"Celeste York, do you think I've never shopped for bags like these before? I'd believe it if they set up such purchase policies for the Kelly and Saddle bag. But this bag can be sold anywhere on the street, and you're saying it has a purchase policy? "And this bag, I can buy this anywhere. Since you say they were bought under the same purchase policies, where are their accessories?" Leah scoffed at Celeste's casual attempt at lying to her. "Oh? It was Damon who told me all that. Someone born into a poor family like me wouldn't understand it anyway. You should get new bags then, Ms. Sullivan." Celeste pretended to look awkward. She was about to keep the bags away. "I'll pay you two million dollars. You'll earn a profit of 300 thousand." Leah gritted her teeth. Celeste shook her head. "It's okay, Ms. Sullivan. I'm not selling them to you anymore. You should get new ones." Leah had plans to buy the bags, but she didn't want to be scammed this way. After some thinking, she notice
The headquarters of Leo Jewels was far from Celeste's place. She wrongly got out of the train twice. After that, only she managed to find the location. Celeste submitted her resume a week ago. After seeing and talking to someone from the human resources department, she thought she'd have to return and wait for the news. To her surprise, she was told to meet up with Spencer. Spencer wasn't very tall. He seemed to be at a height of five feet and eight inches. He had long hair and wore a white shirt under his black suit. Other than that, he wore a pair of men's skirt pants.His appearance and clothing made him appear androgynous. He also wore a pair of feminine pearl earrings. Many men in this industry had similar fashion tastes, so Celeste wasn't surprised. But the look on Spencer's face was arrogant and cold. It was enough to make anyone terrified. Celeste's heart thumped hard as it was her first time meeting her idol. "Hello, Leo. I'm Celeste York." She introduced herself in
Winston was right. Celeste lost hope. "What should I do? I need money." "You need 57 million dollars? I can lend the money to you." In Winston's eyes, that was no different than 57 hundred dollars. "Ah, there's no need for that. Just include me if you ever see any good projects," Celeste quickly said. "I did invest in a production line recently. Just wait for a few days. I'll contact you by then." After some thinking, Winston said. He agreed to help her. …After failing the job interview with Spencer, Celeste didn't sit back and do nothing. She downloaded a few job applications. She started to send resumes to companies all over the world. Having higher qualifications was a hurdle for her. Although she was the top scorer during the high school final exams, she hadn't reached the level of possessing a "degree qualification and above". She was troubled by this matter. Those willing to hire her asked her to do modeling jobs for cars, magazines, and shopping platforms. These
The next day, Celeste received a call. It was the staff from Leo Jewel's human resources department. "Ms. York, we've made a comprehensive comparison among the candidates and have decided that you're suitable for the role in our company. Please drop by to onboard yourself tomorrow morning." "Ah. Unfortunately, I don't appreciate the work culture of your company. Please look for somebody else to fill that role," Celeste said. What a joke. The mere thought of having someone with a weird temper like Spencer as her boss sent shivers down her spine. The staff member ended the call in disappointment. Soon, he called again. "Is there any room for negotiation, Ms. York? We'll double your pay." Initially, the agreed salary for her was 20 thousand dollars. Doubling the pay would mean she'd get 40 thousand dollars. It was a pretty tempting offer. Celeste thought about it. Spencer's sudden desire to hire her couldn't be because she was irreplaceable. In Taverdale, many people could t
Spencer's car was a Palamela painted in pink. It suited his neutral temperament well. Celeste sat in the driver's seat. She assumed Spencer would sit in the back since he was her boss. To her surprise, he sat candidly beside her. "Leo, you can rest in the backseat if you want," she reminded him kindly. "There's no need for that," Spencer said. He suddenly leaned toward Celeste. "Seems like you haven't spoken any Tavernese to me." "Uh…" That was right. She had to teach him Tavernese. "Sorry, I was afraid you wouldn't understand," she told him truthfully. A hint of unknown emotion flashed across his eyes. "Your Tavernese…" "What?" Celeste encouraged him to continue. "Nothing." Suddenly, Spencer looked ahead and became quiet. He had flirted with Celeste for a whole morning. At first, he didn't think she was anything special. He had little to no knowledge about women in Taverdale. He thought Celeste was no different from those pretty Southern women, models, and artists
"I'm not going to drink that." Celeste had a feeling that Spencer wasn't easy to deal with. She didn't want to set a precedent like this on her first day of work. "I'll pay you ten thousand for each drink." He went close to her ear and said. The organizers were clever. When they saw Spencer's reaction, they started to persuade Celeste. "Here, Ms. York. I'd like to propose a toast to you. I'll likely have to trouble you in the future." "Ms. York, not only are you gorgeous, you're an intelligent woman too. You exude such an extraordinary air." "Ms. York has achieved so much at such a young age…" …Since he was paying her ten thousand dollars for each drink, she didn't mind having a few glasses to drink. Celeste said in a low voice, "Don't forget your promise." Then, she stood up graciously and filled her glass. "Thanks for your warm welcome. I'll be taking this drink in Leo's place. Cheers. Please help yourselves." She was just trying to make money, so it shouldn't b
After over ten minutes, Celeste returned to the private room. "Sorry, everyone. I had too much to drink and went to the wrong floor. As a punishment, I'll have another glass." Smiling, she said to everyone. She raised her glass calmly. Everyone didn't know what happened. Seeing Celeste's cool-headed attitude, they didn't doubt a word she said. "I thought you got scared by us and ran away." "Cheers, Ms. York." "You're such a cool woman, Ms. York." …Everyone got excited again. Someone made a harmless joke, and the rest laughed. Celeste raised her glass and laughed as well. She turned her head around to look at Spencer. He was the only one who didn't smile. He seemed cold and down like usual again. Only then did Celeste realize he hadn't spoken a word since she returned to the private room. Perhaps he was unhappy with her for leaving so long. Celeste thought about all the things Damon did to her in the bathroom. She blushed. …After Damon came out of the bathroom, h
Spencer followed Celeste not long after she left the private room. The reason why he didn't walk to her right away was because he saw Damon. The two didn't come out of the bathroom after they entered. It was clear what they were doing inside. He went after them. He then heard some soft noises from the bathroom stall. He couldn't describe how he was feeling. But it was suffocating. She was just an assistant to him. He shouldn't be angry at her for slacking off for ten minutes when she was supposed to "work". He wasn't in the place to judge whether or not Celeste was shameless or demure. The reason why he was so upset was clearly because the man was Damon! He had had enough of being compared to Damon in every aspect of his life! Damon would always be his nemesis. He was being honest that he didn't initially want to give Celeste the job offer. That was because he didn't want a woman abandoned by Damon. But ever since he saw their interaction in the cafe, he knew that the
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