Damon sensed the changes in Celeste from the past few days, which made his mood considerably brighter.However, his expression remained indifferent as he casually responded, "Yes.""Then let's go register our marriage right now," Celeste said as she was about to jump down from the washbasin.But Damon's passion was burning, and he wanted to continue what they had not finished.His endurance over this month has been incredibly tough!They had bustled from early morning until noon, and by the time they finally got everything sorted out and arrived at the local county clerk's office, it was nearing 11:00 am.Amid their chaotic handling, they eventually managed to complete all the formalities and acquire the significant marriage license."How wonderful! Am I not dreaming?" Celeste wondered aloud as she sat back in the car, inspecting her marriage license.Seeing her joyful expression, Damon subtly curved his lips.If she could just avoid causing trouble and stay obediently by his
"Stop the car," Damon suddenly uttered."What?" Liam's mind experienced a momentary shutdown, failing to grasp his command."This car belongs to me too. Since you don't want to take advantage of me, Ms. York, you might as well go back on foot," Damon remarked coldly.Liam was momentarily stunned in place, caught in a dilemma.He knew Damon was angry. If he truly made the recently recovered Celeste walk back, once his temper subsided, regret and heartache would surely follow.But not stopping the car would undoubtedly be too disrespectful to Damon."Mr. Bishop, Mrs. Bishop is known for her frankness—" he quickly turned back to explain while waiting at the red light. But the sharp gaze from Damon unnerved him, causing him to withhold the remainder of his sentence."It's alright, Mr. Fletcher. Just pull over, and I'll find my way back," said Celeste, feeling suffocated by the stifling atmosphere in the car, and opted to leave. She could always take a taxi back."Keep in mind, I wa
Lawrence left with a hint of loneliness. Celeste wandered and lazed for over an hour before reaching the villa's gate.During the last ten minutes of her journey, Celeste walked barefoot. Somehow, her fair soles got pricked, resulting in a small cut.This made Celeste realize something.She did not know why Damon was upset, but she thought just walking home might not calm him down. If he wanted her to feel foot pain, she was okay with that.Gritting her teeth, she shut her eyes and purposefully stepped on a sharp stone by the doorstep flowerbed.Celeste winced and sucked in a sharp breath as blood began to trickle.She steadied herself and walked through the door.Liam had not yet left, and he stood at the gate waiting for her. However, he was shocked to see the bloodstains under her feet."Mrs. Bishop, what's wrong? That injury looks bad," he said, abandoning his usual composure and raising his voice for those inside to hear.In less than half a minute, Damon emerged with a c
"Celeste, do you think the surveillance cameras at the door are just for show?" Damon felt utterly furious at Celeste. He pinched her chin and forced her to look into his eyes.However, the tears in her eyes momentarily caught him off guard, and the pressure of his fingers eased."Huh?" Celeste did not understand at first and took a moment to grasp his meaning."I didn't intentionally hurt myself for sympathy under the surveillance. I just wanted you to calm down ..." Celeste tried to explain but then sadly lowered her gaze. "Forget it, you won't believe me anyway."Her vulnerable side tugged at Damon's sympathy. His temper slowly went down, but he refrained from pulling her into an embrace."Celeste, there are many ways to solve problems, and self-harm is the least advisable," he said."But I don't even know why you're angry. How am I supposed to fix it?" asked Celeste. She still had not figured out what she did wrong!Damon felt somewhat awkward. How could he explain? Was it b
Damon was remarkably efficient. After interviewing in the afternoon, the villa was already bustling with a butler, gardener, housekeeper, chef, and eight other household staff by evening.Around 7:00 pm, someone politely invited Celeste downstairs for dinner. Having stayed in her room all afternoon, she felt uneasy seeing the sudden surge of people in the villa."What's going on?" she asked."I'm your servant, Edna Woods, Mrs. Bishop. I'll be taking care of your daily needs," a middle-aged woman in her 50s introduced herself to Celeste."Um ..." Celeste had a few years of being chauffeured and cared for by nannies when she was young. But after working in a club and living a working-class life for so long, being served again made her uncomfortable."I don't need anyone to serve me," Celeste whispered to Damon while Edna was in the kitchen. The idea of having someone serve her seemed odd.Damon had expected her reaction and calmly remarked, "Is Mrs. Bishop trying to ruin my reputat
This was a question Damon had always avoided getting into. When he was young, he had feelings for Leah. Leah was gentle, kind, and elegant. She was the kind of woman he thought a wife should be.But later, Leah married and moved to Ausbrania, and he got engaged to Shannon.Both Leah and Shannon matched his idea of a woman. They were gentle and resembled lilies.Celeste was different. She resembled a wild rose, charming yet thorny, the kind that was difficult to tame.He could not quite describe his feelings for her, only that when she was hurt, his heart ached, and when she was happy, it lifted his spirits."Never mind. I was just asking." Before Damon could say anything, Celeste chuckled and silenced him with a kiss.She was afraid of his answer. If she was not sure of her feelings for Damon, how could she demand anything from him?She could not recall how many times Damon had asked for that night, but she remembered he carried her to the shower afterward. As she drifted off
Celeste had previously heard from Megan and other friends that Lawrence had feelings for her. He even used his connections to have the same advisor as Celeste halfway through his master's degree, and he was especially caring toward her abroad. The only thing missing was the unspoken "I like you" from him. However, Celeste never thought of Lawrence in any other way than as a friend or an older brother."Don't be like this, Lawrence," Celeste said as she lowered her head and looked away."Figgy, you know I like you, right?" Lawrence was drunk and he said irrationally, "You don't love Damon. You're just using him to deal with the York family. You shouldn't gamble away your future happiness!"Lawrence's loud voice cut through the noisy music and caught the attention of those around them.He knew everything. Celeste had always thought he was unaware of her relationship with the York family!"Lawrence, you drank too much. Let me take you home," Celeste tried to avoid further convers
"Give me your phone," Damon said.Celeste handed over her phone without hesitation. She observed as he added himself on her WhatsApp and casually marked it as a favorite."From now on, inform me in advance if there's anything you need. And also, don't meet Lawrence alone," he asserted.This time, she was relatively honest and had just left a note for Edna to pass on to him. If she had not, who knows what could have happened to her?Still, Damon could not shake off the unease at the image of Celeste in Lawrence's embrace."Absolutely, I promise," she hurriedly replied with a forced smile.Damon returned her phone and casually scrolled through her Facebook. When he saw her proudly posting their marriage license, a sense of relief softened his expression.He thought the matter had passed. But the next day, just as he went to work, the butler from the Bishop residence came knocking."Ms. York, Mrs. Bishop would like to see you," the butler said.The butler knew about Celeste and D