Faux Vows, True Desires novel Chapter 483

Owen wrapped his arm around her shoulder, gently pulling her into his embrace. Their romance was no longer a secret, and with a successful proposal, they were now engaged in the eyes of others, allowing Owen to hug her without any reservations. Ah, bliss!

"Sometimes, when parents bring up their kids' love lives, they're not really pushing for marriage. They're just trying to find a way to connect with their children."

"As kids, we cling to our parents. But as we grow up, we pull away, thinking we have nothing in common. As parents age, they crave their children's company all the more."

"They look for any excuse to chat, especially folks like the Blue family. Mr. Blue and his son Keith don't see eye to eye, and I bet Mr. Blue doesn't know how to bridge the gap, so he uses marriage as a conversation starter. With Keith single, it's the perfect topic."

Owen continued, "But I think Mr. Blue chose poorly. It's a topic that's dead on arrival and just makes things more awkward."

He knew the pain of being forced into something; his grandfather had tried to split him from Ruby and pushed him to marry Cecilia. It was no pleasant feeling.

With Keith not even dating, Nathan bringing up marriage would only pressure him, worsening their strained relationship.

Cecilia looked up at him. Owen chuckled as she gazed at him with unfamiliar eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that, as if we haven't met?"

Holding the bouquet in one hand and reaching up to touch his face with the other, Cecilia admired him, "Owen, the more I'm with you, the more impressed I am. I've truly struck gold."

Leaning in, foreheads touching, Owen flirted, "Since you think I'm a treasure, you better keep me safe, so no one else snatches me away."

"I firmly believe that it takes two to tango. If you're not interested in others and devoted to me, who can take you away? Even if I sold you, you'd count the money and sneak right back to me, ready to be 'sold' over and over."

Owen was speechless. She had him with that selling joke.

"As they say, if love can be stolen, it wasn't true love. Unless I was like Ruby, if you were taken by someone else, it'd be on me, and I wouldn't blame you."

Owen did truly love Ruby. But Ruby had no love for Owen. Regrets came too late.

Cecilia's charm had captivated Owen—haha, she had successfully attracted a fine man, and she felt a sense of accomplishment.

Seeing Owen at a loss for words, Cecilia wrapped an arm around him and chuckled, "Don't worry. Now that I've accepted your proposal, once we're married, you're mine, Cecilia's man. Unless I let you go, nobody can steal you."

"If anyone dares to compete with me for my man, I'll make sure they're picking up their teeth off the floor." She playfully brandished her fist, bringing a laugh from Owen.

He was glad she cared. His persistence wasn't in vain. The driver, responsible for their safety, drove silently, pretending to be deaf to Sir and Madam's sweet nothings.

Sir was finally finding his happiness, and those in his service would share in the good times.

Keith watched her, and though she pretended not to notice, her sister Belinda caught his gaze several times, growing suspicious. Belinda and her beau Ike were an item everyone knew about. Keith wasn't looking at Belinda—that much was clear.

Her repeated eye contact with Keith could only mean one thing: her sister had captured his attention.

"What's wrong, sis?" asked Darlene, puzzled by her sister's tug.

Belinda had some serious thinking to do. "I swear, Keith seemed to give you the eye more than once. Could he be into you?" Belinda whispered with a calm that was almost eerie, but Darlene knew better. Her sister was on high alert, guarding Darlene from Keith as if he were some sort of Big Bad Wolf.

Belinda took Darlene's future seriously, and in her book, the Blue clan was no Prince Charming's castle.

Honestly, Darlene hadn't given it much thought. After all, she and Keith were barely acquaintances.

"Sis, you're reading too much into it. Keith doesn't care for the company of any woman besides family. Look around, with all these people here, he's still cocooned by his bodyguards. What chance does any girl have to even strike up a conversation with him?"

"He probably just glanced this way by chance, and you figured he was looking at me."

She still remembered how Keith treated her when she was out shopping with Lucy and her daughter. Darlene didn't think for a second that Keith would be interested in her. If anything, she was worried that Keith would see through her, peel away her facade.