Yardley's tone was soft as he willingly explained himself to her. Noticing that he didn't want to argue anymore, Celia eased up a little.She didn't think this was a big deal at all. However, she couldn't fathom why he had thrown a fit when all she had done was dance. She really didn't like it when others tried to control her."I understand you were jealous, but I need you to trust me. At the very least, don't repeat what you did today. It will only make me feel like you're controlling me."This was the first time Celia had talked about these things with Yardley. After all, she had chosen to be in a relationship with him. So it would be best to talk about everything and avoid having the same conflicts in the future by laying everything out in the open.Yardley was momentarily taken aback. He understood that his possessiveness got the better of him at times. But he was certain that his actions stemmed from his love for Celia. He was well aware of what he wanted. He nodded after
Regina readily agreed, "In that case, leave this to me. I'll ensure that our plan is carried out perfectly."Susanna's initial doubts about Regina had turned into trust since she had brought information about Celia's design. "I'll be waiting for the good news, Ms. Wright. However, time is running out, so don't take too long."Even if Leo's design studio reported them, nothing would change. It would be impossible for Celia to retain her reputation as a legendary designer. She would face a quick demise.Susanna's eyes gleamed as she took a sip of her coffee. She could already imagine trampling Celia under her feet. "Well, you can head back now, Ms. Wright. I'll be waiting for an update."…Meanwhile, back in Ashvale, Morgan had been in the hospital for a couple of days. Even though she was eager to film, she needed time for her fractured bone to heal.However, Parker had never come to the hospital after she had confessed her feelings to him on the first day of her hospitalization
Morgan felt a little uneasy as she looked at the necklace. She had met Michael at a social gathering her agent had arranged for her to attend. Ever since then, Michel had been overly attentive and close to her, which was a little unusual.Morgan had always been very vigilant. After sensing that something was off, she had hinted and even directly expressed that she didn't want to be involved with him.However, Michael resumed his relentless pursuit after a day or two. But she hadn't expected him to chase her all the way to the hospital. She was at a loss at that moment."Thank you for the gift, Mr. Fairbank, but I …" Morgan hesitated. She was still wondering how to decline Michael politely. She raised her head and subconsciously looked at Parker.Parker's brows were knitted as well. He had heard of Michael, and they even had a history—Michael had harassed a female actress at a social gathering, and Parker had been there at the time. However, Parker had never thought that Micha
Camila's movements were fluid and effortless. Regina's gaze followed her every move.Puzzled, she looked at Camila and asked, "What's wrong?"Camila tugged on the drawer after securely locking it to ensure it couldn't be opened. Then, she visibly relaxed before looking up at Regina with an apologetic smile. "My bad. Leo gave this to me yesterday. It's the design draft she's going to submit for the competition. It can't be leaked before the competition officially starts. "I'm genuinely sorry … but could you please keep whatever you've just seen to yourself? Otherwise, I'll definitely be fired."Camila's eyes shimmered as she gave Regina a pleading look. She even clasped her hands together.Regina had her own plans in mind, but she nodded firmly in response to Camila's request. "Don't worry. I won't say a word. I'll forget about this as soon as I walk out of the door!""Aww, thank you!" Camila, who had been looking a little disheartened, abruptly broke into a smile. After a wh
Had Regina been tricked?Susanna couldn't help but purse her lips. She felt like she had just made a fool of herself. The designers present looked puzzled after looking at the dress designed by Susette Designs and the mermaid gown from Leo's design studio. Some of them even shook their heads.Susanna's cheeks were burning at this point. She was embarrassed and irritated. Then, the head judge said, "Ms. Susanna, the gown you designed is different from Leo's design."Susanna felt so humiliated that she could only force a smile. Her brows knitted tightly when she lowered her head. She turned around and walked to the side to call Regina.Regina smiled when she saw the caller ID. She thought Susanna was calling to share the good news that Celia had been disqualified from the competition.Hence, she answered the call in a lighthearted tone, "How's it going, Ms. Susanna? Did Celia make a fool of herself?""What do you think?" Susanna was infuriated when she heard that. She was dis
Now that Susanna had been disqualified from the competition for plagiarizing the work of a renowned designer, she had become a laughingstock. The head judge turned and walked back to his seat after announcing their decision. The other judges followed suit, leaving Susanna behind.Susanna stared at the vintage Estranian red gown in the display case in disbelief. The once-gorgeous, vibrant color now stared back at her, mocking her silently.Was this really the end of her?The judges returned to the podium as the results were clear as day. Susanna had been the only one who could compete against Leo, but she had been disqualified. Hence, Leo was the only one who could win the competition.Sure enough, the head judge stepped onto the podium and announced, "The winner of this year's Padea Fashion Design Competition is Leo!"The result was as expected, and everyone applauded. However, Camila didn't move when the judge asked a representative from Leo's design studio to come forward and
Pain was always overlooked in the presence of happiness. This was especially true when the only one in pain was Susanna. Her anger was amplified infinitely.Susanna had been genuinely flustered when she was told that she was disqualified from the competition. By the time she came to her senses, Celia was already on the stage, accepting the award. Susanna pursed her lips, frowned, and glared venomously at the woman on stage. That trophy should have been hers!"Leo, you plotted against me!" she fumed inwardly.It was already 6:00 pm when Celia and Yardley left the design competition venue hand in hand. Susanna stormed out as the couple was walking toward the parking lot joyously. She glared at Celia and said, "Leo—or, should I say, Ms. Stanton? Why did you set me up? Why did you do that to me? The trophy in your hands should have been mine!"Her voice grew louder, and her delicate face twisted with anger. Many passersby stopped in their tracks to watch what was going on. Yardley
"Thank you," Celia responded politely because she didn't want to have any major disagreements with Quinn in front of Otto. Lillian pretended not to notice anything and conversed with Otto. Otto responded here and there, yet she didn't seem to mind.Yardley, on the other hand, kept a close eye on Lillian. He was afraid that she and Quinn would do something to harm Otto again.The group had lunch together at the old Hughes estate. Quinn remained silent throughout the meal, and when she did look up, it was mostly to look at Celia. Yardley and Otto kept giving Celia food, and it made Lillian and Quinn, who were sitting across from them, look like complete outsiders. …Celia stood by the pool, her hair swaying gently in the breeze. She had come out to get some fresh air and to see if she could get any new inspirations for her designs. Quinn pushed open the balcony door and smiled sardonically when she noticed Celia standing by the pool.She had a eureka moment and wanted to push
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