Chapter 54

Damien seemed to be on the phone, looking down, unaware of what was happening. Adrian quickly turned around, carrying Celeste in his arms, and slammed the door shut behind him. The loud sound of the door closing startled Damien, who had just reached the top of the stairs. His hand, holding the phone, froze involuntarily.

“Damien, have you gotten home yet?” Lucy’s soft voice could be heard coming through the phone.

Damien glanced at the tightly shut door of Adrian’s room and then turned his gaze to the neighboring room. His expression darkened.

“I’ve arrived home. You should rest early. Goodnight…”

“Goodnight, Damien.” Lucy’s voice carried a hint of reluctance, but she still wished him goodnight.

When Damien opened the door to his room, it was empty. “Celeste? Celeste…” He called toward the bathroom, but no one responded.

Damien noticed a beer bottle on the balcony and frowned. After hesitating for a moment, he walked over to the balcony. He picked up the beer bottle, sniffed it, and realized that it had been recently opened. It seemed that Celeste had consumed some alcohol but was nowhere to be found. Damien wondered where she had gone. Questions swirled in his mind.

At that moment, he noticed the light was on in the neighboring balcony. He stepped closer and called out, “Uncle Adrian, are you asleep?”

Meanwhile, in the room next door, Adrian had just laid Celeste down on the bed when he heard Damien’s voice from the balcony. He swiftly walked out and saw Damien resting his hand on the railing, looking at him with a puzzled expression. “Uncle Adrian, have you seen Celeste? Where did she go?”

Adrian had already prepared his response. His tone calm, he said, “Dad’s condition seemed to be worsening, so she went upstairs to keep an eye on him.”

Damien pointed to the beer bottle behind him. “But she drank beer. She can’t handle alcohol well. She gets drunk after almost one drink. How can she take care of Grandpa? I should go check on her.”

“Don’t go up,” Adrian called out to stop him. “Dad’s just finally settled down. Celeste is probably already asleep in the spare room. She’s had a long day. Don’t disturb them.”

Damien paused for a moment but nodded slightly. “Alright. You should rest early, too, Uncle Adrian.”

Adrian gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. Seeing that Adrian still hadn’t moved, Damien went inside. It wasn’t until the light in the bedroom next door was turned off that Adrian returned to his room.

When he stepped into the room, he saw that Celeste had somehow rolled off the bed and onto the floor. Although it was summer, lying on the floor for an extended period wasn’t comfortable. He quickly walked over, intending to lift her back up. Just as he knelt, Celeste’s arms locked around his neck, pulling him toward her.

Off balance, Adrian fell onto her, his lips landing on hers. For a brief moment, a sharp, tingling sensation shot through his body. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at her face, which was now so close. She seemed to move her lips slightly, and suddenly, his breath grew heavy.

Adrian quickly pulled away from her, but Celeste remained still on the floor, soundly asleep. He quickly lifted her off the floor and covered her with a blanket. As he adjusted the blanket, his gaze fell once more on her lips. An unfamiliar thought entered his mind, one that he hadn’t expected to entertain. His brows furrowed slightly. He swiftly turned and walked into the bathroom, took a cold shower to cool himself down.

When he emerged, his phone suddenly rang.