After the truth of the matter became clear, the Bishop's naturally had to come to apologize in person. However, as expected, Leo was "unavailable" when the two visited.When Serena visited, Celeste was still relatively polite."Since it's a matter between children and the instigator has received appropriate punishment, this case should be closed. I will convey the apology to Leo, so you don't have to worry too much," Celeste said to Serena.When Serena said she wanted to see Leo, Celeste simply smiled politely and said, "How unfortunate. Leo just went to bed."Serena deliberately chose to come after 6:00 pm. Leo should have just returned from kindergarten and probably hasn't had the time to undress from his school uniform. Celeste's lie was clumsily fabricated, and its purpose was quite obvious."Celeste… I want to apologize to Leo." Serena became even more embarrassed after hearing Celeste's blatant lie.Celeste remained unmoved by this and said bluntly, "You've also saved him,
Damon of Taverdale, who once controlled everything single-handedly, never thought he'd find himself behind bars. Yet, here he was, and he needed his friends contacted to bail him out.The task fell to two unfamiliar faces who, after receiving a report from Celeste, had staked out around the kindergarten. They watched as Damon parked his black Lamborghini nearby and walked over alone, peering through the fence into the kindergarten.He looked too noble and was out of place in such an environment."A trafficker driving a Lamborghini and looking like that?" one of them questioned."The parent who reported said the trafficker is about 6 feet tall, drives different luxury cars, and disguises himself as a successful businessman," the other explained.In fact, Celeste mentioned that the man would look decent enough. However, they thought he was more than just decent upon seeing Damon. His presence was too commanding.Their mission was clear, and that was to take him in for questioning,
Ruben maintained a poker face while interacting with Damon, but when he heard that the complainant had arrived, his expression softened significantly."I'll mediate shortly, and I'd advise you to adjust your attitude too. Do it for the sake of the child. Try to accommodate woman's perspective," he advised Damon.Damon raised an eyebrow in surprise. He did not expect a tough guy like Ruben to be so considerate."Are you married?" Damon suddenly asked.Ruben was caught off guard by the personal question and paused before replying, "Not yet.""Do you have a girlfriend?""No, not that either."What a waste of a good heart. Damon raised his eyebrows."I don't have a girlfriend, but the principle remains the same. Dominant attitude doesn't sit well with ladies. If you can soothe and accommodate her, then avoid arguing," Ruben got anxious when he saw the look on Damon's face. He thought Damon didn't believe him.……The sound of high heels clicking on marble floors approached steadil
This was the first time Celeste had openly expressed her grievances to Damon, and upon doing so, both of them were momentarily stunned.Celeste usually avoided discussing the past. She would urge Damon not to dwell on it and to look forward instead.Now, having voiced her frustrations, she felt tears welling up in her eyes. The blame couldn't entirely fall on Damon.Upon deeper reflection, his car accident had even been a result of him trying to protect her. Losing his emotions wasn't his fault. The two were merely pawns of fate, and they were helpless against it."I'm sorry!"The two spoke at the same time."No, no, it's my fault. I shouldn't have brought up the past. It wasn't your fault back then. You didn't want to be hurt by Fiona."Celeste waved her hand dismissively. "Let's not talk about the past. Let's focus on the present. Right now, Leo doesn't want to see you, and I don't want it either.""I've been really terrible to you." Damon felt a painful squeeze in his he
The way Damon looked at her was too intense. Celeste gradually lost her composure under his scrutiny, and her cheeks grew red."Enough talk!" She abruptly stood up and knocked her shin against the chair with a dull thud.Damon got nervous. He sighed as he watched Celeste's brows furrowed, then relaxed. This woman always seemed to be getting hurt.He glanced down at her shin, where the scar was still there. The scar was left from the year she had gone golfing with Cedric. She deliberately banged her shin against the coffee table in the living room in an attempt to calm Damon's fury.Celeste wore long sleeves year-round because of the scars from self-harm during her period of depression.He had bought many scar removal products for her, and would apply them to her scars every night before bed when they were still together. But despite his efforts, the scars had not completely faded."What's done is done, and nothing could be changed." Indeed, she cared about her appearance, but she
This wasn’t the first time Damon had sent medicine over. When Celeste sprained her ankle jumping out of a car, he had Liam deliver it as well.Celeste stared at the large bag of bruise ointments and various other medications brought by the doorman. It took her a while to realize what was happening.It was only later that realization had dawned on her. Right, she had banged her leg when standing up in the police station. Damon really did go over the top, didn’t he?Celeste flipped through the items in the bag with an expressionless face yet with mixed emotions.In fact, Damon was indeed attentive to her.When they were together, it was Damon who applied scar cream for her. He knew the contents of her medicine cabinet better than she did, down to every pill for her depression.She even believed that Damon would never do the same for anyone else in the future. She was the only one who would receive such treatment from him.But what was missed was missed, and dwelling on it was mean
Celeste was in a mess, and Megan wasn’t faring much better.She had thought that Dora was just a minor interlude in their relationship, someone who was hardly worth mentioning. However, the situation didn’t calm down. Instead, it escalated.First, an interview video of Dora during her shooting was leaked online.Compared to the new generation of young actresses who were each a digital persona with managed Twitter accounts and scripted interviews, the older generation of top actresses like Dora had much more autonomy and freedom, making their interviews far more interesting.The media always circled back to the topic of romance and relationships in interviews with her.“I think everyone is different at various stages of their life. Although I’ve never been keen on marrying and having children, recently, my view on love has changed. I came to Taverdale for a movie and met someone who made my heart race when I was younger. I feel like crying whenever he looks at me. It’s all very ser
Winston wasn't guilty of anything. Hence, he didn't care much about the gossip. However, the online enthusiasm for the story continued to surge, and the discussion never stopped."A female star and a handsome construction magnate with twenty years of connection. They're such a goal.""Does this mean they broke up many years ago and are now back together?""Both of them aren't in a rush to get married, right? Winston seems to have been single all these years."……The rumors were rampant, and Dora, who sparked the conversation, had since gone silent after that one interview and hadn't appeared in public again.Was there something wrong with her to provoke speculation about the situation? Megan didn't believe the online discussions were unrelated to Dora, and it was highly likely that this whole thing was a publicity stunt orchestrated by Dora.Still, Megan believed when Winston said there was nothing between him and Dora.After all, no matter how charming Dora appeared, Megan’s l
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