"I'm not angry, Celia. Like I said, I'm done with her. Honestly, if I were really angry, I wouldn't have come with you to see her in the first place." "What she did doesn't matter to me anymore." Damon continued. "Vivienne spoke against me in court about something I didn’t do. She believed them and thought I was lying, and that sent me to prison. She was so certain of what she said against me that no matter how much I tried, she wouldn’t believe me—even though she was my best friend back then. Now she says it was all a mistake, but I can’t believe her either. I’m not angry with her. I just don’t want to forgive her." "I won't blame you if you're angry—honestly, you have every right to be after what she did. She betrayed your friendship," Celia said, giving Damon a soft smile that told him she wasn't judging him at all. Damon smiled back, feeling pleased by her words. She understood things clearly and didn't jump to conclusions, even when she hadn't heard the full story yet. He coul

"You don’t have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable. I’m sorry for asking—I didn’t mean to push," Celia said gently, noticing Damon’s reaction. She could see the way his expression shifted, the tension in his jaw. The question clearly unsettled him, and she instantly felt guilty for bringing it up.Damon stared into space for a moment, lost in thought. The word family brought back memories—how they had cast him out that night, without mercy, even though he was just a child."Damon, I’m really—" Celia began, thinking he was upset with her for asking too many questions. But before she could finish, Damon cut her off."I don’t have a family," he said flatly. "My mother is dead. Since then, I’ve had no one. I’m completely alone in this world—and honestly, that’s better."Celia gasped softly. He didn’t seem angry or even uncomfortable, but something about the way he spoke… it felt like he was hiding the pain, masking it so he wouldn’t look broken."I'm sorry… I didn’t know. I shouldn’

Lucas’s furious shouts echoed behind them. His threats and curses were drowned out by the city noise as Damon led Celia away from the wreck. "Damon, we can't just leave!" Celia whispered, her voice trembling as she glanced back at the enraged Sterling son. "He's… he's going to call someone. His family is one of the most powerful in the city. They'll come after you!" Damon stopped, turning to face her. His expression was calm, a stark contrast to the chaos around them. He gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek. "Are you worried about me, Celia?" "Of course I am!" she said, her voice rising with fear. "We should’ve just apologized — even if we weren’t wrong; just to avoid offending someone that powerful. But you provoked a Sterling! Do you even realize what that means?" "It means nothing," he said simply. His gaze dropped to her arm, to the small, bloody cut from the shattered glass. His calm demeanor vanished, replaced by a focused intensity. "We need to get that looke

Damon turned to Celia. "You’ve had enough excitement for one day," he said, his voice gentle. "You’re hurt, and you need to rest. I’m taking you home."“Home?” The word brought Celia crashing back to reality. “But the meeting! I can’t just not show up. What will he think?”“He’ll think that the woman he just helped get out of a false arrest was in a car crash and needs to rest,” Damon said, his voice firm but gentle.Seeing the worry still etched on her face, he sighed and pulled out his phone. “Alright. You won’t relax until you hear it from him yourself, will you?”He dialed and put the call on speaker. Anthony answered on the first ring.“Sir? Is everything resolved?”“It is, Anthony. Thank you,” Damon confirmed. “But Celia is worried about her meeting with you. She doesn’t want to be unprofessional.”“Miss Greene!” Anthony’s voice immediately filled with warmth and concern. “Please, do not give that another thought. After what you’ve been through, the last thing you should be worr

The taxi ride felt so quick, with all the city lights rushing past as a knot of anxiety tightened in Celia’s stomach. Tessa’s text message played over and over in her mind. I think she has something sharp! I can hear her crying! The thought of Serena, her once inseparable friend, being in so much pain that she might hurt herself, was unbearable. “We’re here, miss,” the driver said, pulling up to a tall, black iron gate. Behind it was a big house with a few lights on, its wide shape barely standing out in the dark. “Thank you, I…” Celia’s voice trailed off as she fumbled in her purse. Her fingers met nothing but the smooth lining of the small clutch bag. No wallet. No cash. No cards. In her panicked rush to leave, she’d grabbed her phone and keys and nothing else. Her blood ran cold. “Is there a problem?” the driver asked, his tone shifting from polite to impatient. “I am so, so sorry,” Celia began, her face flushing with heat. “I… I seem to have forgotten my wallet. I was in a te