Faux Vows, True Desires novel 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.

But if it happened again, would she have to make another trip to Skywatch to confront Keith? What excuse could she use this time?

Darlene realized that if she went to Skywatch, Keith would likely figure out she was the hidden boss of Cipher Detectives.

"Boss, typing is too 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 his actions.

"Keith's a ruthless guy. He means what he says."

John suspected his boss had somehow offended Keith, leading to this relentless trouble. Otherwise, why would someone with Keith's influence bother with their small agency? They were no match for the Blue family.

"Alright, I got it. I'll figure something out."

Darlene, still upset, hesitated before saying, "John, I was supposed to handle something tonight, but now I’m not in the 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 can get paid."

"Sure thing."

John knew his boss was seriously ticked off by Keith. The request was a headache for him too. But, ultimately, the agency was Darlene's, and she had to deal with the hard stuff.

Watching him go through his daily routine, she felt a warm glow inside.

"How about we take a walk and soak in the fresh morning air? If you feel too chilly, I can go by myself. Dad and my brother are probably up by now," she suggested.

The Blue family's men were always busy with work.

It wasn't easy for them to just pause everything and stay home with Lucy like he did.

"I'll go with you," she decided.

Lucinda hated the cold, but she got up anyway.

After changing into some warmer clothes and throwing on a thick coat, she immediately felt much cozier.

"Honey, when do you think it will start snowing in Skywatch?" she asked.

"Probably in about a month or so. Winters in Skywatch are pretty snowy. Once it snows, it'll get even colder, and I bet you'll be all snuggled up inside, not wanting to venture out," he replied with a smile.

They had central heating inside, but outside was a different story. For someone like Lucinda, used to the milder climate of Pinehurst, the harsh cold was no joke.

She shivered a bit, recalling how some college friends from out of town used to say that snow itself wasn't so bad, but it was the melting snow that really chilled you to the bone.

Stefan wrapped his arm around his cold-sensitive wife as they headed out. Even as they stepped outside, he kept saying, "Maybe you should just stay inside where it's warm. No need to freeze out here with me."