Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 89

Owen walked into a chaotic cafe.

Ruby and her crew had turned the place into a disaster zone, with tables and chairs smashed into smithereens and shards of glass everywhere. Owen kinda sighed inside.

The mess Ruby had created was going to be a real pain to deal with.

Stefan wasn't into Ruby in the first place, and with Ruby smashing up Lucinda's cafe out of jealousy, Stefan was definitely going to be pissed.

"Mr. Owen."

The bodyguard greeted him respectfully as Owen walked in.

Owen said nonchalantly, "You guys step outside. Keep an eye on Ms. Scott, don't let her back in."

"Sure thing."

The bodyguards all left.

Owen looked at the staff standing behind Cecilia and then addressed her directly. "Cecilia, can we have a moment alone?"

Cecilia, maintaining a neutral expression, responded, "Speak here. They've seen the damage Ruby did to my cafe. They're my witnesses."

The shop was equipped with security cameras, ensuring Ruby couldn't deny her actions. With the police on their way, Cecilia was confident that even if they couldn't arrest Ruby, they could at least force her to apologize and compensate for the damages.

If not for Owen's associates restraining her, Ruby might have further confronted Cecilia, which only fueled Cecilia's anger.

To Cecilia, Ruby was nothing but deceitful.

She wanted to marry Stefan, yet couldn't let go of Owen. She was jealous of Lucinda and regarded Cecilia as a thorn in her side. What pissed her off the most was that Owen was head over heels for this nasty woman.

Cecilia thought Owen was a complete fool.

Mr. Coleman was a man of clear mind and good taste, he wasn't fooled by Ruby. Lucinda was a far better person than Ruby. And yet, Ruby dared to compare herself with Lucinda.

Shameless!

Did she think she was worthy?

Owen was silent for a moment, then said, "Cecilia, I'm not denying that your cafe was smashed by Ruby."

"Ruby was indeed impulsive. She loves Stefan so much that she couldn't handle it, that's why she came after you guys. She and Stefan grew up together, their feelings..."

"Mr. Owen," Cecilia interrupted, "Do you not feel guilty saying all this? I don't care if Ruby and Mr. Coleman grew up together or how deep their feelings are. This cafe is my blood, sweat, and tears. I treat it like my own child. Ruby came and smashed it out of jealousy, and that's wrong. She should be punished."

"Mr. Coleman is married now, what is Ruby thinking? She insulted Lucinda in public. She wanted to interfere in Lucinda's marriage, yet she accused Lucinda of stealing her love."

Owen's expression turned grave. Once Cecilia had finished expressing her frustration, he asked, "How much do you want for the damages?"

In response, Cecilia, in a fit of anger, grabbed a mug from the table and hurled it towards him. Owen deftly sidestepped the flying object, but her act visibly upset him, causing his eyes to go icy and his demeanor to change.

He warned Cecilia, "Cecilia, don't think you can get away with this. Even if you call the cops, what can you do to Ruby with me around? All I can do is pay you some money. But if you cross me, I won't let you off easy."

"Mr. Martinez," she began, her voice trembling, "in a world governed by laws, do you truly believe you can act with impunity? Everything you've done has been documented. If it gets uploaded online, even your reputation could be at stake. Aren't you concerned that your Ikella Group might face scrutiny?"

Owen's expression turned grim. "My Ikella Group operates completely above board. I'm a legitimate businessman. Why should I fear any investigation?"

She retorted, "Are you clueless?"

Caught off-guard, Owen replied icily, "You're clearly upset. I won't engage further. Speak to me when you've calmed down."

With that, he turned to leave.

His words indicated that he would take responsibility for Ruby's mistakes.

He would compensate them for Ruby.

He took a few steps, then turned around and stood in front of Cecilia. He looked at her for a moment, then said lightly, "You're hurt, you should go to the hospital. I'll cover the medical expenses." Cecilia's right hand had been cut by the glass.

"You don't need to worry about me, go comfort your girlfriend."

Cecilia's words were full of sarcasm.

No matter how great others said Owen was, in her eyes, he was just a fool.

He did so much for Ruby.

If Ruby liked him, his actions would have some value. But Ruby was just using him, treating him like a safety net, relying on his love to act recklessly. Ruby was always thinking about Stefan.

Owen met Cecilia's gaze briefly, then silently turned and departed. As he left, the police pulled up. With Ruby still present, witnesses around, and surveillance footage available, both were swiftly taken to the police station.

Cecilia quickly contacted Lucinda. Learning about the commotion her adversary had caused at the cafe, Lucinda didn't hesitate. She interrupted her date with her husband, and together they sped to the police station.

Meanwhile, Stefan reached out to Nelson, requesting the swift arrival of six bodyguards. Although Owen had his own bodyguards with him, they weren't known to intimidate others by sheer number. The Anderson family had bodyguards too.

Ruby causing a scene at the cafe was unreasonable. Even with Owen around, she and her crew were all detained.

They also had to pay for all the damage to Serendipity Cafe.

Only when Ruby was detained did she realize how scared she was. She thought about how she had just returned to the country and already caused such a commotion, her business might be ruined. Ruby regretted her impulsive action and felt like crying.

She regretted smashing up Lucinda's cafe on impulse, but still harbored a deep hatred for Lucinda.

If it weren't for Lucinda, she wouldn't have gone bonkers from jealousy. If she hadn't lost her marbles, she wouldn't have brought people to create havoc and wouldn't have ended up in police custody.

As they walked out of the police station, Owen blocked the way for Stefan and the others.

Stefan's face was impassive.

Lucinda, standing next to him, glanced his way several times.

It became clear that he could exude an intimidating aura.

Right then, he seemed as menacing as a figure from the darkest legends.

Lucinda felt lucky she wasn't an enemy of Stefan's, otherwise, she might've ended up six feet under without a clue.

"Still gonna make excuses for her? The law is fair and square. We didn't put the blame on her for no reason."

Stefan spoke indifferently, his words filled with mockery towards Owen.

Owen was typically on the ball, but with Ruby, his judgment seemed clouded.

Luckily, Ruby had no aspirations to control the Ikella Group. Otherwise, given Owen's glaring blind spot for her, the entire group might have easily fallen into her hands. "Stefan, you know darn well how Ruby feels about you, you're... you're too cold to her."

Owen reproached Stefan.

Stefan replied coldly, "And you know darn well how I treat her. She trashed my wife's coffee shop, I didn't call the cops, didn't get her locked up, should I thank her for that?" Owen was left speechless.

Stefan had never loved Ruby.