Faux Vows, True Desires

Growing up, Keith narrowly escaped being poisoned several times. He was too young to remember any of it, but Shirley filled in the gaps of his memory. Loyal nannies had taken the brunt for him, and though they were saved each time, the fear lingered, casting a shadow of vigilance over Keith's life.

Darlene sipped some warm tap water before standing and following Keith to the kitchen doorway, hands shoved in her pockets. She watched him open the fridge and retrieve some ingredients. "What are you planning to whip up?" she asked casually.

"You've come all this way, and you must be starving. Making a feast would take too long for your empty stomach. How about I fix you some spaghetti for a midnight snack?"

Darlene chuckled. "Good call. I can't really wait around."

She needed to get back to Pinehurst before dawn to avoid her sister's prying eyes.

This clandestine visit was not without its troubles.

"You're a decent cook then?"

"Decent enough. I mean, no one's ever called my cooking 'a culinary disaster,' if that's what you're asking."

Keith filled a pot with water, set it to boil, and then added the spaghetti.

Meanwhile, he prepared some sliced meat, veggies, and chopped scallions, planning to serve Darlene a hearty spaghetti with meat sauce.

"I like my spaghetti with a fried egg on top," she said.

"Sure thing."

After prepping the meat, veggies, and scallions, hearing Darlene's preference for a fried egg, Keith quickly retrieved two eggs from the fridge and began to fry them up. While Keith had the fridge open, Darlene noticed it was well-stocked and commented, "Do you make yourself a late-night snack every evening?"

"Only if I'm hungry, but I rarely have spaghetti."

Usually, it was his bodyguards who used his kitchen to make themselves a spaghetti snack.

A few of them had a particular fondness for it.

"I can hardly believe that as the heir to the Blue family, you live like this, such a hard life," Darlene mused with a hint of sympathy.

Keith was the heir to the Blue family, seemingly living a life of luxury, but in reality, his existence was no better than that of an ordinary person.

The Blue family was large, and with size came complexity-jealousy, ambition, and scheming were rife.

For personal gain, some people would stop at nothing.

Darlene thought of her own family, the Bishops. Her sister had endured so much to protect their estate and rebuild the Bishop Group that Darlene could empathize with Keith's situation.

The schemers trying to take over the Bishop Group weren't as ruthless as those in the Blue family, where things could escalate to life-threatening heights.

Being born into an elite family and witnessing countless inheritance battles among the elite, Darlene thought it was the Andersons who inspired envy and respect.

The Andersons raised competent descendants, each striving to carve out their own success without relying on the family business. Yet, they couldn't avoid sharing the burden of the family enterprise. Stefan, who took his mother's surname, was meant to run the Coleman Group, but his younger brother refused to take over Ascend Global, and the line of cousins was equally reluctant to step up. Stefan, the eldest, bearing his mother's name, reluctantly shouldered the responsibility, knowing he was the preordained successor since he was raised by his grandparents.

Keith remained silent.

Before finding Lucinda, he thought all wealthy families were like the Blues.

It was only after Lucinda came back into his life, bringing a brother-in-law into the fold, that Keith realized there were outliers like the Andersons. Meeting Frederick and Jeannie he was given a new perspective on the world of the elite.

"Word is, you spent a small fortune to have me investigated," Darlene broached the subject at hand.

Keith hummed in acknowledgment. "Last time, thanks to your help, I escaped danger. You saved my life, but I didn't even know your name to repay you. I don't like owing favors, so I wanted to find you and express my gratitude."

Darlene intended to ask why he had people watching her, but she swallowed her words. To ask would be to admit she was Darlene.

Her visit tonight was a calculated move.

Only by revealing herself and accepting Keith's thanks would he stop having her agency search for her. Then she could return his deposit and maintain her agency's reputation.

But she wasn't ready to admit she was Darlene.

"It was nothing, really. I'm honored that you'd remember such a small gesture."

Keith glanced at her, then turned back to finish preparing the meal. He added the prepared ingredients into the simmering sauce.

"I insist on not owing favors," he said. "It may have been a small gesture to you, but to me, it was a life-saving grace. I won't rest easy until I've properly thanked you, miss. May I know your name?"

After a moment of silence, Darlene

replied, "May decline? My line of work comes with its own dangers. To protect myself, I've always worn

a mask, and I'd rather not inarne

my

family. I'm hesitant to reveal even my last name for fear of being tracked down."

"I'm tight-lipped when it comes to confidentiality. Besides, you are my lifesaver. I would never expose your identity or put you in harm's way."

Keith served Darlene a bowl of

spaghetti with meat sauce, topped it with the fried egg, and carried it to the small dining room adjacent to the kitchen. Darlene followed without ceremony, taking a seat at the table as he returned to the Kitchen for another bowl of spaghetti for himself.

Darlene eyed the heaping bowl of spaghetti before her, laden with generous strips of steak, and couldn't help but muse to herself. Don't judge a book by its cover. Keith, for all his icy exterior, was a considerate soul.

"If you're not inclined to share your full name, perhaps you'd grace me by lifting that mask to reveal the face of my benefactor?"

Darlene stayed silent.

She started to dig into her meal.

It was because she was genuinely famished.

Keith watched her tuck in and decided not to press further. The two of them ate in companionable silence. Perhaps it was the company, but Keith found himself thinking the pasta he had whipped up was particularly delicious this evening.

Once the growls of their stomachs had been quelled, Keith stood up to gather the dishes and headed to the sink to wash up.

Darlene let him do his thing; after all, as a guest in his home, it was his prerogative not to have her wash up. It was part of his hospitality.

"Keith, you've got a grateful heart, and I reckon you wouldn't want to put anyone on the spot," she remarked.

At her words, Keith paused mid-scrub and turned to glance at Darlene for a moment before resuming his task. "Well then, let's pretend I never asked," he replied.

Darlene breathed a sigh of relief.

Keith figured, if this masked woman had managed to find him and sneak into his quarters undetected, she must be quite skilled. He didn't want to sour relations with her. Maybe they would cross paths again in the future.