CELENE sat still in front of the vanity, her eyes closed as the makeup artist worked on her face with precision. The soft brush strokes and gentle pats felt like a comforting balm on her nerves, soothing her jittery mind as she prepared for her wedding day.Her hair had been expertly styled in a stylish updo, adorned with delicate white flowers that matched the ones in her bouquet.As the makeup artist finished her final touches, she stepped back to admire her work. Celene then opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She couldn’t help but smile at the reflection staring back at her–a vision of sheer beauty and happiness.“Thank you,” Celene said, her voice laced with gratitude.“It was my pleasure,” the makeup artist smiled, “You can wear your wedding gown now.”With a nod, Celene rose gracefully from her seat and made her way towards the wedding dress hanging nearby.Meanwhile, Noah’s mind was consumed with thoughts of her as he anxiously paced back and forth i
“HOW IS IT?” Noah stood beside Celene as they arrived at their room. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”“Yeah, the view from here is breathtaking,” she replied, closing her eyes and relishing the feeling of fresh air filling her lungs.The room was built on the side of the hill, with a living room that opened to the outdoors and a private plunge pool right in front, overlooking the beach. The location was ideal for a honeymoon; not only was it breathtakingly beautiful, but it also offered a sense of romance and privacy.“We should take a quick rest before we go explore the beach,” Noah suggested before taking her hand and pulling her back inside the room where they slumped together in the spacious bed.A comfortable silence enveloped the room as both of them relaxed before looking at each other.“What’s wrong?” Celene asked as it seemed Noah had something he wanted to say. But he decided against telling her the news that Jarred had awoken from his coma. After all, she had no connection to him anym
“WAIT, slow down.” Celene’s voice echoed throughout the bathroom when Noah began kissing her hungrily as soon as he placed her down inside the shower stall. His kisses were intense and urgent, but she didn’t mind—yet, she wanted to savor every moment and go at a slower pace“You can’t possibly expect me to wait,” he mumbled against her lips. “I want you so much, Celene.”“I know, but let’s take a quick shower first then dry ourselves before continuing,” she chuckled, holding his face in her hands, their eyes locked together. “I’m not going anywhere, and we have the rest of the night for us.”“Right,” Noah let out a sigh and leaned his forehead against her shoulder, “Sorry, I totally lost myself for a minute there. Let’s take a warm shower.”Celene nodded in agreement, and they decided to shower together, taking turns washing each other’s hair and rubbing soap on each other’s bodies. However, her mind was preoccupied with something else.“Why is this not calming down?” she teased when
“I’M FULL.” Celene rubbed her stomach as soon as they left the restaurant where they had just finished lunch. She then looked at Noah when he took her hand and intertwined their fingers together as they walked. “Where are we going next?”“Let’s rest first, then we can do water activities later,” he answered, wanting their honeymoon to be filled with fun activities and memorable experiences. “But are you sure you’re fine? We quite did it a lot last night so...”Celene felt her cheeks grow warm as she recalled the intense and passionate night they had shared together. They had explored every inch of their room, trying out every position imaginable, and by the time the sun peeked over the horizon, they were both completely spent from the overwhelming pleasure they had given and received.“I-I’m fine,” she stammered shyly. Though her body was a little sore, it wasn’t a hindrance for her. Besides, they had rested enough since they woke up quite late.“Tell me if you’re hurting anywhere, ok
“WHAT’S WRONG?” Celene asked when she noticed the shocked and troubled expression on Noah’s face as soon as he ended the call. He let out a sigh and looked at her. As much as possible, he didn’t want to make her worry, but at the same time, she needed to know what was going on.“There’s an article about our marriage. It mentioned you being a divorcee and us having an affair before getting married,” he answered, causing Celene’s eyes to widen in shock and straighten her posture.“What? Who published it? And how did the news our wedding even leak when we made sure to keep it private?” She frowned, feeling uneasy. They had just gotten back from a fun and peaceful honeymoon, and yet this kind of problem had already arisen.“Someone might have been able to find out about it.” Noah let out a sigh, “I’ve already instructed my secretary to block all articles and phone calls regarding that issue, so don’t worry.”“I’ll make sure to find the source of these false accusations and take legal acti
AS CELENE walked through the lobby of De Laruente, she received the same stares she was used to at her company. However, for some reason, it made her uncomfortable this time. Maybe it was because these people weren't trying to hide their reactions, unlike the employees at SalvatoreNot only did they stare at her openly, but they also gossiped and whispered behind her back. She let out a sigh and ignored their prying eyes as she walked with confidence, proving she had nothing to be ashamed of. The rumors that were circulating about her from both companies were all false anyway.“Good afternoon, Mrs. De Laruente.” one of the employees greeted her, causing Celene to be caught off guard. Right, now that the news of their marriage had already spread, it was no surprise for people to greet her.“Good afternoon.” She greeted back with a warm smile and made her way to the elevator.Upon arriving at the CEO’s office, she was greeted by Noah’s secretary who promptly announced her arrival. She t
TIME FLEW BY and the false rumors about Celene and Noah’s alleged affair before their marriage were finally dispelled. Martha’s statement had a significant influence in restoring the couple’s reputation, and as a result, they were no longer subjected to any further falsehoods or gossip being spread about them.“Are you sure about going public?” Celene placed the cup of coffee on the center table and took a seat next to Noah, who was engrossed in reading some documents. However, as soon as he felt her by his side, he set aside his paperwork and focused his attention on his wife.“Yeah, I don’t plan on hiding my face from the media forever anyway,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her shoulder, “But, are you sure you won’t go to Paris with me?”“I’m sorry, as much as I wanted to be with you on your first public appearance, I have many other tasks that require my attention,” Celene said apologetically, leaning her head onto Noah’s chest.If only she weren’t busy, she would definitel
“NO,” Celene’s response was firm and unwavering. She could see the desperation in Martha’s eyes, but she couldn’t bring herself to give in. After everything that had happened between her and Jarred, she didn’t owe them anything.“If that was your sole purpose for coming here, then you can go now. I have no intention of seeing your son ever again.” She added as she straightened her posture and went back to her swivel chair, “I have a lot on my plate already, so if you dare to show up here again, I’ll make sure that you and your son will never be able to escape the mess you’ve gotten yourselves into.”Martha winced at the harshness in her voice, but she remained resolute. She had to keep fighting for her son, no matter how much his ex-wife still despised them. It was a difficult battle, but she couldn’t give up.Watching Jarred struggle lately was devastating for Martha as a mother. She blamed herself for the crumbling of their family; not only she hadn’t been a bad mother-in-law to Cel
“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