Faux Vows, True Desires novel Chapter 471

As the heir to the illustrious Blue family fortune, he was considered a leftover bachelor by his sister!

"Is Stefan around?" Keith inquired.

"Yes, he is. You looking for him? Hold on, I'll get him for the phone."

Lucinda promptly handed the phone to her husband.

Stefan grabbed the phone and greeted Keith on the other end.

Keith immediately started to gripe, "Where's that bossy attitude of yours, Stefan? And that petty jealousy? I've been chatting with Lucy for ages, and you're not the least bit sour? You don't snatch the phone away or hang up, leaving me to be teased by Lucy. There goes my brotherly authority."

Stefan was speechless.

If he was domineering and jealous, Keith would call him petty, saying he was even jealous of his own cousin.

If he was generous, Keith would still find fault with him.

He was in a no-win situation, caught in the middle like a sandwich cookie.

Keith still had a few more complaints lined up, but Stefan hung up the phone.

Just as he wished!

"Stefan, Stefan, I wasn't even finished talking, and you hang up on me. Seriously, when I want you to hang up, you don't, and when I don't want you to, you hang up so quickly."

Keith grumbled a bit but didn't call back.

Continuing the conversation would probably drive him mad with frustration from his sister's teasing.

Stuffing his phone back into his pocket, Keith checked himself out in the mirror and found his reflection to be tall, cool, and handsome, just the way he liked. Satisfied, he stepped out of his room.

Keith greeted his grandparents with a casual 'good morning,' and his interaction with them was brief.

"Keith, you're heading out so early?" his grandmother asked with affection.

"Just trying to shake off the lazy vice-president tag Ashley keeps throwing at me. Don't want to give her more reason to compare me unfavorably to Pete," Keith replied nonchalantly.

His grandmother choked on her words.

Pete had been shuffled off to a branch office and his chances of returning to head office were slim.

It was all Keith's doing.

Though it was Nathan who officially made the transfer, everyone in the Blue family knew that Keith had caught Pete in a mistake and insisted on having him removed from Blue Corporation's head office.

Keith was always so unapproachable, without a trace of sibling affection.

"I'm going to check on Dad. He had a bit to drink last night and was a bit tipsy," Keith mentioned before departing.

Even as his grandparents showed him affection, he knew it was all an act.

For years, they'd subtly favored Hayden and Pete, hoping Pete would replace him as the heir. Keith was acutely aware of this.

His strained relationship with his father was partly fueled by his grandmother's meddling.

His grandfather had stayed out of it, but by not intervening, he was complicit... so Keith kept his distance.

Before his sister was found, he was like a lone wolf at Sunnyglade Abbey, surrounded by relatives who might as well have been strangers.

As Keith walked past them and swiftly disappeared, his grandmother sighed to her husband, "Look at your grandson's attitude towards us."

The old man merely murmured, "You reap what you sow."

His wife was left speechless, realizing the truth in his words. Arguing was futile.

Now that they recognized their mistake and wanted to make amends, it all depended on whether their grandson was willing to give them a chance.

Darlene's sister called back twice to ask, worried that Darlene was uncomfortable.

Just as Lucinda came to visit, the servant had an excuse to knock on the door.

The persistent knocking on her door was more than enough to wake her up, and though she felt like cursing, Darlene was known for her gentle demeanor and couldn't give in to anger.

Darlene assured the knocking servant, "Please invite Mrs. Lucinda in, I'll be down shortly."

Wondering why Lucinda would visit when she should be at work, Darlene also worried if Keith had found something out and sent Lucy to probe her.

Sighing inwardly, Darlene realized dealing with someone as sharp as Keith meant constantly being under suspicion.

She couldn't figure out where she slipped up that made Keith suspect she was Darlene.

"Alright, Miss Darlene, are you feeling alright?" the maid asked with genuine concern.

"No, I'm fine. I just got too caught up in that movie marathon last night and went to bed really late. Couldn't wake up this morning. No discomfort at all," Darlene quickly fabricated an excuse.

The maid seemed to buy it but still said with a motherly tone, "Miss Darlene, staying up late can take a toll on your health. Try not to do that again, or your sister will have another reason to lecture you."

"Mhm, I got it. Won't happen next time," Darlene assured her.

Only after the maid turned and descended the stairs did Darlene close the door, leaning against it. She massaged her temples; lack of sleep occasionally brought on these mild headaches.

Right, she needed to check for dark circles.

Darlene hurried to the mirror.

Sure enough, there they were.

These past few days, her nocturnal escapades had seriously disrupted her sleep.

She'd need to apply her makeup skillfully to camouflage the fatigue under her eyes, lest Lucy notice. Lucy had a hawk-like gaze, sharp as a razor blade, and Darlene couldn't afford to be careless.