Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 465

Staring at the ruffian hanging around Cecilia and that woman with the surname West—oh, it was certainly a pseudonym—they were just petty crooks on Kris's payroll, clueless about who Kris's actual contact was

Cecilia's expression shifted, her grip on Lucinda’s hand suddenly firm. "Lucy, you don't think Mr. Malicious is in trouble, do you?”

Lucinda quickly reassured her, "No way, Mr. Malicious loves to showboat. The only time he doesn't want a crowd is when he’s with you, to avoid a third wheel. Otherwise, he's always surrounded by a squad of bodyguards."

"His status and his clout mean the Porter family wouldn't dare hurt him directly. If Madeleine's peeved with him, she'd go after you to make him regret it, rather than confront him head-on.”

"But why hasn't he come around in days? He's usually like clingfilm, practically stuck to me 24/7. If he's not here, he's definitely up to something risky behind my back."

Lucinda was at a loss for words.

She truly had no idea what Owen had been up to these past few days. "If you're that worried, why not call him now and see what he's doing?” Cecilia immediately dialed Owen's number.

It took him a while to pick up.

"Mr. Malicious, what are you busy with?"

Owen chuckled, "Cecilia, when did I become Mr. Malicious again? I was just getting some shut-eye when your call woke me. It's been days since I've had a good night's sleep, I'm beat."

"What's been keeping you so busy that you can't even sleep right?”

Cecilia's voice softened unconsciously.

Lucinda stood up and walked away.

She took a seat across from Darlene.

Upon seeing her approach, Darlene set down the coffee she’d been nursing and gazed at Lucinda with tender eyes. "Darlene."

"Mhm."

Even her voice was soft, like a gentle spring breeze.

Lucinda really loved hearing Darlene talk; it was so soothing, it almost lulled her to sleep. She never knew a woman could be this tender. even more so than her own mother. "You're truly beautiful!”

Darlene’s smile was as warm as the first days of spring. She was naturally stunning, but in Lucinda's eyes, she was breathtakingly beautiful Watching her smile, Lucinda was mesmerized, her hands reaching out to gently cup Darlene's face, “Darlene, stop smiling, or I'll fall at your feet and end up fighting your future husband for you."

She was dead set on playing matchmaker for Darlene and her brother, even if it meant competing for Darlene’s affections. "Lucy, you're not half bad yourself, quite the looker.”

Darlene gently removed Lucinda's hands.

Lucinda caught hold of her hand again, caressing it with gentle, greedy strokes as if admiring a precious gem.

Such delicate and soft hands didn't seem like they belonged to a trained fighter.

Word had it that fighters had strong grips and rough, calloused hands, but Darlene’s were smooth, slender, and well-maintained, betraying no signs of her skill

Darlene’s eyes twinkled with amusement, "Lucy. I'd be afraid Mr. Coleman might show up and see you like this—he'd probably chop off my hands." "Don't worry, if he did, I'd keep your hands safe for you, admire them every day."Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Darlene was speechless

"Uh, I mean, I wouldn't let Stefan lay a finger on you."

Lucinda retracted her hands sheepishly, realizing she'd been a bit too forward

"Darlene, you seem preoccupied. You were staring out the window earlier: lost in thought. perhaps?"

Darlene offered a smile, "Not really, I just enjoy quietly watching people. Sometimes. I like to paint what I see when I get home.”

‘I heard from my brother that you love painting-Your work must be amazing. My-other brother is quite the artist Poo. He once painted a git who helpéd him out a lot, even — thoughhe didn't know what she’ looked like. Based on a brief encounter, he managed te.capture her likeness as if it were'@ photograph."

In front of Darlene, Lucinda praised her brother without embellishing his talents. He was truly outstanding in many ways, just seemingly indifferent to women Thank goodness, he showed no interest in men either.

Probably just hadn't met the right person yet.

Darlene’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, "Really? I would never have guessed someone as stoic as your brother could paint so well. Maybe one day I could learn a thing or two from him.”

“Of course, you can ask Keith about anything. I'll make the arrangements."

Darlene laughed, "Keith is extremely busy, and with him in Skywatch, it's better not to bother him. I paint to pass the time, and Keith's time is as precious as gold. I'd feel terrible for taking even a minute of it."

"By the way, Lucy, after your brother painted that girl, did he try to find her? I'm just being nosy. A girl whe could get such a cold man to paint her must be someone special.”

Darlene put on a gossipy face.

"My brother togk Mr. Martinez's advice and hired Cipher Detectives to find her, But there's been no word. yet. Mr. Martinez said the agency was good, but from what I seec™ theyre not that impressive—it's been socteng and they haven't given my bféther any leads." to

Darlene was taken aback.

Her skills were being questioned!

“You know, after I saw the portrait my brother painted, I thought the mysterious lady looked a bit familiar. Maybe I've seen her before.” Darlene was silent.

It hadn't been long since she and Lucy had become acquainted, yet Lucy could recognize her from a painting?

"Do you remember who she is?"

Darlene continued her inquisitive probing.

While Lucinda spoke, she kept an eye on Darlene's expression. Seeing that Darlene remained composed and gossipy, Lucinda couldn't help but wonder: Was Darlene's poker face that good, or had she suspected the wrong person?

"I just can't remember, darn it. If my memory servéd me right, Keith wouldn't have had to shell out big bucks to hire Cipher Detectives to. help findMt. He spent a fortune, just the dgwn payment was tens of ' thousands, and for what? Cipher Detéctives seem to just take the cash without delivering results. I'm starting to think their reputation is all smoke and mirrors."

Darlene remained silent, pondering.

She had a strategy of pricing that could be best described as ‘sizing up the customer.’ The case with Keith, it was her associates who took it on. Had it been up to her, she definitely would've passed on Keith's offer.

Plus, the hefty down payment was something Keith insisted on.

Her team mentioned that Keith came in, placed the order, and slapped down the cash without giving them a chance to decline, let alone haggle over the price.

In short, Keith had that high-handed CEO vibe down to an art.

"Darlene, have you ever heard of Cipher Detectives? I'm seriously beginning to think their fame is just bought, or maybe it's all a facade, a con to make people believe they're the real deal."