Chapter 99

Celeste couldn’t help but laugh bitterly as she watched Damien defend Lucy. The absurdity of it all was simply too much.

“Ms. Morin,” a soft, youthful voice interrupted her thoughts.

Celeste turned and saw Eloise rushing toward her, a bright smile lighting up her face. Celeste had no intention of engaging with Damien. Instead, she turned her full attention to Eloise, her eyes filled with nothing but affection.

The change in Celeste’s expression didn’t escape Damien’s notice. A flicker of displeasure appeared in his eyes. “So it seems this child can smile after all.”

Eloise glanced warily behind her and stepped back, as if to hide herself from Damien.

“Eloise, don’t be afraid. Let’s go.” Celeste shot a sharp look at Damien and quickly led the child toward the roadside.

Eloise unconsciously quickened her pace.

Damien watched, feeling both amused and frustrated. He wondered how much more terrified Eloise was of him compared to Adrian. After all, he believed Adrian was usually more indifferent than he was on a daily basis.

Celeste had initially planned to visit a second-hand car dealership that evening to check out some potential cars, but after everything that had happened that day, her desire to look at cars had vanished. She returned home early with Eloise and started preparing dinner instead.

Annie also finished work early that day. When she arrived home, Celeste had just finished cooking.

“I thought you wouldn’t be back yet. I didn’t expect you to be earlier than me,” Annie remarked, staring at the full table of dishes. She raised her brow slightly. “How have you already made dinner?”

“There’s a saying that when your heart is hurt, you should eat well. The stomach is the closest thing to the heart, and once it’s filled, your mood will improve,” Celeste replied earnestly, pulling out a chair to sit down.

“Today’s events really got to you, huh?” Annie’s gaze darkened as she sat down across from Celeste.

Celeste plated some food for Eloise before looking back at Annie. “It’s already over.”

“Are you just going to let it go? Aren’t you going to fight back?” Annie’s face was anxious. “This is all Lucy’s doing. There’s no need to investigate further. You can’t just let her bully you!”

“Fighting back is inevitable, but not right now.”

“So when are you planning to act?”

Celeste answered slowly, “When the time is right, I’ll make my move.”

“You’ve endured so much humiliation because of this woman three years ago. Now, she still won’t let you go. Can you really swallow this anger?” Annie’s grip on her fork tightened, her knuckles white.

“I may not be able to swallow it, but I have to. This time, it was Simone who made the move. Even if I investigate, I probably won’t find anything on Lucy. This woman is incredibly sly, and she’s probably already washed her hands of everything.”

Celeste raised her gaze, continuing, “Even if I do find something, what can I do with my current situation? I can’t just hold a knife to her throat, can I?”

Annie’s expression darkened further at her words.

“Even if I send someone to jail, Damien will probably get them out within an hour.” Celeste’s tone was light, but there was a mocking smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

When their eyes met, Annie saw something hidden deep within Celeste’s gaze, something hard to decipher. She asked, “So you’re just going to let this slide?”

“Naturally,” Celeste replied coolly, “I’ve already asked Damien’s assistant, Joshua, to have Zander personally write an apology letter. It’ll be posted at the door for everyone to see.” Annie raised an eyebrow, curious. “Is that really going to help?”

“It’s better than doing nothing. Having controversy is not necessarily a bad thing.”

Celeste picked up a piece of food and placed it on Annie’s plate.

Annie frowned. “How so?”

Celeste explained, “Controversy makes people want to prove things, and those who want to prove it will naturally come to the clinic.”

Annie said, “What you’ve said kind of makes sense.”