Faux Vows, True Desires

As the heir to the illustrious Blue family fortune, he was considered a leftover bachelor by his sister!

"Is Stefan around?" Keith inquired.

"Yes, he is. You looking for him? Hold on, I'll get him for the phone."

Lucinda promptly handed the phone to her husband.

Stefan grabbed the phone and greeted Keith on the other end.

Keith immediately started to gripe, "Where's that bossy attitude of yours, Stefan? And that petty jealousy? I've been chatting with Lucy for ages, and you're not the least bit sour? You don't snatch the phone away or hang up, leaving me to be teased by Lucy. There goes my brotherly authority."

Stefan was speechless.

If he was domineering and jealous, Keith would call him petty, saying he was even jealous of his own cousin.

If he was generous, Keith would still find fault with him.

He was in a no-win situation, caught in the middle like a sandwich cookie.

Keith still had a few more complaints lined up, but Stefan hung up the phone.

Just as he wished!

"Stefan, Stefan, I wasn't even finished talking, and you hang up on me. Seriously, when I want you to hang up, you don't, and when I don't want you to, you hang up so quickly." Keith grumbled a bit but didn't call back.

Continuing the conversation would probably drive him mad with frustration from his sister's teasing.

Stuffing his phone back into his pocket, Keith checked himself out in the mirror and found his reflection to be tall, cool, and handsome, just the way he liked. Satisfied, he stepped out of his room. Keith greeted his grandparents with a casual 'good morning,' and his interaction with them was brief.

"Keith, you're heading out so early?" his grandmother asked with affection.

off the lazy vice-president tag Ashley keeps throwing at me. Don't want to give her more reason to compare me unfavorably to Pete," Keith replied nonchalantly. His grandmother

off to a branch office and

was all Keith's

it was Nathan who officially made the transfer, everyone in the Blue family knew that Keith had caught Pete in a mistake and insisted on having him

drink last night and was

his grandparents showed him affection, he knew it was

would replace him as the heir.

was partly fueled by

grandfather had stayed out of it, but by not intervening, he was complicit... so Keith kept

he was like a lone wolf at Sunnyglade Abbey, surrounded by relatives who

disappeared, his grandmother sighed to her husband, "Look at your grandson's

left speechless, realizing the

all depended on whether their

had locked

door, he saw his father still in deep slumber, clinging tightly to the pillow

his father's grip was unyielding even in sleep, and it

hugging her pillow doesn't count,"

note for his father instead of waking him, stating he was flying

of the Blue Corporation would wait on

added. [Take care of yourself.] It was his

and leaving the house, Keith boarded the private jet arranged for him, ready to fly to Pinehurst and deliver a financial gift to the lifesaver who had once helped him. Meanwhile, in Pinehurst, Lucinda had just resigned from her job and was paying a visit to the Bishop family for the

had moved out, leaving only a few servants and the still-sleeping

meet Keith the previous night, had rushed back

and fallen

on the door. Darlene really wanted to curse, but she always showed her good temper and gentleness and could

get up and open the

Ms. Lucinda

servant who came to knock on the door

always liked to cook breakfast for her sister,