“CONGRATULATIONS,” Celene smiled as her parents greeted her after she received some good news that her divorce had been finalized. Two weeks had passed since her last encounter with Jarred, and now, her marriage to that asshole was finally dissolved. She couldn’t be any happier knowing she was officially free from him.She had anticipated it would take a few more months, so the sudden news caught her completely off guard.“We should celebrate this!” Isabelle suggested excitedly, relieved that her daughter was no longer married to Jarred, who was now struggling with financial losses because his mother had become addicted to gambling. Celene didn’t know it yet, but she was secretly getting revenge on Martha by orchestrating her losses in casino games. Of course, she wasn't the one playing; instead, it was her secretary who was quite skilled at it.“We are having dinner with Noah and his parents tonight. We can deliver the news to them and celebrate together,” Herman chimed in, and the m
“RELAX,” Celene retrieved her phone from Noah after he ended the call.“You should change your number,” he said, feeling his anger building up again at the thought of that bastard saying he loved Celene.“I’m going to, I just kept forgetting it.” she said before blocking the new number Jarred used to call her. “Why did you even do that?”“Am I not allowed to?” Noah asked, somehow, sensing Celene wasn’t pleased with how he acted. Despite knowing that what he did wasn’t entirely appropriate, he was still confused as to why she would be upset with him, considering the person involved was her ex-husband.‘Does she want to keep talking to him?’ he thought.“It’s not a question of whether it’s allowed or not. Taking someone’s phone while they’re in the middle of a conversation is extremely disrespectful. Would you be okay with it if I did the same thing to you?” Celene asked, unsure why she was making such a fuss when she didn’t actually care about his actions.“Yes, as long as it isn’t an
“IS THIS A GOOD IDEA?” Celene asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she followed her cousin out of the marketing office.She didn’t know why or what the reason was but announcing that the chairman wanted to meet her in front of everyone felt like a risky move. The idea of them whispering and speculating after they left made her anxious, knowing that they would likely come to their own conclusions without all the information.After all, her father was known to be poor at remembering names, especially when he only met the person once or twice, so it must have been a surprise to everyone that she was called out. Besides, a regular employee being summoned to the chairman was a rare occurrence.“What do you mean?” Ash turned to her, “Walk by my side, it’s making me uncomfortable that you’re walking behind me.”“I’m a regular employee right now. I thought you already knew about my mission,” she answered as she carefully looked around, making sure they weren’t looking suspicious. ‘Is Da
AS CELENE headed to work the next day, she noticed a car parked in front of the building. She recognized it immediately and tried to ignore Jarred as she continued walking. However, he got out of the car and followed her.“Don’t worry, I won’t cause any trouble,” he said, grabbing her arm tightly. Celene then let out a sigh and pulled away.“I have work, let go.”“I just want to give you an invitation,” Jarred persisted, pulling out a red envelope from the pocket of suit and gave to her. “You should come to my engagement party tomorrow.”Celene furrowed her brows, still questioning the sincerity of his words from the other night. She clenched her jaw tightly, aware of the potential gossip surrounding her and not wanting to add fuel to the fire. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she reluctantly accepted the invitation handed to her by Jarred.“Fine, whatever. Just let go of me. I’m already running late for work,” she snapped, shooting an annoyed look at Jarred who quickly released her.“J
“HAAH!” Celene couldn’t help but release a sigh of disbelief. She had anticipated that he was up to something, but she never would have guessed he would twist the situation to make it seem like she wasn’t supposed to be there.Despite this unexpected turn, she refused to let it get to her. If needed, she would play along until she could find an opportunity to escape from this predicament.“I must be a joke to you.” she smiled before taking out the invitation, "‘But fine, I'll play along with your little silly game.”“This, you handed me this yesterday with a desperate expression on your face.” Celene shoved the invitation into his chest before glancing at Agnes, “And oh, do your mistress know that you called me the other night to tell me that you love me after our divorce had been finalized?”The murmurs grew louder, creating a collective gasp as Celene’s words sunk in. Agnes clenched her jaw and glanced down at the invitation that fell to the floor. She didn’t know what Jarred had in
“ARE YOU OKAY?” Noah asked as soon as they were out of the gate, holding Celene closed because she was shivering uncontrollably under her damp nightgown and her hair dripped with water.She smiled and nodded, feeling satisfied with the outcome despite her earlier humiliation.The memory of her own embarrassing fall into the pool paled in comparison to the immense satisfaction she felt when Noah finally revealed his true identity to Jarred, Martha, and Agnes. It was a gratifying sight to see their expressions change from disbelief to horror as they realized the gravity of their mistake.“You say you’re okay, but you’re clearly not.” Noah let out a sigh and turned to his driver, who quickly got out of the car and opened the backseat door for them. But before they could even step inside, Jarred called out to them in desperation.“Wait, Mr. De Laruente!” He nearly stumbled as he hurried to catch up with them. Celene couldn’t help but snort and cover her mouth, which only seemed to anger M
CELEN STIRRED in her sleep, her eyelids slowly blinking open as the sunlight poured through the curtains. When she became aware of her surroundings, she sat up and saw Noah entering the room.He was carrying a tray of breakfast as if he knew exactly when she would wake up. She couldn’t help but smiled in appreciation and watched him place the tray on the bedside table.“How are you feeling?” He sat down on the bed and gently placed his hand on her forehead, checking to see if her temperature had risen from the previous night’s incident. Fortunately, it wasn’t so, he let out a sigh of relief.“I’m fine,” Celene replied, her eyes darting to the pajamas adorning her body. Since she had chosen not to go home the previous night, she asked Noah to bring her back to his penthouse instead. Of course, he readily agreed and upon arrival, he ran a bath for her, filling it with warm water.After she finished bathing, he presented her with fresh pajamas and underwear that his secretary had purchas
“CELENE.” Ash snapped his fingers in front of her face, bringing out of her thoughts and back to the present moment. “You alright?”“Sorry, my head’s elsewhere.” she sighed before taking her cup of coffee, only to find it was nearly empty.“What is it that bothering you?” he asked as they relaxed at the cafe after a long day at work. It was their first time catching up since they reunited but she couldn’t help but be distracted by what she had learned earlier. She just sighed and rested her back against the chair, setting down her now empty cup.“Earlier, I caught a glimpse of Ms. Katy and Mr. Smith heading into the vacant conference room, the one that was hardly ever utilized by the marketing department,” she explained before turning to Ash, who was clearly intrigued by what had disrupted his usually composed cousin.“And?” he prompted cautiously.“I heard them having sex,” Celene answered without hesitation, causing Ash to almost choke on the coffee he had just sipped. Luckily, he w
“Caius, come here.” Celene said, her voice a little wary as she looked at Jarred. His appearance might have changed since he grew a beard but she knew very well, it was her ex-husband.Celene’s heart was racing as she watched Jarred approaching her with Caius by his side. She couldn’t believe that after all these years, fate had brought them together again.“Give me my son, Jarred.” She frowned, fearing that he might do something to her son. However, to her surprise, Jarred urged Caius to come closer to his mother.“Mama!” He hugged her and Celene felt a sense of relief now that her son was in her arms.“Why did you leave the school?” she asked, brushing his hair away from his forehead. He didn’t seem to be hurt and that alone was enough to calm her racing heart.“I’m sorry, Mama. I saw a cotton candy outside and I wanted some. So, I followed it and…” Caius trailed off as he stared down at the ground, knowing what he did was wrong.“He almost got hit by a motorcycle..” Jarred’s interr
5 YEARS LATER...“Mhhhn, what are you doing?” Celene murmured, her eyes still shut as she felt Noah's lips making a trail of kisses down her shoulder. Gradually, she opened her eyes and turned towards him to see his face sporting a playful expression in the early morning light, “Why are you acting like this?”“I want to have a second baby,” he said as he kissed her neck, but then, their door suddenly burst open, causing him to quickly sit up with an innocent smile as their son Caius entered the room, as he did every morning.“Good morning, Mama and Papa!”With a cheerful grin on his face, he skipped over to the bed clutching his beloved dinosaur stuffed animal. He then happily crawled in between his parents and snuggled up close, giggling with joy.“Good morning, silly boy. We told you to knock before opening the door.” Celene playfully wiggled her nose, causing their four-year-old son to burst into a fit of giggles. Meanwhile, Noah’s face fell into a pout as he once again failed to b
“MOM, DAD.” Celene's eyes brightened when her parents visited her in the hospital, “Is it fine for you to be here? You should be resting.”“I already told him that, but he refused to listen to me.” Isabelle shook her head, determined to stay strong. But as she looked into her daughter’s eyes, tears began welling up her eyes. Seeing her in person after watching the news last night gave her a sense of relief that she was still alive.“I’m sorry for worrying you.” Celene’s lips tightened as she regretted putting her parents through unnecessary worry. She could only imagine how they must have felt when they saw the news.According to Noah, there was a frenzy of media attention outside the hospital last night. Thankfully, her cousin Ash was able to handle the situation and released a brief statement confirming that Salvatore’s CEO and Noah De Laruente’s wife were safe and in recovery.“What are you saying? Don’t apologize.” With a sniffle, Isabelle reached out and carefully embraced her da
SHOUTS AND GUNSHOTS echoed through the abandoned building, causing confusion and panic among Agnes and her ex-husband’s men. Celene’s heart started pounding harder, wondering if this was finally the police coming to save her.However, the noises were quickly followed by a loud explosion that shook the entire building. Dust and debris rained down on them as Celene felt herself being pulled away by one of the men.“Time to leave,” Agnes’ ex-husband shouted over the chaos, causing the gunmen to cut the rope on Celene’s feet and drag her along with him as they made their way out of the room.“No!” She yelled, her adrenaline making her struggle despite the weakness in her body. But her cries were drowned out by the chaos around her.As they emerged from the building, Celene saw that it was surrounded by a group of heavily armed police officers, there were also people from the media. She couldn’t believe her luck—she had finally been rescued.But her relief was short-lived as Agnes’ ex-husb
THE NOISE and pounding headache woke Celene up; she winced, trying to open her eyes, only to find that she was held captive; she was sitting on a wooden chair, her feet and wrists were tightly bound with ropes, digging into her skin and making it difficult for her to move.As her vision slowly cleared, she took in her surroundings and realized she was inside a large, abandoned construction building. There were a few gunmen around, some of them were playing cards, and some were talking while smoking.None of them had realized that she was already awake, and she couldn’t help but look at her belly, scared that she might miscarry if these men were to harm her. But what worried her the most was Noah; he was bleeding heavily after their car was hit earlier. Not only that but Martin was shot too before she lost consciousness earlier.The thought that something might happen to her added to her concern. However, her mind was immediately snapped back to the present when one of the gunmen appro
“W-WHAT?” Celene stumbled over her words, her eyes widening in shock as she struggled to comprehend what her mother had just said. She then gazed down at her belly, the idea of a tiny human growing inside her filling her with overwhelming joy and anticipation.“Did the scent of food make you feel sick? It was just like that for me when I was pregnant with you. Even though my favorite dish was right in front of me, I couldn’t stomach the smell.” Isabelle explained, “But just to make sure, you and Noah should visit the hospital.”“Hospital? Why?” Noah asked when he suddenly appeared as the two women exited the bathroom. His face was filled with concern as he looked at Celene, who seemed lost in thought. “Are you not feeling well? Last night you felt dizzy and now...”Noah’s sentence was cut short as he noticed the signs his wife was displaying and remembered his mother-in-law’s question about Celene’s possible pregnancy.As everything clicked into place, his heart began to race with rea
“WHAT TO DO? Our enemy’s bigger than we thought.” Celene couldn’t help but let out a sigh, finding it hard to believe that Agnes’ ex-husband was involved with the syndicate. The thought alone brought on more stress for her.“The police can handle it; I’m sure they’ll be able to find that woman regardless of who’s behind her,” Noah tried to reassure her, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that even the police wouldn’t be able to find her. It had been weeks, and yet, there was still no trace of her.“Should we just trick her to show up? I have a feeling she’s been watching my every moveShe’s just waiting to strike since I always have Martin on my side.” Celene suggested, “What if I make myself a bait so we can—”“No,” Noah frowned as he closed the book he was reading and placed it on the nightstand, his eyes focused on Celene who was leaning against the headboard of their bed with a look of concern on her face. “Let the police handle her, let’s just give them more time.”“It’s been wee
“IT’S REALLY HER,” Celene’s eyes were fixed on the screen of Noah’s laptop, her attention fully captured. Despite Agnes wearing the cafe’s uniform and a cap, her face was still easily identifiable.The security camera footage captured her adding a few drops of liquid from a small vial into the coffee while the barista was distracted, talking to the manager. As soon as she finished, the barista returned his attention to his task and placed the lid on the cup, completely unaware that Agnes had tampered with it.“That fucking bitch.” Celene clenched her jaw in frustration. She couldn’t believe how effortlessly Agnes could do such wicked deeds as if it was child’s play. She let out a deep sigh and took her phone, trying to call someone. “I’m just going to make the call.”Noah gave a small nod and followed her with his eyes as she made her way to the balcony. His hands then clenched into fists when he kept his focus on the CCTV footage again. It was baffling how that woman knew about his r
CELENE put the finishing touches on the table, making sure everything was perfect for their date at home. Snacks, drinks, and a movie were all carefully arranged. All that was left was for Noah to come down after showering.After ensuring that everything was in order, she settled onto the couch. But before she could get comfortable, the doorbell rang, causing Celene to stand and make her way to the door. She then looked at the intercom screen and noticed it was Noah’s secretary requesting entry. With a quick hum, she opened the door to let him in.“Good afternoon, Ma’am Celene.” He greeted her, and she responded warmly before inviting him into the house.“Are you here to bring Noah’s phone?” she asked.“Yes, Ma’am... Also to give him the copy of the CCTV footage at the cafe yesterday.” Celene’s finger twitched a little, and the frustration she had felt yesterday came back to her.“I see, have a seat first. Would you like a drink? Perhaps some snacks?” she asked, but the secretary poli