"Damon does treat me quite well." Celeste took a picture of that stack of property deeds and shared it with Megan. "But would I seem pretentious if I said that I'm not interested in money?" "I know you the best. You really aren't interested in money," Megan replied. "But I've been facing a similar issue these days." What did she mean? Did something happen? Celeste became curious. Her eyes lit up as she started a video call with Megan. "Tell me about it!" Did her hot best friend finally meet 'the one'? "It's Mr. Belasco. I cleared his bill the last time he came to my club for drinks. But he guaranteed an entire year of revenue for Hooch Trading as thanks." Hooch Trading was an alcohol trading company under Megan's management. Their business mainly focused on the alcoholic beverages that were popular amongst youngsters. Their drinks ranged from cheaper ones such as Jagermeister to expensive ones like Cognac. They had almost every kind of alcohol one could think of. The amou
When Damon went on a business trip, Celeste could barely get used to falling asleep without him by her side. Soon, she was having insomnia again. When she lay down around 9:00 pm, she fell into a restless sleep an hour later. She woke up from a nightmare at 11:00 pm. With her eyes wide open, she could no longer fall back asleep. She pulled her phone out so that she could look at Twitter. She received a notification. It was a friend request on WhatsApp. The person in the profile picture and her name were familiar. It was none other than Leah. She accepted her request and sent a question mark to her. "Celeste, is that you?" She sent a screenshot from Twitter over to Celeste. The caption was "Bumped into a beautiful couple on the Ferris wheel. Didn't manage to capture their faces from the front, but they were stunning!" In the picture, Damon's hand was on Celeste's waist as they walked out of the pod. The two were talking about something. Their foreheads were touching. It
When Damon called her again, Celeste had switched off her phone. He did carry Leah's suitcase for her when they were at the airport. Everything would be fine if he told her the truth. But hiding the fact that Leah had visited him seemed to have made the matter worse. "Damon, I've reached home safely." Leah happened to send a text to him through WhatsApp right then. "Leah, did Celeste contact you recently?" Damon asked. "Of course not, Ms. York hates me. Why would she take the initiative to contact me?" Leah said pitifully, "I just really like you. It was Ms. York who intervened in the relationship between me and you …" Damon didn't listen to the rest of her words. He looked at Leah's stories. It was just something about her father's birthday celebration from two weeks ago. There was nothing else. How could such a coincidence happen? How did Celeste know about him sending Leah to the airport and carrying the suitcase for her? …After switching her phone off, Celeste cou
When Damon returned home, there was no sign of Celeste. "Mrs. Bishop left for a business trip. I thought she told you about it." Edna was a little anxious when she saw the dark look on Damon's face. She quickly followed him behind and explained. "Didn't I tell you to let me know anything related to her?" Damon contacted Sylvie. He was very dissatisfied with her decision. "Celeste said that you're the one who allowed her to go," Sylvie replied in confusion. "She lied. I didn't." Sylvie was quiet for a long while. She suddenly said, "There's something wrong with the way you treat your wife." "What?" "She's a grown woman with her own freedom. She's not your three-year-old daughter. You don't have to be worried about everything she does." "No. She's just a three-year-old daughter in my eyes." "It's scary how possessive you are, Damon," Sylvie said after a while. Damon had been aware of his possessiveness over Celeste a long time ago. So he didn't argue with what Sylvie
Celeste made a noise of affirmation from her throat. "Leah did come over last night. I lied to you because I didn't want you to overthink and not be able to sleep. I told you that I only treat her like a sister. There's nothing else." Damon touched her cheek with his hand. He spoke so softly as if he was afraid of scaring her. In the past, he never would've thought that he'd lower his ego and coax a woman like this. "Yeah, but why did you have to be with her for so long by using the business trip as an excuse? I don't get it." Celeste finally told him what bothered her the most. She couldn't understand how he could be alone with her for seven days. "For so long? Since when did I accompany her by using the business trip as an excuse? It was 6:00 pm when I saw Leah yesterday. I sent her to the airport around 8:00 pm. Is that a very long time?" Dissatisfied, Damon frowned. Where did this woman hear such rumors? "Stop lying." Celeste pulled her phone out. She wanted to show Lea
The two made love with each other till late at night. No matter how slow Celeste was, she could tell that nothing had happened between Damon and Leah. That was because this man was going crazy after being sexually frustrated for a long time. "No more, please," she said hoarsely. She looked as if she could pass out anytime. In the end, she fell asleep in his arms. "Such a silly goofball." It had been a while since he last felt so relaxed from ejaculation. Damon hugged Celeste and caressed her back gently. His heart softened for her. …The next morning, Damon had to head back early as he had work to do in Taverdale. They went downstairs for breakfast earlier than the team. Celeste seemed to be in better spirits. Sitting across from Damon, she had her coffee and croissants. Suddenly, she thought of something, her face turning red. Naturally, Damon saw that. He sighed at how beautiful she looked when she was blushing. "What's on your mind?" He reached out to tear off a cor
"Leah, for the sake of my peaceful family life, let's not see each other anymore before you meet the right one for you." Damon finished his coffee and said what he wanted to say. He got up and left. Leah stared at Damon's back as he walked away. She stopped crying. Viciousness and resentment flashed across her eyes. "Celeste York, just you wait!" …On the other hand, Celeste wanted to visit Lagona as well during the business trip. But she was too busy with the exhibition. She started working the moment she woke up every day. She'd still be reading the work plan for the next day at 11:00 pm. She had no free time at all. She contacted Mason a few times through WhatsApp. He shared a few files with her. They contained proof of how the York Group used aluminum-clad windows as a replacement for the regular fireproof windows. She had to visit the construction site and see Cedric urgently. Thankfully, she and her team managed to finish their work in just six and a half days. On th
When Winston arrived, he saw Celeste scrolling through her phone with her head lowered. Since they would be meeting at the golf course later, Celeste had braided her hair. She was dressed in a pink-fitted polo shirt and white shorts. Both her golf shoes and cap were pink as well. Sitting across Winston, she exuded a youthful air. "Do you know how to play golf?" He raised his eyebrow playfully. Most girls who came from a poor background and knew how to play golf had mostly dated rich men. But in Winston's eyes, Celeste seemed simple-minded in relationship matters. She didn't seem to be someone who would go out of her way to please rich men. The green fee for a golf session could cost up to a few thousand dollars. She wouldn't have been able to afford it in the past. "Would it surprise you if I told you that I didn't know how to play golf when I contacted you previously?" Celeste knew why Winston was confused. She then told him the truth. She didn't mean it when she said th
He never would have imagined that the intelligent and aloof Celeste would have a day like this, appearing adorably naive and innocent.Damon used to like girls who were delicate and pure, but that changed when he met Celeste.She had a face full of charm and allure, but her expression and personality were always cold and unyielding. She was pale and slim, yet not childlike. On the contrary, she resembled a young poplar tree, proud and upright.Because of her, he began to like girls who sparked his desire to conquer, and he scoffed at those who were simply weak and shy.But now with Celeste like this, he didn't feel annoyed. In fact, not only was he not annoyed, he actually found it cute and interesting.“What's your name?” she asked again."Damon.""Oh, that sounds really nice."The initial confusion in her eyes was gone, replaced by a sparkling glimmer, and her tone carried a touch of a young girl's excitement."You are actually my husband… Wow, great job, me! I've managed to
"What? Aren’t you my husband? Do I still need to avoid you while changing clothes?" The confusion in Celeste's eyes didn’t seem fake.Damon was speechless and didn't know how to respond at that moment.When Damon didn't respond, Celeste suddenly felt a bit nervous."I'm sorry… I can't remember clearly. Aren't you my husband?"Damon raised an eyebrow casually and asked, "Why do you think I am?"Celeste innocently blinked, her eyelashes fluttering like fans. "The nurse said it. Besides, if you're not my husband, why would you sleep with me at night?""What did the nurse say?" Her reasoning was actually logical and undeniable. For a moment, Damon found it somewhat amusing."The nurse said that my husband is really thoughtful," Celeste responded seriously. Then she asked, "Aren't you my husband? Then why would you be willing to stay here with me so late?"This one sentence left Damon speechless.The reason he was willing was because he was a coward. He said that he didn't care abo
Damon frowned upon hearing the classic amnesiac questions being asked."Celeste, are you trying to act out a TV drama?"Celeste still looked at him blankly. "What do you mean?"Damon didn't answer and went straight to the director's office to get Nicholas.Knowing her, she wasn't the type to joke around, especially not with Leo still missing. She must have hit her head hard.Nicholas was equally surprised and hurried back to the room with Damon.Celeste was sitting up, hugging her knees and staring into space."You're awake? How do you feel?" Nicholas asked with a smile as he entered."Why am I here?" Her voice sounded hesitant, and she turned to look at them.Her confusion seemed genuine. Nicholas and Damon exchanged worried glances."Celeste… you don't remember?""Celeste?" She asked, "Is that my name?""Yes.""I don't remember. My mind is blank.""Do you remember… Leo?" Nicholas hesitated. After all, if she knew that her child had been missing for three days, he was wo
"Alright," Celeste said in a deep voice. "Let me see Leo first."They pushed open the hidden door, revealing a staircase leading to the basement."Have Leo come to the stairway corner." She stood at the dark staircase and negotiated with the kidnapper."Mommy!" Suddenly, Leo's desperate cry echoed from inside."Leo!" Celeste ditched everything else and rushed down the stairs.She ran ahead, and as soon as she reached the corner, there was a loud explosion, and a wave of heat hit her face."Celeste!""Celeste!"Damon and Winston's faces changed drastically, shouting in alarm.The basement was empty. It was a trap.Had they been more careful, they would have noticed that both the kidnapper’s voice and Leo’s cry were artificially synthesized. But Celeste, in her desperation to save her son, had been too frantic to discern this.The basement was rigged with landmines. Unfortunately, something went wrong. The mine exploded when Celeste reached the stairway corner, instead of when
What? Damon was also coming? Celeste felt her heart leap, and her voice became sharper as she said, "I can handle this. You can't come!"There was no response from his end.Observing Damon’s silence, Celeste quickly softened her tone. "Damon, listen to me. I can handle this alone. There's no need for you to get involved… because I'm their main target, and they likely won't harm Leo. You need to stay home and wait for him. You need to take care of him later on…""Celeste," Damon interrupted coldly. "Are you planning on not coming out alive?"Of course, coming out alive would be ideal, but she couldn’t guarantee that."Damon, I do have a chance of surviving, but when it comes to exchanging myself for Leo, there can be no room for error. We must follow the kidnapper's instructions to ensure Leo's safety."It was out of the question to provide a false sense of security and pretend to comply with the kidnapper, only to backtrack and get Leo killed.She needed to ensure Leo’s safety a
They checked all the surveillance footage near the Bishop residence and investigated every suspicious vehicle. They also had people keeping an eye on Henry, but after half a day, there was still no breakthrough.The kidnappers had taken Leo to threaten Celeste, and the lack of communication was meant to unnerve her. If it was according to predictions, she was supposed to wait for their demands. But, as a mother, she couldn't just sit and do nothing.Celeste remembered that Shannon had called her, so she found her contact in the blacklist and called."Shannon, did you and Henry kidnap Leo?" she demanded.Shannon laughed coldly. "Don't accuse us without any evidence. Your son is missing? Maybe it's karma. Hahaha!"Celeste hung up, unable to stand Shannon's smugness.Several teams searched for over 20 hours, even involving the police, but still had no solid leads. Celeste suspected Henry, but they couldn't just arrest him without any proof.She was extremely desperate. She didn't e
"Lester isn't as clever as Leo. He's just a four-year-old child, and he shouldn't have done anything like that," Serena instinctively defended Lester. Then, recalling the last time she had misunderstood Leo for similar reasons, she felt a pang of guilt and added, "I don't mean to imply anything… I'll have someone bring Lester here."Celeste nodded. "I'm not blaming Lester. I just want to understand what happened."Soon, the nanny looking after Lester brought him in. Unexpectedly, upon seeing Celeste, Lester burst into tears."Aunty Celeste, please don't hit me. I didn't mean to lose my brother!""Lester, I just want to understand what happened." Celeste was taken aback by his crying but kneeled down to speak gently. "I'm not blaming you. Can you tell me what you saw that day?""Aunty Celeste, don't hit me!" Lester kept crying, not saying a word about Leo's disappearance."Am I that scary, Lester?"At this moment, Celeste felt at a loss. She could communicate normally with Leo,
Celeste perfectly understood what Cedric's implied. "I mean, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to entertain me today."Cedric had indeed wanted to help her that day, but his identity was too special to admit it openly. The scratch on the paper was a subtle hint, and whether or not she could interpret it depended on her intuition. The fact that she could decipher such a subtle hint proved her intelligence and luck.Over the years, Cedric had developed a sense of respect for Celeste after learning about her. He felt she was deserving of assistance, but he couldn't make it obvious."However, be careful. I see that Henry is at the end of his rope and might act irrationally. You should be on guard," Cedric warned.Celeste nodded, having considered this as well. "Henry wants me dead."This was why she had her brother stay abroad and sent Leo to the Bishops. With only herself remaining, it was harder for Henry to use her loved ones against her."Take care of yourse
Celeste's deduction was correct. Cedric intentionally left the mark. As Winston dug deeper, he slowly uncovered a series of issues.It was a bridge project on a highway in a poor mountainous area. Not uncommon.The problem was that the person in charge of this project was a leader assigned from a first-tier city to oversee the development. Officially, he was recognised for his capabilities, but in reality, this task was one he had to succeed in without failure.He had offended someone, and this transfer was a disguised punishment under the guise of a major responsibility.If he had managed it well, the chances of him returning to a higher development role would have been slim. At best, he could stay in this position until retirement. If he didn't manage it well, his entire career could be ruined.Someone of such status naturally had supporters as well as opponents. In such a situation, it was impossible for anyone to sabotage and create pitfalls along the way."It seems the next