Celeste couldn't help but find it laughable as she listened. Wynn and Trevor had met only after her marriage to him. So, Wynn was fully aware of her relationship with Trevor. There was no way Harvey didn't know that Trevor was her husband. He had definitely known about it all along.Yet, he shamelessly encouraged a relationship between Wynn and Trevor. It showed just how little regard Harvey had for her despite the fact that she was also his daughter.Trevor agreed to Harvey's request. They then exchanged a few more pleasantries. Celeste watched as Trevor waited for Harvey to get into his car and leave. Only then did Trevor get into his own car and drive away.Given Trevor's status, he rarely extended such courtesy unless it was to a few select elders of the Fleming family. Clearly, he held Harvey in high regard because he was Wynn's father.Celeste thought back to the times Trevor had met Betty and Ivan. His attitude had always been cold and indifferent. Even when she cautious
Martha sighed, feeling helpless. She thought Celeste lacked assertiveness and always let Trevor have his way. This caused her to miss out on countless opportunities to improve their relationship. That was why, after all these years, there had been no progress between them.However, since Celeste had spoken, Martha didn't press further.Once dinner officially began, the family chatted as they ate. The atmosphere was lively. Celeste, however, spoke very little and quietly focused on her meal.From the moment Trevor entered Fleming Manor until now, over ten minutes had passed. Still, he and Celeste hadn't exchanged a single word. There had been no interaction whatsoever.This was typical of their relationship. Everyone else was used to it and didn't find it unusual.When Jordyn wanted to eat something, she usually relied on Celeste. However, by now, she was accustomed to asking Trevor to get what she wanted for her instead.But when she wanted to eat shrimp, she instinctively looked
It was Teagan's voice.Celeste turned toward the source and saw both Teagan and Trevor.She stopped in her tracks.Trevor was smoking in silence.The distance between them was too far, and with Trevor standing against the light, Celeste couldn't make out his expression.Teagan said, "Honestly, I understand. I've met Wynn a few times. She's only 25 and already has a PhD from one of the top universities in the world. I hear she's also handling her family's business quite well."She's beautiful, wild, and untamed. Her brilliance and allure are rare. I get why she'd attract you. But her background is… less than respectable. Trevor, have you really thought this through? You—"Trevor cut her off. "I know what kind of woman I want."Teagan frowned. While she didn't think highly of Celeste, she wasn't impressed by Wynn either."But—" she began, but the displeasure in Trevor's eyes stopped her short.She scoffed. "Fine, fine. You're so protective; I can't even say a word. I'll shut up
The thought of Wynn's racing competition tonight and seeing her looking as cool as ever lifted Jordyn's spirits. After putting on the outfit, she grabbed her phone for another look.Almost immediately, she frowned.Normally, Wynn replied to her texts quickly. But this time, she hadn't responded at all, not even after Jordyn had finished getting ready.Could Wynn be upset?Panic bubbled up in Jordyn as she quickly typed out another message. "Wynn, are you mad at me? You know I didn't want Mom to take me to school but you! Please don't be mad at me, okay?"Even after a while, there was no reply.Celeste came back to check on her. "Jo, are you done? It's time to go down for breakfast."Frustrated, Jordyn snapped, "I know! Mom, do you have to always nag? You're so annoying!"With that, she grabbed her bag and stormed downstairs.Celeste quietly followed. She did notice, however, that Jordyn's outfit looked unfamiliar.Celeste had always been the one to prepare Jordyn's clothes. W
Sylvia looked sweet and adorable, and her outfit was perfectly suited to her age. Anyone would want to hug and shower her with affection.It was out of place to be associating her with words like "ugly" or "disgusting".Sylvia had grown up surrounded by compliments, and this was the first time someone had ever said something so mean to her.Sylvia burst into tears and clung tightly to Celeste.Celeste immediately held her and said, "That's not true, Sylvia. You're not disgusting at all. You're beautiful and so, so cute. Don't you think so too?"Sylvia's sobs softened as her spirits lifted a little. Before she could respond, Jordyn's reddening eyes filled with indignation as she watched Celeste continue to hold Sylvia and praise her."I… I don't like you anymore! I don't want you to be my mom!" Jordyn shouted before running off.Celeste quickly reached out and caught her.Jordyn's hurtful words had taken her by surprise. While Celeste was upset, she didn't want to scold her in p
Jordyn wasn't embarrassed or timid about having pushed or insulted Sylvia publicly earlier, and she didn't care what other kids thought of her.Yet as Celeste prepared to leave, she found herself reluctant to let go. "Mom…""Yes?" Celeste hugged her back, her voice warm. "What is it?""I want to—"Jordyn suddenly remembered how long it had been since she last had one of Celeste's home-cooked meals. The thought made her feel a pang of longing.But before the words left her mouth, she recalled she had plans to watch Wynn's competition that evening. Her eyes flickered with hesitation, and she let go of Celeste."It's nothing."Celeste's cooking could wait as she could enjoy it anytime. Watching Wynn's competition, on the other hand, was a rare opportunity.Without much deliberation, Jordyn made her choice."Alright, then. Hurry inside and don't keep your teacher waiting.""Okay."Jordyn finally released her hold, but before stepping into the classroom, she turned back and added
Trevor's words cheered Jordyn up, and she eagerly rattled off a list of her favorite dishes while Trevor listened attentively.When she finished, Wynn complimented her outfit."Jo, your clothes look amazing today. They suit you so well!""Really?"Wynn smiled. "Of course! How was school today? Did you get along with your classmates?"The two chatted happily, while Trevor remained mostly silent as he calmly ate at a leisurely pace.A passing waitress who was unaware of their dynamic saw the trio and mistakenly assumed they were a family. She glanced enviously at Wynn.At that moment, Jordyn saw an incoming video call from Celeste.It was the call she had requested that morning. However, she was in the middle of an animated conversation with Wynn and was reluctant to end the call.Earlier that morning, seeing Celeste hug another child had upset her.But during class, the teacher had explained that parents always loved their children the most and that every child held a unique a
Tucker raised his hand as if taking an oath."Today is CC's first race since returning to the country. She's the top female racer in the continent and my idol. I can't miss it! I swear I'll head back right after the race. So don't worry about me and go home.""But—" Celeste began, only to be interrupted by a chorus of excited voices ahead, shouting "CC.""My idol is coming out?" Tucker exclaimed, completely forgetting about Celeste. He joined the crowd in cheering and raised his binoculars to focus on the starting line.Celeste was taken aback by Tucker's fanatical excitement. "Since when were you into racing?"Though they weren't exactly close, she knew he hadn't shown any prior interest in racing."I wasn't into it before, but that's because I hadn't met CC! Do you have any idea how gorgeous and cool she is? You'll get it when you see her, Celeste. I'm telling you, you're going to fall for her too! She's perfect. Everyone loves her!"At that moment, CC made her entrance.Tuck
It turned out that Matthias was away on business.Wynn was lost in thought when Kieran asked nonchalantly, "Anything else?"She shook her head and asked, "It's been a while since you started working at YodaVision Co. Is everything going well for you?""It's been good," he responded. "If that's all, I'll be heading up then."Then, Kieran turned and left. Wynn frowned slightly as she watched his retreating figure. There was no hesitation in his footsteps. Kieran was upset at her for revealing his whereabouts to the Gibsons. So, he hadn't answered any of her recent phone calls. Then, she ran into him today. When he finally responded to her, she thought he was done being upset at her. However, he was still much colder to her than before. Wynn grinned. He probably just needed more time to calm down. A phone call interrupted her thoughts. It was a number she didn't recognize, and the person said that he was an attorney representing YodaVision Co. He was acting on Matthias' orde
Linda was completely dumbfounded. She hadn't expected that even Trevor couldn't resolve the incident.She said frantically, "I still don't get it. T-This was obviously a trivial matter. Can Celeste and Matthias take us to court and terminate the collaboration just because they couldn't let go of a jibe? S-Surely, something like that is not feasible."Wynn responded, "I got my lawyer to go through and confirm the clauses in the collaboration agreement between InnovaTech and YodaVision Co. The stipulations clearly stated that either party has the right to terminate the collaboration if the other party damages its reputation.""B-But, it doesn't matter if this incident damages their reputation. It's not going to have a big impact on them."Wynn said, "It would barely scratch their reputation. Ordinarily, if something like this happens, we just have to eliminate the impact this matter brought to YodaVision Co., apologize, and give them some gifts as compensation. That would've been eno
"He called me several minutes ago." Celeste said.Matthias snickered. "I knew it. You were the first person he called."Both of them had predicted that Wynn would seek Trevor's help and that he might want to screw with the Rodriguez family for her sake.Meanwhile, Trevor also predicted that they might threaten him to back off with the latest collaboration between Fleming Tech and YodaVision Co. That was why he got in touch with Celeste first. He wanted to see if he could work things out with her. However, she didn't give him a chance to do it. So, he contacted Matthias instead. Matthias dealt with Trevor because he was the official person in charge of YodaVision Co. It was more appropriate for him to have the conversation with the latter. This also led Matthias to see that Trevor intended to set Celeste up for Wynn's sake because Trevor mistakenly thought that she was meek and gullible. The notion filled his heart with rage. At the same time, he was concerned about Celeste a
On the same afternoon, Celeste received a phone call from Trevor not long after she arrived at YodaVision Co. InnovaTech would suffer a huge loss if they were to terminate the collaboration.When she saw his name on her phone screen, she knew why he had called. So, she didn't answer. He gave her two more calls, but she didn't answer any of them. Then, he dialed Matthias' number instead. Needless to say, Matthias also knew why Trevor was calling him, but he answered it. He went straight to the point and said, "Is this about InnovaTech?"Trevor responded, "Yeah. Mr. Yoder, name your terms.""I'm sorry, Mr. Fleming. Ms. Locket crossed a line, and I'm not going to waver this time." Then, Matthias added coldly, "Is there anything else you want to talk about?"Trevor asked, "Is there no way we can turn this around?""No," Matthias said. "My lawyer and I will follow up with this matter closely. I don't want you to pester my company staff. Otherwise, it just tells me that you're the s
Wynn had the same idea, but the thing was that they started the whole mess to begin with. She had maintained a gentle demeanor around Trevor to this point. If he learned about this incident, she wasn't sure if he would think that she and her family had been picking on Celeste. That, in turn, would affect her image in his heart.Needless to say, Lilian understood Wynn's concerns. She knew better than anyone how important it was to maintain one's image. After all, that was the key to making a man love a woman forever. Erin also understood it. Trevor loved Wynn deeply because she was very special to him. If they handled it carefully, it might not have a lasting effect on Wynn. However, it was still not a good move for her. She glanced at Linda and said nonchalantly, "Linda, you're a grown-up. You really have to mind what you do and say in the future."If they failed to handle this incident with finesse, it might prove to be a fatal blow to their families. "But, I…" Linda trailed
When Wynn was on the phone with Matthias, she was sitting in a luxurious private room in a restaurant with Lilian, Erin, and the others, waiting for their dishes to be served.Lilian noticed the awful look on Wynn's face after the phone call ended. She asked, "What's the matter? What did Matthias say to you?"Wynn tightened her grip on her phone and responded, "Matthias is terminating the collaboration with us and demanding we compensate YodaVision Co. for damage of reputation.""What?" Lilian gasped, and so did Erin, Linda, and the others. Linda said angrily, "We have apologized properly for this incident. Didn't the bitch say that the whole thing will blow over once you get in touch with Matthias and tell him how sorry we are? "Why is he terminating the contract and demanding some kind of compensation?"Lilian wore an icy expression, but she caught on fast and chimed in, "Celeste did it on purpose."Linda didn't get it, though. "Huh?"Wynn said, "Celeste wanted InnovaTech a
Celeste made some time in the afternoon and filled Matthias in about what had happened. "You'll have to shift the focus of the conflict for this."He paused briefly before he caught on to what she was hinting at. Grinning, he said, "Okay. I know what I have to do."Shortly after, Matthias received a call from Wynn. He answered it casually and heard her voice over the phone. "Mr. Yoder, I wonder if you're aware of the morning incident."He chuckled and said, "Ms. Locket, are you referring to the moment when your family ignored the truth and accused my staff of being incompetent? If I got it right, they also slandered my staff for not being committed to fulfilling the terms of our agreement."Wynn responded, "I'm sorry, Mr. Yoder. Linda is in the wrong this time. I will…"Matthias interrupted her and said, "Furthermore, it was made known to me that my staff told you about what happened and defended my company, but you accused her of blowing the incident out of proportion. Did some
Lilian and Wynn's expressions shifted slightly when they heard what Celeste said. Normally, they would have made Linda apologize when something like this happened. They would never let the incident get worse and affect their reputation. However, Celeste said that they were free to terminate the contract with YodaVision Co. if they found her and her colleagues to be incompetent. Saying something like that shifted the Lockets and the Shaws' focus to the question of whether she had the power to call the shots for YodaVision Co.They instinctively thought that it didn't matter if Linda was in the wrong. They could still decide if they wanted to apologize to Celeste after they were done arguing with her. However, they didn't expect Celeste to capitalize on their careless mistake and steer the focus off track.Not everyone in the company had a clue about the feud between Celeste and the Lockets and the Shaws, be it YodaVision Co.'s technicians or InnovaTech staff. They were merely on
If a party breached the contract for no good reason, that party was required to pay compensation as per the stipulations. Celeste wouldn't mind calling off the collaboration with InnovaTech if YodaVision Co. was compensated handsomely. "Why, you!" Linda would love to draft the violation of contract agreement. However, she didn't have the authority to make any decisions for InnovaTech. Even if she could do it on behalf of Wynn, Matthias had YodaVision Co.'s back. She was aware that Wynn and the others in the family wanted to keep an amicable relationship with him. If Linda rashly called the shots and terminated YodaVision Co.'s contract, she would definitely cross Matthias. This alone was enough to make Wynn think twice before agreeing to do it. For that matter, Patricia, Erin, and the others shared the same thoughts. Patricia found it distasteful when she saw how Linda was stumped. In fact, even Lilian's gaze turned colder when she looked at Celeste. None of them thought Celest