With Mom gone, Miss Sinclair could finally move in!
No one would be hovering over them anymore, or pestering the doctor about how much exercise they were getting.-
Mom always made a fuss over nothing. She insisted they keep up with their monthly exercise goals and would watch them like a hawk every time she visited.
“It’s just a shame,” Raymond muttered, “Mom said she’d help us build that spaceship the last time she was here. That thing’s impossible to put together.”
He sounded glum at the memory.
There were thousands of tiny pieces, but once it was finished, it would be a magnificent spaceship. He’d planned to give it to Miss Sinclair as a birthday gift.
But the puzzle was a nightmare–hard on the eyes and exhausting. He’d been waiting for Mom to help him with it.
Celia looked just as unhappy. “Before Mom left, she was supposed to finish sewing my doll’s clothes.”
Whenever Mom came over, she’d make new outfits for Celia’s dolls–Miss Sinclair always said her color choices were lovely.
But this time, Mom had left in such a hurry, and Celia’s dolls were still missing their new dresses.
If Miss Sinclair couldn’t see her handiwork, there’d be no compliments.
Mom wasn’t as refined as Miss Sinclair, but she was good at these kinds of tedious chores.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in Oceanview City.
Celestine returned to the apartment she and Chester had once shared as newlyweds..
After Chester moved back to Portside City with the kids, Celestine had stayed behind in Oceanview City.
It wasn’t just work that kept her there; mostly, she was looking after Chester’s parents.
Alistair, Chester’s grandpa, had lived in Portside City for years, but the rest of the Fordham family had moved to Oceanview City a decade ago.
Life in Portside City was suffocating–old money and old rules, with every detail of their lives under scrutiny.
Chester’s mother, Dahlia, never got along with Alistair, and she was far too used to luxury to consider moving back. In Oceanview City, everything was easier for her.
1/3
Chapter 4
The Fordham family had never liked women who were too ambitious or in the public eye.
So, for Chester’s sake, Celestine stayed behind, dutifully caring for his parents.
Her position at Fordham Group was little more than a formality–her name on the books, nothing more.
But now that she’d decided to divorce Chester, whatever happened with the Fordham family was no longer her concern.
Celestine packed up everything from the apartment. She was just about to hand the keys over to Chester’s housekeeper when he happened to catch her coming downstairs.
“Ma’am, you’re back,” he greeted her. “Lady Dahlia was saying she’d love to have that whitefish stew you made last time…”
But the housekeeper stopped short when he saw the suitcase in her hand.
Celestine held out the keys.
“I won’t be living here anymore,” she said, offering a small, polite smile. “As for the whitefish stew, maybe hire a professional chef for that.”
She paid no attention to his startled expression and walked away without looking back.
That night, Chester’s mother Dahlia didn’t get her whitefish stew.
Later that evening, Chester called Dahlia on a video chat.
She couldn’t help but complain, “Honestly, you should never have married a woman from Oceanview City. She can’t even make a simple whitefish stew.”
Chester was a little taken aback.
No matter what else happened, Celestine had always been polite and accommodating to his family.
But this time, she’d shown an unexpected streak of defiance.
“It’s just a dish,” Chester replied evenly. “If she can’t make it, let the cook handle it.”
Dahlia hesitated, embarrassed.
Truth was, she’d already tried several chefs, but none of them could make it the way Celestine did.
Still, she wouldn’t admit that to her son. She brushed it off with a vague wave.
Standing nearby, the housekeeper hesitated, wondering whether he should mention that Celestine had moved out.
“Mr. Fordham, about Mrs. Celestine…“–she’s left.
Before he could finish, Chester’s voice cut in, quiet and cold: “Celestine’s business is no concern of mine. Deal with it yourself.”
2/3
The housekeeper fell silent, the conversation ending just like that.
1408
