Celeste murmured a reply. Jordyn paused, realizing that Celeste might not know who Shanice was, and quickly added, "Shanice is my friend—she calls Mr. Harper her uncle."Celeste responded softly, noticing how eager she was to share. "What did you guys do?""We explored a maze!"Celeste listened without much reaction, but Betty's expression grew stern. When Trevor took Jordyn back, she thought he would be looking after Jordyn himself. It was only now that she realized Trevor wasn't taking care of Jordyn himself. Instead, he was focused on dating Wynn and would rather leave her with someone else than let Celeste care for her. Betty's face soured. Jordyn had no clue what Betty was thinking. Then, she added, "Mr. Harper asked me to stay for dinner, but I want to come back, so I called you."Celeste nodded. "Did you thank him then?" she asked. "Yes, I did!" Jordyn replied cheerfully. Celeste didn't ask any further. Since Jordyn had finished her homework, she stayed in
Even though YodaVision had sealed the deal with Jorge and Beck, certain aspects of the business still lacked suitable partners. To accelerate the search for the right partners, enhance the company's exposure, and push for growth, YodaVision had been organizing an investment conference, which officially took place on Monday morning. After dropping Jordyn off at school in the morning, Celeste headed to the hotel for the conference. By the time she got there, Matthias and the others were already present.Celeste was set to take the stage shortly as the company's core engineer to deliver a speech and answer the media's questions. Hence, she was going over the agenda backstage with Matthias. Just then, Beck arrived.He had only been seated for a moment when Jorge also showed up. About 20 minutes later, Matthias and Celeste went upstage to give their speeches. Jorge appeared engaged during Matthias's speech, yet when Celeste stepped forward, a frown crept onto his face. Was
However, everyone thought she was just being humble.After a brief moment of celebration, the team settled back into work. Wynn knew YodaVision had a press conference this morning. She was just too busy to look it up online. Then, she grabbed her phone and searched for news about the conference. "Did you attend the press conference this morning as well, Mr. Robinson?" she asked Jorge."Yeah."She was watching the video seriously, and the screen happened to be displaying Celeste's presentation on YodaVision's products and technology. He observed Wynn's expression and noticed that she looked composed, without any hint of displeasure or irritation toward Celeste. Remembering Celeste's hostility toward Wynn on Christmas and comparing it to Wynn's demeanor now, he was even more convinced that Celeste couldn't match Wynn's level of composure. Just as he was about to speak, Albert leaned over and commented, "I watched parts of YodaVision's press conference, and I have to say, t
After hanging up, Harvey set down his phone. As he watched the YodaVision press conference playing on the huge screen, he pressed his fingers against his temple, feeling the weight of his concerns. Linda lounged as she enjoyed the fruit. However, watching Celeste command the stage with such ease at a major event unsettled her. With a scowl, she turned off the TV. "Why does she get to be the one up there? She's stealing all the attention.""That's not the point," Lilian said. As far as she was concerned, Celeste was just benefiting from Matthias' influence. A speech at the press conference? So what? That was nothing but a superficial moment in the spotlight. What truly mattered was YodaVision's technology. That was the real prize. Harvey caught on to Lilian's meaning. Sure, Celeste spoke well at the event, but when it came to YodaVision's technology, he, Wynn, and Lilian all believed that Matthias had fed her the information beforehand. There was no way she genuinely un
"Okay.""I'll hang up now. I have to work later," Celeste added. "Alright, bye, Mom!"Celeste then ended the call. After having breakfast, she went to the office. Yesterday had been hectic, and today was just as demanding. But in the afternoon, she managed to leave a little early and went back to the Rodriguez residence to have lunch with Betty. When she arrived, she noticed that Betty seemed a little down. She glanced around the living room, and Jordyn was nowhere to be seen. Jordyn was probably out having dinner with Trevor. Celeste wasn't fazed, but Betty noticed how attached Jordyn was to Trevor. With a serious tone, she said, "Cel, when work isn't as hectic, you really need to spend more time with Jo. Otherwise…"Celeste nodded absentmindedly. "I know. I will. Let's eat first."Betty sighed, letting the conversation end there. After dinner, Celeste chatted for a bit with Betty before she went upstairs to rest. At around 9:00 pm, she went downstairs, only
Celeste placed the cake box into the fridge. Just as Jordyn finished her bath, her phone rang. It was Trevor who called. She answered the call. "Dad?""I just received a message from your grandpa, and he's coming back in the afternoon tomorrow. I'll send someone to pick you up after school, and we'll have dinner at home. Go tell your mom about this."Trevor's father, Lincoln Fleming, worked for the government. He was usually busy working, and he seldom had time to visit his family. The night Martha took a fall, Lincoln rushed back at dawn but left again before the sun even rose. Now, with her still in the hospital, Lincoln arranged for two days off so he could return and spend New Year's Day with her. Upon hearing what Trevor had just said, Jordyn replied, "Okay, got it."After speaking, she suddenly remembered that Trevor had said "pick you up" on the phone—not "pick you both up".That meant Celeste wasn't part of the plan. Hence, she turned to Celeste and asked, "
Technically, she was still married. And with where things stood between them, saying something like that would be inappropriate. After seeing Beck off, Celeste quickly headed back upstairs. He watched her go, lingering for a moment before turning to James Ford, one of his company's core engineers, and said, "I need your help with something.""Of course," James replied. "A friend of mine is looking to study natural language processing in depth but needs an elite mentor…"James listened and, given their rapport, agreed without question.However, he paused for a moment before continuing, "I may have some expertise in this field, but to be honest, I don't think I measure up to Mr. Yoder from YodaVision or Ms. Rodriguez, who has been handling our collaboration discussions. So, if you're looking for the best guidance, Ms. Rodriguez or Mr. Yoder might be better choices."Beck was a little surprised when he heard what James had said. His background was in finance, and AI wasn't h
Wynn was stunned for a moment. After processing his words, she responded kindly, "No worries. Your plans should come first."Beck nodded. Once Wynn drove off, he got into his own car. But instead of starting the engine, he reached for his phone, found Celeste's number, and, after a brief pause, dialed. Celeste was still at the office. Seeing his name on the screen, she answered the call casually, "Mr. Harper?"Beck had words at the tip of his tongue, but the noise in the background made him stop short. Instead, he asked, "Still working at this hour?""Yeah."Considering the time, Celeste assumed this wasn't a work matter. "I'm free tomorrow. What does Shanice have in mind?"Silence.Noticing his silence, Celeste prompted, "Mr. Harper?"Beck knew how busy she had been this week. It was already past nine, and she was still working. He didn't even need to ask—she had to be drained. Her own daughter had returned to the Fleming Manor, and she wouldn't get to see her tom
"Isn't that so?"Jorge, Miles, and the others were also present.They didn't know about the grudges between Celeste and the Lockets and Shaws, so when they heard Erin say the guests had mistaken someone for her granddaughter, they didn't react much.Neither Harvey nor Lennox said a word in defense of Celeste.Linda watched it all with a deep sense of satisfaction.Janet looked like she wanted to say something, but with so many people around, she didn't dare. She just lowered her head in silence.Just then, Betty, along with Jamie and Hector, walked out of the elevator."Celeste?"As soon as they stepped out and saw the crowd, Jamie and Hector hadn't even had time to react before they spotted Celeste, who was about to leave.Hearing Hector's voice, Celeste turned her head and saw her grandmother and younger siblings.Soon, Betty and the others also saw Trevor.But at the same time, Betty also spotted Harvey, Lilian, and the rest of the Locket family.Celeste pressed her lips
A few days after attending the International Artificial Intelligence Conference, Celeste went to a hotel one evening after work to attend Adeline's nephew's wedding banquet.She entered the elevator and just as the doors were about to close, she suddenly heard someone say, "Hold the door."At the same time, a hand reached in to stop the elevator from closing.When she saw who it was, Celeste's eyes flickered slightly.Calvin was also surprised to see her in the elevator.Though they had only met a few times and their last meeting was two or three months ago, he still remembered her. He gave her a polite nod.At that moment, Erin appeared at the elevator entrance as well.She looked slightly surprised when she saw Celeste. But she quickly averted her eyes, entering the elevator as if she didn't recognize her.Calvin was about to press the button for their floor, but noticed that the 18th floor had been selected.Since Celeste was technically an acquaintance, he smiled and turne
What Cayden wanted was really just an attempt to learn the core technology behind Infinite-CM.Matthias shook hands with him and responded smoothly. "Professor Sweeney, you flatter me. I've read your two papers on recurrent neural networks and attention mechanisms more than ten times—they've been a huge source of inspiration for me. "It's truly an honor to speak with you."Cayden was naturally eager to talk to Matthias longer. But the conference opening ceremony was about to begin.So, before they could continue the conversation, the staff came over to guide them to their seats.After the event's organizers gave their opening speeches, Cayden, Matthias, and other high-profile guests began giving keynote presentations.Everyone in attendance was eager to build connections with Cayden and Matthias.Once the first round of talks concluded, both of them were immediately surrounded by many parties, including corporate delegations.Celeste, Beck, Kieran, and Jorge didn't actually
Cayden said, "This is my PhD student, Wynn Locket."Besides Wynn, Cayden had brought along four or five other students. Among them, Wynn was the only one from Ceravelle.Once people realized that Wynn was Cayden's student, many at the venue couldn't help but feel envious."Oh my god, she's actually Professor Sweeney's PhD student? That's amazing!""Plus, she's also beautiful. It's like the universe gave her everything. So unfair!""Wait, there's more—she's also Trevor Fleming's girlfriend.""No way—no, I can't take this anymore. Comparing people really will make you depressed!"At that moment, Wynn became not just one of the central figures of the event, but also the person of envy and jealousy for many young people in attendance.As word spread that Wynn was Cayden's student and Trevor's girlfriend, someone who had just greeted Cayden turned to Trevor and joked, "Mr. Fleming, seems like you've got it all, huh?"Trevor just smiled and was about to respond, when Cayden, having
Two days later, Matthias traveled to Santerra to attend the International Artificial Intelligence Conference.Similar to last year's tech expo, this event was a prime opportunity for industry professionals to learn about the latest AI developments and exchange technical insights.Accompanying him were Celeste, Kieran, and a few other newly hired engineers at YodaVision.The reason for bringing newcomers like Kieran was that they hadn't yet been exposed to the company's proprietary information, so there was no risk of any sensitive information being leaked.By the time they arrived in Santerra and entered the conference venue, a sizable crowd had already gathered. It was said that several prominent international AI experts would also be attending the event.At last year's tech expo, Matthias had already drawn significant attention solely by virtue of being Zachary's student.Now, with YodaVision's rising influence, his appearance at this event caused an even greater stir.As soon
Kieran never managed to find a chance to go rafting with Celeste. However, during dinner, he once again "ran into" Celeste and her family.Ivan and Adeline warmly invited him and his friend to eat with them.After learning that he was from the Gibson family, Ivan curiously asked, "What made you suddenly decide to come back and develop your career here?"Thinking of the original reason he returned, Kieran paused slightly in his movements before replying, "I've always been very interested in YodaVision's programming language Cuap and their latest project, Infinite-CM, so I came back to join the company and learn."Ivan, Adeline, and Betty were all aware of Celeste's involvement with YodaVision.Upon hearing this, they all smiled subtly and glanced at Celeste. Meanwhile, Celeste just quietly lowered her head and continued eating.Kieran, however, didn't think too much of it.Celeste was indeed very capable professionally.But from what he had gathered, she had only joined YodaVisi
Trevor didn't have time to accompany Jordyn, but he could spend time with Wynn?Before Celeste could say anything, Jordyn spoke again, "Mom, I wish you had called earlier. If you had called earlier, I could have shown you a video from the helicopter."Celeste could tell that Jordyn was very pleased with Trevor's arrangements this time.For a moment, Celeste didn't know what to say. But she couldn't shake the heavy feeling of frustration growing in her chest.Jordyn continued talking about her plans for the next day and mentioned that she would be returning to the country that evening.Celeste listened, and before she could respond, Jordyn suddenly asked eagerly, "Mom, do you have time tomorrow? I want to call you again."Celeste snapped back to reality, and after two seconds, she replied, "I have time tomorrow.""Yay!"Knowing that Jordyn was already on her way back to the hotel, Celeste felt a lot more at ease. After chatting for a little while longer, she ended the video call
Celeste was thinking the same thing.So, she replied to Trevor."I'm busy. Also, please keep your promise and make sure she doesn't go to my grandmother's house."After a while, Trevor replied, "Okay."After that, Trevor didn't contact her again.…On the third afternoon of the May Day holiday, while Celeste and her family were preparing to enjoy rafting at a scenic spot, Lottie sent her a photo.The person in the photo was Wynn.Lottie was currently in Galdovia, busy with a fashion show.Celeste looked at the photo and replied, "Is she watching your show?"Lottie replied, "Yes! Talk about bad vibes."Then, she sent another message. "She's alone, though. I didn't see Trevor."Celeste responded with an "Okay," not particularly concerned about the situation, and asked, "When are you coming back?""Not sure yet." Lottie had other things to attend to, so they chatted for a bit before she got busy.More than ten minutes later, Lottie video-called her..Celeste hesitated, and
"Are you aware of the termination of the contract between YodaVision and InnovaTech?"Your student, Matthias, has become increasingly arrogant and indulgent, unable to distinguish right from wrong because of his obsession with love. Have you noticed this?"Jorge had intended to say these things, but when his eyes caught sight of Trevor, the words suddenly got stuck in his throat.These were, after all, matters concerning Wynn.Now that both Wynn and Trevor were present, Jorge felt that he had no place to speak on the subject. If he spoke out of turn in front of so many people, it would be equivalent to revealing his thoughts about Wynn to others.That would cause Wynn unnecessary trouble.Thinking of this, Jorge noticed Donald standing beside Trevor. He was aware of Donald's identity.Now that InnovaTech and YodaVision had signed the termination agreement, and then Wynn and Trevor were having a meal with Donald…He immediately realized what this meant.DataWing was indeed t