Faux Vows, True Desires novel Chapter 544

Her attitude pleased the old lady, but Kayla and Ashley couldn't help but silently grumble, thinking Lucinda was just buttering her up.

Lucinda quipped, "At least I can butter her up; you two can't even manage that!"

The two ladies exchanged a glance but remained silent.

"Your brother's nearly twenty-five, and since you twins were born on the same day, you've been married for over six months now, yet your brother doesn't even have a girlfriend. Grandma's worried about him, though he might not appreciate it. As for your mother, well, let's not go there. So, I'm counting on you."

"Even if your brother has some misunderstandings with me, he's my first grandson, and there's no way I wouldn't love him. I'm just concerned about his future, you know."

"Lucy, when you talk to your brother, tell him at the party next Saturday to ease up a bit. His bodyguards don't need to be so strict, keeping women more than ten feet away."

Lucinda chuckled, "Grandma, my brother's not in a rush."

Her brother already had someone in mind.

The old woman wanted to meddle in her brother’s love life? No chance.

Even if her brother didn’t have someone, Lucinda wouldn’t help scheme against him.

The party would be hosting the elite of Skywatch, making it a high-security event, but for her brother, it might just be the least secure time.

With so many people, things could get chaotic.

Given her brother's status and looks, if he didn't have bodyguards, who knows what those bold women might try?

After the incident with Madeleine, Lucinda wouldn’t risk her brother's safety.

"My brother's young and says he won't consider marriage until after thirty."

"But he doesn't even have a girlfriend."

"Grandma, these things are about timing. My brother's love hasn't come yet. We can't rush it. When it does, he won't need any pushing to get married and start a family."

The old lady paused and then said, "Lucy, you really aren’t going to help me with this. I just wish he had someone who cared for him."

"It's not that, Grandma. His problems are my problems. I'll talk to him, but I can't promise he'll listen."

This seemed to ease the old lady's expression, "Your brother cares about you. If you speak, he'll at least hear you out."

Lucinda thought to herself, she did want a sister-in-law, just not the one Grandma had in mind.

Besides, her brother's marriage wasn't up to her. What she could do was help him confirm if Darlene was indeed the masked woman.

Meanwhile, in Pinehurst, Darlene sneezed several times.

She grabbed a tissue, rubbed her nose, and thought to herself, who's bad-mouthing me?

"Ms. Darlene, is the air conditioning too cold?" a concerned store clerk asked.

Without waiting for a reply, she adjusted the thermostat a couple of degrees higher.

Darlene offered a warm smile, saying nothing more.

The clerk sighed inwardly: If only she were a man, she'd definitely pursue Ms. Darlene. She was so beautiful and kind.

Darlene checked the time and glanced at the register, "Cecilia's not coming today, is she?"

Outside, the sun was setting, nudging the day toward dinner time.

Cecilia looked at Owen, indicating she would follow his lead. If he wanted to head back together, she was ready to go with him.

Being the Martinez family’s daughter-in-law again, and this time willingly, she felt ready to face everything.

Owen smiled, "Mom, we’re not going back to the old house tonight. I’m taking Cecilia to our home at the Golden Phoenix Villas. It’s closer to her shop, so it’ll be convenient for her."

Olina smiled knowingly, "That's a good idea."

Everyone knew Owen wanted to spend some alone time with his new wife, and that was perfectly understandable.

Mr. Martinez added, "Staying there is fine. Just come back home for dinner with Grandpa on the weekends."

He looked warmly at Cecilia and said, "Cecilia, the new car Owen bought you last time is all yours now. You're married, and there's no need to draw lines over what's his and what's yours. Not accepting the car he got you would just be too formal. Plus, having a car would make your commute to work much easier."

He didn't bring up the whole "no working after marriage" thing.

Now, if it were up to Olina, she'd probably prefer her daughter-in-law to stay home rather than be out in the world. After all, the Martinez family was one of the top families in Pinehurst, and traditionally, the Martinez ladies didn’t need to work.

But since the old man had spoken, no one dared to bring up the topic of quitting work after getting hitched.

As for Owen, he was just thrilled to have won over his beautiful bride. Forget about stopping Cecilia from pursuing her career; even if she wanted to climb onto the roof, he'd be there with a ladder to help her up. There's no way he'd stand in the way of her doing what she loves.

Unless, of course, Cecilia decided she wanted to go to a male strip club. That might be a different story.

But then again, he figured he had a better physique and was better looking than any dancer there, so why would she need to look elsewhere?

Cecilia just rolled her eyes.