Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 511

After a long day, Belinda was exhausted. She took a hot shower, checked her phone, and saw a message from Ike saying he'd made it home safely. Satisfied, she peeked into her sister's room to find her deeply asleep, dreaming away. Only then did she retreat to her own bedroom.

Before long, Belinda too drifted into a peaceful slumber.

What she didn't know was that half an hour after her bedroom lights went out, her seemingly delicate and gentle sister, Darlene, quietly got up, opened her laptop, and started reading an email from John.

When she saw Keith's request, Darlene nearly lost it, almost slamming her desk in frustration.

Keith had asked her to investigate the truth behind Lucy's disappearance twenty- three years ago and gather all related evidence.

"Keith, you're asking the impossible!" Darlene fumed, pacing around the room in anger. "If you and your father couldn't gather all the evidence after all this time, and even with Stefan's assistant enlisting help from the Howard family, the best in the business, what do you expect me to find?"

"Is this a compliment to my skills, or are you just messing with me, Keith?"

Sitting back down at her desk, Darlene checked the detective agency's account and saw a hefty sum deposited, much larger than the last retainer Keith had provided a few million this time.

After cursing Keith for a while, Darlene messaged John, instructing him to politely decline Keith's offer. Despite their agency's reputation in Pinehurst, they weren't invincible. The unsolved mystery involving the Blue family from over two decades ago was beyond her capabilities.

Did Keith think she was Sherlock Holmes reincarnated? Even then, solving this case would be a stretch. So much time had passed, and Elisa, who had taken Lucy, had been dead for as long. Stefan had only managed to prove that Elisa's niece was seeking revenge.

Plus, the Blue family was like a fortress. Everything known about them was what they allowed people to know. Discovering anything else would be nearly impossible unless someone from within the family leaked information.

John soon called back.

Darlene picked up and immediately scolded him, "At this hour, a text would do. Why call? This is a massive headache, and you accepted it? You should've turned it down."

The last time Keith hired her to investigate herself, it was a nightmare. She had to rush to Skywatch, pulling out all stops to sneak into Keith's room and make him terminate the agreement, returning the retainer.

That saved her agency's reputation.

if it happened again, would she have to make another trip to Skywatch to confront Keith? What

she went to Skywatch, Keith would likely figure out

slow. Talking is quicker. Keith didn't give us a chance to refuse. He said if we did, he'd destroy our agency," John explained, trying to justify

He

someone with Keith's influence bother with their small agency? They

it. I'll figure something

mood. You take my place on the job, and make sure it's done well. Get the evidence sorted and hand it to the client so we

"Sure thing."

The request was a headache for him too.

It wasn't feasible; she'd have to abandon the idea. Perhaps

knowing

eyes fluttering open to

reaching out to touch Stefan's face. "It's rare to open my

he was up

out her

making her a special breakfast Every

sho

enveloped in his love

happy and

s

have to work or attend any meetings now.

Stefan sat up, helping

rise.

back under the covers after feeling the chill. "Honey, it's months away from

the

mornings are so cold you don't want to leave

between north and south. Even in