Celia was startled and instinctively struggled. "Yardley!"Yardley carried Celia back to the room and placed her on the bed without saying a word.Celia had a bad feeling when her elbows touched the soft sheets. Just as she was about to get up, Yardley got on top of her.He planted his knee between her legs and tugged at his tie as he looked down at Celia.When Celia saw the pools of desire in his eyes, she realized she had gone too far earlier. "Yardley …" Celia struggled to sit up, but he had already wrapped his arms around her waist and pinned her wrists to the sides.He had tossed his tie to the side and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his collarbone and tanned chest. He leaned close to Celia and whispered lowly, "Well, why don't you take a look for yourself?" His tone was suggestive, making her heart skip a beat."It still feels like it's missing something." Celia smiled as she sized him up."What's missing?" He leaned in. Their noses and foreheads were about to touch.
Celia felt her head throb as she looked at the men in front of her. Hence, she looked away.For some reason, she had a feeling that someone was watching her."Are you guys just going to stand here all day?" she said impatiently and left to go about her day without waiting for either of them.Josef shot Parker a glare when he noticed that and quickly caught up with Celia.Celia was about to reach the corner when a man walked past her. He kept his head down and appeared a little nervous.Celia glanced at him and sensed something amiss, so she called out to him, "Stop right there."The man stopped dead in his tracks, but he didn't turn around.He tugged at his collar as if he were about to do something."Which department are you in? I don't recall ever seeing you before." Celia wasn't trying to start something, but she felt like this person was acting strangely."I … I …" the man stammered. He was at a loss for words.Just then, Celia's phone rang. The man dashed away just as sh
Celia had completely forgotten about that because she was overwhelmed by the incident with the reporter sneaking into the company. She grumbled under her breath as she massaged her temples. On the other end of the line, Yardley could picture Celia's expression. He couldn't help but chuckle. "It's alright. There's still time. I can go with you to pick something out."Celia was still struggling to choose a gift when he came to pick her up. Yardley took her hand in his when he noticed that."Grandpa will definitely like whatever you choose for him." He was stating the truth. Celia had a great taste. He could already imagine how Otto would praise her for her gift."But I still feel like something's missing." Celia tapped on her chin.Yardley leaned in close to her and whispered, "Let me take you somewhere."…When they got out of the car, Celia looked puzzled as she looked at the bar in front of her.Yardley took her hand and led her inside.It was a speakeasy. Relaxing jazz musi
Morgan's phone also vibrated at this moment. She cursed under her breath. Emma had chosen the worst time to show up. But it was too late to say anything now. Morgan saw the two people in front turning toward the sound.Gritting her teeth, she didn't dare to wait and immediately ran out."Catch her!" A man's voice came from behind her. Morgan gasped for breath and ran toward Emma.Emma, who was still wondering where Morgan had gone, hadn't even looked up when she suddenly heard someone banging on her car, scaring her.Morgan's face appeared outside the car and she quickly opened the door to get in. "Hurry up!"Emma still hadn't reacted when she turned to Morgan and asked, "What's wrong with you?""Hurry up and drive! Let's get out of here!" Since she had run really fast just now, Morgan's face was flushed, and her chest was heaving as she caught her breath.The driver immediately started the car and drove away. Morgan leaned out the window and looked back. Seeing that there w
"Me?" Celia stunned. Reaching around Celia's waist, Yardley whispered in her ear, "Yeah. To be honest, I'm clueless about gemstones." Celia's mouth twitched when she heard that. She thought Yardley had suggested making a bet because he had some secret that guaranteed victory. Yet, it turned out that he was really gambling."Is Ms. Stanton also a gemstone betting master?" Patrick raised his head to look at Celia, and his eyes showed a hint of scrutiny.Turning to look at Patrick, Celia deliberately appeared mysterious. She rested her hand on her chin and smiled. This not only intrigued Patrick but also raised suspicions from Jasmine. Patrick knew that someone who was by Yardley's side couldn't be a simple person. But she looked younger than Jasmine. So how could she be a gemstone expert?Satisfied with their reactions, Celia, who had kept them in suspense for a long time, finally opened her hands. "Gemstone betting? It's my first time today. Well, since it's betting, it's a
Suddenly, Celia walked over, carrying a huge stone. Those who didn't know any better would think she had chiseled it out of a cliff. The larger the stone, the higher the value and the higher the probability of finding something valuable inside. But this happened rarely, as many who chose large stones failed to uncover what they desired. After all, gemstone betting was a risky business. One cut could make you a millionaire or leave you bankrupt. No one would choose such a large stone without a more than 50% chance of success.Everyone was surprised, but Celia didn't care. She calmly placed the stone down. "I'm exhausted. This thing is quite heavy," she said, fanning herself as if relieved of a burden. Patrick observed her and couldn't help but frown. Meanwhile, standing by the side, Jasmine scoffed. "Ms. Stanton, larger stones don't necessarily yield better results."The disdain in her eyes was obvious. Jasmine glanced at the stone that Celia had brought over. It was a dull gr
"This …" The professional stonecutter had an interesting expression on his face. He cut the stone all the way to the bottom, yet there wasn't the slightest gleam of a gemstone to be seen."It's indeed a useless piece of rock with nothing inside," Jasmine said condescendingly. She had felt a little nervous in the beginning. But after thinking about it, she realized how foolish she had been. "She's definitely an amateur.""I know, right? She picked such a huge raw stone. It seems like there is nothing inside.""This is going to be a huge loss for her."Celia was completely unaffected by the crowd's chatter. She stroked her chin and took a closer look at the stone. "Did I make a wrong guess?" she muttered. She pointed at the remaining half of the stone and said, "Start cutting from here, then."The stonecutter, who was about to step away, was stunned. "You still want to keep going?""Of course. Start cutting now." Celia stood beside the rock with a look of anticipation.
Jasmine rushed over almost immediately with a surprised look on her face. Her gaze was fixed on the rock. Even her fingers, which were pressed against the table, were trembling. Getting such a huge piece of opal from a raw stone was already unheard of. But an even more valuable piece was hidden in the part that had been cut off. Jasmine couldn't believe her eyes. She was a veteran gemstone gambler but had never heard of something like this happening. Hadn't Celia said that she was a complete amateur? Why was she so lucky? Could it be that Celia had been hiding her skills all along? "I told you. I'm very lucky. Now, do you believe me?"Celia was incredibly calm. She walked up to Yardley and wrapped her arm around his waist. He kissed her cheek affectionately and said, "Yeah. Even I'm amazed by your luck." He had been stunned when the stonecutter had announced that there was opal in Celia's raw stone. Celia smiled with a glint in her eyes. "These things are all up to luc
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