Independent women were naturally intrigued about competitive events, and Celeste was no exception. She had never been to a horse race before. But, when Sebastian invited her, she immediately agreed.Sebastian had a playful nature, with a childlike essence deep down.Damon regarded horses as his loyal companions. While Sebastian cherished them like a beloved pet. Winning a prize was nice. But, even if they didn't, they would just simply pat the horse's head and affectionately call it "silly".Sebastian's horse won third place, and he was already very happy. As a companion, Celeste also felt proud."Sophie, you're amazing!" Celeste gently stroked Sophie's ears."Yeah, our little princess Sophie can run so fast!" Sebastian also leaned over, petting and kissing Sophie affectionately.The top three received prizes, with the champion receiving 1.98 million, the runner-up 980 thousand, and Sophie as the third place receiving 380 thousand.Ironically, those who won the awards were a
Away from the bustling crowd, Celeste finally found a moment to relax. Given the Miller family's status and her own achievements, having a peaceful meal was impossible. People kept coming over to toast and flatter her.After drinking half a glass of champagne, Celeste made up an excuse to step outside. When Damon followed her out, she was lost in thought, staring blankly at the fountain in the small garden.She reached out toward the mist, enjoying the coolness of the summer night. Then, as if puzzled and resentful, she leaned her face closer to the fountain, letting the mist sprinkle over her."You'll ruin your makeup if you stay in there any longer," Damon's voice came from behind, and she suddenly turned to face him.Since it was a celebration banquet, Celeste changed her daytime outfit for a simple little black dress and a pair of flat ballet shoes, giving off a casual yet beautiful vibe.Half of her face was damp from the fountain, with tiny water droplets on her eyebrows
With a whole bunch of media present, and Damon not even trying to hide his feelings. It was obvious this thing wouldn't just slide by unnoticed. All the news about the horse race specifically mentioned Damon riding himself, showing off his cool style. The accompanying audience photos even included close-ups of Sebastian and Celeste. While not explicitly mentioning Damon and Celeste's past relationship, the articles hinted at it, leading readers to speculate."Is Damon doing this to catch Celeste's attention?""In speed horse racing, it's all about the horse, not the jockey. If I remember right, the requirement is not to exceed 5 feet 6 inches.""Every social class has its own show-offs.""Mr. Bishop, the president, must love horse racing."Various netizens discussed and joked, with the teasing outweighing the attention on the competition."Are my couple pairing... finally getting together... happily ever after?""I wouldn't be surprised at whatever happens between them.""N
Celeste was eager to get out of the heated situation, unaware that Damon was also in the car. As she settled into her seat, she was startled by his presence. Liam had already started the car."Pull over and drop me off," she said, her tone was icy, and she refused to even look at Damon."Ms. York, let me get you away out of here," Liam replied, his tone gentle."No. Thanks!"This car didn't have automatic locking. So, when Celeste tried to open the door to jump out, Liam noticed and hit the brakes in a panic. Damon acted fast, reaching out to pull her onto his lap. "Hit the gas!""Damon, this is all because of you. You don't have to pretend! If you want to argue with me, it's better to let me face those media directly!" Celeste struggled desperately to get off while being tightly held by Damon.Liam had to slow down, worried the two in the back might stir up trouble again."Drive faster." Damon's tone was also displeased. So, Liam had to speed up again.The car slowly drove
The next day, no one mentioned Damon's and Celeste's affair again. Overnight, all the media seemed to have been silenced, no longer discussing the racecourse or the "wealthy love triangle". Celeste searched the names of the three involved people and saw the phrase "Search results not displayed due to relevant laws and regulations and policies." It felt like a slap in her face. Could "Damon" now symbolize laws and regulations? She couldn't help but find it ironic. But, at least the matter was resolved. Her words had definitely made Damon think twice. At least he would calm down for a while. And sure enough, he did. That day, when he saw Celeste sprain her ankle, he felt so much pain for her that he never acted recklessly anymore. Even with just one percent chance of her following through on her threat, he couldn't risk it. The agony of losing her was something he never wanted to go through again. Meanwhile, something else happened. Isa Holt, a distant relative who was t
Serena and Damon brought Lester back to Taverdale. At Nicholas' hospital, they had the best medical team around the world. While they couldn't work miracles, they did manage to save Lester, who had been declared beyond saving by the rural hospital.Lester, who had been a chubby little bundle, had become thin after enduring two months of suffering."Lester was doing fine before. But now, he's like returning from a refugee camp. Anemic, malnourished, and failing multiple indicators," Nicholas shook his head as he looked at Lester's data in his office. "What are you going to do?" "My mom believes in the kindness of fate. So, she's planning to bring him back." Serena's decision reflected Damon's thoughts. Lester didn't cry when he had to get needle pricks and use instruments.He only cried when he called out for Damon in his dreams, saying, "Daddy, don't leave!" Damon's heart softened, even though he was usually tough."Just let him stay with us. We can't give him the famil
"Let's talk about it later!" The conversation turned to Megan, and she suddenly felt a bit flustered."Meg, I thought that after all the hardship you've been through, finally being with the one you love, you would get married soon," Celeste sighed."I just feel like something's lacking," Megan said.As for what was lacking, she didn't mention. Because bringing it up would come across as overly dramatic.Once they became a couple, Winston bought a house in another neighborhood. He and Megan started living together. He was extremely caring toward Megan, both materially and emotionally. But there were days in the year when he would definitely be absent. Memorial Day, his ex-wife's birthday, her death anniversary, and even Christmas—because Winston promised to spend Christmas only with her.Megan knew that in choosing Winston, she had accepted this arrangement. Logically, this was the case. But people had emotion. It was impossible that she didn't care at all.On their first Chri
On the day Dora arrived in Taverdale, she didn't inform her fans about her schedule. Instead, she contacted Winston immediately."Winston, I'm heading to Taverdale. Could you pick me up at the airport at 8:00 pm? I've got a gift for you," she said in her gentle, intellectual voice over the phone.As Winston answered the call, Megan was beside him, imagining the woman on the other end of the line."Who's that?""Dora, her new film is shooting here, and she's joining the crew tomorrow," Winston said.It was only then that Megan learned that this ethereal celebrity, Dora Cruz, was a close friend of Winston.Dora, a former stage performer who transitioned into acting, was in her 40s, unmarried and without children.In public settings, she was often questioned about her personal life, and her honest and eloquent answers contrasted sharply with the mundane demeanor of the typically sophisticated hosts.Dora's famous quote about not planning to have children was "My genes aren't excel
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