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Chapter 34
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
Lotus SeraphimCeline has had a lot of ah-ha moments on New Year's Eve. How will this affect her going forward? What will she do to save her Dad? The poem/quote is by the publisher/author Bill Clegg.
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Another hospital, another waiting room. They were all the same, weren’t they? A room for shocked and desperate families to sit for hours upon hours all drinking from the same cup of dread, with a splash of hope to sweeten the bitter brew of mortality.Dad went into surgery within the hour of his arrival. All thanks to Sebastian who called in some favors and got an excellent surgeon, to leave his New Year celebrations and save her father’s life. And if that were not enough, he was at Celine and Collette’s beck and call making sure they had a never-ending source of caffeine to drink and vending machine snacks at their disposal.Around ten at night Rachel, Linda, Jacob, and John showed up, and after answering lots of questions they joined the sisters in their vigil. The new year began without anyone noticing, and a couple of hours later Kim showed up, a little worse for wear, with Phillip.When Phillip darkened the doorway of the waiting room, Sebastian stiffened, Collette gasped, Celine
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The next morning, a middle-aged man appeared in the doorway wearing scrubs. “May I speak to the Beaumont family?” A sharp pain stabbed Celine’s stomach and within seconds, the man was swarmed with Celine and Collette at the center.Tugging at her braid, Celine squinted to read the man’s face trying to see any sign of the outcome. Was her father dead? Was he alright? Why wasn’t he saying anything? “Which one of you is family?”, the surgeon asked.“We are. We are his daughters.”, Collette said and pointed to herself and then Celine.The surgeon glanced around the group, then spoke. “I am Dr. Morgenstern, your father’s surgeon. He made it through the surgery.” There was an outburst of noise, and Celine sent out a silent, Thank you. “Your father was severely injured. The most concerning injuries were to his heart and his lungs.”, the surgeon said.Whatever relief she felt left her body, leaving her feeling heavy with dread. She clutched her sister’s hand and felt Sebastian step in closer.
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Unbeknownst to Celine, Beaumont Equestrian Center had a dedicated attorney of sorts. It all started when her mom took on a troubled teenager whose mother, Carly, happened to be a freshly minted lawyer. Daniela Beaumont saved Carly’s son from a life of drugs and crime. Through her intervention, she allowed him to change his destiny and he grabbed onto that chance with all of his heart.In exchange, Carly stepped in whenever Mom needed legal help. It happened so infrequently that Celine was not aware of the friendship or the arrangement. Celine was halfway between home and New York City when she got a call from Smith, Carson & Associates Legal Firm.“Hello, Celine? This is Carly. Carly Smith. I was a friend of your mom’s”After introductions and getting caught up Carly told Celine that an attorney contacted her on behalf of her client who was interested in purchasing the equestrian center.“But it’s not for sale.”, Celine said and reached for her hair. Collette slapped her hand. Celine r
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Celine jabbed her sister and stood. “Hello Dr. Gururaj, I am Celine Beaumont and this is my sister Collette Beaumont.”“Why don’t you follow me to my office so we can talk.”, Dr. Gururaj said. He gestured toward the door he came out of, and the sisters followed.Collette was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “Is this the surgeon?”, she asked keeping her voice pitched for Celine’s ears.“Yes.”, Celine murmured back.Dr. Gururaj’s office was excessively clean. The only thing on his desk was a monitor. The only things hanging on his walls were diplomas and awards. In front of his desk were two chairs and he motioned for them to sit. While he was getting himself settled across the desk from them, Celine took the opportunity to check him out.Like his office, he was meticulously groomed. He had short hair, no facial hair, and his hands were long, tapered, and manicured. Celine looked down and folded her hands in her lap. She worked with horses and her hobby was woodworking, her hands
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Celine tiptoed to her father’s bedside and kissed his forehead. “I love you, Daddy.”, she said in a whisper. “Please forgive me.”Collette was waiting for her in the hall. She took Celine’s hand. “We are not selling we are just seeing. This is the smart thing to do.”, Collette said. Celine nodded and the sisters hugged.“Text me if you hear anything about the surgery, okay?”, Celine asked then she let go of her sister and walked to her car.The lawyer’s office was a thirty-minute drive, so she called Sebastian.“Hey Kitty Cat.”, Sebastian answered. Celine smiled. She didn’t know how he did it, but just hearing his voice calmed her down.“Hey yourself Big Bad Wolf.” Her smile widened.“Big bad wolf? I think I like that one.”, Sebastian said. They were still trying out nicknames. “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down.” Celine giggled.Every day she was more certain, about her feelings for him. Which made the thought of losing him a constant ache in her throat.“Are you i
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When Celine left the law offices of Smith, Carson & Associates she was overcome by a cocktail of toxic emotions churning in her gut. She was so damn tired of being picked on by these obscenely rich narcissists. She wanted to fight back, but it was impossible to defend herself, against their limitless resources. Unless she cowered behind another obscenely rich man. Which she refused to do. There had to be a way to level the playing field.“Damn it!”, Celine yelled and hit the steering wheel. She was in her car in the hospital parking lot, the only place she could have a little privacy before she had to pretend everything was alright. Problems and possible solutions drifted in her brain while she tried to match the correct solution with the right problem. But there were so many complications that she couldn’t keep anything straight.Then she remembered her resolution. She did not have to do this alone. She thought about that haughty sociopath with her blond curls and her diamond-studded
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She had asked no questions when she forced her way into her dad’s room and saw the various players in the room. She didn’t dare rock the boat. Whether the surgeon was there because of their efforts, or someone else’s, she intentionally did not ask. Only thanked the powers that be, that her father had this chance at life.So, she held her father’s hand, kissed his cheek, and wished him well. Watched him get wheeled away through doors she could not follow. Then stood there numb with worry until Kim herded her and Collette out of there.Now she would start to ask. Because when billionaires were involved, every favor came with strings. Until the one beholden no longer had agency and was a marionette. What would she have to sacrifice for this miracle?The surgery was going to be a long and complicated operation, so it was recommended that they eat and rest nearby. Celine texted what happened, and the name of the restaurant to Sebastian so he could join them then stepped back into the privat
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The double doors opened, and Dr. Gururaj stepped out smiling. He was smiling. Collette and Celine practically flew over to greet him and stood in front of the surgeon like zoo animals at feeding time.“The surgery was a success.”, Dr. Gururaj said. Celine’s shoulders slumped in relief, and she felt a huge smile split her face. “The next twenty-four hours are critical, but he’s healthy for his age. Right now, he needs rest and recovery. Then we can talk about rehabilitation.”, Dr. Gururaj said.Amid the cheers of their friends Celine and Collette hugged each other. All the fear, the worry, and the uncertainty drained away leaving hope and happiness to swell and take its place. Cheek to cheek they cried out their joy and then they remembered Dr. Gururaj. He was observing the jubilance of the crowd that awaited news of the surgery with a smile that lit up his eyes and for a moment, Celine could see the man behind the stoic mask.“Thank you.”, Celine said to him as she struggled to hold b
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Smiling reassuringly at Celine, Ethan took the empty glass of water, set it down, and then turned in his seat to face Sebastian. “My name is Ethan Sommer. You must be Sebastian.” Dismissing Sebastian, Ethan turned toward Celine, a gentle smile lighting up his eyes. “Better?” Ethan asked.Celine nodded, grateful someone in this insane asylum was staying levelheaded. She, too, was trying to stay calm, and she took slow, shallow breaths. She didn’t want to start coughing again, but the tension in the room made her anxious, making it difficult to control her breathing.“Celine, we are going to take this outside so you can calm down, okay?” Ethan said and handed her the call button in case she needed help.He gave some kind of look at Collette, who sighed heavily. “He’s right, let’s take it outside.” Ethan and Collette walked outside leaving Sebastian standing there looking down at her.Sebastian reclaimed his seat next to Celine. Having him this close to her made her fingers twitch to tou
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Celine was awake thinking when Collette came in with her cheery Mary Poppins voice. “Good morning.”, she sang, and Celine gritted her teeth. Instead of answering she closed her eyes. People went away if they thought she was sleeping.“Time to wake up, sleepy head.” Celine heard her bustling around the room, tidying up. “It’s so gloomy in here, no wonder you sleep all the time.”, Collette twittered like a happy little bird. Celine fantasized about finding a rock and throwing it at her. All that would be left was a puff of feathers littering the air.Suddenly, there was light glaring behind her eyelids, ruining her self-indulgent ambiance of depressive despair. Collette had drawn the curtains, that traitorous little harpy.“You’re going to have a visitor today.”, Collette chirped. “Look I got you some flowers. Aren’t they pretty? Here smell.”, She practically stuck the bouquet in Celine’s face who was lying on her stomach so the burns on her back could heal properly, and she had an oxyge
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Beaumont Equestrian Center spent a lot of money on a fire system that was tested and maintained several times a year, but the one, and only time they needed to use the system, the fire raged undeterred. Where were the wet sprinklers and the alarm? Why hadn't the fire triggered anything? Was the system defective? Celine realized she was going to have to turn the sprinklers on manually. There was a lever on the side of the building, where she could turn the sprinklers on and hopefully put out the fire.Coughing and gasping from the smoke, Celine ran the length of the stables. The beam of her flashlight bounced across the ground until she found what she was looking for, the manual release. All she needed to do was pull the lever. Where was the lever? Did she have it wrong? No, she was positive this was the place, but there was no lever. Looking closer, she saw the lever had been torn off. What the hell was going on? Had someone accidentally done this and not reported it, or was this int
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Turning onto the dirt road to her house, Celine’s head was full of her date with Ethan, and her feelings about Sebastian. She resented having to “move on”. That’s how it felt, she guessed, to be the one who didn’t end the relationship. Sebastian had moved on, but she was stuck still loving him. Wasn’t that the entire reason she was, “Getting out there?”, to snap her out of her lovesick state?“Stupid lying asshat.”, Celine yelled and hit her steering wheel. She didn’t want to move one. She just wanted Sebastian. Hot mournful tears rolled down her cheeks, and the dirt road blurred. Why did he do this to her? He lied to her, and now she had to live life without him. “I hate him.”, she sobbed.Turning the bend, she saw her house and she accelerated planning to hit the brakes hard at the last minute in a satisfying act of pointless violence. At the last second, she saw a car parked in the road, blocking the way and she screamed and slammed her foot down hard on the brakes. Her body rocked
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This time when he asked her out, she said yes, and even though she wasn’t excited about her date, she hoped when the time came, she would be. His name was Ethan. He was a few years older than she was and already had a healthy equine veterinarian practice. Ethan had brown hair with adorable curls that begged to be pulled, and big blue eyes that made her think of tropical waters or summer skies. He was tall, very tall, standing at six feet four inches and he had the kind of body earned through hands-on labor and not at a gym.Everyone thought they were the perfect match. Collette said if she wasn’t in the middle of a push-and-pull love affair with Dr. Gururaj she would snap him right up. And they were right, Ethan was divine, and she should be swooning at his feet and thinking about kissing his, pouty bottom-heavy full lips. Not psyching herself up to go on a date with him.In her heart of hearts, she still belonged to Sebastian, but that was not going to happen. Kim in her infinite wisd
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With a fake smile that stretched like rigor mortis across her face, Celine shifted from one foot to the other trying to alleviate the ache from her high heels, and longed for the days when she did everything in boots. Her new role as an entrepreneur for Beaumont Equestrian made her feel like an imposter and she lived in constant fear, that at any moment, someone would see past her business attire and discover she was just a hick that was good at riding horses.“Everything looks good.”, the banker said. “The seventy thousand dollars should transfer this afternoon. Is there anything else I can help you with today, Ms. Beaumont?”, asked the bank teller.“That’s all for today, thank you.”, Celine said sustaining her counterfeit smile, and left for her next appointment of the day.It had been four months since she last saw Sebastian and, in that time, her father came home, the contract with Gale Hospitality was a success, and local schools were sending their kids by the busload to take clas
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It was daylight and Celine was coming home to shower and change. From there, she was off to a prep school to pitch equestrian classes. She knew with this group; it was important to dress well. Luckily, she still had some very nice outfits hanging in the back of her closet, from when she was married. She texted Jacob and John that she was on her way home.JacobDon’t come yet. Your boySebastian’s here looking for you.Can I hit him? I always wantedto kick some billionaire ass.CelinePlease get rid of him. I need to getdressed I have a meeting at a school.If a billionaire wants to find you, there is nothing on this earth that can stop him so Celine should not have been surprised when he showed up at the hospital that evening. Luckily only family members are allowed in the ICU unit so when the nurse told her this incredible-looking man was there to visit her father, she told them to turn him away. What she did not count on was that Sebastian would wait for her, so when she left the I
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Walking out of Gale Industries, Celine felt like a rockstar. She had given her very first pitch to get an equine contract and she felt good about it. It all started when Kim told her about an opportunity.They were in the hospital cafeteria eating mediocre food the same morning Celine had her fainting spell. It was a panic attack, not dangerous, but scary. Apparently, hyperventilating puts too much carbon dioxide in your body and starves your body of oxygen and if you do not have enough oxygen in your bloodstream you faint.All of a sudden Kim got, that, look on her face, and Celine internally groaned. She knew what that look was. It was the, I have a great idea that you are going to hate, look. Celine rose to escape, “I’m going to get some water, do you want some?”, Celine asked.“Yes, but hold on a second. I have an idea.”, Kim said grinning like the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland.“Can it wait until I come back? I’m thirsty.” Celine said making another futile attempt.“Can’t w
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A few days after Sebastian asked for a “break”, Celine’s dad was discharged from the hospital. Collette was away at school, so Celine handled it, but she wasn’t alone. Jacob and John came over and set up a temporary bedroom in the family room so Dad would not need to go up and down the stairs while he recovered. Rachel put a schedule together to make sure someone was coming by every hour or so to check on Dad. Even Kim came out of the woodwork and helped.Everyone was ready to help Dad recover except Dad. As soon as he got home, he went rogue. He kicked out the physical therapist when she came and wouldn’t let the traveling nurse take his vitals. Instead of lying down and resting he sat at the kitchen table all day putting together model airplanes drinking coffee and eating whatever he wanted.Celine coped with the “break” by working round the clock. If she wasn’t tending to her father, she was working at the equestrian center. They suddenly had more business than they knew what to do
