Faux Vows, True Desires

Ike got royally screwed over by the Anderson brothers. But he had a hand in it too. He never bothered to look into Stefan's family background nor did he ever ask. He thought it was bad manners to pry into someone's family business.

Stefan never mentioned his family at school, so Ike felt even more awkward asking about it. He was scared of hitting a nerve and making things awkward. Now, Ike was kicking himself. If only he'd asked more back then, his sister wouldn't have ended up with Stefan so quickly.

"Your cousin is a cunning fox, he kept his real identity from me for eleven years," Ike grumbled.

Eric defended his cousin, "You never asked about him. He wanted to keep a low profile."

Ike was at a loss for words. After a moment, he fired back, "How would you feel if your best friend hooked up with your sister behind your back?"

"I don't have a sister."

"I meant hypothetically."

"Your hypothetical is unrealistic. I don't have a sister, so I can't imagine what that feels like. Even if you asked me a hundred times, I still wouldn't be able to comprehend the feeling of parting with a sister when she gets married."

Ike was pissed off.

The Anderson family had mostly boys. The old lady had five sons and one daughter. In Stefan's generation, it was all boys again. The old lady never had a granddaughter and this remained a regret in her life. Now, all she could hope for was that her grandsons would get married and have daughters.

Stefan didn't know nor did he care that Ike was fuming because of his cousin. He explained to his wife, "Eric is third in line among us brothers. He's in charge of all the food and beverage businesses under our family's company. He's the general manager of Ascend Hotel."

Lucinda responded with a casual nod. She asked quietly, "Does your family know about us?"

"They probably do. Most of the people at the party that night were familiar faces."

Even if he didn't tell his family, someone would have spilled the beans to his elders. His grandparents would definitely find out. Although the old folks no longer worked and seemed out of touch with the outside world, spending most of their time gardening at home, they were actually well-informed. Their sources of information were even quicker than Stefan's.

hand a slight twist and muttered, "You

to be his companion. Basically, he was announcing to the world, low-key, that she was Stefan's woman! Back then, she

into his world, to make her his beloved wife. To be with

for them and had already ordered all the dishes. Once the four of them were seated, they could start

Eric was the general manager. Anyone who could get the

But he was already married. Good men were always someone

soup first. After finishing the soup, Lucinda finally felt a bit

I know you love seafood, so I specifically ordered a lot. They're all

peeling the shrimp for

tried a shrimp. It was very

the shrimp for her. All she had to do was eat the shrimp. He also thoughtfully put

put on her plate was

need to eat

thoughtfully urged Stefan to eat something. She had been sleeping for so

"I'll eat

to

they watched the considerate Stefan. They felt like third wheels, and they also felt as if the couple was flaunting their love, making them envious "Stefan." Ike deliberately pushed his plate toward Stefan and said, "I also love shrimp, but

Lucinda picked up a pair of disposable gloves and handed them to

He can't peel shrimp for you.

Ike was speechless.

on his face, feeling

two shrimps, peeled off the shells, and then put one of the shrimps on Ike's

pulled his plate

really