"Nothing." Celeste gave Damon an indifferent look. She seemed cold as she said, "You partnered up with Carly to test me for no reason and even slandered Lawrence and I. Of course, I should just own up to it, shouldn't I?" Her gentle tone from a moment ago was gone. Now, her voice was so flat that it made Damon seem like an outsider. Damon frowned. "I didn't mean to test you. I only found out about it after reaching the hospital." "Ah." Celeste put on a mocking smile. "You got your answer, then. Happy?" "That wasn't the answer I was looking for." "What did you expect me to do, then? That I'd be indifferent if I heard the news that Lawrence was dying? Damon, you could go out of your way to do things the moment you heard that Leah's father got cancer. And I'm not allowed to see a friend who got into a car accident at the hospital? "You really do have double standards," Celeste said coldly, disappointment in her voice. "Can't you talk to me properly?" Damon went closer to h
Damon was on the verge of passing out. He merely glanced at Leah. Meanwhile, Nicholas looked at Jasper with a half-smile, as if he thought about something else. "I didn't call her over." Jasper was honest. He didn't know why Leah would appear here at the bar in the middle of the night. "Leah, it's late. Why are you here instead of being with Uncle John?" Nicholas asked. He was thinking of how cruel Leah was. Her own father was so ill, yet it wouldn't stop her from seeing Damon. Leah heard the meaning behind his words and blushed. "My friend saw Damon drinking here. I was worried, so I came to see him." "Worried?" He thought she looked excited instead. Leah's intention was exposed, and she was embarrassed. However, she then said decisively, "You guys can leave. I'll take care of Damon and send him back home in one piece." There was something going on between Jasper and Leah, so Jasper stayed quiet. But Nicholas rejected her. "There's no need for that. My driver is waitin
"Celeste is such a cold woman." After hanging up, Jasper complained to Nicholas. "That's how she is. But she actually values her relationships a lot," Nicholas explained. He knew her a little more than Jasper did. The two waited at the same spot for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, Celeste had driven her Porsche Cayenne over in a rush. Beneath her coat, she was still in her loungewear. She looked more anxious than she'd sounded on the phone. Nicholas and Jasper exchanged a look. "Let's go. My driver followed them. I'll bring you there." Nicholas entered Celeste's car. Jasper was afraid that things would take a turn for the worse, so he didn't follow them. The two then drove to a hotel according to the location sent by Nicholas' driver. The staff at the front desk tried to stop them, but it was to no avail. They then hurried to the room that Leah booked. "Leah, open the door." They pressed the doorbell, but nobody answered the door. Then, Celeste walked over and knocked on i
It was already 5 am when Damon woke up. Out of habit, he stretched his arms out, wanting to pull the person beside him into his arms. He then heard a soft voice from the side. "Damon, you're up? Do you want some water?" "Why are you here?" Damon jolted up the moment he saw Leah lying beside him. Leah looked hurt as she bit her lips. "You're the one who wanted to follow me last night." Damon then recalled things that had happened before he blacked out. He frowned. Did Celeste really not come to see him and allowed him to stay with Leah for a night instead? Damon pulled his phone out. He was going to call Celeste. Only then did he see the texts from Celeste and the numerous missed calls from Nicholas and Jasper. "What happened?" He called Nicholas. "Wow, did you only just wake up now because of how tired you were after doing it with Leah last night?" Nicholas said mockingly the moment he answered. "Just get to the point." Dissatisfied, Damon frowned. "Nothing
"You're awake!" Damon immediately hurried over, wanting to check if Celeste was alright. Celeste merely glanced at him before turning her head away. She looked distant and disappointed, and it made Damon's heart ache. "It's not what you think it is!" He raised his voice. "Speak softer. She hurt her cervical vertebrae. She needs some time to recover." Nicholas quickly reminded Damon. "Exactly! Celeste said she's ready to divorce. You can send your lawyer over if there's anything you want to tell her! Feel free to accompany Leah now!" Megan was furious and voiced out too. "Ms. Schultz, this is a private matter between Celeste and I. Please don't step in." Damon's face was cold and arrogant as he faced Megan. "If I don't, should I allow you to bully her then?" Megan was persistent. "Ms. Schultz, I've been tolerating you again and again because you're a friend of my wife." Damon's patience had clearly reached its limit. "Let's just leave. They can handle this themselves."
Of course, Damon wouldn't be able to accept it. Damon was so possessive over Celeste that it'd bother him if other men talked to her, let alone booked a hotel room together."Forget it. Nicholas said that I'll have to be hospitalized for a few days. You don't have to visit me if there's nothing to talk about. We can take the time to calm down a little." With that, Celeste closed her eyes without waiting for Damon's reply. SThe back of her neck was injured, so she was dizzy. Later on, she actually fell asleep and didn't even know when Damon left the ward. It was nighttime when Celeste woke up again. "How are you feeling? Do you want some water?" She heard a gentle voice from a man. It was Lawrence. "Lawrence, why are you here?" After waking up from her sleep, Celeste felt so much better. She sat up a little and greeted Lawrence. There was a bouquet of sunflowers by the side of the headboard, and the floor was covered with tens of boxes of fruits and snacks too. It was
Celeste said that she'd fallen for him and couldn't let him go anymore. Damon felt the exact same way. After all, he was the one who developed feelings for her first, of course it'd be harder for him to let her go. If Celeste could say such a thing, it probably meant that she still loved him, right? Damon felt so hurt, and he was full of regret. He shouldn't have let Carly test her and even joined in on her scheme to see Celeste's reaction. Not only that, he shouldn't have followed Leah impulsively. It created such a huge misunderstanding! Suddenly, the door to the ward was pushed open, and Lawrence sadly walked out of the door. Damon and Nicholas moved away to let him through. "Don't blame me for stealing her from you if you treat her horribly." Lawrence wasn't loud, but he was serious. Without waiting for Damon's reply, he left in a hurry. When Nicholas and Damon entered, Celeste was staring at the huge bouquet of sunflowers while spacing out. Only then did Damo
For a whole week, Damon didn't appear in the hospital as Celeste had requested. However, he'd made sure to remind her of his existence by sending Edna over to take care of her. Not only that, he'd also ask people to deliver flowers or supplements to her at the hospital. "What's wrong with Damon? Is he trying to catch his wife's heart or something? What the hell has he been doing?" When Megan came by to see Celeste, she complained as she looked at the floor covered by all the stuff. "Don't bother. He's just insane." Celeste felt troubled seeing a whole ward full of flowers. "But you should think this through. I checked Damon and the guys' bill that night, and I asked Jasper about it too. He had nearly two bottles of whiskey and two dozen shots by himself. It wouldn't be realistic for anything to happen that night. Leah probably put on an act alone just to make you angry," Megan said. "Did you scold Damon for me a few days ago?" Celeste chuckled and said, giving Megan a side-
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