Faux Vows, True Desires
Chapter 394

Stefan cast a sidelong glance at her. Truth be told, he wished they could get married sooner.

But the Blue family wasn't ready.

Lucinda hadn't officially rejoined the Blue family, and so, the wedding plans were put on hold.

However, he had asked his grandmother to check the calendar. There were no auspicious dates suitable for him and Lucy to tie the knot this year.

He didn't believe in fortune-telling, but marriage was a lifetime commitment. He wanted to choose the best day for it.

"I really don't mind."

Lucinda rested her head on his shoulder and whispered, "Darling, let's take a walk."

"Okay."

The young couple slipped away.

They strolled down the mountain path while the workers at the foot of the mountain were still bustling around.

"What was your brother's reaction after meeting Ms. Darlene?"

Stefan asked concernedly.

Lucinda was playing matchmaker for her two brothers, and the girls she had picked were the Belinda sisters. She had a good eye for this.

When Lucinda mentioned this, she sighed heavily, "Darlene is incredibly beautiful and has a great personality. I'm a woman, and even I can't help but admire her. However, my brother just looks up at the sky or gazes around, showing no particular interest in Darlene. He even glared at Darlene a few times. It's only because Darlene is brave that she wasn't scared off by his icy demeanor."

Stefan chuckled, "Don't worry. Your brother probably isn't thinking about marriage right now. Give it time. They might hit it off. If they're not a good match, we can arrange someone else for your brother." "My brother is so tired."

Lucinda felt sorry for her brother.

"Dad's even more tired. Today, while you all were out shopping, I had a long talk with him."

Stefan shared the details of his conversation with his father-in-law.

Upon hearing this, Lucinda's face fell. After a while, she said, "My mom can't completely ignore my dad. They used to be deeply in love, and they have Keith and me. But my mom can't let go of the past. Even though my dad had his reasons, two decades of neglect are hard to forget overnight."

"Stefan, aren't you planning to invest in Skywatch?"

"Yeah."

"I want to go back there sooner."

After a moment of silence, Stefan said, "Okay. Give me two months."

"Darling, thank you."

"We're a couple, your matters are mine. You don't need to thank me like this."

Lucinda wasn't just being polite. She was truly grateful for his support. If she hadn't met him, she would never have found her biological parents, let alone rejoin the Blue family.

"When I bought clothes for my dad, my mom picked them out. She still remembers his size. She mumbled that my dad's body shape has remained the same over two decades."

"We don't need to force mom to forgive dad. When the time is right, we'll let them spend time together. They need to solve their own problems. We can only offer guidance. After all, they are your parents. It's a tough situation for both of them."

Lucinda nodded.

She knew her father had been through a lot and she felt bad for him. She wished she could forgive him on her mother's behalf.

But she also knew that she couldn't take her mother's place to forgive her father.

The only thing she could do was to return to the Blue family as soon as possible, help her father take control of the situation, and hope that he could spend the rest of his life seeking forgiveness from her mother.

In Skywatch, at the Porter family's home.

Mrs. Porter stood outside her daughter's room with dinner in her hands. She knocked on the door and called out, "Madeleine, please open the door. I've made your favorite dishes. Let me in, you haven't eaten for days."

"Madeleine, I know you're hurting. I'm hurting too. It's my fault. I shouldn't have made the love potion."

Mrs. Porter's eyes welled up.

Her husband blamed her, and she blamed herself.

Madeleine didn't respond to her mother's call.

She lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. When she thought about what had happened, and how she had never been so humiliated, tears streamed down her face. She was filled with hatred. It was all Hayden's fault!

He knew she was in love with Nathan. He knew she had been manipulated. Yet, Hayden took advantage of her.

He could've knocked her unconscious and sent her home!

She couldn't stand the thought of Hayden trying to replace Nathan as the head of the Blue family and inherit Nathan's billion-dollar fortune.

As long as she, Madeleine, was around, she wouldn't let Hayden succeed.

She hated Hayden for taking advantage of her and ruining her reputation, making it impossible for her to marry Nathan. She vowed to fight him to the end!

These past few days, Madeleine had been filled with hatred for Hayden. She wanted to tell Nathan everything she knew. But considering the implications for the Porter family, and the shady things she had done herself, she held back.

When she thought of Nathan, Madeleine's tears fell even harder.

She had been fasting for several days. Nathan would come to see her every day, but he didn't coax her into opening the door. He would stand outside her room for a while, then say he had work to do and leave.

Madeleine knew that Nathan was repulsed by her. He was disgusted by the fact that she had slept with his brother.

The man she had loved since her teens.

Just when they were about to be together, this happened.

How could she not loathe? How could she not hold a grudge?

Madeleine didn't hate Nathan, it was Hayden she despised.

Not just Nathan, she hated everyone in the Blue family. That day, she had been humiliated in the Blue family's home, especially with Ashley, the ally she used to have. She had dragged her out of the room in a disheveled state, letting all the servants see her disgrace.

She loathed them to death!

She would never let them off easily!

"Madeleine, please open the door, will you? At least have some food, if you keep this up, it will kill you."

Her mother's sobbing lingered on.

Madeleine sat up, wiped away her tears, and finally got down from her bed.

These past few days, even though she didn't leave her room, she wasn't starving. Her room was stocked with all kinds of snacks, perhaps that's why whenever Nathan came to see her, he never coaxed her to open the door and eat.

Because, she had once lured him into her boudoir, he knew that there was plenty of food and drinks in her room, she wouldn't starve.