With Damon's intervention, the matter involving Mark naturally subsided without causing much of a stir. Mark was not publicly tried, and Celeste, Megan, and Ava unanimously agreed to protect Dora's privacy. Despite her flaws, Dora did not deserve to be exposed for what happened to her. If the public knew about her assault, her life would be ruined. Therefore, the three women agreed to keep the matter suppressed. Even though they all looked down on Dora, they had no intention of mocking her in this matter. As women, they understood the vulnerability in cases of sexual violence and felt that Dora should not be ridiculed for it.Thus, the news was quietly suppressed by the three of them. It caused Winston to sigh. "Dora is lucky to have met you."Dora was lucky?If Dora hadn't acted recklessly, her fate would indeed have been quite fortunate. But now… Well, they could only sigh.Later on, Megan encountered Dora once more.At that time, Megan went to a bakery to buy breakfast, onl
The reason for all this was because Ethan's team attended the Fannes Film Festival in Francisco, where Celeste's jewelry company happened to be one of the sponsors. The business department had their eye on a rising starlet, Samantha Knights, who was still in the evaluation phase. This event marked Samantha's first appearance wearing Celeste's jewelry.Normally, Celeste wouldn't attend such events, but as the brand manager, she wanted to personally oversee their potential new brand ambassador. So, she flew to Francisco with the business department's manager for the festival.As luck would have it, Samantha was the lead actress in Ethan's new movie. Their trip to Francisco had them constantly together, practically inseparable.Celeste had always found Ethan attractive, but seeing him among a sea of tall, sharp-featured Francisian men made her realize just how striking he was. He matched the Francisians in height and presence, his features even more defined. With his rugged beard, ta
"Can't you see how I feel about you?" Samantha's voice was choked with tears, her entire demeanor pitiful and fragile."Stop it," Ethan's voice was calm and he betrayed no emotion."I'm not stopping! I want you!" Samantha, under the influence of alcohol, was acting recklessly. She threw herself into Ethan's arms, wrapping her arms around his waist."Samantha!" Ethan took a step back, pushing her away. His tone turned stern. "You're young. Don't gamble your career on this.""Gamble my career? Didn't I already do that when we went to Moon Island? Ethan, you weren't acting like this in front of the media!" Her voice rose, and she suddenly seemed to understand something."Is this all just a show? For Ava?" Her tone was incredulous.She continued, "You don't even love Ava, so why put on an act for her? What do you gain from this?" Samantha's emotions boiled over, and she became aggressive, a far cry from her composed demeanor at the dinner.Ethan, who had been patient until now, wa
At first, Celeste was so busy with work that she didn't notice her period was late.She only remembered it later when she overheard her assistant and others in the office complaining about the cold weather, causing their periods to come early.That was when she realized her period had been absent for quite some time.Could it be...? The thought made Celeste break out in a cold sweat.She had been single for over four years and no longer kept track of her safe days or ovulation period. If she thought about it, what happened that night indeed fell during her ovulation period.Having just recovered from the fear of being kidnapped by Mark and then spending a night with Damon, followed by being caught in a thunderstorm the next day, she was so distracted that she forgot to take an emergency contraceptive pill.After her first pregnancy ended in miscarriage, the doctor said her chances of getting pregnant again were low.Having Leo was already a small miracle. If she were to get preg
In their relationship, Megan rarely took the lead in making decisions. She was more used to supporting. For her to make a decision for Celeste was quite unusual."Didn't you hear the doctor? If you don't keep this one, it will be hard for you to have another child in the future. Your body is already so weak a miscarriage would cause enormous damage. If... I'm saying if, in the future, Leo really needs a sibling to provide umbilical cord blood or bone marrow, and you can't conceive again, you won't have any options left."Megan voiced what Celeste was already thinking. These were all reasons to keep the child. Megan hadn't considered any reasons not to."I have money now. A nanny and a housekeeper can help. How hard can it be to raise a child?" Celeste smiled wryly."What I'm worried about is that this child might not want to come into the world and might not want to be born without a father. Leo has already acknowledged Damon. If I have another child with Damon, how would that be a
Nick and Becky had received many favors from Brian and Serena while Brian was alive. Later, when Damon inherited the family business and expanded the Bishop Group, he didn't forget to share some of the benefits with Nick. The two families got along very well, which was rare among wealthy families.Although Damon had forcibly sent Carly abroad a few years ago, Nick and Becky knew their daughter was at fault. Thus, it didn't cause any estrangement between the families.Directly advising Damon wouldn't be appropriate. Becky needed to approach Serena first.In a family like the Bishops, visits were usually announced in advance. Becky's sudden arrival was unusual."Come, quickly prepare tea for Mrs. Becky," Serena, seeing her sister-in-law, thought something major had happened. She hurriedly invited her into the living room and warmly welcomed her.In fact, something major had indeed happened."Serena, I have something to discuss with you." Becky sat down and went straight to the poin
Becky was right. Celeste had revealed the information on purpose because she wanted Becky to tell Damon about it.After learning she was pregnant, Celeste tossed and turned all night. She couldn't decide whether to keep the baby.Emotionally, she was reluctant to let go. After all, this was her flesh and blood, as well as her and Damon's child.But logically, it was a fifty-fifty split. Keeping the baby would certainly help with Leo's illness, but it would also bring a lot of trouble.Eventually, Celeste fell into a deep sense of guilt. How could she have forgotten to buy the morning-after pill?She was already a heavy thinker, and now, with this on her mind, she barely slept. When she finally did, it was almost dawn.She even had a fetal dream during what little sleep she had between six and seven in the morning.In the dream, a chubby little girl with curly hair and big eyes stretched out her arms toward her."Mommy, I'm back.""Where did you come back from?" The logic of dr
"I've been married to Sebastian for four years, and we're both adults with normal needs. Will you even believe what you're saying?"This was her prepared argument. If they were to end, they would end completely.Damon, being a proud and fastidious person, could never accept a woman who was impure.Sure enough, Damon's eyes instantly turned blood-red."Celeste, what do you mean?""Exactly what it sounds like. Sebastian and I are husband and wife. It's only natural for us to be doing what couples do, including fulfilling marital duties, sleeping together, and trying to have another child." Celeste's heart trembled slightly as she watched Damon's eyes turn red. Still, she continued saying her prepared lines."Leo said you two are only together on the outside." His throat felt bitter and dry. Every word he said was forced out with difficulty."No matter how genius Leo is, he’s still a child. It’s normal he doesn’t see the whole picture. Of course, we’d keep this from him."Celeste