Unexpectedly, Paul refused to give in. From behind, Celia clicked her tongue, thinking it was no wonder Jasmine did whatever she wanted. It was all because she had a wealthy father who cleaned up her mess every time."From my understanding, it was your daughter who made the first move," said Ben, raising an eyebrow. He had come prepared after understanding the whole situation."I believe you aren't a narrow-minded person, Mr. Silva. Let's let this matter slide," he added.Paul was unwilling to accept it, but he didn't want to directly confront the two men before him, seeing that they were both prominent figures. Eventually, he gave Celia a fierce glare before leaving.Seeing Paul leave, Celia slowly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at her two mentors. "Thank you, Mr. Giles and Mr. Dawson," said Celia.…Ashley had just finished work and arrived home. Dragging her exhausted body, she was opening the door when she ran into Sylvia. Acting all high and mighty, Sylvia reached
"Of course. Wipe away your tears and nose, and come out with me," said Celia.She handed a few tissues to Ashley, who did what she was told. After a while, she followed Celia outside."Mrs. Payne, I heard about what happened just now. I want to apologize on behalf of Ashley," Celia stated politely with a glowing smile."Oh no, why would you say that?" Amy replied, taken aback. "You're Ashley's boss, and we should be thanking you instead.""Mom, why are you behaving like that?" interrupted Sylvia. A little displeased, she tugged at Amy's collar, only to be glared back at."Since you put it that way, let me express my opinion," said Celia with a stern face, and Amy urged her to continue. "In today's society, for a newbie like Ashley, it's crucial to establish a stable foundation in the industry. And money is a person's best weapon."Celia's words made a lot of sense, which led to Amy nodding in agreement.Celia continued, "Almost everyone nowadays has an awareness of saving mone
Celia bought a plane ticket and traveled overseas. She had accepted an invitation to participate in an international sculpture competition.After all, as a member of Zen Art, she had to showcase her skills and artwork. Otherwise, she would always be looked down upon, and people might think she was taking advantage of being Jacob's mentee.On the plane, Celia diligently revised her wood carving knowledge with a serious expression.When she disembarked, the person in charge of the competition was already waiting at the arrival hall. Upon seeing Celia come out with her luggage, a group of people swarmed around her. One person carried her luggage, and another held the kit with the carving tools she had brought. Meanwhile, a few others inquired about her feelings regarding the competition.Feeling a bit fatigued from the flight, Celia only answered a few questions before the group led her to the hotel the organizing committee had booked for participants.Celia had to admit that the
The next moment, a series of numbers appeared after the names of several contestants."Celia Stanton … Second runner-up!" Celia's pupils contracted. To her surprise, she had won the third prize in the preliminary round."Congratulations to Ms. Georgina Hardy for winning the first prize! The top five contestants in this round will qualify for the next and final round of the competition!" the host exclaimed.Meanwhile, Celia patted her chest and grinned like a Cheshire cat."Thank you. Thank you, everyone," said Georgina as she expressed the joy of winning, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes.The award ceremony was broadcast globally, and soon, news of Celia advancing to the final round reached the domestic audience. Incredulous, they stared at the screen and watched as a hostess approached Celia, holding a certificate and trophy. The one presenting the award was the organizing chairperson of the competition.As people witnessed Celia advance to the final round, they lo
Unexpectedly, Celia's critique turned out to be extremely accurate, and the contestant's weakness was clear to everyone's eyes. Following the statement, everyone began to look at Celia with admiration, once again affirming her abilities.…After the competition, Celia yawned while supporting her head with her hands. She hadn't expected being a competition judge to be more tiring than participating in it herself. She quietly vowed that she would never accept such an exhausting task again.She stretched her body lazily and returned to the hotel she was staying in for the carving competition.She glanced at the clock on the wall. There were two days left until the final round. During these two days, she needed to rest and recuperate. Her work had only come in third place in the preliminary round. This time, she must give it her all!Two days later, the final round of the competition officially began.Celia and the other participants arrived at the venue, where hundreds of spec
The official websites were the first to receive the news. They promptly posted images and videos of Celia winning on their platforms. Many media companies acknowledged Celia's skills.Once the award was announced, netizens who were originally skeptical of Celia were immediately proven wrong. For a while, no one dared to question whether Celia's participation in the carving competition was just a coincidence.Right then, another public opinion emerged and attracted everyone's attention."Have you heard? A few days ago, wasn't Celia a judge at the oil painting competition by Noble Colors? I received news that Nona had rejected to judge the competition in the first place. This proves that Nona's oil painting skills are more recognized than Celia's."This statement undoubtedly caught the attention of many netizens, instantly shifting the direction of public opinion.Celia read the online comments but chose not to pay attention. Like trying to catch lightning in a bottle, she knew th
This undoubtedly caught the netizens' attention. The new scandal made their belief that Celia was inferior to Nona stronger.At the same time, Hughes Inc.'s employees realized something was amiss. They noticed the online discussion about Yardley, and being in a competitive situation, they swiftly issued a statement to clarify the rumor."Hughes Incorporated hereby wishes to clarify that Yardley Hughes, CEO of our company, has no relationship whatsoever with Nona Kirby. He went to meet Ms. Kirby only because of his fiancée, Celia Stanton. "Members of the public are advised not to easily believe the photos and news published online. The photos could be easily misunderstood due to them being captured from certain angles."Hughes Inc.'s PR team released the statement as soon as they could, hoping to dispel the rumors before they escalated. However, netizens seized on the inconsistency in the company's quick response."I haven't even read the first scandal, and they're clarifying th
Celia casually pursed her lips, paying little attention to the hate comments. Then, she turned off her phone and prepared for bed.The next day, Celia got up early, perhaps because she was in a good mood. Just after she finished her morning routine, she got a call.She glanced at it, and, much to her surprise, the caller was Nona.Celia furrowed her brows. What did Nona want at this time?Thinking about the incident from that day, Celia initially thought of rejecting the call. Yet she worried that Nona might take advantage of the situation, so she answered it anyway."Hello?" said Celia in an indifferent voice."Are you awake? I'm at the dessert shop downstairs. They have a new menu today. Do you want to come down and try it together?Celia had no interest in accepting Nona's unusually enthusiastic invitation. She replied, "No, thanks. I just woke up.""Come on, eating dessert might lift your mood," said Nona over the phone.Listening to Nona's urgent tone, Celia suddenly almo
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