To Megan's surprise, right after she sent the text message, Winston actually called her.Staring at the vibrating phone for a while, Megan was unsure how to respond. There was no intention to hang up from Winston's end. The phone just kept ringing until it disconnected on its own. Then, he called again.Taking a deep breath, Megan reluctantly answered the call."Meg, still not asleep?" Winston's voice came through, surprisingly warm and refined.Megan's breath caught. "Yeah.""Tomorrow's gonna be chillier. Don't forget to layer up and grab an umbrella. Might be some rain.""Okay.""When are you coming back to the country?""In a while.""Take care of yourself.""Okay."Chatting is supposed to be an exchange, but Megan's responses were few, resulting in a conversation that quickly fizzled out.Through all these days she left the country, Megan couldn't deny that she had missed Winston, even if just a little. But upon hearing his voice, she didn't know what to say to him,
"Lily is gone..." Jane said hoarsely as she held onto Lilian's lifeless body.Even though she had prepared herself mentally beforehand, Jane was still overwhelmed with grief. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face while her shoulders trembled with sobs.Over the years, Lilian had always been by Jane's side, like her granddaughter. Lilian's death felt like the shattering of her world.Winston had always treated Lilian like family. So, he was also deeply saddened. With red-rimmed eyes, he comforted Jane for a long time until she finally calmed down slightly."Lily was such a sweetheart," Jane remarked. She recalled all the wonderful things about Lilian and shared them with Winston. He listened intently, feeling a tightness in his chest. "I know," he said hoarsely. The news of Lilian's passing quickly spread to Celeste. Upon rushing back to the Belasco residence, she found Lilian's lawyer, Jimmy Clark already present, briefing the family on Lilian's final arrangement. In rec
Within a week after Lilian passed away, the Primax Group had three bid documents leaked consecutively, totaling over 200 billion. This sum represented nearly three years' worth of profit for the Belasco family due to the poor market conditions in the past two years. With thousands of people in the company working hard for three years, Winston felt like the weight of the world was suddenly on his shoulders.Winston always kept his confidential documents in his office safe, and he was the only one who knew the password.He tossed and turned all night, thinking about who messed with his things and leaked the information.Due to the large amount of money involved, a special team was put together to investigate the entire company. All the clues pointed to Lilian!That day, when Lilian came by to deliver Winston supper, she secretly placed a hidden camera near his office desk, aiming directly at the safe.The Primax Group had lost the bid, while another big construction company, the
Megan had remained silent all along. Upon hearing Winston's words, she stood up and walked over, slamming her palm on his desk. If it weren't for the tiredness in his face, that slap would have aimed for his face."Winston, do I even get a say in this?" she demanded."Hmm?" Winston looked up, surprised by her sudden assertiveness.Megan had always been obedient, and her demeanor akin to that of a lady. But now, she seemed angry."I messed up first, okay? But that doesn't mean you get to boss me around in our relationship. I can't decide whether to stay or go? How can you be so arrogant!" Megan was trembling with anger, her face turned pale as she let out her frustration. Winston leaned in, holding her hand tight. Megan tried to pull away in frustration, but he tightened his grip."It's okay to be mad. But, don't ever do it again," he said, gently rubbing her reddening palm and blowing on it as if comforting a child."You should be glad I didn't hit you!" Megan snapped at hi
Celeste scooped up a chicken noodle soup, cooled it off, and offered it to Jane. Upon hearing Celeste's remark, Jane sat up abruptly, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked at Celeste."I... gave her my everything!"Celeste remained silent for a while, fully aware how much effort Jane had put into Lilian. Lilian's actions not only caused huge losses for the Belasco family. They also cut deep into Jane's heart."I witnessed her struggle with cancer in the advanced stages. There were moments when I chose to overlook her faults, even when I knew she was in the wrong. Regrettably, my actions led to mistreatment toward you on several occasions. I foolishly believed there would be plenty of opportunities in the future to make things right with you. But she…"I'm sorry, Cece." Jane reached out, hugging Celeste and wiping away her tears.Celeste wrapped her arms around Jane. "Let's not talk about this, Grandma. Your blood runs through my veins, and that won't change because of
"You and Monica's founder, Arno, are both Francisian. And you both are involved in the fashion design industry. So, I thought you might have something in common," Celeste said with a hint of resignation."You and Arno are both in the fashion industry, yet you still can't seem to connect," Sylvie said, switching back to Latish."That's true," Celeste sighed. It seemed that attracting investment from Monica wouldn't be so simple.Based on the theory of six degrees of separation, it was believed that any two people in the world can be connected through a chain of six intermediaries. In this situation, it seemed unlikely that Celeste could establish a connection with Monica's founder using Sylvie as an intermediary."I'm desperate for this. Can you please help me think of a way, Sylvie?" Celeste felt a sense of urgency and pleaded with Sylvie, holding her hand with hopeful eyes."Well, there's someone I know who might be able to help. It's just..." Sylvie hesitated.Usually straigh
Although feeling nervous, Celeste was determined not to give up. After meeting Sylvie in the afternoon, she bought a cup of coffee and headed straight to Leo's office building."Try this. The new Sea Salt Latte," she said, sitting in Spencer's office and offering him the coffee with a bright smile."Nothing comes for free," Spencer remarked, rolling his eyes. Celeste had rejected his invitations to hang out several times before this."You're right. I just missed you and wanted to see you. But Leo, I'm impressed by how quickly you're picking up on Tavernese. It comes along nicely," Celeste quickly complimented."You better not be wasting my time. You've got three minutes, and if you don't talk, then forget about it," Spencer said, sipping the Sea Salt Latte, which had a tangy-sweet flavor. It reminded him of Celeste herself—salty and sweet, but with a hint of coffee's bitterness. Spencer narrowed his eyes, deep in thought."Um, I'm not sure if I should ask. But... you and Arn
Celeste wasted no time. Once back home, she promptly applied for a visa. With her experience of studying and living in Genova, along with her financial proof, obtaining a Franciso visa was easy.On the day of her departure, Damon drove her to the airport himself, where he met Spencer.Since Spencer's car accident, Spencer's and Damon's relationship had become somewhat delicate. After a brief moment of eye contact, Spencer spoke first, "You trust me with Celeste?"Damon coldly snorted, "Since you know Celeste is my wife, then show some respect. Treat her like a sister-in-law should be treated.""Hey, I never acknowledge you as my brother," Spencer quickly clarified. Celeste sensed a hint of embarrassment creeping onto his face."That's the fact. You got the same blood running through your veins as mine. Whether you accept it or not, you're part of the Bishop family, Spencer," Damon said firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.Damon had never been one to openly admit this bef