also started throwing things around her house when she heard the news, almost bringing down the Dewey family's roof.

Lucinda!

Not Ruby!

Stefan was willing to marry a woman with no family background instead of her!

This fact almost drove Adrienne insane.

However, Lucinda wasn't aware of the impact this public announcement would have on her.

Reporters wanted to swarm Lucinda but they didn't dare.

Because Stefan had made it clear that any media outlet that harassed Lucinda or interfered with her and her family's life would be making an enemy out of him.

In Pinehurst, apart from Owen Martinez, no one dared to challenge Stefan.

Behind Stefan was the Anderson family. The Anderson family had ten sons, all of whom were leaders in various industries. Offending one Stefan was equivalent to offending the entire Anderson family and major figures in various industries.

The ensuing retaliation would be devastating.

Who would risk their future?

Owen was actually quite happy to see that Stefan was married. That way, Ruby would give up.

So, when many people were hoping he'd support a media outlet in interviewing Lucinda, he disappointed them all.

The Ikella group even sent their congratulations.

Everyone was shocked again.

This was not normal.

Anderson Inc. and the Ikella group were arch-enemies. Owen would rather see Stefan dead. How could he possibly congratulate Stefan on his marriage?

The afternoon sun was getting all lazy around four.

Stefan, who once had a knack for cutting out early, was biking along the streets with his wife in tow, heading for Pinehurst Central Park.

Pinehurst Central Park was a hoot, with playgrounds and all sorts of tasty snacks.

Every day, there were more park-goers than you could shake a stick at. If it was a holiday, they even had to get the coppers to stand guard at the major intersections, shooing the crowds to avoid any stampedes.

There was a bike lane in the park, and those who loved to cycle for a workout and to take in the scenery always had a soft spot for it.

Cycling around the park's artificial lake, on the concrete path embraced by green trees, you could enjoy the beautiful view, get a workout, and avoid the hustle and bustle of the tourists. The bike lane was separated from the pedestrian path by fences.

Back when Lucinda was in high school, she used to cycle to the central park since it was a stone's throw from her school. But she hadn't been back since then.

She was just too swamped.

The weather was top-notch, with a strong breeze in the afternoon.

With the cool breeze, this young couple didn't feel the heat at all.

While Stefan was pedaling away, Lucinda, sitting in the back, was still enjoying her ice cream.

"Stefan, you beat? Let me know if you are, I can take over the cycling."

Lucinda scooped a spoonful of ice cream and fed it to Stefan.