Celeste encountered Diego at the Davies' home.Phillip Moore, Nicholas's grandfather, came from Marksville to Taverdale for retirement this year. It was coincidentally his 80th birthday celebration. Apart from those who came from Marksville, almost everyone from the upper class of Taverdale attended.Taverdale's upper-class circle had changed in recent years, and Celeste unexpectedly became one of its members. Phillip had helped her before, so she had to show up to celebrate him. However, she considered her relationship with Damon and thought it would be awkward to meet him. Therefore, she made an excuse about traveling overseas and sent a birthday gift in advance, saying she would visit him when she returned to the country.However, after politely refusing, Phillip called her and said, "Cece, how much business do you have overseas? I will reimburse you for it."At this point, Celeste felt she couldn't refuse further.Damon and Nicholas had been good friends for many years and wer
Celeste was overseas for several years. Her mind was a blur, but she never forgot Kenny's kindness. She would prepare gifts in advance and send them over without fail during every festive and Kenny's birthday. After returning to the country, the first thing she did was visit Kenny in Marksville without delay.The two of them had always been close. Coincidentally, Celeste had regarded Kenny as her godfather. After several years of interaction, they became like father and daughter."You should have told me earlier so I could bring Leo to see you and arrange a place for you to stay. If it weren't for me attending Grandpa's birthday banquet, I wouldn't have known you were here." Celeste pouted like a child.Kenny teased, "You're the mother of two now. Stop acting like a child."Yet, he couldn't hide the contentment in his eyes and noticed Celeste's change immediately."Why aren't you asking me about this baby?" Celeste asked. Kenny was someone close to her; he knew her and Sebastian.
Diego's face was pale. He looked unhealthy as if he was a skeleton in a suit. Celeste remembered Lawrence mentioning that he consumed drugs—he wasn't into substances that were prohibited now, but tobacco from the Opium War. He and every living creature that walked on two feet in his mansion consumed opium—Celeste's scalp tingled at the thought of it.The performance had yet to begin when she entered the theater. Diego looked up at her from his seat, his expression melancholic. His eyes were dark as ink and rested on his pale face like two empty holes, quickly drawing people in."Mr. Diego." Celeste's scalp tingled, but she still managed to greet him politely.Diego nodded slightly but did not speak.So, Celeste nodded back at Diego and sat behind him.Celeste went to the sixth floor to enjoy some peace and quiet. She wasn't particularly interested in any song. Before long, she found herself drifting off.On the other hand, Diego listened attentively throughout the show, even thro
"I have all the time in the world, so let's see. After all, you know I do not care much about dignity." Diego's eyes were cold, sending shivers down Celeste's spine.Celeste would be lying if she claimed she wasn't afraid. However, she was used to keeping her emotions to herself, making it impossible for others to notice something was off."What happened to your father has nothing to do with me. However, since you've intervened, there's no point in saying anything else." Composed, she looked at Diego, her eyes devoid of fear.Diego was slightly taken aback. He had known Celeste was a force to be reckoned with. His encounter with her today was living proof of it."From the looks of things, you're pregnant, Ms. York. I'm sure many would be curious to experience the wonders of pregnant women." Diego was despicably perverse even compared to his father, Jonah."Mr. Radcliffe, karma's a bitch. You may be okay now, but karma will hit you so quickly in the long run that you will suffer gr
There was plenty of violence in the dark world, and it's common for someone to kill for their benefit. However, what Diego did violate Meredith and was borderline torture and murder. He disregarded human moral standards. He was not merely cold-blooded; he was a sick bastard!Celeste's heart clenched as she listened, shedding tears of bitterness for this woman she had never met."It's my fault for not protecting Meredith," Kenny said, his face filled with self-blame.He had not been involved in money laundering for many years, but some people under his command, including Meredith, still made a living under his name. Bernie, who helped to put Henry into prison, was among them."Kenny, you shouldn't blame yourself too much. What happened had nothing to do with you."Celeste may be stating a fact, but unfortunately, Meredith had disappeared from the face of the earth. The brutality of her death was simply appalling."Although everything is gone after one dies, I feel obligated to do
"It doesn't matter," Lawrence said. "I had my suspicions about this before, but who Diego is doesn't matter much to me."Even if they were medically proven to be half-brothers, Lawrence couldn't bring himself to feel close to Diego. He wouldn't have reclaimed Diego's portion of the inheritance if he was close to him.Celeste also considered this point but didn't dwell on the topic."If one day I have a conflict with Diego, or if I do something detrimental to him, I hope you won't hate me for it."Celeste was warning Lawrence, but whether it would take effect was beyond her control....After that, Celeste also saw Henry once.She was attending a business event. She was in her car in the parking lot when she saw Henry and a few others leaving the luxury hotel. They seemed to have finished a business negotiation.Henry's years in prison had taken a toll on him. His hair had turned gray. Although he wore a neat suit, his back was slightly hunched, and his face was wrinkled. He loo
Celeste felt both repulsed and amused by Henry's question."What does it have to do with you? Oh, are you afraid to hurt me now if this baby belongs to the Millers? Or are you trying to be a grandfather now, planning to bring a gift to meet the baby?"She was aggressive; each word struck a chord in Henry's heart.Henry's face turned extremely ugly."I can't believe I have a heartless and ruthless daughter like you!" Henry was consumed by his anger and started speaking without thinking.Celeste couldn't help but chuckle."Henry, are you trying to be funny here? Are you not ashamed to say such things? Speaking of being heartless and ruthless, you are the cause of your ex-wife's death and didn't care about your children's lives. You have no right to accuse me of being heartless and ruthless. You should be ashamed of yourself for saying such things. If you have something to say, make it quick. Otherwise, please leave." She coldly gestured towards the door and pressed the elevator b
Celeste wasn't worried about the Bishops refusing to take in Leo. Serena showered Leo with adoration; he was the apple of her eyes.What concerned Celeste was how the Bishops would perceive this situation. Would they think she was neglecting Leo because of Sebastian's baby? If so, getting Leo back in the future would be a handful. A family like the Bishops wouldn't allow their grandson to be mistreated.So that evening, during dinner with her son, Celeste broached the topic with Leo to gauge his reaction."Leo, I've encountered some troubles recently. Would you be upset If I temporarily sent you to Grandma's house?" She ladled soup into Leo's bowl as she spoke gently.Leo lifted his head from the bowl, his eyes glistening. "No. You won't have time to handle the trouble if you take care of me, right?"Celeste thought for a moment. "No, that's not it. I'm just worried about your safety. Leo, you are my Achilles heel. I will surely be at someone else's mercy if you fall into their ha
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