Gideon had sent a voice message–along with a kissing–face emoji from the previous thread.
At first glance, it almost looked as if Gideon had sent it just to her.
Celestine startled herself with that thought.
She quickly dismissed it.
As if Gideon ever would.
She silently warned herself not to get carried away again, like she had six years
ago.
Absolutely not!
It had to be little Cynthia replying, and then Mr. Shield just happened to grab the phone afterward!
“Uncle, did Miss Angel text back yet? Let me see your phone!”
Cynthia tiptoed, arms outstretched, circling Gideon in a determined attempt to snatch his phone.
Gideon dodged her with ease, glancing at the screen with studied indiffe ce.
“She replied. She says you should go play somewhere else.”
“Uncle, you’re lying! There’s no way Miss Angel sent that!” Cynthia’s eyes widened in
protest.
Gideon chuckled. “And why are you so sure?”
Cynthia flashed a gap–toothed grin, triumphant. “I might be little, but I’m not an idiot! Miss Angel likes me, unlike you–no one likes a grumpy old man!”
Gideon: “?”
Gideon shot a cold look at Vernon, who was busying himself nearby.
“What kind of ridiculous shows have you been letting her watch?”
Vernon’s awkward laugh oozed with guilt. “If I say it’s ‘Tom and Jerry, would you believe me?”
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Cynthia immediately exposed him. “Vernon, you liar! It was ‘The CEO Falls for His Almost Middle–Aged Secretary!”
“Vernon, are you trying to get yourself fired?!”
“Boss, I’m sorry! I swear, I’ll never do it again!”
Celestine finished her grocery run and was nearly at her apartment building when, from a distance, she saw Cynthia–decked out in her signature purple–barreling toward her.
“Miss Angel!” Cynthia shouted, her excitement bubbling over.
Celestine set her bags down just in time to catch the little whirlwind. “Well, hello there, Cynthia.”
“Yes! It’s me! I knew I’d find you down here!” Cynthia buried her face in Celestine’s coat, her two pigtails bouncing with delight.
Celestine let the little girl cling to her, smiling. “Aren’t you clever. I picked up some chicken tonight–how about I make some chicken soup for you?”
“Yay! I get to eat Miss Angel’s cooking again!” Cynthia cheered.
Celestine couldn’t help but feel her spirits lift in response.
She took Cynthia’s small hand and they headed up toward the apartment, chatting about Cynthia’s day.
But as they reached the steps, a sharp, indignant voice called out behind them.
“Mom!”
Celia stormed over, backpack slung over her shoulder and a scowl on her face.
The moment Celestine turned, Celia’s little fists clenched even tighter.
“Mom, what are you doing here? And why are you holding her hand? You won’t come home and take care of me–is it because of her? Is she your secret child or something?” Celia fired off/her questions, one after another.
Celestine had been pleasantly surprised to see her daughter–at first.
But as the words left Celia’s mouth, Celestine’s expression grew cold.
“And what are you doing here?”
Celia’s mind went blank for a second, her barrage of questions drying up.
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Chapter 86
She bit her lip, staring at their intertwined hands, trying desperately to look unaffected.
So what if it was her mom? She didn’t care.
She had Miss Sinclair, after all!
Wait–her mom’s question. Did she think Celia was following her on purpose?
“Don’t flatter yourself, Mom!” Celia scoffed. “I’m not here to see you. Miss Sinclair lives here, so I moved in to stay with her!”
Celestine couldn’t help but smile at her daughter’s stubbornness.
Honestly, these people were like ghosts–no matter where she went, they were always there.
“Well then, you’d better hurry back to Miss Sinclair, before she starts to worry.”
“I don’t need you to tell me. I was just
