Faux Vows, True Desires

Darlene chuckled, openly typing a message-not to her sister, but to her right- hand man.

The reply came swiftly.

Keith had pulled the plug on his deal with Cipher Detectives and reclaimed his deposit.

Darlene: Keith's there already? Lucy hasn't even picked him up from the airport.

Keith: I always fly private. Who needs a pick-up?

Darlene: ...She's been had by Lucy!

With Keith having canceled his order and taken back his deposit, he would continue to keep tabs on her if she didn't provide an address for him to deliver the money.

After giving it some thought, Darlene decided she'd meet Keith where it all began -the very place she had saved him from an assassination attempt.

What starts in one place, ends there, she thought.

But it had to wait until nightfall to confront Keith.

Keith always stayed at Ascend Estate when he was in Pinehurst. Was she really going to sneak into Ascend Estate tonight?

The Andersons were different from the Blues. Sure, the Blues had a decent security team and a high-tech system, but their ranks were riddled with disunity, making them vulnerable.

The Andersons, on the other hand, were tight-knit, with a state-of-the-art security system. Each Anderson man was skilled, well, except for the youngest he was the black sheep in terms of brawn.

Breaking into Ascend Estate was going to be a mountain of pressure.

"Ring, ring, ring..."

Lucinda's phone chirped to life.

"It's my brother," she said to Darlene. "He must've arrived."

Darlene gave a knowing smile, signaling for her to take the call, while silently praying Keith wouldn't stay at Ascend Estate-it would make her mission that much easier.

She couldn't eavesdrop on Keith's call, so she kept an eye on Lucinda's expressions, listening to her end of the conversation.

"He's heading to Wye County now? Alright, he's going to see Mom. She'll be thrilled."

Darlene's eyes sparkled with opportunity.

Keith had chosen to visit the Moore family first. The Moores lived in the countryside, a place not as tightly guarded as the Anderson stronghold. Perfect for her nocturnal visit.

The only downside was the distance. This back-and-forth travel meant another sleepless night.

She'd have to turn down Lucy's invitation in the afternoon, catch up on some sleep, and then set out for her night-time escapade-oh, not as a burglar, of course, but to collect her dues.

casually mentioned, "Darlene, my brother's here, but he's gone to see our mom. Looks like

a visit

Lucinda hummed in agreement.

brother was giving Darlene a

he'd finally see through

...

and a brief rest, Owen was

his fresh clothes, hanging them on the door handle, knocked, and reminded him, "Your clothes are on the handle. Don't forget to grab them; you can't shower without changing

always made her fetch his

Owen acknowledged her.

to

back on the couch, waiting for him

bare-chested, with only trousers on, his beard neatly shaved. The hot shower and clean

"Cecilia."

He approached her.

him shirtless, she blinked, stood up, and took the shirt from his hands, ready to help him dress while teasing, "I'm plenty satisfied

your shirt quickly. The air-con's fairly

shirt, Owen caught her hands, his gaze intense, his voice deep and

Cecilia: "..."

those kisses in the

enveloped her in his arms and captured

kiss was simply

Cecilia until she was lost in the sensation, to the point

was full of passion, and Cecilia found herself unable to resist his allure, almost yielding

This emboldened Owen.

senses, she was already lying on the

"Cecilia."

asked earnestly, "Is

all, very respectful of her. Even now,

shower to cool off

a moment of eye contact, Cecilia wrapped

and kissed him

was her unspoken

Owen was ecstatic.

bed and dashed into the

Cecilia sat up, puzzled.

hadn't resisted him, but

What happened?

clothes and

knocking gently, "Owen, what's

silent, leaning against the