Celia was tidying up her belongings when she received a call from Sabrina. "How much more time do you need to finish?""I've already finished.""What? Are you sure you've checked it thoroughly and there are no issues?" Sabrina couldn't believe Celia had completed the task so quickly.Celia patiently replied, "I'm sure. I'm hanging up if there's nothing else you need. I'd like to get off work.""No! You can't leave yet!" Sabrina suddenly raised her voice.Celia stopped in her tracks. "Why?""I just received a call from Mr. Carver. He said that there's another set of data that needs to be included. I'll bring it over to you right now, so stay where you are.""Then you can email me the data. It'll be too late if you come over here.""No can do. The data is quite complex. You haven't worked with it before. It'll be disastrous if you mess it up. Just wait for me. Don't be impatient. I have already reached home, but I still need to rush over to work overtime with you. What do you hav
"It's already 11 pm, and Celia still hasn't returned. I wonder where she went off to."Yardley overheard Quinn's words when he went downstairs to get a glass of water.Lillian added, "As expected of a country bumpkin, she lacks common sense. Her lifestyle is also inappropriate. I can't imagine where she is at this hour!"Yardley found it strange at first. Then, her attitude toward him the day before crossed his mind. The strangeness faded.What she did had nothing to do with him.Lillian raised her voice. "Yardley, Celia's behavior might not be a big deal, but it'll be troublesome if word gets out and tarnishes your reputation. After all, a lot of people have seen her and recognized her as your fiancée. "It would be best for you to annul this engagement as soon as possible. Let her go back to the countryside and leave our house. Who knows what problems she'll cause if we let her stay? You never know with these things. We might be held responsible if something goes wrong.""Gran
"Celia? Celia!" Yardley scooped her up into his arms and gently tapped her cheek. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"Celia's brows were scrunched up, and she muttered, "It's so dark … Don't go … Don't …""Dark? Oh—she's afraid of the dark!" Realization dawned on Yardley. His heart softened as he suddenly recalled the little girl who was also pale with fear in the darkness, huddling close to him. An inexplicable sense of compassion arose in his heart."Don't be scared. Everything's okay now. I'll take you home," he said gently.Celia's trembling visibly lessened after hearing his words, but she continued to mutter under her breath. Yardley couldn't understand a word she was saying, but he was more focused on getting her out of there. "It's okay. Don't be scared. I'm here," he kept comforting her along the way. He sat her in the passenger seat and noticed that she was still clutching onto his clothes. Yardley decided to take off his coat and drape it over her. He couldn't help but f
Yardley was fed up and turned to leave. He ran into Quinn as soon as he stepped out of Celia's room. Quinn also noticed Celia lying on the bed before the door closed. "Yardley, why'd you come out of Celia's room at this hour?" she asked.Yardley ignored her and walked away, which further piqued Quinn's interest. "Did you spend the night in her room? What did you guys do?"Celia was annoyed by Quinn's incessant chatter this early in the morning. She scratched her hair and got up to freshen herself in the bathroom. Celia was well aware of her own condition. "I must've looked awful last night. I can't believe I let Yardley see me in that vulnerable state. Now he probably knows about this weakness of mine. What if he mocks me in the future? I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole! It's all Sabrina Xanthos' fault! I won't let her get away with this," she thought.Celia tidied herself up and went downstairs to the dining room. Yardley immediately set his cutlery down an
Celia brought the stray dog to the vet before she could dwell on that thought. Even though she rushed to save the dog, its front leg had been injured by the car. Celia realized she was going to be late when she checked her wristwatch. She called Yardley after giving it some thought."What's the matter?" A deep voice came from the other end of the phone."I have something to attend to, so I'll be late—" Yardley cut her off before she could finish her sentence. "You don't need to tell me about such trivial matters." Then, he hung up on her. Celia pouted. "He sure is as cold as a block of ice. It's almost as if he refuses to utter another word to me. Forget it. I've already requested a half-day off," she thought. Celia had the veterinarian conduct a thorough examination of the stray dog. Fortunately, its injuries were minor and nothing too serious. "Can it stay in the hospital for a few days?" Celia had some reservations.The vet smiled and said, "Of course."Celia paid two
"I have something to discuss with Mr. Hughes, Shirley Baxter." Sabrina glanced at the woman in red before returning her attention to the man who was the center of attention.Celia remembered where she had heard of that name then. Shirley Baxter was the head of the Design Department at Velvet Touch Jewelers, a subsidiary of Hughes Inc. Shirley was appointed department head at such a young age because the Baxter family had connections with the Hughes family. "I also have some things to discuss with Mr. Hughes. Do you not understand the concept of 'first come, first served,' Ms. Xanthos?" Shirley grumbled. Yardley leaned back into his seat and frowned as his cold gaze swept over Celia. "Didn't she call me this morning and say she had something to deal with? How did she end up looking so disheveled and let Sabrina drag her over here in anger?" he wondered. He handed the design draft to Shirley. "Go ahead and implement the changes.""Yes, Mr. Hughes." Shirley nodded and accep
Sabrina clenched her fist. "I'm sorry," she said reluctantly.Celia perked up her ears. "What did you say? I couldn't hear you clearly."Sabrina could only raise her voice and repeated, "I'm sorry!""I don't want to see something like this happen again!" Yardley's cold voice carried an overwhelming sense of authority that made Sabrina flinch.The latter glared menacingly at Celia after leaving the CEO's office. "This country bumpkin is smarter than I had imagined," she thought. Sabrina fell right into Celia's trap and made a fool of herself in front of Yardley at that time. She vowed to seek revenge for this humiliation. She would undoubtedly make Celia pay for everything she had gone through that day!Celia stayed behind at the end of the day to double-check the data Sabrina had given her before heading back. The former was about to hail a cab after she stepped out of the Hughes Inc. building when a black Rolls Royce pulled up next to her. It was Yardley's car. "Get in the
Nope? In other words, she was not the girl who saved him many years ago. Yardley's gaze dimmed at that thought. Celia pursed her lips and felt weirded out by his demeanor. "What is he getting at? Was he hoping that I had been kidnapped before?" she wondered.Silence ensued for the rest of the drive. Lillian handed Yardley an invitation after returning home. "Mr. Xanders Senior's 70th birthday celebration is this weekend. Don't forget." Percival Xanders, Willow's grandfather, held his birthday banquet at the opulent Cerulean Crown Hotel in Ashvale City, and those in attendance were all prominent and influential figures.Celia had never been a fan of such gatherings, but Lillian rudely woke her up early that morning. "Don't you dare embarrass us!" warned Lillian. Celia was bored out of her mind even though the banquet was in full swing. She glanced at the man who was the center of attention in the crowd. She then stood up and prepared to go to the rooftop to get some fresh
In fact, Yardley didn't tell anyone. … Meanwhile, Morgan stumbled upon a surprising find. She discovered two healthy, month-old babies at the orphanage. "Director, is it true that no one wants such young babies?" Morgan felt a bit emotional. How could people be so heartless as to abandon their own babies? The director of the orphanage let out a deep sigh. "You don't know the whole story. Our janitor found these babies at the orphanage's entrance. Someone left them there and disappeared. "We've been taking care of them for about half a month now, and their condition has improved significantly." Looking at the adorable babies, Morgan couldn't shake the feeling that they belonged to Celia. "I'm here on behalf of Yardley Hughes else to adopt these children, but..." Morgan expressed her concerns. Morgan anticipated the orphanage director's refusal. To her surprise, he actually agreed. "The opportunity for these two babies to have some good days is preferable to nothing.
"Let's go, Celia. We shouldn't disturb the twins' rest," said Yardley as he supported Celia and got ready to leave. Celia waved her hand and stood in front of the incubator. Even with the glass barrier, she could still discern the condition of her children. She reached out to touch them, as if her touch could make them feel her presence. She resolved to take her children home safely. Celia lingered for a while before finally leaving the hospital. Once they were home, Celia locked herself in her room, disregarding any attempts anyone made to talk to her. Yardley headed to the company to attend to some matters, while the housekeepers remained at home. Meanwhile, Morgan couldn't shake her concern for Celia, so she came to visit her. Upon entering, she heard the housekeepers upstairs calling out, "Mrs. Hughes, are you feeling better? Come out and have some soup!" However, there was no response from inside. "What's going on?" Morgan asked. The housekeepers promptly briefed
Sophie had failed to get Celia's forgiveness. So, she had no choice but to pin all her hopes on Morgan.She took all the supplements to Morgan's apartment. Richard was staying there with her.Ever since the incident with Celia, Sophie's relationship with Richard had become very strained. They barely talked to one another.Sophie knocked on the door for a long time, but no one came out.She could only wait outside. After two hours, she finally saw Morgan and Richard. They came into view, laughing and holding each other's hands.This scene pained Sophie deeply."What are you doing here?" Morgan's cheerful expression faltered the moment she saw Sophie.Sophie could only put on a smile and say, "I brought all these for you. I was wrong to come between your relationship with my son."Richard glanced at the items on the ground. He could tell from a glance that they were meant for postpartum care and immediately understood why Sophie was there."Mom, you should be honest. You got the
Otto didn't back down and insisted on his right to see his grandchildren. However, Yardley paid him no mind. He shook his head and said, "Celia needs rest. Please come back another day."The next second, he instructed the housekeepers to close the door and left Otto standing outside. Otto stomped his walking cane on the ground in frustration but had no choice but to leave.As Yardley made his way back inside the villa, he thought of another troubling matter.Although they had brought their children home, the twins had been weak because they had been born prematurely. They had appointed a family doctor to treat the twins but hadn't seen much improvement in their health. Yardley sanitized himself before he went into the nursery. He felt pained when he heard the twins' weak breaths."Mr. Hughes." The family doctor spoke up with a frown, indicating that the situation was far from ideal."The baby girl has been slowly recovering, but the boy remains very weak. I don't think the n
"Don't worry. She's fine. She's just a bit weak at the moment."Remembering Yardley's words outside the ward, the doctor felt a wave of nervousness. He could tell that Yardley and Celia weren't ordinary people judging by their attire. They were certainly not ones to be trifled with."Did you say that we had twins?" Yardley turned to ask the nurse after learning that Celia was alright."Yes, sir." The nurse chuckled inwardly. She found that, despite Yardley's intimidating appearance, he was a very devoted husband.Soon, Celia was moved out of the operating room and into a VIP ward.Yardley gently wiped the sweat from Celia's face again. He took in her pale complexion; it was a sign of how much she had suffered."How's Celia?"Sounds of hurried footsteps came from outside. Ashley and the others had come over. Yardley turned and signaled them to leave.Celia had just given birth, so she needed a quiet environment to rest. Having too many visitors might affect her recovery.Ever
"How could you hit me because of her? I'm the mother of your child!" Sophie shrieked.She had never suffered such humiliation. She had been showered with love from a young age and wasn't accustomed to such harsh treatment. So, she became agitated and emotional."Isn't it all because of you that things turned out this way? Would such a thing have happened to our company? Would Richard suddenly want to break all ties with us? It's all because of your reckless behavior!" Chester vented years of suppressed grievances and dissatisfaction as if it would make him feel better.Celia watched as Chester and Sophie argued fiercely. She stepped forward to stop them, especially since there were many people outside watching the spectacle."Stop fighting. This isn't the time or the place for arguments!"Sophie went at Chester and started hitting him. Celia tried to break up their fight, but Sophie pushed her. Celia took a few steps back at that. She didn't attempt to intervene anymore."It's
"Mrs. Black, we'd intended to negotiate amicably with you and achieve a satisfactory outcome for both parties. "The decision to move out was mine, and I asked Celia to come over and help me out. If you're unwilling to be decent and compromise, then let's end things between our families here."Morgan felt relieved after expressing her thoughts. It was like a significant weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "What do you mean?" Richard panicked. Just when their relationship had slightly improved, the situation took a turn for the worse again."We're breaking up for good!"Morgan left after saying that. Jessica and Darby left with her, leaving the Blacks behind."This is all your doing! Look what you've done! How many times have I told you not to be so assertive and bossy? Why don't you ever consider my feelings?" Richard punched the couch angrily, his heart filled with bitterness.Sophie hadn't wanted things to turn out this way either, but she had been too angry and spoke
"It's fine. You two can go if you have something else to attend to," Jessica said.Soon, Celia arrived at the Blacks' residence with Jessica and Darby.Sophie opened the door and was surprised to see Celia standing at the doorstep with Jessica and Darby. She couldn't understand what Celia was up to.Once they were inside, Celia didn't beat around the bush and stated her purpose directly. "I think you might be having some misunderstandings about Morgan."Sophie smiled without saying anything."Don't you think you're interfering too much in Morgan's personal life?" Celia questioned.Upon hearing this, Sophie realized why they were there. Having discussed the issue with Chester, Sophie had finally agreed not to interfere in Richard's and Morgan's lives.So, she didn't object to Celia's words. She even agreed with Celia, much to the latter's surprise.Under normal circumstances, Sophie would have argued with her. Why was she being so agreeable this time?"How about you sign a writ
After saying that, Celia hung up.On the other end, Quinn felt very displeased. After all, it was her party, and she had personally called Celia to invite her. Quinn felt that Celia had snubbed her by refusing to attend.Quinn thought about it for a moment. If Celia didn't come, Yardley probably wouldn't either. If both of them didn't show up, it would be embarrassing for Quinn.So, she decided to go and find Celia.…Morgan was taking refuge at Celia's place, so she answered the door when Quinn came over."I'm here to see Celia."Celia had instructed Morgan to turn away anyone she didn't recognize, no matter who it was. Hence, Morgan said, "Celia isn't seeing anyone today. Please come back another time."To Morgan's surprise, her words ignited the anger that Quinn had been suppressing in her heart. The two quickly started arguing.Celia listened to their argument from her room. She regretted asking Morgan to handle Quinn. She had expected that Quinn would come looking for her