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
"You won't allow me in, but I've already been to his place twice," Celeste said blandly. She didn't appear at all angry even though she had been slapped.Serena was Damon's mother, and Damon was indeed innocent in all this. Celeste didn't want to go against her."I'm giving you two days to get out of Taverdale. If not, you're going to get it. And don't blame me for being ruthless if you don't leave!"Serena's temper flared when she saw how unaffected Celeste was. She raised her hand to slap Celeste again."I won't leave, ma'am. If you want me to leave, you might as well kill me." Celeste gripped Serena by the wrist, still looking unafraid.It was just a little bit of pain on her face. After the death of her mother, nothing much managed to hurt Celeste emotionally."If the Bishop family wants you dead, it will be as easy as stepping on an ant." Serena was stunned by Celeste's reaction, and her anger died down slightly. "I'm looking forward to it," Celeste said. With that, sh
"Oh." That was the cool answer that Celeste gave.Damon was breaking off the engagement? That wasn't something Celeste had expected. No wonder Serena had reacted so strongly in the morning. She had assumed that Damon would use up all his effort to get back on Shannon's good side. Who would have thought that he would break things off instead?"You should get your daughter to reflect on what she's done wrong if Damon wants to break off the engagement. What's the point of coming here and telling me about it?" Celeste wasn't gullible to think that Damon was doing it because of her."Cel, I was wrong to do what I had in the past. How about this? As long as you agree not to bother Damon anymore, I'll pay for Cal's medical fees. I'll also introduce you to a good suitor—"Before Henry could get his pitch out, Celeste burst into a rage.She had assumed that he never knew about Caleb's condition. But the truth was that he knew and coldly chose to ignore it, leaving Caleb to die inst
By the time Damon found out what had happened, the first place was given to the second-place winner.The organizer had also invited Damon to the award ceremony.He felt strange when he didn't see Celeste there while he was on stage. But he maintained his usual expression and handed out the first-place prize. This included a trophy and a large mock-up check. At the end of the ceremony, he asked with fake casualness, "Isn't Celeste York the first-place winner? Why is it someone else now?"That was how he'd found out what happened from the organizer.Damon didn't have Twitter, but he downloaded the app just to check the situation out. Before long, he had a clear understanding of what was happening."She brought this on herself!" As he read the nasty comments on Twitter, all he could think was that Celeste deserved this.He was also enraged by how Celeste had sent all this to Shannon. Had Celeste slept with him just to get Shannon mad? Was he only a tool in her eyes?It was
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