Chapter 230
Celestine gave a crooked smile, tapping a finger to her temple. “People can do as they please, but someone is always watching.”
Carmen scowled, her brows knitting together. “What’s that supposed to mean? Don’t tell me you believe in that old superstitious nonsense.”
Celestine simply raised a hand and turned Carmen toward the entryway. Above the door, fixed in the corner, a security camera stared down at them. “Sorry, but the night it happened, I made sure to get copies of all the footage from the building manager. Would you like me to jog your memory?”
Always leave yourself a lifeline. That was the harshest lesson Celestine had learned from the Selwyn and Fordham families alike.
Carmen’s eyes widened in panic. “That’s impossible! That camera was broken for a month!”
“So you’re admitting it, then?” Celestine’s voice was calm.
Only now did Carmen realize she’d walked right into a trap.
The crowd gathered nearby–who had just been murmuring in support of Carmen–now glanced at her with suspicion.
Carmen gritted her teeth. “Celestine, ever heard of mercy? You should let things go when you can!”
“If you can turn your back on your own children, who knows what you’re capable
of?”
Celestine nodded. “Miss Carmen, your kindness is truly remarkable.”
Carmen gave a cold, bitter laugh. “Don’t try to butter me up.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You must have heard by now–your design sketches were stolen and auctioned off for half a million.”
Carmen practically jumped. “What did you say?! Who would dare steal my designs?”
It must have happened when she left Kismet Collective in such a rush–maybe she’d forgotten to take her sketches!
But Celestine stayed silent, letting the tension hang.
Carmen, growing frantic, spat out, “Damn it, just say it already, you little-!”
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14:33
“Why so anxious, Miss Carmen?” Celestine’s tone was almost playful. “Weren’t you the one preaching about letting things go?”
“Celestine, don’t push me! I’ll call the police!” Carmen lunged, reaching for Celestine’s collar.
But Chester caught her wrist first, his expression thunderous. “What do you think you’re doing? Want to shove her again?!”
Damn it. Why had Celestine never told him about any of this?
He remembered this fool of a woman–she’d once tried to corner him outside the Kismet Collective, begging for a housekeeping job. There was no way Celestine could handle all these underhanded tricks on her own.
Carmen shrank from Chester’s icy glare, her voice trembling. “No, Mr. Fordham, I—I didn’t mean anything by it. I just wanted to know who did it.”
Chester shook off her hand in disgust, moving to stand beside Celestine, a silent threat in his posture.
Numb with nerves, Carmen tried to feign innocence. “Miss Selwyn, could you at
least tell me who it was?”
Celestine let out a soft huff. “Oh, there’s no thief. I just made that up.”
“Celestine!”
She blinked, feigning surprise. “I just assumed someone as gracious as you wouldn’t care about something so trivial.”
Carmen shot her a murderous glare, wishing she could strangle her on the spot. But with Chester and half the neighborhood watching, she didn’t dare make a move.
The crowd had swelled, their whispers filling the air.
She’d come to humiliate Celestine, to wipe that smug look off her face–yet instead, she’d been played for a fool. Twice.
Forcing herself to stay calm, Carmen’s eyes turned cold. “Miss Selwyn, I tried to be the bigger person, but you just don’t know how to appreciate it. I’ve said my piece. As for those two kids, take care of them yourself.”
With that, Carmen straightened her shoulders and strode from the crowd, her heart pounding like a drum.
At the doorway, the standoff shifted. Now it was Chester facing Celestine.
14:23
His expression grew darker, voice tinged with frustration. “Why didn’t you tell me you were being harassed?”
“And if I did, would it have made any difference?” Celestine’s eyes were icy.
Ever since Joanna walked into their lives, her pleas–and even her very existence–had become irrelevant to Chester. Just like now: his questions were nothing but empty words.
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