When the microphone was passed to Damon, he spoke languidly. "I've had several interactions with Ms. York in private before. I have some suspicions about her usage of the concept of 'An Equal Love,'" he said."Prestige aims to produce unrivaled jewelry, and we require the designer's principles and actions to align with each other. I don't think Ms. York is someone that fits that bill."He watched with glee as Celeste's face pinched tight, her smile slowly cracking.In the scoring, the highest and lowest two scores were overlooked while the rest were averaged. Thus, Damon's score didn't affect her final placement. He had only wanted to annoy her.Luckily, the other judges were all fair and unbiased. In the end, Celeste won first place by a landslide. She internally let out a long sigh of relief.The winners' list would be posted on Prestige's official website for a week. If everything went smoothly, she would be able to sign the contract and get her prize money after.Cele
After not seeing each other for so long, Celeste and Lawrence went to a café to catch up."I heard about what happened to your mother after I came back to the country. I've been looking for you all this time," Lawrence said straightforwardly."Oh."Her mother's suicide wasn't a secret. Naturally, Celeste wasn't surprised that Lawrence knew about it. She proceeded to order an espresso for herself and a flat white for Lawrence."You've changed a lot in half a year, but it seems like your taste in coffee is still the same." Lawrence watched as Celeste expressionlessly downed the thick espresso in one shot.He frowned at the thought of the bitterness."Have I changed?" Celeste couldn't hold back from asking. She laughed at the expression on Lawrence's face."Yes. You used to smile a lot, and you were a very easygoing person. Although you smile a lot now, there's no more light in your eyes."Of course, Lawrence only assumed that Celeste's sadness over her mother's death had caused
The car slowly drove off, and Lawrence faded into the distance. Only then did Celeste look at Damon."Mr. Bishop, are you trying to put me on the spot by telling a handsome guy my private business? If you've already reached your goal, could you let me go now?"The left side of her face was visibly swelling up. She looked like a battered damsel in distress.Damon didn't answer her. Instead, he pulled Celeste toward him and kissed her without any explanation."Hey! Let go of me! You're the one who told me not to bother you. But look at what you're doing now!" Celeste was mad now, and she wouldn't let Damon have his way. She struggled with all her might and sunk her nails into Damon's flesh.Up front, Liam drove while he kept his eyes on the road. With all his effort, he ignored the behavior of the two people in the backseat.It was only after Damon put up the screen that Liam finally relaxed."Don't move." Although Damon's arm hurt from Celeste's nails, he didn't let go of her
When Shannon walked through the door, this was the sight she was met with.Clothes were scattered all across the first-floor living room. She could also hear the pants of desire that showed no signs of stopping.Naturally, Shannon shrieked.Celeste and Damon paused their actions. Reacting quickly, Damon pulled the blanket from the couch and wrapped Celeste up in it."Shannon, you should go out first.""Damon, you've never even touched me! You said you wanted our first time to be perfect and saved it for after we got married! How could you …"Shannon briefly lost her voice as she cried.On the contrary, Celeste seemed completely unbothered as she got up from the couch. She padded barefoot on the marble floor, picked up her scattered clothes, and slowly put them on."You two talk. Bye." She didn't panic at all even after getting caught in the act. In fact, her mood had taken a great turn."Megan, let's go out. I'll buy you a drink." As she walked off, she gleefully called Mega
Back at the York residence, Shannon tearfully told Henry of Celeste's "crimes" as Hannah added fuel to the fire. Hannah was in a bad mood herself."This is the shameless daughter Sylvia raised! She even tried to steal her own sister's fiancé! Henry, aren't you going to do something about this?" she prattled on."Now, look! If the Bishop family really goes against the marriage agreement, Shannon and the York family will both be done for!"In the past, Sylvia had been pregnant and unable to care for Celeste. Hannah had to ensure that her daughter could marry into the Bishop family. Thus, she used any means necessary to force Sylvia to leave with five-year-old Celeste.The only thing Hannah hadn't expected was that Jamesn had left more than just paperwork for the marriage agreement. He had also given Celeste an emerald pendant as a token of the agreement. It was because of this token that Hannah had hounded Sylvia all these years."I always told you not to push Sylvia into a co
After she left Damon's villa in the afternoon, Celeste didn't expect to be going back there again in the wee hours of the morning."Henry York, you piece of trash … You're not even human," she incoherently mumbled as she lay in the backseat of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan."What?" Damon thought he'd heard someone's name."Henry York! A piece of trash who's barely human!" Celeste said again.Henry York? As in Shannon's father?"You know Henry York?" Damon asked with faked nonchalance as he drove."Why would I know that piece of trash? I won't acknowledge him. And it's not just me. Cal won't, either! He should fucking go to hell!"Suddenly, Celeste slid off the seat and vomited all over Damon's car.Damon was a clean freak, so his car was always spotless. The alcohol-tinged smell of puke made him frown."Celeste York!" he shouted. When he stopped the car at a corner and looked back at Celeste, he found her already passed out.Was Celeste a pig? How could she fall asleep when it s
As it turned out, they wouldn't be able to go to City Hall that afternoon. It was because Celeste had gotten a fever.Damon had felt no desire to sleep at all as he held her. Instead, his head was full of steamy thoughts. Later on, he noticed that the body in his arms was getting hotter and hotter. It was then he realized that something was wrong.Celeste had been sprayed with cold water after drinking, so it wasn't surprising that she'd gotten a fever."Come over. Someone has a fever." Damon called his doctor friend, Nicholas Davies."'Someone' has a fever?" Although Nicholas' features were stern and unsmiling, he was undeniably a playful man. After hearing Damon's words, he couldn't help but tease him a little."Could this someone be Shannon?" he inquired.Shannon always carried herself with propriety, but she never held back from getting help from Damon's friends. Said friends all thought the pair were a great match. But by the sounds of it, Damon wasn't talking ab
"Stop with the nonsense," Damon said as he reached out and placed Celeste's other hand back under the blanket. "If you're done, you can get lost now." He shooed Nicholas away."Hey, you can't just get rid of me after using me. If you really love her, I'll check and see if she has any other issues. Like if she's fertile—" Before he could finish speaking, Nicholas and his medical bag were thrown out of the villa."I haven't taken the needle out yet!" Nicholas yelled while he banged at the door, forgetting to maintain his image. "I know how to do it myself." Damon's voice drifted from a distance."Hmph. Heartless scumbag," Nicholas muttered as he looked at the tightly closed door. He immediately called Jasper once he had gotten into his car."I think Damon's in love!" he shouted into the phone, sounding like he'd made a revolutionary discovery.…For a whole day and night, Damon watched over Celeste. She drifted in and out of consciousness, in a daze the whole time. In t