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
Celeste didn't sleep all night. She was in the second trimester of her pregnancy when she would bloat easily. Her face was swollen, and her eyes were hard to open. She ran out hastily, wearing a loose shirt. Her hair was hurriedly tied into a bun, her face devoid of makeup, her eyebrows untouched. Celeste suddenly felt embarrassed when she saw Damon getting out of the car.If she had known, she would have made more effort in her appearance not to be looked down upon by her ex-husband.She felt somewhat disheartened but still reached out to touch Leo's head and said softly, "Listen to Daddy and Grandma, okay? Be good." She noticed Leo nodding. Then, she looked up and smiled at Damon, "Thank you.""Leo is my son. There's no need for pleasantries." Damon remained neutral as he reached out to carry Leo. Then, he went into the car.Celeste pursed her lips awkwardly but still handed Leo's belongings to the driver. "Sorry for the trouble," she said, unsure if she was addressing the driver
"Lester, why are you here?" Serena reprimanded before Damon and Leo said anything.Her behavior was like scolding her own child in front of others; she covered for him. Since she had scolded him, she expected Damon and Leo not to do the same.Leo was very intelligent and immediately gave Serena a strange look.Serena felt somewhat uncomfortable and looked away.The Bishop residence was as big as a high school, so keeping Leo and Lester from meeting was extremely easy. Lester caused the separation between Leo and the Bishops. Since then, Serena had been exceptionally cautious about stopping the two children from meeting. She had been looking into sending Lester to a boarding school once he reached the appropriate age.Serena loved Lester. However, after discovering his conniving nature, she gradually lost some of her affection for him. After all, Lester was not her biological grandson. Nonetheless, Lester was charming at a young age and knew how to butter people up with his words.
Lester was only a little over four years old, so it was normal for him to cry. Leo's welcome had turned sour; the adults felt awkward as a child cried."Lester, follow Ms. Mabel back for now; Grandma will talk to your brother." Serena had to carry Lester up and comfort him in a low voice.As the "culprit" who made Lester cry, Leo just stood there awkwardly. His lips were pressed together, and his face was slightly pale. He glanced at Serena, then looked up at Damon.Damon suddenly remembered a similar scene when he was newly married to Celeste. He had gathered his friends and forced them to shake hands and reconcile with her. He only remembered how sad Celeste was that night; she knelt in front of her mother's grave all night before returning home."What did I do wrong? I was targeted for no reason and forced to forgive," she said.This time, he would avoid making the same mistake again."Leo is the one who was wronged, so Leo decides whether to forgive. He shouldn't be guilt-tri
Men were not allowed in the VIP consultation room, so the bodyguards were not inside. Celeste held her medical report and queued with a handful of pregnant women in the waiting area. Everything seemed normal.Nothing was unusual until a pregnant woman holding a queue number entered and sat beside Celeste.The waiting area of the VIP consultation room was spacious enough to accommodate twenty people seated at the same time, so there was no need for her to sit so close. Celeste found it strange and moved aside on her own, glancing at the pregnant woman beside her.Before she could even see the pregnant woman clearly, the lady had pounced on her, pinning her down.A white light flickered; the "pregnant woman" took out a knife and stabbed it toward Celeste.Everything happened too fast. Celeste instinctively curled up and covered her stomach.The knife stabbed into her forearm, causing a rivulet of blood to spew."Ah! Murder!" The nearest pregnant woman was the first to react, sho
Damon had the habit of browsing the news at a fixed time every day, which was essential for a businessman to be updated with the latest economic news. He was browsing the economic section on his phone when a piece of news suddenly popped up."An attack happened in the largest obstetrics and gynecology hospital in Taverdale, Serenity Hospital. A woman disguised as a pregnant woman broke into the waiting room, resulting in one pregnant woman being injured by a knife."It was a concise headline. Usually, this news wouldn't have piqued Damon's interest; he wouldn't have clicked on it. But this time, it seemed like the stars aligned—Damon would never admit to his heightened sensitivity to the term "pregnant women" because of Celeste.The baby in her belonged to someone else, yet he paid so much attention to her. If this became public news, he would be a laughingstock.Footage taken from the hospital was attached to the article. Both the assailant and the victim were blurred. However, ev
Megan arrived first, holding fruits in one hand and flowers in the other. When she saw Celeste, she hurriedly put down her things and rushed over to caress her bandaged arms. Megan immediately tearing up."Does it hurt a lot? The doctor said you had several stitches.""It's okay. I'm used to it. I often get injured; you know that." It did hurt, but Celeste could take it. She intentionally appeared carefree and gave Megan an assuring smile."I can't believe you're still smiling!" Noticing Celeste's indifference, Megan couldn't help but reproach her, "You have to be careful in the future. I'm prepared to sue this hospital. How can they allow anyone to walk in freely? If you hadn't been mentally strong, the baby might have been..." Megan couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. Celeste felt fuzzy in her heart as she noticed Megan's reddened eyes."Accidents happen even when you're careful. I'll try to be more careful in the future." She hurriedly comforted Megan.Megan nodd
From Damon's tone, he was trying to distance himself.He implied that he wasn't dumb enough to come and pester her again; Leo wanted to see her. It was belittling for an ex-husband to visit someone while they were pregnant.However, Celeste understood what Damon said differently—she assumed Damon disliked her.Celeste's face subtly paled, but she quickly smiled and said, "I'm sorry for troubling you. If you have something to do, you can leave. Let Leo stay here for now, and I'll have the driver send him back to the Bishop residence tomorrow."Kindness was a two-way street. She couldn't blame Damon. She couldn't reject Damon while expecting him to treat her well.The atmosphere in the ward turned icy, and Damon's eyes instantly became colder. He stared at Celeste without blinking, and she felt intimidated.Celeste wondered if she said something wrong."Do you dislike seeing me?" Damon suddenly spoke in a low voice, even lower than usual since Leo was still asleep.Celeste was
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