Faux Vows, True Desires novel Chapter 538

"Don't forget who we are to each other," Stefan muttered to himself, deciding it wasn't worth getting into a back-and-forth with Owen today. Owen was acting a bit mad, and engaging with him would mean losing his peace for the day.

Lucinda chuckled, "You and Owen are like a classic pair of bickering buddies."

"Honey, that's quite a statement. I remember you also said Owen and Cecilia were like that."

"Alright, I did say that. They did start off as rivals, couldn't even have a civil conversation when they met. I even thought of writing a new book with them as the leads, but I never got around to it."

Her current book series had unexpectedly taken off, with publishers and editors urging her to keep it going. They had no idea she was now a billionaire's wife and the daughter of another wealthy mogul.

In the past, not writing meant worrying about rent. Now, not writing would mean inheriting a fortune. Since she was encouraged to continue, she decided to at least meet the minimum daily word count for her readers' sake, giving them a proper ending to the story.

"When you have the time, you can write again. But treat it as a hobby, don't push yourself like before," Stefan advised, supportive of her writing but conscious of her well-being.

"With all the chaos around here, even hitting the daily minimum word count is a headache."

Writing required peace and quiet, and Sunnyglade Abbey was far from that. The place was buzzing with activity, and everyone warned her about the Blue family dynamics—the men clashing outside, the women at home. It was a never-ending drama.

Stefan pulled her closer, whispering, "It'll get better."

Lucinda leaned her head on his shoulder, both gazing at the distant horizon. Stefan's long legs lazily pushed the porch swing back and forth, enveloping them in a serene moment of tranquility.

The Blue family estate was different from Sunnyglade Abbey—peaceful, free of intrusions and internal conflicts. Lucinda preferred it this way.

Janice stood a short distance away, watching her daughter and son-in-law with a blessing in her eyes. She remembered her own days of bliss with Nathan, once filled with love and happiness. But those were distant memories now.

She sighed, choosing not to dwell on the past. Thinking too much about it deepened her resentment and sometimes gave her migraines, like that day she fainted and scared everyone who cared for her.

Her children were grown, her daughter and son-in-law were happy, and she had little to worry about. Once Nathan divided his estate as promised, she planned to move to Pinehurst with her daughter, where the Anderson family atmosphere was calm and inviting.

Even though his relationship with his father was strained, his dad never shortchanged him materially. Consequently, every penny of his allowance was tucked away safely in savings.

The children from the second and third branches of the family also received allowances, but they figured as Blue family heirs, money was the least of their concerns. Saving was out of the question; often, they found themselves short and had to ask their parents for more.

Take Pete, for instance. He was just six months younger than Keith and only started accumulating any personal savings after he began working at Blue Corporation.

Pete might have shown promise at Blue Corporation, even coming close to rivaling Keith at times, but his luck outside the company was abysmal. Every investment he made ended disastrously, forcing him to turn to real estate as a safer bet, hoping to make some money when the property values appreciated.

Keith had his suspicions that Pete's consistent failures in investments were due to some behind-the-scenes meddling by his father. Of course, Keith himself had also been subtly intervening, ensuring Pete didn’t amass too many assets outside.

What Keith wanted was for the children of the second and third branches to be left with nothing when they were eventually ousted from Sunnyglade Abbey.

That was the only way to satisfy his simmering resentment!