Chapter 468

Carly scoffed. “I seem to recall Mr. McCormick is a married man. Isn’t Celine supposed to be dating Perry? So why is she suddenly targeting Mr. McCormick? How shameless.”
With that, she stepped forward. “Celine.”
Celine turned, her gaze landing on Adam and Carly.
She raised an eyebrow and greeted them, “Mr. Alvarez, Carly-what a surprise.”
“Celine, I’m sure you’d rather not be seen by us. Aren’t you worried we might expose your little secret?” Carly said, her tone laced with sarcasm.
It seemed she had no clue that Celine was the founder of Alpite Pharma. Noticing Carly’s disrespect, Owen immediately stepped in. “Ms. Carly, why are you being so rude?”
“Mr. McCormick, why are you defending her?” Carly shot back. “Does your wife know you’re out dining with Celine?”
“I”
Before Owen could respond, Celine raised a hand, signaling him to step back.
Owen took the hint and moved aside.
Celine’s eyes glinted with amusement. “Carly, you clearly have something to say. Why not just come out with it? Are you suggesting that I’m having an affair with Mr. McCormick?”
Carly smirked. “Well, we all know Alpite Pharma is the largest listed medical company in the country-well-known, influential, and with an impeccable reputation.
“As its director, Mr. McCormick must face a lot of temptation. Celine, I can see why you’d try to use your charms to get his attention.”
Owen shot her a look of disbelief, as if she were the biggest fool he had ever come across.
“But Mr. McCormick is a married man,” Carly continued. “Celine, do you have no shame? Isn’t Mr. Marshall enough for you? Why do you keep seducing taken men?”
Celine quickly realized Carly had misunderstood the situation, though it didn’t surprise her. With a sly smile, she replied, “Carly, you know what they say when someone’s rotten inside, they assume the whole world stinks.”
“You—!”
Before Carly could lash out further, Adam stepped in. “Enough!”
Carly turned to him with a pitiful expression. “Adam, you saw it yourself. Celine is completely shameless!”
Adam ignored her as his gaze remained locked on Celine. “So, you were having dinner with Mr. McCormick?”
Celine nodded. “That’s correct. Is there a problem with that? Since when is having dinner with him a crime?”
There was something about the way Celine and Owen stood together that made Adam feel uneasy, as if they were hiding something. “And what exactly were you two talking about?” he pressed. swnovel
Owen started to explain. “Mr. Alvarez, Ms. Celine and I—”
But Celine quickly cut him off. “Mr. Alvarez, Km known as ‘Dr. C’ in the medical field, and Mr. McCormick is the director of Alpite Pharma. We were simply discussing medical topics.” swnovel
Owen nodded in agreement. “That’s right. I’ve long respected Dr. C’s expertise, so
I invited her to dinner to exchange insights.”
Turning to Carly, he added, “I’d
advise you to stay calm, Ms. Carly. Your heart condition is worsening and if Dr. C refuses to treat you, no one else can. If I were you, I’d do whatever it takes to stay on her good side.” swnovel
His words hit Carly like a lightning bolt, draining the color from her face.
Celine watched her with a cold, detached gaze.
The Tate family had brought this upon themselves; they were never deserving of her sympathy.
Meanwhile, Carly realized that Celine would never willingly help her. The only way to get to her was through Adam.
She couldn’t afford to lose him—not now, and certainly not when she could use him to make Celine’s life a living nightmare.
A smug smile curled on Carly’s lips. “Adam, let’s not waste any more time here. We should go back.”
With that, she looped her arm through Adam’s and gloated, “Celine, here’s some good news. Tonight, I’ll be staying at Adam’s place.”