Faux Vows, True Desires novel Chapter 26

“Lucinda.”

Stefan pedaled his bicycle out from inside.

On seeing Lucinda and Ruby chitchatting, Stefan felt uneasy, so he pedaled faster.

Ruby was flabbergasted when she saw him riding a bicycle out.

Where was Stefan's fancy car?

She remembered Stefan loved luxury cars, and the garage was packed enough for a car show.

“Stefan, you're out."

Lucinda greeted him with a smile and whispered to Stefan, “Stefan, when did Ruby come back? She seems upset. Did you guys have a fight? I invited you to dinner and invited her too, but she said you wouldn't eat with me."

She subtly nudged Stefan's arm, lowering her voice even more, "Don't mind her. She just returned from abroad. All her family is overseas. You're the only one she can rely on here."

Upon hearing that Lucinda invited Ruby for dinner, Stefan felt heavy-hearted.

However, he could not confess to Lucinda, for fear that he would scare her if she knew his real identity. Now Lucinda always thought that he was just a staff member working at Ascend Global, and did not know that he was the head of Ascend Global.

“Lucinda, get in, let's go. We'll talk during dinner."

Stefan gestured for Lucinda to get on his bike, sending Ruby a glare.

Lucinda looked at Ruby, then at Stefan. Something felt off between the two, but as an outsider, she had no idea about their history, so she remained silent.

“Oh.”

Just as Lucinda was about to sit on Stefan's bike, she remembered she came here on a bike. So she told Stefan, “Stefan, leave your bike in the company and ride my e-bike. It's faster. It's too hot to cycle."

She mumbled to herself, "After dinner, I'll get a sunshade for the e-bike, so we can avoid the sun when going out."

Stefan also wanted to leave as soon as possible, not wanting Ruby and Lucinda to chat more.

So, he told a security guard, "Can you help me put the bike inside?"

“Yes, Mr. Coleman."

Stefan quickly glanced at Lucinda, finding that Lucinda had no reaction.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

As they were about to leave, Ruby blocked the e-bike. She stared at Stefan and sarcastically laughed, "When did our Mr. Coleman start riding an e-bike? Where's Mr. Coleman's fancy car? Did Ascend Global hit a rough patch and you sold all your fancy cars?"

Lucinda gawked at Ruby. Before Stefan could reply, she poked her head out from behind Stefan and said to Ruby, “Ms. Scott, you just returned from abroad. You may not know the situation in Pinehurst, which is understandable. But there's no way Ascend Global is having financial issues. If Ascend Global is in trouble, other companies in Pinehurst would have gone belly up.”

Ascend Global offered a large number of job opportunities for residents in Pinehurst and was also the city's major taxpayer.

If Ascend Global was in trouble, other small companies' survival would also become difficult.

Lucinda didn't want Ascend Global to have issues. If these companies collapsed, her coffee shop would be hit, as many of her customers were Ascend Global employees.

Only the white-collar workers liked the hand-ground coffee in her shop.

Ordinary workers rarely patronized her shop.

But the more important reason was that Stefan worked at Ascend Global, and she didn't want him to be jobless.

“Lucinda, put on your helmet."

Stefan put on a helmet and passed one to Lucinda. Once Lucinda put on the helmet, he rode the e-bike, carrying Lucinda past Ruby. He didn't say a word to Ruby's mockery.

“Stefan." Ruby reached out to stop the e-bike, but Stefan immediately sped up. The e-bike sped away, leaving Ruby behind quickly.