Chapter 123

Jordyn didn’t notice the indifference in Celeste’s tone . She breathed out a sigh of relief upon hearing what Celeste had just said .
Ivan handed his gift to Betty , and Celeste followed afterward .
The first gift she gave Betty was an embroidery painting . “ Grandma had Trevor help prepare this painting for you .
Betty took the painting , unfolded it , and examined it for a while . It was exactly what she wanted . Smiling with satisfaction , she said , “ How considerate of her . ”
. Next , Celeste handed the emerald jewelry set to Betty . “ This is from Trevor . ”
The jewelry set was of exceptional quality .
Betty liked it a lot .
– However , since it was a gift from Trevor , she closed the box and put it away right after she took a glance at it . She
remarked in a neutral tone , “ It looks lovely . Pass along my thanks to him for me . ”
She never asked whether Trevor would come to celebrate her birthday .
She didn’t care enough to ask , nor did she want to .
Celeste knew Betty wasn’t fond of Trevor . She’d have definitely defended Trevor in the
But now , she no longer spoke up for him . She took out the gift she had
past .
ed for Betty and handed it to her .
It was just as Celeste had expected – among all the gifts Betty received , she loved the set of exquisite scholar’s writing set from Celeste the most .
Betty had it in her hand , admiring it nonstop . Immediately , she went to the study and wrote a piece of calligraphy .
Once the gifts were given , they all sat down for breakfast .
The breakfast was filled with warmth and laughter .
Betty , too , was all smiles , clearly delighted .
And yet …
Every so often , a fleeting loneliness could be seen in her eyes .
Celeste , Ivan , and the rest understood that today was , above all , a day for a family reunion .
But on an important day like this , there was one noticeable absence .
The thought made Celeste avert her gaze , her eyes growing misty .
However , to keep the atmosphere light , no one mentioned isabelle .
By mid – morning , the guests with closer ties to the Rodriguez family started to arrive .
They’d dine at a hotel they had reserved for dinner in the evening as well .
It was then that the birthday party would truly commence .
As Celeste was greeting the guests , Ivan’s son , Hector Rodriguez , noticed Jordyn sitting aside , looking bored . Hence , he tenderly rubbed her cheeks and asked , “ What are you doing , Jo ? You seem lost in thought . ”
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Upon hearing that , Celeste knew Jordyn was missing Wynn
Jordyn did obey Trevor’s words . She stayed in the Rodriguez residence and didn’t sneak away .
But her mind was clearly elsewhere .
Jordyn sent several texts to Wynn in a row today . However , Wynn seeined to be busy too because she barely texted her back .
In the afternoon , they all went to the hotel .
The guests were slowly arriving at around 6:00 pm .
Ivan accepted the gift and guided the guests to their seats . Hesitating for a moment , the guest said , “ Apologies , Mr. Rodriguez . I have a banquet to attend today . I’ll just have a glass of water , and I’ll leave . ”
Ivan and Celeste understood and didn’t insist , knowing the guest had other plans .
Initially , they thought it was just an exception .
But half an hour later , a lot of business partners handed over their gifts and then left . On top of that , several guests opted to have their secretaries bring the gifts instead of coming themselves .
Given the current situation , it seemed that the majority of the reserved tables would go unused tonight .
It was disappointing to see this . After all , it was such a joyous occasion with a well – prepared birthday feast . Betty would probably be upset once she found this out .
Ivan could understand if the guest had decided to leave early for personal reasons .
It was just that his expression would certainly be far from cheerful .
Seeing how everyone was rushing to another banquet , Ivan couldn’t help but turn to Robert Langley , who had a closer relationship with him , and asked , “ A lot of friends mentioned that they didn’t have time for food tonight , and they all said they’re going to another banquet . Mind if I ask , Mr. Langley , to which banquet you’re heading next ? ”
Those who didn’t stay or left after giving presents – could they be attending the same banquet as Robert ? What were the odds of such a coincidence if not for that ?
“ I’m heading to the Shaw Residence , ” Robert replied . Seconds later , he added , “ Oh , it’s the grandmother’s house of Mr. Fleming’s girlfriend . They’re not from Letville . Since they’re moving to the Baumond , they’ve purchased a house not long ago . Today’s the day of their housewarming party . ”
Upon hearing that , Celeste and Ivan’s expression darkened
They thought there wouldn’t be any other matters to deal with for a while once they had resolved the villa issue . They had never expected the Shaws to have something like this planned for them .
And they refused to believe that it was just a coincidence that the Shaws had their housewarming party today .
After all , Betty had known Wynn’s maternal grandmother for years , and they had celebrated countless birthdays together .
Thus , could the Shaws really forget the fact that today was Betty’s birthday ?
No , they must have remembered .
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They purposely held a housewarming party today , just because they remembered Betty’s birthday .
Robert was unaware of the grievances between the Rodriguezs , the Shaws , and the Lockets .
He could understand how Ivan felt , seeing the empty tables at such a meticulously planned birthday feast .
Lowering his voice , Robert uttered , “ There’s nothing I can do , really . The Shaws are backed by Mr. Fleming , and they’ve sent the invitation . We’re not familiar with the Shaws , but who would dare refuse Mr. Fleming ? I had no choice , Ivan … ”
If he skipped the Shaws ‘ housewarming party or just attended briefly without eating , they’d sure think he was snubbing them .
Besides , rumor had it that Trevor was going to marry Wynn soon .
Hence , it’d be like offending both Wynn and Trevor if they offended the Shaws .
And upsetting Trevor was something they couldn’t risk .
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Chapter 124
Chapter 124