Chapter 21
She had already let go of the past and even gave him money. What more could he possibly want?
Celeste felt nothing but irritation.
The plane bound for Cresvia was slowly ascending.
She didn’t care if Lucian would follow her this time. She hadn’t even bothered to hide her itinerary. With his resources, he’d
find her sooner or later anyway.
But it didn’t matter anymore. No matter how many times he apologized, she would never look back.
As soon as she landed, Professor Edmund Smith was already waiting at arrivals–accompanied by a young man.
Even with his silver hair, the professor still exuded the elegance and poise of a true gentleman.
The young man next to him had sharp features and a naturally aloof expression. His deep–set dark eyes were unreadable,
almost mechanical in how devoid of emotion they were. He looked like a machine disguised in a human body.
As soon as Professor Smith spotted her, his face lit up. He gave her a warm hug and quickly took her suitcase from her,
passing it to the young man beside him.
“Celeste, my dear, it’s been so long. You’re just as lovely as I remember.”
“This is Damon Rivera–my final and most promising student. Brilliant, dedicated. He’ll be working on the project with us.”
Celeste nodded at Damon and extended her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Celeste Adams, a friend of Professor Smith’s.”
Damon gave her a quick handshake, then promptly withdrew and gave a cool nod.
Celeste didn’t take his indifference personally. In her experience, gifted minds often came with socially detached
temperaments. It was nothing new.
She and Professor Smith chatted while walking. Most of the conversation was led by the professor, who kept mentioning
Damon here and there.
Damon barely said a word–his responses brief and to the point.
Still, he followed closely behind, obediently dragging two suitcases without complaint, never more than a few steps away
from her.
Lucian witnessed the entire scene from afar, the image burning painfully into his eyes.
It felt like someone had reached into his chest and twisted his heart. A bitter ache bloomed, thick and suffocating.
How dare someone else appear by her side?
His fists clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palms. His teeth ground together at the sound of his own rage.
His eyes burned red with fury. Rage surged straight to his head, and before he could stop himself, he lunged at Damon.
With a heavy thud, his fist slammed into Damon’s face.
Almost instantly, a vivid red mark spread across Damon’s pale skin, already darkening into shades of purple and blue.
Celeste’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Lucian! What the hell are you doing?!”
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She immediately cupped Damon’s face in her hands, inspecting the injury with panic in her voice.
“Are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?”
Damon averted his eyes awkwardly, tongue pressing against his cheek to gauge the damage. The tips of his ears flushed
red.
“I’m fine.”
He muttered, gently pulling away from her touch.
And just when everyone thought he would brush it off, Damon turned and landed a punch straight into Lucian’s face.
“Consider it returned,” he said flatly.
A sharp pain pierced Lucian’s heart as he casually wiped the blood from the corner of his lips. His face darkened as he
grabbed Celeste’s wrist. “You’re coming with me.”
Celeste frowned deeply and shook off his hand with obvious irritation.
“Lucian, how long do you plan to keep doing this? We’re over. I’m not going with you. You already ruined my life once–do
you plan to destroy it all over again?”
Lucian actually let out a bitter laugh.
“Are you serious right now? So marrying me and then divorcing me counts as me ruining your life?”
“We were in love, Celeste! It was just a misunderstanding. Once that’s cleared up, we can go back. We can be happy again
-just like we used to be, remember?”
Smack!
Celeste didn’t hesitate. Her palm struck his cheek with a sharp crack, eyes burning with fury.
“No. Absolutely not. I’m not going to risk my life again because of some person–or some mistake.”
With that, she turned her back on him and returned to Damon and Professor Smith, her face filled with apology.
“I’m sorry you had to witness that. I didn’t handle things properly, and now you’ve both been dragged into this mess.”
Chapter 21
