Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 464

Owen flashed a cheeky grin. "Then let's just hang out at the diner for some practice."

"Get lost!”

"So rude. You'll never get hitched with that attitude. Looks like you're stuck with me.”

Owen chuckled, seizing the moment before Cecilia could react. and quickly made his way to his car.

Whatever Owen needed to discuss with Stefan, Cecilia was clueless about. Once the girl returned, Cecilia asked her to mind the diner while she stepped out to get some groceries.

But after she had cooked a fine meal, Owen called to say he wouldn't make it for dinner. Cecilia sighed in frustration.

She had gone to the trouble of cooking some of her best dishes, and he had the gall to bail on her. Considering he went to see Stefan, she figured he must've had something more pressing and generously decided not to hold it against him.

Still, Owen hadn't checked in for several days.

Accustomed to him being as sticky as bubblegum. Cecilia was actually starting to miss his constant presence. The afternoon sun was lazily hanging in the sky, and Cecilia felt its lethargy seep into her bones.

She lay sprawled across the cash register, doodling aimlessly on a piece of scrap paper with a pen in hand

A bowl of freshly washed cherries appeared before her.

"It's a rare sight to catch you daydreaming. Let me guess, missing your Mr. Malicious? The little birdie told me he hasn't dropped by in days. Let's see, from Wednesday to now, Sunday. wow. it really has been a while."

Lucinda leaned against the counter, having placed the bowl of cherries, and teased Cecilia with a playful smirk.

Darlene sat by a window, observing the quiet afternoon streets through the glass pane. The heat had driven most people indoors, leaving the sidewalks deserted.

In her hand was a steaming cup of coffee, from which she occasionally sipped

Hearing Lucinda's playful jab, Darlene glanced over with a smile but didn’t join the banter, choosing instead to sip her coffee in silence Recently, she had her own set of headaches.

She felt like she was being watched

And the watcher was none other than one of Keith's men.

Luckily, her secret-keeping skills were top-notch, and she had arranged things so swiftly that her own sister couldn't find out, not to mention Keith's people.

Keith's persistence in finding the mysterious woman was troubling. What if he had other motives? Could her attempts to redirect his attention cause trouble for someone else?

After much contemplation, Darlene decided to drop by and feel out the situation with Lucinda. "Lucy, after Owen went to see your guy that day, he hasn't been around. Did Stefan mention what they talked about?"

Cecilia straightened up. amused by Lucinda's casual posture. "My dear Mrs. Lucinda, look at you, all sprawled out. If sameone snapped a pic and posted it online, you'd be trending in no time.”

With Lucinda's status, indeed, any little thing could become a hot topic.

“Owen did go to see Stefan, but I haven't a clue what about. Stefan didn't tell me, but he was lunching with me that day and didn't meet Owen. Must've been something else holding him up."

Lucinda corrected her posture, popping a cherry into her mouth before turning to Darlene. “Darlene, want some cherries?” Darlene offered a gentle smile and a shake of her head, lifting her coffee cup slightly. Lucinda didn't press her.

Whenever Darlene joined them, she always sat quietly to one side, speaking softly and sparingly, which made the others almost afraid to raise their voices for fear of startling her.

Lucinda and Cecilia, hailing from humble beginnings, and even Tiffany, despite her affluent background and bold nature, saw Darlene as some ethereal creature, treating her with a special kind of tendernessContent (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Darlene had shown them what true grace and poise looked like

"Darlene sitting there. quietly watching the world outside, it's such a beautiful scene. It reminds you of the good old days,” Cecilia whispered to Lucinda.

Lucinda agreed wholeheartedly, stealthily snapping a photo of Darlene in fer tranquil state. "I'M ~ going tofave this painted, a large* one, framed like a portrait of as beauty. But I'm no good witha brash. I'll have my brother do it; he's affazing at art." Content.belongs to

Cecilia didn't bother to call out Lucinda’s bluff.

Everyone knew Lucinda was quite the artist herself.

"Cecilia, you must be missing Mr. Malicious, huh? It's been days since he’s come by.”

Cecilia admitted openly. "Yeah, I miss him. So what? Is it a crime?”

Lucinda giggled, "If you miss him that much, why not reach out? Give him a call or shoot him a message to see what's up?"

After a brief silence, Cecilia confessed, "I did text him. His replies were brief, just mentioned he was busy. I didn't want to intrude more than that."

"He must genuinely be swamped, or maybe he's gutof town on business," kucinda consoled her. . "You ngwviow it is with these bigc corporations. Even the CEOs have to travel \ Stefan has to as well, but'he always passes the opportunities to his brothers to spend timewith me, says it's good for them t&get some experience.”

With fewer and less cooperative brothers, Owen couldn't afford the luxury of delegating like Stefan. "Lucy, about the other day, did your guy let anything slip about his meet with Owen?” When the topic of that day came up, Lucinda was visibly shaken by the memory.

Cecilia had asked her about her biological family, and Lucinda always chose to share the cheerful stories, shielding her from the darker truths. She believed that knowing too much could end up hurting Cecilia.

But now, Lucinda realized that her reticence didn’t matter. Because of their close friendship, those nefarious characters would target Cecilia regardless.

Thankfully, Cecilia was sharp-witted and hadn't fallen for their tricks like Lucinda had once done. The thought of what could have happened otherwise was too dreadful to consider.

After a brief silence, Lucinda whispered to Cecilia, "I only know that guy Kris was shot dead in a bar that very night. The killer used a silencer; amidst the crowd, no one noticed who took the shot up close."

"Even though we all suspect Madeleine's Sand in this, Stefan said the Porte farnily might have allies in Pinehurst. He and Mr. Malicious, ave trying to ‘(OC weed out the Porter's {ocal suppert. Kris was a key lead. with hisa-gone, the trail goes cold for ri6w." te.