Chapter 221
The next day, Celestine slept straight through until noon.
After she woke up, she gave the entire apartment a thorough cleaning.
Later, she made plans to meet up with Crystal Lennox and Mirabelle at eight for dinner at Watersedge Grillhouse.
She’d been so busy lately that she hadn’t set foot in that little bistro for ages. The last time she was there, the owner had stormed out to defend her–she could still picture the scene in vivid detail.
A little after seven, the three of them arranged to meet outside the restaurant.
But as soon as they arrived, they found the doors shut tight and the “Closed” sign hanging in the window. The three women exchanged helpless glances.
Crystal grinned and joked, “Celly, I guess the universe is trying to save your wallet tonight.”
Celestine gave a sheepish laugh.
“It’s just dinner–why don’t we do something a little more exciting?” Mirabelle’s eyes flicked across the street to a lively bar.
She looked at the others, clearly hoping they’d agree. “What do you think? Are you up for it?”
“Sure, I’m good with anything,” Crystal said.
Celestine hesitated. “Do you think we’ll get followed by paparazzi?”
Ever since the Magnolia Awards, Mirabelle had been a regular in the tabloids. Even the smallest details of her daily life were splashed across headlines. They’d tried getting together a few times before, only to cancel at the last minute because of paparazzi lurking around every corner.
But this dinner was spécial–Celestine’s way of celebrating a new chapter–and Mirabelle had worked Denton hard before finally managing to sneak out tonight,
Mirabelle just shrugged, putting on her sunglasses and a face mask. “If trouble
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Chapter 221
comes, we’ll deal with it. As long as I don’t fall asleep on the table, I refuse to believe they’ll get anything juicy.”
Celestine snorted with laughter.
In the end, the three of them caved and headed into the bar, snagging a booth in the back corner.
The bar was dimly lit, but the music was low and mellow–a far cry from the rowdy scene Celestine had imagined.
They pored over the menu for a while, finally settling on a spread of five appetizers and a hearty soup.
“Oh, and let’s get an order of beef noodles–I’ve heard they’re amazing here,” Mirabelle said, unable to hide her excitement.
“Sounds good,” Celestine replied, adding a few more dishes to the list with a smile.
When the server came to take their order, she did a double take at the sheer
number of dishes.
The entire page was filled with food. The only thing they ordered to drink was soda. Catching the server’s puzzled look, the three of them stifled their laughter.
“Is this your first time in a bar? It’s mine,” Mirabelle said, her voice bubbling with
excitement.
Celestine’s smile faded a little.
This wasn’t her first time in a bar.
The first time, she’d gone looking for someone and ended up cornered in the restroom by a drunken creep. She’d been ready to call the police when, out of nowhere, Chester–who she’d only met once before–came to her rescue.
The creep got the beating of his life. Chester didn’t walk away unscathed, either.
To thank him, she’d made him homemade soup every day for a week.
But after that… everything changed.
The second time she set foot in a bar, she was looking for Chester. By then, they were already married.
She found him, covered in blood, pinning a man to the floor. The fury in his eyes was enough to make anyone flinch.
!!
Joanna was crouched in the corner, sobbing uncontrollably.
That time, Chester got into a fight for Joanna’s sake–and left the man in a coma. The Fordham family had to pay half a million dollars to make the whole thing disappear.
Later, she learned that this wasn’t the only time Chester had gone to such lengths for Joanna. In fact, it had been happening long before she ever met him at that bar. Maybe, that night, he’d only saved her because she reminded him of Joanna.
Celestine ordered herself a drink and downed it with a blank expression.
Mirabelle noticed and ordered one too. “Come on, I’ll drink with you!”
No sooner had she finished her glass than she declared she needed the restroom. Crystal went with her, leaving Celestine alone.
Celestine polished off the rest of her drink.
A voice spoke up beside her, low and sharp.
“You’re really in the mood to drink here, aren’t you?”
