Faux Vows, True Desires novel Chapter 541

Lucinda smiled gently, noticing her brother's bemused expression. She laughed, "Keith, you should really take a page from Stefan's book."

Keith looked at his brother-in-law, who was smiling back at him as if to say, "Everyone should learn from me when it comes to doting on their wife."

After a moment, Keith chuckled, "Mom, you’re already predicting my divorce when I don't even have a girlfriend yet. Maybe I'll just stay single to avoid the heartbreak of divorce, not to mention the complications if there are kids involved."

Janice, his mother, replied calmly, "You know what needs to change. If you don’t shift your mindset and continue following your elders’ footsteps, you’ll never marry the woman you truly desire."

Keith opened his mouth to retort, but found himself speechless.

His mother's words were loaded with implication, and he couldn't help but think about the enigmatic masked woman who intrigued him. He didn't even know her name, but there was no denying his attraction to her.

At almost twenty-five, it was the first time Keith felt drawn to a woman. He wasn’t naive; he knew the attraction was risky, yet he didn’t want to suppress it, allowing it to flourish freely.

Judging by her demeanor, the masked woman didn’t seem like someone who would settle into a quiet, domestic life.

"Oh, I forgot. I still need to paint something for my brother. I’ll ask the butler if there are any painting supplies around here."

Both his mother and sister were subtly hinting at something.

"The way Stefan treats Lucy, I’ve seen it firsthand. I could definitely learn a thing or two."

Finally, Keith admitted defeat.

Stefan added, "Honestly, you don’t need to learn anything. If you truly love someone, you’ll naturally want to do everything for them, make them happy, and give them the world."

This is the essence of love.

If a husband isn’t treating his wife well enough, perhaps he doesn’t love her enough. And if he doesn’t treat her well at all, then it’s likely there’s no love at all.

When you truly love someone, you'd bring down the stars from the sky if you could just to make them smile.

Just then, Lucinda’s phone started ringing.

She pulled it out and saw an unfamiliar number from Skywatch. With a puzzled look, she handed the phone to her brother. "Keith, do you recognize this number?"

Keith glanced at it, his expression neutral. "It's our grandmother's."

"Grandma's?"

Lucinda hadn’t memorized her grandmother’s number. Having just returned a few days ago, she only remembered the numbers of her father and brother; she hadn't made the effort to learn anyone else’s, and they hadn't given them to her either.

Lucinda answered the call.

"Lucy."

Her grandmother’s voice was loud at first, but quickly softened, though Lucinda could tell she was restraining her anger.

"Grandma."

Playing dumb, Lucinda pretended not to notice her grandmother's restrained fury and replied sweetly.

"Where are you now?"

"I'm out and about. What's up, Grandma? Miss me? I’ll be home soon."

Her grandmother chuckled at Lucinda's cheekiness. "Yes, I miss you. Come back early; I have something to discuss with you."

"Is it about the party?"

"Yes, it's about the invitations. We need to get those sorted. Come back soon, don’t stay out too late."

"Alright, I’ll head back soon and bring you a little something. What do you like?"

"Great, could you prepare some suitable for an elderly lady? I’d like to take them with me."

"Of course, Miss. Please wait a moment."

The butler went off to gather the supplements.

Soon, he returned with an assortment suitable for seniors. Lucinda picked out a few, placed them in a bag, and instructed the butler, "Mom's still resting, so don’t disturb her. Let her know Stefan and I have gone back to the manor and that we’ll join her for dinner tonight."

"While we're away, make sure to keep an eye on Mom. Nothing should happen to her."

If it weren't for her mother’s distaste for returning to Sunnyglade Abbey and the fact that she was still resting, Lucinda would have taken her along.

To Lucinda, Skywatch was like a den of vipers, and she worried about her gentle mother.

"Don’t worry, Miss. We’ll make sure she’s safe."

Still uneasy, Lucinda called her cousin Hayes. Learning he was at home, she asked him to come over, ostensibly as a guest, but really to keep her mother company and ensure her safety.

Since Hayes had returned with them to Skywatch, he had been neck-deep in company affairs. After several days of non-stop work, he finally had a moment to breathe.

When Lucinda called to invite him over, he was more than happy to accept.

He got the address for the Blue family's country house and drove over.

Lucinda and her husband waited for Hayes to arrive before they headed off to Sunnyglade Abbey with the gift basket in tow.

On the way, Lucinda mentioned, "Honey, I said I’d get you a new car. We should set aside some time to go car shopping."

Even though they usually had a driver to chauffeur them around, she preferred the personal touch of riding in a car driven by her husband.

Of course, if Stefan felt like driving her car, she was more than willing to be his personal chauffeur for the day.