“I need a vacation” she calmly said as soon as they reached their house.
Daniel noticed her sour mood and obliged.
“Okay, I’ll check my schedule then we can go overseas”
“No, Daniel. I want to have a break on my own. Away from everything. Away from you” she blurted out.
She’s been keeping her emotions in check the whole day but Daniel kept on pushing her.
“I’m so tired. I don’t know what’s happening in my life right now. And I don’t even know what I want anymore”
“I want to be on my own for a while. Is that too much to ask?” she asked helplessly.
It was unfair to unload her emotions on Daniel but she really needed someone right now.
Someone strong enough to understand her.
She cannot pretend to be strong all the time.
She immediately ran to their room and soak her body in a hot tub.
When her tears started flowing
“Mama Sylvia, can you teach me the language of Blossom Country?” she cautiously asked when they meet up for lunch the next day.“Why are you interested in Blossom Country?” Sylvia looked at her with curiosity.“I’m going on a trip. I just want to blend in”“Just bring Daniel along. He could be your interpreter”Celine lowered her head and pretended to scoop her food.“I’m planning to go solo. I’m not going to tell him where I’m going” she said softly.“Are you having a fight?” Sylvia gently asked.Sylvia could only heave a deep breath when Celine did not respond.“It’s alright, couples fight all the time, Celine”It took a while for Sylvia’s words to register. And when it did, she felt her face turned red.“How did you know?” she could not remember having a slip of the tongue around S
The rest of the week passed by quietly and Celine could not explain the heavy air between them.She hasn’t told Daniel about her scheduled trip and she decided to just inform him the day before her flight.She has booked her accommodations and set her itinerary. She’s just waiting for the day of her flight.“My flight is tomorrow night” she breaks the silence of their dinner.Daniel glanced at her but didn’t say a word.He continued to eat his dinner as if contemplating on what she said.“Say something, please” she asked softly.Daniel just shook his head and left the table.Celine could only heave a deep sigh.What was she expecting?For Daniel to be okay with her leaving?‘Excited for your trip?’ she noticed her message box has an unread message from FlowerMan.‘Not really’ she honestly replied.‘You seem in a bad mood.
When she landed in the Blossom Country, she immediately felt the warm breeze of the night.Good thing she checked the weather and packed the right clothes.After clearing the immigration, she was surprised to see a chauffeur holding out her name with a bouquet of flowers.She didn’t know this is how the hotel treats their VIP guests.“Greetings from your host, Mr. FlowerMan” the chauffeur said.Her jaw dropped at the mention of the name.How did he find out about her flight details?She knew better than to get inside the car blindly.“Thanks. I will accept the flowers but my hotel will pick me up” she gracefully declined.“I’m from the hotel, Miss Yates. This is just a special arrangement from Mr. FlowerMan. Feel free to confirm with the hotel” the old man smiled at her.And she did just that.The hotel confirmed her pick-up service and provided the plate numb
When she went back to her hotel, she decided to check up on Daniel.Maybe he’s not upset with her anymore.But when her call connected, she immediately hung up after the first ring.What would she say anyway?That she went overseas to confirm if FlowerMan is the same boy who gave her flowers when she was a baby? And then what?Can she say she could not accept that Daniel easily accepted his arranged wedding?Can she tell him she doesn’t want to divorce anymore without losing her face?That she could not bear the emptiness she feels every time she wakes up without him beside her.She didn’t realize her tears started flowing again until she heard her phone ringing.“Hey!” she tried to clear her throat before answering.“Sorry, I missed your call” Daniel said gently.“I ah uhmm…” she heaved a deep breath to steady her voice.“I just want
When her plane landed at the airport, she immediately checked the time.Daniel must be on his flight to the Blossom Country.She felt a relief when she saw the lights in their house were turned off.She slowly went inside then immediately went to Daniel’s study room.She saw him put the divorce papers in his drawers, it must be there.When she tried to open it, it didn’t budge.It’s just a normal looking office desk, how come she cannot open it?She saw how Daniel could easily open it before.Maybe it got stuck underneath.She kneeled on the floor and tried to nudge it from below.After a few more nudges, she used her feet to kick it. But still it didn’t budge.“That’s not how you break my desk”She heard a deep commanding voice from the door.Thud!“Ouch! You scared me. What are you doing here?” she asked like a deer in the headligh
After Daniel ended his call with Sylvia, he tapped his desk and a number keypad was projected.He keyed-in a six-digit number and pressed his index finger and his drawer opened up.He put a pen in a pen holder to prevent the drawer from locking.It is a normal looking desk, alright.Until someone tries to open it forcibly.Someone like Celine.‘Ahhhhh’He took a deep breath and went under the desk to inspect the damage that Celine has done.Who knew her kick could be deadly?He ran his fingers and felt the dent on the wood portion.“Tsk” he could not help but feel sorry for his desk.He made the desk himself.Combining his woodcraft and technology.It’s one of his masterpieces.And the annoying heiress just kicked it unabashedly.‘Ha!’The annoying heiress.Is it difficult to say, ‘don’t agree to the wedding, Dan
“What’s the meaning of this?” she asked in confusion.“Why do you have my underwear?” she looked intently at Daniel expecting him to panic but she only saw calmness.What is happening?Daniel took a deep breath and walked towards the tall book shelf behind the desk.“Someone took it from you, I just took it back” he then placed a folder full of her photos in provocative positions.Celine didn’t know how to respond.“It’s not what you think”“What do you think I think?” Daniel calmly asked back.“I was assaulted that day. His name was Enrique” she started recalling everything that happened at the party.How Enrique approached her and how he mentioned having a meeting with Daniel. How he suspected that she is Anne Yates.There’s no point in hiding it now from Daniel.When she finished her story, she was already snu
“There’s nothing wrong with being resourceful, mother” she objected.“Except when he held them captive and force them to fight to death until he gets his information” Minerva corrected her.Celine just stared at her mother then took a deep breath.“And you know this, how?”“Because he held your Uncle Clint there”“You remember Uncle Clint’s bodyguard, found dead at the marina?” Minerva asked.“He went missing when Uncle Clint escaped to Blossom Country” she continued without waiting for Celine’s reply.Celine could not help but roll her eyes.“Honestly mother, I couldn’t care less about Uncle Clint or his thugs”“Do you know that Uncle Clint kidnapped me and proposed that I marry him instead?”“Shouldn’t the community thank Daniel for cleaning up unwanted citizens?” Celine scoff
The wedding was finished in an instant followed by a sumptuous dinner. The guests all stayed for the weekend at the resort and soon it was time for the guests to leave.“Enjoy your honeymoon. But you’ll have to decide how the company will move forward given that Minerva’s position will be vacant” Linda reminded both Celine and Daniel.The mother superior could not be any happier for the two of them now. Now she only wanted for Celine to have babies so she can guide her through motherhood.“Still work, Linda?” Daniel teased.“Actually, no. I want her to enjoy her motherhood so she has to sign the formalities as soon as possible” Linda objected.“Pbbft. Motherhood will only come once she’s ready. Maybe after two years if we’re lucky” Daniel defended his wife.Linda gave Celine a knowing look and she saw Celine shrink back. Clearly, she hasn’t told Daniel about it. Anyway, it’s not her business she just have to wait for her to be ready.When all the guests have left, Daniel decided to br
The eve of the wedding ceremony arrived and Helene’s resort was livelier than usual.Although the staffs were initially told that it was a small celebration, they still decided to close it down when they found out it was Ms. Yates’ wedding. Although the resort is closed for the next few days, all the staffs were present assisting the guests making sure everyone is comfortable and enjoying their stay.The Bloom family was immediately impressed as soon as they stepped foot on the resort.They had never imagined they would see the white beach and turquoise waters that Helene fell in love with during her final days.Grandma Bloom’s eyes were teary seeing the blooming flowers.Those were Helene’s favourites.It’s feels as though Helene would appear anytime in these flower beds.Celine was observing the old couple and decided to give them a back story.“My parents fell in love in this place and this is where I was conceived as a result of their love. This holds a great deal to my mom and I
The old man was really grumpy.And why wouldn’t he?Celine said that the ceremony will only involve a few guests. And it would be a simple celebration. However, as soon as she started setting up her decorations, he knew it wasn’t as simple as she claimed it to be.Since he could not convince them to stop, he left the farm as soon as they started putting up the tent and only came back when he received the message that the farm is back to its previous order.He could already see their eco-friendly rating dropping from the charts. He still needed to submit reports to explain that the event did not pollute the environment.So, he is really grumpy right now. He has a lot of work to do.If the spoiled owner wanted to discuss business he needed to calm down for a day before he would be willing to negotiate.To be honest, he’s beginning to have second thoughts on selling the property to Celine. Who could guess what she’s planning to do next time?If only there’s a way to contact his master’s
Everyone kept their silence when they saw Celine followed by Daniel.If looks could kill, Daniel would have been dead by now based from the glaring stares he’s getting. Even Aaron who adored him looks at him disappointingly now.He knew he made a mistake but he can explain himself if he will be given a chance. All that matters to him now is that Celine agreed to be his wife for real. The rest will follow later on.“Let’s have dinner now. Celine is hungry” Daniel said to break the deathly glares directed at him.The rest of the group snapped out of their own worlds when they heard Celine was hungry.Sylvia immediately went to the kitchen to check on the food while Aunt Marge prepared the dining table.Celine wanted to help but everyone wanted her to rest.She thought about what happened in the afternoon and they must have felt pity for her.Her heart warms up at the special treatment she’s receiving.“Uhhmm. Daniel and I talked about what will happen tomorrow. Since we originally plann
Daniel tried to swallow hard to remove the lump building in his throat.Suddenly, it was very difficult to breathe after realizing what happened.He let the elders scold him so he could punish himself but Sylvia’s silence was more than he could take.No one said another word anymore. No matter what they wanted to say, it’s all useless now.They were at this stand still when the Blooms arrived.“Ah, Daniel you came. Celine would be relieved” Dr. Bloom was filled with vigour.He never expected the wedding atmosphere to lift Grandma Bloom’s spirits.They just came from the make-shift tent where she inspected the final decorations and her eyes were dreamy.“Let’s get married again tomorrow, dear” she joked as she gave instructions to the wedding planning team.“Grandma” Daniel greeted.Grandma Bloom acknowledged his presence but turned her attention to the la
Their reactions were not like as she has expected.“What if Daniel doesn’t want to get married?” Aunt Marge suddenly asked.She was worried that Daniel would have to give in to Celine again.For the Stevensons, they place a high value to marriage and family. Since their businesses could easily attract those unscrupulous characters, they needed the kind of security that only blood and family could provide.“Of course, Daniel will marry Celine. There’s no way that Daniel will object” Sylvia defended Celine from the Stevensons.“I understand all your concern. Of course, Daniel will have to agree this time. Anyway, I prepared the ceremony thinking that Daniel has really found a wife. It turns out, it’s only a ruse to throw off the Solomons.” Celine explained.“Daniel has already said that he will only get married because of love. I guess later I will know if he sees me as his potential
She could hear Britney’s sobs in the background. Daniel must have put their call on speaker mode. Isn’t she really thick-skinned? If it were Celine, she would have definitely dug herself out of that room. But then again, she’s Britney Smith, only she can do what she does and only she can accept this kind of embarrassment.“Britney, just cross Daniel’s name on your list. He’s not used to dealing with emotions so you will really lose out. He’s also not romantic so you will be really bored. Aren’t you embarrassed if you have to set an appointment with me if you want to have intimate nights with him? Even if you managed to marry him, he will not acknowledge your marriage in public so no one will really know that he’s your husband. Trust me on this one, he’s been married for seven years now and yet no one knows about his wife. If you want to receive flowers, you will either have to plant it yourself or order it online to
She felt an inexplicable excitement hearing his deep and powerful voice. But her excitement was quelled when she heard Daniel speak.“I thought I told you to call my secretary for appointment?” Daniel asked without any emotion.“Well, I cannot reach Celine and your office suddenly went into company holiday. So, I thought I can call you again since you’re divorced now” Britney said sheepishly.Daniel heaved a deep breath to calm the rage he felt before replying again.“Ms. Smith, news of my divorce may have circulated but it doesn’t mean anyone can just call me for dates. I’m not that desperate.” he replied in a stern voice.“That’s not what I meant, Daniel. I just got back to the country and I have a project proposal. Knowing your work ethics, you wouldn’t let a good opportunity pass. I mentioned your divorce because I think your ex-wife will not be jealous anymore if we went f
When Daniel came back to their house, he received a call from his family.“Finally, you managed to subdue the Solomons” Aaron called him excitedly.“Yeah” he replied lightly.“Let’s have a drink” he invited.Living with the Stevensons for a while has greatly improved their relationship all thanks to Celine.“Bro, I’m sorry but I have to pass. Mom is feeling under the weather so Tiff is accompanying her for now” Aaron felt cold sweats appearing on his forehead. Never had he imagine that he will blatantly lie to Daniel one day.“Oh” was all Daniel could reply then ended their call.In that case, it’s best to rest early so he can reach Celine before lunch.He decided to leave some reminders to Oscar regarding the company’s affairs.“I’ll leave you in-charge, Oscar. I’ll be gone in a few days. Call me in case of emergency, O