Just before Damon stepped out of his car, he called Celia one last time, desperate to know why she didn’t answer earlier. Maybe they had scared her. Maybe they told her not to pick up. This was his chance to find out what was going on, by calling her and watching the scene closely to see what they’d say or do to her. "If that's Damon calling, darling Celia," Tessa's voice sliced through the night air like a blade, "don't you dare answer that phone." Michael's smug smile widened with satisfaction. "Listen to her, Celia. You don't need that parasite. You were seconds away from making the smart choice, apologizing just like someone like you should.” "Yes, crawl on your knees and beg forgiveness," Tessa purred with venomous delight. "Michael will graciously cover your pathetic taxi fare, and I'll personally escort you to see Serena." Celia stood paralyzed, her pulse hammering a frantic rhythm against her throat. The phone’s shrill ringing pierced the silence. She was crumbling, rea

The silence in the luxury car was heavy as they drove away from the bitter scene at the Vance mansion.Celia stared out at the passing cars, but all she could see in her mind was Serena’s furious eyes, filled with hatred that broke the last ties to their childhood memories.“I am so incredibly sorry, Damon, for not listening to you earlier when you tried to warn me about them,” Celia whispered, her voice barely louder than the quiet hum of the engine. “You were right about everything. I was foolish to let my compassion for an old friendship cloud my judgment, and put you in that position.”“You have nothing to apologize for, Celia,” Damon said, his voice soft and reassuring as he glanced at her with genuine warmth. “Wanting to believe in the good in people isn’t a weakness. That kindness is who you are; the very thing I’ve been searching for my whole life. But you need to understand, not everyone deserves it.”A single tear slid down Celia’s cheek as she finally turned to face him,

“It’s been hours already, Officer, and I’m telling you, if you don’t arrest that Damon right now, you’re making a mistake you’ll regret for the rest of your life,” Lucas said, his voice sharp and steady as he leaned across the counter toward the senior officer.“We’ve reviewed the evidence, Mr. Sterling,” the officer replied calmly. “What we have clearly shows you were the one who initiated the damage to Mr. Damon’s car, and that you threatened him first.”“That’s ridiculous,” Lucas shot back, his jaw tightening. “You think I would go out of my way to hit someone else’s worthless car for no reason? This man assaulted me, broke my car, and you’re standing here acting like I’m the one in the wrong?”The officer didn’t flinch. “The security footage tells a very different story from what you’re claiming. We’ve seen it, and it matches Mr. Damon’s account completely.”Lucas scoffed, shaking his head. “You really expect me to believe a man like him has nothing to hide? Do you even know who I

Celia froze. The word Serena echoed in her ears. Her body felt stiff, and her eyes stayed on Liora, trying to process what she had just heard.“No…” Celia whispered, her voice weak. “That’s not true. Serena would never do that back then.”Liora looked up, her face full of regret. “It is true, Celia. She was the one who started everything. She made us hate you.”Celia shook her head, still refusing to accept it. “No. Serena was my best friend back then. She cared about me. She only changed recently. Back then, she stood by me. She would never betray me.”Liora’s voice trembled, but her words were firm. “She betrayed you from the beginning. She only acted like your friend. When your family lost everything, she was the first to spread it. She made sure everyone knew.”“That’s a lie,” Celia said sharply, but her voice cracked. “You’re just trying to push the blame away from yourself.”“It’s not a lie,” Liora insisted. “You think we all suddenly turned against you for no reason? No. She pl

The silence in Anthony Williams’s office was tense. Celia sat stiff in the chair, her mind kept replaying Liora's words over and over again, each repetition cutting deeper into her heart like a knife that refused to stop twisting in an already painful wound."She betrayed you from the beginning," Liora had said, and those words echoed endlessly in Celia's thoughts, making her question every single memory she had cherished about her friendship with Serena.Damon stood near the window, his tall frame casting a shadow across the polished marble floor, his eyes never leaving Celia's face as he watched her struggle with the devastating truth.He could see the pain written across her features, the way her shoulders had slumped with the weight of betrayal, and it made his chest tighten with a protective anger.Anthony sat behind his desk, his professional demeanor intact but his expression softer than usual as he watched the woman sitting across from him, clearly upset.He had known from the