Chapter 44

As Simone’s voice trailed off, Celeste stopped in her tracks. She turned to face Simone, glaring at her. “Who taught you to come up with a calculation like this?”

“I don’t care!” Simone immediately resorted to tricks. “I want you to pay me this much, or I’ll sue you!”

Celeste’s lips curled into a cold smile. “You haven’t even signed the contract. How are you even going to sue me?”

After hearing her words, Celeste began to understand. The property may have been a trap from the start. Simone never had any intention of renting it to her. Her calculations were sharp, though.

Just as Celeste was about to respond, a cold voice cut in. “Ms. Carroll, such big words. How exactly do you plan to deal with her?”

Everyone turned toward the voice. When they saw the man slowly walking toward them, they froze. Celeste’s back stiffened.

What was Adrian doing here? If their previous encounter at the orphanage had been a coincidence, then this time, it surely wasn’t. Adrian’s appearance not only unsettled Simone but also made Lucy, who had been watching from the side, nervous. His position in Longdale was unrivaled. No one knew better than she did how powerful he was. He was the last person they’d ever wanted to mess with. And clearly, he was standing on Celeste’s side.

“Mr. Wrenford, my friend was just joking with Ms. Morin. She’s a straightforward person, very simple-minded, and probably only tried to pressure her into signing by using this method. She never intended to actually do anything to Ms. Morin,” Lucy quickly explained, trying to smooth things over.

Celeste couldn’t help but want to roll her eyes at Lucy’s words, but managed to hold back.

Adrian sneered, his lips curling coldly as he looked at Simone. “If it was just a joke, then you can return the deposit.”

At his words, Celeste almost laughed out loud. After all, money did all the talking. It wasn’t just clever—it was ruthless.

Not only had he prevented her from paying, but how he was going to help her get the deposit back.

“Mr. Wrenford, you’re a businessman, so you know that without signing the contract, the deposit can’t be refunded. Although the amount isn’t much…” Simone’s words were cut off as Adrian spoke first.

“A little something is still something.”

Celeste couldn’t help but smile. Seeing the smile on Celeste’s face only made Simone angrier. But when her gaze met Adrian’s icy stare once more, she finally backed off.

“Fine,” she muttered, defeated. “Since Mr. Wrenford has intervened, I’ll return the thousand dollars.”

Celeste couldn’t believe it, but she really got the deposit back without any issues. The two of them walked side by side to the roadside, and she looked up at him. “Thank you, Mr. Wrenford, for helping me again this time.”

His voice was deep. “It was nothing.”

Celeste hesitated, then decided to ask the question that had been on her mind. “But how did you end up here?”

“I was just passing by. I saw that things were getting a little heated, so I came in to see what was going on.”

Celeste thought for a moment. “I see.”

He lowered his gaze and looked at her. “I heard you’re planning to open a clinic?”