2025-05-21 06:17:23
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Chapter 44
Celia looked straight at her mother, her voice steady despite the chaos around her. "Mom, I know exactly what you're doing."Mrs. Greene blinked, taken off guard. "What are you talking about?""You're trying to force me into a political marriage with Nathaniel," Celia said, her words cutting through the tension in the room. "This isn't about my happiness. This is about our family's money problems.""Celia, that's not true and you know it. If you married someone wealthy, of course, you'd be happier. I'm doing this to keep you from suffering anymore. Can't you see?""This will affect our entire family. We'll be left with nothing if you stay with this man.""So for your happiness—for all of our sakes—Nathaniel is the right choice. What you're saying isn't—""Yes, it is," Celia interrupted, her voice growing stronger. "You think that if I marry him, his family will help us out of debt. You want me to sacrifice my happiness just so you can save the business. This was never about my happine
Chapter 43
"Mom!" Celia's voice cracked with hurt. "Please stop. You don't even know him."Mrs. Greene's eyes burned with anger. "I know enough. I know he's not what this family needs right now."Celia felt tears building behind her eyes. Every time she thought things might change, her mother proved her wrong. The burden of family expectations pressed down on her shoulders, making it hard to breathe.Before she could respond, a calm voice spoke from inside the house."Martha, let them in. It's cold outside."Celia's father appeared behind her mother, his kind face a stark contrast to Mrs. Greene's hard expression. He looked tired, the lines around his eyes deeper than usual."Dad," Celia said, relief washing over her.Mr. Greene gave his daughter a small smile. "Come in, both of you."Mrs. Greene huffed but stepped aside, shooting daggers at Damon with her eyes.Celia led Damon into the small living room. Inside, a young man in an expensive suit sat stiffly on their worn couch. He stood up quick
Chapter 42
Celia stared at her phone, the screen now dark after her mother’s abrupt call ended. Her heart sank, a heavy weight settling in her chest. She stood frozen. Damon noticed the shift in her expression immediately, his brows knitting together with concern.“Celia, who was that?” he asked, his voice soft but steady.She hesitated, her fingers tightening around the phone. “It was… my mom,” she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. “She wants me to come home. Right now.”Damon tilted his head, studying her. “Is everything okay?”Celia shook her head, her lips pressing into a thin line. “No. Not really.” She paused, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.The crowd was still buzzing with chatter. Anthony had moved to a chair, while Santiago was trying to get his attention.Serena and Michael were out of earshot, sulking in their corner.“They… my parents… they’ve set up another blind date for me. Some rich guy. They think he’s going to fix all our problems.”Damon’s eyes
Chapter 41
Serena narrowed her eyes at Celia, suspicion burning in her gaze.Leaning closer to Michael, she spoke in a low, tense voice. "Something’s not right about her.""I'm starting to suspect her," she continued, her tone sharper now. "How is she suddenly getting all this attention? Out of nowhere, she's being handed everything."Serena hesitated for a second, then whispered, "I think she traded her body for it."She kept watching Celia, eyes filled with jealousy and bitterness. To her, Celia looked like someone who had no shame, someone using smiles and charm to get what she wanted. It made Serena’s blood boil, especially seeing Anthony talking to Celia with such respect. Meanwhile, Serena felt invisible, ignored, and judged by the people around her—including her so-called friends.Anthony hadn’t even looked in her direction. It was as if she didn’t exist. His only focus was on Damon and Celia, speaking to her with a tone that should’ve been reserved for her alone. That made Serena feel ev
Chapter 40
Santiago’s smile had completely faded now, replaced by nervous hesitation. His eyes darted between Damon and Celia, searching for any sign of approval—or worse, anger. “A painting of us?” Damon said, his voice low but clear. He didn’t sound angry, but there was something firm in his tone that made Santiago tense. “You thought this was a good idea?” Santiago swallowed hard. “I—I meant it as a gesture of respect. Something meaningful.” Damon exhaled sharply, shaking his head with a mix of worry and irritation.His eyes moved to Celia. She was still looking at the painting, her cheeks slightly pink.He could tell she was surprised, maybe even a little uncomfortable—though he wasn’t completely sure.The strong romantic meaning behind the painting could easily push Celia away—make her angry —just by how she might see or think about it. Santiago fell silent, trembling and unsure of what to say next. He was terrified—he hadn’t meant to offend Damon with the gift. He had thought they we
Chapter 39
That was what he had tried to say earlier—but Santiago’s fear and desperate apologies hadn’t let him finish.Now that he’d said it, Santiago and Albert both exhaled loudly. Their fear melted into relief, and smiles slowly crept onto their faces.They turned to Celia immediately."I apologize for how they disrespected you earlier, Miss Celia. I promise it won’t happen again. So please, accept my apology," Santiago said, and was about to bow again——But Celia stopped him."Oh no… No, it’s okay. I’m not even angry at you in the first place, since you weren’t the one who caused all this. So please, you don’t have to apologize to someone like me," she said, turning to Damon, her eyes silently begging him to forgive Santiago. Santiago smiled.But Damon didn’t like how Celia said 'someone like me'."Thank you, Miss Celia. You’re so generous," Santiago said.Serena finally blinked.She had thought she and Michael would be the ones getting all the respect tonight. But it was still unbelievabl
Chapter 38
The crowd remained just as confused as ever. They had been shocked enough when Albert suddenly changed and started showing Damon and Celia unexpected respect. But this—this was something else entirely. Santiago. The Santiago everyone feared. The one who never bowed to anyone. Now here he was, lowering himself in front of Damon and Celia. No one could have predicted this. No one could make sense of it. Not a single person. They just sat there, wide-eyed, frozen in disbelief. Serena still couldn’t process what was happening. Her mind was completely blank, frozen in shock. It didn’t make sense. None of it did. She sat there, motionless, completely lost.Celia looked just as shocked. First, it was Albert. But she had thought maybe that was because he realized his mistake—the one he made last night, trying to rape her. Maybe that was why he apologized and acted so respectfully.But Santiago?That was something else. Something shocking. Unbelievable. And yet, it was hap
Chapter 37
"What...? But you said it yourself—you'd throw me a party tonight since they ruined it yesterday. Why are you saying this now?" Serena asked, her voice trembling in shock. She hopes this is all just a mistake. Maybe she misheard him. Maybe Santiago didn’t mean it. Maybe he was only joking. But she's afraid—Santiago doesn't joke. But before she could say more, or the others could react, Santiago interrupted. "You've got it all wrong," he said, his voice cold. "This party isn't for you. It was arranged only because I thought you were Mr. Damon's friend—it was never meant to be for you personally." He looked at Serena with a cold gaze, and her eyes widened even more in disbelief. "And the reason for my delay, why I haven't been here earlier," Santiago added, "is because I’ve been preparing a gift for Mr. Damon and Miss Celia. And you— you're irrelevant to this party, you're nothing. Yet you still dare to disrespect them." Santiago said coldly, his voice laced with fury. Preparing a
Chapter 36
Serena's body jolted from the second slap, her head snapping slightly to the side. Her hair fell over her face, but she didn’t move. Her hands clenched at her sides, her eyes burning, her mouth trembling, not from fear, but from rage. “I was only defending my dignity,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “You all saw it. He ordered them to hit me just because I was telling the truth." She pointed at Damon and Celia. "It’s all a scam, get it? I’ve known them for years, especially Damon. I know him better than anyone. I know he’s useless." She glared at Celia, her tone dripping with contempt. "And Celia? She’s nothing but a cheap slut." Celia couldn’t take it anymore. Serena was talking down to them again, and it was just too much. She could see how desperate Serena was, twisting everything to make herself look good, to steal the attention back. Just as she opened her mouth, ready to say something, Damon’s hand tightened gently around hers.“I’ll handle it. Just relax.”Damon said ca
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