Chapter 6

Celeste often heard conversations about Primo Semion Lombardi whenever she attended events.

He was always the hot topic among her female friends, which she couldn’t quite join in on because she was already tied to Darson.

Aside from coming from a very wealthy family, Semion had a charm that could captivate any woman.

So, it was well-known that he had different women with him every night, but no one had seen him with a steady partner. He seemed to be a playboy, treating women like mere toys.

When she heard this from her friend Loren, who had some experience with Semion, she immediately lost interest. To her, men should show respect to women.

She had only interacted with him in passing—simple greetings and casual smiles as etiquette at gatherings—but nothing more. So she was only vaguely familiar with the Lombardi family and had almost forgotten about the man now in front of her.

“Hey, look at me.”

Celeste’s gaze dropped to her lap as she sat in front of Semion in the dimly lit living room. She tried to sink into the soft couch, shrinking under his gaze. She also shielded her face with her not-so-long hair, as if trying to hide.

“What are you doing?” Semion frowned, puzzled by her behavior. “Are you shy?” he asked genuinely.

Celeste stiffened. “Sorry,”

Semion held his breath. “You finally spoke. What’s your name?”

Celeste shut her eyes tightly. This was what she dreaded! Being asked her name. She was no longer the proud and elegant Celeste Costa or the Allegra everyone used to know.

“Woman, I’m asking for your name.” Semion said again.

She let out a deep sigh. It was embarrassing to think that she ended up in a prominent family’s house while she was so miserable!

She swallowed her feelings. “My name is Celeste.”

“Celeste,” he repeated her name. “I’m Semion. The one you just saved.”

She breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t ask for her last name. But when she processed his words, she immediately lifted her gaze.

“D-Don’t mention that. I didn’t do anything but call for help. I was just in need of assistance at that moment, so…”

She stopped speaking as their eyes met and locked.

Celeste observed Semion’s mismatched eyes, contrary to what she had seen in his photos earlier. His right eye was the color of dark chocolate, while his left eye was gray.

It seemed Semion noticed her intense stare, and she quickly looked away, accidentally glancing down at his body covered in white bandages. Celeste swallowed hard when she saw how muscular his chest and abdomen were, and she quickly averted her gaze again.

“My eye just went blind.” he said to her.

“Ha?” she looked confused.

Semion tapped his left eye with his index finger. “This eye can’t see anything because of what happened that night. But if you hadn’t called for help, I wouldn’t just have lost my eyesight but my life. I’m grateful someone saved me. Thank you for that.”

She blinked, her mouth momentarily closing before a faint smile appeared on her lips. “It’s nothing…”

“Hmm… Aren’t you curious about me? About what happened to me?”

The saying goes that the observant person often meets misfortune. That saying was always on Celeste’s mind.

Any influential family has many hidden flaws and secrets, and she didn’t intend to dig them up just to put herself in danger.

So, she shook her head. “Whatever happened that night, I think I’m no longer involved. So if you’re worried that I might talk, I promise I’ll keep quiet.”

“Too bad,” Semion said, pursing his lips. “I don’t mind telling you what happened, since I’m curious about you too.”

When Celeste fell silent, Semion let out a deep sigh. “I still need you to tell me why you were there at that very moment. Many people are after my life, and I need to be safe. Acting suspiciously won’t help you.”

Celeste opened her mouth and her expression turned serious. “I swear it has nothing to do with you. My husband and I had an argument, and he left me behind. That’s why I was in that place before I saw you. So, I think I shouldn’t be detained here for more than a week since I’ve already told you everything I witnessed.”

Semion didn’t respond right away, so a moment of silence followed.

“Husband?” he said, his gaze fixed deeply on Celeste. “You mean, your husband left you in the middle of nowhere?” he suddenly laughed mockingly. “And out of a million places to leave you, there? Does your husband want you dead or what?”

Semion’s reaction was similar to Diego’s when Celeste used that excuse. It made her heart ache.

Perhaps that place was indeed as dangerous as it seemed. She couldn’t help but wonder how Darson knew where she had been abandoned.

Her eyes grew moist and warm again as she looked down at her lap. It seemed Darson’s anger towards her over the false accusations had reached the point of wanting to kill her.

She trembled with fear and struggled to hold back a sob from her throat. She wanted to cry again, but thinking about being in front of someone important made her stop abruptly.

She quickly wiped the growing tears from her eyes and sniffled several times to stop the runny nose.

“Sorry. It’s just that marital conflicts can escalate and lead to situations like that.” she explained.

“Husband or not, a gentleman shouldn’t do that to a woman. Unless you did something to deserve being abandoned and killed,” Semion’s tone was laced with disapproval.

She thought about the false accusations against her. Her fists clenched. “I’m not to blame. If he knows the truth, maybe… we could reconcile.”

“You don’t seem sure,” Semion’s lips curled up. “Human emotions stink, huh?”

She pursed her lips. “It seems you don’t have a spouse, so you don’t know how it feels.”

“I don’t need that,” he muttered. “Anyway, I don’t think you’re lying. So, what reward should I give you for saving my life?”

Celeste’s face brightened. “I don’t need anything. Just please, let me go home.”