Faux Vows, True Desires

The guy glanced at Stefan, noticed that Stefan didn't object to him shaking hands with Lucinda, so he extended his right hand to Lucinda and introduced himself, "Hello, my name is Gabriel Turner. I'm a good buddy of Stefan's."

Lucinda replied with a smile, "Mr. Turner, you can call me Lucinda."-

As Gabriel welcomed them inside, he said to Stefan, "Never thought I'd get the chance to do this for you, I'm so happy. I figured once Ruby Scott was out of the picture, you'd be a lone wolf." Lucinda tuned into their conversation. Ruby? Was that Stefan's ex-girlfriend? Why hadn't he ever mentioned having a girlfriend before?

Before Stefan could say anything, Gabriel, aware of Lucinda's presence, quickly explained, "Don't get it twisted. Stefan and Ruby go way back. They grew up together, and Ruby moved abroad ten years ago and rarely comes back."

Lucinda generously laughed it off, "I don't mind."

She only hired Stefan to play her husband to dodge her mom's constant matchmaking and hopefully restore her peaceful life. Whether Stefan had a girlfriend in the past or now, she didn't care at all. If a catch like Stefan didn't have any women falling for him, she'd find it weird.

Seeing that Lucinda genuinely didn't care, Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief, scolding himself for running his mouth about Ruby.

In their circle, everyone knew Ruby and Stefan were childhood sweethearts. Ruby had been smitten with Stefan since they were kids, and everyone thought they'd end up together. But ten years ago, Ruby suddenly left the country, and no one knew why. They'd asked Ruby, who wouldn't spill the beans, and Stefan, who only said that Ruby had her own life and it had nothing to do with him.

When Gabriel mentioned Ruby, Stefan first looked at Lucinda, a bit of anxiety flashing in his eyes. But Lucinda wasn't focusing on him and missed his look. Seeing that Lucinda didn't mind, Stefan also breathed a sigh of relief, then shot Gabriel a glare, warning him with his eyes to shut his mouth.

Gabriel gave an awkward laugh, knowing he had said something she shouldn't and hoping Stefan would let it slide. Afterwards, Gabriel, although curious about when Stefan and Lucinda had gotten together, didn't pry further, afraid he might blurt out something he shouldn't.

Stefan was already 29 and hadn't been in a serious relationship. Ruby liked him, but Stefan never admitted to being in a relationship with her. Their friends thought Stefan was emotionally unavailable, and then out of the blue, he went and registered for marriage.

He sure knew how to keep a secret!

With Gabriel as their witness, Stefan and Lucinda successfully got their marriage certificate.

Gabriel wanted to see the newlyweds out, but Stefan declined his offer. So Gabriel could only say to Lucinda, "Lucinda, you should bring Stefan to visit sometime. My wife would be thrilled to meet with you." Lucinda politely responded, "Sure."

"Well, I won't keep you. See you around."

Even though Gabriel said he wouldn't see them off, he still walked with them for a bit. When Lucinda wasn't looking, he sneakily punched Stefan and whispered, "You owe us dinner tomorrow night. You can't keep something this big from us."

Stefan whispered back, "I have to meet the parents tomorrow. I don't have time."

Gabriel asked, confused, "You guys got your marriage certificate without meeting the parents first? Was this a spur-of-the-moment decision?"

He suddenly realized that the two had come in to get a marriage certificate, and Lucinda didn't even bring her birth certificate. Even with a police station issued certificate, it was clear, they had decided to get their certificate at the last minute.

Gabriel was surprised to find out Stefan had a rushed marriage!

However, even though he had many questions, Stefan didn't give him the chance to ask.

Once in the car, Stefan gently asked Lucinda, "Do you want to grab something to eat? Or should I drop you off at the coffee shop?"

Lucinda looked at her marriage certificate, at the photo of her and Stefan. After hearing Stefan's question, she replied without looking up, "Just drop me off at my shop. They've got food there." Stefan smiled, "Sure."

Lucinda put away the marriage certificate, stuffing it into her pocket, and said with a smile, "Stefan, I never thought I'd be getting this certificate with you."

Looking at her beautiful face, her smile natural and bright, Stefan couldn't help but smile too, "I never thought my wife would be you."

Despite their sudden marriage, Stefan didn't regret it at all.

"Stefan, we're only play-acting. You can still call me Lucinda, you don't need to call me 'wifey' or 'honey'."

Stefan didn't get upset, instead he asked, "Can I call you 'wifey' or 'honey' in front of your family?"

Lucinda replied, "Try not to. It sounds kind of weird."

"Alright."

Stefan started the car and a few minutes later asked Lucinda, "Where do you live? I'll move in with you tonight."

"What?"

Stefan reminded her, "You promised me five hundred dollars a month, providing food, room, and clothing to me."

Since it was all-inclusive, of course he was going to move in with her.

Lucinda, "Aren't you living in Diamond Ridge Estates? The environment there is awesome, my place is definitely not as posh as Diamond Ridge Estates."

"You also mentioned how the rent in Diamond Ridge Estates is a fortune. Even though I can afford it, I'm married now, gotta pinch some pennies, right? If I move in with you, it saves so much time and money - I can save on rent and it still falls within our agreement."

Lucinda couldn't argue because she was the one who drafted this agreement to have him pose as her boyfriend, she felt like she's shot herself in the foot.

"The place I'm renting now is a one-bedroom apartment. It's only a 2-3 minutes' walk from my coffee shop. I'm staying in the room, if you decide to move in, you'll be crashing in the living room."

While driving, Stefan chuckled and said, "If it helps me save some bucks. I don't mind sleeping in the living room. Or I could just stay put, you can help me with the rent, it's about five thousand including utilities."

Hearing this, Lucinda promptly replied, "Drop me off at my coffee shop first, you can eat something there, then you can head back to cancel your lease and start packing."

Stefan's eyes sparkled, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He said, "Got it."