LANCE’s POV - Upon my arrival outside the Yamamoto mansion–at Yuichi and Christine’s residence, I noticed Freya standing outside the gate, shouting and searching for Yuichi while two guards monitored her in case she engaged in any foolish behavior. I got out of the car and ran to Freya. Once I neared her, I smell a strong alcoholic drink. “Yuichi! Come out here, talk to me! I know you still have feelings for me! I feel it that I'm the one who you truly love me and not that b*tch!” I forcefully took Freya’s arm and made her face me. “Stop it, Freya. How many times do I have to tell you Yuichi doesn’t love you for a long time? He has his own family now, and he is happy with Christine and their two children.” Freya shook her head and cried. “No. It is evident that Yuichi had no alternative except to push himself to be with that b*tch, solely for the sake of their two children. But, I’m sure Yuichi still loves me. I am his only love and not that woman.” After a while, the gate open
CELINE’s POV-As I put the twins to sleep, I carefully stood up to not disturb Sunny. I fixed both of their blankets and kissed them before I left them in their room. I ensured the dim light stayed on to prevent the twins from getting scared upon waking.As I proceeded to the living room, I saw Tristan sleeping on the sofa. His feet are over the sofa because of his height. It looks like he’s also tired of playing with the twins.We went to Gurnee Mills mall. We went for a walk there; we ate at the twins’ favorite fast-food chain; they played in the arcade and most of all, Tristan bought the twins’ toys again, Skye had car toys and Sunny had a human size teddy bear that is now on the side of her bed.I approached Tristan and gently shook his arm to wake him up. I did a few shakes before he woke up.“Hmm? Celine?” Tristan called sleepily.I help Tristan get up. “I thought you already left,” I said as I sat down next to him. “Would you like coffee or tea?” I asked.Tristan shook his he
CELINE’s POV-“You will not go home yet?” I’ll change our topic.“I’m planning to sleep here.”My eyes winded. “What? There’s no extra bedroom here, you know that.”Tristan taps the sofa. “I can sleep here on the sofa.”“But it’s not comfortable to sleep here on the sofa. Your body is merely half of the sofa. ”“It’s okay for me to sleep on the sofa. I don’t want to sleep in your room when we’re not official yet.”“But–”“Celine, I want you all to be safe. I couldn’t even rest at my house if I was aware that Lance might come here. I want to protect you. Allow me to sleep here for just one night.”It looks like I can do nothing about Tristan’s wants. Another thing is, Tristan is right. It’s possible that I couldn’t even sleep deeply after the chaos earlier at the Stellar restaurant.I nodded in approval. “All right. I will only bring you an extra pillow and blanket in my room. ”After I got one pillow and the blanket, I returned to the living room to give Tristan to this.“Thank you,”
CELINE’s POV-After I fixed the twins, we left the room straight out of the apartment. Tristan went out first because someone called him. He said that one of his family was calling and Tristan didn’t want the children to hear what they could talk about and Tristan might say bad words.“Mummy!” Skye called me as I locked the door.I held the twin’s hand in both of my hands as we headed to the parking lot.“Yes, sweetheart?” I asked calmly.“Where’s daddy Tristan?”I couldn’t help but smile when Skye suddenly looked for Tristan. Not even half an hour after Tristan disappeared from our sight, he was immediately looking for Tristan. Jst the day before, Skye didn’t even want to see Tristan.I stopped walking, so the twins also stopped. I sat in front of the twins to match them both.They both smiled at me. I want to cry the way Skye smiles now. Usually, Skye is always frowning, while Sunny is a jolly person who is always smiling.“Sweetheart, Skye, can you tell mummy why you’re not mad at
CELINE’s POV-When we reached Stellar restaurant, Tristan went straight to his office while I was at the reception desk.I’m not a chef or sous chef, I just often help in the kitchen since I somehow know how to cook. Besides the fact that the chef in the kitchen is enough, Tristan has four sous chefs.Stellar restaurant is jointly owned by Tristan and I’m also an employee. Right now I am also the acting manager since our manager resigned because she is moving to another country to start a new life. “May I see how many made reservations today?” I told Bianca, who is also the receptionist.“Here, ma’am.” Bianca said and handed me the clipboard with about ten bond papers attached and printed with the names of those who reserved for this day, as well as the time and numbers.“Wow. The number of people who made reservations are almost all female names?” I laughed as I asked.“Don’t you know, ma’am?”I looked at Bianca. “Which one?” I ask as I return the clipboard to her.“Most of the wom
CELINE’s POV-Despite sounding upset with the person he was talking to, Tristan’s voice still conveyed a sense of calmness.When Tristan faced me, his eyes widened and the person he ended the call over his phone.“Have you been there for a while?” Tristan asked calmly.“Not at all. I just heard that your brother doesn’t want to get married, either.”“Ah, you heard about that.” Tristan just said and let out a sigh.“You and your brother both don’t want to get married… yet?” I commented as I sat down.“My brother and I have different reasons. He doesn’t want to get married, while I–”Tristan paused in his speech without taking his eyes off me.“Meanwhile, for me, I already have a bride who I want to marry.” He continued.I felt guilty. I feel like I’m one reason why Tristan can’t negotiate with his family right now.“Tristan, you know it won’t be easy for me to–”“And you know I’m ready to wait for you, Celine. You are worth waiting for. You and our children.”I wasn’t sure what to say
CELINE’s POV-When the customer was getting quieter and Tristan rested, he called me to his office. It was almost past twelve noon for lunch when he called me to his office. “I think you could tell me now what you and Lance talked about earlier?” Tristan asked as I sat down.I detailed Lance’s planned perversion to Tristan if I hadn’t allowed him in this morning. Tristan nodded after I told him the full details. “Now, I understand. What are you planning now?”“Nothing.” I answered straight and sparingly.Maybe because of the way we cooked him a burnt breakfast earlier, he won’t come back here. We didn’t even serve him coffee. Another thing is that lunch is over. Maybe he won’t come back here.“We’ll appeal if he threatens again.”“Huh? Why?”“Why not? He's messing us especially to you. I want to protect you from him.”“You don’t need to do that, Tristan.”“I have to do this so that he won’t mess with us, especially with you.”“Really, you don’t need to do that. One more–” I paused
CELINE’s POV-“You forgot that all the CCTVs are connected to my phone.”Holding the knob, I looked behind me again and looked for CCTV. When I saw one CCTV, I smiled there and waved.“Did you see me?” I asked Tristan from the other line.“Yes, I also saw Lance is there as well. I’ll be back there.”“No.” I said. “Can you pick up the twins and wait for me at the apartment?”“What? Why?”“I’ll manage everything here, and there’s a chance Lance might do something silly.“But,” I heard from the other line the exhalation of Tristan’s breath. “Okay. I get it. But I will call you from time to time.”“Thank you so much, Tristan.”As I ended the call, I just sighed and closed my eyes for a while.Maybe it’s better to deal with him–to Lance, than to run into him again and again. I don’t know what his purpose is in troubling me, but one thing for sure is that it won’t do anything good.Following, I opened my eyes. I jumped in shock when I saw Lance in front of me. His dry eyes used to look at
CELINE POV-“Why did you do this?”“I didn’t. I just saw that your car’s tires were flat.”“Do you know how much perversion you have done?”“Your tire will be fixed right away. These people can take your car to wherever you are before the end of the day.”I glanced quickly at the two people Hendrix was referring to, then at him.What else can I do? I can’t change the tire if I get angry. This needs to be done immediately so my children don't have to ride public transportation, which could be harmful to their health.“Wait a second,” I told the two mechanics.I went to the passenger seat to get my kids’ bags. “Let’s go, sweethearts. Our car needs to get fixed first.”Skye got out first, followed by Sunny. After I got off them, I took the key and gave it to the two mechanics.Once the two mechanics reached for the key, they quickly moved. One opened the truck door and the other started my car. After they got in my car, they left immediately.“Mummy, why did they take our car?” Sunny as
CELINE POV-As soon as Conrad got out of the elevator, Lance went inside.“B-Boss…”As the elevator closed, Conrad looked my way. His eyes widened after he saw me.“Madame Celine,” he called me in surprise as he came closer to me.“Hmmm?” I asked without opening my lips.I forced both ends of my lips to curve upwards while holding back tears.“Have you been here a while, Madame?”I opened my mouth. When I felt my voice getting hoarse, I took a deep breath before speaking. “Yes. Before the elevator opened.”He turned quickly to the elevator that Lance had taken and then immediately looked back at me.“Did you hear what Boss Lance said?”“Why did you come here?” I changed the subject.“Have you talked to Boss Lance?”I shook my head. “I don’t think we need to talk anymore. I’ve heard his reason.”“I think you need to talk to him,” he handed me my car keys. “Your car is parked outside the building, Madame.”“Thank you.”I followed Conrad’s gaze as he walked back to the front of the elev
CELINE POV-“Are you sure of what you are saying?” I asked her.“Yes,” she answered confidently. “Conrad went to the restaurant to meet you there. He can’t call Sir Lance's phone either.”“Conrad couldn’t call Lance’s phone number?” I assured her.“Yes.”Is it just a coincidence that Lance’s phone number couldn’t be called and he didn’t come?“Celine!”I looked at Sabrina in surprise after she yelled at me right in my face.“Why?”“I am asking you why you are not with Sir Lance. Did you know someone rang the doorbell yesterday, and then I checked the intercom? The man had his back turned, but I doubt it was Sir Lance; that’s why I didn’t open it. Because Conrad told me not to open the door if he’s not the one outside. I’m not one hundred percent sure if it’s Sir Lance because he has his back turned and seems to be talking to someone on the phone.”I assumed Lance had come here. Maybe something unexpected happened that made him not arrive?“CELINE!”I felt like I was going to be deafe
CELINE POV-Hendrix extended his palm. “Shall we go in together?” He asked me.We toured the theme park, rode the few rides we had planned to ride before, and we also played the machine games as well as the arcade games.Now we were in front of the Ferris wheel, and we planned to ride it last.“No, thank you.” I refused the hand he offered.I rode the Ferris wheel first and as he rode someone locked the door and started it.During the few hours I was with Hendrix, I didn’t think about anything else. I tried to focus and try to enjoy this place.Once we reached the top, the Ferris wheel stopped whirling.It was scary, but I still found myself smiling slightly after I saw almost the entire theme park.“The Ferris wheel is actually what you've wanted to ride the most since then.”I nodded without taking my gaze down. “The way you drew the Ferris wheel before, it was colourful, and you could see a lot from just one seat. Then it was close to the stars, and this is the exact one you showed
CELINE POV- “I don't have time to joke around.”“Likewise,” he said meagerly.I calmed my feelings down first. “You won’t hurt me, will you?”“No,” he answered sparingly but directly.Somehow his answer made me feel at ease. I had no choice but to just believe what he said. I didn’t have anything with me except the mini makeup kit in the purse I was carrying.“Where are you taking me?”“To my gift for you.”“Gift?”“Don’t you accept late gifts?”“No. That’s not what I meant.”I didn’t explain anymore, and I didn’t open my mouth for a while.I’ll wait until we get to where he wants to go, so his nonsense can end.“We’re almost where we’re going,” I heard him say as I looked out the window.————About ten minutes later, he stopped in front of an amusement park.“Come on!” He was so excited that he even giggled.I laughed a little at his reaction.I also got out of the car. I looked around; except for the amusement park staff, Hendrix and I, I didn't see anyone else.What was surprising
CELINE POV-“Thank you,” I said with a smile to the manager and the female server who served me a glass of water earlier when I saw them in the lobby.“Ma’am, wait!” They exclaim at the same time.I stopped walking when they ran towards me.“I want to apologize again for what happened earlier,” the woman regretfully said.“I also want to apologize for my negligence,” the manager said and bowed his head.“Don’t think about that. It’s okay,” I told them. “Is that all you want to say?”“Ah, no.” They suddenly panicked.The manager handed me a paper bag. I took it and peeked at the contents. Inside the paper bag was a suit coat and a familiar calling card.“What is this for?” I asked.“Sir Hendrix Morgan left those. He asked me to give you the paper bag.”I returned the paper bag to the manager, but he didn’t take it.“Give it back to him,” I stated.The manager took a deep breath. “I…” then he exhaled, and his face was covered with worry. “I’m sorry, ma’am. If you give back to me, he war
CELINE POV-“You should have let the woman kneel down earlier,” my eyebrows furrowed at Hendrix’s words. “Or you should have let her terminate her job.”Is that the kind of person he is? He likes seeing other people suffer? Didn’t he think about that person’s situation? Maybe that person’s job was too valuable to her. That person wouldn’t dare to lower her knee to the ground if she did not badly need the job.“Don’t judge me,” he said, laughing.He read my thoughts?He faced me, he crossed his legs, and rested his elbow on the table. “Someone like her needs to learn a lesson; she needs to pay for her mistake—that’s all I’m saying. It’s not just the surprise that that person ruined but also your feelings. That person not only ruined the surprise for you but also your feelings. She hurt you badly, and your mind was confused by what happened. Who wouldn’t think and be glad that you were expecting someone, but then the wrong person would come in front of you? Right?” He raised his pointed
CELINE POV-I couldn’t move from where I was standing as I turned to look at the man who uttered my name.My forehead wasn’t wrinkled, but my body was full of wonder as I looked at him, and I was sure the question was, 'why is he here?' was printed all over my face.What’s going on? Why is he here? Why is he in front of me? Why is he in front of me in this situation?“Hendrix?” I utter hoarsely.After seeing his face, my tears came back to my eyes; I felt again the pain in my back from sitting for over five hours and the hunger I was feeling. Most of all, the hope may be that the proposal was from Lance.I couldn’t make a mistake in my gaze; I’ve been looking at his face for a few seconds, and his appearance hasn’t changed. I also couldn’t be hallucinating because there was no reason why I should see him in my mind. I never thought about him after our last encounter.Why is he here? Why isn’t the person I expected and waited for here? Why isn’t Lance in front of me now? Where is he?
CELINE POV-Here’s my tear again while looking around. I smile and quickly wipe away the teardrop before it even falls down my cheek.I was taken to a high-end and exclusive restaurant where Lance rented the entire building. It was quite far from the hotel, which took more than an hour to travel.When I looked around again I smiled. The only light at this time was the scented candles that each table had. What made the ambiance even finer was the night view from where I was sitting overlooking the bright city lights outside the glass wall. Each table had a single red rose flower and on my table there was a bouquet of red roses.The surroundings were quiet until my attention was caught by a server who went to three tables and replaced the scented candles there. She checked on me and smiled at me.“Ma’am, would you like us to serve food for you? We have an appetizer ready for you.”“No,” I refused. I coughed softly because I felt my throat tighten and dry. “Can I have a glass of water?”