Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Jordyn jumped out of bed in excitement . “ Really ? ”
“ Yes , really , ” Trevor replied .
“ Then why didn’t Wynn tell me just now ? ”
“ It was just finalized . She doesn’t know yet . ”
Jordyn was ecstatic . “ Dad , let’s keep this a secret from Wynn . We’ll surprise her when we go back to the country , okay ? ”
“ Alright . ”
“ You’re the best , Dad ! I love you so much ! ”
After hanging up , Jordyn was still overjoyed . She sang and danced on her bed .
After a while , she suddenly thought of Celeste . For the past few days , she had been in a great mood because Celeste hadn’t called her . In fact , to avoid talking to Celeste, she had deliberately left home early and even turned off her phone or kept it far away from her after school .
But after two days , she was worried that Celeste might get angry if she found out . So , she stopped doing that . To her surprise , Celeste hadn’t called at all in the days that followed .
At first , she thought Celeste had discovered that she was deliberately avoiding her calls . But then she remembered that based on past experiences , that wasn’t very likely. If Celeste knew she had done something wrong , she would immediately ask Jordyn to correct her wrongdoing instead of sulking and not calling .
After all , she was the most important person to Celeste . Jordyn knew that Celeste loved her the most , so she didn’t think that Celeste would purposely refrain from calling her simply because she was upset .
As Jordyn thought about this , she suddenly missed Celeste . It was the first time in days she had thought about Celeste , and she couldn’t resist dialing Celeste’s number .
But just as the call connected , she remembered that while she would get to see Wynn after returning to the country , Celeste would undoubtedly try every possible way to prevent her from meeting Wynn . She wouldn’t be able to see Wynn whenever she wanted like she could now .
This thought dampened Jordyn’s mood .
It was midnight in Celeste’s time zone . She was already asleep when she was woken by the call . Upon seeing Jordyn’s name on the screen , she was about to answer when the call abruptly disconnected .
Although Celeste had written in her divorce agreement that she would relinquish custody of Jordyn , she still felt a sense of responsibility as her mother . Worried that something might have happened , Celeste immediately called
back
When Jordyn saw the incoming call , she turned her head away and refused to answer .
Celeste became more concerned and quickly called the land ne at the villa .
Hannah answered promptly . After hearing Celeste’s concerns , she reassured her , “ Ms. Fleming should be fine . She went to bed late last night and woke up late today . When I checked earlier , she was still asleep . I’ll go upstairs to take a look and call you back . ”
Feeling relieved , Celeste replied , “ Thank you . ”
Chapter 4
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When Hannah went upstairs , Jordyn was already in the bathroom brushing her teeth .
After Hannah relayed Celeste being worried about her , Jordyn lowered her head and lied , “ I accidentally hit the call button . ”
Hannah believed her and didn’t doubt what she said . Seeing that Jordyn was still brushing her teeth , she went back downstairs to update Celeste that Jordyn was fine .
Jordyn watched as Hannah left . She huffed and finally felt a bit better .
After hearing Hannah’s reassurance , Celeste felt relieved top . Still , having been abruptly woken , she struggled to fall back asleep . She wasn’t in great shape the next morning at work .
The envelope containing the divorce agreement was completely forgotten by Trevor after the phone call with Wynn
On the day they returned to the country , Trevor packed the last document into his briefcase and ensured that nothing was left behind before heading downstairs .
“ All set . Let’s go . ”
The Lincoln stretch limousine departed from the villa and headed to the airport .
Celeste had no idea that Trevor and Jordyn had returned to the country . No one had told her .
Half a month had passed since she moved out of the villa . During that time , she had gradually grown used to and even fond of the peace and leisure of living alone .
It was the weekend , and she woke up late . After freshening up , she opened the curtains to a sunny day . She stretched lazily , watered her plants , and was about to make herself a simple breakfast when the doorbell rang .
It was her neighbor , Tilda Emery , who lived across from her .
“ Ms. Rodriguez , I hope I’m not intruding , ” Tilda said apologetically .
Celeste replied warmly , “ Not at all , I was already up . ”
Η
“ That’s good , ” Tilda said enthusiastically . These buns and pastries are fresh out of the oven . I just made them this morning , and I brought some over for you to try . ”
“ Thank you . It’s so kind of you to do this , Mrs. Golden , ” Celeste said ,
“ It’s the least we could do . If it weren’t for you saving Sylvia from that rabid dog the other day , who knows how badly burt she might have been ? My husband and I have been wanting to thank you properly for saving our girl , but work has kept us busy . We felt so bad about it . ”
“ It was nothing , Mrs. Golden . Don’t mention it . ”
After a few more pleasantries , Tilda left .
Back inside , Celeste ate breakfast while studying the algorithm of an Al she had been researching
Later that day , a news notification about Trellis College’s centennial celebration popped up on her phone . Celeste paused to check the date and realized that it was indeed Trellis College’s 100th – year anniversary .
She browsed the news online and saw several trending hashtags about the event . The celebration was receiving high attention , not only because Trellis College was the top educational institute in the country but also because this was its first centennial celebration .
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Chapter 4
Many distinguished alumni had been invited back to the alma mater for the event . Those honorary alumni were highly regarded figures in various fields .
Celeste stared at the screen for a while . When she saw several familiar faces in the photos , her hand trembled slightly . Memories of her time at college flooded her mind . Her heart became unsettled .
If she hadn’t gotten married right after graduating with her bachelor’s degree , she might have been among those honored alumni invited back for this event .
Celeste closed her laptop and hesitated briefly before driving to Trellis College .
It was already late in the evening when she arrived . Many of the high – profile attendees had already left , but the campus was still bustling .
Celeste wandered aimlessly and eventually found herself near the familiar lab building .
A familiar voice called out to her . “ Cel ? ”
20 minutes later , at a cafe outside Trellis College , Matthias Yoder poured her a cup of coffee .
“ How have you been lately ? ” he asked .
Holding the cup , Celeste smiled faintly with her gaze lowered . “ I’m doing well . It’s just that … I’m currently preparing for a divorce . ”
Matthias hadn’t expected such a response . He paused for a while before saying , “ I’m sorry to hear that . ” “ It’s alright . ”
“ What’s next ? Are you planning to return to the company ?
“ I am , but … ”
Matthias couldn’t understand why she was hesitating . He said earnestly . “ Cel , the company needs you . You’re a part of it , so I hope you’ll come back to take charge . ”
“ But L … I … ” Celeste felt conflicted when she saw his serious expression .
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to return . The Al field had advanced rapidly, and she had been out of the industry for six years . Even if she went back now , she feared she wouldn’t be able to keep up with the times , let alone lead the company and be at the forefront of the industry as she once had .
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Chapter 5