Faux Vows, True Desires

Emma rushed back.

She was worried that Lucinda would misunderstand Stefan, and she felt the need to explain things on Stefan's behalf.

When she got back to the room, she saw Stefan and Lucinda clearing the table.

Emma was taken aback.

Stefan wasn't used to being waited on like other people because the Andersons raised their children to be capable of taking care of themselves. Once the children reached a certain age, they were sent to a private island owned by the family. Then, the island would be evacuated and handed over to the kids to fend for themselves. This ensured that the Anderson boys could handle any challenge in the real world. But in Emma's eyes, Stefan was exceptional. Due to his busy work schedule, he rarely did chores.

She blamed the other servants for not understanding the situation and letting Stefan and his wife clear the table. She quickly walked over, took the dishes that Lucinda had already cleaned up, and said to Lucinda, "Ma'am, let me handle this. You and Stefan just need to eat."

Lucinda instinctively said, "Emma, I can do it. I also helped my mom with chores at home."

When she was renting her place, she also took care of herself. She was used to cleaning up after meals.

Stefan spoiled her and let her do whatever she wanted, as long as it didn't tire her out. Besides, cleaning up together made Stefan feel the ordinary yet sweet life of a married couple.

Emma gave Stefan a look and said to Lucinda with a smile, "Ma'am, Stefan hasn't even changed his clothes yet, and he's about to go to work. You should accompany him upstairs and help him pick out an outfit. Stefan has a hard time choosing clothes, and if he had to choose by himself, he might take a while."

Stefan stared at Emma in surprise. When did he ever have trouble choosing clothes?

Emma gave him another look.

Just then, Lucinda looked over. Stefan put on an embarrassed expression and said to Lucinda, "Lucy, don't listen to Emma's nonsense. I can pick out my clothes. At most, it'll take me till the afternoon." Without Emma saying anything, Lucinda couldn't have imagined that Stefan would have trouble choosing clothes. She remembered the first time she accompanied Stefan to a party. He brought her several dresses, and she didn't know how long it took him to pick out the right one for her.

"Emma, thank you."

Lucinda knew that in wealthy families, the division of labor among servants was very clear. If she took over the servants' work, it could put a lot of pressure on them. They would worry about losing their jobs. She handed the task of cleaning the table over to Emma and said to Stefan, "Stefan, I'll accompany you upstairs to pick out clothes."

Stefan agreed. He came over, put his arm around her shoulder, and led her out of the dining room. When Lucinda wasn't paying attention, he gave Emma a thumbs up. He doubled Emma's bonus for the month.

Emma watched the young couple go upstairs and felt relieved.

Thankfully, Lucinda didn't start an argument with Stefan because of Adrienne's sudden appearance. Even if Adrienne had nine lives, she wouldn't be able to redeem herself. Stefan had waited ten years, waiting for Lucinda to grow up, and finally married her. If anyone dared to ruin the relationship between this young couple, Emma wouldn't let it go.

Back in the room, Lucinda went to the wardrobe and brought Stefan an outfit. When she handed it to him, she asked, "Did it take you a long time to pick out the evening dress you got for me the other day?" "It wasn't me who picked it out. I asked a friend to pick it out according to your size and then brought it back."

Stefan was telling the truth. When it came to choosing clothes, he was certainly no match for Holt. Holt was a top fashion designer. He could choose the most suitable clothes for everyone based on their figure appearance, complexion, and personality.

Lucinda understood after hearing this. Did he really have decision paralysis?

"What's there to choose from in your wardrobe besides suits and shirts? The colors are almost all the same."

His suits were all black, and his shirts were either white or light blue, with more white ones. It seemed he liked the black and white combination. His home clothes were also the same, black, and white, with very few of any other color.

"If there were more colors, I'd have an even harder time choosing. Even now, I don't know what to wear every day."

One lie needed a hundred more to cover it up. Stefan knew this all too well.

After hearing this, Lucinda was stunned. He was telling the truth.

Seeing him take off his tracksuit in front of her, Lucinda blushed and said, "Why don't you go change in the bathroom? I'm still here."

"Lucy, you're twenty-four years old."

Lucinda looked at him. Yes, she was twenty-four. So what?

"You're not a child. You can check out my body if you want to see whether it's good or not. Don't always think about letting Owen run naked. His body is definitely not as good as mine."

After a while, she laughed. "I only said one thing yesterday, and you're still holding it against me."

He moved closer to her, his warm breath on her face as he whispered, "Every word you say, I remember. Lucy, remember, in Pinehurst, your husband is the most handsome, and your husband has the best body. If you want to see a handsome guy, just look at me."

Lucinda couldn't stand his heat, so she quickly pushed him away a bit, her face as red as a flower.

She glared at him. "Stefan, can you be a little more serious? If I hadn't experienced it myself, I wouldn't dare believe that the person in front of me is you."

Where was the gentlemanly Stefan? Bring the gentlemanly Stefan back to her!

Stefan stood up, smiling at Lucinda. "When I'm outside, I have to put on a facade. When I come home and face you, I act like myself. You wouldn't want me to put on a facade for you, would you?" "Stefan, your eloquence is truly unmatched. I admit defeat. Hurry up and get dressed, or you'll be late." After Lucinda spoke, she cheekily pinched him and quickly turned to scamper off. "Lucinda!" Stefan was taken aback by her sudden retaliation. He quickly reacted, scooping her up before she could dart out the door.

Then they started kissing. Not until Lucinda was panting for breath did he let her go.

As Stefan was getting dressed, he glanced at Lucinda, who was leaning against the wall, seemingly drained of strength. His eyes were filled with warmth and amusement. Lucinda was panting. Damn, he was so tempting!

She even started to suspect that Stefan was some kind of a professional tempter, specifically sent to seduce her. He had nearly turned her long-settled heart upside down.