At that moment, Jordyn noticed Celeste coming out with her suitcase. "Mom?""Mm." Celeste snapped back to reality, closed the door, and said, "I have work to do, so I'm heading back first. You stay here with Dad and have fun."Jordyn quickly nodded. "Okay, I got it, Mom."Celeste dragged her suitcase downstairs. When she reached the ground floor, she ran into Trevor, who was with Wynn.Seeing her leaving with her suitcase, he simply asked, "You're leaving?"Celeste replied coolly, "Mm.""Did you call a car?""I did."He didn't try to stop her and only said, "Alright."Celeste then walked out with her suitcase, got into the car, and left.…Miles woke up later than usual that day.When he came downstairs for lunch with Trevor and the others, he said, "Trevor, why don't you go upstairs and invite her down?"Of course, he was referring to Celeste.Trevor said indifferently, "No need. She has already left."Miles raised an eyebrow. "She left?"Beck also paused for a moment.
Although Ivan had lowered his voice and avoided Betty when handing over the invitation, Celeste understood everything perfectly.She replied, "I know."Betty and Martha were close friends. By right, Martha would attend Betty's birthday celebration.However, since Martha was older than Betty, according to their customs, elderly guests older than the birthday celebrant would not attend.For the past few years, Betty's birthdays had not been grand affairs. It was just a simple family dinner.And in all those years, Trevor had never once attended Betty's birthday. He excused himself by saying he was busy from the beginning.But Celeste knew that even if he had free time—enough to go out and have fun with friends—he still wouldn't show up.Even so, every year as Betty's birthday approached, she would always hold onto a bit of hope and ask him in advance if he was available, if he could accompany her back to the Rodriguez residence to celebrate.But every time, she was met with disap
Celeste lightly covered her nose for a moment before casually letting go and taking a small step back, subtly increasing the distance between them.Trevor didn't seem to notice her small movements. He opened the invitation and glanced at it. "70th birthday?""Mm." This time, she didn't ask if he was free that evening, nor did she plead with him to make time for it. She simply said, "Please tell your parents."It was unclear whether Trevor noticed that she hadn't asked him this time.He glanced at her, then casually set the invitation aside and said, "Got it." With that, he turned and walked into the bathroom.Celeste looked at his back for a moment, then put away the hairdryer and headed to Jordyn's room to help her shower.By the time she finished washing Jordyn's hair, drying it, and getting her ready for bed, nearly an hour had passed.Jordyn clung to her arm and snuggled into her embrace, asking, "Mom, can you sleep with me tonight?"Given the current state of things betwee
Celeste knew that he didn't allow her near his study, so she stayed in the bedroom, reading while waiting for him.It wasn't until nearly 1:00 am that Trevor finally returned to the room.Seeing him come back, Celeste put down her book and looked at him. Trevor noticed and asked indifferently, "Something wrong?"Celeste didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "I heard there's a charity auction at Hearthside in two days—"Trevor elegantly removed his tie. Hearing this, he glanced at her and said, "You want an invitation?"Celeste was slightly surprised. "Yes.""Got it." With that, he turned and walked into the walk-in closet. A moment later, he entered the bathroom to take a shower.He agreed so readily that Celeste was a little surprised. But since he said yes, she felt relieved.It was late. So, she set her book aside and laid down on the bed. Before Trevor finished showering, she had already fallen asleep.…Since the auction was the day after tomorrow, Celeste ret
The next day, after dressing up, Celeste and Lottie headed to the auction.Neither of them dressed particularly extravagantly, but their striking looks still drew plenty of attention when they entered the auction hall.Lottie had attended a few auctions before and was fairly active in their social circle, so many people recognized her. But Celeste was someone they had never seen before.Seeing her attend the auction with Lottie, many people began speculating about which prestigious family she belonged to.Their seats were in the middle-to-back section.They didn't arrive early. Just a few minutes after they sat down, the auction was about to begin.At that moment, a sudden commotion broke out in the front row. Hearing the noise, Celeste and Lottie turned to look.When they saw what was happening, Celeste froze for a second.Lottie whispered, "It's Trevor and Wynn. They're here too." Then she turned to Celeste. "Did you know they'd be attending?"Celeste shook her head. "No."
After all, when Matthias had taken her to the previous banquet and the tech expo, Trevor had ignored her existence from beginning to end.As she was thinking about this, the auction started. The host took the stage, and the hall quieted down.Celeste had already gone through the auction catalog in detail. She had her eye on a set of emerald jewelry and an embroidered painting by a renowned artist.Which one she would actually bid on depended on the situation.The auction began quickly.Celeste was focused—if the item wasn't something she wanted, she didn't raise her paddle.Meanwhile, neither Trevor nor Wynn had placed any bids either.After a while, both Celeste and Lottie noticed that Wynn finally raised her paddle. She was bidding on a diamond bracelet.It was a piece from a famous international designer, and just from the style, it was clear that the bracelet was meant for young women.There was no doubt—this bracelet was something Trevor was buying for Wynn.The starting
Trevor chuckled. "It's fine. Didn't you say your grandmother likes it? Go ahead and bid."Seeing his smile, Wynn felt a sweetness in her heart. She raised her paddle again. "60 million."Jorge immediately followed. "70 million."Then, he called out loudly to Trevor, "Mr. Fleming, my old folks at home love this kind of thing. How about showing me some courtesy and letting me have it?"Trevor looked over and returned a polite smile. "Sorry, Mr. Robinson, but I also have elders at home who like this."They made no effort to keep their conversation private, so naturally, Celeste and Lottie also heard it.The vase was meant for Erin, Wynn's paternal grandmother. Yet Trevor referred to her as his own elder, making it clear that he already considered the Locket family as his own.That was a stark contrast to how he treated her family.Wynn raised her paddle again. "85 million."This time, Jorge didn't continue bidding.In the end, Wynn won the antique vase for 85 million, once again
Wynn just raised the bid by a huge margin again!Celeste felt her heart sink further. She didn't have much money on hand. At the start, her budget for this auction had been set at no more than 30 million. After all, the Rodriguez family's business was struggling, and they didn't have much disposable income to splurge.But now…Jorge raised the bid. "28 million."Celeste raised her paddle. "30 million."She had bid twice in a row after him, her voice soft and clear, carrying a gentle allure. This made Jorge turn his head to look. When he saw Celeste, he paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and smiled.Celeste, noticing his gaze, nodded back politely.Just then, Wynn raised her paddle again. "40 million."Celeste no longer paid attention to Jorge. The moment she heard Wynn's bid, her hands clenched into fists.Jorge raised again. "43 million."Celeste immediately followed. "45 million."Wynn bidded, "50 million."Celeste felt like her mind had exploded. Her initial
Melissa likes Celeste? How is that possible?If what Miles said was true, then what she told Melissa yesterday…Thinking about how Melissa had left during their conversation yesterday, Wynn's heart sank.Perhaps noticing her change in expression, Trevor, concerned, asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"Wynn snapped back to reality, forcing a smile. "No, I'm fine."Later that day, she informed her family.Upon hearing that Melissa liked Celeste so much, even agreeing to let her be their daughter-in-law, both the Shaw family and the Locket family were in disbelief."Celeste is married with a child, and her family background is ordinary. But Matthias' family is well-off and successful. How could the Yoder family possibly agree to them being together? Did Mr. Quinton misunderstand?""That's right," Linda hurriedly added, "Or maybe that woman hid her past? The Yoder family doesn't know she was married, which is why they—"Wynn also couldn't understand why the Yoder family
The next morning, Trevor, Jordyn, and Wynn arrived early at the sports hall for Jordyn's competition.After they had been there for a while, Beck and Shanice arrived as well.Jordyn saw them and greeted, "Mr. Harper, Shanice, you're here."Shanice came over and shook Jordyn's hand. "The competition is about to start. Are you nervous, Jo?"Jordyn was very calm and shook her head. "No, I'm fine."Beck had some business to attend to, and he was just dropping Shanice off.Trevor knew Beck was in a hurry and said, "I'll take care of Shanice. You can go ahead with your things."Beck nodded. "Alright, I'll join you all for lunch later.""Okay."Their relationship seemed to be as good as ever. However…Wynn listened to their conversation, her gaze shifting between Trevor and Beck. If Trevor knew that Beck had developed feelings for Celeste, would their relationship still be as good as it was now?Beck noticed her gaze and gave her a slight nod. But he didn't speak to her, just turne
After Sebastian and Melissa left, Trevor asked, "Did you finish talking to Mrs. Yoder?"Wynn smiled slightly and nodded.Looking at Melissa's expression earlier, it seemed that she was becoming increasingly displeased with Celeste.…Melissa had actually known about the issues between InnovaTech and YodaVision long before. Matthias had already informed her in advance.When Melissa was talking to Wynn, she didn't really get a phone call—she had recorded their conversation.She walked a little further away, glanced at Trevor and Wynn, and then sent the recording to Matthias.Matthias and Celeste had not finished work yet. After listening to the recording, Matthias smiled and went to Celeste's office to inform her of the situation.After hearing the news, Celeste said, "Now I can be sure that we'll definitely win the lawsuit.""Exactly."Their insistence on suing for contract termination was not only because they really wanted to break the contract with InnovaTech, but also beca
Wynn had thought she would have to wait a few more days for news.However, that afternoon, Trevor called her and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Yoder will be attending an auction tomorrow. Would you like to go?"Wynn smiled and replied, "Sure."The next evening, not long after arriving at the auction, Trevor took Wynn over to greet Sebastian and Melissa. He introduced Wynn to them.Sebastian and Melissa knew about Trevor's relationship with Celeste and were aware of all the conflicts between Celeste and Wynn. However, when they saw Trevor, they didn't let their feelings about Celeste show.They smiled and shook hands with Trevor, greeting him warmly. When Trevor introduced Wynn, Melissa also smiled and politely shook Wynn's hand, saying, "Hello."The auction was filled with the elites from high society.After some casual conversation, Trevor and Sebastian, along with others, began discussing business matters.At this moment, Wynn saw an opportunity and started chatting with Melissa alone.
Caleb was still thinking about it when Jorge asked him again, "Caleb, besides your father and my old man, do you know anyone else who has Zachary's contact info?"Caleb replied, "No one else."Then, as if something occurred to him, he added, "But didn't you say Ms. Locket had met Zachary before? I imagine she should have his contact. "If talking to Mr. Newman could resolve things, wouldn't she have already reached out to him herself?"Jorge said, "I thought about that too. But since she's directly involved, unless absolutely necessary, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to contact Mr. Newman just to complain about Matthias, right?"He was actually being pretty considerate. Seems like he liked Wynn more than he realized.Jorge said, "Forget it, I'll try asking some other people.""Alright."The fact that Celeste was also one of Zachary's students hadn't been made public meant that it was to remain confidential. Since that was the case, it wasn't his place to share it with Jorge
Theodore refused to help, so Jorge immediately decided to contact Zachary himself.However, he didn't have Zachary's contact information.He messaged Theodore asking for Zachary's number, and Theodore simply replied with a single word. "Nope."Before he could even react, Theodore sent another message. "I've already spoken to Harold too. Don't waste your time."Seeing that, Jorge was genuinely a little angry.But when he tried calling Theodore again, the call went unanswered.Since Theodore and Harold were both at a dead end, he thought of Caleb.He remembered Caleb had mentioned before that he had some work-related interactions with Zachary. They'd even had a meal together.With that in mind, Jorge reached out to Caleb.Caleb didn't return his call until the evening. After hearing that Jorge was looking for Zachary's contact info, he said, "I don't have Mr. Newman's number.""You don't? Didn't you have dinner with him and my old man before? You guys didn't exchange contacts?"
Before Jorge could finish his sentence, Theodore cut him off. "You're trying to say that he's siding with Celeste again and bullying Ms. Locket, aren't you?"Jorge was surprised that Theodore hit the nail on the head. "Old man, how'd you know? Don't tell me you already know what happened?"Theodore replied, "I don't. I guessed."Back when Celeste and Matthias agreed to work with his foolish son for his sake, it was clear they wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for him in the workplace.His son also wasn't the kind to stir up trouble at work for no reason. So, even if they couldn't become friends, their professional relationship should have stayed smooth.If Jorge didn't clash with Matthias or Celeste personally, then the conflict likely involved someone he cared about—probably Wynn.Earlier that year, when he'd met with Kael, Celeste, and the others for dinner, they'd happened to run into Wynn at the restaurant entrance.At the time, seeing how attentive his son was to
Matthias crossed his legs. "Become what exactly? Blinded by lust? Or unable to tell right from wrong?"Both.Of course, Jorge didn't say that out loud.Matthias saw right through him and smiled. "But why do I feel like the one who's blinded and can't tell right from wrong isn't me, but someone else?"Before Jorge could respond, Matthias added, "Also, the student my mentor values most isn't me. It's someone else entirely. Mr. Robinson, you're giving me far too much credit."Jorge didn't expect that, even after bringing up Zachary, Matthias still showed no sign of remorse.But Matthias wasn't about to indulge him. He said directly, "If you can't bear to watch and want to seek justice on behalf of Ms. Locket, then you're free to terminate our contract."Of course, the condition is that you'll have to compensate YodaVision for the corresponding losses."Jorge thought he had approached Matthias politely and reasonably.But Matthias had been hostile from the beginning, and now, in a
Last week, Matthias' lawyer went to InnovaTech to negotiate the contract termination, but the talks fell through. That same day, they filed a lawsuit with the court.When Celeste had that confrontation at InnovaTech with Wynn and the others, Matthias was away on a business trip.Maybe because she couldn't meet Matthias, Wynn hadn't given up on the matter yet.On Monday, when Celeste arrived at work, she saw Wynn again. As before, when the two women saw each other, neither acknowledged the other.When Celeste got to the office, she found that Matthias was already there."You're here early."Matthias shrugged. "I came in over half an hour early just in case someone tried to intercept me."Celeste smiled at that.…Jorge happened to be in YodaVision that day to discuss something with Matthias. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he spotted Wynn.He had already heard about what happened between YodaVision and InnovaTech last week. So the moment he saw her, he immediately u