Chapter 119
“ Oh , it’s Mr. Fletcher . ”
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Seeing Oscar approach , Harvey and Wynn politely shook hands with him and exchanged pleasantries . “ Mr. Fletcher , are you here discussing business with Mr. Yoder ? ”
“ Yes , Mr. Yoder’s company has a few projects I’m quite interested in , so I came over to talk to him about them . ”
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Harvey paused when he noticed that Matthias and Celeste remained standing in place without coming over , but he didn’t think much of it .
Oscar , unaware of the underlying tensions , found Matthias reaction a bit odd . After all , as a businessman , even if Matthias didn’t know the Locket family personally , it wouldn’t hurt to go over and greet them, maybe even make a new connection .
While Wynn and Harvey chatted with Oscar , Erin greeted him briefly before walking toward Celeste and Matthias , accompanied by Lilian .
Matthias glanced at Celeste .
However , Celeste watched them approach but didn’t move
Erin spoke kindly , “ Cel , it’s been a long time . ”
Celeste said nothing .
Seeing her stubborn expression , Erin sighed . “ Cel , you-
Before she could finish , Lilian interrupted her coldly . “ Cel , no matter how many misunderstandings or grievances you have against me , that’s just between me , you , and your mother .
“ It has nothing to do with Harvey or your grandma . I hope you won’t push away those who truly care about you . ”
Lilian Shaw .
Celeste remembered how , before divorcing her mother , Harvey had once spoken of Lilian with deep affection . He had said that Lilian was just like her name – pristine and serene , proud yet elegant .
She was his unattainable dream ; his forever crush .
He had said that only after meeting Lilian did he understand what love truly was . That their feelings for each other were mutual ,
He had told her that although Lilian seemed indifferent , she was actually a wonderful person . He had urged her not to cause trouble like her mother and to acknowledge Lilian’s excellence .
Unlike most mistresses , Lilian had always treated her well . But her demeanor had always been cold and distant , as if she were far superior to her .
Years had passed , but Lilian was still as stunning and aloof as she had been in her memory .
So , when she spoke these words — not in the gentle , conciliatory tone of a stepmother trying to win favor , but in her usual detached manner – it almost sounded sincere . It made her words seem even more persuasive . After all , a woman as proud and distant as her wouldn’t stoop to making things difficult for a stepdaughter .
If there were conflicts , surely it was the stepdaughter who was being unreasonable .
Lilian claimed that the past issues between herself , her mother , and her father shouldn’t affect the love Harvey
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Chapter 119
and Erin had for her .
However , Celeste craved her father’s love and family affection . And that desire only grew stronger after her parents ‘ divorce .
Back then , Celeste had been just around nine years old . She had loved both of her parents and couldn’t bear to choose between them .
But deep down , she had sided with her mother . She felt sorry for her .
So , when her parents fought for custody , even though her mother had already suffered a mental breakdown , Celeste still refused to stay with Harvey and Erin . She had insisted on following her mother .
Even after choosing her mother , she had still held onto feelings for Harvey and Erin . But to avoid making her mother sad , she had hidden those feelings .
A year after the divorce , Erin had come to Baumond for some business and secretly had someone contact her , saying she wanted to see her .
It had been over a year since she last saw her grandmother . She had missed her , so she had snuck out to meet her , hiding it from Ivan and the others .
But what she didn’t know was that Erin had also brought Wynn along .
Erin had told her that she and Wynn were sisters and should get along well .
She didn’t want to .
But when she saw the disapproving look in Erin’s eyes and heard her say that she was still too much like her mother , too stubborn , too unforgiving – she felt upset and started to doubt herself .
Was she really just an ungracious child ?