Faux Vows, True Desires

Chapter 420

"Spit it out, what's so important that you, Mr. Martinez, made the trek yourself," the voice rang out with a touch of casual bravado.

Owen rose, sauntering into the kitchenette to brew himself a pot of coffee, bringing along two mugs.

He poured half a mug for Stefan. "I'm the guest here, and yet I'm serving you."

"Before I came to see you, do you know who I met with?"

"Madeleine, right?"

Owen paused, "You knew?"

Stefan chuckled, "Madeleine showed up bright and early at my place, looking for my mother-in-law. It was Lucy who greeted her. Lucy managed to tick her off so bad, she stormed out of there."

"I reckon she won't let it go that easily. She's bound to look for an ally. And who else in Pinehurst would dare to cross me openly but you? It's only logical she'd come to you," Stefan prodded with a hint of sarcasm. Têxt belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

Owen bristled, "I'm no one's pawn!"

He hadn't agreed to anything with Madeleine.

"Oh, so you didn't strike a deal? That's not the impression you're giving off," Stefan teased.

"Stefan."

Owen extended the mug of coffee towards Stefan, "Look, we're at odds, to put it mildly. Truth be told, I'm jealous of you. You ought to be envied; just look at you, handsome, successful, the whole

package. Every manly virtue seems to have been lavished upon you. Who wouldn't be green with envy?"

"I'm only human, and it's natural for me to feel jealous. But let's be clear, we've got no deep-seated feud. You can't let this harm me, man."

Stefan took the mug, "Aren't you the one plotting with Madeleine against me? And now you're worried I might retaliate?"

"I never agreed to work with Madeleine. She's trying to use me as her weapon, and I'm not about to play that part. Even if Porter Group could offer a deal with my Ikella Group, what's the real gain? And could their influence even reach into Pinehurst? This is our turf. We can have our squabbles, but we can't let outsiders slice up our pie."

"Bottom line, I won't invite the wolf into the den. I know what kind of shady business Porter Group was built on. Who knows if partnering with them would drag me into something illegal? I'm no saint, Owen, but I'm not so far gone to dabble in crime."

Stefan eyed him with a half-smirk.

"Stefan, please, don't badmouth me to Cecilia, alright? I'm serious; I didn't team up with Madeleine. I'm here to warn you. She won't rest easy. Even if I'm not her ally, she'll find someone else. It's easy to guard against a frontal attack, but a stab in the back? Be careful."

Stefan nodded solemnly, "I appreciate the heads-up."

"Lucy and I owe you one."

Owen sipped his coffee, "Then you gotta have Lucy put in a good word for me with Cecilia."

"Lucy's already spoken up for you plenty. If it weren't for her, you and Cecilia wouldn't have made any progress. Cecilia wouldn't even be bringing you those homemade soups and remedies."

Owen was taken aback, skeptical, "Lucy would do that for me?"

He had always thought Stefan and his wife enjoyed watching him flounder, even kicking him while he was down. The idea of Lucy advocating for him was surprising.

Stefan said, "Lucy wants her friend to be happy."

Owen grinned, "Your wife sure knows what she's doing. She saw right away that the only one who could bring Cecilia happiness was me. She didn't let our rivalry stop her from convincing Cecilia to give me a chance. Stefan, you've got a sharp one there, no wonder she snagged a CEO like you."

Stefan basked in the praise for his wife, accepting the compliments on her behalf with pride, "I've always said Lucy has an eye for quality."

Owen thought to himself, 'Shameless!'

Give them an inch, and they'll take a mile.

"But Cecilia still hasn't accepted me," Owen lamented, his handsome face falling.

"My mom's dragging me down, blaming Cecilia for my injury, calling her a jinx, and Cecilia overheard."

Owen was frustrated and helpless, "If she wasn't my own mother, I swear I'd silence her nonsense."

He looked enviously at Stefan, "Stefan, you've got it good with your parents. They're open-minded and don't hold you back."

Stefan reflected for a moment before calmly saying, "We've got a lot of brothers; we're not that precious. As long as we bring home a wife, the folks are thrilled. They don't nitpick. Besides, they trust our judgment. The women who can get us to settle down must be exceptional."

Owen was silent.

His grandfather had more than one grandchild, but he couldn't hold a candle to the Anderson family's brood.

Stefan continued, "You've still got work to do, especially with convincing your parents. If they don't come around to Cecilia, with her pride, she won't settle. You'll just keep dragging this out with no hope for reconciliation."

Owen's expression was grave; he knew the issues between him and Cecilia were rooted in reality and parental disapproval.

"I'm aware."

"Grandpa had Harry accompany him to visit my grandpa yesterday. The two of them had quite the verbal spar."

The two old men had been at it their whole lives; a peaceful encounter would have been the real surprise.

Owen hummed in acknowledgment, "I know. Grandpa says when he's in a bad mood, he picks a fight with Patrick, gets all riled up and argues. It's his way of blowing off steam."

Stefan was bemused, "Shouldn't that make his mood worse?"

The elderly gentlemen had their unique ways of coping.

Despite a lifetime of rivalry, seeming like they couldn't stand each other, both would be genuinely concerned if something happened to the other.

Grandpa Anderson always told his grandson that life without a rival was utterly dull.

His own adversary was Mr. Martinez.

They were at each other's throats, yet there was an unspoken respect between them.

"Owen, you clearly missed the subtext in my words. Your grandpa wanted Harry to accompany him. Harry's stock is rising in your grandfather's eyes, and that could threaten your position," warned Stefan, his concern for Owen apparent.

After a pause, Owen responded with a wry smile, "So, you've got a soft spot for me, huh? Afraid that Grandpa will kick me to the curb and elevate Harry?"

Stefan replied earnestly, "I'd hate to see you pushed out. Harry's more level-headed, sharper, more cunning. I still think you're the better fit to run Ikella Enterprises."

Owen was speechless.

That stung!

So, this was how his arch nemesis saw him!

Owen brooded over a cup of coffee.

Indeed, Harry was a force to be reckoned with. He was a double threat at Ikella Enterprises – the internal worry of Harry usurping him and the external menace of Stefan, his relentless adversary, always ready to strike.

Over the years, Owen had lost count of the number of times they'd exchanged blows, but of course, he'd landed just as many hits on Stefan.