Faux Vows, True Desires

"Do you need anything else from me?"

"No, that's all."

With that, Stefan wasted no time in showing his guest the door. "Well then, you can go now."

Owen bristled with indignation. "Come on, Stefan. I came all the way here to give you the heads-up about the Porter Group, and this is how you repay me?" "What do you want, a medal? Are you afraid your girl Cecilia will get jealous; think you're playing both sides?"

Owen spat dismissively, "I only have eyes for the ladies."

He gazed at Stefan's handsome face and, with relief, proclaimed, "Looking at you for nearly thirty years and not falling for you - my resolve is rock-solid." Stefan ignored it without a word.

After Owen finished his coffee, he stood up, bade his goodbyes, and left.

Time continued its march.

Exiting Ascend Global, Owen decided to skip returning to the office and headed straight to the Serendipity Cafe to claim his kudos from Cecilia.

Approaching noon, the cafe was at its quietest, the rush of customers having ebbed away.

Cecilia was scrolling through her phone, checking out the latest lunch specials from nearby restaurants, pondering what to eat.

"Cecilia, Mr. Cooper's come again," the waitress suddenly spoke up.

Cecilia looked toward the cafe door and sure enough, there was Avery, pushing it open and stepping inside.

Thankfully, this time he was without a bouquet of flowers.

By now, she knew Avery was someone Mr. Martinez had hired to pretend to court her-which explained why Avery, despite being terrified of Owen, still dared to declare a fair competition. It turned out there was Mr. Martinez backing him up.

Moreover, Avery would brave any storm for the sake of his beloved.

disapproved of by society, Avery's feelings were as

beeline for Cecilia as usual, Avery chose a secluded table in

and, forgoing the need for a glass, began to drink straight from the

and the waitress exchanged puzzled

what's

"Cecilia, do I look

after emptying a bottle, he finally shared his anguish. "Cecilia, why can't Cedric and I, who love each other so

was a matter of love

a problem with Mr.

to come clean to you. The truth is, I do like you, but it's not the kind of love. My heart belongs to someone else. The pursuit was all an act, a charade. It's a long story, but to sum it up briefly, it was

storm, they've turned their backs on me, urging Cedric to go on dates, even to get married. It's

from Owen about Avery's true love for Cedric, the CEO of the Frost Group. She also knew Lucinda mentioned Cedric had even been set up with Tiffany Paisley, although that didn't pan out. The Frost family probably knew about Cedric's orientation but hoped

have a hard time accepting their sons' being gay, let alone

Cedric's protection or warnings from Mr. Martinez,

the Frost family was undoubtedly hell-bent on separating Cedric

by how strong your connection is, and to what extent Cedric is willing to go for you. If he chooses his family and their expectations over you, then it's

just about homosexual love; many heterosexual couples are also driven apart by their families and end up

to extreme acts like suicide, hoping to remain united in death,

have faith in him.

with Avery about his relationship with Cedric,

easy; facing one's own challenges is much

willing to do

He really tried hard.

she hadn't buffed up the courage as Avery had. She

match the

that she needed to try harder to change Olina's opinion

was unchangeable, but she could make herself strong, strong enough that even