Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 12

Ike was totally floored.

He turned and went into the kitchen.

His mom was the boss of the house.

"Mom, I'm telling the truth."

Hot on his mom's heels, Ike said anxiously, "Why won't you guys believe me?"

Fiona pointed at her son and said, "These veggies aren't washed yet. Go wash them for me. Then chop them up for the salad."

Ike looked at the vegetables in the basket, quickly took them to the sink, filled a basin with water, and started washing them.

While washing, he continued, "Mom, I'm not making any of this up. Do you remember my classmate from Silverbrook University, Stefan? He and I have a mutual junior, Gabriel, who works in the registration office. It was Gabriel who told me. He said Stefan got married today. I wanted to confirm it, so I called Stefan. Guess who answered his phone? It was my sister Lucinda. She told me herself that she was the one who registered marriage with Stefan."

"This scared the crap out of me. I dropped everything, rushed back to tell you guys."

Fiona seemed to not hear him, continuing her chores.

Ike finished washing the veggies, chopped them up, put them in a dish, and handed it to his mother.

"Mom, are you listening?"

"I'm listening."

"Then why aren't you reacting?"

"Talk is cheap. Unless Lucinda brings your classmate home and shows me some evidences of their marriage, I won't believe she's married."

Ike replied, "They'll definitely be back tomorrow. Stefan said he wanted to meet you guys."

Ike's words sounded reasonable. Fiona had just finished cooking a dish when she asked her son, "Is everything you've said true?"

"Mom, would I joke about something like this? It's about my sister's marriage."

Ike continued to stress that he was telling the truth.

"I dropped everything and rushed back. Would I be this urgent if it wasn't true?"

Fiona was half-skeptical, "Lucinda was heartbroken after breaking up with George, and she hasn't started a new relationship since then. I know that she knows your classmate, but I didn't hear about them dating, how could they get married?"

"Isn't this the result of your constant nagging? Lucinda was scared by your nagging, so she just found a guy to marry."

Ike was complaining about his mother's nagging.

If his sister was married, then his mother would start nagging him to get married soon.

Ike thought, “Oh god! To keep the peace, I decided to apply for a business trip to the farthest place possible. If possible, I even wanted to stay away for a year or two.”

Fiona was about to whack him with the spatula, Ike quickly backed off.

"Mom, I'm talking about my sister. When Lucinda comes back, tell her to leave Stefan immediately and get a divorce."

Stefan's worry was not unfounded.

Ike was really badmouthing him in front of his future mother-in-law.

"Why? Is there something wrong with Stefan?"

Fiona was always pushing her daughter to get married and arranging blind dates for her. Partly because her daughter was of marriageable age, partly because she wanted her daughter to forget the pain caused by George, a man who only cared about status and wealth.

However, she would never let her daughter marry a man she didn't know.

"Stefan is a very cunning person. He seems gentle and polite on the surface, his smile makes people feel comfortable, but in reality, he's a hidden beast, he can trap people in a dilemma during casual chats."

Ike told his mother what he knew about Stefan, "In school, he never dated any girls, but he didn't have a good relationship with the guys either. There were countless girls chasing him, but he wasn't interested in any of them. Mom, I suspect Stefan has some kind of problem."

Fiona recalled the polite young man. Each time they met, he greeted them with a smile. He was tall, good-looking, and seemed healthy. Could he be as her son said?

"Maybe Stefan was focused on his studies and didn't want to date. You're saying he has a problem, Ike, is it right for you to badmouth your classmate?"

"Mom, I'm not badmouthing him, it's our classmates who say this behind his back. A normal man, faced with so many pursuers, how could he be indifferent? He must have a physical or

psychological problem."

Ike was telling the truth.

During university, everyone discussed Stefan's behavior, thinking he had a problem, not that he was really indifferent.

Ike had a relationship in high school, but it didn't last. After college, he broke up with his girlfriend.

Although he doesn't have a formal girlfriend now, it doesn't mean that he was single throughout university.

Everyone around him had dating experiences, except for Stefan.

"Some people develop late in terms of relationships, that's normal too."

Fiona didn't quite believe that Stefan had a physical problem.

"Gabriel said, Stefan had a female friend he'd known since childhood, they grew up together and were always close. But ten years ago, that friend suddenly went abroad. Since then, Stefan became indifferent. I suspect that his female friend wanted to take their relationship further, found out that Stefan was not suitable, and left him heartbroken. Because of his own problems, Stefan appeared indifferent on the surface, but he was actually inferior. So, in university, he never dated women, no matter who pursued him, no one could get him."

Fiona stayed silent.

"Mom, if Lucinda marries Stefan, she's asking for trouble. She must have been scared by your nagging, so she thought about finding a man to marry, to stop you from worrying about her future."

Fiona said incredulously, "Marriage is not a game, Lucinda is not the type to compromise. If she was willing to compromise, would she need to go on dozens of blind dates? You said she's already registered for marriage, but I haven't seen her prepare any materials needed for registration. How could they be married?"

"They got a certificate. Gabriel was there, their registration process went very smoothly."

Fiona went silent. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

"Mom, can you just call Lucinda right now, tell her to get her ass back here, and bring Stefan with her? We can grill them until they spill the beans!"

Fiona stayed silent for a moment, then actually pulled out her cell and dialed her daughter.

At that moment, Lucinda and Stefan were holed up in a fancy room at the Anderson Hotel, getting ready for dinner.

Stefan said he wanted to celebrate, so he invited her out. She figured he'd just pick some fast food joint, order a couple of dishes, have a few drinks and call it a night.

But she didn't expect him to take her to the Anderson Hotel.

Even though she was a local from Pinehurst, even a small-town girl like Lucinda knew about the Anderson Hotel.

This was the hotel of Ascend Global, also one of the most luxurious and upscale hotels in Pinehurst.

Due to its expensive price, Lucinda ha never set foot in the Anderson Hotel.

After all, she was still burdened with debt.