"Answer me." Yardely's tone was tense. He took another step toward Celia before abruptly extending his hands and bracing them on both sides of her body, imprisoning her. Her breath hitched in her throat as the two of them were pressed tightly together at the moment, and their posture was insinuating. Celia frowned and was just about to ask Yardley to give her some space when the elevator shook violently. The overhead light went out entirely after a few flickers, plunging them into complete darkness.Celia couldn't help but scream as the sudden onset of darkness made her feel as if she had fallen into a bottomless abyss. Yardley reached out and wrapped his arms around her, his voice softening as he said, "Celia, don't be afraid." "Celia, don't be afraid … What a familiar voice. What a familiar feeling," Celia thought. She instinctively leaned against his chest in fear, and only then did her racing heart slow down. She remembered Yardley holding her and protecti
Parker drove until he arrived at his mountainside villa on the outskirts. "Celia, we're here." Parker stopped the car and opened the door. Celia got out of the car and followed Parker into the villa. It was very quiet inside the villa because there were only the two of them. She looked around and asked, "Parker, weren't you supposed to have a birthday party tonight? Why is it so quiet? Where is everyone else?" "There isn't anyone else. It's just the two of us." Parker turned to look her in the eyes. He only wanted to celebrate his 25th birthday with the woman he loved the most. And that woman was Celia. His intense stare made her uneasy. Celia averted her gaze. "Why didn't you invite more friends to make it livelier?""I don't like crowded gatherings," Parker stated solemnly.The garden at the villa was beautifully decorated. The pool glistened as the moonlight shone down on it. Next to the pool was a small dining table for two.He lit the candles and stared at Ce
"What are you doing, Regina?" Parker rushed in front of Celia and grabbed Regina's hand.”I'm here to settle the score with this homewrecker today!" Regina glared at Celia menacingly, almost as if she had caught them in the act. The reporters brought by Regina immediately surrounded them, pointing their cameras and microphones at them, camera flashes flickering continuously. "You all witnessed that shameless bitch, Celia Stanton!" Regina raised her voice and addressed the reporters, "That bitch was obviously aware that Parker and I are engaged, but she insisted on being a homewrecker. Everyone here has seen it!" Her delicate face contorted, and her beautiful eyes were filled with jealousy. It was almost as if she wanted to burn a big hole into Celia. Regina had loved Parker since she was a child. She fell in love with this handsome and extraordinary man the moment she laid eyes on him. However, Parker had only viewed her as the girl his parents had paired him u
"Celia, are you okay?" Yardley wrapped his arms around Celia tightly. His tone was filled with concern and nervousness.He had followed Parker's car all the way to his villa, where he noticed a crowd rushing inside after receiving Angelica's call. Worried about Celia, he got out of his car and rushed inside. He hadn't expected to see Celia fall into the water as soon as he walked in. Despite knowing that Celia could swim, fear overtook him, and he dove into the pool without hesitation. "Celia! Celia, are you okay …"Yardley's deep voice reached Celia's ears, causing her to lose focus for a brief moment. All of a sudden, memories flooded her mind.He had held her just like this when their plane crashed and the two of them fell into the vast ocean. They were also this close to each other. He had ignored his own injuries and protected her in the boundless sea, just as he was doing now. "Celia, are you okay?" Yardley became concerned when he noticed her frowning and r
Celia's breath hitched in her throat, and she felt slightly awkward when she met Yardley's fiery gaze. She took a step back involuntarily, but Yardley reached out, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her into his embrace. "Celia …" His voice was husky as he called her name. Her alluring appearance made it difficult for him to keep his emotions under control. His eyes held a blazing fire as he gazed at the woman in his arms. He lowered his head and kissed her enticing red lips passionately without hesitation. Her lips were soft, moist, and sweet. The familiar yet alluring sensation caused him to lose his composure in an instant. He had missed her. He sorely missed her. He couldn't stop thinking about her since she moved away. His domineering and passionate kiss caught Celia off guard. She felt as though her breath was being stolen away by Yardley, and she was on the verge of suffocating.Even though she had experienced such intimate acts many times before
"What?" Angelica exclaimed in disbelief when she heard that. She couldn't believe that Celia had stayed here all night with Yardley. Yardley had clearly promised her the day before that he would come to her house last night and try the dinner she had prepared for him. However, he stood her up. She had prepared a feast last night and waited for him for a long time, but he never showed up. She called him, but he claimed that he had to work overtime at the company. But he was clearly with Celia! Was his "overtime" … spending the night with Celia? Jealousy flickered in Angelica's eyes as she assessed Celia from head to toe. She wished she could pierce a hole through Celia with her gaze. She was eaten up with jealousy, but she couldn't let it show in front of Yardley. Angelica stepped forward and yanked Celia away. "Yards, didn't you say you had work to do and needed to work overtime last night? What were you doing with Celia?" she bemoaned."Yeah. I was discussing wo
The large doors to the conference room swung open just as Celia was wondering this, and a tall and slender man dressed in a black trench coat walked in. Celia looked up and met a pair of deep and cold eyes. It was him! It was the man she had bumped into at the airport. He was Chandler Lawrence, the CEO of BPL. And the middle-aged man trailing behind Chandler was none other than Jordan.Celia narrowed her eyes slightly. When did Jordan get acquainted with Chandler? Was the plane crash incident she and Yardley experienced connected to Jordan in any way? Yardley had been looking into the incident for so long and had yet to find any concrete evidence. If Jordan was responsible but left no proof, then the situation was far from simple.However, Jordan's attempt to seize power while Yardley was missing was solid evidence. Jordan was only let off the hook because of Otto's leniency.Who would've guessed that Jordan would side with Chandler and target Hughes Incorporated
"What did you find?" Celia's eyes narrowed as she glanced at Anthony.Anthony pulled out his laptop and clicked on a video before turning to Celia. "Ava, take a look at this." The video showed Angelica and the two men who had chased her for debt the other day. Celia's eyes flashed with mockery after watching the video. "It appears that Angelica orchestrated her supposed reunion with Yardley the other day." Anthony nodded. "I also found this." He clicked on another photo. It was a photo of Angelica with a man. Although his face hadn’t been captured, Celia recognized him at a glance—it was Jordan. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her gaze became cold. There appeared to be something going on between Angelica and Jordan as well. "Is there anything else, Anthony?" she asked calmly. "This is all I could find for now." He emailed all the information to Celia. Then, he said, "Ava, please be careful." Celia chuckled. "I will." "Then, I'll be leav
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