Faux Vows, True Desires

The dining table was rectangular, and because there were so many people, they had three servings of each dish. This way, no matter where you sat, you could get a taste of your favorite dish. Usually, the Anderson family ate in silence, only speaking if the elders asked a question.

But tonight was a different story, they were allowed to chat while eating.

Stefan was busy recommending dishes to Lucinda all evening. He knew she loved shrimp, so he started by peeling a whole bowlful for her before tucking into his own food.

Seeing this, the women of the Anderson family gave their men a nudge.

And so, the men of the Anderson family donned disposable gloves, and began peeling shrimp for their wives in silence.

The women of the Anderson family were particularly happy that evening.

They were excited for Lucinda to move into Ascend Estate soon.

After dinner, Stefan took Lucinda for a stroll in the courtyard to help digest their meal.

They didn't go far.

They just walked around the main house courtyard.

Ascend Estate was huge, and all the Andersons lived there. Even the villa with the garden where Bettina lived before she got married was vacant, ready for her whenever she came back to visit.

Everyone had their own private space. As the head of the Anderson family, Stefan lived in the main house with the elders, unlike his brothers who lived in separate houses. Each villa had its own front and back yards, independent yet interconnected.

Aside from the villas, the estate had a large front and back yard as well. This meant that there was a courtyard within the courtyard, each one with its own unique landscape. Some people liked castle-like houses, so they tore down the villas and built castle-like houses. Some liked ancient architecture, so they renovated them to look antique. The main house had the largest courtyard among them all. It was a three-story building, with a large pond filled with water lilies, perfectly distributed throughout the pond.

It was stunningly beautiful.

Unfortunately, it was nighttime.

Lucinda couldn't quite see the beauty yet.

Even without getting to appreciate the water lily pond, just admiring the other sights was enough to astonish Lucinda.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Ascend Estate was a large garden.

This was the home that the Anderson family had built over generations. Although each generation had different tastes, none of them would destroy the scenery arranged by the previous generation. They would just add their own touches.

"Stefan."

Lucinda grabbed Stefan's hand.

"What's up?"

gripped his hand tightly, startling

Your house is so beautiful,

had suggested moving in, Lucinda hadn't answered. Now,

move

beautiful, the air was fresh, it was far away from the hustle and bustle of the city,

here gave one a sense of

really liked this

her, "This is your home too, don't say 'your house' or 'my house'. My home

So, shall

Lucinda nodded in agreement.

rent. You can go back to your rented place

place was very close

nodded in agreement, "Okay, your company isn't far from my rented place either. You can come back to rest at noon as well." Stefan's eyes curved into crescents as

she was there, he

Lucinda playfully teased him.

go back

while, Stefan was worried

"Alright."

indeed getting a bit

each other as they headed back

their silhouettes were filled with a sense of

there, and their relatives had gone back to their own homes.

of the second floor, it had

immediately push the door open. Instead, he said to

"What for?"

I have a surprise

"What surprise?

insistence, Lucinda closed her eyes. She listened to him unlock the door, push it open, lead her into the room, and then close the door. "Can I open my eyes

can open

her eyes, still speaking, "What surprise, let me

were many little stars twinkling, and they even seemed to be flying. The entire room

"This is "

her, "This is the starry sky I promised you,