The three had initially planned to meet up and catch up on recent events. They never expected to encounter Celeste and Sebastian.Damon, already in a foul mood, was accompanied by Nicholas and Jasper as they drank a few more rounds. They stayed at the bar until closing time. The atmosphere grew increasingly tense."Let's move to another place," Nicholas suggested, and the trio settled the bill and headed out.As they passed Celeste's table, Nicholas noticed other customers had taken it. This meant Celeste and Sebastian had left a while ago. He stole a glance at Damon, who maintained a poker face. One couldn't read his face."Let's head to the Echo Club," Jasper proposed.His driver was waiting outside. Thus, they were sent to the Echo Club straight away.It was quite a coincidence when, upon arriving, they saw Celeste and Sebastian getting out of a car and walking into the five-star hotel next door.Sebastian was being particularly attentive, fetching a coat from the car for Cel
Celeste stormed out of the hotel, fully intending to have a heated argument with Damon.As she stepped outside, furious, she saw Damon waiting with Nicholas and Jasper."Damon, go get treated if there's something wrong with your mind. Stop bothering others," Celeste was fuming with rage. Arms crossed, she sneered at Damon.Damon said nothing. He simply lifted her off the ground."Where's your coat?" he asked in a low voice.Celeste instinctively protected her pregnant belly with one hand. "What are you doing?"She was clearly flustered."Your coat, where is it?" Damon asked again, insistently.When they had entered, Sebastian had given her a coat to wear.Only then did Celeste understand what Damon was implying.It was cold outside, but the hotel office was comfortably warm. Taking off her coat inside was perfectly normal, but to Damon, it was evidence of her and Sebastian getting a room together.Thus, a hint of mockery appeared in Celeste’s eyes."Of course, I took it off
"Are you planning to lock me up here?" Celeste had no strength left to struggle. She looked around from Damon's arms while asking in an icy tone."Don't say it like that. This villa was bought as a gift for you." Damon's voice sounded as though thick with suppressed pain, tired and hoarse.As Damon carried her inside, Celeste knew things were going wrong. She forced herself to observe the surroundings to search for an escape route.Though uninhabited, the villa was well-maintained and lived-in. The courtyard was filled with broad-leaved plants, roses climbed the walls, and even a few cats roamed among the flowers.This was indeed a place Celeste would love. She had once told Damon that when she got old, she'd want a quieter place to live and tend to her flowers."Let Edna help you. You'd need to replace the flowers often, wouldn't you?" Damon had teased her then. He had kissed the top of her head and casually asked what she liked."I want either broad-leaved plants or masses of
Damon's mind was filled with romantic thoughts, but Celeste resisted him the entire time. She was initially panicked as Damon held her chin while trying to invade her mouth. However, she quickly regained her composure.She hooked her tongue around Damon’s, then bit down hard.The taste of blood spread between their lips, and Celeste knew she had succeeded.Damon groaned but didn’t let go."If biting me makes you feel better, then bite harder," he muttered, then continued to kiss her while his hands moved to unbutton her shirt.Celeste bit him again, harder and more decisively this time.Damon still refused to let her go, with his hands continuing their work.Using all her strength, Celeste managed to push him away. The taste of blood filled the space between them, with drops of blood falling from her lips.Damon’s eyes darkened as he stared at her."Damon, if you dare touch me, I’ll kill myself right here," Celeste said coldly while buttoning her shirt, which Damon had remov
The bedroom door wasn't locked, and when Damon pushed it open, Celeste was seen lying flat on the bed while staring blankly at the ceiling."Are you going on a hunger strike?" Damon frowned as he looked at her with displeasure. He questioned her straight away.Hunger strike? As a pregnant woman, it was impossible for her to do such a thing. Even if not for herself, she had to think about the baby. She merely had no appetite and couldn't eat much, that was all.But why would Celeste tell Damon the truth?She gave him a cold glance and said nothing."It's your body. If you don't eat, you're the one who suffers." Damon raised his voice upon seeing her resistance."I know it's my body. So, stop bothering me," Celeste said indifferently, as if even speaking to him was a torment."Celeste, even if you don't care about yourself, you should think about Leo. You don't want Leo to suffer, do you?" Damon's chest tightened with pain, and his voice turned icy."Leo is your son, Damon." Cele
Leo was young but mature for his age. Megan felt telling him about the situation might open up some possibilities.Sebastian had interacted with Leo numerous times and felt he understood him well enough. He agreed with Megan.When they arrived at the York residence, they called Leo into the living room and explained the situation in a way he could understand."So, the problem is that mommy doesn't want to be with daddy, but daddy is forcing her and has hidden her away," Leo summarized."Yes." That sounded about right. Leo could indeed understood the situation."Leo, I know you want your mom and dad to be together, but this depends on what your mom wants. If she doesn't want to, your dad forcing her will only hurt her," Megan held Leo and said in all seriousness.Leo nodded."Mommy is safe, right?""Of course. Your dad cares about her and won't hurt her, but this situation isn't right," Sebastian replied.Leo was silent for a moment. "I'm meeting grandma the day after tomorrow
Leo might understand it, but that didn't mean he'd liked it.Damon glanced down at Leo, whose face had suddenly grown tense. He casually asked, "Why did you decide to watch 'The Dream of the Red Chamber'?"He recalled Leo's previous comments about the novel.Shortly after they had reconnected, Serena had doubted Leo's genius and had made a bet with Damon.When they brought Leo over, Serena tested him by asking if he had read the Four Great Classical Novels and which one he liked best.Damon had pretended to be engrossed in his phone nearby, but he listened intently to their conversation."I've read them, but I don't particularly like any of them,” Leo had said.He had even analyzed why he didn't like them. "I prefer works that advocate for freedom, equality, and nature. The backgrounds of the Four Great Novels inherently limit the authors' perspectives.”Leo had said that Journey to the East was steeped in Luminarism and Flowism, but he was an atheist. Water Margin was a comple
Damon played along and asked, "Where to?""There’s a bookstore nearby. Mommy has been into a young poet named Evelyn Hartwood lately. Let’s buy one of her books for mommy," Leo suggested. He grabbed Damon’s hand.Usually, Leo’s energy was low. He often took long afternoon naps, sleeping until five, then going to bed again around eight after dinner. He hadn’t napped and had sat through a two-hour play that day. He was clearly looking tired.How could Damon not tell?However, Damon didn’t want to spoil the mood since Leo hadn’t complained. He picked him up and carried him to the bookstore."Dad, have you been here before?" Leo asked while holding onto Damon’s neck.Leo was usually very reserved, yet he was being unusually affectionate that day. He would hold hands and hug Damon."I have," Damon replied.Leo nodded and didn’t ask further.Damon hadn’t heard of the young poet Leo mentioned, but the bookstore owner found the book quickly. Handing it to Damon, the owner praised an