Faux Vows, True Desires

"Lucinda." Ike pushed open the door and walked in to find Lucinda sitting at the cashier's desk, furiously typing away at her computer. Clearly, she was working on her novel again. "Ike, aren't you pulling an all-nighter tonight?"

Ike's arrival made Lucinda pause her latest piece.

She got up and walked over to Ike.

"I'm off to a party soon." Ike looked around, "Where's Cecilia?"

"I'm covering her shift tonight. She's already gone home. Do you need her for something?"

"I was hoping she could do me a favor, but if she's not here. Never mind."

Lucinda playfully put her hand on Ike's shoulder and asked, "Ike, something's eating you. Tell me."

Ike blushed.

"Ike, are you planning to have Cecilia as your arm candy for the party, to make my future sister-in-law jealous?"

Ike tapped her forehead lightly, "Lucinda, sometimes I wish you weren't so sharp."

"Don't play that old trick. It could backfire if not played right. If my future sister-in-law gets the wrong idea, you won't be able to talk your way out of it. Plus, if you get Cecilia involved, Owen won't be pleased." "Just so you know, Owen's fuming now. He's looking for someone to vent on, so don't poke the bear."

Ike was speechless.

"Are you trying to see if my future sister-in-law actually cares about you? There are other ways to test that without dragging someone else into it."

"Really?"

Lucinda looked at Ike. She shook her head and sighed, "You guys are all the same."

He was smart but emotionally clueless.

"Why not get a few drinks at the party, play drunk and see if she cares or worries about you? If she does, that means she has feelings for you. Isn't that a better way to test than having a stand-in date? Plus, you don't have to worry about her getting the wrong idea."

Ike said, "But, I noticed she treats all men the same, like friends. Plus, a lot of women seem to like her, too."

Lucinda looked surprised, "What? Is she lesbian?"

"No, she's not lesbian. It's just that she always dresses in a gender-neutral manner, and with her being a strong career woman who's serious and cool like a guy, she tends to attract women as well. I've seen her being hassled by other women a few times."

Lucinda's interest was piqued, "Ike, tell me. Who is my future sister-in-law? I'm attending a party with Stefan in a few days. Maybe we'll bump into her, and I can say hi and get in her good books." Ike looked horrified. "Are you trying to steal my girl?"

Lucinda said, "No, I just want to build a good relationship with my future sister-in-law in advance."

"Hmph!"

Lucinda secretly smirked. When it came to the person he liked, Ike was unusually sensitive.

"I'm not telling you for now. Since I don't need Cecilia anymore, I'll make a move first. You do your thing."

Ike didn't even sit down. He came in a hurry and left in a hurry.

Lucinda was left curious, complaining about his irresponsibility. She was hung in the middle of a conversation, and her curiosity was triggered.

A person who always dressed in a gender-neutral manner and was popular with both men and women. Stefan would definitely know who she was. Lucinda decided to have a good chat with him about this person when she got home that night.

Meanwhile, Owen finally found out where Cecilia was.

He stormed over to the Yates family's mansion with his bodyguards, fuming.

But when he got to the door, his anger subsided.

He stood there for a moment before turning around and walking away.

The bodyguards silently followed, not daring to ask any questions.

Across the road from the alley they came out of was a large supermarket. Owen led his bodyguards into the supermarket and started shopping.

Food, drinks, daily necessities. As long as they were expensive, he took them.

Each of his bodyguards pushed a cart, following Owen around. Each cart was filled to the brim.

Then they all went to check out.

In the evening, the supermarket was crowded.

There were long lines at the checkouts.

Owen and his entourage were already eye-catching. They were tall and imposing, well-dressed, and very handsome. They had attracted a lot of attention since they entered the supermarket. Now, with their carts full of items, they attracted even more attention.

It looked like they were going to buy out the supermarket.

Owen also pushed a cart himself, filled with all kinds of dolls that girls liked.

No need to guess, those dolls were all for Cecilia.

To the left of the supermarket entrance was the jewelry counter.

Owen hadn't noticed it when he came in, but he saw it while waiting in line to check out. He asked a bodyguard to watch his cart while he went to check out the jewelry counter.

The supermarket staff were eagerly hoping Owen would sweep their counter clean, but Owen was picky. He chose only high-quality genuine pieces.

The staff could tell that he knew his stuff.

Although they still smiled, they felt challenged.

It was only when Owen had picked out all the genuine pieces and bought them all that the staff's smiles became genuine.

When Owen came out of the supermarket, his bodyguards looked like movers, with bags in their hands and on their shoulders. The bodyguards were all expressionless.

This was their first time being treated like movers.

Owen led his group of "movers" in a grand procession towards the Yates family's mansion.

Along the way, he was still the center of attention.

Seeing Owen heading directly for the Yates family's house, the neighbors started to speculate.

The Yates family had an unmarried daughter.

Once again standing at the door, Owen adjusted his clothes and asked his bodyguards, "How do I look?"

The bodyguards all chorused, "Sir, you're looking sharp as hell!"

Owen even whipped out his phone to snap a selfie, but the streetlight at the entrance was too dim for his liking. After a quick glance, he ditched the idea. He shoved his phone back into his pocket and rang the doorbell.

"Who's there?"

Owen heard an unfamiliar male voice.

The Yates family was a small one, and Cecilia's dad was the only member Owen hadn't met. Hearing this unfamiliar and somewhat stern voice, Owen speculated that this must be his future father-in-law.