Thinking of that, Celeste replied, "Got it. I'll be back soon."That night, Celeste made honey garlic spare ribs for Jordyn and also prepared some soup. She stayed over for the next two days.On Friday, Betty called, asking her to come home for dinner. So, Celeste took Jordyn to the Rodriguez family home.However, only Betty was at home. The others were either out socializing or still in school.Betty didn't know that Jordyn had returned to the country. Seeing Celeste bring her along, she was pleasantly surprised.Jordyn was quite close to Betty and quickly won her over, making her very happy.That night, Celeste and Jordyn stayed at the Rodriguez family home.The next morning, Celeste got up early to make pancakes.Watching her skillful movements, Betty couldn't help but sigh, remembering how Celeste had never done housework before she got married.Celeste knew what Betty was thinking and smiled. "Cooking helps me clear my mind. I actually enjoy it."Celeste had gained a lit
Jordyn must have been having too much fun with Wynn because she didn't contact Celeste at all over the weekend.On Monday, Celeste went to work at YodaVision as usual. Right before getting off work, Lottie called and invited her to dinner.During the meal, Celeste went to the restroom and ran into Beck.Without pausing, Celeste acted as if she hadn't seen him and walked straight past him.However, Beck stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look at her.Celeste noticed it but ignored him.When she exited the restroom, she saw that Beck was still standing at the same spot where they had crossed paths earlier, as if he had been waiting for her.Seeing her come out, he turned his head and asked, "Here for dinner?"It seemed as if he had been waiting for her on purpose."Yes," she replied coolly. Then, she added indifferently, "Does Mr. Harper think I followed you here again?"Beck hesitated before saying, "That's not what I meant."Celeste didn't know what he meant. Nor d
Ruby immediately smiled and said, "Isn't this Cel? Long time no see. You're getting more and more beautiful.""Mom…" Hearing Ruby compliment Celeste, Linda was displeased.She had always known that Celeste was beautiful, but after not seeing her for a few years, she didn't expect her to be even more stunning.Looking at Celeste's smooth, delicate skin and outstanding temperament, jealousy surged in Linda's heart.However, she quickly consoled herself—so what if Celeste was beautiful? Her future brother-in-law didn't like her anyway. He only loved her sister, Wynn.With that thought, she felt a little better.Harvey looked over and said, "Ruby, what brings you here?""We hadn't seen you in a while, Uncle Harvey, so we came to check on you," Linda interjected.Then, she noticed the open brocade box the store owner had just displayed. So, she deliberately raised her voice and said, "Uncle Harvey, is this the wedding anniversary gift you customized for Aunt Lizzy? It's so beautiful
After walking some distance, Lottie looked at Celeste with concern. "Cel…"Celeste shook her head and said lightly, "I'm fine."From the moment Harvey had divorced her mother, he had stopped being her father. What pained her was how her presence had added to her uncle's burdens.As for Trevor's favoritism. Thinking about how Trevor only cared about Wynn, how ruthless he was toward Matthias and Ivan for Wynn's sake, and how he had never considered her feelings, it felt like a knife was stabbing into her heart.The pain was unbearable."Cel…" Lottie hugged her, feeling her own heart break for her dear friend.Celeste forced a smile but didn't say anything. It was fine. She had already decided to move on. She just needed a little time. She could do it."Want to grab a drink?" Lottie thought Celeste needed to relax.But, Celeste shook her head. "No."Rather than drinking, she preferred going home to work on her data. That was when she could truly calm down, relax, and regai
In Lennox's view, Celeste was simply jealous that Wynn had taken Trevor away, which was why she was deliberately obstructing Wynn from joining YodaVision.Celeste had neither talent nor knowledge—all she did was stir up trouble. Just thinking about it made Lennox scoff.She figured it wasn't just her—Trevor probably thought the same way, didn't he?Unfortunately, Celeste herself was completely oblivious to this. Perhaps even now, she was still smug about ruining Wynn's opportunity.Thinking about Wynn's brilliance and then comparing her to Celeste, Lennox became even more convinced that the two were simply not on the same level.Harvey sighed. "I know." He shared the same thoughts as Lennox."But she just won't listen.""She really is…" She was just as stubborn as her mother.Lennox didn't say this out loud—after all, anything related to that person was never pleasant to discuss."Regarding Cuap…""Let's wait until Wynn comes back and ask her about it." Harvey was highly in
Trevor owned multiple companies and was always busy.For the next two days, he was away on business, leaving Jordyn alone at home. Feeling bored, she couldn't help but call Celeste again.Having been occupied for two days, Celeste had already moved on from what had happened that day. So, when she saw Jordyn's call, she answered."Mom, when are you coming home…"Upon learning that Trevor wasn't home, Celeste went back after work that evening.Jordyn was overjoyed when Celeste returned. She clung to her, excitedly sharing amusing stories from school and telling her all about the new game she had recently become obsessed with, insisting on teaching Celeste how to play.As long as she had finished her homework, Celeste was generally willing to spend time with her, playing whatever she wanted and indulging in her interests, as long as they weren't harmful.After watching Jordyn play twice, Celeste teamed up with her for over an hour.That night, Jordyn was in high spirits. When it w
"No. Mom, come home and then go with me! The hot spring retreat is so far away, and it'll be so boring to go alone," Jordyn said.Celeste hesitated for a moment. Perhaps, she could go with Jordyn. "…Alright."YodaVision was currently developing a new app, and after dinner, Matthias called her to discuss some technical issues.While Trevor and Jordyn were chatting in the living room, Celeste stepped outside to take the call. The conversation lasted half an hour.Jordyn looked up at her and couldn't help but say, "Mom, you've been getting so many phone calls lately. You talk for so long every night. You weren't like this before…"Hearing this, Trevor lifted his gaze toward her.Peter also realized that.After all, Celeste had never been someone who made frequent phone calls, let alone ones that lasted this long.Could it be that she was having an affair? No… that couldn't be, right?Considering how deeply she felt for Trevor, that didn't seem likely."It's just about work," Cel
Trevor didn't show up for a long time, which made Martha angry and Jordyn unhappy.Celeste, however, remained calm as if nothing had happened. She peacefully made tea for Martha and said, "Maybe something urgent came up, and he couldn't get away."Martha was in a bad mood and went to bed early that night.Jordyn called Trevor several times, but no one answered.The next morning, when Celeste woke up, there was no one beside her. Jordyn had disappeared somewhere.After washing up, Celeste left her room and looked around, but she couldn't find her.When she asked, she found out that since Trevor hadn't come, Jordyn had found the place boring and asked someone to take her down the mountain early in the morning to play.Meanwhile, Martha had caught a cold from the night breeze and had a severe headache in the middle of the night. She had already returned to Fleming Manor before Celeste woke up.Since she didn't want to disturb Celeste's rest, she hadn't informed her right away.Fo
Jordyn wrapped her arms around Celeste's neck, burying her small face against it to shield herself from the cold wind.Celeste's clothes were soft and warm, and Jordyn snuggled into her embrace, rubbing her face against her neck with enjoyment.Trevor was always punctual. By the time Celeste carried Jordyn to the parking lot, his car had pulled in.Seeing them, the car stopped right beside Celeste.Even though her dad had arrived, Jordyn didn't get down from Celeste's arms. Instead, she playfully said to Trevor, who had lowered the car window, "Dad, carry me inside."Trevor didn't say anything. He simply got out of the car and took Jordyn from Celeste's arms.Happily, Jordyn swung her legs in the air while nestled in his hold.As Trevor leaned in to take her, Celeste caught a familiar scent—Wynn's perfume.When he had been sitting beside her earlier, he hadn't smelled like this.This meant that after leaving them, he had gone to the Shaw family.Trevor looked at her and said,
Zachary said, "Sure."Trevor nodded and turned to Celeste. "Are you going home tonight?"Celeste had still been going over the conversation between Trevor and Zachary in her head. When he suddenly spoke to her, she paused for a moment before responding, "No."Trevor nodded again. "Got it." Then he stood up and said, "I'll come by later to pick Jo up."That meant he was leaving.Celeste replied coldly, "Got it."Trevor didn't say anything else to her. Instead, he walked over to Betty and said, "Madam Klein, I have things to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."Betty didn't stand up, and her tone was equally cold, "Sure. I won't see you off."Trevor didn't seem bothered by her indifference. He turned to Ivan, gave him a slight nod as a form of greeting, and then left the banquet hall.Outside the hotel, Beck had just stepped out of his car when he saw Trevor walking out. His movements stalled for a brief moment.Trevor quickly got into his car and drove off.Beck watched but re
Neither Celeste nor Trevor spoke again.Celeste's younger cousins had rarely seen Trevor before. Now that they were seeing him in person, they couldn't help but look at him with curiosity.As someone who had held a position of power for years, Trevor exuded authority effortlessly, even without trying. When he noticed their gazes, he glanced at them briefly.Unable to meet his eyes, they instinctively looked away, not daring to stare any longer.Trevor showed no reaction to this, nor did he make any effort to exchange pleasantries. He simply shifted his gaze away, calm and indifferent.Trevor was the man Celeste loved. She had thrown herself into this love headfirst, and after all these years, she still couldn't escape.Given the way Trevor had treated his own niece for so long, it was impossible for Ivan not to harbor resentment toward him.However, what could he do?The Rodriguez family was powerless against Trevor.Now that Trevor was here, as the host, Ivan had no choice bu
Wynn didn't panic at all when she heard that Trevor was at the Rodriguez family's party.After all, Martha had such a close relationship with Betty. She'd definitely let Trevor attend Betty's 70th birthday on her behalf since she couldn't make it herself.Wynn had known this long ago. Still, she was a little upset even though Trevor was there because of Martha's order. When the crowd found out that Trevor went to the Rodriguez family's party instead of coming here, they assumed something had happened between Wynn and Trevor. Wynn remarked in a cold voice, "Madam Daniels and Madam Klein have a good relationship, and Trevor was only there as instructed by Madam Daniels."There had been rumors that the Rodriguez family and the Fleming family were on good terms.But people hadn't seen them interacting with each other before, so they only took it as a rumor.Perhaps it was true then, judging by what Wynn had said. At that moment, someone came in. They had a gift box in their
"Yes."Linda scoffed. "That's so shameless of her!"Just talking about that made her upset. "Could it be that they have a great connection, which is why such a significant person is attending her birthday?""No," Wynn replied coldly. "They just barely know each other." From her perspective, Celeste got to know Zachary through Matthias. So, the reason why Zachary was there today was probably because of Matthias."Oh, okay," Linda said.Beck and Miles were sitting at the table beside Wynn's, right behind her.Initially, Beck was quietly enjoying his meal. He paused for a moment when he heard how Zachary was at Betty's birthday party. He asked, "The Rodriguez family's birthday party?"Miles then explained, "Oh, today's the birthday of Celeste's maternal grandmother. The parties for the Rodriguez family and the Shaw family are on the same day, and the guest lists coincide. Thus, most of the overlapping guests are attending this one because of Trevor and Wynn."Miles had no prio
Celeste was sitting beside Zachary.He was still talking to Betty, and he hadn't spared her a glance yet. Celeste turned a little to Matthias. "Thank you, Matthias."She could tell that Betty was in a much better mood after Zachary came. "There's no need to thank me." Matthias shrugged. "Mr. Newman just happened to reply to me regarding the project you came up with not long ago. Then I told him about this, and he came. So, really, you should be thanking yourself."As Celeste was about to speak, she heard someone mention Trevor's name. Hesitating for a moment, she turned around, only to see Trevor at the entrance. With all eyes on him, he approached Betty with steady steps. "Happy birthday."Then, he handed the gift box to her and said, "Just in case the first gift wasn't to your taste, I brought another. I hope you like it."Betty didn't realize Trevor would attend at all. Yet his arrival didn't bring joy to her.Sure, the Shaws were shameless, but without his support,
With that, Matthias interrupted, "Can we hold off for a bit, Mr. Rodriguez? There's someone else coming, and they should be here in ten minutes."Ivan was well aware of how Matthias and Celeste were connected.Matthias had always taken care of Celeste as well. Hence, Betty and Ivan were pretty grateful to him. Upon hearing what Matthias had just said, Ivan asked, "Is he by himself? We still have empty seats at the main table if he doesn't mind joining us.""He's totally okay with it," Matthias replied. "Okay."Ivan nodded and instructed the staff to serve the other tables first, while their dishes would be served later. As the first few dishes arrived, Matthias glanced at his phone. Then, he pulled Celeste aside and said, "The person is here. I'll go get them."Celeste nodded. The moment she turned around, she heard a familiar yet icy voice. "No need, I'm here already."Celeste was stunned. She immediately turned around. "Mr. Newman?"Zachary hummed a reply.The remaini
Just then, Beck and Miles arrived. The moment the Shaws and Lockets noticed the two, they went up to them.After all, these two were anything but ordinary in Baumond. It was only natural that they held the two in high regard. Linda had already met Beck before. The moment she laid eyes on him again today, a blush crept onto her face, barely concealed by her makeup.Ruby laughed, seeing Linda's reaction. The Harpers were just as distinguished as the Flemings, and with Beck's remarkable qualities, the Shaws were more than happy to see Linda take an interest in him.With Wynn and Trevor a certainty, and now Linda and Beck potentially forming a match, the Shaws would definitely hold undeniable power in Baumond in the future. With that in mind, the Shaws showed even greater enthusiasm when talking to Beck and Miler.Wynn furrowed her brows when she noticed the Shaws' attitude toward the two men. She thought they were being too sycophantic.As friends, Wynn and Beck were e
Seeing the endless stream of arriving guests, Patricia and Mason were all smiles.It was just as what the Rodriguez family thought, they did remember Betty's birthday. No, in fact, after so many years of celebrating Betty's birthday, forgetting it was simply out of the question. Thus, it was no coincidence that they held their housewarming party today. They couldn't help but fume, thinking back to how they had planned to move across from the Rodriguez family, only for Celeste to interfere and enlist Trevor's help, throwing their plans into disarray. But Trevor later made up for it, and ironically, they ended up better off because of it. It made them even more delighted, thinking about how they had scheduled their housewarming party to clash with the Rodriguez family's event and successfully diverted their guests. "Their party must be nearly empty now, huh?" Linda stifled a quiet laugh. "They couldn't even keep their guests after all that effort. It's just humiliating at th