Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 421

"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.

Though Avery and Cedric's love was disapproved of by society, Avery's feelings were as genuine as they come.

Instead of making a beeline for Cecilia as usual, Avery chose a secluded table in the farthest corner and sat down.

He pulled out several bottles of liquor from his bag and, forgoing the need for a glass, began to drink straight from the bottle.

Cecilia and the waitress exchanged puzzled glances.

Feeling that they had some level of acquaintance, Cecilia walked over and sat across from Avery, asking with concern, "Avery, what's wrong? Is something bothering you? Did you hit a rough patch?"

Could it be that Mr. Martinez was withholding payment?

(If Mr. Martinez were here, he would reply, “Cecilia, do I look like that kind of guy?”)

Avery kept drinking, and after emptying a bottle, he finally shared his anguish. "Cecilia, why can't Cedric and I, who love each other so dearly, be together?"

So it was a matter of love issue.

She had thought it was a problem with Mr. Martinez's payment.

"I did everything I could to help their company survive, accepting all this. Cecilia, I have 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 all for my true love.

"But now that the Frost Group has weathered the storm, they've turned their backs on me, urging Cedric to go on dates, even to get married. It's tearing me apart, Cecilia. What should I do?"

Upon his confession, Cecilia finally realized what had happened.

She had heard 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 to “cure” him by pushing him into conventional relationships.

Most families would have a hard time accepting their sons’ being gay, let alone a prominent family like the Frosts.

They hadn't harmed Avery, probably thanks to either Cedric's protection or warnings from Mr. Martinez, given their collaboration. That's why Avery remained safe.

But, the Frost family was undoubtedly hell-bent on separating Cedric and Avery up.

"Avery, your relationship with Cedric will be determined 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 time to let go. Love thwarted is a common tragedy." Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

It’s not just about homosexual love; many heterosexual couples are also driven apart by their families and end up having to break up.

Some, too enraptured to say goodbye, may even resort to extreme acts like suicide, hoping to remain united in death, which leads to nothing but tragedy.

“If he’s willing to fight for it, you should also persevere and have faith in him. As long as you both persevere, I believe that sweetness may eventually follow.”

As Cecilia talked with Avery about his relationship with Cedric, she also thought of herself and Owen.

Advising others is easy; facing one's own challenges is much harder.

Avery was willing to do anything for Cedric.

He really tried hard.

But what about Cecilia herself? She had fallen for Owen, yet she hadn't buffed up the courage as Avery had. She wasn’t in together with Owen to confront their obstacles side by side.

She had left Owen to fight their battles alone.

How could one person fighting alone match the strength of two people united?

Now, Cecilia suddenly felt that she needed to try harder—to change Olina's opinion of her and earn herself acceptance.

Her background was unchangeable, but she could make herself strong, strong enough that even Olina couldn't look down upon her.

If she kept pausing, not keeping pace with Owen, they would probably waste their lives without getting anywhere.

Love requires mutual effort.

Owen and Ruby's breakup was a harsh lesson from the past.

"Cecilia, Cecilia."

Avery waved his hand in front of Cecilia's face.

Cecilia, finally coming back to her senses, was slightly embarrassed. "I was so lost in thought. What were you saying, Avery?"

Avery gave no answer. He then offered—

"Come have a drink with me."

He uncorked another bottle of wine and offered it to Cecilia, then opened one for himself.

Cecilia took the bottle, clinked it against his, and watched as he tilted his head back, taking large gulps. But she didn't drink.

"Cecilia, Cecilia."

The waitress suddenly over, bustling, "Mr. Martinez is here again."

Whenever Mr. Cooper showed up, Mr. Martinez was sure to follow soon after.

It was an unwritten rule, predictable as clockwork.

Reactively, Cecilia considered getting up and leaving, to distance herself from Avery and avoid another jealousy scene with Mr. Martinez.

But as she stood up, she changed her mind and sat back down.

Owen knew that Avery's feelings for her weren't genuine love, and furthermore, Avery was gay. So, he should no longer be jealous anymore.

After downing his bottle, Avery noticed Cecilia hadn’t touched her drink. He took the bottle from her, "Let me drink for you. Do you have any booze in this place? Bring me a few more bottles; I'm not going home sober tonight."

Cecilia hesitated before replying, "This is a coffee shop, Avery. We don't carry alcohol here."

By then, Owen had pushed open the door and walked in.