《The Breaking Point of Love》 The Scent of 1 Cloudsearcher When Celeste Rodriguez arrived at the airport in Andostan, It was already past 9:00 pm. It was her birthday that day. Therefore, she received a bunch of birthday wishes from her colleagues and friends when she turned on her phone.. However, there was no message from her husband, Trevor Fleming, at all. Celeste¡¯s smile faded. By the time she reached the vi, it was already past 10:00 pm. Hannah Lynd, the housekeeper, was startled when she saw her. ¡°Oh, Mrs. Fleming¡­ Why have youe here?¡± ¡°Where are Trevor and Jo?¡± Celeste asked. ¡°Mr. Fleming hasn¡¯t returned yet, and Ms. Fleming is in her room, ying,¡± Hannah replied. Celeste handed her luggage to Hannah. When she went upstairs, she found Jordyn wearing a pair of pajamas and sitting at her table, fiddling with something. She was so focused that she didn¡¯t even notice anyone entering the FOOD. ¡°Jo?¡± Celeste called out. Jordyn turned her head when she heard her. In a happy tone, she greeted, ¡°Mom!¡± Then, she turned back to her task. Celeste walked over and pulled Jordyn into her arms. She had just given Jordyn a kiss on the cheek before the little one pushed her away. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m busy right now.¡± It had been two months since Celestest saw Jordyn. She missed her so much that no amount of kisses felt enough. She wanted to talk to Jordyn. But upon seeing how focused Jordyn was, Celeste felt like she shouldn¡¯t disrupt her enthusiasm. ¡°Jo, are you making a seashell ne?¡± ¡°Mm¨Chm!¡± When Celeste asked about that, Jordyn perked up visibly. ¡°Wynn¡¯s birthday is in a week. This is the birthday gift Dad and I are preparing for her. We carefully polished these shells with tools. Aren¡¯t they pretty?¡± Celeste¡¯s throat tightened. Before she could say anything, she heard Jordyn, with her back still turned, happily say, ¡°Dad even had a customized gift prepared for Wynn. Tomorrow-¡± Celeste felt a pang in her chest and couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. ¡°Jo¡­ Do you remember it¡¯s my birthday today?¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± Jordyn nced up at her, then quickly looked back down at the string of beads in her hands. Sheined, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t talk to me. You¡¯re messing up the bead order-¡± Celeste released her hold on Jordyn and said nothing more she stood there for a long time, but Jordyn didn¡¯t look up at her even once. Finally, Celeste pursed her lips and left the room without a word. When Hannah saw her, she said, ¡°I just called Mr. Fleming. He said he has something to do tonight and told you to best first.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Celeste acknowledged her words softly As she thought about what Jordyn had just said, she paused for a bit and called Trevor, It took a long while before he answered, his tone was indifferent as usual. ¡°I¡¯m busy. Let¡¯s talk tomorrow ¡°Trevor, who¡¯s calling you so ?¡± It was Wynn¡¯s voice. Celeste tightened her grip on her phone. ¡°It¡¯s nothing important,¡± Trevor responded to Wynn¡¯s question. Before Celeste could say anything, Trevor had already hung up. The two of them hadn¡¯t seen each other in two or three months, and she had finally made it to Andostan. Not only did he not rush home to see her, but he also didn¡¯t even have the patience to finish one phone call with her. After so many years of marriage, he had always been like this¨Ccold, distant, and impatient. Celeste had gotten used to it. In the past, she would have called him again. Then, she would patiently ask where he was and whether he coulde home. Perhaps she was too tired tonight. So, she suddenly didn¡¯t feel like doing so, The next morning, Celeste thought it over and decided to call Trevor again. There was a time difference of about 17 or 18 hours between Andostan and their home country. In Andostan, today was her actual birthday. She didn¡¯te to Andostan just to see Jordyn and Trevor. She hoped their family of three could spend this special day together by having a meal. This was her birthday wish for the year. Yet, Trevor didn¡¯t answer her call. A long timeter, he sent a message: ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Celeste wrote: ¡°Do you have time at noon? Let¡¯s bring Jo along and have lunch together as a family.¡± Trevor replied: ¡°Okay. Let me know the address when it¡¯s decided.¡± Celeste texted back: ¡°Alright.¡± After that, there was no further message from him. He hadn¡¯t remembered it was her birthday at all. Although Celeste was mentally prepared, she couldn¡¯t help feeling a pang of disappointment. She was about to head downstairs after washing up when she overheard Jordyn and Hannah talking. ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy that Mrs. Fleming is here, Ms. Fleming Hannah asked. Jordyn said, ¡°Dad and I already promised to take Wynn to the beach tomorrow. If Momes along, it¡¯ll be so awkward. And Mom is so mean. She¡¯s always unkind to Wyn-¡± ¡°Ms. Fleming, Mrs. Fleming is your mother. You shouldn¡¯t gay such things. You¡¯ll hurt her feelings, you know?¡± ¡°I know, but Dad and I like Wynn more. Can¡¯t Wynn be my mom instead?¡± Hannah didn¡¯t know what to say to that. Whatever she said afterward, Celeste couldn¡¯t hear it anymore. +26 BONUS She had raised Jordyn herself. But over the past two years, the more time Jordyn spent with Trevor, the more attached she became to him. When Trevor came to Andostan to expand his businessst year, Jordyn had insisted oning along. Celeste was reluctant and had hoped lordyn would stay by her side. But she couldn¡¯t bear to see Jordyn upset, she agreed. She hadn¡¯t expected this Celeste stood frozen in ce, her face pale. She was unable to move for a long time. To think that she had pushed aside her work toe to Andostan with the intention of spending more time with Jordyn Now, it seemed unnecessary. She returned to her room. Then, she repacked the gifts she had brought from home and put them back into her suitcase Later, Hannah called to say she had taken fordyn out to y and to contact her if anything came up. Celeste sat on the bed, feeling hollow and lost inside. She had abandoned her work and made this trip, only to find. no one wanted her here. 1 Her arrival was nothing but a joke. After a long while, she left the vi. Aimlessly, she wandered through this foreign yet familiar country. By noon, she remembered she had nned to have lunch with Trevor and Jordyn. As she recalled what she had overheard in the morning, she hesitated about whether to go home and pick up Jordyn Then, she suddenly received a message from Trevor that read: ¡°Something came up at noon. Lunch is canceled.¡± Celeste stared at the message, unsurprised. She was used to this. In Trevor¡¯s world, work, friends, and everything else were more important than her, his wife. ns made with her were always canceled at his whim without consideration for her feelings. Was she disappointed? Perhaps she would have been in the past. Now, she just felt numb and couldn¡¯t feel anything anymore. Celeste was at an utter loss. She hade all this way excitedly only to be met with indifference from both Trevor and Jordyn. Before she realized it, she had driven to a restaurant she and Trevor used to frequent, Just as she was about to go in, she saw Trevor, Wynn, and Jordyn sitting together inside. Wynn sat close to Jordyn on the same side. She chatted with Trevor while interacting with Jordyn yfully. Jordyn, with her legs swinging around happily, yed with Wynn and even leaned in to eat the pastries Wynn had taken a bite out of Trevor smiled as he served food to both of them. His gaze never left Wynn as if she were the only one he could see in his eyes. So, this was what Trevor meant when he said that something hade up. This was the daughter she had carried in her womb for ten months and nearly lost her life to bring into this world. Chapter Celesteughed humorlessly. She stood there watching for long time. Finally, she turned away and left. Back at the vi, Celeste prepared a divorce agreement. Trevor had been her teenage dream, but he had never truly seen or paid attention to her. If not for that idental night and the pressure from his grandfather, Arnold Fleming, Trevor wouldn¡¯t have married her. In the past, she had naively believed that if she worked hard enough, he would eventually acknowledge and see her. Unfortunately, the reality was harsh and dealt a cruel blow to her. Almost seven years had passed, so it was time to wake up. After cing the divorce agreement in an envelope and instructing Hannah to hand it to Trevor, Celeste dragged her suitcase to the car and said to the driver, ¡°To the airport¡± The Scent of 2 At around 9:00 pm, Trevor and Jordyn returned home. Jordyn clung to the hem of Trevor¡¯s coat and got out of the car sluggishly. Because Celeste was at home, she was reluctant to return that night. But Wynn had said that Celeste came specifically to be withher and Trevor, and if they didn¡¯t return, she would be sad. Trevor also said that if they didn¡¯t go home that night, Celeste would definitely insist on joining them on their outing to the sea the next day. Reluctantly, Jordyn agreed toe home. Still worried, she muttered gloomily, ¡°Dad, what if Mom insists on tagging along with us tomorrow?¡± ¡°She won¡¯t,¡± Trevor replied confidently. In all the years they¡¯d been married, Celeste had always tried to find ways to spend more time with him. But she was also sensible. As long as he made his stance clear, she wouldn¡¯t dare make him upset. In Jordyn¡¯s memory, Celeste always listened to Trevor. Since he said she wouldn¡¯t, she felt reassured. As a result, her mood lifted. She made her way into the vi cheerfully and told Hannah she wanted to take a bath. ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Hannah replied to Jordyn. Then, she remembered Celeste¡¯s instructions and handed an envelope to Trevor. ¡°Mr. Fleming, this is from Mrs. Fleming. She asked me to give it to you.¡± Trevor took the envelope and asked casually, ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°Mrs. Fleming packed up and went back to the country this afternoon Didn¡¯t you know?¡± Hannah responded. Trevor paused mid¨Cstep as he was heading upstairs. He turned back, feeling a little surprised. ¡°Has she gone back? ¡°Yes¡± Why had Celeste suddenly to Andostan? Trevor hadn¡¯t given her a chance to tell him about it. He hadn¡¯t cared to ask either. Upon learning she¡¯d left, he didn¡¯t dwell on it. Jordyn was a little surprised too. When she heard the news, she felt a small twinge of disappointment. She¡¯d been thinking that even if Celeste didn¡¯t join them for the outing tomorrow, it might be nice to have her around at home in the evening Polishing the seashells made her hands hurt¨Cshe had been counting on Celeste¡¯s help in finishing the ne. Though it had been months since Trevor and Celeste had seen each other, she had made the effort to visit but only to leave without seeing him in person. Hannah recalled Celeste¡¯s grim expression as she left and thought that things felt a little off. She couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Mr. Fleming, Mrs. Fleming looked upset when she left. She seemed angry.¡± Hannah had assumed Celeste¡¯s sudden departure was due to an urgent matter. Upon realizing Trevor hadn¡¯t known she¡¯d left, she began to feel something was amiss. ¡°Angry? Trevor repeated in his mind. In his presence, Celeste had always been patient and amodating. So, she could get angry too? This was new. Trevor smiled faintly and responded to Hannah perfunctorily before heading upstairs Back in the bedroom, he was about to open the envelope Celeste had left when Wynn called. After answering the call, he tossed the envelope aside and walked out the door. A short whileter, the envelope slipped off the bed onto the floor. That night, Trevor didn¡¯t return home. The next day, Hannah noticed the envelope on the floor when she was cleaning. Recognizing it as the one Celeste had asked her to hand over, she assumed Trever had already seen it and ced it in a nearby drawer. Right after getting off the ne, Celeste went horne and began packing her belongings. She had umted quite a few things in the house since she¡¯d been living there for six years, after all. But she only took a few sets of clothes, two sets of daily necessities, and some books that were rted to her field of study back in college. After their marriage, Trevor had been depositing money fogher and Jordyn into two separate ounts every month. One ount was hers, and the other was Jordyn¡¯s. However, Celeste was used to spending her own money only. She had never touched the money in Jordyn¡¯s ount. Because she loved Trevor, whenever she went shopping and saw clothes, shoes, cufflinks, or ties that suited him, she couldn¡¯t help but buy them. In contrast, she didn¡¯t have many expenses on a daily basis because all she did was go to work. Her heart and mind were always focused on Trevor and Jordyn. She wanted to give them the best of everything. Most of the money Trevor deposited into her bank ount was spent on him and Jordyn. Given this spending pattern, there shouldn¡¯t have been much money left in Celeste¡¯s ount. But over the past year, her opportunities to buy things for Trevor and Jordyn had decreased significantly because they were in Andostan Now, there were over three million dors in her ount. That amount might not matter to Trevor, but to her, it was no small sum. And since it was her money, Celeste didn¡¯t hesitate to transfer it out. She left both cards behind, dragged her suitcase out the door, and didn¡¯t look back. Celeste had an apartment near her workce, which was a little over 1,100 square feet. She¡¯d bought it four years ago to support a friend who had been struggling to meet their sales targets. She had never lived there before. Now, the apartment came in handy. She had it cleaned regrly, so it wasn¡¯t dirty. After a quick tidy¨Cup, it was ready to move in. After a long day, Celeste washed up and went to bed around 50:00 pm. The shrill sound of an rm jolted Celeste awake. Startled, her mind went nk for a moment. When she came to her senses, she realized that while it was 1:00 am here, it was 7:00 am in Andostan, where Trevor and Jordyn were. This was their usual breakfast time. Ever since Jordyn had gone to live with Trevor in Andostan Celeste had developed the habit of calling her at this time every day. As she was always exhausted from work and was used to going to bed early, she had set this rm to ensure she wouldn¡¯t miss the call. At first, Jordyn hadn¡¯t adapted well to living in Andostan and had missed her terribly. She had called Celeste constantly. But as thine went on, the calls that used to be full of yearning and dependence had grown perfunctory and impatient. The rm was no longer necessary. She just hadn¡¯t been able to let go. Smiling bitterly, Celeste deleted the rm and turned off her phone before going back to sleep. T +35 BONUS Meanwhile, Trevor and Jordyn were nearly done with breakfast. Though he knew Celeste usually called Jordyn at this time, he wasn¡¯t always home and hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the routine. He noticed that Celeste hadn¡¯t called that day. The fact regiered in his mind, but he didn¡¯t care. After finishing breakfast, he went upstairs to change. Jordyn, finding Celeste increasingly annoying, had grown les fond of their calls. Upon realizing that Celeste hadn¡¯t called yet, she figured something must havee up She grabbed her backpack and bolted for the door. Hannah hurried after her. ¡°Ms. Fleming, it¡¯s still early. There¡¯s no rush]¡± Jordyn ignored her and ran to the car happily. She was thrilled that Celeste hadn¡¯t called on time that day. If she stayed home, she might still have to talk to Celesteter. Well, she didn¡¯t want that! After getting married to Trevor, Celeste had joined Fleming Group for his sake. Now that she was nning divorce him, she saw no reason to stay. The next morning, Celeste handed her resignation letter to Zeke Jackson after arriving at the office. 10 Chanter 3 The Scent of 3 Zeke was one of Trevor¡¯s personal secretaries. When he saw Celeste¡¯s resignation letter, he was extremely surprised. He was one of the few in thepany who knew about the rtionship between Celeste and Trevor. Anyone familiar with Trevor knew that he didn¡¯t love Celeste. So, he had been cold to her and rarely went home after their marriage. To get closer to and win over Trevor, Celeste had chosen to work at Fleming Group Her initial goal was to be his personal secretary, but Trevor refused vehemently. Even when Arnold stepped in, he couldn¡¯t get Trevor to agree. In the end, Celeste had to settle for a position in the secretarial team, bing one of Trevor¡¯s many ordinary secretaries. At first, Zeke had worried that Celeste¡¯s presence in the secretarial team would create chaos. But to his surprise, she didn¡¯t bring them any trouble. Although Celeste used her position to get closer to Trevor, she was mindful of her timing and never overstepped her boundaries. On the contrary, she worked diligently and performed exceptionally well, hoping to gain Trevor¡¯s respect. Whether during her pregnancy, childbirth, or any other time, she strictly adhered topany policies and never sought special treatment. Over the years, Celeste rose to be the head of the secretarial team. Zeke had observed her feelings for Trevor from the sidelines all the while. To be honest, he had never imagined she would resign one day. He felt skeptical about her willingly giving up her position. Something must have happened between Celeste and Trevor for her to resign now. Zeke understood that this was something he wasn¡¯t privy to¨Cit must be something significant enough for Trevor to have ordered her to resign.. While he found it a pity, Zeke maintained a professional tone. ¡°I acknowledge that I¡¯ve received your resignation letter. I¡¯ll arrange for someone to take over your duties as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Celeste nodded and returned to her workstation After working for a while, Zeke started an online meeting with Trevor to report onpany matters. As the conversation neared its end, he suddenly remembered Celeste¡¯s resignation. ¡°Oh, Mr. Fleming, there¡¯s one more thing-¡± Although Zeke had told Celeste he would quickly arrange for someone to take over her position, he wanted to gauge Trevor¡¯s thoughts on the matter first. If Trevor wanted Celeste out immediately, he would make the arrangements right away. But as the words left his mouth, he remembered that when Celeste first joined thepany, Trevor had explicitly stated that all matters regarding her employment should be handled perpany regtions. He made it clear that there was no need to report anything to him since he wouldn¡¯t concern himself with her. And indeed, over the years, Trevor had never actively inquired about Celeste¡¯s work at thepany. Even when he encountered her at work, he treated her like she was aplete stranger. When Celeste was set to be promoted a couple of years ago, the team had hesitated. Everyone was aware of Trevor¡¯s dislike for her. They had even brought it up with him to gauge his opinion back then Trevor had frowned in annoyance and reiterated that he wouldn¡¯t interfere and that they should handle it ording topany policy. He had emphasized that they shouldn¡¯t bring up Celeste¡¯s matters with him again. Seeing Zeke¡¯s hesitation, Trevor frowned. ¡°What is it?¡± Zeke snapped out of his thoughts and quickly replied, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Since Trevor was already aware of Celeste¡¯s resignation but hadn¡¯t brought it up, it was clear that this matter wasn¡¯t important to him. So, Zeke decided to proceed as usual and handle the matter ording topany regtions. With that resolved, Trevor ended the call. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± At noon, a colleague patted Celeste on the shoulder. Celeste came back to her senses and smiled, shaking her head. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you need to call your daughter today?¡± ¡°No, not today.¡± Typically, she called Jordyn twice a day once at 1:00 am and once at around 12:00pm. Her colleagues at work were aware of this habit. What they didn¡¯t know was her daughter was the child she had with thepany¡¯s CEO. After work, Celeste went to the supermarket. She bought some groceries and a few potted nts before heading home. After dinner, she browsed online for information about the uing technology exhibition. After that, she made a call. ¡°Please reserve a ticket for next month¡¯s tech exhibition for me.¡® ¡°Are you sure?¡± the person on the other end replied coolly. Thest two times you asked me to reserve tickets, you didn¡¯t show up. Do you know how many people¡¯s lifelong dream is to get one of those tickets? You wasted them thoughtlessly¡® The annual tech exhibition was a major event in the industry, and tickets were not easily obtainable. Theirpany had a limited number of slots, and many IT elites working for them eagerly vied for the opportunity to attend it. ¡°If I don¡¯t show up to the exhibition this time, I will never ask you to reserve a ticket for me ever again,¡± Celeste promised. There was silence on the other end before the line disconnected. Celeste knew that he¡¯d agreed. The corners of her mouth tugged upward into a smile. What she hadn¡¯t said was that she wanted to return to thepany. Though she was one of the partners of her tech firm, she had stepped back during its early days to focus on marriage and family. Her decision had disrupted their development ns and cost them many opportunities. Her colleagues had been both angry and frustrated with her Over the years, they had rarely been in contact. While Celeste was eager to return, she knew she had been out of the industry for too long. If she went back unprepared, she was worried she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with thepany¡¯s current pace. So, she nned to spend some time familiarizing herself with the industry¡¯stest developments before making a concrete decision. ! Chapter) For the next few days, Celeste focused on her work during office hours and spent her evenings tending to her own matters. She didn¡¯t reach out to Jordyn or Trevor, and they didn¡¯t contact her either. Celeste wasn¡¯t surprised. For over half a year, hermunication with them had been one¨Csided. They had only passively responded to her efforts. every morning. Meanwhile, in Andostan, Jordyn had developed the habit of calling Wynn first thing every That day, she called Wynn right after waking up as usual. However, the call didn¡¯tst long before she burst into Tears Wynn had told her some bad news. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the country soon.¡± Devastated, Jordyn finished the call and immediately phoned Trevor. ¡°Dad, did you know about this?¡± At his office, Trevor flipped through some documents. ¡°Yes¡± ¡°When did you find out?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Dad, you¡¯re so mean¡­¡± Jordyn hugged her pink stuffed pig and cried loudly. ¡°I don¡¯t want Wynn to leave. If she¡¯s not here, I don¡¯t want to go to school here anymore. I want to go back too!¡± Trevor¡¯s tone remained even. ¡°It¡¯s already being arranged.¡± Jordyn didn¡¯t understand. ¡°W¨CWhat do you mean?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going back next week.¡± The Scent of 4 Jordyn jumped out of bed in excitement. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, really,¡± Trevor replied. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t Wynn tell me just now?¡± ¡°It was just finalized. She doesn¡¯t know yet.¡± Jordyn was ecstatic. ¡°Dad, let¡¯s keep this a secret from Wynn. We¡¯ll surprise her when we go back to the country, okay?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best, Dad! I love you so much!¡± After hanging up, Jordyn was still overjoyed. She sang and danced on her bed. After a while, she suddenly thought of Celeste. For the past few days, she had been in a great mood because Celeste hadn¡¯t called her. In fact, to avoid talking to Celeste, she had deliberately left home early and even turned off her phone or kept it far away from her after school. But after two days, she was worried that Celeste might get angry if she found out. So, she stopped doing that. To her surprise, Celeste hadn¡¯t called at all in the days that followed. At first, she thought Celeste had discovered that she was deliberately avoiding her calls. But then she remembered that based on past experiences, that wasn¡¯t very likely. If Celeste knew she had done something wrong, she would immediately ask Jordyn to correct her wrongdoing instead of sulking and not calling. After all, she was the most important person to Celeste. Jordyn knew that Celeste loved her the most, so she didn¡¯t think that Celeste would purposely refrain from calling her simply because she was upset. As Jordyn thought about this, she suddenly missed Celeste. It was the first time in days she had thought about Celeste, and she couldn¡¯t resist dialing Celeste¡¯s number. But just as the call connected, she remembered that while she would get to see Wynn after returning to the country, Celeste would undoubtedly try every possible way to prevent her from meeting Wynn. She wouldn¡¯t be able to see Wynn whenever she wanted like she could now. This thought dampened Jordyn¡¯s mood. It was midnight in Celeste¡¯s time zone. She was already asleep when she was woken by the call. Upon seeing Jordyn¡¯s name on the screen, she was about to answer when the call abruptly disconnected. Although Celeste had written in her divorce agreement that she would relinquish custody of Jordyn, she still felt a sense of responsibility as her mother. Worried that something might have happened, Celeste immediately called back When Jordyn saw the iing call, she turned her head away and refused to answer. Celeste became more concerned and quickly called thend ne at the vi. Hannah answered promptly. After hearing Celeste¡¯s concerns, she reassured her, ¡°Ms. Fleming should be fine. She went to bedtest night and woke upte today. When I checked earlier, she was still asleep. I¡¯ll go upstairs to take a look and call you back.¡± Feeling relieved, Celeste replied, ¡°Thank you.¡± +25 BONUS When Hannah went upstairs, Jordyn was already in the bathroom brushing her teeth. After Hannah ryed Celeste being worried about her, Jordyn lowered her head and lied, ¡°I identally hit the call button.¡± Hannah believed her and didn¡¯t doubt what she said. Seeing that Jordyn was still brushing her teeth, she went back downstairs to update Celeste that Jordyn was fine. Jordyn watched as Hannah left. She huffed and finally felt a bit better. After hearing Hannah¡¯s reassurance, Celeste felt relieved top. Still, having been abruptly woken, she struggled to fall back asleep. She wasn¡¯t in great shape the next morning at work. The envelope containing the divorce agreement waspletely forgotten by Trevor after the phone call with Wynn On the day they returned to the country, Trevor packed thest document into his briefcase and ensured that nothing was left behind before heading downstairs. ¡°All set. Let¡¯s go.¡± The Lincoln stretch limousine departed from the vi and headed to the airport. Celeste had no idea that Trevor and Jordyn had returned to the country. No one had told her. Half a month had passed since she moved out of the vi. During that time, she had gradually grown used to and even fond of the peace and leisure of living alone. It was the weekend, and she woke upte. After freshening up, she opened the curtains to a sunny day. She stretchedzily, watered her nts, and was about to make herself a simple breakfast when the doorbell rang. It was her neighbor, Tilda Emery, who lived across from her. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, I hope I¡¯m not intruding,¡± Tilda said apologetically. Celeste replied warmly, ¡°Not at all, I was already up.¡± ¦§ ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Tilda said enthusiastically. These buns and pastries are fresh out of the oven. I just made them this morning, and I brought some over for you to try.¡± ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s so kind of you to do this, Mrs. Golden,¡± Celeste said, ¡°It¡¯s the least we could do. If it weren¡¯t for you saving Sylvia from that rabid dog the other day, who knows how badly burt she might have been? My husband and I have been wanting to thank you properly for saving our girl, but work has kept us busy. We felt so bad about it.¡± ¡°It was nothing, Mrs. Golden. Don¡¯t mention it.¡± After a few more pleasantries, Tilda left. Back inside, Celeste ate breakfast while studying the algorithm of an Al she had been researching Later that day, a news notification about Trellis College¡¯s centennial celebration popped up on her phone. Celeste paused to check the date and realized that it was indeed Trellis College¡¯s 100th¨Cyear anniversary. She browsed the news online and saw several trending hashtags about the event. The celebration was receiving high attention, not only because Trellis College was the top educational institute in the country but also because this was its first centennial celebration. Many distinguished alumni had been invited back to the alma mater for the event. Those honorary alumni were highly regarded figures in various fields. Celeste stared at the screen for a while. When she saw several familiar faces in the photos, her hand trembled slightly. Memories of her time at college flooded her mind. Her heart became unsettled. If she hadn¡¯t gotten married right after graduating with her bachelor¡¯s degree, she might have been among those honored alumni invited back for this event. Celeste closed herptop and hesitated briefly before driving to Trellis College. It was alreadyte in the evening when she arrived. Many of the high¨Cprofile attendees had already left, but the campus was still bustling. Celeste wandered aimlessly and eventually found herself near the familiarb building. A familiar voice called out to her. ¡°Cel?¡± 20 minutester, at a cafe outside Trellis College, Matthias Yoder poured her a cup of coffee. ¡°How have you beentely?¡± he asked. Holding the cup, Celeste smiled faintly with her gaze lowered. ¡°I¡¯m doing well. It¡¯s just that¡­ I¡¯m currently preparing for a divorce.¡± Matthias hadn¡¯t expected such a response. He paused for a while before saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°What¡¯s next? Are you nning to return to thepany? ¡°I am, but¡­¡± Matthias couldn¡¯t understand why she was hesitating. He said earnestly. ¡°Cel, thepany needs you. You¡¯re a part of it, so I hope you¡¯lle back to take charge.¡± ¡°But L¡­ I¡­¡± Celeste felt conflicted when she saw his serious expression. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to return. The Al field had advanced rapidly, and she had been out of the industry for six years. Even if she went back now, she feared she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with the times, let alone lead thepany and be at the forefront of the industry as she once had. The Scent of 5 Over the years, Matthias and Celeste had rarely seen each other. Yet, even from just a few encounters, Matthias could tell that she was no longer the confident and spirited person she had once been. Matthias thought back to the Celeste he knew from the past He could never have associated the word ¡°insecure¡± with that individual. He didn¡¯t know much about Celeste¡¯s marriage to Trevor, but he waspletely clueless about her sorry state which was essentially an open secret. He had his suspicions but didn¡¯t voice them, Instead, he sincerely encouraged, ¡°Falling behind for a time doesn¡¯t matter. Your ability and talent surpass that of most geniuses. As long as you¡¯re still passionate about this field, it¡¯s never toote to start again. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you were our teacher¡¯s favorite student throughout his entire career.¡± Celeste smiled as she listened to him. ¡°If he heard that, he¡¯d probably scoff and say that he didn¡¯t have much of a choice and could only settle on the least bad one.¡± earlier that he As she thought of her wise but sharp¨Ctongued mentor, Celeste¡¯s smile faltered. ¡°I saw on the news. also came back for the celebration. How has he been?¡± ¡°He¡¯s doing well, though he¡¯s often annoyed by us¨Chis ever¨Cdisappointing students¨Cpopping up in front of him from time to time,¡± Matthias replied. Celeste chuckled, her mind wandering back to the days when she toiled away working on thesis papers under her mentor every day. ¡°Come back, Cel,¡± Matthias urged. Celeste gripped her cup tightly. After taking a deep breath, she nodded and said, ¡°Alright.¡± She had been passionate about artificial intelligence since she was a child, and she loved anything rted to this field. But because of her love for Trevor, she had put her dream on hold for seven years. It would take time to catch up after such a long absence. But she believed that with hard work, it wasn¡¯t toote for her. Matthias asked, ¡°When do you think you¡¯ll return?¡± ¡°I still need to transition out of my current job. It might take a while,¡± Celeste exined. ¡°That¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no rush.¡± As long as she wasing back, a little more time wouldn¡¯t matter. They talked for a while longer before Matthias checked the time. ¡°I¡¯m meeting someone who¡¯s supposedly a genius in algorithms. They just returned to the country recently. Since we bumped into each other, why don¡¯t youe along and meet them?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know your team well. Maybe next time.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± As Matthias left, Celeste saw Trevor¡¯s sister, Teagan Fleming, walking toward her. She had seen Teagen in the news but hadn¡¯t expected to run into her here.. Celeste greeted, ¡°Hello, Teagan.¡± Teagan didn¡¯t respond to her polite greeting. She frowned hard instead. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Trellis College¡¯s 100th anniversary today. So, I came to visit.¡± It Celeste hadn¡¯t brought this up, Teagan would have forgotten that she graduated from Trellis College too. But aside from current students and staff, the attendees today were mostly honorary alumni invited by the school. What was an unknown nobody like Celeste doing here? Still, as long as she didn¡¯t embarrass the Fleming family, Teagan couldn¡¯t be bothered to say much. Getting straight to the point, she said, ¡°Nichs says he misses your cooking. I¡¯ll have someone send him over to you and Trevorter.¡± Nichs was Teagan¡¯s son, and he was a year or two older than Jordyn. With her strained marriage and demanding career, Teagan had rarely been involved in her son¡¯s life. Over the years, his rebelliousness had only grown, making it even harder for her to manage him now. Upon learning that Nichs liked Celeste¡¯s cooking, Teagan had frequently sent him over to Celeste and Trevor¡¯s ce over the past two years. Aside from Martha, the Fleming family didn¡¯t take Celeste seriously. Even Nichs looked down on her and treated her like a maid despite liking her cooking. In the past, Celeste had tolerated this for Trevor¡¯s sake. She did her best to care for Nichs and didn¡¯t chastise or correct him whenever he was disrespectful. But now, as she and Trevor were preparing for divorce, she no longer felt the need to endure it. She rejected Teagan without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Teagan. I¡¯m not avable tomorrow.¡± As she nned to return to the Al field, she intended to dedicate her time to meaningful pursuits. After the divorce, she would have no ties to Trevor or his family. She wouldn¡¯t waste her time on them anymore. Teagan hadn¡¯t expected Celeste to refuse her. After all, Celeste had often humbled herself to please the Fleming family for Trevor¡¯s sake. Nevertheless, Teagan didn¡¯t dwell on it. She assumed Celeste must have something important going on. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have passed up the chance to curry favor. Even so, she felt annoyed. ¡°What could possibly be so important? Trevor and Jordyn aren¡¯t even with you now.¡± Upon hearing this, Celeste couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly to herself. For years, she had abandoned her own Identity and centered her life around them. And now, this was how Teagan viewed her. It wasn¡¯t undeserved, but Celeste wouldn¡¯t live that way anymore. Just as she was about to respond, a group of people approached them. ¡°Ms. Fleming!¡± They were clearly there for Teagan. When they saw Celeste standing beside her, they looked her over before asking, ¡°Ms. Fleming, who is this?¡± Teagan, of course, didn¡¯t tell them that Celeste was her sister¨Cinw. She replied indifferently, ¡°A friend.¡± ¡°Oh, a friend¡­¡± These people, all prominent figures attending Trellis College¡¯s celebration, had assumed Celeste must be someone important upon seeing her with Teagan. But Teagan¡¯s dismissive attitude dispelled that impression. Aside from one or two people admiring Celeste¡¯s striking looks and slender legs, the rest paid her no attention. They quickly resumed their focus on Teagan and moved on In the past, Teagan¡¯s refusal to acknowledge her would have hurt Celeste deeply. But now, she didn¡¯t care anymore. After Teagan left, Celeste picked up her bag and walked away. That night, at around 10:00 pm, the ne carrying Trevor and Jordyn on time. By the time they got home, it was nearly midnight. Jordyn had fallen asleep before they arrived. When Trevor carried her upstairs, he passed the master bedroom and noticed the door was open, but the room was pitch ck. After putting lordyn on her bed and tucking her in, he returned to the master bedroom and turned on the light. Then, he nced at the bed and found that it was empty¨CCeleste wasn¡¯t there. Just then, the butler, Peter Hawk, came upstairs with his luggage. Loosening his tie, Trevor asked, ¡°Where is she?¡± Peter replied, ¡°Mrs. Fleming is on a business trip.¡± Half a month ago, Peter hadn¡¯t been around when Celeste had left with her suitcase. The other maids told him that Celeste left with a suitcase, so he had assumed she was traveling for work. Now that he thought about it, this was unusual. Celeste rarely went on business trips. Even when she did, they typicallysted only two or three days. This time, she had been gone for over two weeks. ¡°Alright,¡± Trevor responded indifferently, asking no further questions. Cha The Scent of 6 pter 6 The next day, Celeste unexpectedly ran into Trevor at thepany. She hadn¡¯t known that Trevor and Jordyn had returned to the country. Caught off guard by their sudden encounter, Celeste froze mid¨Cstep. Trevor also seemed slightly surprised to see her, but he assumed she had just returned from the business trip and didn¡¯t think much of it. He passed by her coldly, his face expressionless. As usual, he treated her like she was a stranger and turned to enter the building In the past, if Celeste had found out that he¡¯d suddenlye back, she would have been overjoyed. Even if she couldn¡¯t throw herself into his arms in such a scenario, she would have been very happy and excited. Her eyes would light up as she greeted him. Even if Trevor remained indifferent, she would have smiled and wished him good morning enthusiastically. But now, Celeste merely nced at his handsome face before lowering her eyes. There was no longer any trace of the joy and excitement she once felt. Trevor didn¡¯t notice any of this and was already walking away. Watching his tall andposed figure disappear into the building, Celeste wondered when he had returned. Since he was back, perhaps the matter of their divorce could soon be addressed. Having resolved to go through with the divorce, Celeste didn¡¯t dwell on him further. After she returned to her workstation, she quickly immersed herself in her work. Half an hourter, Zeke called her and instructed her to do something. ¡°Prepare two cups of coffee and take them to Mr. Fleming¡¯s office.¡± In the early days of her marriage, Celeste had learned that Trevor enjoyed coffee. In hopes of winning his favor, she had spent a great deal of effort studying how to brew it perfectly. Her efforts had paid off. After tasting her coffee, Trevor began to specifically request it, both at home and at the office. When she first realized he genuinely liked the coffee she made, Celeste had been thrilled. She naively believed it was the first step toward gaining his approval. But she had underestimated his dislike and wariness of her. While he liked her coffee, that was all he liked. His attitude toward her remained cold and distant. Even when he wanted her coffee, he would have Zeke reach out to her. Once the coffee was prepared, someone else would pick it up for him. He never gave her the opportunity to approach him herself. Only on rare asions when no one else was avable did she get the chance to deliver it to his office personally. This time, it seemed she was to take the coffee directly to Trevor herself from Zeke¡¯s tone. After brewing the coffee, Celeste ced the cups on a tray and carried them to his office. The door to his office was ajar, As she approached and was about to knock on the door politely, she saw Wynn sitting on Trevor¡¯sp. The two of them seemed to be locked in a passionate kiss. Celeste stopped in her tracks, her face turning pale. Upon seeing her, Wynn shot up from Trevor¡¯sp, looking Dustered. Trevor¡¯s expression darkened, and he questioned in an icy tone, ¡°Who allowed you toe in?¡± Chapter Celeste tightened her grip on the tray. ¡°I came to bring you your coffee¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Ms. Rodriguez.¡± Just then, another one of Trevor¡¯s personal secretaries, Jacob Collins, came in. He was aware of Celeste¡¯s rtionship with Trevor, ¡°What¡¯s the point of doing this?¡± Jacob remarked coldly. Though Jacob didn¡¯t say it outright, Celeste immediately understood the underlying implication of his words. He thought she had learned about Wynn¡¯s presence at the office and had deliberately used the coffee delivery as an excuse to disrupt them. Judging by Trevor¡¯s expression, he seemed to think the same. In the past, Celeste might have done such a thing. But now, she was preparing to divorce Trevor. There was no way she would stoop to such behavior. Still, they didn¡¯t give her any chance to exin. ¡°Please leave immediately,¡± Jacob ordered coldly. Celeste¡¯s eyes reddened. Her hands, which were holding the tray, trembled slightly. Some coffee spilled from the cups, scalding her fingers. She winced but said nothing and turned to leave. After Celeste took only a few steps, Trevor¡¯s voice rang out from the office. ¡°If this happens again, you will be dismissed.¡± But she had already resigned. Even without this incident, she would be leaving as soon as her recement was found. Still, she knew no one cared about her departure. Hence, there was no point in exining anything. Keeping mum, Celeste walked away with the tray. As she left, she heard Wynn soothing Trevor with a gentle voice. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Trevor. I don¡¯t think she meant to upset you. Don¡¯t be angry.¡± Celeste poured the coffee down the drain and rinsed her scalded fingers under the cold tap water. Then, she took out some ointment from her bag and carefully treated the burn. T Although her cooking and coffee¨Cmaking skills were now exceptional, she didn¡¯t really know how to do any of these things before marrying Trevor. She hadn¡¯t even tasted coffee before their marriage. For the sake of Trevor and Jordyn, she had learned everythingter on. The process had been grueling, and it took countless hours to achieve the perfection she now disyed. Only she knew the hardships she had endured. As for the ointment in her bag¨Cany mother who cared for her child personally would instinctively carry such items. Since Jordyn had gone to Andostan with Trevor, the cintment had rarely been used. Fortunately, it hadn¡¯t expired yet. After treating her wound, Celeste suppressed the stabbing gain in her heart and returned to her desk to continue working Just as she finished organizing some files, she overheard two colleagues chatting. ¡°Did you hear? Mr. Fleming¡¯s girlfriend came to the office! ¡°Girlfriend? Does Mr. Fleming have a girlfriend? Who is she? Is she pretty?¡± ¡°I have no idea about her family background, but reception said she¡¯s from a wealthy family. On top of that, she¡¯s super gorgeous and very elegant.¡± Chapter ¨¦ Upon noticing Celeste getting up, the gossiping colleagues remembered they had to attend a meeting with her and stopped their idle chatting ¡°Let¡¯s focus on work. We can chatter.¡± Celeste knew the girlfriend they mentioned was Wyim, but her expression remained unchanged. She followed them into the elevator and headed to the meeting room, Just as they exited the elevator, they saw Wynn approaching with four senior managers. They surrounded Wynn with ingratiating and deferential expressions. Wynn smiled. ¡°Thank you all for showing me around thepany. I¡¯m sorry for the trouble.¡± Dressed in designer clothes, Wynn exuded the elegance of a wealthy heiress. Her tone was polite but carried a hint of aloofness, as though she already considered herself the wife of thepany¡¯s CEO. The managersughed obsequiously. ¡°It¡¯s our duty, Ms. Locket, given your rtionship with Mr. Fleming.¡± ¡°Exactly! That is absolutely right.¡± Spotting Celeste and her colleagues exiting the elevator, the managers frowned with displeasure even though they had already stepped aside to make way. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going! Be careful not to bump into Ms. Locket. Have you got no manners? The Scent of 7 The two colleagues beside Celeste stole nces at Wynn and hurriedly stepped back, pressing themselves against the wall. Wynn noticed Celeste too but quickly looked away. Her expression was indifferent, and she acted as if Celeste didn¡¯t exist. She stepped into the elevator with the managers surrounding her. As the elevator doors closed, Celeste¡¯s two colleagues breathed a sigh of relief before resuming their excited gossip. ¡°That must¡¯ve been Mr. Fleming¡¯s girlfriend, right? Wow, she¡¯s stunning! Look at all those designerbels¨Cwhat she¡¯s wearing must cost a fortune! As expected of someone from an affluent family. She¡¯s so confident and poised. Compared to us ordinary people, she¡¯s on a different level! ¡°Exactly!¡± They turned to Celeste and asked quietly, ¡°What do you think, Celeste?¡± Lowering her eyes, Celeste answered lightly, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Wynn was, in fact, the illegitimate daughter of Harvey Locket, Celeste¡¯s birth father. Well, the term ¡°illegitimate¡± wasn¡¯t entirely urate after some changes took ce. When Celeste was eight, Harvey was unwilling to let Wynn and her mother suffer any longer. He had insisted on divorcing Celeste¡¯s mother, Isabelle Rodriguez, to marry Wynn¡¯s mother. After the divorce, Celeste lived with the mentally unstable isabelle. They stayed with her grandmother, Betty Klein, and her uncle, Ivan Rodriguez- Over the years, Ivan¡¯spany declined while the Locket family¡¯s business flourished. It was said that to make up for Wynn¡¯s childhood hardships Harvey spared no expense in ensuring she had the best of everything. Thus, he invested heavily in her upbringing. And Wynn didn¡¯t end up bing a disappointment. In fact, she¡¯d excelled. The once¨Cillegitimate Wynn became a legitimate heiress. She radiated an air of wealth and sophistication that surpassed even Celeste¡¯s when she was the rightful heiress. Celeste had thought that this would be her only encounter with Wynn, and they wouldn¡¯t cross paths again. Yet, fate seemed to favor Wynn. Celeste and Trevor had grown up together. But no matter how hard she tried, he never saw her. From the moment he met Wynn, he had fallen for herpletely. ¡°Are you okay, Celeste?¡± Her colleagues noticed her pale face and felt worried. Snapping back to reality, Celeste replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She and Trevor would soon be divorced. Whom he loved was no longer her concern. That day, Celeste didn¡¯t dwell on Trevor or Wynn.. She worked overtime until it was nearly 9:00 pm. Just as she was finishing up her tasks, her phone rang. Her best friend, Lottie Cruz, called to say she was drunk and needed celeste to pick her up from a restaurant, t Celeste wrapped up her work, grabbed her car keys, and left the office. 20 minutester, she arrived at the restaurant.. As she walked toward the entrance, she saw a little girl emerge from the parking lot. The child¡¯s side profile made her stop in her tracks it was Jordyn! Celeste thought, ¡°Why is she back here? She should be attending school in Andostan. Could it be that she had returned to the country with Trevor?¡± Although she didn¡¯t have ess to confidentialpany documents, she knew Trevor¡¯s work in Andostan was still ongoing and would take time to conclude. She had assumed his return was a brief trip to handle some matters. So, she hadn¡¯t expected Jordyn to havee back as well. Judging from the fact that she had seen Trevor earlier that day, they must have returned at least a day ago, However, Jordyn hadn¡¯t called to tell her that they were back. Clutching her bag tightly, Celeste watched Jordyn¡¯s cheerful, skipping figure and followed her quietly. As they reached a corner in the lobby, Wynn appeared at the end of the hallway, apanied by a few of Trevor¡¯s friends. Celeste quickly stepped aside to avoid being seen. From her hiding spot, she heard Jordyn cry out Wynn¡¯s name happily and ran toward her. She threw herself into Wynn¡¯s arms excitedly. Celeste sat down on a nearby couch, positioning herself behind a nt and the chair¡¯s backrest to remain out of sight. ¡°Oh my! I didn¡¯t know you were back in the country too,¡± Wynn eximed. ¡°Of course! Dad and I missed you so much, Wynn. Dad finished his work early just to bring me back. We came back the day before your birthday, so we wouldn¡¯t miss it. This is the ne Dad and I made for you. Happy birthday, Wynn!¡± Jordyn replied jubntly, ¡°Wow, you and Trevor made this? It must have been so much work. You¡¯re amazing, Jo. I love it so much. Thank you!¡± Wynn responded appreciatively. ¡°What¡¯s important is that you like it.¡± Jo snuggled against Wynn, her tone affectionate. ¡°It¡¯s been a whole week since I saw you, Wynn. I missed you so much. If I hadn¡¯t called you every day, I wouldn¡¯t havested in Andostan¡­ ¡°I missed you too, Jo.¡± Just then, footsteps approached from the side. Celeste froze because she knew it was Trevor. Even without seeing him, she could tell from the sound of his measured steps. After close to seven years of being married to him, during which she had waited for him daily, she could recognize his footsteps anywhere. They were steady and unhurried, much like his demeanor. Even with close family, Trevor maintained his calm and aloofposure as though nothing could ever rattle him. At least, that was what she had once believed¨Cuntil Wynn came into the picture. Snapping out of her thoughts, Celeste heard Jordyn call out, ¡°Dad!¡± Trevor¡¯s friends greeted him as well. He acknowledged them briefly before turning to Wynn and saying, ¡°Happy birthday.¡± Chapter 7) Wynn smiled and replied, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t you prepare another birthday gift for Wynn? Give it to her already!¡± Jordyn urged. The group fell silent before one of Trevor¡¯s friends chuckled and pinched Jordyn¡¯s cheek. ¡°That¡¯s your dad¡¯s special gift for Wynn. He¡¯ll probably give it to herter in private. Let¡¯s not get involved.¡± The othersughed knowingly. Trevor said, ¡°I already gave it to her.¡± ¡°Huh? When?¡± Jordyn asked, then she pouted. ¡°You went to see Wynn without me again, didn¡¯t you? Hmph!¡± The groupughed again, while Celeste recalled Wynn¡¯s visit to Fleming Group earlier that day. That must have been when he gave her the gift. Wynn smiled bashfully and said, ¡°Let¡¯s stop standing around and head upstairs.¡± As their footsteps faded, Celeste sat frozen, her mind nk Her chest ached like it was pricked by a thousand needles. Still, she eventuallyposed herself and silently entered the elevator to pick up Lottie. The private room Lottie was in happened to be on the same floor as the private room where Wynn and Trevor gathered with his friends. into th As Celeste helped Lottie into the elevator, one of Trevor¡¯s friends, Miles Quinton, stopped in his tracks. The Scent of 8 One of Miles¡®panions asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I think I saw someone I know,¡± Miles replied. He and the others had grown up with Trevor and knew about Celeste¡¯s affection for him. To be frank, Celeste was beautiful in her own right. But her reserved nature made her unremarkable. Hence, she was just not Trevor¡¯s type. Because Trevor kept his distance from her, they too looked down on her. They hadn¡¯t seen Celeste many times, and even when they did, they rarely greeted her. In truth, Miles couldn¡¯t quite remember what Celeste looked like. He wasn¡¯t even sure if he had indeed seen her. But even if it had been her, it didn¡¯t matter to him. He said nothing more and returned to the private room. Celeste didn¡¯t notice Miles, After leaving the restaurant, she took Lottie home and stayed over to take care of her. When Lottie woke up and saw Celeste, she hugged her gratefully. ¡°Thanks forst night. I owe you dinner!¡± Celeste had already prepared breakfast. She patted Lottie¡¯s head and said, ¡°Go wash up before the food gets cold.¡± Lottle clung to her, burying her face in Celeste¡¯s waist. ¡°Cel you¡¯re so soft and smell so nice. Hugging you feels amazing!¡± Celeste was at a loss for words. After freshening up, Lottie came to the table and saw the delicious breakfast Celeste had made. She felt incredibly lucky, thinking that whoever married Celeste would have hit the jackpot. But upon remembering Celeste¡¯s marriage to Trevor, she worried about hurting her feelings and kept her thoughts to herself. Lottie sat down and started eating her breakfast while scrolling through her phone. Momentster, her expression changed. She looked up at Celeste. ¡°Is Trevor back in the country?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Celeste replied. Lottle handed her the phone. It showed a post from Miles¡® social media feed, featuring several photos from their gathering the night before. The caption read: ¡°Happy birthday to the beautiful Wynn!¡± Though the post was about Wynn¡¯s birthday celebration, four or five of the nine pictures featured her and Trevor together. In one particrly striking photo, they were cutting the cake together, both holding the same crystal knife. As for Jordyn, she was absent from all the photos. This was likely to prevent Trevor¡¯s grandmother, Martha Daniels, from finding out about the gathering. After all, Martha, who was close to Betty, had never approved of Wynn because of what happened between Isabelle and Wyn¡¯s mother. If Martha discovered that Jordyn was close to Wynn, she would undoubtedly be furious. Chapter !! #35 BONUS To an outsider viewing the photos, it would seem like Trevor and Wynn were a couple. It was clear that the birthday party had been meticulously arranged by Trevor for Wynn. Recalling the cold treatment she had received on her own birthday just weeks earlier, Celeste averted her gaze. Lottie looked at her worriedly. ¡°Cel- ¡°It¡¯s fine. What happens between them has nothing to do with me anymore,¡± Celeste said, handing the phone back to Lottie. ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Trevor for a divorce.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lottie was bbergasted. ¡°You¡­ You initiated the divorce?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lottie had never despised Trevor. On the contrary, she used to admire him and even harbored a small crush on him. It wasn¡¯t surprising, as Trevor was extraordinarily aplished. Celeste had graduated from Trellis College when she¡¯d just turned 18 after skipping three grades. She had quickly founded a techpany and earned several patents. These were achievements that seemed almost superhuman to Lottle. But Trevor had reportedly graduated from college at 13. He then pursued further studies abroad, during which he founded severalpanies, all of which became publicly listed. All of these were achieved before he even turned
  1. 20.
Hispanies spanned industries like technology, medicine, entertainment, and tourism. Later, while founding morepanies, he took over Fleming Group and elevated it to even greater heights with apparent ease. In their social circles, Trevor was universally respected. Moreover, he had exceptional looks. So, it wasn¡¯t surprising that Celeste¨Ca genius herself¨Chad fallen for him. However, Trevor was merciless to those he didn¡¯t give a damn about. After Lottie reflected on how he had misunderstood and disregarded Celeste¡¯s love for him over the years, she hadpletely lost any admiration for him. She had always known how deeply Celeste loved Trevor and had often advised her to leave him. Yet, Celeste always shook her head without saying a word. Therefore, Lottie couldn¡¯t quite believe that Celeste would take the initiative to divorce Trevor. Pushing her breakfast aside, Lottie looked at Celeste with concern. ¡°What happened?¡± For Celeste to want a divorce after loving Trevor so steadfastly for so many years, something significant must have urred. After a moment of thought, Celeste replied, ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything major. I think I¡¯m just exhausted after umting way too many disappointments over the years. I decided it was time to let go.¡± Lottie knew Celeste well enough to understand that once she made a decision, she wouldn¡¯t waver¨Ceven if she hadn¡¯t fully moved on from Trevor yet. She hugged Celeste and Yeah¡± After breakfast, Celeste left Lottie¡¯s ce and went to work Before moving out, she and Trevor worked at the same ce but never stepped out of the vi at the same time. He had always kept his distance, and there were months when they didn¡¯t even cross paths at the office. Now that she had moved out, she coincidentally ran into him two days in a row. That day, Trevor was as poised and handsome as ever. As usual, his expression grew colder when he saw her. Just like the previous day, he nced at her briefly before looking away. Lowering her gaze, Celeste greeted him softly, ¡°Mr. Fleming.¡± After he had walked away, only then did she enter the building. She didn¡¯t know if Wynn woulde to thepany that day, nor did she care. Instead, she immersed herself in her work. At noon, Betty called ¡°Cel, someone sent over amb from Kelora. The weather is getting colder, soe home tonight for dinner. I¡¯ll have someone prepare a wholemb feast for you.¡± Hearing Betty¡¯s kind voice warmed Celeste¡¯s heart. ¡°Okay, Ill head over after work.¡± She didn¡¯t encounter Trevor again for the rest of the day. When she was about to leave at the end of her working hours, Jacob handed her a file and said it needed to be. handled right away. Celeste nced at the contents and knew that the document wasn¡¯t exactly that urgent. In the past, she would have smiled and epted the task. She would then promise toplete it quickly, not wanting to make exceptions for herself. But today, she no longer felt the need to strive for perfection¨Cespecially not for matters involving Trevor. Besides, she was tired. She wanted to go home and spend the evening with Betty and not work overtime. In the past, she had tried hard to maintain good rtionships with Trevor¡¯s private secretaries. But now, it didn¡¯t matter anymore. Especially after Jacob¡¯s baseless usation the day before, she wasn¡¯t inclined to be magnanimous and act as if nothing had happened. Staring back at Jacob, Celeste said coolly, ¡°I¡¯m not doing this now. I¡¯m done with work for the day.¡± The Scent of 9 Jacob¡¯s expression darkened as he used Celeste of taking advantage of her position. ¡°This isn¡¯t the right work. attitude to have, Ms. Rodriguez. Do you think this is your time?¡± Celeste picked up her bag, unfazed. She retorted, ¡°If you¡¯re dissatisfied, you¡¯re wee to dismiss me right now.¡± ¡°You ¡°Jacob began. Although he had apanied Trevor to Andestan, he was aware that Celeste had already submitted her resignation. Even though he had Trevor¡¯s trust, thepany didn¡¯t revolve around him. He didn¡¯t have the authority to fire her on the spot. Moreover, Martha favored Celeste. If she went to Fleming Manor toin about him, Jacob knew he wouldn¡¯te out unscathed even if he had Trevor¡¯s support. Not bothered to get a response from Jacob, Celeste walked past him and left. Jacob¡¯s face turned purple with anger as he stormed out of the secretarial office. Zeke noticed his sour expression and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Instantly, Jacob recounted their whole exchange. Zeke was surprised. He had worked closely with Celeste and had a good understanding of her character. ¡°This doesn¡¯t sound like something Celeste would do. Could there have been a misunderstanding?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no misunderstanding. That¡¯s exactly how it went down. In my opinion, Celeste is just abusing her position. She¡¯s nowhere near as good as you usually im she is,¡± Jacob ranted. Zeke hesitated. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s cking off because she¡¯s already resigned?¡± But Celeste had been as diligent as ever recently, and she didn¡¯t show any signs of a change in behavior. Just then, Trevor approached from a distance. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Ms. Rodriguez left work without finishing her tasks,¡± Jacob reported. you¡¯re dissatisfied, terminate her employment ording topany protocols,¡± Trevor said coldly, showing no interest in the matter. Zeke and Jacob exchanged nces and were taken aback. It wasn¡¯t that they found Trevor¡¯s indifference surprising, since he had always been detached about matters concerning Celeste. What caught their attention was his apparentck of awareness that Celeste had already resigned. Wasn¡¯t he the one who wanted her to resign? Had they misunderstood something Before they could say anything further, Trevor¡¯s phone rang as a call from Wynn came i iL. Without looking back, he walked toward the elevator while answering the call. ¡°I¡¯m off work now. I¡¯ll be there Zeke and Jacob watched him leave, feeling, puzzled. ¡°Maybe he forgot?¡± Zeke suggested. ¡°That¡¯s possible,¡± Jacob agreed After all, Trevor had never shown much concern for Celeste¡¯s affairs, Chapter V Meanwhile, Celeste was on her way to Betty¡¯s ce. Jordyn had always been close to Betty. Whenever she was home, Celeste would bring her along when she went back to the Rodriguez residence. But despite being back in the country for several days, Jordyn hadn¡¯t called her even once. Instead, she constantly called Wynn and missed her dearly after only a few days apart. a Because of this, Celeste saw no need to make Jordyn go back with her. Besides, Betty would be deeply upset if she found out that Jordyn had gotten so attached to Wynn. Therefore, Celeste went back alone this time. [11] The traffic was heavy, and by the time she arrived, it was already past 6:00 pm. Betty¡¯s face lit up when she saw Celeste. However, her expression turned somber as she reached out to touch Celeste¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯ve lost weight, my dear.¡± Celeste looked down as she replied, ¡°I¡¯ve been busy with worktely.¡± Betty sighed and advised, ¡°No matter how busy you are, you need to eat well.¡± ¡°I know, Granny. I¡¯ll be more mindful,¡± Celeste replied. Celeste sat beside Betty, resting her head on her shoulder and soaking in her warmth. When themb stew was almost ready, Betty instructed the staff to serve Celeste a bowl of stew to warm her up. Listening to Betty¡¯s kind words, Celeste felt tears well up as she thought about everything that had happened recently. Afraid of worrying her, she quicklyposed herself and asked, ¡°Are Aunt Adeline and the others still away on a trip?¡± = ¡°They are. They got carried away and said they¡¯d extend it by another week,¡± Betty replied. ¡°What about Uncle Ivan? Is he out for a business gathering again tonight?¡± ¡°When he heard you wereing, he canceled his ns and said he¡¯de back to join us for dinner. He should be here soon.¡± Just as they finished speaking, Ivan walked in, smiling warmly. ¡°Cel, you¡¯re here!¡± Then, he remarked with a frown, ¡°You¡¯ve lost weight. Haven¡¯t you been eating well?¡± Celesteughed softly. ¡°I¡¯ve just been busytely. I¡¯ll eat more tonight, I promise.¡± Satisfied, Ivan began piling meat onto her te once dinner was served. Thought hemented on her weight loss, Celeste could see that he too looked worn out. Even though she didn¡¯t work at Rodriguez Corporation, she knew it was struggling, Ivan had been overwhelmed with work, yet he was unable to pull the business back from the brink Over the years, several projects could have been salvaged with Trevor¡¯s help. Save for Martha¡¯s intervention on two asions, he hadn¡¯t lifted a finger. Celeste thought bitterly that if it hadn¡¯t been for Martha, Trevor might have actively sabotaged Rodriguez Corporation, given his misconceptions about her. As this thought crossed her inind, themb stew in her mouth suddenly tasted nd. Ivan had never pressured her to seek help from Trevor, even when the family desperately needed it. After dinner, while Betty was dozing off, Celeste handed Ivan a bank card with seven million dors in the ount. ¡°Cel, there¡¯s no need-¡± ¡°It¡¯s not much use to me.¡± She pressed the card into his hand firmly. ¡°This is all I can do for now.¡± Though she excelled in academics and research, she knew she wasn¡¯t cut out for business. Thankfully, her early work in Al had earned her patents, and the techpany she co¨Cfounded with Matthias provided annual dividends. Even without lifting a finger, she received tens of millions of dors each year. Ivan looked ashamed ¡°You¡¯ve already given me so much, yet thepany¡­¡± It was barely getting by. ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s incapable here,¡± Ivanmented. ¡°Transitioning a business takes significant time and funds. Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself,¡± Celesteforted. She thought of Matthias¡® words from their recent meeting. He had said that the Al field was advancing rapidly. With her past capabilities and his operational skills, theirpany might already have been worth hundreds of billions and even be at the forefront of the industry had she hot left to get married. Luckily, there was still room for growth. So, he hoped Celeste would return soon. If she could regain her former abilities and help thepany thrive, she would be in a better position to support her family. By the time Trevor returned home, it was past 10:00 pm. Jordyn rubbed her eyes sleepily. ¡°You¡¯re finally home, Dad. ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied. ¡°Go to bed if you¡¯re sleepy.¡± ¡°Okay. Goodnight, Dad.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± After Jordyn went upstairs, Trevor drank the water Peter handed him and then headed upstairs himself. The master bedroom was dark, and it seemed to be empty. Trevor paused for a bit and turned on the light. As expected, no one was there. The Scent of 10 Trevor didn¡¯t think much of it. He assumed that Celeste had gone back to the Rodriguez residence. As he entered the bathroom, he suddenly remembered that Celeste typically brought Jordyn with her whenever she visited Betty. But this time, she hadn¡¯t done so. Could she have gone somewhere else? Perhaps something urgent had happened at the Rodriguez residence. shes of Jacob¡¯s remarks from earlier that day crossed his mind, confirming his suspicions, Trevor paused for a moment but ultimately decided not to concern himself with it. The next morning, Trevor said to Jordyn over breakfast, ¡°Your enrollment process isplete. You¡¯ll start school tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Jordyn scrunched her nose. ¡°Can you take me to school tomorrow, Dad?¡± ¡°I might not have time.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Her eyes lit up. ¡°I¡¯ll call Wynnter and ask her to take me to school.¡± Before Trevor could respond, his phone rang. It was a call from Fleming Manor. When he answered, he heard Martha¡¯s voicee from the other end. ¡°I heard you¡¯re back in the country?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Did Jordyne back with you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her in so long. I miss her. Bring her and Celeste over for dinner tonight.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Martha then added, ¡°Where¡¯s Celeste? Let me speak with her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not here.¡± ¡°At this time of day? Where could she be?¡± ¡°Probably at the Rodriguez residence.¡± ¡°Probably? You¡¯re her husband, and you don¡¯t even know where she is?¡± Trevor remained silent. ¡°You¡± Martha sighed deeply before falling quiet. It was only then that Trevor softened his tone slightly, though he changed the subject. ¡°Have you eaten?¡± ¡°Your nonsense fills me up just fine!¡± Trevor chuckled lightly and continued eating his breakfast, Martha knew that Trevor had always been resolute in his decisions. The current state of his marriage to Celeste was already a significant concession on his part. Given Trevor¡¯s nature, she couldn¡¯t push him too hard, even for his own good. +23 BONUS With a sigh, she said, ¡°Fine I have nothing more to say to you, you stubborn mule.¡± ¡°Okay. See you tonight.¡± ¡°You Ugh!¡± Martha hung up in exasperation. Jordyn, who hadn¡¯t been paying much attention earlier, caught the tail end of the conversation and asked curiously, ¡°Dad, who was that?¡± ¡°Your great¨Cgrandmother,¡± Recalling Martha¡¯s request, Trevor added, ¡°She wants to have dinner with us tonight.¡± Jordyn perked up. ¡°Great! I haven¡¯t seen Nana in so long. I miss her!¡± Trevor nced at his phone and said nothing more. Meanwhile, Celeste was having breakfast at the Rodriguez residence when she noticed the iing call from Trevor She paused for a moment. Unlike before, she no longer felt any joy or anticipation at seeing his name on her screen After hesitating briefly, she answered the call. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Grandma wants us to go to Fleming Manor for dinner tonight,¡± Trevor said. Alright, sure,¡± Celeste agreed. Trevor then added, ¡°You can pick up Jordyn and bring her along.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t want to return to his home. Besides, even if she went to pick up Jordyn, she wouldn¡¯t be thrilled to see Celeste either. Why put herself in such a thankless position? So, she replied, ¡°Have the driver take her. I¡¯ll drive myself over after work.¡± Since they would both be traveling during the rush hour, this was indeed the most convenient arrangement. However, Celeste had always enjoyed personally taking care of Jordyn and never found it burdensome. Upon hearing her response, Trevor was slightly taken aback Still, he didn¡¯t dwell on it. After all, it was a minor matter. ¡°Got it,¡± he said and hung up. This time, Jordyn knew who had been on the other end of the call. ¡°Was that Mom?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± So, Mom ising with us to Nana¡¯s tonight?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Jordyn frowned instinctively, though she said nothing. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to see Celeste or didn¡¯t miss her. In fact, she hadn¡¯t seen Celeste in a long time, and for the first time, Celeste hadn¡¯t contacted her in over two weeks. Thinking about Celeste made her feel a pang of longing. However, Celeste¡¯s return also meant less time with Wynn. -25 BONUS When Jordyn found out Celeste was away on a business trip after returning to the country, she had been delighted. She thought she could use those days to spend more time with Wynn. Now that Celeste was back, she wouldn¡¯t let her see Wynn often. Her mood soured as she thought about it. She had already asked Wynn to take her to school the next morning, and Wynn had agreed. What would she do now? Feeling deted, she mumbled, ¡°Dad.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Trevor asked. While she could let Celeste take her to school tomorrow, she was determined to attend Wynn¡¯s racingpetition tomorrow night. She clung to Trevor and said pleadingly, ¡°Dad, you promised to take me to Wynn¡¯s race tomorrow night. But if Mom finds out, she won¡¯t let me go. Can you not tell her? If she asks, just make something up, okay?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Trevor replied. Reassured by his promise, Jordyn brightened slightly. After breakfast, Trevor left for work. When Celeste arrived at Fleming Group that morning, she didn¡¯t encounter Trevor. At noon, Betty called and invited her to have lunch at a restaurant named ¡°Luxe Heaven¡°. Since the restaurant was only a short walk from Fleming Group, Celeste agreed and headed over. As she approached the corner near the entrance, she overheard a conversation. ¡°Trevor, if it weren¡¯t for your help, I probably wouldn¡¯t have secured this contract no matter how much effort I put in. I really appreciate it.¡± The familiar voice made Celeste stop in her tracks. Peeking around the corner, she saw her father, Harvey. Just then, there came Trevor¡¯s calm voice. ¡°Don¡¯t mention i, Mr. Locket.¡± Celeste¡¯s hands clenched into fists. She could tell that Trevor¡¯s tone was noticeably gentler than usual. He reserved such a tone for those he valued. But she didn¡¯t think for one second that his regard for Harvey had anything to do with her. There was no way Trevor was assisting Harvey for her benefit. After all, ever since Harvey had divorced Isabelle, their rtionship had been nearly nonexistent. Harvey only publicly acknowledged Wynn as his daughter now. There was no father¨Cdaugliter bond left between them to speak of. Sure enough, Harvey continued, ¡°Wynn is here by herself. Her mother and I worry about her. Please take good care of her.¡± The Scent of 11 Celeste couldn¡¯t help but find itughable as she listened. Wynn and Trevor had met only after her marriage to him. So, Wynn was fully aware of her rtionship with Trevor. There was no way Harvey didn¡¯t know that Trevor was her husband. He had definitely known about it all along. Yet, he shamelessly encouraged a rtionship between Wynn and Trevor. It showed just how little regard Harvey had for her despite the fact that she was also his daughter. Trevor agreed to Harvey¡¯s request. They then exchanged a few more pleasantries. Celeste watched as Trevor waited for Harvey to get into his car and leave. Only then did Trevor get into his own car and drive away. Given Trevor¡¯s status, he rarely extended such courtesy unless it was to a few select elders of the Fleming family. Clearly, he held Harvey in high regard because he was Wynn¡¯s father Celeste thought back to the times Trevor had met Betty and Ivan. His attitude had always been cold and indifferent. Even when she cautiously brought up Ivan¡¯s difficulties in the past, he had refused to help. Yet, for those who Wynn cared about, his attitude was entirely different. His treatment of herpared to Wynn¡¯s was worlds apart. This was the stark difference when someone loved or didn¡¯t love another person. A whileter, Trevor left. Celeste stood where she was for a long time before finally heading into Luxe Haven. In the evening, after Celeste was done with work, she went home to retrieve the gifts she had prepared for the Fleming family elders. She then drove to Fleming Manor. Located on the outskirts of the capital, Fleming Manor was surrounded by lush mountains and serene scenery, making it an ideal dwelling ce for the elderly. The only drawback was its distance from the city center. It took Celeste an hour and a half to get there. After parking her car, she picked up the gifts and was about to enter when she heard Jordynughing happily inside. Martha was seated near the entrance. She noticed Celeste immediately and beamed widely. ¡°You¡¯re finally here, Cel. Come sit with me.¡± While Martha greeted her warmly, the same couldn¡¯t be said for Trevor¡¯s mother, Queenie Scott. Teagan and Nichs didn¡¯t look pleased as well. All of their smiles visibly faded upon seeing Celeste. Celeste noticed but didn¡¯t care a much as she once might have. She smiled faintly and handed the gifts to the approaching, housekeeper. Then, she walked over to Martha and greeted, ¡°Good evening, Grandma.¡± ¡°Good evening,¡± Martha replied, her face lighting up. She took Celeste¡¯s hand and guided her to sit down. But as she looked more closely, lier smile faltered ¡°You¡¯ve lost weight! Has Trevor been mistreating you?¡± Celeste lowered her gaze and shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯ve just been busytely.¡± Her response was partly true. Trevor hadn¡¯t mistreated her directly, but her mood often suffered h Moreover, she had been immersing herself in Al research every night after work. Sometimes, she even stayed up. until the early hours. Her recent weight loss was partly due to this. Before Martha could say more, Teagan scoffed. ¡°From the way you put it, anyone would think your job is so important that the entire Fleming Group depends on you.¡± Queenie, ever the elegant and as well quit. Afterall, no one begged you to work there.¡± Teaganughed. ¡°Exactly! Maybe someone just can¡¯t bear to leave.¡± Martha didn¡¯t like how they were taking sarcastic jabs at Celeste. She was about to intervene when Celeste spoke first. ¡°I¡¯ve already submitted my resignation. Once I finish handing over my duties, I¡¯ll leave Fleming Group.¡± Her words caught Queenie and Teagan off guard, and they froze momentarily. Martha frowned and started, ¡°Cel- ¡°Is Mom here?¡± Jordyn¡¯s voice cut through the tension. She had juste down from the second floor via the elevator. When she saw Celeste, she looked genuinely happy. After all, it had been over two weeks since theyst spoke. She ran over and threw herself into Celeste¡¯s arms. ¡°Mom!¡± Celeste hesitated for a moment before gently hugging her back and murmuring, ¡°Hey there.¡± Martha decided to drop the earlier topic since Jordyn was here now. With a warm smile on her face, she said to Celeste, ¡°Cel, it¡¯s been ages since I had your tea. Make me a cup, would you?¡± Growing up with Betty, Celeste had developed a talent for making tea. Her skills were refined, and she excelled in brewing tea. Celeste replied warmly, ¡°Well, I can do that, but dinner is almost ready¡­¡± Teagan preferred coffee over tea. Moreover, she disliked seeing Celeste show off her tea¨Cmaking skills. So, she interjected, ¡°Exactly. Dinner will be served as soon as Trevor and Tucker are back.¡± As if on cue, Trevor entered. He greeted Martha and Queenie first. When his gazended on Celeste, he quickly looked away and sat on a single- seat couch far from her. Upon seeing Trevor, Jordyn immediately moved away from Celeste and ran over to him. ¡°Dad!¡± Trevor hugged her briefly and nced around the room as if about to say something when Tucker arrived. He was much younger than both Trevor and Teagan. Presently, he was still a teenager with a lively personality, The moment he entered, he yfully leaped over the backrest of a couch andnded neatly on the cushions. Observing that everyone was gathered, he grinned and said ¡°Were you all waiting for me?¡± Teagan smacked his head yfully. ¡°Of course! We¡¯ve all been starving because of you.¡± While Trevor was reserved and Teagan had a fiery temper, Tucker was the one who brought joy to the family. He was especially close to his parents, and his arrival brought an evident smile to Queenie¡¯s face, while Martha looked even more delighted. Noticing thete hour, Martha instructed the staff to serve dinner. The nine of them dined in the dining room. Martha sat at the head of the table. Trevor, Jordyn, and Celeste sat in one row beside her. Martha smiled as she turned to Jordyn. ¡°Jo, switch ces with your dad so that your mom and dad can sit together. Martha had always tried to bring Celeste and Trevor closer. The others were used to her tant efforts, so they. didn¡¯t react. Most thought it was futile. After all, despite years of her meddling, Trevor¡¯s attitude toward Celeste hadn¡¯t changed one bit. Everyone knew her attempts were pointless. Even Teagan merely smirked sarcastically and chose a random seat withoutment. Though Trevor disliked Martha¡¯s arrangements, he rarely contradicted her on minor matters. He remained silent, which signaled his agreement. Unlike in the past, Celeste didn¡¯t feel any joy or hope at Martha¡¯s matchmaking. She kept her expression neutral, though her smile was gentle as she addressed Martha. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Grandma. This seating arrangement is fine.¡± The Scent of 12 Martha sighed, feeling helpless. She thought Celestecked assertiveness and always let Trevor have his way. This. caused her to miss out on countless opportunities to improve their rtionship. That was why, after all these years, there had been no progress between them. However, since Celeste had spoken, Martha didn¡¯t press further. Once dinner officially began, the family chatted as they ato. The atmosphere was lively. Celeste, however, spoke very little and quietly focused on her meal. From the moment Trevor entered Fleming Manor until now, over ten minutes had passed. Still, he and Celeste hadn¡¯t exchanged a single word. There had been no interaction whatsoever. This was typical of their rtionship. Everyone else was used to it and didn¡¯t find it unusual. When Jordyn wanted to eat something, she usually relied on Celeste. However, by now, she was ustomed to asking Trevor to get what she wanted for her instead. But when she wanted to eat shrimp, she instinctively looked at Celeste. In the past, Celeste would always peel shrimp for her and Trevor. ¡°Mom, I want some shrimp,¡± Jordyn whined. Even though Celeste had decided to divorce Trevor and didn¡¯t n to fight for custody of Jordyn, she was still her daughter. It was her duty to care for her and fulfill her needs whenever possible. I Upon hearing her request, Celeste responded, ¡°Alright.¡± She set down her fork and began peeling the shrimp for Jordyn Martha nced at her hands and suddenly paused. ¡°Cel, where¡¯s your ring?¡± At that, everyone¨Cincluding Trevor¨Clooked at Celeste¡¯s hand. Since their wedding, Celeste had always worn the ring Martha had prepared for them despite their icy and loveless marriage. In contrast, Trevor had never worn his wedding ring¨Cnot even once. No one knew where it had ended
  1. up.
Over the years, Celeste had never taken hers off. Her attachment to the ring had even be a source of ridicule from Teagan. But today, Celeste wasn¡¯t wearing it. Initially, no one noticed. After all, people didn¡¯t normally pay close attention to others¡® hands. It was Martha¡¯s remark that drew everyone¡¯s attention. Celeste paused briefly in her task but quickly resumed peeling the shrimp with a .¡± In truth, she had removed the ring, when she prepared the divorce papers. She had ced it in the same envelope. that held the divorce papers. But since she and Trevor hadn¡¯t officially divorced and knowing that Martha would he strongly opposed to the idea, she chose not to reveal this just yet. Martha was satisfied with her answer. She smiled and responded, ¡°Ah, that exins it.¡± The conversation soon shifted back to normal, and everyone resumed eating After dinner, the group moved to the living room for desser. Martha, ever eager to bring Celeste and Trevor closer, arranged for them to sit together. As usual, Trevor didn¡¯t even nce at Celeste. Celeste didn¡¯t want to sit next to him but didn¡¯t want to outright refuse Martha either, so she quietly took the seat beside him. It was the closest they had sat to each other in months. She could smell the faint, familiar scent of his cologne, but her heart remained calm. She focused on her dessert, taking small bites of her fruit pudding without attempting to initiate conversation. Martha, on the other hand, was delighted. She looked at the pair and smiled. ¡°You two look perfect together.¡± Visually, they did make a striking couple. Trevor was tall and handsome, while Celeste was demure and beautiful. But their appearances were where theirpatibility ended. In every other aspect, Celeste felt woefully Inadequate. Teagan and Queenie refrained from dampening Martha¡¯s enthusiasm even though they thought she was just wasting her time. That night, per Martha¡¯s wishes, everyone stayed overnight in Fleming Manor. At around 8:00 pm, Trevor apanied Martha to her study to discuss business matters. Meanwhile, Jordyn tugged on Celeste¡¯s hand, saying she wanted to bathe and sleep. Celeste went upstairs with her to help her get ready for bed. Sitting in the small bathtub, Jordyn looked at Celeste and hesitantly asked, ¡°Mom, are you busy tomorrow morning?¡± Though she was willing to let Celeste take her to school the next day, she secretly wished Wynn could go instead. Celeste shook her head and replied, ¡°I¡¯m not busy. Why?¡± Jordyn pouted slightly in disappointment upon hearing that She muttered, ¡°Never mind.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t press her further. After Jordyn was done taking a bath, Celeste dried her hair gently. Once her hair was dry, Jordyn yawned and said she wanted to sleep. Celeste noticed her gaze lingering on her phone, so she reminded her, ¡°You can look at it for a little while, but you need to sleep by 9:30 pm. Don¡¯t stay up toote, okay?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Jordyn replied, though she felt a bit annoyed. She wanted to message Wynn about the change in ns for tomorrow, but she didn¡¯t want to upset her. Hence, she hurriedly pushed Celeste toward the door irritably. ¡°Mom, you can go now. I¡¯ll turn off my phone and sleep by 9:30.¡± Jordyn was usually disciplined in such matters, so Celeste nodded and bid her goodnight before leaving the room. As soon as Celeste was gone, Jordyn locked the door behind her. Celeste paused for a moment when she heard the soft click of the door lock. She didn¡¯t think that Jordyn was guarding against anyone else¨Cit was likely only her. Jordyn probably wanted to discuss something with Wynn. As Celeste thought, Jordyn immediately opened her phone and messaged Wynn on WhatsApp. Celeste had no way of knowing what they talked about, nor did she care to find out. She returned to her room. Having spent years visiting Fleming Manor, she had many of her belongings stored there. She found pajamas and took a shower. Afterward, she sat on her usualled a +25 BONUS Chapter brought in her bag. Time passed unnoticed, and her eyes grew tired. She checked the clock and realized it was already 11:30 pm, but Trevor had yet to return. She wondered whether he wasn¡¯t nning toe back at all or if he was busy with work. Lost in thought, Celeste found herself leaving the bedroom and heading downstairs. That was when she heard a voice from the shadows. ¡°Everyone else has gone to bed. Are you avoiding going back because Celeste is there? You don¡¯t want to face her, do you?¡± The Scent of 13 Chapter 13 It was Teagan¡¯s voice. Celeste turned toward the source and saw both Teagan and Trevor. She stopped in her tracks. Trevor was smoking in silence. The distance between them was too far, and with Trevor standing against the light, Celeste couldn¡¯t make out his expression. Teagan said, ¡°Honestly, I understand. I¡¯ve met Wynn a few times. She¡¯s only 25 and already has a PhD from one of the top universities in the world. I hear she¡¯s also handling her family¡¯s business quite well. ¡°She¡¯s beautiful, wild, and untamed. Her brilliance and allure are rare. I get why she¡¯d attract you. But her background is¡­ less than respectable. Trevor, have you really thought this through? You Trevor cut her off. ¡°I know what kind of woman I want.¡± Teagan frowned. While she didn¡¯t think highly of Celeste, she wasn¡¯t impressed by Wynn either. ¡°But-¡°she began, but the displeasure in Trevor¡¯s eyes stopped her short. She scoffed. ¡°Fine, fine. You¡¯re so protective; I can¡¯t even say a word. I¡¯ll shut up, okay?¡± Celeste stood there, clutching her hands, the night wind stinging her cheeks. She let out a bitter chuckle and lost all interest in eavesdropping further. Quietly, she turned to leave. As Celeste walked away, Teagan seemed to recall something. ¡°Oh, by the way, Celeste mentioned she¡¯s submitted her resignation and ns to leave thepany?¡± Trevor replied, ¡°Jacob told me she made a mistake two days ago, and he was pretty upset. I told him to followpany protocol and terminate her.¡± Teagan snorted and said, ¡°That exins it. When she mentioned it earlier, she made it sound like she was resigning voluntarily. I knew there was no way she¡¯d willingly quit. Turns out she got fired. Ha!¡± Trevor didn¡¯t respond, as if the matter had nothing to do with him. Upstairs, Celeste was heading to her room when she almost collided with Tucker, who wasing down. Both of them were startled. Once they regained theirposure, Tucker apologized first and asked worriedly. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Aside from Martha, Tucker was the only member of the Fleming family who treated her kindly. Celeste shook her head and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± When Celeste and Trevor got married, Tucker was just a kid and didn¡¯t understand much of what had happened. Over the years, he¡¯d always thought Celeste was beautiful and kind. After their marriage, she had never started arguments with Trevor and was always tolerant of him. If his future wife were like Celeste, Tucker thought, he¡¯d treat her with nothing but care. Thus, even after he grew up and learned the full story, he was still fond of Celeste. Noticing that she seemed slightly upset, he figured it had to do with Trevor. Tucker scratched his head and said sincerely, ¡°Celeste, you¡¯re a wonderful person. Trevor will see that one day. Don¡¯t let it get to you.¡± Celeste paused. She didn¡¯t want to exin that she and Trevor were on the brink of divorce, so she smiled and said, ¡°Thank you, Tucker.¡± ¡°I¡¯m heading downstairs to grab a drink. It¡¯ste. You should get some rest.¡± ¡°Okay. Goodnight,¡± Celeste replied with a smile. the di Once back in her room, Celeste turned off the main light, left only the dim bedsidemp on, andy down. Not long after, she heard Trevor¡¯s footsteps as he entered the bedroom. Celeste opened her eyes and met Trevor¡¯s gaze. She stared at him. In the past, she would¡¯ve gotten up to hang his jacket, cheerfully found his pajamas, and prepared a bath for him. But now, she stayed in bed and slowly closed her eyes. Though indifferent to her usual care and attention, Trevor noticed the stark difference in her behavior. He seemed surprised but dismissed it, assuming she was just throwing a tantrum. He didn¡¯t care enough to figure out why and stated coolly, ¡°Jo¡¯s enrollment paperwork is finalized. Take her to school tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Trevor said nothing more and turned toward the closet to grab his clothes for a shower. That was how he treated her. Watching his back, Celeste thought of their divorce. She wanted to ask when they could finalize it, but Trevor was busy. And knowing his personality, he¡¯d handle everything himself without needing her to remind him. After all, he wanted the divorce more than she did. That was why, for the past two weeks, she had silently waited for him to bring it up and never urged him. Just then, Trevor¡¯s phone rang. Celeste saw him answer it. His tone was noticeably softer returned after leaving the previous night, but Celeste no longer cared Her expression remained calm as she nced at the time. Realizing Jordyn wasn¡¯t up yet, she walked over to her room to wake her. Jordyn¡¯s door was locked, and Celeste had to knock After a while, Jordyn finally opened it with her lips pursed in annoyance, ¡°Mom, why did you have to knock so loudly? My head¡¯s pounding now.¡± Last night, Jordyn had told Wynn about the situation. Although Wynn reassured her that it was only natural for Celeste, as her mother, to take her to school, she could tell Wynn had sounded disappointed. Jordyn had felt guilty about it all night, so much so that she had several nightmares. Being woken up by Celeste now only soured her mood further. Celeste looked at Jordyn¡¯s pouty face but didn¡¯t get angry. She replied nicely, ¡°The school¡¯s far. If you don¡¯t get up soon, we won¡¯t make it in time.¡± Jordyn huffed but said nothing. As much as she disliked the arrangement, she knew better than to throw a tantrum over going to school. She flopped back onto the bed, grumbling, ¡°Fine. I know.¡± After a while, she peeked at Celeste. ¡°Mom, can you squeeze toothpaste on my brush for me?¡± ¡°Alright After Celeste entered the bathroom, Jordyn picked up her phone and sent Wynn a good morning text before going to brush her teeth. By the time she finished brushing, Celeste had wrung out a hot towel for her and handed it over. ¡°Which outfit do you want to wear?¡± Celeste asked while ncing through the closet. Jordyn gave the options a quick nce and said, ¡°Mom, I can change on my own. You can go now.¡± Celeste closed the closet. ¡°Alright.¡± Once Celeste left, Jordyn dug out an outfit she had brought from home the day before¨Ca shy camouge shirt Wynn had chosen for her. She couldn¡¯t wait to wear it to show her support for Wynn! The Scent of 14 The thought of Wynn¡¯s racingpetition tonight and seeing her looking as cool as ever lifted Jordyn¡¯s spirits. After putting on the outfit, she grabbed her phone for another look. Almost immediately, she frowned. Normally, Wynn replied to her texts quickly. But this time, she hadn¡¯t responded at all, not even after Jordyn had finished getting ready Could Wynn be upset? Panic bubbled up in Jordyn as she quickly typed out another message. ¡°Wynn, are you mad at me? You know I didn¡¯t want Mom to take me to school but you! Please don¡¯t be mad at me, okay?¡± Even after a while, there was no reply. Celeste came back to check on her. ¡°Jo, are you done? It¡¯s time to go down for breakfast.¡± Frustrated, Jordyn snapped, ¡°I know! Mom, do you have to always nag? You¡¯re so annoying!¡± With that, she grabbed her bag and stormed downstairs. Celeste quietly followed. She did notice, however, that Jordyn¡¯s outfit looked unfamiliar. Celeste had always been the one to prepare Jordyn¡¯s clothes While she¡¯d always ensured Jordyn liked what she picked, Jordyn¡¯s preferences had shifted drastically since visiting Andostan with Trevor. Apparently, it was because Jordyn had taken up climbing and skateboarding under Wynn¡¯s influence. Wynn was not only academically aplished but also an adventurous, charismatic woman with many hobbies. Jordyn idolized her, to the point of adopting her style and interests. Celeste was saddened by Jordyn¡¯s growing attachment to Wynn but never voiced her feelings. She even adjusted her choices when buying clothes for Jordyn, tailoring them to her current tastes. Yet, Jordyn barely touched anything Celeste bought. She only wore outfits Wynn selected for her. Seeing Jordyn in the camouge outfit, Celeste could guess exactly where it came from. Nheless, she simply acted as though she hadn¡¯t noticed and walked downstairs with her usualposure. Teagan and the others were still asleep, but Martha was already awake. ¡°Cel, Jo, you¡¯re up early.¡± Celeste greeted with a smile, ¡°Good morning, Grandma.¡± Jordyn mumbled, ¡°Morning, Nana,¡± Martha noticed her tonecking enthusiasm and asked, ¡°Jo, are you upset? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jordyn didn¡¯t respond. She didn¡¯t feel like talking. Peter, who had heard Celeste knocking on Jordyn¡¯s door earlier, chimed in with a chuckle. ¡°She¡¯s probably just grumpy from being woken up too early.¡± Martha smiled at Peter¡¯sment but turned to Celeste. ¡°Where¡¯s Trevor? Is he still asleep?¡± Celeste remainedposed. ¡°He went outst night for something.¡± Martha¡¯s face darkened. She had a good idea of what that ¡°something¡± might be. However, since Jordyn was present, she refrained from criticizing Trevor openly and let it go. After breakfast, as they were preparing to leave, Jordyn realized she had forgotten something and ran upstairs to fetch it. Celeste stayed downstairs, waiting for her. Momentster, Jordyn¡¯s phone buzzed on the table. The screen lit up, disying the contact name ¡°Wynn¡± with a heart emoji. Celeste froze for a moment. Though Jordyn was still young, Celeste had always respected her privacy. She¡¯d never once snooped through her phone. But now, Celeste couldn¡¯t help picking up the phone She quickly scanned their chat history and pieced together why Jordyn had been irritable all morning. Jordyn messaged Wynn each morning to say good morning, and they chatted frequently at length. Hearing the elevator, Celeste swiftly ced the phone back where it had been. When Jordyn returned and saw that Wynn had replied, her mood shifted instantly. Wynn¡¯s message reassured her that she would never be mat at Jordyn and that she had only woken up earlier. Jordyn beamed with happiness after reading the message. Celeste nced back subtly. She knew exactly what had brightened Jordyn¡¯s mood but said nothing. Meanwhile, Jordyn was too engrossed in her joy and didn¡¯t notice Celeste¡¯s nce. After that, Jordyn sat in the backseat of the car and happily chatted with Wynn on her phone. asionally, she would sneak nces at Celeste to see if she was paying attention. However, Celeste remained focused on driving. Satisfied, Jordyn continued messaging The distance to the school was considerable. After about half an hour of chatting, Jordyn set her phone aside. As her mood was now entirely lifted, she began talking to Celeste. ¡°Mom, are you free this afternoon?¡± Celeste asked without looking back, ¡°Why?¡± Jordyn, avoiding the question, whined yfully, ¡°Just tell me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot going ontely. I don¡¯t have time. What is it?¡± Jordyn grinned. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± She thought giddily, ¡°If Morn is busy, she won¡¯t have time to pick me up after school. That means I can go straight to Wynn after ss without worrying about being caught.¡± At school, Celeste apanied Jordyn to speak with her homeroom teacher, Donna Alper. Donna then led them to Jordyn¡¯s ssroom. Just as they were about to enter, a sweet, childlike voice called out, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez!¡± Celeste paused and turned, only to see a tiny figure barreling toward her. Hastily, she crouched to catch the child so that they wouldn¡¯t fall. When the child looked up, Celeste quickly recognized her. ¡°Sylvia?¡± +25 BONUS It was indeed Sylvia, the little girl she had saved from a dog attack several days ago. ¡°Mm¨Chmm!¡± Sylvia smiled brightly, looking particrly adorable with her twin braids. Celeste¡¯s voice softened instinctively. ¡°Sylvia, do you go to school here too¡± Before she could finish, Jordyn abruptly pushed Sylvia aside ¡°Jo¡± Celeste eximed as she caught Sylvia from falling. Sylvia, are you okay?¡± Sylvia shook her head and looked at Jordyn confusedly. ¡°Why¡­ Why did you push me?¡± Jordyn had initially been confused by Sylvia¡¯s sudden appearance. But when she noticed how close Celeste seemed to be with Sylvia, she became annoyed. Sylvia was on the verge of tears, and Jordyn¡¯s face twisted with disdain. ¡°You¡¯re so weak. You look ugly and disgusting in pink!¡± The Scent of 15 Sylvia looked sweet and adorable, and her outfit was perfectly suited to her age. Anyone would want to hug and shower her with affection. It was out of ce to be associating her with words like ¡°ugly¡± or ¡°disgusting¡°. Sylvia had grown up surrounded bypliments, and this was the first time someone had ever said something so mean to her. Sylvia burst into tears and chung tightly to Celeste. Celeste immediately held her and said, ¡°That¡¯s not true, Sylvia. You¡¯re not disgusting at all. You¡¯re beautiful and so, so cute. Don¡¯t you think so too?¡± Sylvia¡¯s sobs softened as her spirits lifted a little. Before she could respond, Jordyn¡¯s reddening eyes filled with Indignation as she watched Celeste continue to hold Sylvia and praise her. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t like you anymore! I don¡¯t want you to be my mom!¡± Jordyn shouted before running off. Celeste quickly reached out and caught her. Jordyn¡¯s hurtful words had taken her by surprise. While Celeste was upset, she didn¡¯t want to scold her in public and cause her further embarrassment. Pulling her into a hug, Celeste kissed her forehead. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be upset¡­¡± Jordyn felt her anger subside slightly at the kiss. But now, her frustration turned into a flood of tears, and she demanded petntly, ¡°Then¡­ then you can¡¯t hug her anymore! And you can¡¯t say she¡¯s cute!¡± It fin It finally dawned on Celeste why Jordyn was acting out¨Cshe was jealous. Though she¡¯d just dered she didn¡¯t want Celeste as her mom anymore, the moment someone else seemed to take her ce, Jordyn couldn¡¯t stand it. The realization amused Celeste. She didn¡¯t promise anything but kissed Jordyn again to calm her. She carried both children away from the crowd for some privacy. Taking the opportunity, Jordyn shoved Sylvia out of Celeste¡¯s arms. Sylvia had a gentle temperament despite her young age. While she adored Celeste, she didn¡¯t harbor the same possessiveness Jordyn did. Besides, Jordyn¡¯s fierce demeanor intimidated her a little. Still holding Jordyn, Celeste spoke softly, ¡°Jo, I know you¡¯re very cool, but everyone has different tastes. You love being cool and stylish, but some people like being sweet and adorable. ¡°You can¡¯t call someone ugly or disgusting just because their style isn¡¯t the same as yours. We should respect everyone¡¯s preferences. Do you understand what I mean?¡± Celeste knew her daughter was exceptionally smart. While some children might not grasp what she was saying, Jordyn certainly could. Jordyn did understand. She knew she had been wrong to say that about Sylvia. But deep down, she couldn¡¯t stand seeing Celeste holding and being kind to other children. She pursed her lips, refusing to speak. Celeste gently tousled her hair and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her tears. ¡°It¡¯s okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from them. But you can¡¯t say things like that to others again, alright?¡± Celeste¡¯s continued warmth and care cased Jordyn¡¯s temperat . She leaned into her embrace and nodded while sniffling ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste smiled and kissed her cheek before turning to Sylvia and saying, ¡°Sylvia, this is Jo, my daughter. She knows she made a mistake. Would you forgive her?¡± Sylvia hesitated as she was still a little wary of Jordyn. However, Celeste¡¯s gentle tone reassured her, and she nodded obediently. ¡°Okay, I forgive her. ¡°Thank you, Sylvia,¡± Celeste said with a smile, then looked at Jordyn ¡°Jo, what do you say?¡± Jordyn lifted her head from Celeste¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Sylvia offered a shy smile. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s okay.¡± With the situation resolved, Celeste breathed a sigh of relief and led both children to the ssroom. Donna came to take Sylvia, and Celeste crouched down to speak gently to Jordyn. ¡°It¡¯s over now. Head into your ssroom, okay?¡± +25 BC C The Scent of 16 hapter 16 Jordyn wasn¡¯t embarrassed or timid about having pushed or insulted Sylvia publicly earlier, and she didn¡¯t care what other kids thought of her. Yet as Celeste prepared to leave, she found herself reluctant to let go. ¡°Mom¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Celeste hugged her back, her voice warm. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I want to Jordyn suddenly remembered how long it had been since shest had one of Celeste¡¯s home¨Ccooked meals. The thought made her feel a pang of longing. But before the words left her mouth, she recalled she had ns to watch Wynn¡¯spetition that evening. Her eyes flickered with hesitation, and she let go of Celeste. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Celeste¡¯s cooking, could wait as she could enjoy it anytime. Watching Wynn¡¯spetition, on the other hand, a rare opportunity. Without much deliberation, Jordyn made her choice. ¡°Alright, then. Hurry inside and don¡¯t keep your teacher waiting.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± was Jordyn finally released her hold, but before stepping into the ssroom, she turned back and added, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t forget to call me at lunchtime.¡± Celeste nodded with a smile. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Only then did Jordyn enter the ssroom. Celeste stood for a moment and watched as Jordyn confidently introduced herself to the ss and then quietly took her seat Then, after waving goodbye, Celeste left the school and headed to Fleming Group for work. At the office, Celeste found Zeke waiting at her desk with someone else in tow. ¡°This is Naomi,¡± Zeke said. ¡°She¡¯ll be taking over your position.¡± Naomi Sanders was strikingly beautiful and dressed in designer brands from head to toe. She gave Celeste a once- over, noting her polished and clean¨Ccut demeanor. Though Naomi¡¯s gaze carried a hint of scrutiny, she masked it with a bright smile and extended her hand in greeting ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, I¡¯m Naomi, and I¡¯ll be learning from you for the next few days.¡± Celeste shook her hand politely. ¡°The pleasure¡¯s mine.¡± Naomi continued, ¡°I just graduated from Trellis College this June with my master¡¯s degree. Ms. Rodriguez, where did you study? Were you ¡± Celeste raised an eyebrow at the mention of Naomi¡¯s recent graduation. It suggested she might not have much work experience. Still, Celeste didn¡¯t jump to conclusions. Naomi could very well have unique strengths that made her suitable for the role. After all, Celeste herself had Chanter 16 be the team leader despite her colleagues¡® higher academic qualifications. At this thought, Celeste cut her off softly. ¡°Ms. Sanders, we have a meeting shortly. Let¡¯s focus on work for now. Naomiughed coquettishly. ¡°Oh, of course! Sorry for getting sidetracked. Let¡¯s discuss work.¡± While on their way to the meeting, Naomi leaned closer and asked in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ve heard Mr. Fleming is incredibly handsome. Is that true?¡± Celeste answered honestly, ¡°He is.¡± Naomi beamed with excitement. ¡°Now I¡¯m even more eager to meet him! But Mr. Jackson mentioned he wouldn¡¯t being to the office today¡­ such a shame.¡± That was news to Celeste, though it wasn¡¯t unusual. Trevor had multiple businesses to manage and rarely spent every day at Fleming Group. By lunchtime, Naomi dragged Celeste to the cafeteria for a meal. Once their trays were filled, Celeste took out her phone to call Jordyn. Naomi teased, ¡°Calling your boyfriend?¡± ¡°No, my daughter.¡± ¡°Your daughter? You¡¯re married?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Meanwhile, Jordyn was on a video call with Wynn. Trevor was there too. Jordyn pouted as she looked at the two of them. ¡°You two are so mean! Eating together without me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re at school. I¡¯ll pick you up after school, and the three of us can have dinner together. Deal? said Wynn. ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± Jordyn then nced at Trevor, who had just ced some food on Wynn¡¯s te. ¡°What do you want for dinner?¡± Trevor asked casually. ¡°I¡¯ll have.someone prepare it.¡± The Scent of 17 Trevor¡¯s words cheered Jordyn up, and she eagerly rattled off a list of her favorite dishes while Trevor listened attentive When she finished, Wynnplimented her outfit. ¡°Jo, your clothes look amazing today. They suit you so well ¡°Really?¡± Wynn smiled. ¡°Of course! How was school today? Did you get along with your ssmates?¡± The two chatted happily, while Trevor remained mostly silent as he calmly ate at a leisurely pace. A passing waitress who was unaware of their dynamic saw the trio and mistakenly assumed they were a family. She nced enviously at Wynn. At that moment, Jordyn saw an iing video call from Celeste. It was the call she had requested that morning. However, she was in the middle of an animated conversation with Wynn and was reluctant to end the call. Earlier that morning, seeing Celeste hug another child had opset her.) But during ss, the teacher had exined that parents always loved their children the most and that every child held a unique and irreceable ce in their mother¡¯s heart. This reassurance had put Jordyn at case. When Celeste noticed Jordyn hadn¡¯t answered her call, she grew concerned and decided to contact Donna. Donna was in the children¡¯s rest area and answered with a sinile after hearing Celeste¡¯s concern, ¡°Jo¡¯s fine. She¡¯s on a video call with her dad and a woman. If you¡¯d like, I can go let Jo know-¡± ¡°No need,¡± Celeste interjected. She could deduce that Jordyn was chatting with Wynn and Trevor, who were likely having lunch together. She spoke softly. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Let them enjoy their chat.¡± After ending the call, Celeste sent Jordyn a message instead to ask how her day at school was, whether she¡¯d made any new friends, and what she had for lunch. She also reminded her to listen to the teacher and nap when it was time. Over ten minutester, Celeste finally received a voice message from Jordyn. ¡°Got it, Mom.¡± By the afternoon, after spending a full day with Naomi, Celeste realized thetter was outgoing, sociable, anch quite capable at her work. At around 6:00 pm, as Celeste was about to head home, Nagini approached her and offered to take her out to dinner as thanks for her guidance. ¡°That¡¯s part of my jobs. No need to be so formal, Ms. Sanders.¡± Celeste replied with a polite smile. Naomi tried to persuade her further, but Celeste¡¯s phone rang It was from Queenie Scott, her mother¨Cinw.
Celeste almost thought she had read the caller ID wrong. Queenie had always looked down on her and barely interacted with her unless absolutely necessary. In all these years, she could count on one hand the number of times Queenie had reached out. Puzzled, Celeste answered, ¡°Mom?¡± ¡°Tucker¡¯s been secretly racing cars. I don¡¯t trust him. I¡¯ll send you the address. Go bring him back.¡± Then, Queenie promptly hung up. Moments , a text with the address followed. Celeste nced at the message and saw that the location was a racetrack on the outskirts of the city. Turning to Naomi, she said, ¡°Sorry, something urgent came up. I have to get going.¡± Over an hourter, Celeste arrived at the racetrack. The venue was expansive, bustling even at night, with the loud noise of engines and chatter filling the air. Celeste called Tucker¡¯s phone repeatedly, but he didn¡¯t pickup. Left with no choice, she began searching for him on foot. After nearly 20 minutes of weaving through the crowd, she finally spotted him. Tucker looked stunned when he saw her. ¡°Celeste? What are you doing here?¡± Celeste proceeded to exin that Queenie had told her to bring him back. The Scent of 18 Tucker raised his hand as if taking an oath. ¡°Today is CC¡¯s first race since returning to the country. She¡¯s the top female racer in the continent and my idol. I can¡¯t miss it! I swear I¡¯ll head back right after the race. So don¡¯t worry about me and go home.¡± ¡°But ¡°Celeste began, only to be interrupted by a chorus of excited voices ahead, shouting ¡°CC.¡± ¡°My idol ising out?¡± Tucker eximed,pletely forgetting about Celeste. He joined the crowd in cheering and raised his binocrs to focus on the starting line. Celeste was taken aback by Tucker¡¯s fanatical excitement. ¡°Since when were you into racing?¡± Though they weren¡¯t exactly close, she knew he hadn¡¯t shown any prior interest in racing ¡°I wasn¡¯t into it before, but that¡¯s because I hadn¡¯t met CC! Do you have any idea how gorgeous and cool she is? You¡¯ll get it when you see her, Celeste. I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯re going to fall for her too! She¡¯s perfect. Everyone. loves her!!! At that moment, CC made her entrance. Tucker started screaming again and momentarily forgot about Celeste¡¯s presence. Celeste hadn¡¯t had dinner yet. Considering how passionate Tucker was about CC and the fact that the deafening noise made conversation impossible, she decided to watch the race with him and take him home afterward. A whileter, Tucker handed her the binocrs enthusiastically. ¡°Celeste! Look, it¡¯s her! Number 38, in the red racing suit! Isn¡¯t she unbelievably sexy and wild?¡± Though Celeste had no interest in racing, she couldn¡¯t resist Tucker¡¯s infectious excitement. She reluctantly took the binocrs but froze after a nce. CC turned out to be Wynn. She¡¯d heard that Wynn dabbled in all sorts of extreme sports, but she had no idea Wynn raced professionally and garnered legions of devoted fans. Wynn stood tall and poised in a red racing suit, her figure athletic and curvaceous. Her presence exuded confidence, and her mix of wild elegance and striking allure made it impossible to look away. Celeste adjusted the binocrs and scanned the audience across from her. There she saw Trevor. He seemed equally mesmerized by Wynn, his eyes fixed intently on her, Celeste¡¯s grip on the binocrs tightened. As the race was about to begin, Tucker impatiently reimed the binocrs. Meanwhile, Celeste continued to nce toward Trevor¡¯s side. Trevor wasn¡¯t the only familiar face. Jordyn and Trevor¡¯s close¨Cknit circle of friends were also there, all undoubtedly gathered to cheer for Wynn. The race began with a deafening roar as the cars sped past in a blur, prompting a wave of cheers and screams from the crowd. Tucker shoved the binocrs back at Celeste. ¡°Look, Celeste! My idol is so bold yet precise. She¡¯s super cool! Watch her!¡± ? Celeste took the binocrs again and found Wynn. A momentter, Wynn executed a daring yet wlessly calcted overtake on a sharp turn which left the audience awestruck. Celeste, who had never paid much attention to racing, found herself captivated. She remained motionless for a long while. Suddenly, she understood why Trevor was infatuated with Wynn. It made perfect sense. §³ The Scent of 19 §á§Ñ§â§ä§Ö 19 Even Trevor, typicallyposed and reserved, wore an expression of admiration and awe. Next to him, Jordyn and Miles leaped from their seats in excitement. The race reached a fever pitch. Tucker reimed the binocrs once more, oblivious to the fact that Trevor and his group were also present. As the race paused, Wynn temporarily took the lead. Celeste asked Tucker for the binocrs again. Tucker beamed with delight. ¡°You¡¯ve fallen for CC too, haven¡¯t you? I told you, nobody can resist her!¡± Celeste smiled faintly without responding She was thinking of calling Trevor. She wanted to see how he would react but then dismissed the thought as she knew he¡¯d likely decline the call, as he always did. Still, just onest time, she thought. In the end, Celeste dialed Trevor¡¯s number and raised the binocrs again. Through them, she watched as Trevor nced at his phone and unhesitatingly ended the call before refocusing on Wynn. His eyes held only Wynn. Celeste inhaled deeply, smiled to herself, and returned the binocrs to Tucker. She didn¡¯t watch the rest of the race or nce in Trevor¡¯s direction again. By the race¡¯s end, Wynn had taken first ce. Tucker was ecstatic. He and his friends excitedly discussed approaching Wynn for an autograph. ¡°But CC¡¯s a wealthy heiress and a PhD holder from a prestigious university. Racing is just her hobby. She doesn¡¯t need fans, nor does she cater to them. She usually leaves right after a race and never gives autographs. It¡¯s basically impossible to get one. ¡°Yeah, and since this was a private event, we had a better shot. But the racers have their exclusive passageways, and we don¡¯t have any connections to get inside. s¡­¡± As Tucker and his friendsmented, word spread that Wynn had already left with her group to celebrate. Queenie called to check in, and Celeste turned down Tucker¡¯s plea to join his friends to take him home. Before leaving, Celeste stopped by the restroom. On her way out, she identally bumped into someone. ¡°Sorry,¡± both of them apologized simultaneously, stepping back. Celeste looked up and froze. It was Beck, one of Trevor¡¯s close friends. Beck recognized her too, and his already indifferent expression grew even colder. Celeste noticed this at once. She had met Trevor when she was ten, but Trevor and Beck had been childhood friends, inseparable since their school days. Their bond had always been unshakeable. Yet, Trevor had always excluded her from his circle, even after their marriage. So, even though she had known Beck and Miles for more than ten years, they were barely acquaintances. But despite knowing Wynn for only a short time, Trevor had already introduced her to his friends. The Scent of 20 So, when Wynn celebrated her birthday, Trevor had Beck and the others help her celebrate. This time, when Wynn had apetition, Beck and the others also came to watch It was said that Wynn¡¯s rtionship with Trevor¡¯s circle of friends had be very close. They were so close that even when Trevor wasn¡¯t around, they would always invite Wynn to any gatherings. Beck and the others hadpletely epted her as one of their own. Perhaps because of this, in the past couple of years, when they saw Celeste, they had grown more and more indifferent. In the past, Celeste had wanted to build a good rtionship with them. However, they had looked down on her and never gave her a chance. She had her pride, so she didn¡¯t force the issue once they had made their stance clear. But whenever they met, and when necessary, she would still greet them politely. Nheless, most of the time, she was either ignored or even looked down upon. This time, Celeste didn¡¯t intend to speak up. She bypassed Beck and left directly. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, I didn¡¯t know you were interested in racing.¡± Beck remarked coolly. He thought she had followed Trevor here. Celeste turned to face him, her voice icy, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Beck didn¡¯t bother hiding his disdain as he replied, ¡°Just thought someone like you doesn¡¯t seem the type to enjoy racing. I was curious.¡± ¡°Someone like me?¡± Celeste met his gaze steadily. ¡°Mr. Harper, do we know each other well? Do you think you understand me? If so, why don¡¯t you enlighten me what kind of person am I?¡± Celeste had always given Beck the impression of being quiet, gentle, and even a bit shy and reserved. But he believed this was just her facade. In reality, he thought Celeste was very calcting; otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have done such a despicable thing back then to win Trevor¡¯s affection. However, she pretended to be innocent and refused to admit that the whole thing had been her doing. Beck said nothing, his silenceden with judgment. He couldn¡¯t be bothered toment on Celeste, nor did he find her worth the effort. But today, the way Celeste spoke to him felt different from before. It was as if she had torn off her mask of pretense, no longer wanting to keep up the act. Yet, it still didn¡¯t seem entirely that way. While her gaze was cold, sharp, and clean, there was an undertone of mockery. It was as if she was mocking him for thinking he had seen through her and for standing on some moral high ground while passing judgment on her without understanding the situation fully. Celeste didn¡¯t care what Beck thought. She averted her gaze and left. Queenie had rented Tucker an apartment near his school. By the time Celeste dropped him off, it was already 11:00 ¦Ì¦Ð Tucker was hungry again despite having eaten dinner earlier. He suggested, ¡°Celeste, there¡¯s a spot nearby with greatte¨Cnight snacks. Let me treat you.¡± §³§á§Ñ§â§Ô§Ö§ä 20 Celeste hadn¡¯t had dinner yet. She was also in the mood for something warm to fill her stomach, hence she agreed. As soon as they sat down, her stomach let out a faint growl Tucker froze for a moment before it clicked. ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t have dinner?¡± ¡°No,¡± she replied. Tucker immediately looked sheepish. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Celeste, It¡¯s all my fault¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I wasn¡¯t hungry earlier.¡± Looking at her gentle and reassuring smile, Tucker felt awful. He thought Celeste was truly wonderful. It was just a pity that Trevor didn¡¯t feel the same way about her. What a shame. +25 DON The Scent of 21 When Trevor returned home after celebrating Wynn¡¯s victory, it was nearly 1:00 am. Peter noticed Trevor carrying a sleepy Jordyn and asked with concern, ¡°Why were you out so , Mr. Fleming?¡± Trevor responded with a hum and offered no further exnation. After settling Jordyn into her room, Trevor returned to his own, turned on the light, and noticed Celeste¡¯s absence. He asked Peter, ¡°She didn¡¯te home tonight?¡± ¡°Mrs. Fleming? No, she hasn¡¯t.¡± Trevor raised a brow in mild surprise. Celeste had rarely been staying at home the past few days. Frequent nights away were unusual for her. Could something serious have happened with the Rodriguez family? The next morning, Jordyn woke up beaming, still feeling the joy of her time spent with Wynn, Hugging her stuffed doll, she happily made her way to the master bedroom. ¡°Mom! Mom!¡± she called out cheerfully. But the room was empty. The smile on Jordyn¡¯s face faltered. Just then, Trevor stepped out of the walk¨Cin closet, already dressed for the day. ¡°Where¡¯s Mom?¡± Jordyn probed. Trevor adjusted his tie with practiced ease while replying nonchntly, not home.¡± ¡°She¡¯s ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°Ask her yourself.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jordyn called Celeste. Celeste had just returned from her morning jog. Seeing Jordyn¡¯s name on the screen, she answered it. Jordyn piped up eagerly, ¡°Mom! Where are you?¡± Instead of answering, Celeste asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Jo? Did you i something?¡± Aside from Lottle, no one knew where Celeste was staying she enjoyed the peace of living alone and wasn¡¯t ready to let anyone disrupt that just yet. For now, she wasn¡¯t nning to tell Jordyn where she was staying. With the phone on speaker, Jordyny sprawled across Celeste and Trevor¡¯s bed and whined, ¡°I miss you. Can you take me to school have to take me tomorrow morning, promise!¡± Celeste hesitated. She wasn¡¯t eager to return to that house. ¡°Mom?¡± Their conversation was on speaker, so Trevor overheard every word. Celeste¡¯s unusual hesitation caught his attention. Knowing Celeste¡¯s devotion to Jordyn, he assumed she would immediately agree. After a moment, Celeste suggested, ¡°How about you let your dad take you?¡± Jordyn truly missed Celeste. When her request wasn¡¯t immediately granted, she felt wronged and her eyes reddened. ¡°No¡­ than yesterday, you haven¡¯t taken me to school in so long!¡± Since she was so insistent, Celeste finally relented. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take you.¡± I you! Other Her agreement wasn¡¯t out of sentiment. Instead, it was a matter of responsibility. She had chosen to bring Jordyn into the world, so she owed it to her daughter. Jordyn¡¯s tears gave way to a bright smile. As Trevor fastened his watch, he noticed Jordyn was still engrossed in the conversation and reminded her, ¡°If you don¡¯t go down for breakfast now, you¡¯ll be .¡± Jordyn gasped. ¡°Oh no! I haven¡¯t brushed my teeth or washed my face yet. Mom, talkter!¡± Without waiting for Celeste to reply, she hastily ended the call. Setting her phone aside, Celeste finished her breakfast before heading to Fleming Group for work. - The Scent of 22 There was an important meeting in the morning that Trevor would also attend.. When Celeste and the others had been seated for more than ten minutes in the conference room, Trevor finally walked in. The moment he appeared, Naomi gasped, and her eyes shone with admiration as she couldn¡¯t tear her gaze away from him When the meeting officially began, she snapped out of her daze and tugged on Celeste¡¯s sleeve. Mr. Fleming is really handsome!¡± Celeste had only nced up when Trevor entered the room. At Naomi¡¯sment, she merely responded without lifting her head, ¡°Mm.¡± Naomi was surprised by Celeste¡¯s apparentck of interest but quickly reminded herself that Celeste was already married and had a child. Throughout the meeting, Naomi¡¯s heart fluttered as she couldn¡¯t stop staring at Trevor. She barely heard anything discussed during the meeting Celeste, on the other hand, was diligently taking notes on herptop. Once the meeting, ended, Trevor left first, and the others slowly followed. Naomi¡¯s heart still raced for a while after Trevor¡¯s departure. It wasn¡¯t until Zeke came over to pick up Celeste¡¯s notes that she finally snapped back to reality. Zeke flipped through the notes and couldn¡¯t help butpliment her. ¡°Not bad. Good work.¡± Celeste responded, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± After Zeke left, Naomi remembered she hadn¡¯t been paying attention to what was said during the meeting, so she quickly asked Celeste to send her a copy of the materials. Naomi felt a headacheing on as she looked at them. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, did you study architecture?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then how do you know so many of the industry¡¯s terms?¡± ¡°I found some books on my own and learned a bit, but it¡¯s only surface¨Clevel.¡± The projects Fleming Group invested in were diverse, and to do this job well, Celeste had spent years studying various industries. ¡°Really? Have you looked into medical books as well?¡± Yes.¡± Naomi was taken aback Tax After two days of working with her, Naomi realized that Celeste¡¯s ability to be the head of the secretarial team at such a young age was due to her genuinepetence. ¡°Which books have you read? Can you send me a list? I¡¯d like to check them out when I have time.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll send it to youter.¡± By noon, Celeste filtered through some of the books that Naomi might find useful and easier to start with, then sent her a list. Naomi stared at the lengthy list of 50 books, feeling a bit overwhelmed. In the afternoon, around 3:00 pm, Trevor had a client meeting, and Zeke asked Celeste to make a few cups of coffee and he would bring them over himself. Naomi was surprised to learn that Celeste was the one who made Trevor¡¯s coffee. But Zeke had insisted on delivering it himself instead of letting Celeste do it. Naomi thought this must be Trevor¡¯s way of preventing his subordinates from getting too close to him. Naomi tentatively asked, ¡°Have you never personally delivered coffee to Mr. Fleming?¡± ¡°Not exactly. Sometimes, if Zeke or the others are busy, they¡¯ll ask me to deliver it.¡± Naomi, who loved coffee but never intended to learn how to make it, had an idea. She asked eagerly, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, could you teach me how to make coffee the way Mr. Fleming likes it?¡± Even if opportunities were scarce, Naomi was determined to seize them. Celeste saw through Naomi¡¯s intentions but didn¡¯t mind. She replied, ¡°Sure.¡± She had already given up on Trevor, so there was no harm in sharing these skills with others. §³§á§Ñ§â§ä§Ö 23 The Scent of 23 At that moment, Zeke had just arrived in the break room and paused when he overheard Celeste and Naomi¡¯s conversation He and Jacob had always thought that Celeste wouldn¡¯t be able to leave thepany. They were confident that she would find a way to stay. When Naomi took over Celeste¡¯s duties, they expected Celeste to make a move. After all, Naomi was stunning How could Celeste let her stay so close to Trevor? However, during the past couple of days, Celeste had not only epted Naomi but also gotten along well with her. Now, she was even willing to teach Naomi how to make the coffee Trevor liked. What on earth was going on? Celeste was oblivious to Zeke¡¯s thoughts. She was focused on finishing her work and politely turned down Naomi¡¯s offer to go out for dinner that evening. She nned to head home for a quick meal and continue researching Al¨Crted topics. Just as she left thepany, her phone rang. It was Jordyn calling ¡°Mom, are you done with work?¡± Celeste got into the car and replied, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I want you to cook dinner. Can you make it when youe home?¡± Celeste paused. She and Trevor weren¡¯t officially divorced yet, and he hadn¡¯t called to ask her to move out. So, he probably wouldn¡¯t mind her going back to make dinner for Jordyn. But¡­ She was feeling a little tired and had her ns. Even though Jordyn was her responsibility, Celeste also had her own life. She wasn¡¯t willing to sacrifice her time unconditionally anymore just because of Jordyn. She replied, ¡°I have something to do today, maybe next time.¡± Celeste had always prioritized Trevor and Jordyn in the past and had almost never said no to them. But for the second time on this day, Celeste had to refuse Jordyn¡¯s request Although Jordyn simply assumed her mother really was busy, she had grown used to being the number one priority in Celeste¡¯s life. She felt a little hurt. ¡°Mom, why are you always so busytely? I don¡¯t care, I want you to make dinner!¡± ¡°Jo¡­¡± Celeste felt a headacheing on Jordyn huffed and hung up the phone angrily. Celeste teared up. She covered her eyes and sat in silence for a while before finally starting the car. At home, she grabbed a quick meal and hopped onto work. Just as she opened herptop, she received a call from Matthias. ¡°There¡¯s an event in a few days. Want toe with me? I¡¯d like to introduce you to a few people.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Matthias then asked, ¡°When will your handover beplete?¡± ¡°Soon, it should be in the next few days.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Meanwhile, Jordyn thought Celeste would hurry home tofort her and make dinner. But an hour had passed, and it was already close to 8:00 pm. Celeste still hadn¡¯t took a while before Trevor answered the phone. ¡°What is it?¡± After Peter exined the situation, Trevor replied, ¡°Give her the phone.¡± Jordyn sniffled as she picked up the phone. ¡°Dad¡­¡± ¡°Have dinner first.¡± Jordyn wiped her tears but stubbornly stayed silent. Trevor fell silent as well. Jordyn cried harder. ¡°I¡¯ll take you out this weekend. You can choose where you want to go.¡± Her sobbing stopped immediately. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. Now, eat your dinner first.¡± ¡°Have you eaten, Dad?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at a social event.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ ¡°Go eat.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Jordyn pouted but felt better and hung up. She went downstairs to eat without furtherint. After the call, Trevor returned to the private room, where someone joked, ¡°Mr. Fleming, you sure have many calls to take.¡® Trevor took a sip of his drink. ¡°My daughter was throwing a tantrum and refused to eat. ad to The Scent of 24 The others exchanged nces. For years, there had been rumors that Trevor had been married for some time, but no one knew who his wife was Some even said he was never married at all. The truth remained unclear, and they dared not ask too many questions. Now that Trevor had casually mentioned having a daughter, many were surprised, But most didn¡¯t dare to probe After dinner, Jordyn continued waiting for Celeste to return home. By 9:00 pm, after taking a shower, Jordyn was still anxiously awaiting. She kept listening for any sounds outside. When she heard a car approaching around 10:00 pm, she rushed downstairs excitedly. ¡°Mom-¡± Her cheerful voice halted when she saw Trevor walking in instead. ¡°Dad?¡± Trevor handed his coat to Peter and noticed the disappointment on Jordyn¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I thought Mom was back¡­¡± Trevor wasn¡¯t bothered by the typical ¡°kids only care about their mom¡± sentiment. He paused for a moment and said, ¡°She¡¯s not back yet?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± He shrugged. ¡°She must be busy. Didn¡¯t she promise to take you to school tomorrow morning? Go to bed early, and you¡¯ll see her when you wake up.¡± Hearing this, Jordyn cheered up a little. ¡°Okay.¡± After that, Trevor went to the study to take care of some work. By the time he was finished, it was already close to midnight. He had assumed that Celeste had returned while he was busy. But when he got back to their room, he realized that Celeste still hadn¡¯te home. It seemed like something was going on with the Rodriguez family. Thinking this, Trevor calmly entered the bathroom. The next day, Celeste woke up early because she had to take Jordyn to school. She had a quick breakfast and then drove off As the car entered the familiar neighborhood, Celeste experienced a brief moment of disorientation. She had lived there for nearly seven years, and although it had only been about 20 days since she left, it felt as if she hadn¡¯t been back for half a lifetime. In reality, nothing in the neighborhood had changed. Yet, Celeste already felt a sense of unfamiliarity. Peter saw her and quickly came out to greet her. ¡°Mrs. Fleming, you¡¯re back.¡± Celeste paused at the form of address but ultimately didn¡¯t correct him.. She nodded and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Jo?¡± ¡°She should still be asleep.¡± +26 BONUS The timing was tight. If Jordyn didn¡¯te downstairs soon, she¡¯d miss breakfast. But Celeste didn¡¯t upstairs herself. Instead, she had Hannah go upstairs to hurry Jordyn along Peter asked, ¡°Mrs. Fleming, have you had breakfast? It¡¯s ready, would you like some?¡± Celeste smiled faintly and shook her head. ¡°No need, I¡¯ve already eaten.¡± ¡°I see, okay then¡± At that moment, Trevor came downstairs.. Celeste nced at him and merely gave him a brief nod as a greeting. to go Trevor paused in his steps, but before he could say anything, Jordyn came running down the stairs and threw herself into Celeste¡¯s arms. Celeste held her and gently ruffled her hair. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, you should go eat breakfast.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Trevor was right when he¡¯d said she would see Celeste when she woke up! Jordyn was delighted and snuggled closer to Celeste, breathing in her familiar scent. Feeling content, she pulled Celeste toward the dining room and said, ¡°Mom,e eat with me.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t move. ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten. You go ahead.¡± Jordyn whined, ¡°Then at least talk to me.¡± While the two chatted, Trevor had already sat down at the dining table. Celeste couldn¡¯t resist Jordyn¡¯s request and sat down across from Trevor. Peter poured a ss of water for her, and she quietly listened to Jordyn enthusiastically recounting events from school the day before. Shepletely ignored Trevor, Naturally, Trevor noticed the change in Celeste¡¯s attitude. Thest time they had been at Fleming Manor, she had acted the same way. Frowning, Trevor paused his eating. The Scent of 25 Just then, Trevor¡¯s phone rang. Celeste happened to nce over and saw that the iing call disyed the word ¡°Babe¡± on the screen. She had convinced herself that she no longer cared, but after loving someone for so many years, it wasn¡¯t easy to let gopletely. The sight of those two words stung her eyes, and she quickly averted her gaze. Trevor noticed her reaction when he looked up, but without hesitation, he answered the phone right in front of her and spoke in a gentle tone, ¡°Yes?¡± Jordyn also noticed Trevor¡¯s actions. In Jordyn¡¯s memory, Trevor only showed this kind of tenderness when speaking to Wynn. For a moment, she forgot that Celeste was there and excitedly asked, ¡°Dad, is that Wynn?¡± Trevor calmly replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Jordyn wanted to say that she wanted to chat with Wynn too but hesitated, remembering that Celeste didn¡¯t like Wynn. She swallowed the words back, her good mood slightly dampened. Wynn¡°! She furrowed her brow and couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡°If only Mom could get along om could get along with W Wynn must have said something that made Trevor frown with concern. He didn¡¯t even finish his breakfast and left in a hurry. Jordyn noticed how urgently Trevor was leaving and felt concerned too. But because Celeste was there, she didn¡¯t ask any questions. However, she had lost her appetite and stood up saying, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m done, let¡¯s go now.¡± Celeste had observed every subtle reaction from Jordyn and knew thetter was anxious to find out what was going on with Wynn. But she said nothing about it. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten much, take some with you in the car.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t insist. As soon as Jordyn got into the backseat, she sent a message to Wynn. Celeste saw it but didn¡¯tment, A little whileter, Wynn replied, saying it was just a fever and a cold, nothing serious. But her voice sounded a little hoarse, which made Jordyn even more worried. She quickly sent a message telling Wynn she would visit her after school. The moment the message was sent, Jordyn felt a twinge of guilt. She hadn¡¯t had Celeste¡¯s cooking in a long time, and she had nned to have dinner with herter that night. But fortunately, she hadn¡¯t mentioned it yet. Thinking about it, she sneaked a nce at Celeste in the driver¡¯s seat. When she saw Celeste wasn¡¯t paying attention to her, she felt relieved. When they arrived at school, Jordyn gave Celeste a warm hug. ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll go in now.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Jordyn didn¡¯t notice Celeste¡¯s indifference and cheerfully bounced off to school. Not long after returning to thepany, Celeste received a message saying Trevor had an urgent matter, and the meeting scheduled for 10:00 am was postponed to the afternoon. Trevor¡¯s ¡°urgent matter¡± was, in fact, that he went to care for the sick Wynn. Celeste didn¡¯t react much and continued to focus on her work. Around 2:00 pm, it seemed Trevor had returned to thepany because Zeke told everyone that the meeting would start at 3:00 pm and asked Celeste to make Trevor a cup of coffee. When Trevor entered the conference room, Celeste¡¯s fingers suddenly froze over the keyboard. He had changed clothes. It wasn¡¯t the same outfit he wore this morning. He had gone to see Wynn earlier, and though they might not have done anything, Trevor might have gone tofort her, maybe even staying in bed with her¡­ At this thought, Celeste momentarily lost focus. Perhaps Trevor assumed she was making an inappropriate disy of infatuation toward him. When she snapped out of her daze, she found Trevor staring at her with a steely gaze, Recalling his tenderness and care for Wynn in contrast with the impatience and indifference he showed her, Celeste clenched her fists and quickly looked away The meeting ended soon after, and Zeke came to find Celeste, saying that her handover work was nearly finished and that she didn¡¯t need toe to thepany the next day. Celeste replied, ¡°I know.¡± Even if Zeke hadn¡¯t mentioned it, she¡¯d already nned to bring it up afterpleting her remaining tasks. It was a relief he came in person, so she wouldn¡¯t have to make the trip herself. The Scent of 26 Zeke didn¡¯t expect her to agree so decisively. ¡°You¡­¡± Celeste stretched out her hand as she said, ¡°Thank you for taking care of me over the years.¡± Zeke hadn¡¯t yet recovered from his surprise but still reached out to shake her hand. ¡°It was nothing.¡± Then, Celeste packed her things and left. Zeke was still in disbelief as Celeste walked away. ¡°Why are you zoning out?¡± Jacob patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Celeste left thepany,¡± Jacob paused for a moment. ¡°Really?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe it. He then said with a snort, ¡°She might be leaving now, but that doesn¡¯t mean she won¡¯t find a way toe back. I bet not long from now, she¡¯ll be back with help from Mrs. Heming Senior.¡± Zeke didn¡¯t say anything. Though it seemed unbelievable, he was starting to think Celeste might actually be serious about leaving after the way she had been acting recently. After leaving Fleming Group, Celeste went straight home. She didn¡¯t receive any calls from Jordyn in the next two days as thetter was probably upied with Wynn. Late into the night the following day, Lottie developed a fever. Celeste hurriedly closed the book she was reading, grabbed the car keys, and left the house. It had been raining all day, and the rain showed no signs of letting up even at this hour. Lottie lived in the old town area, and there were hardly any people or cars on the road. Celeste stopped by a pharmacy near Lottie¡¯s neighborhood to pick up some medicine. As she was getting into the car, she suddenly heard the passenger side door open, and a tall figure got in. Celeste¡¯s heart skipped a beat. As she turned her head, a ck gun barrel was pointed straight at her. Don¡¯t move.¡± The man was dressed in ck and wore a mask. The brim of his hat was pulled low to obscure his face, though she could see his cold and sharp gaze. Celeste raised her hands slightly and remained still. He took her bag and phone. ¡°I won¡¯t harm you. You can leave after you take me where I need to go.¡± Before Celeste could react, he ordered coldly, ¡°Drive.¡± The area around them waspletely deserted and the pharmacy was a bit of a distance away. While Celeste assessed the situation, she noticed a strong, pungent smell of blood in the car. She paused, then started the engine and asked, ¡°Where to?¡± ¡°Silverleaf Wharf. I¡¯ll tell you the specific directions.¡± ¡°No need, I know the way,¡± Celeste responded and drove off For the rest of the ride, Celeste focused on driving while the man remained silent. Silverleaf Wharf was about half an hour away, and Celeste drove with steady precision. The man kept his gun up, and the way he looked at her slowly changed. But Celeste didn¡¯t notice. After a while, he spoke again. ¡°Stop under the tree ahead.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste smoothly pulled over. The man¡¯s gun was still aimed at her. As he got out of the car, she retrieved her bag and calmly started to go through it. ¡°I have some medicine for your wound,¡± she said. The strong scent of blood in the car grew more intense during the drive, and Celeste knew the man must have been seriously injured. The man hesitated but ignored her offer. He got out of the car and quickly disappeared into the darkness. Since he hadn¡¯t epted her help, Celeste didn¡¯t push it. She turned the car around and left. A few minutester, the man boarded a boat that hade to pick him up. He removed his hat and mask, and his phone rang. As he had someone tend to his wound, he answered the call. you. Where Before he could speak, Miles hurriedly asked, ¡°Beck, are you alright? My men said they didn¡¯t get to you. are you?¡± ¡°There was a little incident, but I¡¯m at the wharf now.¡± ¡°Good, that¡¯s a relief. What happened? You scared me to death!¡± After a brief exchange, Beck hung up the phone and looked at the tree in the distance, deep in thought. Celeste had returned to Lottie¡¯s ce about half an hourter. After taking her medicine and eating some food, Lottie felt a little better. ¡°Why do I smell blood? Cel, did you get hurt?¡± she asked with a frown. ¡°No.¡± It was the man who had been injured. When he took her phone and bag, some of the blood had gotten on them. She had wiped it when she got back, but apparently, she hadn¡¯t cleaned it all off. The Scent of 27 After Lottie¡¯s fever hadpletely subsided, Celeste returned home. She hadn¡¯t yet prepared a dress for the uing banquet, so in the afternoon, she headed out to shop for one. At a high¨Cend boutique, the store manager and several attendants were busy with a particr dress. It wasn¡¯t until Celeste approached that they noticed her presence. ¡°Sorry, miss, how can we help you? ¡°I¡¯m just looking around.¡± ¡°Of c course. Though Celeste had be part of an affluent family like the Flemings, she¡¯s attended very few banquets over the years. After all, Trevor and Queenie never took her along to any formal events. As for Martha, she¡¯d stepped out of the limelight long ago and had no interest in the social scene. Celeste wasn¡¯t an expert on dresses, but Lottie worked in high¨Cend fashion. Hence, she had developed a basic sense of style. However, the boutique was filled with so many beautiful dresses that it was hard to choose. She wasn¡¯t looking to be too picky and just wanted something simple. Just as Celeste thought so, the dress the attendants had been busy with earlier caught her eye. It was a light purple semi¨Csheer chiffon gown with a waist¨Ccinching design, adorned with intricate floral details. The model¡¯s neck was graced with an elegant, luxurious ne. Without thinking, Celeste walked over. As she was about to reach out and feel the fabric, the store manager suddenly grabbed her hand forcefully, causing her to wince in pain. He quickly released her hand and exined, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, miss, I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you. This dress is a custom piece for one of our high¨Cend clients, and there¡¯s only one in the world. It¡¯s quite expensive, and if anything happens to it, we can¡¯t cover it¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Celeste said, though she was a little disappointed that the dress was taken. The boutique had dresses ranging from several tens of thousands to over a million dors, and even the most expensive dresses seemed mundane next to the one she had just seen. In the end, Celeste chose a delicate Ivory silk gown with floral embroidery. When she was paying and having the dress wrapped up, she overheard two attendants talking son ly nearby. ¡°They say the ne and the dress together are worth over 30 million dors, That¡¯s like wearing a mansion on your body. Rich people really are extravagant.¡± ¡°Tell me about it. Plus, they¡¯ll probably only wear it once¡­ Celeste hadn¡¯t expected the dress to be that expensive. Even if it weren¡¯t imed by anyone else, she certainly couldn¡¯t have afforded it. Celeste shook her head and turned to leave. Back at home, Lottie called to tell her she would be taking her out for a big meal the next night. When she found out that Celeste was attending the banquet Lottie hurried over in the afternoon to help do Celeste¡¯s styling Celeste had a good eye for fashion, and with Lottie¡¯s skillful makeup, Celeste¡¯s elegant and graceful appearance was beautifully enhanced. When Matthias came to pick her up that evening, he was immediately taken aback when he saw Celeste. ¡°You look stunning. The dress suits you perfectly.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± As the they got into the car, Matthias asked, ¡°So, you¡¯re officially returning to thepany tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Just in time for Wynn.¡± Realizing she didn¡¯t know who Wynn was, he added, ¡°She¡¯s the algorithm genius I mentioned before. She¡¯ll be starting tomorrow. I¡¯ll introduce you to her.¡± Chapter 20. The Scent of 28 Celeste¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°Wynn? Do you mean Wynn Locket? The one who returned from Andostan recently? Matthias nodded, surprised. ¡°Yes. Do you know her?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my half¨Csister.¡± Matthias was dumbfounded. Although he knew a little about Celeste¡¯s family situation, he hadn¡¯t expected such a coincidence. Celeste¡¯s gaze turned cold, and she added, ¡°She¡¯s also Trevor¡¯s lover.¡± The car suddenly screeched to a halt.. Matthias¡® eyes widened in shock. ¡°You-¡± Celeste shook her head and kept a coolposure. She said ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just don¡¯t agree with her joining ourpany.¡± Matthias agreed without hesitation. ¡°I support your decision.¡± Celeste felt touched. ¡°Thank you.¡± After a pause, she said, ¡°But that means you¡¯ll be losing a genius.¡± Chuckling, Matthias shook his head and nced at her. He replied with utmost sincerity, ¡°She may be an algorithm genius, butpared to you, she¡¯s nothing.¡± Celeste was stunned. She thought Matthias was exaggerating, but he stated, ¡°I¡¯m just being honest.¡± Celeste hadn¡¯t expected him to say that. After thinking for a moment, she asked, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since shest did her interview. Why hasn¡¯t she started yet?¡± Matthias shrugged. ¡°She said she had some things to take care of. I didn¡¯t press her for details.¡± After more than ten minutes, they arrived at their destination. Matthias noticed Celeste was lost in thought and asked, ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t understand why she would want to join ourpany. Theirpany was doing well, but there were biggerpanies in the country. With Wynn¡¯s background and education, she had plenty of options. While Celeste was a major shareholder, her identity wasn¡¯t made public for specific reasons. Wynn probably didn¡¯t know about her connection to thepany, so she couldn¡¯t possibly be targeting her. Matthias rubbed his chin and suddenly grinned. ¡°During our chat the other day, she mentioned ourpany¡¯s programmingnguage and said she was very interested in Cuap.¡± Cuap was the programmingnguage Celeste had designed with a team when she was 17. At the time, many people thought it was ordinary. In recent years though, it had be thepany¡¯s most formidable asset. Many professionals had tried to analyze it, but none had seeded. Now, it was considered a benchmark in the Industry. It seemed that Wynn hade for this programmingnguage. ¡°Now that you mention it, many talented people have joined ourpany because of Cuap over the past few years, ¡± remarked Matthias. Celeste hadn¡¯t realized this. Matthias ruffled her hair with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s why I say she¡¯s nothingpared to you.¡± He knew better than anyone how much of a genius Celeste was, having worked with her for years. Especially since before Celeste¡¯s arrival, he had been regarded as the genius in their field. E The Scent of 29 Celeste and Matthias arrived at the banquet hall, where most guests had already gathered. Celeste¡¯s outstanding appearance and graceful presence immediately attracted many of their attention. The host of the event, Joshua Simpson, was familiar with Matthias. He smiled and made his way over to greet them. Just as he was about to approach, however, more guests arrived at the entrance of the hall. Seeing the neers, Joshua froze, his disbelief apparent. The other guests, too, were stunned by the unexpected arrival. Celeste and Matthias were still facing away from the entrance and were puzzled at the sudden expressions of surprise and delight from the other guests. As they were about to turn around to see what was happening, Joshua shot them a brief apologetic look before moving past them and heading toward the entrance. ¡°Good evening, Mr. Fleming, Mr. Harper, and Mr. Quinton Celeste¡¯s heart skipped a beat as a sudden realization formed in her mind. She turned around and her smile faltered for a moment. Indeed, it was Trevor, Beck, and Miles. Wynn had arrived too. To Celeste¡¯s surprise, Wynn was wearing the same gown Celeste had seen in the boutique the day before, the one valued at over 30 million dors. Wynn¡¯s tall, curvaceous figure, paired with the elegance and grace of the gown, made her appear both sensual and regal. She seemed almost untouchable in the eyes of those present. ¡°Is that Trevor, Beck, and Miles? They rarely attend events. Why are they here today?¡± ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°And who is that stunning woman with them? Is she Trevor¡¯s girlfriend? She¡¯s so beautiful! If I could have a woman like that, I¡¯d willingly trade ten years of my life!¡± ¡°I prefer the one in the ivory gown, though. She¡¯s quiet and graceful. I thinkpared to Mr. Fleming¡¯s her type of beauty is much rarer. It¡¯s a shame she¡¯s already with someone.¡± Celeste overheard another conversation. girlfriend, ¡°Oh my god, that gown! I was in awe when I saw it yesterday! The store manager mentioned it was a custom piece for someone¡¯s girlfriend. I was wondering who the big spender was. Turns out it was Trevor! 30 million dors, can you believe that?¡± ¡°What? 30 million?!¡± Celeste¡¯s gaze lowered slowly. When she saw Wynn in the gown, she had already suspected that it might have been a gift from Trevor. Despite the Locket family¡¯s thriving business, they could hardly afford such extravagant expenditures for an event. On the other hand, 30 million dors might be nothing to Trevor. Admittedly, Trevor was very attentive to Wynn. The gown had been custom¨Cordered two weeks in advance, meaning he had nned to bring Wynn to this event long before it happened. Matthias was aware of how rarely Trevor participated in such events and was also caught off guard by the coincidence. Simrly, he couldn¡¯t believe Trevor had even brought Wynn along He looked at Celeste with concern. ¡°Cel¡­¡± Celeste smiled calmly and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± The Scent of 30 At first, Celeste was indeed shocked, but she had already let it go. As the crowd swarmed around Trevor and his group, Trevor didn¡¯t notice Celeste¡¯s presence. Celeste appeared gentle and calm, but Matthias knew she was a person of great resolve, willing to take risks and pursue her desires. In her professional life, once she had an idea or interest, she would dedicate all her energy to it and fully immerse herself in the work, even if the oue had no market value. For her, the only way to find out if something worked was to try it. The same applied to her personal life. She had loved Trevor deeply, enough to gamble her future on him by giving up the chance for further education and diving into family life with determination. Now, though the cost had been high, Matthias had never once seen regret in Celeste¡¯s eyes. So when Celeste said she was fine and ready to move on, Matthias believed her. He smiled and asked, ¡°Want something to drink?¡± Celeste nodded with a smile. ¡°Sure.¡± They moved against the tide of the crowd toward the drinks area. ¡°How about some wine?¡± Matthias asked. ¡°Okay. Just a little.¡± Though Celeste didn¡¯t particrly enjoy drinking, her tolerance wasn¡¯t bad. They clinked sses and quietly stood to the side, sipping their drinks. After a while, someone approached them. ¡°Matthias, you¡¯re here too?¡± ¡°Professor Leonard,¡± Matthias greeted the neer warmly, ¡°I was just about to look for you, but I couldn¡¯t find you.¡± Bryson Leonard chuckled teasingly. ¡°Really? I don¡¯t quite believe that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. I came here today specifically to introduce someone to you.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± When Bryson¡¯s gazended on Celeste, he was impressed by her striking appearance and elegant aura. Nheless, he was also puzzled as to why Matthias would want to introduce her to him. If Matthias weren¡¯t known for his integrity, Bryson might have thought something else entirely. ¡°You mentioned that thenguage programming project you¡¯ve been working on recently was stuck in a bottleneck.¡± Matthias gestured to Celeste and introduced,This is Celeste, my junior. She¡¯s a genius innguage programming. I can guarantee she¡¯ll be able to help you.¡± ¡°Your junior?¡± Bryson was taken aback. Matthias¡± mentor, Zachary Newman, was a big name in the domestic Al field. All of his students, though still young, were already pirs of the country¡¯s tech industry. However, Celeste¡¯s name was unfamiliar to Bryson. +25¨CBONUS Chapter ?l Matthias smiled. ¡°Yes, the programmingnguage Cuap was developed by her team eight years ago.¡± When it came to programmingnguages, few had as much weight in the industry as Cuap Bryson was bewildered. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really. If you chat with her, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± Now eager, Bryson asked Celeste a few questions to gauge her expertise. After a brief conversation, they dove into the challenges he was facing, and the more they discussed, the more excited he became. The conversation flowed effortlessly, and he could hardly stop. Matthias sipped his drink as he watched them with a smile, content not to interrupt. Just then, Matthias looked up and saw Wynn walking toward him. As soon as Wynn noticed him looking, she nodded and gave a polite smile. Matthias froze as he recalled Wynn¡¯s status. Before he could react, Wynn had already reached him. ¡°Mr. Yoder,¡± she greeted. The Scent of 31 As Matthias was about to speak, Celeste noticed someone approaching them to greet him. She turned slightly and. locked eyes with Wynn. Wynn gave a polite smile, but everything changed when her gazended on Celeste. Her expression hardened instantly. She quickly averted her eyes, dismissing Celeste entirely. Just as Wynn was about to give Matthias a smile, he unexpectedly turned to Celeste and introduced her, saying, This is Ms. Locket, Cel. Would you like to get to know her? Matthias¡¯s words conveyed three key points. First, he shared a close bond with Celeste. Second, he was aware of the ongoing feud between her and Celeste. Lastly, he clearly expressed his stance, aligning himself firmly with Celeste in their conflict. Wynn was unaware that Matthias and Celeste had a prior rtionship and were quite close. She was uncertain about the nature of their connection. However, given hisments, Wynn began to grasp the implications of what he meant. She asked coldly, ¡°Mr. Yoder, are you suggesting that I don¡¯t need to report to YodaVision tomorrow?¡± Matthias smiled appreciatively, set down his ss, and apuded. ¡°Ms. Locket, you¡¯re smart.¡± He could have been more tactful with Wynn, but he chose not to be. This showed that he sided with Celeste and made the decision for her sake. 11 Wynn waspletely unfazed. She felt neither embarrassed nor humiliated as she believed that while YodaVision held value, it paled inparison to the status of the Fleming family. In her eyes, Matthias was not qualified to humiliate her. With that thought, she silently turned away. Celeste watched the scene, a warm smile spreading across her face. Just as she was about to engage Matthias in conversation, she caught sight of Trevor, Beck, and Miles all redirecting their gazes toward her. It was clear that their focus was primarily on Wynn. Perhaps they were surprised to see her at the party as well. Miles and Beck looked surprised to see her, but Trevor remained expressionless and calm. It was as if she were not his wife but rather a stranger he had never encountered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Matthias looked over. Celeste shook her head with a smile. ¡°Nothing.¡® By this point, Wynn had already left, leaving Trevor and the others uninterested in her presence. Hence, Celeste continued chatting with Bryson. After Bryson left, Celeste took a sip of her drink and noticed Miles smirking at her while Trevor had his back turned. Miles lifted his ss in her direction. Celeste frowned, struggling to understand Miles¡® behavior. He shot her a disdainful nce before turning away,pletely dismissing her presence. Suddenly, she realized that Miles might think she and Matthias had bullied Wynn. He was indicating that the issue wasn¡¯t over. She frowned. After a short while, Joshua returned from mingling with guests at the party. After warmly greeting everyone, he asked Matthias, ¡°Are you familiar with Ms. Locket?¡± He was referring to Wynn. Matthias grinned. ¡°Kind of. What¡¯s wrong? ¡°I had the opportunity to learn a bit about her during our previous conversations. She mentioned that shees from Letville, not Baumond. ¡°Her family business is thriving and has gained recognition in Letville. However, whenpared to prominent families like the Fleming, Harper, and Quinton families here in Baumond, her family¡¯s achievements seem rtively insignificant.¡± The Scent of 32 Matthias asked, ¡°So?¡± Joshua replied, ¡°Given her background, it¡¯s impressive that she can even be part of our circle, let alone in the circles of the Fleming family and other prominent families. However, Ms. Locket has easily integrated into their core circle and built strong rtionships. She¡¯s truly remarkable. ¡°Initially, I was puzzled by Trevor¡¯s unexpected appearance at my dinner party. However, Iter discovered that he hade to introduce guests to Ms. Locket. ¡°Trevor¡¯s effort to build connections for Ms. Locket and bring Beck and others along shows he is serious about her. If she were just a passing interest, he wouldn¡¯t have bothered. With Trevor¡¯s support, the Locket family will thrive in the future.¡± Matthias and Celeste listened intently, yet both remained silent. In the end, Joshua let out a heartfelt sigh. ¡°The Locket family is truly fortunate to have a daughter like her. It¡¯s genuinely admirable.¡± As Joshua concluded his speech, Celeste looked around and realized that Trevor and the others had already exited the banquet hall, leaving early. Despite being aware of her presence, Trevor hadn¡¯t cast even a single nce in her direction throughout the entire event. 30 minutester, Celeste and Matthias departed as well. Upon arriving home, her phone buzzed with a call from Trevor. Celeste hesitated, contemting whether he was calling to reprimand her for seemingly bullying Wynn alongside Matthias. After all, Miles had just given her a warning at the banquet, likely because Trevor had such intentions from the very beginning. Two secondster, she answered the phone calmly. ¡°Hello.¡± Trevormanded icily, ¡°Come home.¡± She believed there was no reason for her to return. ¡°If you have something to say, ¡°Jo has a fever and wants to see you.¡± With that, he abruptly ended the call. just vit.¡± Celeste was taken aback. She grabbed the car keys, slipped on her shoes, and headed out. Upon arriving at the vi, she got out of the car. Although she noticed Trevor was absent when she walked through the door, it didn¡¯t matter to her. She headed straight to Jordyn¡¯s bedroom on the second floor. Jordyn was battling a high fever while connected to an IV drip. In her difort, she reached out and whispered, Mom,¡± seekingfort in Celeste¡¯s embrace. Avoiding the needle in Jordyn¡¯s hand, Celeste held ho ¡°She threw it all up shortly after eating.¡± close and asked Hannah, ¡°Has she eaten?¡± Celeste frowned and inquired the doctor about the details. Turning her attention to Jordyn, who was cuddled in her arms and reluctant to rise, she asked, ¡°Are you hungry? I¡¯ll prepare your favorite chicken noodle soup. You can have some once the drip is finished.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Back then, Celeste always took care of her when she was sick. She couldn¡¯t eat the food cooked by others and always preferred Celeste¡¯s cooking. She frowned and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Dad? Is he back yet?¡± Celeste was stunned. She thought Trevor had returned when she received his call. Upon entering the room and not seeing him, she assumed he was in the study. After hearing Jordyn, she realized he hadn¡¯te back yet. The hotel where the party took ce was actually closer to the vi than her current house. Moreover, he departed at least half an hour before she did. Even if he had intended to drop Wynn off first, he would still be home by now. However, if he hadn¡¯t left right after dropping Wynn off, or if he had no ns toe back tonight, that would be another story. The Scent of 33 At that moment, footsteps were heard outside the door. Trevor had returned. ¡°Dad!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Trevor entered the room and headed straight for the bed. Celeste noticed the situation and attempted to ce Jordyn down to create space for Trevor. However, Jordyn was reluctant to let go, leaning into Celeste¡¯s embrace while stretching her arms toward Trevor. Trevor picked Jordyn up. As he embraced Jordyn, his proximity revealed the distinct scent of a familiar male cologne. Yet, mingling with that fragrance was a delicate hint of a feminine perfume that caught Celeste¡¯s attention. She had just encountered this very scent on Wynn during the dinner party earlier that evening. Celeste averted her gaze and stood up, creating space between herself and Trevor until his scent fadedpletely from her senses. Trevor gently rested his hand, adorned with an exquisite watch, on Jordyn¡¯s delicate forehead and turned to Celeste. ¡°What¡¯s her temperature now? Has it decreased a little?¡± Celeste ryed the doctor¡¯s words. ¡°Her fever has gone down, but it could rise again.¡°. ¡°Hmm.¡± Trevor sat on the bed with Jordyn in his arms. She didn¡¯t want to get down, but she frowned and said, ¡°Dad, your coat is too stiff.¡± He removed his coat and handed it to Celeste without a word. She instinctively epted it, holding it close. It was only when the mingled fragrances wafted from the fabric that the harsh reality struck her. She and Trevor were about to get divorced. In the past, she would have relished the joy of cradling his coat in her arms, cherishing it so deeply that she¡¯d never want to part with it. But now, she set the coat aside casually and turned to Jordyn, saying, ¡°I¡¯m going downstairs to make some chicken noodle soup.¡± Trevor and Celeste were both at home, and Jordyn was feeling significantly better. Upon hearing Celeste¡¯s words, she nodded affirmatively. ¡°Alright. Thank you, Mom.¡± As Celeste smiled and walked out of Jordyn¡¯s room, Trevor¡¯s gaze lingered on the coat she had draped over the back of the chair. Once she finished preparing the broth, Celeste moved on to prepare the remaining ingredients. 20 minutester, she washed her hands and stepped out of the kitchen. Celeste hesitated for a moment before heading upstairs. Upon reaching the second floor, she turned around and spotted Trevor at the end of the corridor, standing by the window. He was chatting on the phone, saying, ¡°The fever has gone down. Don¡¯t worry.¡± She pondered whether he was on the phone with Wynn and if Wynn truly cared about Jordyn¡¯s well¨Cbeing. Celeste turned away and made her way into Jordyn¡¯s room. Jordyn had fallen asleep after the drip, sweating heavily while Hannah gently wiped her forehead. As soon as Hannah spotted Celeste, she promptly vacated her seat and offered her the towel. Hannah assumed that Celeste would handle Jordyn on her own, just as she always had in the past. After all, Celeste had always taken care of both Jordyn and Trevor by herself. Celeste shook her head. Hannah was momentarily stunned but quickly moved on and carefully changed Jordyn into dry clothes. Celeste settled onto the couch, and once Hannah had finished, she inquired, ¡°Has the doctor left?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What did the doctor say? Will the fever return?¡± She was wondering whether to stay here. ¡°The doctor said it probably won¡¯t return.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Given Jordyn¡¯s recovery, it seemed likely that she didn¡¯t need to remain here overnight. The chicken noodle soup simmered gently in the pot. After a while, she went downstairs. Hannah was in the kitchen. Hannah said, ¡°I¡¯ll finish up. You look tired, Mrs. Fleming. Take a seat and rest.¡± The Scent of 34 +25 BONU As Celeste stepped out of the kitchen, she caught sight of Trevor lounging on the couch in the living room, engrossed in a newspaper. He briefly nced her way before going back to his reading. Celeste paused. In the past, she would have sat nearby and spent time with him without disturbing him. But now, they had nothing to say to each other. Reflecting on this, she turned and headed upstairs, with Trevor making no attempt to stop her. Celeste felt a twinge of confusion. She had expected him to confront her and Matthias about ¡°bullying¡± Wynn. Yet, he¡¯d remained silent. Jordyn woke up as Celeste went upstairs. She looked weak and came out of the room to look for Celeste. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m hungry. Is the chicken noodle soup ready?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°It¡¯s almost done. Are you still having a fever?¡± Jordyn grinned. ¡°Not anymore.¡± Celeste felt relieved and returned to the kitchen. After five or six minutes, she emerged with a smile, announcing, ¡°Jo, the chicken noodle soup is ready.¡± Celestedled the chicken noodle soup into a bowl and nced at the door. She was surprised to see Trevor approaching as well. Jordyn asked, ¡°Mom, why is there only one bowl? Dad is eating with us.¡± Celeste was unaware that Trevor wanted to eat. Before she could speak, Hannah smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get another bowl.¡± Celeste hadn¡¯t intended to eat it herself, but she¡¯d decided to prepare arger batch. Since Jordyn didn¡¯t eat much, there was more than enough for both Trevor and Jordyn. Once Celeste served the chicken noodle soup, she quietly sat down to enjoy her meal. Meanwhile, Trevor removed his watch, delicately holding the spoon to stir the soup. His elegant manners were pleasing to observe. After Jordyn took a bite, a satisfied smile spread across her face. ¡°I haven¡¯t had this in ages. It¡¯s so delicious!¡± Hannah chuckled. ¡°You can eat it whenever you want.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Celeste listened and paused without speaking. Trevor, sitting across from her, was also silent. Jordyn was delighted. Suddenly, an idea struck her. She asked coquettishly, ¡°Mom, could you sleep with me tonight?¡± Celeste nned to decline at first. Yet, upon noticing her pale, bloodlessplexion, she agreed. ¡°Alright.¡± Jordyn had one bowl of soup, and Trevor didn¡¯t eat much either. The chicken noodle soup in the pot was left unfinished when they left the dining room. Jordyn liked to stay clean. She insisted on showering despite having just recovered from a fever. Celeste was worried she¡¯d catch a cold again, so she went in to supervise her. After her shower, Celeste hesitated before entering the master bedroom. Trevor was not there. She had expected him to have removed all her belongings. Yet, when she looked around, she realized the room remained just as she had left it. Many of her daily essentials remained exactly as she remembered, untouched by time. It felt as though she had never truly left. She stepped into the cloakroom and slid open the door, discovering that her clothes were still hanging in their usual spot. However, it was possible that Trevor didn¡¯t want to rm Martha. Hence, he didn¡¯t let anyone remove her belongings, as they weren¡¯t officially divorced yet. She set her thoughts aside, grabbed her pajamas and a towel, and went to Jordyn¡¯s room. Jordyn sat on the bed, engrossed in her tablet. Upon noticing the clothes in Celeste¡¯s hands, she found it odd. ¡± Mom, are you nning to take a shower in my room?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Yeah.¡± Shortly after she stepped into the bathroom, Trevor entered Jordyn¡¯s room. C The Scent of 35 hapter 35 Noticing Trevor¡¯s gaze directed toward the bathroom, Jordyn remarked, ¡°Mom¡¯s in there taking a shower.¡± Trevor replied, ¡°Hmm. Did you ask your mom to shower here?¡± 1 ¡°No, Mom brought the clothes herself.¡± Trevor did not ask any further questions. After exchanging few brief words, he advised her to go to bed early before walking away. Celeste heard some noises outside while in the bathroom, realizing Trevor had arrived, but she couldn¡¯t hear their conversation. Jordyn was still unwell and easily fell asleep after taking medicine. As it was gettingte, Celestey down on the bed with her after the shower. Jordyn snuggled into Celeste¡¯s embrace, burying her face in her shoulder. ¡°Mom, you smell amazing and feel so soft.¡± She found Celeste¡¯s hugs to be the mostforting, even more so than Wynn¡¯s embrace. Yet, aware of Celeste¡¯s disdain for Wynn, she chose to keep her feelings to herself. Jordyn quickly fell asleep, followed by Celeste, who was also tired. When Jordyn fell ill, she frequently kicked off her nket. Celeste was worried and often woke up in the middle of the night like she did when caring for Jordyn. She could only sleep peacefully again after repeatedly covering her with nkets to keep her warm. That night, Celeste struggled to sleep well and awoke at dawn. While Jordyn was still asleep, she quietly got up and looked out of the window. She saw Trevor jogging downstairs as he usually did for about an hour. After freshening up, Celeste changed into some clothes and headed downstairs to prepare breakfast. 30 minutester, she passed the remaining tasks to Hannah. Once she confirmed that Jordyn was recovering well and not experiencing a rpse in her fever, she went upstairs to grab her bag and car keys before leaving. Shortly after Celeste departed, Jordyn awoke. As she scanned the surroundings and found no sign of Celeste, she inquired, ¡°Where¡¯s Mom?¡± Hannah replied, ¡°Mrs. Fleming went out for something.¡± Jordyn was disappointed. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Hannah chuckled. ¡°But Mrs. Fleming prepared breakfast for you before she left. Jordyn was finally feeling brighter. While she hadn¡¯t fully recovered from her illness, her spirits were high, and her appetite had returned. After freshening up, she made her way downstairs for breakfast. After a while, Trevor also came down. Noticing Celeste¡¯s absence, he paused and asked Hannah, ¡°Where¡¯s Celeste? 11 ¡°Mrs. Fleming has left.¡± Upon receiving a response, Trevor refrained from asking any further questions. Meanwhile, Celeste grabbed a quick bite to eat after reaching home. After that, she packed herptop along with a few essentials and prepared to head to the office when the doorbell interrupted her. ncing at the surveince camera, she saw her neighbor Hilda and her daughter Sylvia awaiting her at the door. She opened the door. ¡°Mrs. Golden¡­¡± Tilda appeared visibly anxious. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, Sylvia¡¯s grandmother is unwell, and I need to take her to the hospital. Could you please help me get Sylvia to school?¡± Celeste agreed since Jordyn and Sylvia¡¯s kindergarten was conveniently located along herpany¡¯s route. 20 minutester, they reached the entrance of the kindergarten. Celeste was searching for a parking spot when she spotted Trevor, Wynn, and Jordyn. Jordyn appeared to be in high spirits, happily holding hands with Wynn as they skipped along together. Their joy was palpable. Meanwhile, Trevor stood beside them, thoughtfully keeping Wynn and Jordyn safe from the busy traffic. Sylvia eximed upon seeing Jordyn, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, look! It¡¯s Jordyn!¡± Celeste averted her gaze. ¡°Hmm, I noticed her as well.¡± ¡°Who is that lovely woman holding Jordyn¡¯s hand? Is she Jordyn¡¯s mother as well? Does Jordyn have two mothers? #1 The Scent of 36 Celeste did not answer but patted Sylvia on the head. ¡°Sylvia, please don¡¯t tell Jo that I sent you here, alright?¡± Sylvia nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Previously, Jordyn got angry with her for hugging Celeste. She felt a little scared of Jordyn and hesitated to speak to her. Moreover, Jordyn might still be upset, as she would re at her whenever they crossed paths. Trevor, Wynn, and Jordyn appeared to be a happy family. Celeste observed them and thought they looked great. together before looking away. After a while, after Trevor and Wynn departed, Celeste stepped out of the car alongside Sylvia. Jordyn¡¯s teacher recognized Celeste as Jordyn¡¯s mother. Just moments ago, she had seen Jordyn being dropped off at school by her father and another woman, leading her to believe that Celeste was simply upied. But now, witnessing Celeste holding Sylvia¡¯s hand, her thoughts spiraled into confusion. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, you and Sylvia¡­¡± ¡°Mrs. Golden had an urgent matter to attend to, so she asked me to bring Sylvia over.¡± The teacher let out a relieved sigh and then carefully replied, ¡°Oh, I see. Jordyn has just arrived as well, but¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± Celeste smiled. Although the teacher felt somewhat perplexed, she chose not to press further as Celeste seemed to be aware of the situation and appeared indifferent to it. After leaving kindergarten and getting into the car, Matthias called her. ¡°What time are youing?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there in ten minutes.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Upon Celeste¡¯s arrival at YodaVision, Matthias stood eagerly at the entrance, waiting for her. As soon as he spotted her, he embraced her warmly. ¡°Wee back!¡± Celeste smiled and hugged him. Meanwhile, in the corridor of thepany building, Quentin Yallop leaned against the window while making a phone call. He was taken aback by the chaos unfolding at the entrance and Celeste¡¯s appearance. However, he quickly diverted his gaze as his call to Wynn connected. With a smile, he took the initiative. ¡°Wynn, good morning! When are you arriving at the office?¡± Quentin¡¯s expression shifted dramatically after an exchange with Wynn. When he eventually returned to the office, his colleagues immediately sensed his displeasure.¡°Quentin, is everything okay? You seem off this morning. Are you feeling unwell?¡± Quentin shook his head silently. One by one, colleagues gradually reached the office, and then someone whispered, ¡°I just saw Mr. Yoder arriving with an attractive woman.¡± ¡°Is she truly beautiful? Stop lying.¡± ¡°She is. She¡¯s prettier than those celebrities. She¡¯s super stunning!¡± Quentin¡¯s mind instantly shed to the beauty who had just hugged Matth¨ªas at thepany¡¯s entrance. At this moment, someone remarked, ¡°I just heard that this lovely woman is our new colleague who started with us today.¡± Quentin was taken aback by this revtion. Wynn was his younger ssmate from the same school. She had shown interest in Cuap and expressed a desire to work at YodaVision. Without hesitation, he promptly rmended her to Matthias. When they first met, Matthias was pleased with Wynn. Today was her first day of work. Yet, when he called to check her arrival time, she informed him that Matthias no longer wanted to hire her for personal reasons. As Quentin pondered the reasons behind this, Matthias entered the office with Celeste. The Scent of 37 Everyone was amazed to see Celeste. One employee eagerly asked, ¡°Mr. Yoder, is this lovelydy really our new colleague?¡± ¡°You¡¯re well¨Cinformed.¡± Matthias smiled. Then, he continued, ¡°Allow me to introduce her to you. This is Celeste Rodriguez, ourpany¡¯s¡­¡± Before he couldplete his words, Quentin abruptly interrupted him. ¡°Mr. Yoder, did you fire Wynn because of her?¡± After a brief pause, Matthias nodded. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll exin it to you¡­¡± Before Matthias finished, Quentin nced at Celeste and said, ¡°Wynn just earned her doctorate from a top¨Cten university at only 25. Ms. Rodriguez, if you could kick her out to join YodaVision, your resume must be even more impressive, right?¡± Moments ago, Wynn mentioned that Matthias didn¡¯t hire her for personal reasons, but she didn¡¯t specify what they were. Moreover, Quentin witnessed Celeste and Matthias hugging. Hence, he assumed they had a close rtionship, believing Celeste got into YodaVision through connections. Despite the abundance of talent within theirpany, few could match Wynn¡¯s impressive resume. It was not just within their organization, but on a national scale. He doubted that Celeste¡¯s credentials could surpass Wynn¡¯s outstanding qualifications. With that in mind, before Celeste had a chance to respond, he mocked her again. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, you look too young to even havepleted your doctorate.¡± Matthias intended to have a private conversation with Quentinter about why Wynn was not hired. The matter was sensitive, particrly due to the ongoing feud between Celeste and Wynn, making it inappropriate for a public discussion. Yet, he was caught off guard when Quentin unexpectedly confronted them. He frowned. ¡°Quentin¡­¡± However, Quentin believed that Matthias was attempting to defend Celeste, so he interjected loudly, ¡°Mr. Yoder, I¡¯m talking to Ms. Rodriguez.¡± He stared at Celeste and asked, ¡°Is it hard for you to discuss your education? Why does Mr. Yoder speak for you? Are you struggling to pass your doctoral exam, or is your university unranked, making it hard for you to mention it?¡± Celeste answered effortlessly, maintaining herposure. ¡®It¡¯s true that I haven¡¯t yet passed the doctoral exam, but¡­¡± Quentin couldn¡¯t help but sneer at her words. He was confident in his assumption. After all, not every woman was as outstanding as Wynn. He interrupted her with a snort, saying, ¡°But what? What do you want to say? Even if you haven¡¯t passed the doctoral exam, do you think your professional knowledge is as good as ours? ¡°What makes you think that? Is it just because you¡¯re pretty and used topliments from men? Do you really believe you have true talent?¡± Matthias was furious. ¡°Quentin!¡± While reasonable suspicion was understandable, Quentin crossed the line by insulting Celeste to such an extent. It was only natural for him to feel angry. Quentin removed the work badge from around his neck and dered, ¡°I quit.¡± ¡°You!¡± Matthias was taken aback by Quentin¡¯s unexpected impulsiveness. Quentin turned to Matthias and remarked, ¡°Mr. Yoder, I once believed you were someone who truly appreciated talent and maintained a clear boundary between your public and private life. It appears that I was mistaken about you.¡± After that, he left. Matthias was frustrated. Watching Quentin walk away, he called out, ¡°Take a moment to calm down. Whenever you¡¯re ready to return, I¡¯ll be here¡­¡± The Scent of 38 ¡°It¡¯s not necessary. I won¡¯t be returning to YodaVision ever again!¡± Quentin dered as he walked away, not even ncing back. Celeste held talent in high regard. She turned to Matthias, who shook his head, advising her not to rush. Matthias recognized Quentin¡¯s talent and was reluctant to let him go. However, he¡¯d sensed that Quentin had feelings for Wynn from their first meeting. Though Quentin¡¯s feelings were a personal affair that didn¡¯t concern Matth¨ªas, he couldn¡¯t ignore that Quentin¡¯s emotions for Wynn had clouded his judgment. As a result, Quentin unfairly reacted to Celeste¡¯s arrival without justification. This behavior was simply uneptable. Additionally, they coborated with the government on Cuap¡¯s core technology and signed a confidentiality agreement. Thus, Celeste¡¯s identity could not be exposed. Quentin¡¯s impulsive nature wasrgely influenced by his high regard for Wynn. Even if Celeste were to showcase her talents in the future, Quentin might remain unconvinced of her abilities. He would likely believe that Wynn could outperform her. Ultimately, it was almost certain that Celeste would overshadow Quentin in the future. If Quentin believed he had a bias toward Celeste, he risked being manipted in the future. This could lead to his downfall and significant losses for thepany. Celeste was relieved to see that he understood the situation. Matthias cleared his throat and said, ¡°Even though Cel hasn¡¯t pursued a doctorate, I assure you that her professional skills are remarkable.¡± The colleagues in the office exchanged bewildered nces. They were aware that Quentin had previously rmended a friend to Matthias, but since he hadn¡¯t provided any further details, they were left in the dark about the specifics. In fact, a simr incident to what happened to Celeste today urredst year when the woman was the mistress of a senior executive at thepany. The woman appeared charming, confident, and articte. She imed to be a graduate student at a local prestigious university with solid knowledge. Yet, in reality, shecked knowledge and didn¡¯t understand basic professional terms. In the end, they even doubted whether she had ever attended any university at all. The incident happened again, and Matthias even removed his friend with an impressive resume because of Celeste. Hence, it was understandable that Quentin was angry. Everyone also felt that Matthias couldn¡¯t separate his personal feelings from his professional decisions. Matthias noticed everyone¡¯s attitude but did not press further. He simply asked, ¡°What project has Quentin been doingtely?¡± Yandel Sanchez, who worked with Quentin, provided a concise overview of the project¡¯s content. Then, Matthias turned to Celeste. ¡°So, can you please take over the remainder of Quentin¡¯s work?¡± Celeste agreed. ¡°Sure.¡± Afterward, she graciously addressed the others, saying, ¡°I kindly ask for your guidance in the days toe.¡± The others smiled and responded courteously, but none dared to offer any guidance. At this point, all they could do was hope that Celeste would prove herpetence and got rely entirely on them. While the group remainedrgely unbothered, Yandel, who had previously worked with Quentin, faced difficulties. His expression wasn¡¯t the best, but he managed to respond to Celeste graciously, ¡°Everything you need is here. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Alright. Thank you.¡± Yandel was at a loss for words. But, on the bright side, her attitude was pretty good. The Scent of 39 After Quentin left YodaVision, he immediately called Wynn. ¡°Celeste joined YodaVision?¡± Quentin was puzzled. ¡°Hmm. Didn¡¯t you know this?¡± He thought Celeste reced her at YodaVision. ¡°No.¡± She thought Matthias didn¡¯t hire her as he wanted to vent his anger on Celeste¡¯s behalf. She pondered whether Celeste had left Fleming Group since joining YodaMision. Quentin was shocked. ¡°So, what was the personal reason you mentioned earlier?¡± Wynn refused to borate. ¡°Just some personal grudges.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He¡¯d misunderstood. His resignation wasn¡¯t rted to Wynn. Quentin then asked, ¡°How good is Celeste? I heard she hasn¡¯t passed her doctoral exam yet. She¡­¡± ¡°Her situation isn¡¯t that she hasn¡¯t yet passed her doctoral exam. Rather, she only holds an undergraduate degree and has never pursued a master¡¯s degree.¡± ¡°What? Really?¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± Wynn replied indifferently. She was taken aback by Celeste¡¯s decision to leave Fleming Group. Yet, even more surprising was that rather than pursuing further studies, Celeste used her connections to secure a position at anotherpany. It was apparent that shecked vision and a broader perspective on her future. Quentin asked, ¡°Wynn, what are your ns next?¡± ¡°I have an important racingpetitioning up, so I need to focus on practicing for now. I¡¯ll think about workter.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Quentin knew that Wynn was remarkable in all aspects. He sometimes felt confused about how she managed so many activities without losing her expertise. However, he believed that herpetence set her apart from others. Since she took on these challenges, she must have understood what she was doing. Meanwhile, in the Fleming Group office, Trevor flipped through the documents. He barely nced up as he instructed Jacob, ¡°Get me a cup of coffee.¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Fleming.¡± This was Naomi¡¯s first time making coffee for Trevor on her own, and she felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. Following Celeste¡¯s instructions, she brewed the coffee meticulously, and Jacob delivered it to Trevor. Trevor set aside the documents and picked up his coffee, giving it a stir. As he brought the cup to his lips, he hesitated. The aroma seemed off. Trying to take a sip, he instantly recoiled at the taste and ced the cup down,manding, ¡°Ask her to make another one.¡± Jacob was momentarily stunned. ¡°Okay.¡± Naomi was slightly anxious after being informed. ¡°Another cup? Did I add too much sugar, or is the vor off? I carefully followed Celeste¡¯s instructions and measured the sugar urately. There shouldn¡¯t be any issues.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure either.¡± Naomi had no choice but to brew another cup of coffee. Maybe she was nervous this time. Trevor didn¡¯t even taste it. He just smelled it and knew it wasn¡¯t right. He then turned to Jacob and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°This is the first time Ms. Sanders has made coffee for you. Probably she was a bit nervous and didn¡¯t manage the temperature well.¡± Trevor frowned. ¡°Ms. Sanders? What about her? Where¡¯s Celeste?¡± Jacob was stunned. ¡°Celeste resigned. Didn¡¯t you know?¡± Trevor remained silent as he genuinely had no idea. He was only aware that Celeste¡¯s work attitude had troubled Jacob, to the point where Jacob was considering firing her. But¡­ ¡°When did she leave?¡± ¡°Last Thursday.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste had left, but it was likely only for a few days. He believed she would return on her own soon. The Scent of 40 Then, Jacob asked, ¡°What about the coffee¡­¡± ¡°Take it away. Just pour me a ss of water.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± At noon, Matthias attended a social event while Celeste ate alone in the cafeteria. Her colleagues were polite but distant, but Celeste didn¡¯t mind. After lunch, she resumed work. At around 5:00 pm, she approached Yandel and asked, ¡°Can you take a look? I¡¯m almost done.¡± ¡°What?¡± Yandel was taken aback. At first, he stared at the content sent, feeling perplexed. However, as he continued reading, his eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re all done?¡± This was more than ten days of work for Quentin. He couldn¡¯t believe she had figured it all out andpleted it in less than a day. Celeste replied, ¡°Yeah.¡± Yandel was left amazed and utterly speechless. He realized that Celeste not only did the work excellently but also offered him new concepts for his remaining tasks that he hadn¡¯t considered before. Upon hearing this, one by one, the other colleagues gathered around. After they grasped the full story, they were equally astounded. After Yandel regained hisposure, he stared at Celeste in disbelief. you pursuing a PhD?¡°. Celeste paused and replied honestly, ¡°I didn¡¯t apply for a PhD.¡± It was utterly inconceivable that a group of PhD candidates and postgraduates from esteemed universities found themselves outmatched and defeated by an undergraduate student. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you pursue a PhD? Are you having financial difficulties?¡± However, Celeste certainly didn¡¯t appear to be someone who couldn¡¯t afford further education. Moreover, her outstanding professional skills proved that tuition fees should be the least of her concerns. Celeste cast her gaze downward and replied, ¡°No, it¡¯s simply due to some personal matters.¡± She smiled and added, ¡°If I have the chance in the future, I will think about furthering my studies.¡± After engaging in conversation with several colleagues and assisting a few with their work challenges, Celeste left the office just before 7:00 pm. As she stepped out of the office, she spotted Matthias waiting at the door. ¡°You¡¯ve managed to dispel everyone¡¯s biases on your very first day, and you¡¯ve earned their respect. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised.¡± Celeste chuckled, ¡°Dinner on me?¡± Matthias asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that why I¡¯m here?¡± Celeste smiled as she left the office alongside him. 20 minutester, they arrived at the restaurant. As Celeste ascended the stairs, a child ran over. To evade the child, she stumbled backward. Just as she was about to lose her bnce, Matthias immediately reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, securing her and helping her regain her footing. Celeste exhaled in relief and was about to thank him when she spotted Trevor and Miles nearby. They noticed her as well. Trevor stopped, while Miles appeared curious. She averted her gaze and gently pushed Matthias away. Matthias didn¡¯t spot Trevor and Miles and simply asked worriedly, ¡°Did you sprain your ankle?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Celeste ignored Trevor and Miles, heading upstairs with Matthias. Miles was surprised by Celeste¡¯s reaction. ¡°That was your wife, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Trevor remained silent. ¡°She acts like she doesn¡¯t notice how we feel, and she still chooses to be close to Matthias. Could this be her new tactic to capture your interest?¡± Before Trevor had a chance to speak, he chuckled. ¡°She must be overthinking.¡± Trevor simply replied, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The Scent of 41 When Trevor and Miles arrived at the private room in the restaurant, Wynn and Jordyn were already there. Wynn asked, ¡°What¡¯s making you smile so happily?¡± Miles smiled and said, ¡°Nothing, I just ran into someone quite interesting.¡± After dinner, Trevor and Jordyn went home. Getting out of the car, Jordyn happily ran upstairs, calling out, ¡°Mom, Mom¡­¡± Hannah heard themotion and came out of the kitchen, Mrs. Fleming hasn¡¯t returned.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Jordyn was disappointed. ¡°Why has Mom been so busytely?¡± Then, she went upstairs, grumbling Seeing Trevor standing still, Hannah asked, ¡°Mr. Fleming? Trevor shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Then, he went upstairs as well. That night, Trevor noticed that Celeste hadn¡¯t returned. The next morning, when Jordyn woke up, she thought she would get to eat the breakfast Celeste prepared again. Seeing the breakfast on the table that didn¡¯t look like Celeste¡¯s cooking, she frowned. ¡°Mom didn¡¯t get up to make breakfast?¡± ¡°Mrs. Fleming is not home.¡± Jordyn found it odd. ¡°Where did Mom go? Did she go back to Granny¡¯s house again?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Since Celeste hadn¡¯t said anything, Hannah didn¡¯t dare to make any guesses. Jordyn looked at Trevor. ¡°Dad¡­¡± Trevor said leisurely, ¡°If you want to know, call her and ask yourself.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask tonight.¡± On the other hand, Celeste went to thepany after finishing breakfast in the morning. ?? When she arrived, Matthias was about to discuss the development of a new product with her when his phone rang. The person on the other end asked, ¡°Did yourpany offend the Fleming family?¡± ¡°What?¡± Matthias was stunned for a moment and looked at Celeste before putting the call on speakerphone. ¡°Someone from the Fleming family wants to make trouble for yourpany, but we blocked them on our side.¡± Celeste froze upon hearing this, her fingers clenching into a fist. Since the banquet that night, Trevor had note after her and Matthias for bullying Wynn. She had assumed he didn¡¯t want to pursue the matter. It turned out, he wasn¡¯t ignoring it¨Che just couldn¡¯t be bothered to talk about it. Instead, he chose to take action to show her that since she had targeted Wynn, he would make her pay the price! Matthias understood the situation now as well. He patted Celeste¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, ourpany has strong ties with the government. They won¡¯t be able to touch us.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Thankfully, that was the case. Otherwise¡­ With Trevor¡¯s power and wealth, even if YodaVision wasn¡¯tpletely destroyed, it would suffer a heavy blow. Trevor was really protective of Wynn! Matthias grew a little worried and asked, ¡°If they can¡¯t touch YodaVision, will they go after the Rodriguez family?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°No.¡± With Martha around, Trevor wouldn¡¯t make a move against the Rodriguez family so easily. He still had to give Martha some respect. ¡°That¡¯s good¡­¡± As she was about to get off work in the evening, Celeste received a call from Jordyn. ¡°Mom, when are youing home? I¡¯m so hungry.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask Hannah to make you something?¡± ¡°But I want to eat your honey garlic spare ribs.¡± She hadn¡¯t gotten to eat the dish she¡¯d orderedst time, so she was craving it even more now. Celeste didn¡¯t want to go over. She rubbed her temples and hadn¡¯t even replied when Jordyn added, ¡°Dad went on a business trip. I¡¯m so bored. Mom, hurry up ande home.¡± Trevor went on a business trip? Celeste paused. She was about to divorce Trevor, so he wasn¡¯t her concern anymore. But she was still responsible for taking care of Jordyn until she turned 18. The Scent of 42 Thinking of that, Celeste replied, ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll be back soon. That night, Celeste made honey garlic spare ribs for Jordyn and also prepared some soup. She stayed over for the next two days. On Friday, Betty called, asking her toe home for dinner So, Celeste took Jordyn to the Rodriguez family home. However, only Betty was at home. The others were either out socializing or still in school. Betty didn¡¯t know that Jordyn had returned to the country. Seeing Celeste bring her along, she was pleasantly surprised. Jordyn was quite close to Betty and quickly won her over, making her very happy. That night, Celeste and Jordyn stayed at the Rodriguez family home. The next morning, Celeste got up early to make pancakes. Watching her skillful movements, Betty couldn¡¯t help but sigh, remembering how Celeste had never done housework before she got married. Celeste knew what Betty was thinking and smiled. ¡°Cooking helps me clear my mind. I actually enjoy it.¡± Celeste had gained a little weight since thest time she was home and was no longer looking as thin. Seeing this, Betty felt somewhat relieved. After making the pancakes and chatting with Betty for a while, Celeste went upstairs. Jordyn was already awake and washing up. As Celeste gathered up Jordyn¡¯s pajamas to put them in the wash, she noticed her tablet light up with a message from Wynn. ¡°Jo, are you awake? I¡¯ll be back this afternoon. Let¡¯s have dinner together tonight, and I¡¯ll take you out to y tomorrow, okay?¡± Celeste nced at it briefly before looking away and putting the pajamas in the washing machine. By the time she returned, Jordyn was already holding her tablet. When she saw Celeste, she quickly moved it behind her back, trying to keep her from seeing the conversation with Wynn. Celeste didn¡¯t expose her and simply said, ¡°The pancakes are ready. Let¡¯s go downstairs for breakfast.¡± Jordyn excitedly jumped off the bed. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve had Mom¡¯s pancakes. Yay!¡± During breakfast, Betty asked happily, ¡°Jo, what do you want to eat for dinner? Granny will have someone make it for you.¡± Jordyn knew that Betty didn¡¯t like Wynn. Hearing this, she rolled her dark eyes and said in a small voice, ¡°Granny, Dad ising home tonight. I want to go back for dinner¡­¡± Betty was reluctant to let her go since she hadn¡¯t seen Jordyn in a long time. However, over the past two years, Jordyn had be very attached to Trevor. So, hearing this she didn¡¯t think much of it. Celeste knew Jordyn was lying but pretended not to notice. She ced a serving of food onto Betty¡¯s te and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll stay here with you.¡± A wife staying at her family home when her husband returned from a business trip seemed unreasonable. But since Trevor had never treated Celeste well, Betty had no interest in seeing her care about him. If Celeste wanted a divorce, she would support her wholeheartedly. So, hearing this, Betty smiled. ¡°Good, you¡¯re always so considerate.¡± Jordyn had been worried about how to find an excuse to ditch Celeste and meet Wynn. Now that Celeste had decided to stay, she instantly felt relieved. When Jordyn was about to leave, Betty prepared a bunch of her favorite snacks for her. But Celeste pushed them back, telling her to save them for Ivan¡¯s children instead. When Jordyn left, Celeste didn¡¯t personally send her off. Instead, she contacted Trevor¡¯s butler and asked him to send someone to pick her up. Betty watched this and found it a little strange, but she didn¡¯t dwell on it. The Scent of 43 Jordyn must have been having too much fun with Wynn because she didn¡¯t contact Celeste at all over the weekend. On Monday, Celeste went to work at YodaVision as usual. Right before getting off work, Lottie called and invited her to dinner. Calen During the meal, Celeste went to the restroom and ran into Beck. Without pausing, Celeste acted as if she¡¯hadn¡¯t seen him and walked straight past him. However, Beck stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look at her. Celeste noticed it but ignored him. When she exited the restroom, she saw that Beck was still standing at the same spot where they had crossed paths earlier, as if he had been waiting for her. Seeing here out, he turned his head and asked, ¡°Here for dinner?¡± It seemed as if he had been waiting for her on purpose. ¡°Yes,¡± she replied coolly. Then, she added indifferently, ¡°Does Mr. Harper think I followed you here again?¡± Beck hesitated before saying, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t know what he meant. Nor did she care to know.1 Without another word, she walked away and Beck did not stop her. After leaving the restaurant, Lottie wanted to buy a birthday gift for her mother. So, Celeste apanied her to a jewelry boutique.. Lottie took a liking to an emerald ne and had just started discussing the purchase with the store manager when a voice suddenly came from the entrance. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m here to pick up my jewelry.¡± Hearing the voice, Celeste paused for a moment. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Mr. Locket,¡± the store owner immediately greeted the neer with a smile. After giving Celeste and Lottie an apologetic look, he walked over. ¡°Mr. Locket, your custom jewelry has been packaged and is ready¡­¡± ¡°Cel?¡± Upon confirming that he hadn¡¯t mistaken her identity, Harvey walked toward Celeste. ¡°Are you here to order custom jewelry too?¡± Celeste nced at him but said nothing. Noticing her cold attitude, Harvey¡¯s expression dimmed. ¡°Cel¡­¡± Celeste turned her face away, ignoring him, and instead asked Lottie, ¡°Are you sure you want this one?¡± Lottie had never met Harvey before. Seeing that he was old but still carried himself with refinement, she nudged Celeste¡¯s waist lightly with her elbow and whispered, ¡°Who is this?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t answer. However, Harvey didn¡¯t leave. Looking at her, he asked, ¡°Cel, how have you beentely?¡± Celeste pressed her lips together before finally ncing at Him. Her voice was cold as she asked, ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Harvey spoke gently. ¡°Cel, do you have to speak to your father this way?¡± Celeste responded icily, ¡°And how exactly should I be speaking to you?¡± ¡°I know I¡¯ve made mistakes in the past, but you must understand that I have always cared about you.¡± Celeste let out augh. ¡°Oh yes, of course, you care about me. That¡¯s why you allowed Wynn to get close to my husband and even encouraged him to take good care of her how could that possibly mean you don¡¯t care about me?¡± 1 ¡°Cel¡­¡± Harvey frowned. ¡°I understand how you feel, but Wynn and Trevor truly love each other. Feelings can¡¯t be forced, so why¡­¡® ¡°That¡¯s right, feelings can¡¯t be forced. That¡¯s why your affair back then was perfectly justified. And now, she¡¯s following in her mother¡¯s footsteps by proudly bing a mistress. How righteous of her, isn¡¯t that so?¡± Harvey¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Cel! When did you be so willful?¡± ¡°I¡¯m willful?¡± Celeste sneered. ¡°So, if I immediately divorce Trevor and make way for Wynn, would that mean I¡¯m not?¡± ¡°Harvey, what¡¯s going on?¡± At that moment, Ruby and Linda walked in. And Ruby was the first to see Celeste. The Scent of 44 Ruby immediately smiled and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this Cel? Long time no see. You¡¯re getting more and more beautiful.¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± Hearing Rubypliment Celeste, Linda was displeased. She had always known that Celeste was beautiful, but after not seeing her for a few years, she didn¡¯t expect her to be even more stunning. Looking at Celeste¡¯s smooth, delicate skin and outstanding temperament, jealousy surged in Linda¡¯s heart. However, she quickly consoled herself¨Cso what if Celeste was beautiful? Her future brother¨Cinw didn¡¯t like her anyway. He only loved her sister, Wynn. With that thought, she felt a little better. Harvey looked over and said, ¡°Ruby, what brings you here?¡± ¡°We hadn¡¯t seen you in a while, Uncle Harvey, so we came to check on you,¡± Linda interjected. Then, she noticed the open brocade box the store owner had just disyed. So, she deliberately raised her voice and said, ¡°Uncle Harvey, is this the wedding anniversary gift you customized for Aunt Lizzy? It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± Harvey smiled. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Every year on your anniversary, you always prepare an expensive gift in advance to surprise Aunt Lizzy. Uncle Harvey, you¡¯re so good to her!¡± Harvey chuckled lightly. By now, Lottie had a good idea of who Harvey and the other two were. ¡°So, they¡¯re a bunch of scumbags,¡± she muttered under her breath. She quickly settled the bill, grabbed Celeste¡¯s hand, and turned to leave. (1 ¡°Cel.¡± Harvey stopped Celeste and walked over. ¡°Lizzy truly cares about you. She¡¯s always thinking of you. You and Wynn are sisters; you¡¯re family. Regarding what happened with YodaVision, I hope nothing like that happens again-¡± Celesteughed coldly. ¡°Are you trying to annoy me on purpose?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Uncle Harvey, just let her be. Not that it matters anyway¨Cmy sister wouldn¡¯t want to acknowledge her either. What level is she even at? Does she deserve to be Wynn¡¯s sibling?¡± Linda sneered and looked at Celeste. ¡°You must feel so smug for keeping my sister out of YodaVision, right? But did you know? The more you go against her, the more Trev feels for her. ¡°You see, as soon as he found out that you and that boss of YodaVision bullied her, he immediately went to cause trouble for YodaVision. 1 ¡°Although things didn¡¯t go exactly as nned and he couldn¡¯t make a move against YodaVision in the end, to make up for Wynn¡¯s grievances, Trev gave us an amazing project worth billions. ¡°And guess what? That project was something your uncle had been begging to get for ages. Hahaha¡­¡± Celeste pressed her lips together, clenching her fists. Lottie was furious and scoffed. ¡°Has Trevor married Wynn yet? You¡¯re addressing him so intimately before they¡¯re even married¨Chow shameless!¡± ¡°You!¡± ¡°Enough, Linda.¡± Harvey held Linda back. Then, he sighed and said to Celeste, ¡°Cel, Wynn is a genius in the Al field. She has important work to do at YodaVision. You need to stop being petty and stop targeting her.¡± ¡°Are you done?¡± Celeste¡¯s gaze was ice¨Ccold. ¡°If you are, then get lost.¡± Ruby, who had remained silent until now, added fuel to the fire. ¡°Cel, how can you talk to your father like that?¡± Linda chimed in, ¡°Exactly! You have manners at all!¡± Celeste¡¯s voice was frigid. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not as well¨Cmannered as all of you, who are mistresses.¡± ¡°You-¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Seeing that Celeste was stubborn, Harvey was deeply disappointed. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Harvey took his customized gift and quickly left with Ruby and Linda. The Scent of 45 After walking some distance, Lottie looked at Celeste with concern. ¡°Cel¡­¡± Celeste shook her head and said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± From the moment Harvey had divorced her mother, he had stopped being her father. (1 What pained her was how her presence had added to her uncle¡¯s burdens. As for Trevor¡¯s favoritism. Thinking about how Trevor only cared about Wynn, how ruthless he was toward Matthias and Ivan for Wynn¡¯s sake, and how he had never considered her feelings, it felt like a knife was stabbing into her heart. The pain was unbearable. ¡°Cel¡­¡± Lottie hugged her, feeling her own heart break for her dear friend. Celeste forced a smile but didn¡¯t say anything. It was fine. She had already decided to move on. She just needed a little time. She could do it. ¡°Want to grab a drink?¡± Lottie thought Celeste needed to rx. But, Celeste shook her head. ¡°No.¡± Rather than drinking, she preferred going home to work on her data. That was when she could truly calm down, rx, and regain her sense of self. Hearing this, Lottie didn¡¯t insist. The two of them headed to the parking lot. Just before getting into the car, Celeste¡¯s phone rang. It was Jordyn. The faint smile on Celeste¡¯s face quickly faded. She paused for two or three seconds before picking up. ¡°Hello.¡± On the other end, Jordyn whined, ¡°Mom, when are youing home?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t answer and instead asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so bored being home alone. Mom, can youe back and keep mepany?¡± Trever wasn¡¯t home and Wynn had things to do. The house was so quiet. Jordyn suddenly missed the days when Celeste would chat with her and listen gently as she talked about her favorite cartoons and toys. So, she called Celeste, hoping she woulde back. Hearing this, Celeste replied indifferently, ¡°I have things to do. Maybe next time.¡± She was her mother, so she had a responsibility to fulfill her child¡¯s needs as much as possible. But she also had her own life. Right now, she wasn¡¯t in a good mood and needed some time to herself. Jordyn sounded a little unhappy. ¡°Alright then¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m hanging up. Call me if you need anything.¡± 11 ¡°Okay.¡± Hanging up sullenly, Jordyn felt even more bored. At that moment, Trevor came back home. Seeing her looking dejected, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I just called Mom and asked her toe home and keep mepany, but she said she had things to do¡­¡± She buried her delicate face into the soft pillow. ¡°She has been so busytely,¡± Trevor responded with a hum and then sat on the sofa, handling business matters on his phone withoutforting her. But he didn¡¯t go to his study to work as usual. Instead, he stayed in the living room with her. Because of this, Jordyn felt a little better and happily picked up her tablet to y her puzzle games again. Meanwhile, seeing Harvey and the others return, Lennox asked, ¡°What took you so long?¡± Harvey hesitated for a moment. ¡°We ran into Cel.¡± ¡°Oh? You saw her?¡± Lennox Locket was a striking beauty. She had married well and was a strong woman in her own right, holding influence in both her husband¡¯s family and the Locket family. When it came to her niece, Celeste, whom she hadn¡¯t seen in years, she didn¡¯t show much concern. Instead, she was more interested in another matter. ¡°Did you talk to her about letting Wynn into YodaVision?¡± Harvey shook his head. ¡°I tried, but she wouldn¡¯t listen.¡± Lennox put down her coffee cup, frowning. ¡°Cel is really¡­ Look, I understand that she¡¯s upset about Trevor being taken by Wynn, but we¡¯ve all met him before. He¡¯s not someone who would ever be satisfied with a woman who has nothing to offer besides her face. (1) ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t Wynn, he would¡¯ve divorced her sooner orter.¡± The Scent of 46 In Lennox¡¯s view, Celeste was simply jealous that Wynn had taken Trevor away, which was why she was deliberately obstructing Wynn from joining YodaVision. Celeste had neither talent nor knowledge¨Call she did was stir up trouble. Just thinking about it made Lennox scoff. She figured it wasn¡¯t just her¨CTrevor probably thought the same way, didn¡¯t he? Unfortunately, Celeste herself waspletely oblivious to this. Perhaps even now, she was still smug about ruining Wynn¡¯s opportunity. Thinking about Wynn¡¯s brilliance and thenparing her to Celeste, Lennox became even more convinced that the two were simply not on the same level. Harvey sighed. ¡°I know.¡± He shared the same thoughts as Lennox. ¡°But she just won¡¯t listen.¡± ¡°She really is¡­¡± She was just as stubborn as her mother. Lennox didn¡¯t say this out loud¡ªafter all, anything rted to that person was never pleasant to discuss. ¡°Regarding Cuap¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait until Wynnes back and ask her about it.¡± Harvey was highly invested in this matter as well. Over the years, they had poured a lot of money into the AI field, but theirpanycked solid technology, so its growth had remained stagnant. Meanwhile, YodaVision, simply because they had Cuap, could earn billions annually without doing anything. How could they not be envious? If they could acquire Cuap¡¯s core technology and integrate it into their existing projects, theirpany would likely skyrocket in value. Reaching a market capitalization of tens of billions would be easy. Just as he was thinking about this, Wynn returned. Seeing Harvey and Lennox, she greeted them. ¡°Dad, Aunt Lennox, hello.¡± ¡°Wynn, you¡¯re back.¡± The moment Wynn walked in, Lennox¡¯s face lit up with a smile, her admiration and affection for Wynn evident. Wynn nodded and sat down. ¡°What are you discussing?¡± ¡°Cuap. Since you couldn¡¯t get into YodaVision, what¡¯s your n now? Has Mr. Fleming said anything?¡± Harvey asked. ¡°Trevor said he would help me get in touch with Zachary Newman.¡± Zachary was one of the top experts in the AI field in the country. It was said that he was highly valued by the government, and his whereabouts were kept confidential¨Cordinary people had no way of meeting him. Matthias was one of the very few disciples of Zachary, and Quap was rumored to have been developed by Zachary himself. Since the path through Matthias was blocked, they had no choice but to try approaching Zachary directly. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Harvey smiled, though he was still a little concerned. ¡°Matthias is Zachary¡¯s student. If he had said anything negative about you to him, would that¡­¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Lennox said with a smile. Harvey, you might not know this, but I¡¯ve heard that Mr. Newman values talent above all else. ¡°Wynn is a genius. As long as she gets a chance to meet him with her expertise in AI, she¡¯ll definitely gain his recognition. ¡°At that point, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if Zachary makes an exception and takes her on as a disciple.¡± Harveyughed. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Lennox then asked, ¡°Did Mr. Fleming say when you might get to meet Mr. Newman?¡± Wynn took a sip of water and replied calmly, ¡°At next week¡¯s tech expo. Apparently, Mr. Newman will be attending.¡± They were, of course, aware of the tech expo. However, theirpany wasn¡¯t high¨Cprofile enough in the industry to receive an invitation from the government. But with Trevor¡¯s connections, perhaps¡­. As this thought crossed Harvey and Lennox¡¯s minds, they both looked at Wynn expectantly. Wynn then said, ¡°Trevor gave me two tickets, but only two¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. It doesn¡¯t matter who apanies you. What¡¯s important is that you must go.¡± Lennox smiled. ¡°Exactly.¡± L The Scent of 47 Trevor owned multiplepanies and was always busy. For the next two days, he was away on business, leaving Jordyn alone at home. Feeling bored, she couldn¡¯t help but call Celeste again. Having been upied for two days, Celeste had already moved on from what had happened that day. So, when she saw Jordyn¡¯s call, she answered. ¡°Mom, when are youing home¡­¡± Upon learning that Trevor wasn¡¯t home, Celeste went back after work that evening. Jordyn was overjoyed when Celeste returned. She clung to her, excitedly sharing amusing stories from school and telling her all about the new game she had recently be obsessed with, insisting on teaching Celeste how to y. As long as she had finished her homework, Celeste was generally willing to spend time with her, ying whatever she wanted and indulging in her interests, as long as they weren¡¯t harmful. After watching Jordyn y twice, Celeste teamed up with her for over an hour. That night, Jordyn was in high spirits. When it was time for bed, she insisted that Celeste stay with her. Celeste wasn¡¯t keen on sleeping in the master bedroom anyway, so she agreed. On Thursday night, after turning off the range hood, Celeste picked up the dishes and was just about to step out of the kitchen when she heard Jordyn¡¯s voice from outside. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re back!¡± Then came a deep, pleasant voice. ¡°Mm. Have you eaten yet?¡± ¡°Not yet, but Mom¡¯s almost done cooking.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Celeste paused briefly before stepping out of the kitchen with the dishes. At the same time, Jordyn and Trevor walked in from the living room. ¡°Mom, Dad¡¯s back.¡± Celeste nced at Trevor before quickly looking away. ¡°Mm.¡± She took off her apron and handed it to Peter before taking her usual seat at the dining table, along with Jordyn and Trevor. As she ate the food Celeste had served her, Jordyn asked, ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d be back tomorrow?¡± ¡°I finished work early, so I came back ahead of schedule.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± The Fleming family didn¡¯t have many strict rules at the dinner table. Jordyn liked to chat, and although Trevor wasn¡¯t a man of many words, he always responded to her. Jordyn chatted happily, but then she turned to Celeste. ¡°Mom, why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Celeste replied gently, ¡°I¡¯m happy just listening to you.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Peter also noticed that something seemed off about Celeste In the past, she had been cautious about talking to Trevor too much, fearing she might annoy him. However, she would still extend the usual greetings and concerns whenever he returned from a business trip. Tonight, not only had Celeste not spoken to Trevor, but she hadn¡¯t even looked at him directly¡­. Trevor, however, seemed unfazed by her unusual behavior, his expression unchanged. Just then, his phone rang. It was a call from Martha. ¡°Off on another business trip?¡± ¡°I just got back.¡± Trevor set his phone down and put it on speaker mode, continuing to eat as he spoke. ¡°Why are you calling this time?¡± Martha chuckled and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Cel and Jo in half a month. Now that the weather¡¯s getting colder, take them to the hot spring retreat tomorrow. Let¡¯s soak in the hot springs together and warm up.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± After the call ended, Jordyn was delighted. ¡°We get to go to the hot springs again! Yay!¡± Trevor looked at Celeste and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have someone pick you up tomorrow night.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t look up. ¡°I¡¯ll drive there after work.¡± The Scent of 48 Chapter 48 ¡°No. Mom,e home and then go with me! The hot spring retreat is so far away, and it¡¯ll be so boring to go alone,¡± Jordyn said. Celeste hesitated for a moment. Perhaps, she could go with Jordyn. ¡°¡­Alright.¡± YodaVision was currently developing a new app, and after dinner, Matthias called her to discuss some technical issues. While Trevor and Jordyn were chatting in the living room, Celeste stepped outside to take the call. The conversationsted half an hour. Jordyn looked up at her and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Mom, you¡¯ve been getting so many phone callstely. You talk for so long every night. You weren¡¯t like this before¡­¡± Hearing this, Trevor lifted his gaze toward her. Peter also realized that. After all, Celeste had never been someone who made frequent phone calls, let alone ones thatsted this long. Could it be that she was having an affair? No¡­ that couldn¡¯t be, right? Considering how deeply she felt for Trevor, that didn¡¯t seem likely. ¡°It¡¯s just about work,¡± Celeste said briefly. ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs to take care of something.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Celeste turned on herputer and began working on the files that Matthias had sent over. Jordyn then returned to her room. Seeing that Celeste was busy, she didn¡¯t disturb her and kept herself entertained. After taking a bath, she peeked in again. Over the past few years, Celeste had neverpletely abandoned her field of expertise. Whenever she had free time, she would design a few programs on her own. If Jordyn happened to be around, she would even teach her some basic concepts. But back then, Jordyn was only around three years old, and she would often fall asleep while listening. Now, as she watched from the side, Celeste didn¡¯t stop her and simply continued working. Jordyn couldn¡¯t understand much, but she suddenly realized¨Cwasn¡¯t this simr to the kind of work Wynn did? She watched for a while before heading to bed. Celeste didn¡¯t shut down herputer until she was done. Looking at the time, she realized it was already past 2: 00 am. She had stayed in Jordyn¡¯s room all night and hadn¡¯t returned to the master bedroom. However, Trevor hadn¡¯t reacted at all. Maybe he didn¡¯t mind. Maybe¡­ Keeping her distance from him was exactly what he wanted. The next morning, Celeste didn¡¯t get up to make breakfast. It was only when Jordyn woke up and saw her still sleeping beside her that she realized her mother had stayed with her the whole night. Not wanting to wake her up, Jordyn got up quietly and left the room. Seeing Trevor, she yawned. ¡°Morning, Dad.¡± Trevor hummed a response. ¡°Mom¡¯s still asleep.¡® ¡°Mm.¡± By the time Celeste got up and had breakfast, Trevor had nearly finished eating. 1) They barely spoke. Once he was done, he left the house. Celeste left for work shortly after. That evening, she got off work on time. When she came home, Jordyn was already waiting in the car. But Trevor wasn¡¯t back yet. They waited for more than 20 minutes before Jordyn frowned. ¡°Dad is so slow.¡± Celeste, however, remained calm, reading her book patiently. Just then, the phone in the living room rang. A few secondster, Peter informed them, ¡°Mr. Fleming said he¡¯s tied up with something and won¡¯t be able to return for now. He asked that you and Ms. Jordyn head to the hot spring retreat first¨Che¡¯ll join youter.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Got it.¡± Trevor had said he would arriveter. But that night, he never showed up. The Scent of 49 Trevor didn¡¯t show up for a long time, which made Martha angry and Jordyn unhappy. Celeste, however, remained calm as if nothing had happened. She peacefully made tea for Martha and said, ¡± Maybe something urgent came up, and he couldn¡¯t get away.¡± Martha was in a bad mood and went to bed early that night Jordyn called Trevor several times, but no one answered. The next morning, when Celeste woke up, there was no one beside her. Jordyn had disappeared somewhere. After washing up, Celeste left her room and looked around, but she couldn¡¯t find her. When she asked, she found out that since Trevor hadn¡¯te, Jordyn had found the ce boring and asked someone to take her down the mountain early in the morning to y. Meanwhile, Martha had caught a cold from the night breeze and had a severe headache in the middle of the night. She had already returned to Fleming Manor before Celeste woke up. Since she didn¡¯t want to disturb Celeste¡¯s rest, she hadn¡¯t informed her right away. For now, besides the staff, Celeste was the only one left in therge hot spring retreat. Actually, even if Jordyn had found the ce boring, she could have waited for Celeste to wake up and asked her to take her out. By leaving so quietly without a word, Celeste figured it wasn¡¯t because Jordyn was afraid of waking her up. It was more likely she had received news about Trevor and had gone to meet him and Wynn. Jordyn probably sneaked off early because she was worried Celeste would stop her from going. The weather wasn¡¯t great today, and it was raining as well. However, since the hot spring was covered, enjoying the scenery and reading while soaking in the warm water still had its charm. Besides, she quite enjoyed having time to herself. She could focus on her own things. So, even though she was left alone, Celeste stayed at the hot spring retreat. On Sunday afternoon, Celeste nned to have dinner before heading home. Just then, she received a call from Martha. ¡°Cel, I called Trevor this morning and asked him to pick you up from the hot spring retreat tonight. Has he contacted you?¡± No, he hadn¡¯t. He had promised toe, but up until this moment, he hadn¡¯t shown up. He hadn¡¯t even called her once. Neither had Jordyn, who had snuck away yesterday. But Celeste had no intention of telling Martha that. She didn¡¯t want to face the hassle. So, she simply replied, ¡°Yes. 11 Hearing that, Martha was relieved. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± After checking on Martha¡¯s health, Celeste ended the call. In the evening, after the sun had set, Celeste had dinner at the retreat. Martha had said Trevor would pick her up. But even after waiting until nearly 9:00 pm, he still hadn¡¯t appeared. The hot spring retreat was quite far from her home¨Cit would take over an hour and a half to get back. Celeste didn¡¯t want to wait any longer. So, she asked a staff member to arrange a car to take her home. Once in the car, she started feeling drowsy. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she had slept when suddenly, her phone rang, waking her up. It was Lottie calling. Celeste answered, ¡°Lottie?¡± ¡°Oh my god! That bitch!¡± Celeste paused, and Lottie quickly added, ¡°Not you, I¡¯m cursing someone else.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I had a charity g to attend tonight, right? Guess who I saw there¨Cyour scumbag dad and Wynn!¡± Lottie sounded furious. ¡°Somedy at the g called Wynn a homewrecker for stealing her fianc¨¦ and threw red wine all over her. It was a total mess. ¡°Thatdy came from a well¨Cto¨Cdo family, so she wouldn¡¯t let it go easily. It caused quite a scene, and I was enjoying the drama. But then¨Cyour husband showed up!¡± Celeste froze. Lottie gritted her teeth and continued, ¡°This was a high¨Cprofile charity g with a star¨Cstudded lineup, and it was being livestreamed! ¡°Wynn and the others may not be celebrities, but the moment he stepped in to support Wynn and personally took her away, the cameras caught everything!¡± Lottie then sent Celeste the livestream video. Celeste opened it and watched. a The g featured live performances from celebrities, making it quite noisy. The camera was far away, so she couldn¡¯t hear what was being said clearly. But the footage clearly captured the entire moment when thedy confronted Wynn, argued with her, and finally sshed red wine all over her. The Scent of 50 After that, thedy¡¯s fianc¨¦ rushed over to stop her, and the two started arguing Shortly after, thedy¡¯s family also arrived. Lottie was right¨Cthedy¡¯s family must be well¨Coff. They acted extremely arrogantly toward the Locket family. Harvey lowered his stance, seemingly trying to reason with them, but thedy¡¯s family had no interest in listening. They immediatelyunched into a tirade against the Locket family. The faces of the Locket family members turned grim. Judging by their expressions, they must have been insulted. At that moment, Trevor appeared. The first thing he did was take off his coat and drape it over Wynn. Then he turned and said a few words to thedy¡¯s parents before picking Wynn up and walking away without a nce. From the moment Trevor stepped in to protect Wynn, the expressions of thedy¡¯s family changed. Seeing that he was about to leave, they tried to follow him, as if they wanted to exin. But the security guards at the g stopped them. At the end of the video, the once¨Carrogantdy¡¯s family now looked utterly defeated, wanting to mend rtions with the Locket family. Meanwhile, Harvey and the others, who had been uneasy and submissive just moments ago, didn¡¯t even spare thedy¡¯s family a nce. They simply followed behind Trevor and left. Because the g was full of celebrities, it drew immense attention. Even though most people didn¡¯t recognize Wynn or thedy, gossip was always a favorite pastime. And once people found out that the man who ¡°rescued¡± Wynn was Trevor, the video¡¯s poprity skyrocketed. Manyizensmented on the video. ¡°Damn, is this handsome guy really that genius entrepreneur, Trevor Fleming?¡± ¡°Wait, I heard from the news that Trevor Fleming came from a prestigious family and founded multiplepanies at a young age, but no one ever told me he was this good¨Clooking!¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s always been low¨Ckey, so we¡¯ve only heard his name but never seen his face!¡± Once the full context of the video was clear,izens started specting. ¡°So¡­ Thisdy caught her fianc¨¦ cheating, but the ¡®mistress¡® turned out to be Mr. Fleming¡¯s girlfriend?¡± ¡°I know thatdy¡¯s fianc¨¦. He¡¯s got a good family background and looks decent too. Butpared to Mr. Fleming Well, let¡¯s be real. ¡°That¡¯s Trevor Fleming! Forget wealth and talent¨Ceven just his looks and presence are onpletely different levels!¡± As the discussion gained traction, Wynn¡¯s fans identified her. ¡°At 25, she earned a PhD from a top university in the world. She¡¯s a race car driver, an adventurer, and even a hacker¡­ OMG, is she real? She¡¯s like a female lead from an action novele to life!¡± ¡°I heard that thest time shepeted in a race, Mr. Fleming personally went to support her! Did you guys see his expression in the photos? His eyes were full of admiration and pride for his girlfriend!¡± ¡°Yes, I saw! Ugh, she has such an amazing r¨¦sum¨¦, and Trevor¡­ They¡¯re literally a perfect match! I¡¯m so jealous! could cry!¡± ¡°So¡­ Would such a stunning woman, who already has Mr. Fleming as her boyfriend, even bother to seduce that other guy? No way! She¡¯s not blind!¡± ¡°In the video, it was thedy¡¯s fianc¨¦ who approached Wynn first. I get that she¡¯s worried about her boyfriend, but starting a fight and throwing red wine without knowing the full story? That¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°Exactly! Sometimes being too attractive is a curse. Look at Wynn¨Cshe got dragged into drama just because she was too charming! Hahaha~¡± Celeste stopped reading at this point and closed the webpage. Martha had said she asked Trevor to pick her up from the hot spring retreat. But now, it was already past 10:00 pm, and Trevor hadn¡¯t even called, let alonee to get her. Still, he might have intended to pick her up. ´ó He probably just got caught up in Wynn¡¯s situation, stepped in to ¡°rescue¡± her, and then¡­ simply forgot about her. Celeste didn¡¯t dwell on it. At 11:00 pm., she came back home, took a shower, and went straight to bed. She had a sound, dreamless sleep. The Scent of 51 The next morning, after waking up and having breakfast, Celeste headed out for work as usual. At noon, while she was having lunch, Jordyn¡¯s call came through. This was the first time Jordyn had called her since secretly sneaking away from the hot spring retreat. Celeste answered. ¡°Mom¡­¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Celeste responded and asked, ¡°Have you eaten?¡± ¡°Just finished!¡± That morning at the hot spring retreat, she had received a call from Wynn, who told her that Trevor was taking her out for fun and asked if she wanted to join them. She immediately agreed and sneaked away while Celeste wasn¡¯t paying attention. They had a great time and only returned to the city yesterday afternoon. However, they didn¡¯t go homest night. This morning, after returning to school, Jordyn thought of Celeste and felt a little guilty. She was worried that she might be angry. That¡¯s why she decided to call. But when she heard her mom ask if she had eaten, she felt that she wasn¡¯t mad about her sneaking off that day. She was relieved. She knew it. Her mom wouldn¡¯t be mad at her! However, she also noticed that her mom no longer called her every day or constantly asked about her whereabouts like before. She actually liked this change in her mom! Now, she had much more freedom to do what she wanted! Celeste indeed didn¡¯t ask about where they had been for the past two days¨Cbecause she simply didn¡¯t care. After chatting with Jordyn about her studies for a while, Celeste hung up the phone. Back at the office, Matthias came over and asked, ¡°Tomorrow is the tech expo. Are we meeting at thepany and heading there together?¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± The next morning, not long after Celeste left home, her car suddenly broke down, and a vehicle behind her rear- ended her, causing a chain reaction of traffic idents. A chorus of angry drivers behind her erupted inints. Since her car couldn¡¯t move, it was blocking traffic. After apologizing to the drivers behind her, she immediately called emergency services and waited for assistance. However, handling this would take a long time, and she was in a hurry to attend the expo. A tall figure walked over from the pedestrian sidewalk. Celeste looked up. It was Beck. Why was he here? She responded indifferently with a hum. Not in the mood to chat, she called Matthias to exin the situation and told them to leave without her. She would head over once everything was settled. ¡°Traffic idents like this take time to sort out,¡± Matthias said. ¡°By the time you¡¯re done, the expo might already be over. ¡°Wait a bit. I¡¯ll contact someone to help you, but it¡¯ll probably take at least another half an hour before they reach you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. As long as I don¡¯t miss the expo.¡± After hanging up, just as she was about to speak with the drivers behind her, Beck suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll have someone take care of this for you. Where do you need to go? I¡¯ll drive you.¡± Celeste was stunned and looked up at him. Five minutester, she was in Beck¡¯s car. They sat in the back seat, keeping some distance between them, yet she still felt a little awkward. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Nothing¡­? Celeste frowned slightly. In the past, Beck had always treated her as if she were invisible. Thest time they met at the race track, they didn¡¯t part on good terms. Although thest time they bumped into each other, Beck had been unusually polite and greeted her first, but still He was busy. So, as soon as he got in the car, he started taking phone calls one after another. Celeste actually felt relieved because of that. They weren¡¯t familiar with each other, and being in such a confined space with him made her feel ufortable. Forty minutester, the car stopped at the entrance of the tech expo. Celeste got out of the car and politely said, ¡°Thanks.¡± Beck just hummed in response. After giving a brief nod, she turned and left. Shortly after she walked away, a sleek ck luxury car pulled up beside Beck¡¯s. Wynn thought she was seeing things. But after checking the license te, she confirmed she wasn¡¯t mistaken. So, she knocked on Beck¡¯s window. The window slowly rolled down, and Wynn bent slightly to look inside. ¡°Beck, it really is you.¡± Then she asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Beck got out of the car. ¡°Just dropping off a friend.¡± At that moment, Harvey and Lennox also stepped out of their car. Upon learning Beck¡¯s identity, they hurriedly greeted him. Beck nodded and greeted them in return. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Beck received a phone call. Since the expo was about to start, Wynn and her family didn¡¯t linger and left. Meanwhile, at the entrance of the expo, Celeste met up with Matthias and the others. Matthias leaned in and whispered, ¡°Mr. Newman is attending the expo today too.¡± Celeste froze and widened her eyes. Matthias raised an eyebrow and smirked. ¡°Good thing you found someone to help you in time. If he found out you werete, he¡¯d¡­¡± Celeste immediately got the hint. Zachary never cared about the reason for beingte. To him, tardiness meant ack of dedication. He had already been upset when she got married and had a child right after graduating with her bachelor¡¯s degree. If she showed upte today after finally reuniting with him¡­ She didn¡¯t even want to imagine how he¡¯d look at her. Just thinking about it sent shivers down her spine. So, it¡¯s good that you made it on time.¡± Celeste let out a sigh of relief. The Scent of 52 By the time Celeste, Matthias, and their group had their tickets checked and entered the exhibition hall, it was already quite packed. The hall was massive, showcasing exhibits such as drones, flying cars, and humanoid robots. There were numerous exhibits, each with its own focus on core technologies. As soon as Celeste and the others entered, they were overwhelmed by the dazzling array of innovations. Matthias was quite well¨Cknown. Shortly after they arrived, people starteding over to greet him one after another. He also introduced Celeste to some connections. While she was smiling and greeting someone, she happened to be facing the entrance of the exhibition hall. Her gaze unexpectedly met Wynn¡¯s as she and her group walked in. Wynn paused. She didn¡¯t expect to see Celeste here. After all, this exhibition was a dreamworking event for top tech elites. Each invitation was extremely valuable. Matthias was a major shareholder of YodaVision. It was one thing for him to bring Celeste, a mere undergraduate, into thepany. Employees might not say much about it. But for him to give such a precious ticket to Celeste, a neer to thepany, surely the other elite employees of YodaVision would have something to say about it. Matthias was a student of Zachary. She had heard before that although he dedicated part of his efforts to the business side of things, his expertise in AI remained formidable. Over the years, he had personally overseen the development of hispany¡¯s products. He was technically skilled and a valued talent. With Cuap as a core barrier protecting thepany, YodaVision had flourished in recent years. Quentin had spoken highly of him before. He called him an exceptional leader. Previously, Wynn had already started to question whether he truly deserved such high praise when he refused to hire her because of Celeste. And now, he was actually giving an important exhibition ticket to Celeste? Wasn¡¯t thispletely irrational? Frowning at the thought, Wynn¡¯s expression darkened. Harvey and Lennox also spotted Celeste. They, too, frowned. They didn¡¯t expect to see her here as well. Celeste merely nced at them before looking away. Harvey noticed that she was chatting with a tall man, and they seemed to have a close rtionship. He frowned and asked Wynn, ¡°That man¡­ Wynn, do you know him?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Matthias.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Matthias?¡± Harvey was surprised. He was aware that Celeste had left Fleming Group to join YodaVision. But he had assumed she was just an ordinary employee there. He didn¡¯t expect Matthias to hold her in such high regard. Before Wynn could say anything, someone approached there. ¡°Ms. Locket, Mr. Locket, you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Mr. Abbot.¡± Wynn and Harvey greeted the neer. Originally, they had only received two tickets, but because ofst night¡¯s ¡°scene¡± at the charity g, many in their social circle had be aware of Wynn¡¯s unusual rtionship with Trevor. Wanting to strengthen their ties with Trevor, Carl Abbot had someone deliver an extra ticket to them overnight upon learning that Wynn¡¯s groupcked a ticket. Quite a few people had learned about Wynn¡¯s connection to Trevor from news about the charity g. Carl had only exchanged a few pleasantries with Wynn before others came over to greet them as well. Before long, more and more people gathered around them, drawing attention from those nearby. Meanwhile, on Celeste¡¯s side, Cole Turner, who had been chatting with them, nced over andmented, ¡± That¡¯s the Locket family over there. You¡¯ve all heard about it, right? 11 ¡°Ms. Locket has quite the connection with Trevor. Look at that crowd¨Ceveryone¡¯s flocking over to cozy up to them.¡± His tone carried a hint of disdain. Matthias was also aware of what happened the previous night at the charity g involving Wynn. y The Scent of 53 Chapter 53 Matthias nced at Celeste and, sensing that Cole seemed to look down on Wynn, asked, ¡°Mr. Turner, do you have a grudge against the Locket family?¡± Cole shook his head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it a grudge, but¡­ Ste Smith¨Cthedy who had an argument with Ms. Locketst night¨Cis the daughter of an old friend of mine, ¡°I¡¯ve known her since she was little. She can be a bit impulsive, but she¡¯s not unreasonable. ¡°Her fianc¨¦, that kid from the Lowe family, John, got quite close to another girl two years ago¨Cso much so that he was on the verge of breaking off his engagement with Ste. ¡°But then, somehow, that girl ended up getting acquainted with Trevor, and suddenly, she and John weren¡¯t in contact anymore¡­¡± From Cole¡¯s words, the implication was clear. Wynn had previously interfered in Ste¡¯s rtionship with her fianc¨¦. However, after Wynn managed to climb to a higher status, she withdrew herself. But what really frustrated Cole wasn¡¯t the past¨Cit wasst night¡¯s incident at the charity g. He sighed. ¡°Originally, my old friend and Ste were supposed to attend the expo today. But afterst night¡¯smotion, which involved Mr. Fleming, the topic exploded online. Netizens have been bashing Ste. It¡¯s making her so upset. ¡°On top of that, those sly old foxes saw Wynn¡¯s connection with Mr. Fleming and immediately tried to cozy up to the Locket family. ¡°To avoid bing a target today, my old friend and Ste decided not toe¡­¡± Matthias and Celeste listened in silence. They were unsure of what to say. When Celeste nced over at Wynn, she noticed that even more people had gathered around her. After finishing their conversation with Cole, Celeste joined Yandel and the others to discuss and analyze the exhibition¡¯s innovations. Being exposed to so many cutting¨Cedge technologies at once left Celeste and Yandel exhrated andpletely absorbed. It was unclear how much time had passed when Matthias suddenly approached Celeste and pointed in a direction. It was Trevor. So, he was here too. His technologypany had considerable influence in the country, and he was also technically skilled. His presence at the event didn¡¯t surprise Celeste. Besides, with Wynn attending, how could he not show up? Sure enough, there he was¨Cstanding right next to Wynn. The people surrounding them positioned them at the center of attention, making them appear as if they were a legitimate couple. Celeste took one look and then withdrew her gaze. Then, she spotted Miles. He was here too. However, he was engaged in a conversation and hadn¡¯t noticed her. Matthias asked, ¡°Does he know you¡¯re here?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t.¡± After all, although she and Trevor had seen each other asionally in recent days, they had never really discussed their rtionship. Even when they did exchange words, it was always about their daughter, Jordyn. So how could Trevor possibly know that she was attending the exhibition? Matthias, who was clearly displeased, asked, ¡°Are you really not going to go over and say hello?¡± Celeste and Trevor were still legally married. If she publicly asserted her identity as Mrs. Fleming, Matthias was curious to see how Trevor and Wynn would react. Celeste understood his implication. But, she shook her head. ¡°No.¡± Firstly, there was no need. Secondly¡­ if she cornered Trevor, he might retaliate by publicly bringing up how she had allegedly set him up back then. Even though she hadn¡¯t done it, she had no evidence to prove her innocence. If things escted, she would be the one humiliated. With so many business elites present, mishandling the situation could even affect her uncle¡¯s business. She wasn¡¯t about to let a moment of anger cloud her judgment. The Scent of 54 +25 BOHUS Celeste withdrew her gaze as Yandel and the others called her over to help answer some technical questions. Without giving Trevor another thought, she turned away and walked over to them. Just as she turned, Miles noticed her. At that moment, Wynn had walked over to Harvey, separating from Trevor. Miles nudged Trevor in the side with his elbow and motioned in Celeste¡¯s direction. ¡°Over there¨Cyour wife is here too.¡± Trevor followed his gesture and looked over. He spotted Celeste. She was holding a tablet and standing slightly to the side while exining the technical concepts of an exhibit to Yandel and the others. Celeste and Yandel were deeply engaged in their discussion. They werepletely unaware of Trevor¡¯s gaze.. Miles paused for a moment beforementing, ¡°Who are those people with your wife? Is she exining the core technology of the exhibit to them? Is your wife actually this skilled?¡± Trevor kept his gaze fixed on Celeste, neither looking away nor speaking. At that moment, as if sensing something, Celeste nced over. Their eyes met across the distance. Celeste hesitated briefly. The distance was a little too far, making it difficult to discern the emotions in Trevor¡¯s eyes. But she noticed that he seemed to¡­ smile slightly. Was he smiling at her? She was probably overthinking it. Feeling puzzled, Celeste withdrew her gaze. Miles noticed too and asked, ¡°What are you smiling about? Trevor chuckled. ¡°Nothing.¡± Miles didn¡¯t dwell on it. He raised an eyebrow when he saw how calm Celeste looked when she noticed them- especially when she saw Trevor. She was as indifferent as if she were looking at a stranger. He couldn¡¯t tell whether she was still ying hard to get or if she was simply being tactful. If it was thetter, then considering that Trevor was unwilling to publicly acknowledge their marriage, she had been keeping her distance from him at both the banquet and now at the expo. She hadn¡¯t left the slightest trace of their rtionship for others to notice. He had to admit¨Cat least in this regard¨CCeleste was quite perceptive. At that moment, Wynn walked over. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Miles reacted quickly. He smiled. ¡°Nothing.¡± Then he asked, ¡°Are you done?¡± Before Wynn could answer, someone approached with Bryson and introduced her. ¡°Professor Leonard, this is the algorithm genius I was telling you about. This is Ms. Locket¡± Bryson was the same expert whom Matthias had introduced to Celeste at the banquet. That night, when Wynn had approached Matthias, Bryson had been present. However, he had a rather unremarkable appearance, and Wynn had attended the banquet with a different purpose. She hadn¡¯t been interested inworking with technology experts. As a result, she didn¡¯t pay attention to him at all. Now, upon meeting him again, she naturally didn¡¯t recognize him. That night, Wynn and Matthias had seemed to have an unpleasant exchange, but Bryson had been engrossed in his conversation with Celeste and hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it. Later, he hadn¡¯t inquired about it either. Seeing Wynn now, he didn¡¯t bring up the past. Instead, he simply smiled and extended his hand. ¡°Hello, Ms. Locket.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Wynn responded politely. The Locket family¡¯s techpany was in urgent need of skilled talent. Knowing Bryson¡¯s background, Wynn remained respectful. Even Harvey made a point toe over and greet him. Afterward, Wynn and Bryson began chatting. With so many exhibits around them, there was plenty to discuss, and their conversationsted quite a while. Harvey and Lennox, however, didn¡¯t understand technology at all. The Scent of 55 Harvey and Lennox¡¯s purpose in attending the tech expo was to build connections. Of course, after Trevor arrived, Harvey and Lennox kept an eye on him whileworking, curious to see how he would react upon seeing Celeste. However, they realized that when Trevor saw Celeste¡­ he had no reaction at all. It was as if he were looking at a stranger. He didn¡¯t even bother to nce at her again. Rumor had it that years ago, Celeste had used underhanded tactics to force Trevor into marriage. He had no feelings for her whatsoever. Even after marriage, he rarely stayed at home. All he had for Celeste was disgust. It seemed the rumors were true. As the expo¡¯s main conference was about to begin, event staff notified the keypany representatives to head to the conference hall for the summary meeting. Representing YodaVision at the conference were Matthias and Celeste. They walked ahead. Seeing that Celeste was allowed into the conference hall, Wynn and Lennox were quite surprised. Lennox turned to Wynn. ¡°Does Matthias really value her that much?¡± When they saw Matthias bring Celeste to the expo, they had already sensed that he held her in high regard. But they hadn¡¯t expected it to be to this extent. That was unexpected. After all, Celeste had been married and even had a child. She was indeed beautiful, but considering Matthias¡® excellent background, finding someone with even better qualifications shouldn¡¯t be difficult. Why was he so invested in a woman who was about to enter a second marriage? Wynn remained silent. Although they had entered the expo, seating in the conference hall was limited. Since theirpany hadn¡¯t contributed any exhibits, they would typically be seated at the back, even if they were allowed in. However, Trevor had arranged for Wynn to sit with him in the front row. Hearing this, Harvey chuckled. Celeste was here too, yet Trevor had Wynn sit up front with him. Lennox also smiled. ¡°I heard that Mr. Newman will be giving a speechter. Sitting in the front row increases the chances of speaking with him.¡± Wynn, of course, understood this. After seeing Celeste and Matthias take seats in the middle rows, Lennox had initially felt a bit dissatisfied. But now that Wynn was seated in front of them, her mood immediately improved. Wynn also took notice of Celeste and Matthias. Following Trevor, she passed by Celeste as if she didn¡¯t see her at all, walking straight ahead without so much as a nce. Celeste and Matthias, of course, noticed them too. However, Celeste paid them no mind, and Matthias wasn¡¯t interested in acknowledging them either. But around them, some people whispered enviously. ¡°I heard Mr. Zachary Newman is seated in the front row. Sitting there means a higher chance of speaking with him. I¡¯m so jealous.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Celeste and Matthias exchanged nces. Matthias leaned in slightly and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if she gets a chance to meet our mentor, she¡¯ll never catch his eye.¡± After their first meeting, he already had a good grasp of Wynn¡¯s actual skills. Celeste understood what he meant and asked, ¡°What if she¡¯s been hiding her true abilities?¡± Alright, that was indeed a possibility. Matthias had considered it before, but¡­. Was it possible?. Just as he was thinking about it, the host stepped onto the stage and began speaking. After a long speech, the host finally announced, ¡°Now, let¡¯s wee Mr. Zachary Newman to the stage for his keynote address!¡± The Scent of 56 Zachary¡¯s name was renowned worldwide, yet he was still quite young¨Cjust in his early forties. Tall and lean, he wore frameless sses. As soon as the host finished speaking, he walked onto the stage amid thunderous apuse. Reaching the center of the podium, he cast a calm nce over the audience, and the entire hall instantly fell silent. He slowly began, ¡°Thank you very much to the organizers for the sincere invitation¡­¡± After briefly exchanging formalities, he gave a concise summary of the exhibits at the expo, offering recognition and insights. He then answered several questions frompany representatives in the audience. Many wanted to ask questions, but time was limited. After about half an hour, Zachary stepped down from the stage. The conference continued with other segments, and as Zachary left the stage, he walked toward the front¨Crow seat that had been reserved for him by the organizers. As he walked past, the business executives seated in the front row all stood up to shake his hand and greet him, making those in the back rows¡ªespecially the technical staff¨Cgreen with envy. One of the people seated beside Zachary was Trevor. When Zachary approached, Trevor stood up. Wynn, who was sitting beside Trevor, also stood up. Trevor took the initiative to extend his hand and greet Zachary. ¡°Mr. Newman, long time no see.¡± Yes, Trevor and Zachary had met before. They had met many years ago. Zachary, maintaining his usual cold demeanor, reached out and responded, ¡°It has indeed been a long time.¡± It had been more than ten years. His aloofness wasn¡¯t directed at Trevor specifically¡ªZachary treated everyone this way, even his own students. Wynn also extended her hand. ¡°Hello, Mr. Newman. I¡¯m Wynn Locket. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± Zachary nced at her, gave a slight nod, and shook her hand briefly. Then, after greeting a few others who approached him, he took his seat. Trevor sat to Zachary¡¯s right. The person seated to Zachary¡¯s left immediately struck up a conversation with him once he sat down. Zachary responded sparingly, speaking only asionally. Trevor simply sat there, listening to the speakers on stage. Wynn, on the other hand, wanted to talk to Zachary. But with Trevor sitting between them, it was inconvenient. She was surprised that Trevor didn¡¯t take the initiative to speak with Zachary. Leaning in slightly, she asked in a low voice, ¡°Did you and Mr. Newman have a falling out before?¡± Trevor smiled. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then why¡­¡± Opportunities to speak with Zachary were rare. Who wouldn¡¯t want to seize the chance to exchange a few words with him? He was sitting right next to Zachary, yet he¡­. She had considered asking Trevor to swap seats with her. However, Zachary was currently engaged in conversation with the prominent business executive beside him. That executive was no ordinary person. As a junior with little reputation, if she interrupted their conversation just to introduce herself to Zachary, she might offend the executive. Realizing this, she dropped the idea and didn¡¯t ask Trevor to switch seats. However, Trevor suddenly said, ¡°He doesn¡¯t think much of me.¡± ¡°What?¡± Wynn was taken aback. She wondered if she had misheard. But when she saw the faint smile on Trevor¡¯s face, she knew she hadn¡¯t. Still¡­ If that were true, wouldn¡¯t it count as a falling out? Yet Trevor lookedpletely unconcerned. Seeing that he had no intention of borating, Wynn didn¡¯t press further. Time passed, and eventually, the conference came to an end. A rumor began to spread¨CZachary wouldn¡¯t be leaving right away. The Scent of 57 As soon as people received the news, many rushed toward the front rows. However, by the time these seated further back managed to squeeze their way forward, Zachary was already surrounded by the prominent figures who had been seated in the front row. Wynn was also in the front row, but she didn¡¯t attempt to speak with Zachary Seeing this, Lennox grew anxious and waved her over. Wynn noticed and walked toward her. ¡°Aunt Lennox.¡± She understood what Lennox meant, so before her aunt could even speak, she said, ¡°Mr. Newman is currently surrounded by influential figures. Even if I squeeze in to talk to him, I wouldn¡¯t get much time. Trevor said it¡¯s better to find another opportunity to speak with him privately .¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± Lennox finally realized she had been too impatient. The people around Trevor were all top¨Ctier business magnates whom they normally wouldn¡¯t even have the chance to approach. Wanting Wynn to expand herwork, Lennox gave her a little push, urging her to go back. But Wynn remained calm and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already met them all ¡± Because of Trevor, those business leaders had treated her with courtesy. Lennox knew how much Trevor valued Wynn. Hearing this she felt reassured and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Even so, after chatting briefly with Lennox, Wynn returned to Trevor¡¯s side. The area was quite crowded, and an ordinary person would have found it difficult to get through. But now, everyone knew she was Trevor¡¯spanion. When they saw her, they automatically stepped aside to make way. Some of the business executives, having finished their conversations with Zachary, stopped trying to approach him and instead began discussing business matters among themselves, Noticing Wynn¡¯s return to Trevor¡¯s side, one of them smiled and said warmly, ¡°Ms. Locket is truly talented and beautiful. Trevor has a great eye and is a lucky man.¡± These influential figures, despite their high social status, didn¡¯t judge people solely by their family background. Wynn¡¯s credentials were impressive. She was beautiful,posed, and carried herself with grace. Her demeanor was steady andposed, never rash or impulsive. Overall, she was undeniably an outstanding young woman So, when they praised her, their words were genuine. Trevor responded with a faint smile, while Wynn graciously replied, ¡°You tter me, Mr. Young.¡± Their conversation was pleasant, but Zachary¡¯s time was limited. After a while, he told the group he had matters to attend to and needed to leave. Upon hearing this, no one dared to stop him. After all, Zachary had strong government connections, and no one would question how important his business might be. And so, he left. Chaplet 57 +16 BONUS Meanwhile, Celeste and the teclinical teams from variouspanies were deeply engaged in discussions. She and Matthias had never tried to push forward and talk to Zachary like the others. After all, they didn¡¯t need to. If they wanted to meet Zachary¡­ Well, while it wasn¡¯t exactly easy, it wasn¡¯t difficult either. Sure enough, shortly after Zachary left, Matthias received message. He immediately pulled Celeste along and left the hall. They headed outside to the parking lot, where they met Zachary. He was holding his phone and seemed to be replying to a message. When he noticed them, he raised his head. Celeste stopped in her tracks, ¡°Mr. Newman¡­¡± Zachary gave a slight nod. ¡°Mm.¡± Then, in his usual cold tone, he said, ¡°I saw your exhibit. It was¡­ passable. But-¡± His gaze swept over them indifferently. ¡°Three years, and this is all you¡¯ve aplished?¡± The Scent of 58 Matthias and Celeste immediately felt arhill down their sphes. Matthias quickly said, ¡°We¡¯re already preparing a new product. We should have a prototype by next year¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Zachary responded indifferently, then added, ¡°Until you have it ready, don¡¯te see me again.¡± ¡°Understood¡­¡± ¡°Send me a review by tonight.¡± Celeste and Matthias instantly realized that Zachary was referring to a technical summary of today¡¯s expo. ¡°Understood¡­¡® After a brief pause, Matthias hesitantly said, ¡°Uh¡­ Mr. Newnan, finishing it in one night¡­ might be a bit difficult. In reality, ¡°a bit difficult¡± was a huge understatement. It was practically impossible. Then, he continued, ¡°Would¡­ one month be okay?¡± With so many exhibits and technologies to analyze, he estimated that the summary would be at least tens of thousands of words; if not, over a hundred thousand. How could they possiblyplete it in one night? Zachary didn¡¯t respond. He simply stared at them. Though he always appeared refined and cultured, his gaze was something most people couldn¡¯t withstand Matthias immediately straightened up and stiffened ¡°Understood! We¡¯ll get it done!¡± Celeste was speechless. At this point, their conversation was effectively over. Zachary then turned his gaze toward Celeste. She instinctively straightened her back. ¡°Mr. Newman¡­¡± ¡°Look at who you chose!¡± Zachary shot her a cold nce, spat out those words, and turned to leave. Celeste was stunned. Matthiasmented, ¡°Mr. Newman was talking about your husband.¡± Zachary¡¯s meaning was clear-¡°Just look at the kind of man you married!¡± Celeste immediately understood. But¡­ ¡°Did they say something?¡± Back in the conference hall, she and Matthias had been seated quite far from the front. They had seen that after their mentor finished speaking and sat down, Trevor and Wynn had stood up to greet him. But they didn¡¯t know what was actually said. Matthias shook his head. ¡°No idea.¡± While they were still processing what had happened, Wynn and Lennox had also stepped outside and happened to see them talking to Zachary Watching Zachary leave, Lennox turned to Wynn and said, It doesn¡¯t matter. She doesn¡¯t have your expertise. Even if she knows Zachary, so what? It¡¯s useless to her. She can¡¯t be his student anyway.¡± Wynn nodded. ¡°I know.¡± Then, she added, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Celeste and Matthias had onlye outside to talk to Zachary. They weren¡¯t leaving. This was an invaluable opportunity towork with peers, leaving now would be a waste. So, after Zachary left, they returned to the exhibition hall. Later, they crossed paths with Trevor again, but Celeste didn¡¯t approach him, nor did hee over to her. To everyone else, they appeared as nothing more thanplete strangers. Wynn¡¯s group hadn¡¯t left either. Back when Celeste had seen Harvey in the jewelry store, he had taken the initiative to greet her, saying he still cared about her. Yet today, despite crossing paths multiple times, he never approached her again. Unlike before, he didn¡¯t show the slightest concern. Thinking about this, Celeste found itughable. But she understood why. After all, Wynn was here. Now, everyone knew he was Wynn¡¯s father. If he went over and acknowledged Celeste, and people somehow discovered that she was Trevor¡¯s wife¨Cthen what dignity would he have left? The Scent of 59 Wynn would probably be drowned in public opinion if that happened. This made it obvious how tantly biased Harvey was toward Wynn, Harvey didn¡¯t want to associate with Celeste in its kind of setting, but he couldn¡¯t bear to miss the chance to connect with Matthias. So, when Celeste went to the restroom, he, Wynn, and Lennox approached Matthias, Introducing himself, Harvey said, ¡°Mr. Yoder, hello, I¡¯m Havey Locket, father of both Wynn and Celeste. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± Matthias politely shook his hand and replied, ¡°So, you¡¯re Mr. Locket. Nice to meet you.¡± Harvey nced at Wynn and continued, ¡°Celeste has a bit of a stubborn personality, and there have been some misunderstandings between her and Wyn. As her father, I¡¯ve always hoped they could get along well, but unfortunately, no matter what I say, Celeste just won¡¯t listen¡­¡± Matthias feigned realization. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Harvey sighed but then smiled. ¡°Still, I¡¯m very happy that Celeste has the opportunity to know a young -talent like you. As her father, I feel reassured. I heard she has joined yourpany. Please take good care of her. I¡¯ll leave her in your hands.¡± It sounded like genuine concern for Celeste. If Harvey hadn¡¯t deliberately waited until Celeste was abser to initiate this conversation¡­.. If he weren¡¯t so well aware of Celeste¡¯s past and her rtionship with Trevor¡­ Matthias might have actually believed him. But he didn¡¯t call him out on it. Instead, he smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Mr. Locket. Celeste is very talented. It¡¯s an honor for us at YodaVision to have her.¡± Harvey, Wynn, and Lennox all assumed Matthias was just being polite. With Celeste¡¯s background, what could she possibly contribute to Matthias? At most, she could do some misceneous tasks or basic programming work. Of course, Harvey didn¡¯t say this out loud. Wynn pemained silent as well, while Lennox just gave a faint, dismissive smile. Harvey then added, ¡°Mr. Yoder, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re already aware of Wynn¡¯s background. She¡¯s always been deeply interested in Cuap and is very eager to have the opportunity to work at YodaVision¡­¡± Although Trevor had already arranged for Wynn to meet Zachary soon¨Censuring that she would have plenty of opportunities to learn more about Cuap in the future¨CYodaVision was developing rapidly. Matthias also came from a prestigious family. Building a good rtionship with him wouldn¡¯t hurt. Who knew? Maybe in the future, they could even coborate more closely with YodaVision. Matthias turned to Wynn and said, ¡°I appreciate your interest, Ms. Locket. You¡¯re indeed very talented, and if your were to join YodaVision, I¡¯d be delighted. However, Celeste is my friend¡­¡± Wynn wasn¡¯t determined to work at YodaVision anymore. She just didn¡¯t want to be on bad terms with Matthias After all, they were likely to be fellow disciples under the same mentor in the future. Having one more friend was always better than having one more enemy. Matthias¡® attitude today was noticeably warmer than it had been at the banquet, However, she wasn¡¯t sure if his change in attitude was gengine or just a front, but there was plenty of time to find CHIL So, Wynn replied, ¡°I understand and won¡¯t force the issue. No need to worry, Mr. Yoder,¡± Matthias smiled ¡°Thank you for your understanding, Ms. Locket.¡± From a distance, their conversation seemed lively and pleasant. When Celeste walked out of the restroom and saw them, she paused in her steps. Lennox noticed and smiled. (*) +26 BONUT The Scent of 60 Wynu also saw Celeste. She remainedposed and said to Matthias, ¡°We have something to attend to, so we¡¯ll leave first. Let¡¯s talk another time. Matthias shook hands with them. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s catch up next time.¡± Without sparing Celeste another nce, Wynn turned and left with Harvey and the others. Matthias¡® status and reputation naturally attracted attention, and by noon, several influential figures approached him with invitations to lunch. From what they hinted, Trevor would also be attending. Trevor¡¯s table would likely gather industry leaders, making it an ideal opportunity to delve into the future direction of Al. Essentially, the market¡¯s trajectory was tied to the decisions of these individuals. This was not just a chance to glean insights but also to build connections. If the discussions went well, coborations could be finalized right at the dining table. Matthias was indeed tempted. He turned to Celeste while silently seeking her opinion. With T With Trevor present, would she¡­ Celeste was resolute. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Once outside, she and Trevor acted like strangers, as expected. But that didn¡¯t mean she would avoid him. The group of influential figures led Celeste and Matthias toward Trevor¡¯s side. Trevor watched their approach with a calm expression. Wynn, however, frowned briefly. But she quickly rxed. Her demeanor became indifferent as she withdrew her gaze. Harvey and Lennox soon joined them. Their expressions darkened when they noticed Celeste¡¯s presence. Some of them hadn¡¯t greeted Matthias yet, so they took the opportunity as he approached. When it came to Trevor¡¯s turn, he extended his hand toward Matthias. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hello¡± Matthias replied with a smile. ¡°Mr. Fleming, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Mr. Yoder.¡± After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Trevor and Wynn led the group toward the parking lot. Celeste and Matthias followed behind. Harvey and Lennox discreetly tried to signal to Celeste, hoping she wouldn¡¯t join them, but she acted as if she didn¡¯t notice. Trevor and Wynn shared a car, while Celeste got into Matthias¡®. Unable to stop her, Lennox frowned. ¡°That Celeste, honestly¡­¡± The group consisted of over 20 people. Chapter Bd The private dining rooin was spacious, and everyone sat around arge round table, Naturally, Trevor and Wynn sat together. Lennox wanted to sit beside Celeste. She was worried she might say something Inappropriate during the meal. She intended to keep an eye on her, but she was a step too slows Matthias had already taken thest seat next to Celeste. Once everyone was seated, they chatted while ordering food Trevor handed the menu to Wynn. ¡°You can choose.¡± Wynn epted it and asked, ¡°What would you like?¡± ¡°Whatever you decide,¡± Trevor replied. Those seated nearby chuckled. ¡°Mr. Fleming and Ms. Locke really do seemn close.¡± Wynn smiled and picked a few dishes based on Trevor¡¯s preferences. Seeing this, Harvey and Lennox also smiled. Meanwhile, Matthias, who was holding a menu, asked Celeste about her preferences. Noticing the interaction on Trevor¡¯s side, he nced over briefly before turning back to Celeste. Her expression remained neutral. As Matthias asked for her input, the two quietly discussed and selected a couple of dishes. Harvey and Lennox observed that Celeste wasn¡¯t causing any trouble, and they felt somewhat reassured for the time being. Wynn, who was aware of their concerns, leaned over and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With Trevor here, she wouldn¡¯t dare act out¡± The Scent of 61 Chapter 61. Chapter 61 If Celeste dared to cause a scene, it would undoubtedly upset Trevor Given what she knew about Celeste and Trevor¡¯s marital status, Celeste wouldn¡¯t dare provoke him. After all, if she did, it would only deepen Trevor¡¯s disdain for her. Lennox felt somewhat reassured after hearing this, but she was still worried that Trevor might treat Wynn too kindly, which could be too much for Celeste to bear. Celeste, however, paid no attention to what they were thinking. She wasn¡¯t even particrly aware of their interactions, as she was more focused on the person sitting beside her¡ªBryson Leonard. Bryson had known that Celeste would be attending the expo and had made a point to greet her earlier at the event. Thest time they met at a banquet, they had an engaging conversation. He had been wanting to connect with her again since, but both of them had been too busy. Now that they had run into each other, he wasn¡¯t going to let the opportunity pass. Not long after they were seated, he struck up a conversation with her. The table wasrge, and both Celeste and Bryson kept their voices down so as not to disturb the others. Seeing Bryson chatting amicably with Celeste, Wynn and Lennox assumed she was merely consulting him on some technical questions and didn¡¯t pay much attention. A man sitting on Bryson¡¯s other side joked, ¡°Bryson, you¡¯re something else. Even at a meal, you can¡¯t stop talking shop. Your mouth hasn¡¯t rested since this morning.¡± Another person joined in whileughing. ¡°Exactly. Earlier at the expo, Bryson was chatting with Ms. Locket for quite a while too.¡± When the conversation shifted to him, Bryson smiled but didn¡¯t let them off easily. ¡°Whenever I try to discuss technical topics with you, you all shove me toward your engineers. And now that I¡¯m talking to someone else, suddenly you miss me?¡± Someone nced at Wynn, then at Celeste, and remarked, ¡°Who¡¯d have thought the younger generation would be so into Al and programming these days? Times really are changing.¡± ¡°True,¡± another person chimed in. ¡°After talking to Ms. Locket at the expo, Bryson was telling me how promising the next generation is. He even said the future of our country is bright. Haha!¡± ¡°Well, Ms. Locket is a top graduate from a world¨Css university Jan¡¯t she the very definition of promising talent?¡± Wynn gave a modest smile. ¡°You¡¯re all too kind.¡± Given Trevor¡¯s exceptional status, and Wynn¡¯s role as his partner, it was only natural for the group to heap more praise on her. As for Celeste, while they acknowledged her beauty, they only knew she was an employee at Matthias¡®pany. Though there were rumors of an ambiguous rtionship between her and Matthias, she a significant background. Naturally, the group didn¡¯t pay her much attention. Once the dishes were served, Wynn ced a portion of food on Trevor¡¯s te, which he epted without hesitation. At this point, the group¡¯s conversation picked up, shifting to the future prospects of some exhibits at the expo. Chapter $1. One person couldn¡¯t help but mention, ¡°Speaking of which Mr. Fleming, thepatibility between your autonomous vehicle project and Mr. Yoder¡¯s intelligent traffic programmingnguage is pretty impressive. It¡¯s tempting, honestly. Are you really not considering a coboration?¡± The Scent of 62 Despite having been at the table test quite a while, Trece Martha Badiget a single woest Hearing thement, Trevor picked up a napkin, Whim termer of the month, and fonted at Matthes seith a emile. ¡°It¡¯s true. Per been considering it. What¡¯s your taket. Ver Matthias wasn¡¯t one to pass up an opportunity for besinevi ¡°To have Mr. Fleming¡¯s interest is an honen for Vodivision¡± If Trevor and Matthias were to coborate, Wynn weld befighted After all, close ties between them would mean more chances for her to interact with Matthiae And that happened, it would make it easier to bring Matthias ever to her side With that thought in mind, she shot a cold nce at Celeste Celeste, however, spent most of her time chatting with Br. Though she kept a casual ear on the overall dynamics at the table, she wasn¡¯t overly concerned. If Matthias genuinely wanted to coborate with Trevor, she had no objections. After all, there was no reason to hirn down thioney. As the meal wrapped up, the group didn¡¯t stay rooted in their seats. Those with potential business interests moved over to the couches to discuss further. Trevor¡¯s earlier mention of coborating with YodaVision had been more of a passing remark. Whether or not it would materialize was something Celeste couldn¡¯t be sure of However, Yale Young, one of the guests at the table, seemed genuinely eager to work with them. Even before the meal was finished, he had already gathered his team to discuss things with Matthias. Celeste joined them as well. She was well¨Cversed in the technical side, but when it came to negotiations, that was Matthias¡® domain. Sitting quietly on the side, she only spoke asionally. When she noticed Matthias¡® ss was empty, she picked it up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get you a refill¡± Matthias smiled. ¡°Thanks¡± Seeing Celeste y the role of Matthias¡® assistant, Wynn and Lennox became even more convinced that Celeste¡¯s position at YodaVision Co. was nothing more than a menial role to assist Matthias. With the ss in hand, Celeste turned and walked a few steps. Just as she passed near Trevor, someone nearby shifted and identally bumped into her. Caught off guard, Celeste lost her bnce. Holding the ss, she stumbled forward¨Cright into Trevor¡¯s arms. The scene made everyone pause. To the onlookers, it looked like someone had identally bumped into Celeste. But who could say for sure? After all, how could it be such a coincidence that she fell straight into Trevor¡¯s arms? Celeste was undeniably stunning. Her figure was graceful and supple, and her skin was so smooth and fair it was almost like porcin. While Wynn was also undeniably beautiful and alluring, many of the men present¨Cjudging by their experienced eyes¨Cfelt that Celeste had the edge. +20 BONUS For most men, having such a woman deliberately fall into deir arms would stir something within them. But Trevor was different. His expression remained indifferent as he briefly steadied Celeste by her shoulders before pushing her away. He showed not even the slightest sign of being moved. Celeste only realized she had fallen into Trevor¡¯s arms when she caught a familiar scent from him. Once she registered what had happened, her expression turned calm. She straightened up and softly said, ¡°Sorry,¡± before turning to leave. To Wynn and Lennox, however, it was clear¨CCeleste had done it on purpose. Lennox scoffed and said to Wynn, ¡°I told you she wouldn¡¯t behave.¡± ¡°Still, all her scheming amounts to nothing.¡± Trevor¡¯s indifference had made that clear. ¡°Exactly.¡± Lennoxughed. ¡°Trevor¡¯s reaction really gives you a sense of security.¡± Wynn smiled sweetly while lowering her head in delight. Meanwhile, Harvey frowned. He had thought Celeste was quiet and unassuming, but now, he felt he had misjudged her. Who would have guessed she had so many tricks up her sleeves? The Scent of 63 When Matthias noticed what had happened, he immediately paused his conversation with Yale and walked over to Celeste. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°Did you twist your ankle?¡± ¡°A little,¡± she admitted. Her ankle was indeed aching. It was likely sprained. Seeing Matthias¡® concern warmed her heart, but it also left her feeling a tinge of sadness. She was well aware of the looks people were giving her. They probably thought she had intentionally thrown herself into Trevor¡¯s arms. Even now, seeing that she was injured, they likely believed she deserved it. As for Trevor, he hadn¡¯t even offered to steady her properly, let alone ask if she was alright after the fall. The only person genuinely concerned for her here was Matthias. ¡°Let me take a look.¡± ¡°No need-¡± There were so many people around. Ignoring her protests, Matthias scooped her up effortlessly. After carrying her away from the crowd, he set her down and knelt to inspect her ankle. Removing her high heels, he gently lifted her leg and saw that her ankle was indeed swollen. He immediately instructed the staff to call a doctor and to bring her a pair of t shoes. His open concem for Celeste caught many off guard, surprising them with how little he cared about appearances. For a moment, some of the onlookers reconsidered their assumptions. Perhaps they had jumped to conclusions earlier. Celeste and Matthias seemed to share a genuine connection. Wynn pressed her lips together and shifted her gaze away. Then, she nced at Trevor. Trevor had clearly noticed the close interaction between Celeste and Matthias, but he remainedpletely unbothered. He continued his conversation as if nothing had happened. He seemed entirely indifferent to their closeness. Seeing this, Wynn¡¯s previously tense expression rxed, and she smiled as she rejoined the group¡¯s chatter. She stopped paying attention to Celeste. Not long after, the restaurant¡¯s on¨Ccall doctor arrived and examined Celeste, then prescribed some medication for her injury. After the doctor left, Matthias personally applied the medicine to her ankle. Celeste reached out to do it herself, but Matthias shot her a stern look. Reluctantly, she raised her hands in surrender and let him hand it. Once the medication was applied, the staff returned with the t shoe. 475 BONUS Celeste stood up to test them. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Lean walk.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Matthias replied. However, with her injury, walking around the exhibition hall wasn¡¯t practical. Matthias decided it was best for her to skip the rest of the event. After all, he had already arranged for someone to record the exhibits, and she could review the footage . Though she felt it was a pity, there wasn¡¯t mich else she could do. Matthias informed the others, then left early to take Celeste home. After they departed, the rest of the group gradually dispersed as well. Once Matthias dropped her off, he headed off to attend to other matters. Celeste, having been busy all day, was both physically and mentally drained. She nned to rest for a bit before discussing the assignments Mr. Newman had given them once Matthias finished his work Setting her phone aside, she was just about to lie down when it rang. She picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number. After a moment of hesitation, she answered. ¡°Hello, who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Beck Harper,¡± the voice on the other end said. Celeste froze, then quickly sat up on her bed. ¡°Mr. Harper? To be honest, her day had been so hectic that she hadpletely forgotten about the morning¡¯s events until Beck called her. ¡°I¡¯ve already arranged for your car to be taken care of,¡± Beck said. ¡°You cane pick it up Before Celeste could respond, he added, ¡°If you¡¯re busy, I can have someone drive it back for you.¡± The Scent of 64 Chapter 64 Celeste instinctively declined. ¡°No need to trouble yoursel ll pick it up myself.¡± Her straightforward refusal led to a brief silence on the other end. ¡°Mr. Harper?¡± she prompted. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll send you the contact information for the repali shop shortly.¡± ¡°Thank you. I appreciate it.¡± Beck didn¡¯t say anything else and hung up the call. With her injured ankle, it was impossible for Celeste to pick up the car herself. After thinking it over, she decided to ask Matthias for help. Matthias agreed. He promised to bring the car back once he finished his work. That evening, Celeste ordered takeout. Just as she finished eating, her phone rang. It was Jordyn. ¡°When are youing home?¡± Jordyn asked. Celeste replied directly, ¡°I sprained my ankle and can¡¯t walk easily. I¡¯m staying elsewhere to recover, so I won¡¯t being home. You should go to bed early.¡± Jordyn gasped. ¡°What? Mom, you hurt your ankle? Is it serious? Does it hurt a lot?¡± ¡°It hurts a bit, but it¡¯s not serious. It¡¯ll be fine in a few days. ¡°Alright,¡± Jordyn sounded somewhat relieved but still concerned. ¡°Where are you staying, Mom? Dad¡¯sing hometer. We¡¯lle visit you tomorrow.¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°No need. I can take care of myself You just focus on school.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± They chatted a bit longer before ending the call. Later, when Trevor came home, Jordyn saw him and immediately called out, ¡°Dad, Mom hurt her ankle! She¡¯s staying somewhere else to recover!¡± Trevor gave a calm, ¡°Hmm,¡± then removed his impably tailored suit jacket and handed it to Peter, the butler. ¡± I know,¡± he said. ¡°Huh?¡± Jordyn looked up in surprise. ¡°How do you know, Dad? Did Mom tell you?¡± Trevor sat down and took the ss of water Hannah handed him. ¡°No. I saw it happen myself.¡± ¡°You saw it?¡± Jordyn blinked in confusion. ¡°You were there when Mom got hurt?¡± Trevor gave a nonchnt ¡°Hmm.¡± Jordyn seemed to connect the dots. ¡°Oh, right! Mom works at yourpany, so you must¡¯ve been there when she got hurt, right?¡± ¡°No,¡± Trevor replied evenly. ¡°Mom doesn¡¯t work at mypany anymore.¡± ¡°What?¡± Jordyn looked up, puzzled. ¡°Then where does Mom work now?¡± ¡°Somewhere she likes,¡± Trevor replied, ?Chanter 64 +23 |IONUS ¡°Oh.. Foh! After finishing his water, Trevor ced the ss down and stood up. Before heading upstairs, he ruffled Jordyn¡¯s hair. ¡°Sleep early.¡± ¡°I will!¡± Jordyn responded cheerfully. Around 8.00 pm, Matthias returned with Celeste¡¯s car. Celeste took the keys and asked, ¡°How much was the repale? I¡¯ll pay you back.¡± Matthias sat down on the couch and shrugged. ¡°How would know?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Celeste frowned. ¡°How did you get the car without paying?¡± ¡°No one mentioned payment. They just handed over the car when they heard it was yours.¡± Celeste froze. So, Beck had paid for it? She hadn¡¯t expected that at all. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Matthias asked when he noticed her change in expression. ¡°Nothing,¡± Celeste replied while shaking her head. ¡°Then let¡¯s get started on the assignment. I want to finish it and get some rest. I¡¯ve been running around all day. I¡¯m exhausted!¡± He was referring to the exhibit review that Zachary had assigned them that morning. ¡°Alright,¡± Celeste said. Before starting, she thought of the repair bill and said, ¡°I¡¯ll make a quick call first.¡± ¡°Go ahead¡± Celeste immediately dialed Beck¡¯s number. The call was picked up almost instantly. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Mr. Harper, it¡¯s me, Celeste.¡± ¡°I know. What¡¯s the matter? ¡°It¡¯s about the car. I picked it up, but I wanted to ask¨Cdid you cover the repair cost? If so, how much was it? I¡¯ll transfer the money to you right away.¡± The Scent of 65 After a brief pause, Beck said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you my ount detalls shortly.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Celeste replied politely. ¡°Sorry to trouble you, and thank you so much for your help today.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me,¡± Beck replied coolly before ending the call. Matthias, who had been sitting nearby and overheard the conversation, asked, ¡°The person who helped with your car today?¡± At that moment, Beck sent over his ount details along with a photo of the repair invoice. ncing at the message, Celeste opened her payment app end replied, ¡°Yes.¡± From the way Celeste had spoken to Beck, Matthias could tell they weren¡¯t particrly close. Matthias knew Beck as well and was aware that Celeste also knew him. However, to his knowledge, there was almost no connection between the two of them. Even when he heard Celeste address the person on the phone as Mr. Harper,¡± it hadn¡¯t immediately urred to him that it was Beck Celeste transferred the exact amount of the repair cost back to Beck. After sending him a brief message she finally turned her attention to the assignment Zachary had given them earlier that day. of thanks, Together, she and Matthias worked on summarizing the core technologies of the exhibits into a PowerPoint presentation. Even though they kept the content concise, the sheer number of exhibits meant it was past 2.00 am by the time they finished and sent it to Zachary. exhausted by then, but since he didn¡¯t have a change of clothes, Celeste didn¡¯t ask him to stay the Matthias was e night. After Matthias left, Celeste hobbled to the bathroom to take a shower before heading to bed. Her injury wasn¡¯t severe, but Matthias still insisted she rest at home for a few days before returning to the office. The next morning, Celeste stayed home to work remotely. Not long after she got up, she received a call from Jordyn. ¡°Mom, how¡¯s your ankle? Is it feeling better now?¡± Jordyn asked. Bncing on her good foot while preparing breakfast in the kitchen, Celeste replied, ¡°It¡¯s a little better.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Jordyn said. She was also having breakfast but seerged unsure of what to say next. Celest could sense her hesitation. It hadn¡¯t always been like this. In the past, Jordyn would always have a lot to say to her. Over the past couple of years, their conversations had dwindled. Whenever Jordyn had something on her mind, she would go to Wynn first. Gradually, their mother¨Cdaughter bond grew distant, leaving them with little to talk about. This time, Jordyn seemed genuinely concerned about her injury¨Cor at least, that¡¯s how it sounded. The concern was real, but it only scratched the surface. It was there, but not enough to truly feel heartfelt. It wasn¡¯t like before. In the past, even a minor injury or illness would bring Jordyn to tears. She would cling to Celeste, refusing to let go. She would constantlyfort her and insist on staying by her side. Back then, Jordyn had truly been her sweet little daughter. But now, without her realizing when it had happened, all of Jordyn¡¯s care and affection had shifted to Wynn. For instance, thest time Wynn had fallen ill, Trevor had rushed to her side after barely finishing his breakfast. Jordyn had secretly sent Wynn messages to check on her and, after school, immediately had the driver take her to visit Wynn If Jordyn were genuinely that worried about Celeste, she could have insisted on getting her addressst night and arranged for the driver to take her there. But in the end, she hadn¡¯t. Unsure of what else to say to Celeste, Jordyn turned to Trevor, who was sitting across from her at the breakfast table. ¡°Dad, do you want to talk to Mom on the phone?¡± The Scent of 66 Hearing Jordyn¡¯s words, Celeste was momentarily brought back to her thoughts. Yesterday, when she fell, Trevor didn¡¯t help her. When she got hurt, he acted indifferent. He behaved that way not just because he didn¡¯t care about her but also because he didn¡¯t want Wynn to misunderstand. In his heart, Wynn¡¯s thoughts and feelings were what mattered most. Whether Celeste lived or died didn¡¯t concern him. Otherwise, how could he have been so cold when he saw her fall and get injured? With this thought, her expression turned indifferent. Just as she was about to decline, Trevor spoke first. ¡°Ask your Mom,¡± he said to Jordyn. Jordyn turned to Celeste. ¡°Mom, Dad wants to know if you want to talk to him.¡± Celeste pressed her lips together briefly before responding, ¡°No, I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Jordyn ryed this to Trevor. ¡°Dad, Mom said no.¡± Trevor simply replied, ¡°Okay¡± Jordyn said, ¡°Okay, Mom. Bye.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± After hanging up, Jordyn set down her phone and turned to Trevor. ¡°Dad, I think Mom¡¯s upset about something, she said. There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice. Trevor nced at her. His tone was indifferent. ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t know why, but I just got that feeling¡± ¡°Okay.¡± And that was the end of the conversation. Over the next few days, Celeste continued working from home. Jordyn called her daily to check on her injury, but as Celeste expected, she never mentioned visiting The assignment she and Matthias had submitted was reviewed by Zachary two dayster. The core technical analysis they had put together¨Csomething others might have treated as confidential¨Cwas harshly criticized by Zachary and deemed worthless. For the next two or three days, Celeste and Matthias spent much of their time revising the presentation based on Zachary¡¯s feedback while juggling their regr work. By Monday, Celeste¡¯s ankle had mostly healed. Although she still wasn¡¯tfortable driving, she was able to return to the office. At the office, Matthias said to her, ¡°It seems Trevor really does n to coborate with us.¡± Trevor hadn¡¯te personally, but someone from his side had reached out week. Matthias had deliberately kept it from Celeste as he was worried it might affect her. Later that day, someone from Trevor¡¯spany was scheduled to visit their office again. If the discussions went well, they could finalize the initial ns for the partnershi Trevor¡¯s technical director, Henry Quinn, was representing Trevor¡¯s private techpany rather than the Fleming Group, It was the first time Celeste had met him. Learning that Celeste was also in tech, Henry greeted her politely. ¡°Hello, Ms. Rodriguez.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Celeste replied. The subsequent discussions went smoothly. At noon, YodaVision Co. hosted a lunch for Trevor¡¯s team. When they arrived at the restaurant and got out of the car, they happened to run into Trevor and Wynn, who had just stepped out of their vehicle as well. Celeste froze momentarily at the sight of them. Matthias rubbed his temples. He was clearly not expecting such a coincidence. Henry¡¯s eyes lit up as he called out, ¡°Mr. Fleming!¡± Trevor and Wynn turned around. Both seemed a little surprised to see Celeste and Matthias After briefly greeting Celeste and Matthias, Henry walked over to Trevor and Wynn. Since Trevor had already seen them and they had an ongoing coboration, Celeste and Matthias exchanged a nce before reluctantly following Henry. Henry, who evidently knew Wynn, greeted her warmly. ¡°Ms Locket.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Wynn replied. Her tone was slightly cold. Henry didn¡¯t mind. Considering Wynn¡¯s special status as Trevor¡¯s favored ¨Cand likely future wife- her aloof demeanor toward subordinates was understandable. Henry turned back to Trevor and exined, ¡°I was at Yodavision Co. earlier discussing a coboration. Since it¡¯s lunchtime, Mr. Yoder and his team invited us out for a meal Trevor nodded and shook Henry¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you for your efforts.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my job,¡± Henry said with a smile. Trevor¡¯s gaze shifted to Matthias and Celeste. He greeted Matthias with a nod. ¡°Mr. Yoder.¡± He didn¡¯t address Celeste. Matthias responded with a polite nod and suddenly suggested, ¡°Since we¡¯ve run into each other, why not join us?¡± Trevor declined. ¡°No, this is a personal outing. Next time, 11 make sure to treat you to a ineal.¡± Chapter bo A personal outing¨Cthat likely referred to his date with Wyn. Clearly, he didn¡¯t want to be disturbed. Matthias scoffed internally but outwardly smiled. ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Mr. Fleming.¡± Wynn, meanwhile, appreciated having more time alone with Trevor. While she was interested in interacting more with Matthias, her priority was always Trevor. Trevor¡¯s attentiveness to their date delighted her, and she didn¡¯t want anyone intruding on their personal time. She said nothing further and left with Trevor. After they were gone, Matthias asked, ¡°Henry, you know Ms. Locket?¡± ¡°Just met her a few times,¡± Henry replied. ¡°As you know, Mr. Fleming is very attentive to her. He¡¯s brought her to thepany several times.¡± So that was it. Despite being married to Trevor for years, Celeste had never once visited any of hispanies. Trevor had never allowed her to. But when it came to Wynn, there were no such restrictions. Taking advantage of Henry¡¯s distraction, Matthias leaned closer to Celeste and whispered, ¡°Since the charity banquet fiasco andst week¡¯s tech expo, the Locket family has gained quite awork in Baumond. Word is that they¡¯ve secured several major projects in just a few days.¡± Once those projects werepleted, the Locket family would firmly establish themselves in Baumond. The Locket family had aplished in mere days what many businesspeople dreamed of achieving thanks to Trevor¡¯s support. It wasn¡¯t surprising that people were envious. Celeste lowered her gaze and quietly murmured, ¡°I see.¡± The Scent of 67 After lunch, they spent several more hours in discussion, and by the end of the day, the twopanies had preliminarily established a coborative rtionship. Two days , Celeste and Matthias went to Trevor¡¯s techpany, InnovaTech, to negotiate the contract terms. At InnovaTech, they were greeted by Henry and a core executive, Jonathan Knox. However, Jonathan arrived slightlyter. Upon entering the meeting room, he immediately apologized to Celeste and Matthias. ¡°Sorry for the dy. I was upstairs in a meeting with Mr. Fleming. My apologies for beingte.¡± So, Trevor was at InnovaTech? Celeste considered this silently as she and Matthias shook hands with Jonathan. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she replied. Once Jonathan joined, they resumed discussing the contract A short whileter, the door opened, and someone entered. Celeste and Matthias didn¡¯t pay much attention at first. They assumed it was just another employee. However, when Henry and Jonathan noticed the person, they quickly stood and greeted her. ¡°Ms. Locket.¡± Celeste paused. Looking up, she saw Wynn. Matthias frowned as well. Wynn nced at Celeste briefly before saying to Henry and Jonathan, ¡°I¡¯m just here to have a look. Don¡¯t mind me. Carry on with your work.¡± Both men nodded repeatedly, though they still instructed their secretary to serve Wynn coffee with the utmost respect Their warm and deferential demeanor made it clear they regarded Wynn as though she were thepany¡¯s future boss. Wynn also greeted Matthias, ¡°Mr. Yoder.¡± ¡°Ms. Locket,¡± Matthias replied with a nod. Wynn epted the coffee poured by Charlotte Kemp, Jonathan¡¯s secretary, and took a seat in the chair they had specifically brought over for her. After sipping the coffee, she set the cup down. Her gaze fell on the contract nearby. ¡°May I take a look?¡± she asked. ¡°Of course,¡± Jonathan said with a smile. Seeing Celeste and Matthias nce over, Jonathan exined, ¡°Ms. Locket is Mr. Fleming¡¯s girlfriend. When ites to signing contracts, Mr. Fleming never hides anything from her.¡± The implications was clear¨CWynn was considered an insider, and there was no need to worry about confidentiality breaches Matthies smiled. ¡°With that assurance, we can rest easy. Celeste, however, kept her head down and said nothing. +25 BONU Trevor¡¯s home office had always been off¨Climits to her due topany confidentiality. The butler, Peter, had informed her of this on her very first day at the vi, In all her years there, she had never once stepped foot inside. Yet Wynn could freely review confidentialpany documents, and this was widely acknowledged at InnovaTech. This only further highlighted the depth of Trevor and Wynn¡¯s rtionship. Wynn, who was aware of the red from Matthias and Celeste, understood they weren¡¯t just concerned about confidentiality. They were likely astonished by the intimacy she shared with Trevor. After finishing her review of the document, Wynn nced at Celeste, who kept her head lowered. Celeste was avoiding eye contact. Smiling, Wynn took another sip of coffee. Sitting there, her demeanor was that of a supervising boss partner. Matthias observed this and, during a pause when Jonathan was amending a section of the contract, asked, ¡°Ms. Locket, don¡¯t you n to work at InnovaTech? Wynn put down her cup and met his gaze directly. suddenly ¡°Trevor has asked me if I¡¯d like to work here, but I prefer relying on myself. I don¡¯t want to take shortcuts, so I declined.¡± Before Matthias could respond, Jonathan interjected with augh. ¡°Ms. Locket, you¡¯re far too modest. We all know you¡¯re a top talent in the Al field. Even if you and Mr. Fleming are close, no one here would think you¡¯re taking a shortcut. On the contrary, if you were to join ourpany, we¡¯d work much more efficiently. Ms. Locket, why not reconsider?¡± The Scent of 68 Wynn smiled lightly. ¡°We¡¯ll see in the future.¡± This clearly implied that as long as Wynn wanted to, she could join thepany at any time. The many ways Trevor treated her differently no longer surprised Celeste. She picked up her ss of water and took a sip. Just then, she noticed someone standing outside the ss door. Raising her head slightly, she saw Trevor. She froze. Trevor saw her too, though his gaze didn¡¯t seem to linger on her. Celeste turned back to find Wynn smiling subtly in the direction of the door. It was clear she was greeting Trevor. Then Wynn turned to Jonathan and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Only then did Jonathan and Henry realize that Trevor had arrived. It was nearing noon, and it was obvious Trevor hade down specifically to take Wynn out for lunch. Seeing Henry and Jonathan start to stand up to greet him, Trevor waved it off. ¡°No need for formalities. Continue with your work.¡± They quickly nodded and sat back down. Trevor then addressed Matthias politely. ¡°I¡¯ve been tied up with work and couldn¡¯t host you personally. I hope you¡¯ll understand.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Mr. Fleming, Ipletely understand how busy you must be,¡± Matthias replied with a smile. Trevor gave a faint smile, nced briefly at Celeste, and then said nothing more before leaving with Wynn Everyone knew Trevor owned severalpanies, so Matthias wasn¡¯t surprised that he was at InnovaTech today. What he didn¡¯t expect was for Wynn to also be there. Matthias nced at Celeste and gave her shoulder aforting pat. Celeste shook her head. She was fine. When she came to InnovaTech, she had mentally prepared herself for the possibility of running into Trevor. What she hadn¡¯t expected was Wynn¡¯s presence. Henry had mentioned a few days ago that Wynn had visited novaTech before. At the time, Celeste thought it was just an asional visit. She hadn¡¯t realized that Wynn seemed to treat Trevor¡¯spany like her own. She came and went as she pleased, and she was fully acquainted with everyone there. The contract negotiations involved many technical details and terms to ensure there would be no unnecessary disputes during the coboration. Each use had to be discussed thoroughly. By the time they finalized the terms, it was already past 5.00 pm. After Matthias signed the contract, Jonathan personally took the document upstairs for Trevor¡¯s signature. Matthias paused. ¡°Mr. Fleming is still in the office?¡± +25 BONL ¡°Yes,¡± Henry replied. ¡°He¡¯s busy handling another project, Was that really the case? Was he too busy, or was it because Celeste was here and he didn¡¯t want to interact with her? Celeste considered this possibility as well. Henry, being a technical expert like Matthias, was someone he had known previously. Now that the contract was signed and the tension eased, Henry cleared his throat and lowered his voice. ¡°Ms. Locket has been here all day. I hear she¡¯s been with Mr. Fleming the whole time. Their rtionship seems pretty solid.¡± Sitting next to Matthias, Celeste naturally overheard thement A short whileter, Jonathan returned with the signed contract. Matthias, who had important personal matters to attend to that evening, declined Jonathan¡¯s dinner invitation. Jonathan and Henry didn¡¯t push further and instead courteously apanied them downstairs. As they waited for the elevator, they unexpectedly encountered Trevor and Wynn. The Scent of 69 Matthias paused. ¡°What? This is such a coincidence.¡± Trevor replied calmly, ¡°It is.¡± Matthias said, ¡°There are a lot of us. Mr. Fleming, why don¡¯t you take the elevator first? We¡¯ll wait for the next one.¡± ¡°Sure. See you next time.¡± ¡°See you.¡± The elevator doors closed, leaving Celeste, Matthias, and the others to wait for the next one. When the elevator arrived, Celeste¡¯s phone rang as they stepped inside. It was Jordyn calling. After excusing herself from the others, Celeste answered, ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Mom, are you off work? When are youing home?¡± Ever since Celeste injured her ankle, Jordyn had been calling her daily to check in. When she heard yesterday that Celeste¡¯s ankle had healed, she had asked when Celeste would being home. Celeste had been too busy with work to promise anything yesterday. Now, hearing Jordyn¡¯s question again, she said, ¡°I just finished up. I¡¯ll be home soon. By the time she ended the call, the elevator had reached the ground floor. Henry, who was curious, asked, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, do you have a child?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Celeste replied. ¡°Really? I had no idea.¡± He had assumed Celeste and Matthias were a couple. After all, their rtionship seemed close, and Matthias was particrly attentive to her. Jonathan was equally surprised. Celeste looked so young. It was hard to believe she already had a child. Casually, he asked, ¡°Is your husband in the same line of work as us?¡± Celeste hesitated briefly before answering, ¡°Sort of.¡± Henry, having discussed technical topics with Celeste before, knew she was highly skilled in her field. He also assumed her husband was in the same industry. He wanted to ask his name but stopped himself when he noticed Celeste¡¯s detached demeanor. It seemed as if she didn¡¯t want to talk about it. Matthias, on the other hand, was tempted to reveal that Celeste¡¯s husband was none other than Trevor, theirpany¡¯s boss. But since Celeste was on the verge of divorcing him, and considering that they would have frequent contact with Henry and Jonathan in the future, revealing this could lead to awkwardness or even someone targeting Celeste to please Wynn. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Matthias ultimately kept quiet. After leaving InnovaTech, Celeste and Matthias got into their respective cars and went their separate ways. When Celeste arrived at the vi, Jordyn was already waiting downstairs. Seeing her, Jordyn ran up and hugged The Scent of 70 Celeste agreed to it. Jordyn then asked Celeste to send her to school tomorrow. Celeste promised she would too. She hadn¡¯t seen Jordyn for almost ten days since visiting the hot spring retreat. Thus, she stayed at the vi that night. But she didn¡¯t sleep in the master bedroom. Instead, she wanted to stay in the same room as Jordyn. Thest time Celeste stayed with Jordyn was when Jordyn was sick. However, Jordyn wasn¡¯t sick this time, and she didn¡¯t even ask Celeste to stay with her to sleep. Jordyn noticed Celeste was showering in her bathroom. Thetter seemed like she wanted to stay here for the night. Jordyn found it odd that Celeste chose not to sleep in the room she shared with Trevor. She actually liked sleeping with Celeste as it felt cozy and warm to cuddle up with her. So, Jordyn didn¡¯t voice her question. Since Celeste was staying with her for the night, Jordyn had to be more careful when she said goodnight to Wynn. She didn¡¯t want Celeste to find out. It¡¯d cause trouble. It was around 11:00 p pm when Celeste went to bed that night Trevor still hadn¡¯te back. She only realized that Trevor was out all night the next morning. Celeste recalled thest time she saw Trevor¨Cyesterday at the elevator. Trevor was leaving with Wynn then. If that was the case, Trevor had probably spent the night with Wynn¡­ Celeste emerged from her thoughts. After sending Jordyn to school, she went to work at YodaVision Co. Jordyn¡¯s affection was obviously still directed at Wynn instead of Celeste. Her need for Celeste was sporadic. If Jordyn hadn¡¯t seen Celeste for a while, or if Trevor and the others weren¡¯t around, she¡¯d get bored and think of her then She wouldn¡¯t need Celeste otherwise. Just like these few days, after learning, Celeste¡¯s injury had fully recovered, Jordyn wouldn¡¯t call her every day like how she did before. She wouldn¡¯t even ask why Celeste wasn¡¯ting home at night. Trevor, on the other hand, never cared about her whereabouts. YodaVision Co. had recently sealed two big deals and received some sizable payments. Thus, on Friday, the the team building event took ce. Atst, everyone agreed on a hot springs trip. Celeste was a little surprised when she received the news. Then, she smiled bitterly. Matthias asked, ¡°Why the long face? Don¡¯t you want to go to the hot spring?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Celeste remembered how Trevor and Jordyn left her all alone at the hot spring retreat two weeks ago. She felt like it only happened yesterday. But in fact, the incident was a fortnight ago. Time really did fly. Although Celeste didn¡¯t feel like going to the hot spring, she still decided to join the trip. After all, it was the first team¨Cbuilding event after she returned to thepany. The hot spring retreat she went tost time was a private ce owned by the Fleming family. However, the destination for thepany¡¯s team¨Cbuilding event was a hot spring resort. It was a huge resort with all kinds of amenities. After changing into a bathrobe, she walked to the hot spring pool. Celeste didn¡¯t see her colleagues there when she arrived at the pool. She had barely soaked for a minute in the pool when she saw a little girl, about the same age as Jordyn squatting by the pool. The little girl was stretching out her hand curiously toward the pool. The pool depth was around 4 feet. And the little girl didn¡¯t appear to be taller than 4 feet Celeste was worried that she might fall into the pool. As she stood up, she heard a ssh¡­ THE I little girl really fell into the pool. Celeste quickly walked over to her to pull her up. Then, she held the little girl in her arms. The little girl wrapped her arms around Celeste¡¯s neck. She was crying and coughing as her face turned red. Celeste patted her back lightly as sheforted her. She inquired about the little girl¡¯s family details while bringing her to the staff. As soon as she arrived at the gate, she spotted Beck in the distance. Before Celeste could react, the little girl in her arms started crying again, stretching her hands toward Beck. Uncle Beck¡­¡± ¡± The Scent of 71 ¡°Shanice.¡± Beck walked over to Celeste and took the little girl from her Just then, Beck noticed how Shanice waspletely soaked He paused for a moment. Staring at Celeste, he asked, ¡°How did she¡­¡± Celeste didn¡¯t know that this little girl was actually his niece as well. She exined, ¡°She fell into the pool, and I pulled her out ¡°Thank you,¡± Beck responded. ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± said Celeste. ¡°Please help her change into dry clothes, in case she catches a cold.¡± Beck nodded in agreement. He looked at Celeste and wanted to say something, but his niece¡¯s cries interrupted him. Shanice kept sobbing as if she was scared out of her wits. Thus, Beckforted her and walked into the elevator after giving Celeste a quick nod. Celeste went back to the pool afterward. After soaking in the hot spring, she changed into a fresh set of clothes and went to the buffet area. Before she could finish her meal, Beck appeared in front of her. He was holding Shanice¡¯s hand. ¡°Mind if we sit here?¡± Honestly, Celeste didn¡¯t want to get too involved with Beck But he had asked politely, so Celeste could only nod in response. ¡°Not at all. Please, take a seat.¡± ¡°Stay here, Shanice. I¡¯ll get you some food,¡± said Beck as he turned to Shanice. Shanice timidly cast an eye on Celeste and nodded. ¡°Okay¡­ she whispered. Then, Beck turned to Celeste. ¡°Please take care of her for a while.¡± Despite Celeste¡¯s reluctance to have too many interactions with Beck, she could only promise him that at this moment After Beck left, Celeste and Shanice stared at each other across the table. Shanice seemed very shy. Celeste was worried that speaking suddenly would frighten her, She didn¡¯t know Shanice¡¯s eating habits, and she wasn¡¯t sure if Shanice had any allergies. Hence, Celeste didn¡¯t dare to casually offer Shanice food from her te. Celeste hesitated for a while. Then, she gently uttered, ¡°Your uncle will be back sooIL¡± Shanice gazed at Celeste with her pretty eyes. Secondster, she nodded. ¡°Does your nose still hurt from earlier?¡± Shanice shook her head. Momentster, Beck carne back to the table and ced a te before Shanice. He also gave her a pair of utensils. Shanice then quietly nibbled on the food Beck asked, ¡°Is it delicious?¡± Shanice nodded in reply. Beck took a nce at Celeste and said, ¡°Shanice, Ms. Rodriguez was the one who saved you just now. You should thank her.¡± Shanice was licking the cake off the fork. She raised her eyes to look at Celeste and mumbled in a low voice,¡± Thank you, Ms. Rodriguez.¡± It turned out that Beck brought Shanice here just to thank Celeste. Upon hearing Shanice¡¯s words, Celeste replied softly, ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Shanice then looked at Beck again. ¡°It¡¯s all good now. Eat up,¡± Beck remarked. Shanice lowered her head and continued eating. Beck took a bite of food and asked Celeste, ¡°Are you here by yourself?¡± ¡°I¡¯m with my colleagues. Ourpany is having a team¨Cbuilding event here,¡± Celeste replied. Beck didn¡¯t know Celeste had quit her job at Fleming Group Thus, he thought she was referring to Fleming Group when she mentioned herpany¡¯s team¨Cbuilding event. Beck paused for a second and answered, ¡°I see.¡± Just then, Matthias noticed Celeste from afar and waved at her. Celeste didn¡¯t want to get too involved with the people around Trevor, and she had nothing to talk to Beck about. Thus, when she saw Matthias waving at her, she immediately waved back, using the opportunity to leave. ¡°Thank you so much for what happenedst time. I have something to take care of, so I¡¯ll leave now. Enjoy your meal.¡± Beck could feel how stiff Celeste was when she was with him. She also wasn¡¯t as enthusiastic as before when she saw him He didn¡¯t think much about it. He only thought it was because of their unpleasant conversation previously on the racetrack. So, he only nodded when he noticed Celeste wanted to leave Matthias cast a nce at Beck and asked Celeste when she walked over to him, ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Beck¡¯sback was facing him when he waved at Celeste just now. Seeing the person¡¯s broad and upright figure from behind, with a child sitting next to him, Matthias thought they were sharing the table with Celeste. The Scent of 72 However, when Matthias saw how Celeste greeted the man, he felt that they seemed to know each other. ¡°He¡¯s Beck Harper.¡± ¡°Beck?¡± Matthias was surprised. ¡°Aren¡¯t you two not that close? How did you both end up at the same table?¡± ¡°His niece fell into the pool just now and I saved her, and he brought his niece over to thank me.¡± Matthias nodded. ¡°I see.¡± Celeste told Beck that she was with her colleagues. Thus, Beck assumed the person who had greeted her earlier was just one of her colleagues, so he didn¡¯t turn around to check After Celeste and Matthias walked a little further away, Beck turned around, only to see a tall young man walking beside Celeste. From the way he looked from behind, he seemed like a good match for Celeste. Beck could tell that they had a good rtionship as they were walking closely to each other. ¡°Uncle Beck¡­¡± Upon hearing Shanice¡¯s voice, Beck came back to his senses ¡°Are you done eating? Let¡¯s head back to our room then.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Shanice replied. Beck had his meal earlier. Hence, he put down the napkin and went back to the room with Shanice. As Celeste got back to her room, she was going to read for awhile on the balcony. Just then, her phone rang. It was Trevor who called. Usually, he¡¯d only call her when there was something important. After pondering for a moment, Celeste answered the call. ¡°Bello?¡± she said coldly, ¡°Grandma asked us to go home and have dinner tomorrow night.¡± Celeste paused for a moment. ¡°Okay.¡± Just as she finished speaking, Trevor hung up the call. Celeste couldn¡¯t care less about it anymore. She put away her phone, calmed herself down, and continued reading the book. Celeste had a great sleep that night, so she woke up early the next morning. She went to the resort¡¯s gym for a jog. After resting for a while, she decided to soak in the hot spring pool again. Then, a woman in her forties or fifties walked over to Celeste. She was holding Shanice. Celeste saw this woman yesterday. She seemed to be Shanice¡¯s nanny, employed by the Harper family to take care of Shanice, The nanny was distracted by an urgent call yesterday, and she didn¡¯t realize Shanice had gone missing. If it wasn¡¯t for Celeste, who was just around when Shanice fell into the pool, the consequences would be unbearable for the nanny. Hence, she thanked Celeste profusely. Celeste replied, ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± She thought Shanice wouldn¡¯t dare to get into the pool after the bad experience yesterday. Beck had probably helped her to ovee her fear. Shanice held the nanny¡¯s hand with one hand and clutched the swimming ring with the other. After dipping her foot in the pool, she got into the pool slowly. Momentster, Shanice kicked her legs and paddled toward Celeste. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez¡­¡± she softly called. Celeste turned to look at her. ¡°Yes?¡± Shanice remained silent, but she seemed to be in a good mood as she was paddling around Celeste. The nanny grinned. ¡°Shanice likes you a lot, though.¡± Celeste smiled, remaining silent as well. She had to leave now because there was another activity from the team¨Cbuilding eventter. Before she left, she greeted Shanice. However, Shanice opened her arms. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, hug!¡± Celeste had no choice but to reach out and carry her out of the pool. After changing into a dry bathrobe, Celeste held Shanice in her arms and brought her to the elevator, thinking that she would part ways with Shanice once they reached her floor. As they were waiting for the elevator, Beck walked up to them. Shanice beamed joyfully. ¡°Uncle Beck!¡± Beck stretched out his arms, wanting to bring Shanice over. Shanice was reluctant to let go of Celeste, yet she wanted Beck to hold her. Atst, Shanice extended one arm to Beck. He brought Shanice over, and Shanice still had her hand on Celeste¡¯s cor. In that instant, Shanice identally pulled open Celeste¡¯s bathrobe. Then, Beck saw the bluece lingerie under her bathrobe. Celeste¡¯s fair skin, along with the beautiful curves on her chest and her slender waist was utterly captivating. The Scent of 73 Feeling embarrassed, Celeste¡¯s face flushed immediately. She adjusted the cor that Shanice had tugged.. Beck¡¯s expression darkened in that instant. After he snapped back to his senses, he turned around and shifted his Baze, The nanny, who had been standing aside, was mortified as well. Luckily, they were the only ones there; otherwise, it would have been even more awkward. The nanny quickly helped Celeste adjust her clothes. Celeste was reserved, and she had never revealed so much of her body to any man other than Trevor. What made it worse was that the man before her was Trevor¡¯s good friend. That made her especially ufortable. After adjusting her clothes, she uttered in an unnatural tone, ¡°I have something to do, so I¡¯ll leave first.¡± Only then did Beck turn around and face Celeste. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Shanice knew she had done something wrong and thought she had upset Celeste. She looked at Celeste with teary eyes and softly apologized, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Celeste knew it wasn¡¯t intentional and didn¡¯t want to be too harsh on Shanice. Hence, she could only brush it off.¡± It¡¯s okay. I know you didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± Then, she smiled and waved at Shanice before entering the elevator. Beck watched as the elevator door closed. He spoke to Shanice, who was in his arms, ¡°Shanice, you can¡¯t do that in the future. Understand?¡± Shanice nodded firmly. ¡°I understand¡­¡± Since Celeste had to go to the Fleming Manor for dinner, she left at around 4:00 pm after the group activity. Matthias walked her to the parking lot. ¡°Drive safe, Celeste,¡± he reminded. ¡°Got it.¡± As they were talking, a car slowly approached them. Celeste didn¡¯t notice the car at first. The car¡¯s backseat window gradually rolled down, and Shanice poked her head out of the window. She waved at Celeste. ¡°Goodbye, Ms. Rodriguez!¡± She gave Shanice a faint smile. ¡°Goodbye, Shanice.¡± Celeste paused for a moment when she saw Beck staring at her. Then, she gave him a quick nod as a greeting. Beck, too, nodded at her. He cast a nce at Matthias, who was standing beside Celeste, and shifted his gaze. Matthias watched as Beck drove away. Rubbing his chin, he remarked, ¡°Why do I feel like he was scrutinizing me just now?¡± Celeste shrugged. ¡°Really? Why would he do that?¡± How could Matthias know the reason, though? He just felt like Beck was examining him. Hesitantly, Matthias said, ¡°Maybe he thought something was going on between us, so he has to keep an extra eye. on me for Trevor?¡± Upon hearing that, Celeste¡¯s smile waned a little. She replied nonchntly, ¡°Trust me, it has nothing to do with this.¡± Beck had a great rtionship with Wynn as well. Thus, Beck would rather see Trevor and Wynn together for sure. He and Miles would probably love for Celeste to have something romantic going on with the others and leave Trevor alone, so why would Beck be worried that Celeste might cheat on Trevor? Celeste hopped in the car and drove away. The night had settled in asking But it was unusual for Jordyn not to return with Celeste, as she usually did. Since her ankle had healed, and after she had a meal with Jordyn at the vi, Jordyn had never contacted her. Celeste had no idea where Jordyn and Trevor went for this weekend, or who they were together with. She di didn¡¯t feel the need to ask. Celeste smiled at Martha and answered, ¡°They should be here soon. However, in reality, she was uncertain whether they would make it tonight. After all, didn¡¯t something simr happen thest time when they went to the hot spring retreat? Martha didn¡¯t ask further after hearing what Celeste had said. She believed that Celeste was aware of Trevor and Jordyn¡¯s schedule. Celeste chatted with Martha for a long time in the manor, When it was almost 7:30 pm, Trevor still hadn¡¯t shown up with Jordyn. Martha frowned. ¡°Why are they still not here yet?¡± She recalled how Trevor didn¡¯t make it to the hot spring retreatst time. Feeling displeased, Martha said, ¡°Cel, try giving them a call¡± Celeste could only take out her phone and give Trevor a call Trevor picked up the call immediately. As if he had already guessed the purpose of the call, he spoke up before Celeste could. ¡°We¡¯ll be there in 20 minutes.¡± Just as Celeste was going to speak, she heard Jordyn through the phone. ¡°Goodbye, Wynn.¡± Celeste lowered her gaze. As expected, they were with Wynn. Secondster, Wynn¡¯s voice came through the phone as well. ¡°Goodbye, Jo.¡± Then, she heard Wynn talking to Trevor in a soft voice. ¡°I¡¯ll get going now.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he replied. Almost immediately, Celeste heard Trevor¡¯s cold voice over the phone. He asked, ¡°Is there anything else you need? She snapped back to her senses instantly. ¡°No.¡± Celeste was going to hang up right after she finished speaking, but Trevor did it before her. She let out a sigh. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is he noting back again?¡± Martha asked furiously. ¡°Trevor, he really is¡­¡± ¡°No,¡± Celeste reassured Martha with a faint smile. ¡°They¡¯re just stuck in traffic and will be here in 20 minutes.¡± Martha¡¯s expression then softened slightly. Still, she was distraught. ¡°Forget about him. Let¡¯s just eat. He can deal with the leftovers.¡± Smiling, Peter reminded, ¡°Ms. Fleming is still on her way as well¡­¡± Martha hesitated for a moment and hummed. ¡°I¡¯ll let him off this time for the sake of Jo!¡± Celeste grinned but didn¡¯t answer. The Scent of 74 20 minutester, Trevor came back with Jordyn. Martha¡¯s gaze went past Trevor and fixated on Jordyn. Grinning, she waved at Jordyn. ¡°You¡¯re back, Jo!¡± ¡°Hi, Nana.¡± Jordyn ran toward Martha. After Martha had hugged and ruffled her hair, Jordyn finally walked over to Celeste. ¡°Hi, Mom¡± Celeste hummed a reply. When she was hugging Jordyn, she noticed the faint scent of Wynn¡¯s perfume on Jordyn¡¯s clothes. She didn¡¯t mention anything about it. Instead, she only lightly pushed Jordyn away. Trevor sat beside Martha and ced a box before her. ¡°This is a token of apology.¡± It was a pack of Coffea Ar¨¢bica that Martha liked a lot. Besides, it was rare on the market, and hard to get even for a high price. Martha knew that Trevor was apologizing for not showing up at the hot spring retreat previously. She let out a huff. ¡°You¡¯ve got me covered, but what about Cel? Did you get her anything as an apology?¡± Trevor remained silent while ncing at Celeste. It was just a quick look. It held no deeper emotions. Martha meant to speak up for her, letting Trevor care about her more. To Celeste, however, there was no need for that anymore. She didn¡¯t look at Trevor. ¡°Grandma, the food¡¯s getting cold Let¡¯s dig in,¡± she said with a smile. Martha thought Celeste changed the topic to defend Trevor After all, when Martha reprimanded Trevor for neglecting Celeste back then, Celeste would always find a way to justify Trevor¡¯s actions. Martha let out a sigh. ¡°You¡¯re always on his side.¡± With a smile on her face, Celeste remained silent. Trevor¡¯s face was just as aloof. His expression didn¡¯t budge despite Celeste speaking for him. But the time was getting on, and they should really start eating. Marth stood up and held Jordyn¡¯s hand in hers. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you dined with me, Jo. Do you want to sit beside meter?¡± Jordyn nodded obediently. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°What a good girl.¡± Martha gave Trevor a nce as she spoke, signaling to him. Celeste knew that Martha was trying to set her up with Trevor again. She didn¡¯t bother to see Trevor¡¯s reaction. She only followed Martha to the dining room. As she sat down across from Martha and Jordyn, she caught glimpse of Trevor pulling out the chair beside her and sitting down Finally, Martha grinned in satisfaction. When all the dishes were served, she spoke to Trevor. ¡°Pass Cel the dishes. # Celeste didn¡¯t look at Trevor. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Grandma. I can¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, Trevor ced the mashed potato that she liked before her. Celeste paused for a moment. ¡°Thank you.¡± Trevor was silent. Usually, when Martha asked Trevor to pass the dishes to Celeste, she meant for Trevor to take care of Celeste¡¯s needs when they were eating Thus, when Celeste reached out for a dish, Trevor would immediately pass her the dish she wanted. He remembered what she liked or disliked as well. But that didn¡¯t mean much to Celeste. After all, this had happened several times over the years, Given Trevor¡¯s memory, he would remember them even without effort. After they finished their meal, Trevor chatted with Martha. Celeste, too, was listening to their conversation on the side. She never initiated a conversation with Trevor, and she rarely made eye contact with him. Martha sighed. She noticed theck ofmunication between Celeste and Trevor despite being married for so long. Martha got tired at around 9:00 pm. Hence, she waved and gestured for them to get some rest upstairs too. The Scent of 75 Celeste bathed Jordyn and blow¨Cdried her hair. Jordyn was quietly looking at Celeste, who was blow¨Cdrying her hair. She suddenly realized Celeste wasn¡¯t as talkative as before. Back then, Celeste would keep the conversation going with various topics. Celeste noticed how Jordyn was gazing at her. It looked as if Jordyn was lost in thought. Celeste asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡°! Jordyn shook her head. ¡°Nothing.¡± She must be overthinking. Or perhaps, Celeste wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk. After her hair was dried, Jordyn rolled on the bed. ¡°Mom, are you staying with me for the night?¡± Celeste paused for a moment before answering, ¡°Do you want me to stay with you, Jo?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay with it! But Mom, you haven¡¯t been with Dad muchtely. Don¡¯t you want to sleep with Dad?¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯ll go back to my roomter on.¡± Celeste and Trevor still hadn¡¯tpleted their divorce paperwork. If Jordyn didn¡¯t ask her to stay and she insisted on it, it would cause a huge fuss once Martha knew about it Celeste noticed that her room¡¯s light was still on when she left Jordyn¡¯s room. Trevor was at the desk, typing away on hisptop. He was probably working on something. He nced at Celeste as he noticed her entering the room. Celeste shifted her gaze and went straight to the wardrobe. Then, she took a set of fresh clothes and went to the bathroom for a shower. When she was done with the shower, Trevor was still preupied with hisptop. Celeste was dressed in pajamas. She sat down on the bed and went through her skincare routine. She decided to read for a while since it was still early. They were both focused on their own things in the bedroom and were not interacting at all. As the time got closer to midnight, Celeste felt sleepy. Thus, she put away the book and turned off the bedsidemp. Shey down and got ready to sleep. She thought she wouldn¡¯t be able to fall asleep since it had been a while since she slept with Trevor. However, she thought about how Trevor might head to Wynn¡¯s after work to stay the night. Trevor might not actually stay here overnight. With those thoughts in mind, she became drowsy. Before long, she fell asleep, lulled by the soft tapping of the keyboard in the background Celeste had a great sleep that night. It was all warm and cozy for her. As she was about to get up, she felt a series of warm breathe brushing her ears. Moreover, she seemed to be hugging someone as well. When she realized what was going on, her body became stiff instantly. Her mind became clear all of a sudden. Celeste opened her eyes, only to realize that she was lying in Trevor¡¯s arms. With both arms and legs wrapped around her, Trevor was sound asleep. They were tightly pressed together and there was hardly any space between them. Celeste could clearly feel his warmth. She thought her sleep posture was just fine. She even moved to the side of the bed when she sleptst night, thinking that they wouldn¡¯t be able to touch each other with the huge space left between them on the bed. Hence, it wasn¡¯t likely for her to end up in Trevor¡¯s arms after falling asleep. Unless¡­ Unless Trevor got used to embracing Wynn in his sleep during the nights they were separated.. He probably confused Celeste with Wynn in his drowsy statest night and hugged Celeste close in his sleep. With that conclusion in mind, Celeste withdrew her hand on Trevor¡¯s chest. She gradually clenched it into a fist. She fidgeted while trying to escape from his embrace. Just then, Celeste felt his arms tighten around her body. Trevor brought her closer to his chest. She was taken aback. In that instant, a kiss gently brushed her forehead. ¡°Just five more minutes.¡± The Scent of 76 Trevor¡¯s words were definitely not meant for Celeste. For all these years they were married, Trevor had never once lugged her in his sleep, let alone given her a morning kiss. Thus, Celeste was certain that Trevor had mistaken her for Wynn. She pursed her lips, and her eyes gradually filled with tears. Trevor was still asleep. Staring at Trevor, Celeste swallowed the bitterness welling up inside her. She took a deep breath and slowly pulled away from Trevor. She was trying to escape his embrace. With how tightly they were pressed together, her slightest movement was bound to disrupt his sleep. eyes. Then, it was just as expected as she removed Trevor¡¯s hand from her waist and sat up, Trevor opened his ey She was about to pull her legs back. Their eyes met at that e exact moment. Trevor woke uppletely. Once he grasped the circumstances and realized he had hugged the wrong person, he paused for a brief moment and shifted so his legs were not entwined with hers anymore. Celeste retracted her legs as well. She turned her back to him, moved to the side of the bed, and slipped into her slippers before heading for the bathroom. After she had washed up, she came out of the bathroom, only to see no one in the room. Celeste walked out of the room and saw Trevor at the end of the corridor. He was talking to someone over the phone in his pajamas. She nced at him briefly and looked away, then went downstairs. Martha was already awake. Momentster, Jordyn came downstairs as well. Grinning, Martha said, ¡°Let¡¯s have our breakfast now that everyone¡¯s awake.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± responded Jordyn. Just then, Trevor came and settled down next to Celeste. Celeste thought of what had happened earlier. She moved to the side, pulling away just a little to increase the gap between them. Jordyn looked at Trevor as she munched on her breakfast. As if she had suddenly thought of something, she asked, ¡°Dad, do you like hugging Mom in your sleep too?¡± Her pretty eyes were filled with doubt. Celeste was drinking a cup of tea. Upon hearing what Jordyn had said, she choked on her tea. Trevor remained silent. Celeste¡¯s face flushed red from the coughing, and she felt even more ufortable. Her expression went stiff. However, Martha was very delighted. ¡°Oh? Why would you say so, Jo?¡± ¡°I went to look for Mom when I woke up just now, and I saw Dad hugging Mom¡­¡± Martha put on a bigger grin. She had an epiphany, letting out a drawn¨Cout ¡°oh¡± as she eyed Celeste and Trevor teasingly. Trevor remained silent still. Celeste became more awkward for she knew the person Treyor wanted to hug wasn¡¯t her at all. Just then, her phone rang. It was a call from Betty. Celeste answered the call. ¡°Hello, Granny.¡± Betty told Celeste that Adeline had just back and brought her souvenirs. She also asked if she could join them for a meal. Celeste looked at Martha as she spoke, ¡°I¡¯m with Jo at the Fleming, Manor now.¡± Initially, Martha hoped they would join her at the estate to pick some fruits. Martha and Betty were good friends. When Martha learned the reason behind Betty¡¯s call, she remarked, ¡°You can take jo back with you.¡± Then, she turned to Trevor. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you visited Betty as well, Trevor. Since you have some free time now, apany Cel back for a visit.¡± Trevor took a bite of his breakfast and uttered, ¡°There¡¯s something I have to take care ofter.¡± Celeste wasn¡¯t surprised at all when he said that. She had guessed it already, Trevor would never have the time to apany her. But when it came to Wynn, he¡¯d make time for her no matter how busy he was, This was the difference between Celeste and Wynn. Martha frowned. ¡°What¡¯s so urgent? You haven¡¯t gone back with Cel for ages!¡± The Scent of 77 ¡°Grandma,¡± Celeste interrupted Martha. Then, she continued calmly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll go back with Jo if Trevor¡¯s busy.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t want to force Trevor into anything because she no longer cared about it. However, Martha misunderstood Celeste. She thought Celeste said that because thetter didn¡¯t want to put Trevor in a tough spot. Seeing how considerate Celeste still was toward Trevor, Martha felt a pang of sympathy and frustration. And so it was decided. After they finished their breakfast, Celeste chatted with Martha for a while and got ready to leave. Martha prepared a bunch of gifts for her good friend, Betty, and asked Celeste to deliver them to her. Celeste couldn¡¯t refuse them, and she ended up bringing them all. Trevor hadn¡¯t gone out yet, so he and Martha went to send Celeste and Jordyn off. Jordyn went up to Trevor and hugged his leg. ¡°Will youe home tonight, Dad?¡± Trevor gently ruffled her hair. ¡°Yes, I will.¡± There was zeromunication between Celeste and Trevor After Jordyn hopped into the car, Celeste waved at Martha and drove away. She could see Trevor and Martha through the rearview mirror. They were standing there, watching her leave. Celeste parked her car in the front yard when ther to greet them. arrived at the Rodriguez residence. Betty and Adeline came out Noticing how the car¡¯s trunk was stuffed with presents, Bey furrowed her brows. ¡°Why did you bring so much stuff over?¡± ¡°Grandma wanted me to bring you these.¡± Ever since Celeste married Trevor, Betty and Martha hadn¡¯t been as close as they once were. Upon hearing Celeste¡¯s words, Betty scoffed and stayed quiet. Celestnoticed that the vi across the street was being renovated. Thus, she decided to change the topic. ¡°Is someone moving into the vi across the street?¡± ¡°I think so, yes. It went under constructionst week. ording to the workers, the owner of the vi wanted to move in quickly. Thus, the renovation of this huge vi was nearly done. It won¡¯t be long before someone moves They were living in an old vi neighborhood. The people here had been living together for decades, and they all knew each other well. With the new neighbor moving in across their house, Adelige couldn¡¯t help butment as she helped with the bags, ¡°Let¡¯s hope they¡¯re the friendly ones.¡± If they were arrogant, it would be hard for them to get along well. After they entered the vi, Adeline brought out a bowl of bone broth, made just for Celeste. ¡°I cooked this for your because I heard you¡¯ve been quite exhaustedtely. I cooked extra as well, you can bring some back hometer.¡± Celeste grabbed the bowl. ¡°Okay, thank you, Aunt Adeline.¡± Ivan only returned home by dinner time as he was busy with work. Celeste remembered how Matthias rejected Wynn¡¯s application to work in YodaVision Co. for her, and it led to Trevor¡¯s revenge. Ivan had lost a project because of it too. Hence, Celeste felt guilty for it. ¡°Uncle Ivan, sorry for what happenedst time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s all in the past now.¡± Ivan shrugged. ¡°I told you before, right? Without the Locket family, Rodriguez Corporation still wouldn¡¯t have been able to take on the project in the current situation. You don¡¯t have to me yourself.¡± They couldn¡¯t let Betty know about this. She would be very furious if she found out Trevor was going against the Rodriguez family for Wynn. Thus, Ivan nudged Celeste lightly, signaling her to stop talking about it when he saw Betty walking over. Celeste then changed the topic. The Scent of 78 Betty was turning 70 next month. Celeste was discussing with Ivan how they should celebrate Betty¡¯s birthday. Betty had no interest in their n. ¡°No need for anything extravagant. Having a meal together as a family is enough.¡± Adeline added, ¡°It¡¯s my 70th birthday. We should celebrate it in a big way.¡± Celeste and Ivan thought the same too. Since it came from the grandchildren¡¯s kindness, Betty gave in to their suggestion. Jordyn still had to go to school tomorrow. Thus, after having dinner together, Celeste left the Rodriguez residence with Jordyn. After she arrived at the Fleming Manor, Jordyn got out of the car and ran into the house, beaming with joy. Celeste stayed in the car as she said to Jordyn, ¡°Take a bath and rest early. I¡¯ve got things to do, so I¡¯ll get going now.¡± Jordyn¡¯s smile froze. ¡°Huh?¡± She returned to the car and rested her face on it. Furrowing her brows, Jordyn asked, ¡°Are you busy, Mom?¡± Celeste answered without changing her expression. ¡°Yep. Do well in ss, and give me a call if somethinges
  1. up.
Jordyn was a little upset. She pursed her lips and replied, ¡°Okay.¡± When work piled up, Trevor was often absent from home. Hence, Jordyn assumed Celeste¡¯s absence was work¨Crted and didn¡¯t dwell on it further. When Peter noticed they came back, he went out to greet them. Jordyn asked, ¡°Is Dad back yet?¡± Peter answered with a smile, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s back already.¡± Celeste¡¯s face remained neutral. ¡°Jordyn, I¡¯m leaving now.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Jordyn moved away. Peter was slightly confused. ¡°Are you still going out thiste at night, Mrs. Fleming Celeste kept her reply short. ¡°Yes, I have some things to take care of.¡± As she finished speaking, she turned to Jordyn. ¡°It¡¯s chilly out here. Go inside.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Jordyn waved at Celeste and entered the house together with Peter. After seeing Jordyn off, Celeste turned the car around and drove away. Jordyn asked Peter after entering the house, ¡°Where¡¯s Dad ¡°He should be in the study.¡± Jordyn then went upstairs, only to realize the door to the study was open. Trevor was leaning against the window. He was smoking as he looked outside the witlow. ¡°Dad,¡± Jordyn called out for him. ¡°Hi, lo.¡± Trevor turned around to face her. Jordyn continued, ¡°Mom has something to take care of. She just left.¡± +25 BONUS Trevor put out the cigarette and tossed it into the ashtray. know, I saw her leave.¡± Jordyn scrunched up her little nose. ¡°Mom has been so busy recently just like you.¡± Trevor let out a chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± It was gettingte, and Jordyn was tired as well. Yawning, she uttered, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a bath and sleep. Good night, Dad.¡± ¡°Good night, have sweet dreams.¡± After Celeste arrived home, she washed up and went to bed immediately. She arrived at the office promptly the next day. In the afternoon, she and Yandel went to InnovaTech for some technical maintenance, along with some other technicians. This time, she didn¡¯t see Trevor or Wynn there. On the following days, including Thursday when she went back to the vi to cook for Jordyn, she never saw Trevor around She heard how Trevor wasn¡¯t on a business trip. He just had some errands to run, so he wouldn¡¯t be home for dinner. Celeste didn¡¯t bother asking about his ¡°errands¡°-whether it was a date with Wynn or some other obligations. When she got off work on Friday, thinking about what to have for dinner, she received a call from Jordyn. ¡°Mom, Dad won¡¯t be home on the weekend. When are youing back home?¡± X Chapter The Scent of 79 In short, Trevor expected Celeste to take care of Jordyn over the weekend. For the past two years, Trevor had been the one to spend more time with Jordyn, regardless of the reasons. Whether it was due to personal ns or professionalmitments making it inconvenient for Trevor to bring Jordyn along, the responsibility now fell to Celeste when he wasn¡¯t avable, Celeste returned to the vi During dinner, she asked Jordyn, ¡°Where do you want to gothis weekend?¡± Jordyn thought for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s nowhere in particr I want to go.¡± Seeing her expression, Celeste knew Jordyn wasn¡¯t uninterested in going out but would rather spend her weekend with Trevor and Wynn. With neither of them around, nothing seemed to excite her. Celeste didn¡¯t call her out on it and instead asked, ¡°How about horseback riding?¡± Jordyn¡¯s face lit up at the suggestion. She hadn¡¯t ridden in a long time and was genuinely intrigued. She nodded eagerly. ¡°Yes!¡± The next day, Celeste took Jordyn to the equestrian center. After changing into her riding attire, Celeste heard Jordyn chatting with the instructor, Samuel Kraft. With her back to Celeste, Jordyn said, ¡°My dad and one of my aunts are amazing at horseback riding. They¡¯re so cool! It¡¯s such a shame they couldn¡¯te today.¡± ¦§ Standing by the door, Celeste didn¡¯t interrupt. Samuel noticed her first and greeted, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez.¡± Celeste nodded. Samuel asked, ¡°Shall I call someone else over to assist you?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Celeste replied. Though she knew how to ride, it had been three or four years since she had ridden properly. Back when Jordyn was younger, Celeste had brought her here often, but her focus had always been on Jordyn rather than riding herself. Jordyn was led away by Samuel, while Celeste moved to a separate arena. The instructor assigned to her initially thought she was a novice. Watching Celeste mount the horse with practiced ease, he couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. ¡°You¡¯re an experienced rider, Ms. Rodriguez?¡± ¡°Somewhat,¡± Celeste replied. After a short guided session, she took the reins into her own hands. With a snap of the whip, the white horse let out a sharp neigh and galloped forward. Afterpleting severalps, Celeste finally dismounted and went to check on Jordyn. As she approached Jordyn¡¯s area, she suddenly stopped in her tracks about ten yards away. It was Trevor and Wynn. They hade to the equestrian center too. Jordyn was joyfully clinging to Wynn¡¯s leg. Her excitement was evident as the three of them chatted happily. Soon, Jordyn and Wynn mounted a horse together, with Jordyn sitting in front and Wynn behind her. Trevor, meanwhile, rode another horse beside them. The two horses walked side by side, their ridersughing and talking. From a distance, they looked every bit like a happy family of three. Celeste watched their figures fade into the distance. They didn¡¯t notice her, and she eventually averted her gaze, turned around, and left. She changed out of her riding clothes, took a sip of water, and sat for a while. Not long after, her phone rang. It was Trevor. Celeste answered, ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°I¡¯m at the equestrian center too,¡± Trevor said from the other end of the line. ¡°I¡¯ll take Jo from here.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Celeste replied. As soon as she finished speaking, she heard the familiar, decisive click of Trevor hanging up. Celeste had been waiting for this call. With Jordyn¡¯s ns now clear, she picked up her bag and left the equestrian center. The Scent of 80 As Celeste drove away from the equestrian center, she found herself unsure of where to go. the Lottie and Matthias had their own ns, and while she considered going back to the Rodriguez residence, thought of returning alone without Jordyn made her hesitate¨CBetty would only grow more concerned for her. These thoughts swirled in her mind as she passed a wend park. Families were camping, couples were enjoying time together, and young adults were bringing their parents out for a rxing day. Seeing their happy, loving interactions, Celeste couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of envy and an ache deep in her chest. After driving for a while longer, she suddenly pulled over. She picked up her phone, hesitating for a long moment before finally dialing a number. When the call connected, she asked, ¡°Hello, Dr. Harrison. How is my mother doing?¡± An hour and a halfter, Celeste arrived at Harmony Nursing Home. Standing in the courtyard, her gaze fell on a frail, vacant¨Clooking Isabelle seated on a bench in the distance. Isabelle¡¯s face was gaunt and hollow. It was a stark contrast to the vibrant, beautiful woman Celeste remembered from her childhood. Even though Celeste had grown ustomed to this sight over the years, her heart still couldn¡¯t find peace. A soft voice broke her thoughts. ¡°She¡¯s the same as always no change,¡± Noah said. Isabelle couldn¡¯t be exposed to people from her past. Any such encounter would send her spiraling into another episode. Her current state of rare tranquility was something Celeste dared not disturb. After a while, worried that Isabelle might notice her presence, Celeste quietly left the courtyard. She walked farther away and said to Noah and the staff caring for Isabelle, ¡°I¡¯ll leave Isabelle in your capable hands.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Ms. Rodriguez. It¡¯s our duty,¡± Through a ss window, Celeste stole another nce at Isabelle. After leaving behind some books and supplies she had brought for her, she left the nursing house. Though her body had departed the nursing house, her heart remained heavy. On her way back, Celeste passed the wend park again. Looking at the kites filling the sky, she impulsively turned her car around and drove into the park. A gentle breeze caressed her face, the sunshine was warm, and the scenery was lovely. But everyone around her seemed to havepany¨Cfamilies, couples, or friends. Alone, she felt out of ce. As she stood by a small stall, debating whether to buy a kite for herself, a small hand suddenly grabbed her finger and shook it gently. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez.¡± Celeste turned in surprise. ¡°Shanice?¡± Shanice nodded slightly. She was still holding onto Celeste finger. ¡°Shanice Beck approached, and his voice trailed off when he saw Celeste. After a brief pause, he asked, ¡°Are you here for some fun too?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Celeste replied. ¡°Did you bring Jo with you?¡± Celeste lowered her gaze and said tly; ¡°No, I¡¯m here alone.¡± Hearing this, Beck seemed to understand something and didn¡¯t press further. As she wasn¡¯t particrly close with Beck, Celeste was about to excuse herself when Shanice looked up and said, Ms. Rodriguez, let¡¯s fly a kite together.¡± Celeste gently declined. ¡°I can¡¯t. I have something else to do.¡± Shanice¡¯s face fell. ¡°Oh.¡± Beck said, ¡°Join us. It¡¯s just the two of us here.¡± Sensing her hesitation, he added, ¡°I¡¯ll just watch from the side and won¡¯t bother you. Think of it as giving Shanice a ymate.¡± Celeste had always liked Shanice. And she really didn¡¯t want to be alone right now. Hearing this, she finally agreed. Together with Shanice, Celeste picked out a blue butterfly kite they both liked. Celeste had experience flying kites from her outings with Jordyn. She was fairly skilled. However, the kite they picked wasrger than expected, and Shanice was too small to handle it. Quickly, Beck stepped forward to help them manage it. The Scent of 81 The kite flew sessfully up into the sky, and Celeste and Shanice smiled brightly. While watching Celeste¡¯s smile, Beck¡¯s gaze darkened slightly. Noticing his gaze, Celeste asked, puzzled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? ¡°Nothing,¡± he replied simply. Celeste didn¡¯t press further and led Shanice a little farther away. Beck stayed nearby, keeping his promise not to intrude. When they got tired of flying the kite, Celeste and Shanice either moved to thekeside to fish or crouched by a vendor¡¯s small pond, studying the little fish swimming inside before trying to catch them with small a rxing couple of hours, Celeste felt much better than earlier and didn¡¯t refuse his suggestion. During the meal, Celeste mostly chatted with Shanice. Seeing how well they got along, Beck didn¡¯t try to join their conversation, content with silently moving their favorite dishes closer to them. Celeste, engrossed in her conversation with Shanice, didn¡¯t notice his subtle gestures. A whileter, Beck¡¯s phone rang ncing at the caller ID, he said to Celeste, ¡°I¡¯ll take this call.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Celeste replie replied. The call was from Miles. Walking a bit farther away, Beck answered, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Where are you? Have you eaten? A friend of mine just sent over some fresh seafood. Why don¡¯t youe over and have some? Trevor and the others will be there too.¡± Beck nced at Celeste and Shanice nearby, then replied calmly, ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten. Maybe next time. ¡°How about tonight? There¡¯s a yacht party. Trevor and the others have confirmed they¡¯lle. Why don¡¯t you bring your little niece along? We haven¡¯t had the chance to meet her yet. This could be a good opportunity to introduce her to everyone.¡± Beck declined again, ¡°She¡¯s shy and doesn¡¯t do well with crowds. She might feel ufortable on the yacht.¡± ¡°No worries. Jo will be there too. They¡¯re about the same age, so they should get along. See you at seven.¡± Before Beck could refuse, Miles hung up. After lunch, Celeste and Shanice spent more time together, chasing butterflies and riding bicycles. When they were both thoroughly tired, they stopped to rest Shanice eventually fell asleep. Celeste, also feeling the day¡¯s exertion, decided to head home. She quietly drove off. Beck watched her car disappear into the distance before leaving as well. Later, when Shanice woke up and didn¡¯t see Celeste, she frowned slightly. ¡°Where¡¯s Ms. Rodriguez?¡± ¡°She went home,¡± Beck replied ¡°Oh¡­¡± Shanice¡¯s disappointment was evident. At seven that evening, Beck boarded the yacht as scheduled Trevor and the others had already arrived. When he saw Beck, Miles waved him over. Upon seeing Shanice, Miles smiled and said, ¡°This must be Shanice, the little beauty. Hello there, I¡¯m Miles Quinton, a friend of your uncle.¡± The yacht was crowded, and Shanice was shy and reserved in such a setting. After Miles introduced himself, Wynn arrived with Jordyn in tow. Beck hesitated briefly upon seeing them. When she heard that Shanice was shy, Jordyn introduced herself and extended a hand, saying warmly, ¡°There are lots of kids ying over there. Want toe with me?¡± Shanice looked at Beck. Only after he nodded encouragingly did she muster the courage to follow Jordyn. Miles grinned as the children walked away and teased, ¡°How does it feel being a babysitter for the first time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Although Shanice was shy, she was well¨Cbehaved, so taking care of her wasn¡¯t too tricky. Trevor handed him a ss of wine. ¡°Care for a drink?¡± Chapter 82 The Scent of 82 Chapter 82 Beck looked at Trevor, paused briefly, and then epted the offered ss. ¡°Thanks.¡± The two clinked their sses and started chatting while sipping their drinks. T After a while, Trevor gave Beck a second nce. Beck raised his eyebrows. ¡°What is it?¡± Miles interjected, ¡°You¡¯re acting a little off today.¡± Trevor chuckled softly, silently agreeing with Miles¡® observation. Beck remained calm, and his tone sounded t as he retorted, ¡°Am I?¡± Miles raised an eyebrow. ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡± Beck took a small sip of his drink without responding. Just then, someone approached to greet them, cutting the conversation short. After the person left, Beck checked the time. Worried that Shanice might be hungry, he was about to head over to her when she and Jordyn returned on their own. ¡°Uncle Beck, can I have one of those little cakes over there? Shanice asked, pointing at the dessert table. Shanice tended to develop allergies, so there were many foods she couldn¡¯t eat. Beck said, ¡°Sit here, and I¡¯ll get it for you. ¡°Okay,¡± Shanice replied obediently. Jordyn, on the other hand, was used to being more independent. With her robust health, she could eat whatever she wanted. She grabbed a te of food for herself and even asked Trevor, ¡°Dad, do you want some?¡± Trevor patted her head affectionately. ¡°No, thanks,¡± The two kids sat nearby, eating, Wynn, who had found something she liked, shared it with Jordyn. Jordyn took it happily. ¡°Thank you, Wynn.¡± Shanice looked up at Wynn with curiosity and then turned to Jordyn, asking, ¡°Jo, isn¡¯t thisdy your mother?¡± The question brought an abrupt silence to the room. Jordyn froze for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°No.¡± Shanice asked cautiously, ¡°So, you don¡¯t have a mother either?¡± Jordyn shook her head again. ¡°No, I do have a mother.¡± Later, the yacht staff handed out souvenirs, and Shanice was immediately drawn to a crystal keychain. There were only two avable, so she picked out both. Jordyn also liked the keychains. Sering, that Shanice had taken both, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Shanice, could you give me one? I want to give it to Wynu.¡± Shanice hesitated, clearly reluctant. ¡°I want to give one to my friend too.¡± Thinking of Celeste, Shanice couldn¡¯t help but share, ¡°Today, Uncle Beck and my friend went kite flying with me. We also fished, rode bikes, and chased butterflies. She¡¯s so beautiful¨CI know she¡¯ll love this crystal keychain.¡± At first, the adults hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the children¡¯s conversation, but when they heard this, Wynn, Miles, and Trevor all turned to look at Beck. Miles was the first to speak, his tone teasing, ¡°Beck, what¡¯s going on? Or should I say, is something already going on?¡± Not waiting for an answer, he pressed on, ¡°When did this start? Howe you didn¡¯t tell us anything? Right, Trevor?¡± Trevor smiled but remained silent, clearly waiting to hear Beck¡¯s exnation. Beck¡¯s expression remained neutral. ¡°It was just a chance meeting.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Miles didn¡¯t believe him. He suddenly remembered something and added, ¡°So you had lunch together, too? That exins why you seemed so rxed handling a kid on your own. Turns out you had help!¡± Beck didn¡¯t say anything, staying silent. Trevor looked at him, then made a decisive remark. ¡°You¡¯re interested in her.¡± Beck froze, his lips parting as if to speak, but he didn¡¯t deny it in the end. Wynn blinked, her smile fading slightly. ¡°No way, it¡¯s true?¡± Miles eximed, shocked. He had only been teasing, never expecting it to be real. He quickly asked, ¡°Who is she? Do we know her? Why haven¡¯t you brought her to meet us yet?¡± The Scent of 83 Beck remained silent, which made Miles assume he didn¡¯t want to say anything because it wasn¡¯t serious yet. Knowing he wouldn¡¯t get an answer from Beck, Miles chuckled and crouched down to ask Shanice, ¡°Shanice, how many times have you seen thedy who had lunch with you today? Do you know her name? Beck¡¯s grip on his ss tightened instantly, ¡°Miles!¡± Shanice didn¡¯t understand the adults¡® intentions. She wasn¡¯t very familiar with Miles, but since he was asking about Celeste, she thought about it seriously and answered without hesitation, ¡°Three times!¡± Miles continued, ¡°And what¡¯s her name?¡± When Beck and Celeste met earlier that day, he didn¡¯t even address her as ¡°Ms. Rodriguez.¡± So Shanice, unable to recall her name, turned to Beck for help. ¡°Uncle Beck, what¡¯s her name?¡± Beck lowered his gaze. ¡°Next time you see her, you can ask her yourself.¡± Shanice beamed. ¡°Okay!¡± Miles muttered under his breath, ¡°So stingy.¡± Beck ignored him Meanwhile, noticing how much Jordyn liked the crystal keychains, Shanice, though a little reluctant, still decided to give her one. Jordyn epted it with delight. ¡°Thank you, Shanice!¡± Wynin also expressed her gratitude. Shanice smiled. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Upon seeing how happy Jordyn was, she suddenly asked, ¡°Je, aren¡¯t you going to pick one for your mother too?¡± Jordyn hesitated for a moment, her voice dropping. ¡°I¡¯ll do thatter.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± After dinner, Celeste read for a while before heading to the bathroom to shower. Just as he stepped out, her phone rang¨Cit was Ivan. ¡°Cel, I just saw Ruby in the neighborhood.¡± Hubry, as in Wynn¡¯s maternal uncle¡¯s wife? Celeste froze for a moment, still processing the information, when Ivan continued, ¡°At first, I didn¡¯t think much of it, but then, after I got home, I noticed she went into the vi across from ours¨Cthe one that¡¯s being renovated! Celeste¡¯s expression instantly shifted as she sat up on the bed. Ivan was usually a calm person, but right now, his voice wasced with anger. ¡°They are doing this on purpose!¡± Everyone in Baumond¡¯s business circle knew that Trevor had helped the Locket family establish tha # Even though Rodriguez Corporation was struggling, Ivan was still part of that circle¨Cof course, he knew about it. He had simply chosen not to mention it to Celeste, not wanting to upset her, It was understandable if the Locket family nned to settle in Baumond permanently and needed to buy property. But knowing full well that the Rodriguez family lived here, they had deliberately chosen a house right across from them. Who would believe that was a coincidence? Celeste understood what Ivan meant. Gripping her phone tightly, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll call Trevor.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± If it had been about anything else, Ivan wouldn¡¯t have asked Celeste to reach out to Trevor. But this was different. If Ruby and the others really moved in, they would likely try to assert their presence every single day. And with Betty¡¯s health already fragile, any added stress could be harmful. After ending the call with Ivan, Celeste immediately dialed Trevor¡¯s number. The phone rang for a while before someone finally picked up. ¡°Hello?¡± It was Wynn¡¯s voice. The Scent of 84 Celeste wasn¡¯t surprised to hear Wynn answer the call. After all, Trevor and Wynn were already so close- practically inseparable. So what if she answered his phone? Celeste remained calm. ¡°I need to speak to Trevor.¡± Wynn, already knowing it was Celeste on the other end, replied coldly, ¡°He¡¯s in the shower. If you have something to say, you can tell me.¡± Tell her? Well, this matter did concern Wynn. Ivan saw Wynn¡¯s maternal uncle and Oliver Shaw¡¯s wife, Ruby, in the neighborhood today. However, Harvey had likely purchased the vi across from them. If Harvey had bought that house, it was probably meant as a gift to Wynn¡¯s grandmother and his current mother- inw, Dorothy Adams. So, if Celeste told Wynn about this, would she stop Dorothy and the others from moving in? No, she wouldn¡¯t. Besides, Celeste didn¡¯t believe that Wynn had no idea Oliver¡¯s family was nning to move into the house right across from the Rodriguez residence. Which meant telling her would not only be pointless but could also backfire. Celeste said nothing and directly hung up. More than an hour passed, yet Trevor never called back. She didn¡¯t know if it was because Wynn hadn¡¯t told him about her call, or if he simply had no intention of calling her back Either way, it made no difference to her. Remainingposed, she dialed Trevor¡¯s number again. But this time, his phone was turned off. Celeste¡¯s grip on her phone tightened slightly. After a brief pause to collect herself, she called Peter, Trevor¡¯s butler. ¡°Are they home right now? Peter replied, ¡°No, they¡¯re not. Why?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Celeste said before ending the call, That night, she didn¡¯t sleep well. After nine o¡¯clock the next morning, Celeste tried calling Trevor again. This time, the call went through, only to be immediately hung up. She didn¡¯t know whether it was Wynn or Trevor himself who had ended the call. But she also didn¡¯t care to find Grabbing her phone and bag, she left the house. Before long, she arrived at Trevor¡¯s vi Peter greeted her warmly, ¡°Mrs. Fleming, you¡¯re back?¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± ¡°Will you be having lunch at home? I¡¯ll have someone prepare it for you.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± She went upstairs, but as she reached the second floor, she paused briefly before entering the master bedroom. cing her bag down, she sat by the bed. The room remained unchanged. Everything was as it had been before she left. The skincare products she had used when staying over to care for Jordyn had been returned to their ce. Even the clothes she had previously taken away had been ced back in the walk¨Cin closet¨Changing neatly beside Trevor¡¯s.. It was as if she had never left. Shed She didn¡¯t call Trevor again. And he never returned her calls either. She ate dinner alone. She had considered asking Martha for help, but doing so would onlyplicate things further. Besides, even though Trevor respected Martha, whether he listened to her was entirely up to him. After dinner, Celeste opened herptop and immersed herself in work. The night approached. Just as she thought Trevor and Jordyn wouldn¡¯t being home that night, the sound of a car engine finally echoed outside. Jordyn was the first to notice. Upon seeing Celeste¡¯s car parked outside, she turned to Trevor and said excitedly, Oh! That¡¯s Mom¡¯s car! Dad, Mom¡¯s home!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Trevor nced at Celeste¡¯s car before stepping inside with Jordyn Jordyn immediately turned to Peter, who hade to wee them. ¡°Where¡¯s Mom?¡± ¡°Mrs. Fleming is upstairs.¡± Today¡¯s Bonus Oller The Scent of 85 ¡°Okay!¡± Jordyn happily ran upstairs, her footsteps light and quick. Celeste had just finished shutting down herptop and tidying up when she stepped out of the master bedroom. Before she could react, Jordyn threw herself into her arms, hugging her tightly. ¡°Mom!¡± Celeste only patted the top of her head without hugging her back. Jordyn didn¡¯t notice, too excited as she chattered away. Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps made Celeste look up, and her gaze locked onto Trevor¡¯s. His face was expressionless, while hers remained calm. Looking down at Jordyn, Celeste said, ¡°Go have Hannah help you with your bath. Mom needs to talk to Dad.¡± Trevor stopped walking upon hearing this. Jordyn had spent two fun¨Cfilled days outside and was in a great mood. Though she was reluctant, she didn¡¯t argue and obediently went to her room to have Hannah help her wash up. Celeste turned to Trevor, who was casually leaning against the wall, upied with his phone. ¡°Can we talk in the room?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste walked in first. As Trevor entered behind her, she said, ¡°Close the door.¡± She didn¡¯t want their conversation to disturb Jordyn, especially if it turned into an argument. Thinking about it, they had never fought, even after being married for years. Trevor had never cared enough to argue with her. As for her, every moment she spent with him was precious, and she couldn¡¯t bear to waste it on fights. Trevor shut the door behind him and turned to her. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± Celeste got straight to the point. ¡°Wynn¡¯s uncle, Oliver, bought the vi across from my uncle, Ivan¡¯s. It¡¯s been under renovation for a while now, and I expect they¡¯ll be moving in soon.¡± Wynn¡¯s mother, Lilian Shaw, bore the Shaw family name. However, the entanglement between the Rodriguez, Locker and Shaw families didn¡¯t start with Lilian and Isabelle. It dated back to their grandmothers¡® generation. Back then, Wynn¡¯s grandmother, Dorothy, and Celeste¡¯s grandmother, Betty, had been close friends. However, Dorothy had married poorly and lived in hardship. Betty had often supported her financially. Later, Lilian and Labelle had be best friends as well The Locket and Rodriguez families were of equal status. Harvey and Isabelle had fallen in love freely, and in the beging, their rtionship was strong. But everything changed when Lin returned after graduating from university. To elevate Lilian¡¯s status, Dorothy had ruthlessly severed ties with Betty. Over the years, whenever the Shaw family encountered Ivan or Betty, their attitude was condescending, a far cry from the desperate humility they had once shown when seeking shelter. Celeste didn¡¯t need to go into detail she knew Trevor was aware of all of this. So surely, by saying this much, he would¡­ Trevor did, indeed, understand. He also grasped what Celeste was asking for. He took out a cigarette, pausing before lighting it. ¡°Do you mind?¡± Celeste shook her head. As he lit the cigarette and took a drag, he asked, ¡°You want me to make them move?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Trevor exhaled a slow breath of smoke and didn¡¯t respond immediately. This matter was deeply important to Celeste. She could ignore other things, but not this. Her hands clenched into fists, and her eyes slightly reddened as she looked at him. ¡°I¡¯m begging you. As long as you agree, I¡¯ll do whatever you¡± Before she could finish, he cut her off, ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste froze. She hadn¡¯t expected him to agree so easily. The Scent of 86 Tears welled up in Celeste¡¯s eyes, and her mind momentarily went nk. But she quickly snapped back to reality and hurriedly said, ¡°Thank you. Then what- Before she could finish asking what the conditions were, Trevor moved his cigarette away and reached out to wipe away a tear that had slipped down her cheek. ¡°Get some rest¡± Celeste froze, watching his retreating figure, momentarily forgetting how to react. When she gathered her thoughts, she was unsure what to do next. When Trevor told her to rest early, did that mean he expected her to stay the night? Though she had moved out, they hadn¡¯t officially divorced, Staying over for one night wouldn¡¯t be a big deal. As for sleeping in the master bedroom¡­ she¡¯d better not. Calming herself, she picked up her belongings, along with a change of clothes and some toiletries, and went to Jordyn¡¯s room instead. That night, she stayed in Jordyn¡¯s room. The next morning, Celeste woke up before seven. Shortly after, Jordyn also woke up. She clung to Celeste¡¯s neck, acting spoiled. ¡°Mom, can you take me to school today?¡± Celeste agreed to her request. After freshening up, they went downstairs for breakfast. A little whileter, Trevor entered the dining room and sat across from them. Jordyn greeted him cheerfully, ¡°Good morning, Dad!¡± ¡°Morning,¡± Trevor responded, ncing briefly at Celeste but saying nothing. After sitting down, he silently started eating his breakfast. Celeste also remained quiet. Even though Trevor had agreed to help her, that didn¡¯t mean anything had changed between them. Their rtionship remained the same as always¨Cdistant. After breakfast, Celeste dropped Jordyn off at school and headed to work. Since attending the tech expo, she and Matthias had developed many new ideas. However, they had been too busy with the InnovaTech partnership to explore them in detail, Now that they finally had the time, they began solidifying their ns and pushing things forward. As a result, the workload was heavy today. Celeste had nned to order takeout and workte into the night. But her phone rang around 6:00 pm while she was still buried in work too busy to ce a dinner order. It was Trevor She nced at the screen, then excused herself from the meeting room to take the call. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Grandma¡¯s here,¡± Trevor said. ¡°Come home early.¡± Celeste was taken aback. Before she could respond, Trevor had already hung up. After regaining herposure, she returned to the meeting room and informed Matthias, ¡°Something¡¯se up -I need to leave early. Send me a summary of the meeting¡¯s progress and any issues that arise. I¡¯ll review themter.¡± That way, she wouldn¡¯t hold back the team¡¯s progress. Matthias nudged her. ¡°Got it. Now go.¡± Half an hourter, Celeste drove back to the vi. Trevor¡¯s usual car was already parked outside. He was home. She stepped inside and, sure enough, saw Trevor sitting on the couch with Martha and Jordyn, chatting He was the first to notice her arrival, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Martha, however, stood up with a smile. ¡°Cel, you¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Celeste replied. Martha patted her hand warmly. ¡°You must be hungry. Dinner is almost ready. Let¡¯s eat first.¡± ¡°Alright¡± This time, without needing Martha¡¯s prompting, Trevor sat down next to Celeste. 1 Martha kept cing food on Celeste¡¯s te as they ate, sighing ¡°You¡¯ve lost weight again. You really don¡¯t know how to take care of yourself.¡± The Scent of 87 Although Martha spoke sternly, she still shot a re at Trevor. Trevor remained unfazed and didn¡¯t react. He didn¡¯t need another reminder; he simply picked up a dish and ced some food on Celeste¡¯s te. Celeste responded, ¡°Thank you.¡± Martha then mentioned that she had brought a variety of health supplements for them. After dinner, she nned to personally oversee the preparation of some nourishing soups for Celeste and Trevor. Celeste couldn¡¯t refuse and could only nod in agreement. Martha had spent time in Yorkhaven in her younger years and had mastered the art of making rich, slow¨Ccooked broths. After dinner, she went to the kitchen to personally guide the staff in preparing the tonics. When Celeste tried to help, Martha simply pushed her out of the kitchen. Left with no other choice, Celeste sat down on the couch. Jordyn and Trevor were also there¨Cone focused on her Artisan¡¯s Puzzle, the other on his phone, busy with work. The room was silent. At that moment, Matthias messaged Celeste about something work¨Crted. After seeing the content, she immediately replied, fully absorbed in the discussion. She was so focused that she didn¡¯t even notice when Martha walked out of the kitchen. Trevor, however, had already put down his phone. When she realized that, Celeste quickly set her own phone aside. ¡°Grandma.¡± Martha nced at the three of them, sighed, and muttered, ¡°You all¡­¡± sob Not knowing what else to say, she sat beside Celeste and asked, ¡°What were you so busy with?¡± ¡°Just some work¨Crted matters.¡± Martha snorted and gestured toward Trevor. ¡°You can discuss work with him, can¡¯t you? Or is he just decoration sitting here?¡± Celeste froze for a moment. She didn¡¯t mention that she had already resigned from Fleming Group. She nced at Trevor. He seemed to be in a rtively good mood and made no effort to correct Martha or tell her that Celeste no longer worked at thepany. Perhaps he was worried that if she found out, Martha would insist on her returning to Fleming Group. Martha soon moved on to another topic and then pulled both Celeste and Trevor along for a walk in the garden. After their stroll, Martha grow tired. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a bath and get some rest. When the soup is ready, don¡¯t forget to drink it.¡± Celeste was about to respond when she suddenly realized the implication of Martha¡¯s words. She hesitated and turned to look at Trevor. Seemingly anticipating her reaction, Trevor said, ¡°Grandina is nning to stay here for a while.¡± ¡°What?¡± Celeste was stunned. Trevor didn¡¯t borate. ¡°I¡¯m heading to the study.¡± With that, he left without waiting for her response. Jordyn came running downstairs and pulled Celeste upstairs to help her solve her Artisan¡¯s Puzzle. Celeste spent over an hour with her before Hannah arrived, carrying a tray. ¡°Mrs. Fleming, the soup is ready.¡± She set down one of the bowls. Celeste took it, saying, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Mrs. Fleming Senior said to drink it while it¡¯s hot.¡± ¡°Okay, I will.¡± Hannah left to deliver the other bowl to Trevor Celeste drank her soup and then reminded Jordyn to take a bath. Since Martha was staying over, Celeste couldn¡¯t sleep in Jordyn¡¯s room again. Once Jordyn had finished her bath, Celeste returned to the master bedroom. Trevor wasn¡¯t there, so he was probably still in the study. Matthias had sent over more documents that she hadn¡¯t finished reviewing. She quickly responded to a portion of them, but there were still some difficult issues that required more thought. Pondering them, she walked into the bathroom. After showering and changing into her pajamas, she suddenly realized she had forgotten to bring pajama pants. The clothes she had worn earlier had gotten wet while she was washing her face. Celeste figured Trevor probably wasn¡¯t back yet. After hesitating for a moment, she pushed open the bathroom door and stepped out. But the moment she did, she locked eyes with Trevor, who looked right at her. The Scent of 88 Celeste was shocked and at a loss for words. She felt a little awkward but was not overly flustered. After all, they were husband and wife, and over the years, they had done what married couples do plenty of times. Though she had always hoped Trevor would fall in love with her, she had never deliberately seduced him. It wasn¡¯t that she hadn¡¯t thought about it¨Cshe simply believed it wouldn¡¯t work on him, so she had never acted on the idea. That was why she usually wore loose, cored, two¨Cpiece pajama sets at home. The one she had on now was one such set¨Coversized and long enough that, even without pajama pants, it didn¡¯t seem too revealing. She had no intention of seducing him. Still, to avoid any misunderstanding, she exined, ¡°I just forgot to grab my pants. Celeste was confident that her loose¨Cfitting top, with its long hem, wasn¡¯t revealing. But she had overlooked something¨Cher figure was naturally well¨Cproportioned, with smooth curves in all the right ces. The high¨Clow cut of the shirt¨Cshorter in the front and longer in the back¨Centuated her long, fair legs. At certain angles, the lower hemline subtly hinted at areas that left little to the imagination. Apart from that, she had just finished showering, so her skin looked fresh and glowing, and her face was soft and radiant. She exuded a clean, pure charm. The oversized pajama shirt¡¯s effect on her was simr to that of a man¡¯s dress shirt worn by a woman- effortlessly alluring. It was even more enticing than actual lingerie. Trevor listened to her words, nced at her twice, then looked away. His tone was indifferent as he replied, ¡°Okay. Seeing that he didn¡¯t misunderstand, Celeste let out a quiet breath of relief. Without another word, she turned and headed for the closet. When she returned, now fully dressed, Trevor was still in the room. Celeste didn¡¯t think they had anything to talk about. After ncing at him once, she passed by and sat at the vanity to begin her skincare routine. Trevor, meanwhile, stood up, grabbed his clothes, and went into the bathroom for a shower. It was alreadyte, so after finishing her skincare routine, Celeste got into bed. Thest time she had shared a bed with Trevor at Fleming Manor, she had beenpletely at peace and had fallen asleep quickly. But tonight, her emotions were moreplicated, with the weight of his earlier promise still lingering in her mind. Shey awake for quite some time, unable to sleep. By then, Trevor had finished his shower and emerged from the bathroom. A whileter, he turned off the lights andy down on the other side of the bed. Celeste didn¡¯t open her eyes, but she could sense the distance between them. Trevor also had no intention of speaking to her, and the room was silent in the dark. Eventually, her thoughts faded, and she drifted into unconsciousness, The next morning, Celeste woke up to find herself alone in bed. After freshening up and changing, she went downstairs. Martha was already awake. When she saw Celeste, Martha was about to say something when Trevor walked in from outside. He was dressed in gray workout clothes, his hair damp with sweat¨Che had clearly just finished his morning run. He nced at Martha and greeted, ¡°Morning¡± Martha looked at the two of them and suddenly seemed unhappy. ¡°You both woke up so early?¡± Celeste found the remark strange. Wasn¡¯t waking up early a good thing? Why did Martha seem upset? Before she could finish the thought, Trevor calmly said, ¡°I¡¯ve studied pharmacology. That soup you gave us doesn¡¯t work on me.¡± With that, he turned and headed upstairs. Celeste stiffened up. It took her two full seconds to realize what that meant¨CTrevor was saying that Martha had drugged the soup they drankst night. The Scent of 89 What was more, it wasn¡¯t just any kind of drug But Trevor understood its effects and had seen through it. It seemed he hadn¡¯t drunk the soup at allst night. Celeste hadn¡¯t expected Martha to go this far. She frowned, but Martha let out a dissatisfied sigh before she could speak. ¡°Sometimes, it¡¯s not a good thing for a grandson to be too smart. Sigh, I was hoping for another grandchild. Cel, if you have time, put in more effort with Trevor, alright?¡± Celeste was speechless. She didn¡¯t know what to say. Even though Trevor had agreed to help her yesterday, she knew there was no future for them. It would have been a disaster if something had happened between themst night. As for having another child, that was impossible. Just as these thoughts crossed her mind, Jordyn came downstairs. When she saw her, Celeste¡¯s expression cooled slightly as she was reminded of Jordyn¡¯s admiration and affection for Wynn. During breakfast, Trevor once again naturally took the seat beside Celeste. Still, neither of them initiated any conversation. Yesterday, Celeste had taken Jordyn to school. Today, Jordyn asked Trevor to take her. Trevor responded, ¡°Alright.¡± Martha nced at Celeste and suggested, ¡°Trevor, why don¡¯t you take Cel along too? You both work at the same- Celeste interrupted her, ¡°No need, Grandma. He has a lot of business engagements and isn¡¯t always at thepany. It¡¯s inconvenient for me since I don¡¯t have a car. Martha, however, wasn¡¯t having it. ¡°So what if he has engagements? If you get off work and don¡¯t have a ride home, just call the driver ahead of time to pick you up.¡± Before Celeste could argue, Martha made the final decision. ¡°It¡¯s settled.¡± Celeste was speechless at this. She turned to Trevor, but he didn¡¯tsay a word, which meant he had agreed. After breakfast, Celeste had no choice but to ride with Trevor and Jordyn. Jordyn was already familiar with getting into the car, and because both her parents were taking her today, she was in an especially good mood. Conversely, Celeste couldn¡¯t even remember thest time she had ridden in Trevor¡¯s car. Jordyn got in first, and just as Celeste was about to follow, Trevor suddenly spoke. ¡°Sit on the other side.¡± Celeste paused mid¨Cstep, feeling momentarily awkward, but she walked around the car and got in from the other side as the driver opened the door for her. Now, Jordyn sat between her and Trevor. Trevor seemed busy, responding to messages on his phone Cha Celeste kept her gaze forward, but Jordyn leaned into Trevor¡¯s arms, peeking over his phone screen. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Wynn.¡± Still looking at his phone, Trevor gave a neutral¨Csounding bum in response. Perhaps remembering that Celeste was present, Jordyn stale a couple of quick nces at her, then turned back to Trevor¡¯s screen, refraining from mentioning anything about their conversation. After a while, Jordyn got bored and climbed out of Trevor¡¯sp, opening the car¡¯s storagepartment. Celeste hadn¡¯t intended to look, but her peripheral vision happened to catch the contents inside. There was a tube of lipstick, a small women¡¯s handbag, and a tiny backpack that Jordyn had used before She didn¡¯t even need to think twice. The lipstick and handbag belonged to Wynn. At that moment, she finally understood why Trevor hadn¡¯t let her sit on that seat when she got into the car. It was because that seat belonged to Wynn, and he wouldn¡¯let Celeste take her ce.
  • Chapter 90
+ The Scent of 90 At the thought of it, Celeste¡¯s throat felt a little tight and sore, Suddenly, it seemed to be a little stifling in the car.. Celeste withdrew her gaze and intended to lower the car window for some fresh air, but she paused just as she was about to touch the button. Eventually, she didn¡¯t press it. Instead, she turned her head sideways and looked out the window. Time passed, and they arrived at Jordyn¡¯s school. Celeste stepped out of the car to take her to the school premises, while Trevor remained seated. Jordyn said, ¡°Dad¡­¡± ¡°Dad¡¯s busy.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Celeste knew Trevor acted differently when he took fordyn to school with Wynn. He would get out of the car with her and take Jordyn to the teacher before he left. Today, Celeste was here with Trevor. She had no idea if he was actually busy or if he simply didn¡¯t want to be seen in public with her. At that thought, Celeste decided she wouldn¡¯t push for it. She looked at Trevor and said, ¡°You can leave first. I¡¯ll hail a cab to thepanyter.¡± Trevor heard what she said and turned his head sideways. He gave Celeste a sidelong nce and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s on my way to work.¡± However, Celeste didn¡¯t want the ride anymore. She wanted to persuade him, but she decided against it eventually. Since he didn¡¯t mind fetching her to thepany, she shouldn¡¯t let it bother her too much. In the end, Celeste said nothing. She didn¡¯t leave until she saw Jordyn entering the school with her teacher. Then, she turned around and got into the car. Celeste and Trevor didn¡¯t say anything to each other during the drive. They were about ten minutes away from YodaVision Co. when she received some documents from Matthias. Celeste tapped on it and went through them on her phone. She didn¡¯t realize that she was too engrossed in it. In fact, she didn¡¯t even know that they had arrived at YodaVision Co. Celeste didn¡¯t return to her senses until after Trevor said, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± His car was a luxurious Bentley, and it was quite conspicuoes when it was parked in front of the office building. Celeste noticed that many people were looking at her. Since she and Trevor wouldn¡¯t interact much in the future, she didn¡¯t intend to attract unwanted attention. Celeste quickly grabbed her handbag and said to Trevor, ¡°I appreciate the ride.¡± He nced at her for a moment. ¡°Okay.¡± Then, he faced the driver and said, ¡°Drive.¡± este tumed around and went into thepany Soon, non came. Matthias made a lunch appointment with some business partners, and Celeste followed him. When their car drove into the restaurant¡¯s parking lot, Celeste saw Trevor. He had just gotten out of his car. At the next moment, Wynn also stepped out of his car. After Matthias parked his car, he also noticed the couple. He rubbed his eyebrows and said, ¡°Just d nu Chapter Celeste responded, ¡°Yeah.¡± Then, she noticed that Harvey, Isabelle, and the others were there too. It looked like they had been here waiting, for Trevor and Wym for quite a while. Now that they saw the couple, they walked over briskly. ¡°Should we get out of the car?¡± Matthias asked Celeste, ¡°Or should we wait until they¡¯re gone?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She didn¡¯t do anything wrong, Why did she have to avoid them? When Celeste and Matthias exited the car, Trevor and Wynn were facing their direction. So, thetter couple immediately noticed the former couple. Trevor remained unfazed and nonchnt. He nced at Celeste and Matthias for a moment before he turned his gaze away. Meanwhile, Wynn¡¯s gaze immediately turned cold when she saw Celeste. dhim to Celeste guessed that Wynn probably reacted this way because of what she said to Trevor. After all, she told him stop Wynn¡¯s uncle from living across from Ivan. Trevor was definitely together with Wynn now, so she did promise him that she would get it done. It wasn¡¯t a big deal for her after all. What rubbed Wynn the wrong way was that Celeste sought Trevor¡¯s help. Thest thing she wanted was for them to interact too much. At the thought of it, Wynn¡¯s expression turned cold as well That was when Harvey noticed something unusual about Wynn. He followed her gaze and looked over, only to find himself staring at Celeste. Then, he frowned. This was the first time Isabelle saw a sight like this. She thought about how much Trevor cared about Wynn, and the pride in her gaze grew as she looked at Celeste. The Scent of 91 With that said, Trevor was here as well. So, Isabelle didn¡¯t do or say anything reckless, de or say anything rocke Wynn walked over, but she didn¡¯t talk to Celeste. Instead, she faced Matthias and said with a smile, ¡°What a coincidence, Mr. Yoder. We meet again.¡± Matthias stered on a smile and said, ¡°Yeal. It is.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to treat you to a meal, Mr. Yoder, but I¡¯ve been busy. So, I couldn¡¯t make time for it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Ms. Locket. I¡¯m well aware that you¡¯re extremely busy.¡± Of course, Wynn was busy. Otherwise, she would have reported to work at YodaVision Co. after meeting Matthias for the first time a month ago. Harvey also wanted to make a connection to Matthias. He noticed that Trevor didn¡¯t object to Wynn ignoring Celeste and greeting Matthias. So, he figured it was safe to walk over. Lennox noticed and followed suit. After Harvey greeted Matthias, he looked at Celeste and said, ¡°Hi, Cel.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t respond to him. Harvey didn¡¯t say anything further. Instead, he directed more of his focus on Matthias. After greeting Matthias, they returned to Trevor¡¯s side without batting an eye at Celeste. Then, all of them entered the restaurant with Trevor. Matthias watched their retreating figures and felt a headacheing. ¡°It¡¯s like you don¡¯t even exist.¡± Celeste responded nonchntly, ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go. We shouldn¡¯t keep our business partner waiting.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Then, night came, and Celeste needed to work overtime. However, Martha called her when it was close to 7:00 pm, asking what time she would be home. By all means, Celeste should have gone home earlier now that Martha was here. However, she had yet to consolidate most of her ideas and was very reluctant to put her work aside now.. Celeste hesitated momentarily before responding, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grandma I have to work overtime, and I can¡¯t go home now.¡± Martha sighed and said, ¡°Trevor and you are both very busy How are you two supposed to take your rtionships to the next level at this rate?¡± Did this mean Trevor would also be going homete tonight? Celeste said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grandma.¡± ¡°Geez. It¡¯s fine, but you have to eat something, no matter how busy you are. Get it?¡± ¡°Alright. I will.¡± After Celeste ended the call, her takeout was here as well. After she had her dinner, she worked all the way to 10:00 pm before she finally left thepany. Celeste didn¡¯t drive to YodaVision Co. today, so she had called her driver about half an hour ago. He should¡¯ve been here by now. Celeste went downstairs and realized that the driver was indeed already there. However, it wasn¡¯t the driver she called. Instead, it was Trevor¡¯s driver, and Trevor was in the backseat. 4. When Trevor noticed that Celeste made no move to get in, he lowered the car window and looked at her. ¡°Grandma told me to give you a ride.¡± Celeste heard what he said and walked around the car before getting into it. She took the same seat she had taken this morning The car cruised steadily on the road and blended into traffic Silence hung over the car once again. Trevor was busy with his own stuff and didn¡¯t pay Celeste any attention. Then, something suddenly urred to her. ¡°Did they agree to it?¡± she asked. Naturally, Celeste was referring to her request about not letting Wynn¡¯s uncle move in. After all, thetter wore an unusual expression earlier in the morning. She guessed that Wynn must¡¯ve agreed to it. What about the others, though? Trevor kept looking at his phone as he spoke, ¡°They did.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Celeste hesitated a moment before she asked resolutely, ¡°I want to buy the vi. Is that alright?¡± Celeste was doing this to end her dilemma once and for all. Trevor briefly paused before he turned his head sideways and nced at her. ¡°You may.¡± Celeste let out a sigh of relief when she heard his response. Thank you.¡± Trevor responded, ¡°Sure.¡± The Scent of 92 Martha was still awake when Trevor and Celeste arrived home. Once she was sure that the couple came back in the same car, she finally felt assured and went back to her room. After Celeste got upstairs, she called Ivan and gave him the update. When she was done with the phone call, Matthias¡® call came in. Half an hourter, Celeste ended the call and returned to her room. Trevor was already done taking a bath and was leaning against the headboard with a book in his hand. Trevor turned his gaze from his book when he noticed her. After a brief moment, he turned his focus back to his book Celeste also turned her gaze away. She took a bath and applied the conditioner. It was veryte by the time she was done with all this. Then, she nced at Trevor again. In the past, Celeste might¡¯ve gotten used to it when Trevor treated her coldly. She wouldn¡¯t feel uneasy when she spent some private moments with him. Now that Travor helped Celeste out, it brought them slightly closer. That disoriented her a little and made her unsure of how she should treat him.. With that said, there would be no substantial changes to their rtionship, no matter what happened. At the thought of it, Celeste climbed onto the bed quietly and prepared to go to sleep. She had justid on the bed. when Trevor put down the book and turned off the lights. It was as if Trevor was merely reading to kill time as he waited for her to sleep so that he could turn the lights off for her. Celeste was stunned. She believed she was overthinking it, so she calmed down again and fell asleep shortly after. The next day, Martha wanted Trevor to give Celeste a ride to work again. Celeste turned down the offer once more. ¡°I have to meet with a client today, Grandma. It will be inconvenient for me if I don¡¯t have a car.¡± Martha frowned and looked at Trevor. She was signaling for him to personally offer to drive Celeste to herpany. s, T Trevor merely had his breakfast quietly, knowingly ignoring Martha¡¯s signals. Celeste noticed it and instantly lowered her head. Martha realized Trevor didn¡¯t want to do it, so she dropped the matter. Of course, Celeste wasn¡¯t meeting any clients today. She merely said it because she didn¡¯t want to take Trevor¡¯s car again. For that matter, she didn¡¯t want to owe him any more favors either. Actually, Celeste didn¡¯t really have anything to do today. So, she stayed and worked in YodaVision Co. all the way to over 9:00 pm before she drove herself home. To her surprise, Trevor was already home by the time Celeste returned. After all, he usually came home very unless there was some special event or something Trevor wasn¡¯t in the bedroom. Celeste turned on the light and put her handbag aside. She was about to check on Jordyn in her room when she noticed a document on her makeup table. Celeste was stunned. She and Trevor might have shared the same bedroom, but the area to the left side of the bed belonged to him. She would usually avoid it. The area to the right side of the bed was Celeste¡¯s personal space, so under normal circumstances, he would not step foot in it. Their personal items, such as wallets, watches, and skincare products, were all in their rightful ces as well. They would never put this stuff everywhere in the room. That was why it was impossible for the document to be misced. At the thought of it, Celeste walked over. She came to realize that it was a deed. She had a good idea about what it was and hurriedly opened it up. As expected, it was the deed for the vi across the road from Ivan¡¯s ce. She was its sole owner as well. Before Celeste could react, Trevor returned to the bedroom: She heard footsteps and turned around to look at him. Then, she said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯ve read the deed. Thank you.¡± Trevor didn¡¯t even have the time to respond when Celeste continued, ¡°I don¡¯t have this much money right now. Give me some time, and I will.¡± The Scent of 93 Although it was an old vi neighborhood, the environment was wonderful. On top of that, with the insane real estate prices in the downtown area, the vi was worth at least two to three billion dors. Celeste didn¡¯t have that kind of money now. Trevor had just returned home not long ago and was loosening his tie. He probably found what she said amusing because he raised an eyebrow and asked nonchntly, ¡°Do you intend to pay me for the vi?¡± ¡°Yeah. L¡­¡± ¡°Save it.¡± Trevor put his tie on the dresser. ¡°I can afford to give you that kind of money.¡± Then, he also put his watch down before walking into the bathroom. Celeste watched his retreating figure. She was stunned momentarily before deciding she wouldn¡¯t insist on paying him. Ever since they got married, she was concerned about being a bother to him. That was why she had never. asked him for anything. Now that Celeste thought about it, this particr vi was the only thing Trevor had taken the initiative of giving her for the past years. She would think of it as a gift that marked the end of their marriage. At the thought of it, Celeste put the deed in her drawer. She continued her busy life for three days. On the fourth day, she finally had some time on her hands. Celeste and Trevor had both been quite busy these days, which meant they didn¡¯t have much time for Jordyn. At noon, the little girl called, asking if Celeste was free to pick her up after school. It had been a long time since Celeste had done that. Celeste had finished most of her work, so she took off from work earlier and drove to Jordyn¡¯s school in the afternoon. Jordyn told her that she wanted to eat her cooking, so she quickly changed and went into the kitchen as soon as they arrived home. Martha was happy to see Celesteing home early from work. When she noticed thetter personally preparing the meal, she called Trevor and told him toe home for dinner. Trevor rejected her, ¡°I have work, Grandma.¡± Martha was pissed off at first, but her face lit up after a brief moment. She hung up the phone and said to Celeste, ¡°Bring Trevor some dinner at hispany, Cel.¡± Celeste briefly paused before she rejected. ¡°If Trevor¡¯s busy we shouldn¡¯t disturb.¡± ¡°Yeah, he might be busy, but he can¡¯t just skip dinner. Can le?¡± ¡°Grandma¡­¡± Before Celeste could reply, Martha eximed, ¡°It¡¯s decided¡± Theu, Martha instructed Hannah and the others to make more dishes. She was so insistent that Celeste couldn¡¯t find an opportunity to say anything However, there was an obstacle if Celeste were to bring Trevor dinner¨Cshe had no idea whichpany he was at So, how was she supposed to do it? For what it was worth, Trevor might have other arrangements after he was done with his work. She might be Chapter 03. wasting her efforts if she brought him dinner.. At the thought of it, Celeste slipped out of the kitchen and beaded upstairs when an opportunity presented itself. She called Trevor, who didn¡¯t answer until after a while. ¡°Need something?¡± he asked. ¡°Grandma wants me to bring you dinner.¡± tonight? If u do, I will tell Grandma /lore Trevor could respond, Celeste added, ¡°Do you have other ns it.¡± Celeste believed that Trevor wouldn¡¯t want her to bring him dinner. She was making this call so he would go along with her to stop it from happening ¡°I do. Just tell Grandma that¡­¡± Trevor had just started speaking when Celeste suddenly heard Wynn¡¯s voice. ¡°I brought you dinner, Trevor.¡± Celeste was immediately stunned. Trevor responded to Wynn, ¡°Okay.¡± Then, he spoke into his phone, ¡°Tell Grandma that I have dinner ns already.¡± Celeste wasn¡¯t surprised at all. She responded, ¡°Alright, loud and clear. I¡¯ll tell Grandma about it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Trevor ended the call at that. Chiuster 54 The Scent of 94 Celeste tucked her phone away and went downstairs. She told Martha that Trevor had dinner ns outside. That night, Trevor didn¡¯t return home. The next day, Martha was enraged when she learned about it. ¡°I can¡¯t believe him. I know he¡¯s very busy with work, but how could he note home at all?¡± Celeste merely wordlessly grinned when she heard what Martha said. Trevor might¡¯ve been busy, but he could¡¯vee home if that was what he wanted to do. After all, he needed to sleep. Celeste recalled hearing Wynn¡¯s voice over the phonest night. Trevor must¡¯ve gone somewhere better. That was most likely why he didn¡¯te home. Meanwhile, YodaVision Co. had its major projects outlined for the next two years. Celeste had done it in the past two days, but Matthias believed they shouldpile their ideas. Thus, he sent some documents to Zachary so that thetter could provide him with some insights. Zachary was very busy most of the time. On top of that, his whereabouts were quite erratic. So, Celeste and Matthias thought they wouldn¡¯t get his reply until after a few days¨Cweeks, even. To their collective surprise, Zachary gave them a call. ¡°Nice ideas.¡± With Zachary¡¯s approval, Celeste and Matthias felt more confident about their projects. After all, his expectations were crazy high. His response might have been brief and unassuming, but it was high praiseing from someone like him. Zachary continued, ¡°Based on what you¡¯ve sent me, you didn¡¯t make any mistake on the past foundations or the recent years of artificial intelligence field development. This is adequate work.¡± Clearly, Zachary was addressing Celeste, which made her feel a sting in her nose. Before she could say anything, he continued, ¡°With that said, you¡¯re still very negligent. You will lose progress if you don¡¯t continually brush yourself up. As a matter of fact, you are slipping, Celeste.¡± Celeste immediately responded, ¡°Understood, Mr. Newman I will do my best to catch up on what I have missed over the past years.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Zachary never bothered to be long¨Cwinded¨Cthat wasn¡¯t his style. So, he stopped speaking Celeste noticed that Zachary seemed to have some time on his hands. So, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you free tonight, Mr. Newman? I would like to have dinner with you! In fact it had been forever since Matthias shared a meal with Zachary. When he heard what Celeste said, he immediately nodded. ¡°Yeah, Mr. Newman. Do you have the time?¡± Zachary responded nonchntly, ¡°I already have an appointment.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Matthias and Celeste were severely disappointed. She was about to ask Zachary when he would be avable because she wanted to treat him to dinner in the future. Before Celeste could say anything, however, Zachary said,Trevor is the one who made an appointment with me.¡± Celeste and Matthias were dumbfounded. He nced at her before asking softly, ¡°Why would Mr. Fleming seek you out, Mr. Newman? Can you tell us?¡± ¡°Trevor said he wanted to introduce someone to me.¡± At the next moment, Zachary ended the call without saying another word. Matthias nced at Celeste and asked, ¡°Do you think Trevor intends to introduce Wynn to Mr. Newman?¡± Matthias didn¡¯t know the Locket family had their own techpany until he met them previously. Wynn intended. to work at YodaVision Co. because she wanted Cuap, the programmingnguage. Meanwhile, the public shared the consensus that Zachary was the one who created the programmingnguage with a team of programmers. Now that Wynn could no longer work at YodaVision Co., she probably wanted to connect with Zachary so she could continue to study Cuap. In fact, it was entirely possible that she wanted to be his apprentice as well. At the thought of it, Matthias immediately cursed. ¡°Motherfucker!¡± The Scent of 95 Celeste also had the same thought. What was more, she believed that this was Trevor¡¯s way of making it up to Wynn after he stopped Wynn¡¯s uncle from moving into the vi across from Ivan After all, Trevor loved Wynn. There was no way he would make her feel sorry for herself just because it inconvenienced Celeste. Matthias said, ¡°If Wynn had been concealing her capabilities all this while, then¡­.¡± He trailed off in silence and didn¡¯t finish his sentence. He and Celeste were Zachary¡¯s mentees¡ªthat much was true. Zachary might¡¯ve treated them coldly, but he was actually quite close to them¨Cthat was true as well. After all, Zachary was tenderhearted despite his icy and distant character. His strict expectations of them didn¡¯t change the fact that he cared about them. With that said, Zachary was a man of strong principles as well. If Wynn really showed enough talents and capabilities, he would never refuse to take her in as his apprentice just because of the bad blood she had with Celeste. That was why Matthias had this concern. On the other hand, Celeste calmed down quickly. She said, ¡°Let¡¯s just do what we have to do for now.¡± The only thing she could do now was make sure her tasks were performed impably. Celeste didn¡¯t return home until quitete that night. Martha was already asleep, but Trevor was nowhere to be seen. There was a good chance he would note home at all. By the time Celeste finished bathing, however, she saw Trevor. She was surprised that he actually came home. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him, and she nodded at him, Celeste didn¡¯t ask Trevor why he made a dinner appointment with Zachary, nor did he say anything to her. He merely nced at her for a moment before he went to the bathroom to wash up. Celeste slept in the next morning. When she went downstairs, she heard Martha¡¯s sarcastic voice. ¡°It was already past 11:00 pm when I sleptst night, Trevor, but I still didn¡¯t see you. I thought you didn¡¯te home yet again!¡± Trevor sat across the table from Martha. He was calmly taking a sip of his tea, not offering a response to her. She tapped the table and pretended to be angry. ¡°Open your mouth and start talking!¡± Trevor put down his teacup. He noticed Celesteing down and turned his head sideways to nce at her. Then, he calmly turned and faced Martha again. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who told me I have to be home because you want me to take you out in the morning?¡± ¡°I thought you turned a deaf ear to my words again!¡± Martha scoffed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± Although Trevor said that, he still wore a nonchnt expression. It didn¡¯t seem like he was intimidated at all. Martha felt like she was about to have a heart attack. So, she ignored him and waved Celeste over, gesturing for thetter to sit. Celeste took a seat and asked, ¡°Are you two going out person. She honestly couldn¡¯t think of a ce that would make everyone happy. So, she said, ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything. You call the shots, Grandma.¡± As a matter of fact, Martha already had an idea of where she wanted to go. When she heard Celeste¡¯s response, she asked, ¡°What about a hot spring? We talked about it, but someone pissed me off so much that the trip ended before it even started. This time, I¡¯m going to ensure he makes it up to me.¡± Naturally, Martha was talking about Trevor. He continued to drink his tea calmly when he heard what she said. He didn¡¯t feel embarrassed or uneasy because of what she said, not even a little. It w as if that incident meant nothing to him and didn¡¯t bother him at all. At the thought of it, Celeste turned her gaze away from Trevor. She had been to the hot spring before and wasn¡¯t particrly interested in it for now. However, Martha brought it up now, so Celeste had no choice but to follow along with her request. ¡°Okay.¡± The Scent of 96 Chapter 96 Celeste started packing up for the hot spring retreat after breakfast, including clothes and other personal items. She only packed for herself, though. She didn¡¯t do it for Trevor. After all, they were a married couple only in name. Trevor wasn¡¯t Celeste¡¯s husband in the real sense anymore. He was Wynn¡¯s lover now, and he probably wouldn¡¯t like it if she touched his stuff. Needless to say, Celeste didn¡¯t want to touch Trevor¡¯s personal belongings either. Meanwhile, Jordyn helped Hannah with the packing. In the past, Celeste probably would¡¯ve been worried about Jordyn forgetting her stuff. Hannah might¡¯ve packed it for Jordyn, but she still would¡¯ve gone through Jordyn¡¯s luggage once more. Now, however, Celeste went downstairs with her luggage once she was done packing her own stuff. She wasn¡¯t worried about Jordyn at all. After Celeste waited on the ground floor for a while, Jordyn and Trevor also came downstairs. Once they all arrived at the hot spring retreat, Trevor went to God¨Cknows¨Cwhere to make a phone call. Martha found Celeste when thetter was unpacking her clothes and gave her a box. ¡°I prepared this for you. Put it on when you go to the hot spring.¡± Judging by Martha¡¯s expression, Celeste understood what was in the box. She felt a little uneasy and said, ¡°I brought my own¡­¡± ¡°Rx. It¡¯s nothing inappropriate. See it for yourself if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Celeste opened the box; true enough, it was a bikini set. More to the point, it looked simr to the style she had always worn. She instantly felt relieved. Martha chuckled and said, ¡°Remember to put it on.¡± Celeste fell silent for a while before she said, ¡°Sure.¡± The next moment, Trevor returned to the room and saw what was in the box. Celeste paused for a moment before she frantically closed the box. He pretended not to see it and turned his gaze away nonchntly. Trevor asked, ¡°Is there a reason you¡¯re here, Grandma?¡± ¡°Why, I¡¯m here to urge both of you to the hot spring, of course!¡± Martha gave Trevor a shove as she spoke. ¡°Go on. Get changed!¡± Trevor paused momentarily, but he didn¡¯t reject her either. A brief momentter, he slipped into a bathrobe and came out of the restroom. Celeste saw that Trevor hade out, so she went into the restroom to get changed. By the time she came out, he was nowhere to be seen. Celeste was about to hit the hot spring by herself when Martha walked over from the next room. With a smile, she said, ¡°Trevor is in the hot spring to the left. Hurry up.¡± The hot spring on the left wasn¡¯t big at all¨Cit was barely 30 square feet. If she and Trevor went into it together, they would touch each other, even if they didn¡¯t extend their feet fully. Clearly, Martha was trying to get both of them to take their rtionship to another level. After all, they would be dressed in nothing but a bathrobe and underwear. Normally it would be easy for a man and woman to be overwhelmed with lust in the hot spring. For them, however¡­ Martha insisted that Celeste go to the hot spring she mentioned, so thetter had no choice but to do so. When Celeste went inside, Trevor had taken off his bathrobe. He was already rinsing his body in the hot spring and. enjoying it. Heid his eyes on her when he saw her. Celeste was wearing the bikini set Martha prepared for her. Initially, she honestly believed that there was nothing wrong with them. The thing was, she had only seen the bikini top, but she didn¡¯t check out the bottoms. Celeste didn¡¯t realize how suggestive it was until she was about to put it on. It wasn¡¯t particrly revealing, but it was undoubtedly different from her usual style. To make matters worse, it was a red bikini bottom, and it was soft to the touch. Celeste¡¯s skin was exceptionally fair and delicate. Once she put on the bottoms, she looked at herself in the mirror and saw just how erotic it was. The Scent of 97 Celeste felt uneasy when she looked at herself in the mirror, but she didn¡¯t hate the red and suggestive bottoms. So, she put it on. Celeste was still wearing the bathrobe. She stopped in her tracks when she noticed Trevor¡¯s gaze and remembered the bikini set she was wearing. A momentter, however, Celeste walked over as if nothing happened. She approached the edge of the hot spring and put down the stuff on her hands. Then, she took off her bathrobe. Just like that, she revealed her suggestive clothing to Trevor. Trevor was stunned when he saw it. Celeste believed that he knew Martha had given her this. Trevor might misinterpret her choice to wear it as an invitation to have an intimate moment, but the truth was that she didn¡¯t intend that at all. Trevor was free to think whatever he wanted. Celeste had no reason not to put on the bikini set, which she quite liked, just because he might misunderstand her. This thought strengthened Celeste¡¯s resolve not to feel uneasy when she removed her bathrobe. She also didn¡¯t deliberately check Trevor¡¯s reaction. Celeste entered the hot spring and sat next to him. She was mindful of keeping a healthy distance from him, too. Trevor turned his gaze away, and both of them remained quiet. Celeste noticed that she could see his toned abs from the corner of her eyes. So, she shifted her gaze away. Celeste thought they would keep quiet until the end, but Trevor suddenly asked, ¡°Do you want to have something to eat?¡± The staff in the establishment prepared a lot of snacks for them. He pushed the te to her side of the hot spring. Celeste said, ¡°Thanks.¡± Trevor didn¡¯t respond to her. She popped some grapes into her mouth, but she didn¡¯t exactly have any appetite at the moment. So, she stopped eating after a piece and pushed the te back to his side of the hot spring. The water in the hot spring was so clear that one could look into the bottom. When Celeste pushed the te back to Trevor, she could clearly see his private area. Trevor was perfectly calm. If otherdies had seen it, they might have thought he couldn¡¯t get it up. However, Celeste knew just how virile he was. Hisck of reaction was because he never found her attractive. Celeste could be wearing the most erotic clothing in the world, and Trevor would still be unresponsive. She had long known this was what would happen. They were about to get divorced, and Celeste didn¡¯t want to do anything with Trevor anymore. That was why she wasn¡¯t worried about putting on the suggestive bottoms; it wouldn¡¯t work on him anyway. Celeste withdrew her gaze subtly. Rinsing in the hot spring was the most rxing thing to do in such weather. It felt sofortable that Celeste felt groggy after a while. She didn¡¯t fall asleep, though. With that said, she was actually tired. So, Celeste rose to her feet and said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Trevor responded, ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste got out of the hot spring and put on her bathrobe. Before she walked away, she noticed him getting out as well. Just as Celeste was about to enter the elevator, she ran into Martha. ¡°Are you guys done with the hot spring already?¡± Celeste responded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Martha wanted to say something, but she saw Trevor, who was also prepared to go upstairs to get changed. Truth be told, she wanted something to go down between Celeste and Trevor. However, she knew nothing happened when she noticed the distance between them. Her efforts were wasted once again. Martha sighed and said, ¡°A friend of mine came to the city to treat her condition, and she just called me. So, I have to go back for now, but I want you two to have a good time here.¡± Martha patted Celeste on her hand and said to Trevor, ¡°Don¡¯t be mean to Cel. Get it?¡± He responded, ¡°Got it.¡± The Scent of 98 At that moment, the door to another elevator slid open, and out came Miles. Celeste was surprised to see him. She didn¡¯t expect him to be here at the hot spring retreat. However, Martha and Trevor weren¡¯t surprised at all. Obviously, they knew about Miles¡® presence. Miles saw Celeste and raised an eyebrow. Then, he swiftly turned to Martha and asked enthusiastically, ¡°Are you leaving already, Mrs. Fleming Senior? Aren¡¯t you going to have lunch before you go?¡± The Fleming family and the Quinton family shared a close bond, so Martha had known Miles since he was a little boy. She shed him a loving smile and said, ¡°I won¡¯t be joining you guys. Go ahead and have fun.¡± All of them sent Martha to the entrance and saw her left. After her car drove into the distance, Jordyn merrily asked, ¡°What are you doing here, Mr. Quinton?¡± Miles bent over and pinched Jordyn¡¯s fair cheeks. ¡°Your dad asked me to be here. I came here immediately after I greeted your grandma. What do you think? Aren¡¯t I a good friend to you?¡± ¡°Dad asked you here?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Miles smiled and said, ¡°I even informed Beck and Wynn toe here as soon as I knew your grandma was going away. They¡¯re already on their way, and they should be here in a while. Does that make you happy?¡± Miles deliberately cast a nce at Celeste as he spoke. Celeste caught his gaze, and she was aware that he wanted her to hear this. Naturally, Jordyn was happy about it. She was about to nod but became mindful of her mother¡¯s presence. She hesitated a little and raised her head to look at Celeste. Celeste acted as if she didn¡¯t see it. Instead, she rubbed Jordyn¡¯s head and said, ¡°Have fun with them. I¡¯m going home.¡± At the next moment, Celeste turned around and left without gracing Trevor and Miles with a gaze. Miles noticed how nonchnt Celeste¡¯s expression was after she heard what he said. She didn¡¯t exhibit any signs of unease or concern. It was as if she didn¡¯t care about it at all. Jordyn was still standing there, so Miles couldn¡¯t speak inly. He watched Celeste¡¯s retreating figure and leaned in closer to Trevor. He whispered, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Trevor remained unfazed and asked, ¡°Did youe here alone?¡± ¡°Hell, no. This is the hot spring we¡¯re talking about here. Lone¨Cwolfing this would¡¯ve been no fun. Of course, I brought my hot babe along¡­¡® 11 Before Miles finished his sentence, he paused briefly and turned his head sideways. He looked at Trevor and said, Wait a minute. You are diverting the topic.¡± Trevor didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Herees your hot babe.¡± At the next moment, a tall, pretty woman appraoched them Her bathrobe was opened, revealing the sexy bikini underneath. After returning to her room, Celeste changed into something morefortable and sat by the table. She turned on herptop and started studying the projects disyed during thest technology exposition. After half an hour, Celestepiled the information she get from here. An idea suddenly popped into her mind, ¡± and she called Matthias. ¡°Are you free to talk?¡°! ¡°I¡¯m attending a masquerade ball now. What¡¯s up?¡± Celeste told Matthias about her idea. He wore an expression that was both solemn and excited. ¡°Give me a minute. I¡¯m going back now.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After she hung up the phone, Celeste continued to focus on her work. Some time had passed, and she suddenly heard chattering from downstairs. Celeste was stunned. Beck and Wynn must¡¯ve arrived. She rose to her feet and shut the window. At that moment, Celeste felt peckish. She used the phone to order a meal, and the staff told her it would be ready soon. Once Celeste¡¯s meal was prepared in the kitchen, the staff immediately took it up to her room. Je X The Scent of 99 As the staff headed toward the elevator, he bumped into Trevor and the gang in the hallway. Miles asked, ¡°This meal¡­¡± The staff immediately responded, ¡°The missus ordered it.¡± Obviously, he was talking about Celeste. Trevor and his gang didn¡¯t put the staff in a difficult position. Instead, they let him go back to his work. After the staff said, Miles chuckled and said, ¡°It looks like we won¡¯t have to invite Celeste to lunch.¡± Trevor responded nonchntly, ¡°We should ask her to join us.¡± Wynn was immediately dumbfounded when she heard what he said. She pursed her lips and looked at him. Beck and Miles were taken aback as well. Miles chuckled. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Mrs. Fleming Senior explicitly told you to look after Celeste. There will be hell to pay if she finds out we excluded Celeste from our lunch.¡± After all, the hot spring retreat belonged to the Fleming family. Martha probably had arranged for her own men to be here, monitoring everything. Anything Trevor and the gang did would be made known to her. Wynn regained herposure when she heard Miles¡® exnation. She had assumed that Trevor actually developed feelings for Celeste after Martha¡¯s efforts. Judging by what Miles said, it would seem that she was simply overthinking. Beck also turned his gaze away once he heard what Miles said. At that moment, Jordyn was back. Trevor rubbed her head and said, ¡°Go upstairs and ask your mom toe down for lunch.¡± Jordyn was also taken aback by what he said. She asked hesitantly, ¡°Is Mom going to join us for lunch?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jordyn¡¯s jaw dropped. She frowned and looked at Wynn. She didn¡¯t want her mom to join them for lunch. Cele?te would surely pick on Wynn if she was there, and she would make everyone unhappy. Wynn grinned and said warmly, ¡°Run along now.¡± Jordyn hesitated for a moment before she went upstairs. When Jordyn rang the doorbell, Celeste was already eating her food. She looked at the footage through the television and put her meal away once she saw that it was Jordyn. She got up and opened the door. ¡°Need anything, Jo?¡± Jordyn bit her lips before she raised her head and looked at Celeste. ¡°Hi, Mom. Dad sent me here. He wants you toe downstairs and have lunch with us.¡± Celeste turned down the offer. ¡°I¡¯m already having my lunch in here. Go ahead and enjoy yours without me.¡± Jordyn let out a sigh of relief and responded, ¡°Okay. T¨CThat¡¯s what I¡¯m going to tell Dad, alright?¡± Celeste knew Jordyn didn¡¯t want her to have lunch with them. She noticed the look on the little girl¡¯s face and said nonchntly, ¡°Sure. Bye.¡± Jordyn giggled and said, ¡°Bye!¡± She turned around and left as she spoke. However, she had merely taken two steps before she felt a little guilty.¡± Are you sure you¡¯ll be fine by yourself, Mom? H¨CHow about I stay back and keep youpany?¡± There were a lot of people down there, and it was very merry and lively. It would be bad if she left Celeste here all by herself. However, Jordyn sounded a little reluctant when she made the offer. Clearly, she preferred to have lunch with Trevor, Wynn, and the others. Celeste didn¡¯t want to make Jordyn stay. After all, she didn¡¯t need such a reluctantpany. She bent down and said warmly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I love being alone. Go ahead and join them, Jo.¡± Jordyn immediately felt easier when she heard what Celeste said. She nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Celeste said, ¡°Go.¡± At the next moment, Jordyn sprinted out of there. Celeste watched Jordyn¡¯s retreating figure before she closed the door and continued having lunch alone. Y The Scent of 100 Chapter 100 Jordyn ran downstairs and told Trevor, ¡°Dad, Mom¡¯s already having lunch in the room. So, she¡¯s noting down. here.¡± Miles raised an eyebrow when he heard it. It turned out Celeste knew her ce. Beck lowered his gaze and fell silent. Meanwhile, Wynn smiled subtly. She knew that Celeste wouldn¡¯t dare to join them for lunch. After all, no one really wanted her here. Celeste could trying down and joining them, but all she would get was mockery and exclusion. Instead of putting herself through this, it was natural for her to hole up in her room and be the weasel that she saw. Trevor heard what Jordyn said and responded, ¡°Alright. Got it.¡± He wasn¡¯t that insistent about Celeste joining them as well. ¡°Let¡¯s not wait anymore. Dig in, everyone.¡± Wynn heard what he said, and her smile deepened. Then, she gracefully sat next to Trevor. Meanwhile, Celeste continued to work after she had finished her lunch. By now, Matthias had reached home, and she had thought of more new ideas. By the time Celeste was done talking to Matthias about it, she sent them over to him. When he was done going through them, he got so excited he banged the table and said, ¡°Oh my fucking God. You¡¯re a fucking genius! ¡°Just look at how fast you have a grasp of things. You are a freaking prodigy in this field, Celeste. I knew you could do it!¡± At the next moment, Matthias cupped his head and grumbled regretfully before she could say anything, ¡°Seven years. That¡¯s how much time we¡¯ve wasted. If you hadn¡¯t gone off to get married, YodaVision Co. would¡¯ve been world¨Cfamous!¡± Matthias¡® shouts hurt Celeste¡¯s ears, so she moved her phone away from her. Matthias also realized that he shouldn¡¯t have brought up such a bleak thing when they were celebrating her idea. He cleared his throat and went back to the topic at hand. They were onto something big, and they would need a bigger team. Matthias immediately contacted Yandel Sanchez, a staff member at YodaVision Co. He also invited the other staff to join them. Yandel and his gang didn¡¯t just choose to work at YodaVision Co. because they wanted to have a job with a stable ie; they also genuinely wanted to learn new skills. Once they heard what Matthias said, they realized there was a huge gap between their skills and those of Matthias and Celeste in the artificial intelligence field. Although Yandel and his gang couldn¡¯t grasp the key concept, they immediately got excited about Celeste¡¯s ideas after Matthias exined them. They didn¡¯t mind working overtime and officially joined the team. In a situation like this, it was actually better for everyone to discuss it in person. However, it would take Celeste two hours to get to YodaVision Co. The thing about inspiration was that one had to capitalize on it when it struck. Otherwise, one might be unable to recall it if it was interrupted. That was why everyone decided to have a video conference in the end. Once Matthias learned about Celeste¡¯s whereabouts, he spring the question on her when he got the chance. ¡°Are you alone in your room? Where are Trevor and the others?¡± ¡°No idea. They¡¯re having lunch, I guess,¡± Celeste responded indifferently. ¡°Just Trevor and Jordyn?¡± ¡°Wynn, Miles, and Beck are here.¡± ¡°And they left you here alone in your room?¡± ¡°Jordyn came over and asked me to join them downstairs, but I rejected it.¡± ¡°Good to know. It seems like Trevor still has a sliver of his conscience intact.¡± Celeste disagreed. She shared the same thought with Miles¨CTrevor must have offered her to join because he didn¡¯t want Martha to nag at him. More to the point, the people downstairs were all on Wynn¡¯s side. Even if Celeste actually joined them, they didn¡¯t have to worry about her ¡°picking on¡± Wynn. That was why they weren¡¯t worried about having her. Celeste and Matthias worked for another four hours. Soon, it was close to dinner time, so they decided to take a two¨Chour break before they resumed work. Celestepiled everything they did today before shutting herptop. She intended to go out for a brief stroll and some fresh air, which would allow her to unwind. She could also pick up two cartons of apples and bring them to Matthias and everyone else in thepany. The Scent of 101 Chapter 101 The hot spring retreat was vast, and Celeste had no idea where Trevor and the others were. She didn¡¯t run into them when she went downstairs. Since the sky hadn¡¯tpletely darkened yet, Celeste called on two staff members to help her and headed up the mountain. At this hour, the wind was a bit chilly, but she was dressed warmly and didn¡¯t feel cold. She spent some time enjoying the breeze and picking apples, which helped clear her mind. With so many people helping, it didn¡¯t take long to fill two or three cartons of apples. After they finished, she didn¡¯t head down immediately. The sunset was beautiful today, so she sat down to appreciate it for a while. Just then, she heard footsteps and the voice of a child. She turned her head and met Beck¡¯s gaze. He clearly hadn¡¯t expected to run into her either and hesitated for a moment. At that moment, the child on the video call excitedly eximed, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez!¡± It turned out that Beck was on a video call with Shanice, showing her the apples on the trees. He had nned to pick some to take home tomorrow for her. But he hadn¡¯t expected to run into Celeste on the mountain. Even though they had met a few times recently and Beck had helped her before, Celeste still felt that she couldn¡¯t ¨Cand didn¡¯t want to¨Cgrow close to him. The moment she saw him, her expression turned cold. But when she heard Shanice¡¯s voice, her face softened slightly. Beck noticed her change in expression. Instead of walking over immediately, he simply asked, ¡°Shanice wants to talk to you. Do you have a moment?¡± That day, after leaving the nursing home, she had felt incredibly heavy¨Chearted and distressed. Running into them that day¨Calthough it was Shanice who had asked her to y¨CCeleste had felt like it was actually Shanice who was keeping herpany, helping her gradually breathe again through her suffocating emotions. Thinking of this, she nodded. Beck handed his phone to her. Knowing she didn¡¯t like him, he didn¡¯t approach, standing two to three feet away instead. Celeste chatted with Shanice for a while and learned that she had been taken on a trip by her grandmother, which was why she hadn¡¯te to the hot spring retreat with Beck. Celeste shared the sunset she liked with her. After talking for over ten minutes, she returned the phone to Beck. After saying goodbye to Shanice, Beck turned to her and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No need.¡± By now, the sky had almostpletely darkened. However, there were streetlights along the mountain path, so going down wouldn¡¯t be difficult. With that, Celeste turned and made her way down the mountain. Seeing this, Beck followed behind her, descending together. But they didn¡¯t exchange a single word on the way down. When they arrived back at the hot spring retreat and were about to enter, they ran into Wynn. Wynn paused for a moment when she saw theming down from the mountain together. Then, she pressed her lips tightly together. Celeste acted as if she didn¡¯t see her and walked straight past her into the lobby. Wynn watched her retreating figure, then turned to Beck with a frown. ¡°Beck, you two¡­¡± Beck replied indifferently, ¡°We just ran into each other on the mountain.¡± Wynn knew that Beck had been video calling Shanice and had gone up the mountain to show her the apple trees. If Celeste had been on the mountain as well, then it was perfectly normal for them to have crossed paths. Realizing this, Wynn rxed. Just as she was about to say something, Beck spoke first. ¡°Where are they?¡± ¡°They¡¯re over by the pavilion. The ingredients for the bonfire party are ready, and we were just about to call you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As they spoke, they walked side by side toward the pavilion 1 Chapter 102 The Scent of 102 Chapter 102 Tonight¡¯s bonfire party featured stew, grilled chicken, and barbecued meat. The chicken stew was already simmering, and the grilled chicken was prepared. A long table beside the bonfire was filled with an array of top¨Ctier, fresh ingredients, all prepped and ready to cook. The bonfire was already burning. Miles and the others had taken their seats around it. When Beck and Wynn returned, Wynn naturally sat down beside Trevor. Miles couldn¡¯t resist and had already started eating the marinated grilled chicken. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he was about to officially start eating but suddenly thought of Celeste. He turned to Jordyn and said, ¡°Jo, go upstairs and invite your mom. Tell her there¡¯s delicious food here and ask her toe down and eat with us.¡± Even though he figured Celeste would refuse, just like at lunch, it was still necessary to go through the motions. Wynn understood his intention as well. After all, they had done their part. Whether Celeste came down or not was up to her. Thinking this, she also said to Jordyn, ¡°Jo, go ahead.¡± Jordyn frowned, reluctant to go. Because deep down, she really didn¡¯t want her mom toe down and join them. But with so many people urging her, she couldn¡¯t refuse. Just as she was about to put down her drink, Trevor spoke, ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± At his words, the surroundings fell silent. Trevor stood up and left after speaking. Miles snapped back to reality andughed. ¡°Uhm, yeah, having Trevor invite her would be more sincere.¡± Always sending a child to fetch Celeste was indeed a bit too perfunctory. Wynn thought the same. Trevor was just trying to appease Martha. The fact that he went upstairs to invite Celeste didn¡¯t mean anything. After all, he had never had any feelings for Celeste before. There was no way he would have them now. But Jordyn pursed her lips tightly, looking a little worried. She was afraid that if her dad went to call her mom, her mom might actuallye downstairs. After all, her mom always listened to her dad. She could never bear to refuse him. Meanwhile, upstairs, Celeste returned to her room, ced food order over the phone, and then opened her Japtop. She had only been focused on work for a short while when she heard the door open. She froze for a moment, then turned her head and saw Trevor entering with a room card in hand. Thinking he was just back to grab something, she merely nced at him before looking away, about to refocus on her screen. But then, she heard him say, ¡°There¡¯s a bonfire party downstairs. It¡¯s quite lively. Come down and sit for a while?¡± She paused. Like Miles and the others, she assumed that Trevoring up to invite her was just for Martha¡¯s sake. It didn¡¯t mean anything. And even if it did, she no longer cared. So, she said, ¡°I have work to do, so I won¡¯t be going down.¡± Then, turning her head slightly to look at him, she added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, If Grandma asks, I¡¯ll back you up.¡± Trevor chuckled at her words, his deep, abyss¨Clike eyes fixed on her. Noticing his gaze, Celeste¡¯s fingers tensed slightly on the keyboard. Even though she had known him for years and they had been married for a long time, she often felt that she never truly understood him. She never really knew what was going on in his mind. In the past, she might have wanted to figure out the emotions hidden in his eyes and heart. But now¡­ Celeste pressed her lips together and remained firm in her decision. ¡°Thank you foring up to ask me, but I don¡¯t want to go down.¡± The Scent of 103 Trevor let out a silent chuckle and said, ¡°Got it.¡± With that, he turned around and left. By the time he went back downstairs, Miles and the others were already eating. Seeing him return alone, they were all a bit surprised. Like Jordyn, they had assumed that since Trevor personally went to invite her, Celeste would never refuse. Beck asked, ¡°She¡¯s noting down?¡± Trevor replied, ¡°No.¡± Then, he turned to the staff assisting them and instructed, ¡°Prepare a portion of the barbecue, grilled chicken, and stew. Then, send it upstairs to the missus.¡± Wynn pressed her lips together at his words. Celeste refusing toe down and Trevor arranging for food to be sent up to her didn¡¯t necessarily mean anything. But, she didn¡¯t like hearing him refer to Celeste as the missus. It sounded like he was acknowledging Celeste as his wife. However, she soon reasoned that the staff at the retreat probably didn¡¯t even know Celeste¡¯s name. If he didn¡¯t refer to her as the missus, how would they know who the food was for? Back in the room, Celeste was actually getting hungry. When she heard the doorbell and saw it was the staff delivering food, she opened the door and let them push the food cart inside. The staff carefully set the dishes on the table and lifted the lids one by one, exining each dish to her. But the moment the lids were lifted, Celeste frowned and said, ¡°Did you send this to the wrong room? This isn¡¯t what I ordered.¡± The aroma of stew filled the air, and the table was covered with an assortment of fresh seafood, beef tripe, andmb¨Call incredibly appetizing. She had to admit, it looked delicious. But the problem was, this wasn¡¯t what she ordered. ¡°There¡¯s no mistake. Mr. Fleming instructed us to send these up to you,¡± the staff member replied respectfully. ¡± The meal you ordered is almost ready in the kitchen and will be sent up shortly.¡± Celeste paused. There was already more than enough food for two to three people. And now, on top of that, her own order was still call early to ask her for some documents. But when Celeste entered the call, he saw her still eating and said, ¡°What are you eating? Looks good.¡± Celeste turned her camera slightly to show him. Other team members joined the call and, upon seeing the feast in front of her¨Cfilled with premium, expensive dishes were stunned. ¡°That much food? Did you just start eating?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°No, I¡¯m almost done.¡± ¡°You ordered all that just for yourself?¡°. She hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t order this.¡± Matthias immediately caught on. ¡°Trev¨Cyour husband ordered it?¡± Celeste said, ¡°He had it sent up.¡± Matthias smirked. ¡°At least he has a conscience.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t bother responding. She didn¡¯t care to exin that he had only done it to put on a show for his grandmother. Seeing that their scheduled meeting time was approaching, and feeling a bit too full, she finally set down her utensils. She called for the staff to clean up the table, moved herptop a little farther away, and shifted her focus to work. Once they got started, the meeting dragged on past ten in the evening. However, no one seemed ready to stop. Celeste was deeply engrossed in discussing the next part of the project with the team when the door outside suddenly opened. Trevor walked in. The camera was angled in a way that captured the entrance. The moment Celeste realized, she quickly adjusted the camera away. The Scent of 104 Due to the angle and height of the camera, the others in the video conference could only see that the person walking in from outside had a great physique and carried himself with an elegant andposed demeanor. Just from his presence alone, they could tell he wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. But they couldn¡¯t see his face. At first, people in thepany assumed there was something going on between Celeste and Matthias. It wasn¡¯t untilter that they found out Celeste was already married and had a child who was quite grown up. However, Celeste rarely spoke about her personal life. When it came to her husband, the team knew almost nothing. Because Celeste was stunningly beautiful, and the more they worked with her, the more they realized she was far more capable than they had initially thought¨Ceven more impressive than Matthias¨Ceveryone became quite curious. What kind of man could marry such a gorgeous, intelligent, and capable woman? Now, Celeste¡¯s husband had finally made an appearance¨Conly for Celeste to immediately turn the camera away. Yandel and the others were about to tease her, but before they could say anything, Trevor spoke first, ¡°Still busy?¡± Celeste turned her head to look at him. ¡°Mm.¡± Trevor nodded, said nothing more, and went to the wardrobe to grab some clothes before heading into the bathroom to shower. Celeste nced at him briefly before pulling her focus back to work. Among their team, there were also two women. Unable to hold back, one of them whispered to Celeste, ¡°Your husband has such a nice voice.¡± ? ? Trevor wasn¡¯t just good¨Clooking¨Chis voice was also deep and rich, incredibly pleasant to the ear. Hearing thempliment Trevor, Celeste didn¡¯t quite know what to say. After a brief pause, she simply replied, Thank you¡­¡± 11 By now, it was already quitete. Though everyone was still motivated to keep working, overworking wasn¡¯t ideal. So, Matthias decided to wrap up the remaining tasks before ending the meeting. Anything left could be handled tomorrow or the day after. Even so, the wrap¨Cup still took a while. By the time Trevor finished his shower and stepped out of the bathroom, they were still at it. Seeing that Celeste was upied, he didn¡¯t say anything. But then, Jordyn came back. ¡°Mom- $1 Hearing her daughter¡¯s voice, Celeste looked toward the door. She was about to speak, when Trevor beat her to it,¡± Mom is working.¡± At his words, Jordyn swallowed back whatever she was about to say. She walked over to Trevor, leaned in close, and whispered in his ear, ¡°Dad, can I sleep with Wynn tonight?¡± Trevor nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Overjoyed, Jordyn wrapped her arms around his neck and, in her excitement, forgot to lower her voice, ¡°Thank you, Dad!¡± Fortunately, Celeste was done with her work. She turned off the camera and was just about to speak when she noticed Wynn standing in the doorway. Celeste froze for a moment, pressing her lips together. Jordyn and Trevor also noticed Wynn. Trevor stood up and walked outside. A momentter, the two of them left together, side by side. Jordyn watched them go, hesitating as if she wanted to follow. But seeing Celeste¡¯s expression¨Clips pressed tight, her face looking somewhat tense¨Cshe decided against it. Instead, she softly called out, ¡°Mom¡­¡± Celeste withdrew her gaze and, while tidying up the documents and books on the table, asked, ¡°Did you take a shower?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t ask who helped her. Instead, she asked, ¡°Are you sleepy?¡± ¡°Mm¡­ Yeah, I¡¯m sleepy.¡± ¡°Then go to bed.¡± Hearing this, Jordyn let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Got it! Mom, you should rest early too.¡± ¡°I will. Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Mom.¡± With that, Jordyn walked over, hugged Celeste, and then left happily. After she was done tidying up, Celeste picked up her clothes and prepared to take a shower as well. Neither Trevor nor Jordyn had closed the door when they left. 4 X Chapter 105 The Scent of 105 Chapter 105 Celeste assumed Trevor wouldn¡¯t being back. She intended to close the door before heading into the bathroom. However, just as she walked over, she ran right into Trevor, who had turned back. She froze and stepped aside. She thought he had juste back to grab something¨Cafter all, his luggage was still in the room. But when Trevor entered the room, he casually shut the door behind him. From the looks of it, he had no intention of leaving tonight. Celeste was caught off guard. Before she could say anything, Trevor walked past her and headed further inside. As he passed, Celeste keenly caught the lingering scent of Wynn¡¯s perfume on him. And there was a faint lipstick mark on the cor of his pajama top. He had just taken a shower and changed into these clothes, so there was no need to guess¨CWynn¡¯s perfume and the lipstick mark had clearly been left on him after they left earlier. The moment she saw him, she had already noticed that his lips seemed a little red. At first, she thought it was just her imagination. Now, it was obvious that it wasn¡¯t. Trevor had already sat down on the bed. It seemed like he was nning to stay here tonight. That was a bit unexpected. She thought¡­ But then again, with Martha¡¯s watchful eyes around, it made sense that he wouldn¡¯t spend the night with Wynn. So, did Wynne looking for him earlier because she was worried? Afraid that something might happen between them? And Trevor, knowing Wynn¡¯s concerns, had reassured her judging by the perfume scent and lipstick mark left on him, they had definitely shared a heated kiss before parting. Celeste pushed the thought aside. Half an hourter, when she came out of the bathroom, Trevor was reading. But the book in his hands happened to be one of the ones she had brought with her. Her face darkened. She wasn¡¯t pleased with him taking her things without asking. Just as she was about to speak, Trevor looked up. Noticing her expression, he asked, ¡°Do you mind?¡± Celeste did mind. But aside from a few notes she had written when she first read the book, there was nothing confidential in it¨Cnothing rted to thepany¡¯s meeting today. She calmed herself and replied, ¡°A little.¡± Trevor looked at her and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ask next time before taking it.¡± Next time? She didn¡¯t think their current rtionship would lead to another situation where they¡¯d be forced to share a room again. Trevor shifted his attention back to the book and suddenlymented, ¡°Your notes are quite good.¡± It was apliment. But Celeste acted as if she hadn¡¯t heard it, grabbed the hairdryer, and went back into the bathroom to dry her hair. When she came out, Trevor was still reading. After finishing her skincare routine, shey down on the other side of the bed, ready to sleep. Trevor didn¡¯t go to sleep right away. Celeste had no idea when he finally did because she quickly drifted off. ¡­ The next morning, she woke up early. The sun had just risen. But the other side of the bed was already empty. The room was quiet¨CTrevor had already left. Gone so early? Maybe he hadn¡¯t even slept here at all. She had already arranged with Matthias to return to thepany to handle some matters. So, after breakfast, she packed her things, grabbed her suitcase, and headed out. Just as she opened the door, she heard Jordyn¡¯s voice from down the hallway, ¡°Wynn is so bad! She promised to sleep with mest night, but in the middle of the night, she went back to her own room instead!¡± Jordyn wasining to Hannah. Hearing this, Celeste could basically confirm¨CTrevor hadn¡¯t spent the night in their room. Instead, he had gone to Wynn¡¯s. They couldn¡¯t even part for a single night? Were they that passionate? The Scent of 106 Chapter 106 At that moment, Jordyn noticed Celesteing out with her suitcase. ¡°Mom?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Celeste snapped back to reality, closed the door, and said, ¡°I have work to do, so I¡¯m heading back first. You stay here with Dad and have fun.¡± Jordyn quickly nodded. ¡°Okay, I got it, Mom.¡± Celeste dragged her suitcase downstairs. When she reached the ground floor, she ran into Trevor, who was with Wynn. Seeing her leaving with her suitcase, he simply asked, ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Celeste replied coolly, ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°Did you call a car?¡± ¡°I did.¡± He didn¡¯t try to stop her and only said, ¡°Alright.¡± Celeste then walked out with her suitcase, got into the car, and left. Miles woke upter than usual that day. When he came downstairs for lunch with Trevor and the others, he said, ¡°Trevor, why don¡¯t you go upstairs and invite her down?¡± Of course, he was referring to Celeste. Trevor said indifferently, ¡°No need. She has already left.¡± Miles raised an eyebrow. ¡°She left?¡± Beck also paused for a moment. ¡°Yes,¡± Trevor said. ¡°She had work to take care of at thepany.¡± Miles knew about how Matthias didn¡¯t hire Wynn because of Cel¨¨ste and how she went to work at YodaVision. He hadn¡¯t forgotten thatst night, Trevor also said she was too busy with work toe down for dinner. Thinking about that, he chuckled. ¡°Busy yesterday, busy today¨Cshe¡¯s so busy, huh?¡± So busy that without her, it was as if YodaVision would fall apart. But she only got in through connections. Not only was she not particrly capable, but she wasn¡¯t a major shareholder of YodaVision either. Saying she was ¡°busy¡± was obviously just an excuse. And it was such a lousy one. Miles didn¡¯t even know what to say. Wynn also caught onto his meaning. She lowered her head as she ate, letting out a silent smile. Celeste had no idea what Miles and the others were thinking. After leaving the hot spring retreat, she headed straight to YodaVision and worked until nightfall. After two days of non¨Cstop work, she was nning to go home early to rest when she received a call from her unele, Ivan. Half an hourter, Celeste arrived at the Rodriguez residence. Ivan and his wife were there, along with their two children, Jamie and Hector. Celeste smiled and hummed a response. Hector asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Jo? Didn¡¯t you say she¡¯s back in the country? Why didn¡¯t shee to dinner?¡± ¡°She went to the hot springs and hasn¡¯te back yet.¡± ¡°Thinking that Jordyn was probably there with Trevor, Hector didn¡¯t ask further. Before entering the house, Celeste nced at the vi across the street and hesitated for a moment. When she went to the hot spring retreat, she hadn¡¯t thought to bring the keys to this vi. If she had, she could¡¯ve started clearing out all traces of the Shaw family and had it renovated¡­ Ivan and his wife had been preparing for Betty¡¯s birthday banquet. They had called Celeste back not only to get her input but also because there was something they needed her to take care of. ¡°These two invitations are for the Fleming family and Teagan. Cel, find some time in the next few days to deliver it to them.¡± Celeste hesitated briefly before taking them. ¡°Alright.¡± After dinner, she chatted with Betty and Ivan for a while. At around nine in the evening, she decided it was time for her to leave. Before she left, Betty walked her to the door, held her hand, and said, ¡°If the Fleming family doesn¡¯t want toe, don¡¯t force them. Whether theye or not, I don¡¯t really care!¡± GETAT NOW X Chapter 107 The Scent of 107 Chapter 107 Although Ivan had lowered his voice and avoided Betty when handing over the invitation, Celeste understood everything perfectly. She replied, ¡°I know.¡± Betty and Martha were close friends. By right, Martha would attend Betty¡¯s birthday celebration. However, since Martha was older than Betty, ording to their customs, elderly guests older than the birthday celebrant would not attend. For the past few years, Betty¡¯s birthdays had not been grand affairs. It was just a simple family dinner. And in all those years, Trevor had never once attended Betty¡¯s birthday. He excused himself by saying he was busy from the beginning. But Celeste knew that even if he had free time¨Cenough to go out and have fun with friends¨Che still wouldn¡¯t show up. Even so, every year as Betty¡¯s birthday approached, she would always hold onto a bit of hope and ask him in advance if he was avable, if he could apany her back to the Rodriguez residence to celebrate. But every time, she was met with disappointment. This year, she didn¡¯t want to ask Trevor anymore. However, this year was different¨Cit was Betty¡¯s 70th birthday, and Ivan had invited many business partners. Besides the fact that she and Trevor weren¡¯t officially divorced yet, even if they were, given the deep friendship between the two olddies, the Fleming family still had to be invited. Whether they chose to attend or not was up to them. Tonight, Celeste had originally nned to return to her own ce. But thinking about this, she turned the steering wheel and headed back to Trevor¡¯s vi instead. When she arrived, she realized that neither Trevor nor Jordyn had returned yet. And since Martha had some matters to attend to, she had gone back to the Fleming Manor a few days ago. Celeste set down her bag and went into the bathroom. Half an hourter, just as she stepped out of the bathroom, she heard the sound of a car pulling up outside. Unless she was mistaken, Trevor and Jordyn had returned. She remained unfazed and simply sat down to dry her hair. Upon hearing that Celeste was home, Jordyn was the first to run upstairs. She rushed straight into the master bedroom and jumped into Celeste¡¯s arms. ¡°Mom, we¡¯re back!¡± She carried the scent of Wynn¡¯s perfume. Celeste remained expressionless and responded with a simple hum. She turned off the hairdryer and gently stroked Jordyn¡¯s little face. ¡°Have you taken a shower?¡± Jordyn shook her head. ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already past ten. Go take a shower now you have school tomorrow.¡± Just as Celeste finished speaking, Trevor walked into the bedroom. Their eyes met. Celeste only nced at him briefly before coldly looking away. At that moment, Jordyn tried to pull her up from the chair. ¡°Mom, help me shower!¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Alright. Let me dry my hair first.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Jordyn happily ran off to her room to prepare her pajamas. Trevor sat down on the other side of the room and asked, ¡°When did you get back?¡± ¡°Not long ago,¡± Celeste answered without looking at him, still focused on drying her hair. Trevor didn¡¯t press further. He stood up and headed into the walk¨Cin closet, preparing to take a shower. Just then, Celeste remembered something important. She turned off the hairdryer and, before he entered the bathroom, pulled out one of the invitations from her b?g and handed it to him. ¡°My grandma¡¯s birthday ising up. This is an invitation for the Fleming family.¡± As she approached him, she also noticed that the scent of Wynn¡¯s perfume lingered strongly on him. Jo The Scent of 108 Chapter 108 Celeste lightly covered her nose for a moment before casually letting go and taking a small step back, subtly increasing the distance between them. Trevor didn¡¯t seem to notice her small movements. He opened the invitation and nced at it. ¡°70th birthday?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± This time, she didn¡¯t ask if he was free that evening, nor did she plead with him to make time for it. She simply said, ¡°Please tell your parents.¡± It was unclear whether Trevor noticed that she hadn¡¯t asked him this time. He nced at her, then casually set the invitation aside and said, ¡°Got it.¡± With that, he turned and walked into the bathroom. Celeste looked at his back for a moment, then put away the hairdryer and headed to Jordyn¡¯s room to help her shower. By the time she finished washing Jordyn¡¯s hair, drying it, and getting her ready for bed, nearly an hour had passed. Jordyn clung to her arm and snuggled into her embrace, asking, ¡°Mom, can you sleep with me tonight?¡± Given the current state of things between her and Trevor, was that even a question? Celeste returned to the master bedroom, gathered her things, and said to Trevor as she was leaving, ¡°I¡¯m sleeping in Jordyn¡¯s room tonight.¡± Trevor was reading a book. When he heard her, he simply responded with a hum without looking up, asking no further questions, nor making any attempt to stop her. The next day, after breakfast, Celeste took Jordyn to school as requested, then headed to thepany. Betty¡¯s birthday was approaching, but she had been so busy with work over the past month that she hadn¡¯t even bought a gift. During lunch, she called Lottie and asked her to go shopping with her that evening to pick out a gift. When Lottie heard it was for Betty, she immediately agreed. Meanwhile, Celeste still hadn¡¯t delivered the invitation to Teagan. So, after ending her call with Lottie, she called Teagan. The call went through, but no one picked up. Celeste knew that Teagan didn¡¯t like her. In fact, she didn¡¯t like anyone from the Rodriguez family. So, it was entirely possible that she was deliberately ignoring the call Still, out of respect for Martha, Celeste had to go through the motions. When the call disconnected, she tried again. This time, it was directly declined. Celeste understood then¨CTeagan was intentionally avoiding her calls. She didn¡¯t mind. She was just following protocol. She sent Teagan a message exining the reason for her call and asking when she would be avable to receive the invitation. After sending the message, she didn¡¯t bother checking for a reply and continued with her work. +25 BON That evening, after dinner, Celeste and Lottie spent a long time shopping but couldn¡¯t find a gift she was satisfied with. Suddenly, Lottie suggested, ¡°There¡¯s a charity auction the night after tomorrow. Maybe we could check there?¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t have an invitation¡­¡± Lottie hesitated. ¡°The invitations were sent out half a month ago. Getting one now won¡¯t be easy. But maybe you could¡­¡± Her meaning was clear¨Cshe was suggesting that Celeste ask Trevor for help. At around nine, after parting ways with Lottie, Celeste returned to Trevor¡¯s vi. When she arrived, she found that he was already home¨Che was busy with work in the study. The Scent of 109 Celeste knew that he didn¡¯t allow her near his study, so she stayed in the bedroom, reading while waiting for him.. It wasn¡¯t until nearly 1:00 am that Trevor finally returned to the room. Seeing hime back, Celeste put down her book and looked at him. Trevor noticed and asked indifferently, ¡± Something wrong?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t beat around the bush and said directly, ¡°I heard there¡¯s a charity auction at Hearthside in two days- Trevor elegantly removed his tie. Hearing this, he nced at her and said, ¡°You want an invitation?¡± Celeste was slightly surprised. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± With that, he turned and walked into the walk¨Cin closet. A momentter, he entered the bathroom to take a shower. He agreed so readily that Celeste was a little surprised. But since he said yes, she felt relieved. It waste. So, she set her book aside andid down on the bed. Before Trevor finished showering, she had already fallen asleep. Since the auction was the day after tomorrow, Celeste returned to the vi after leaving YodaVision the next day. However, Trevor wasn¡¯t home when she arrived. Jordyn was, though. Seeing her return, Jordyn clung to her, begging her to make something delicious. Celeste agreed. After dinner, Peter suddenly approached her and said, ¡°Mrs. Fleming, someone just delivered this for you.¡± Celeste opened it and took a look. It was an invitation to the Hearthside Charity Auction for tomorrow. Trevor had actually gotten it for her. And not just one, but two. But since he had someone send it over instead of giving it to her himself, did that mean he wouldn¡¯t being home tonight? Just as she was about to take a shower, her phone suddenly chimed twice. It was text messages from Lottie. Celeste opened them and froze for a moment. It was a screenshot from an Instagram post. In the screenshot was a photo¨Cbeneath a sky full of fireworks, Wynn¡¯s face was turned slightly to the side, with a sweet, radiant smile, while Trevor¡¯s back was facing the camera. The caption read, ¡°Tonight¡¯s fireworks festival is beautiful. In the background, there were faint outlines of other couples enjoying the scene. Clearly, the so¨Ccalled fireworks festival was a popr date spot. Wynn¡¯s caption said the festival was beautiful, but from her blissful expression, it was obvious¨Cmore than the fireworks, what truly made the night beautiful was her mood. Because Trevor was there with her. So, that¡¯s why he hadn¡¯te home¨Che had been out on a date with Wynn. And he hadn¡¯t even brought Jordyn along. Celeste stared at the screenshot, feeling nothing in particr. She was only a little curious, so she sent a message back to Lottie. ¡°You added Wynn as a friend?¡± Otherwise, how did she get this screenshot? ¡°A friend of mine knows her. When she mentioned it, I asked her to send me a screenshot.¡± What Lottie didn¡¯t say was that her friend was utterly envious of Wynn. Because almost everyone in their circle now knew that Wynn had managed totch onto Trevor. And not just that -he seemed to truly love her, treating her like a precious treasure. Thinking of the extra invitation, Celeste sent another message to Lottie, asking if she wanted to go to the auction with her tomorrow. Lottie immediately replied, ¡°Of course! I wouldn¡¯t miss it for the world!¡± That night, Trevor didn¡¯te home. Celeste had already expected that. 1 After all, he was out on a date with Wynn. Most likely, after the fireworks festival, they would go on to have an even sweeter and more intimate night together. With him noting back, she actually found it quite nice to have the bedroom all to herself. The Scent of 110 The next day, after dressing up, Celeste and Lottie headed to the auction. Neither of thein dressed particrly extravagantly, but their striking looks still drew plenty of attention when they entered the auction hall. Lottie had attended a few auctions before and was fairly active in their social circle, so many people recognized her. But Celeste was someone they had never seen before. Seeing her attend the auction with Lottie, many people began specting about which prestigious family she belonged to. Their seats were in the middle¨Cto¨Cback section. They didn¡¯t arrive early. Just a few minutes after they sat down, the auction was about to begin. At that moment, a suddenmotion broke out in the front row. Hearing the noise, Celeste and Lottie turned to look. When they saw what was happening, Celeste froze for a second. Lottie whispered, ¡°It¡¯s Trevor and Wynn. They¡¯re here too. Then she turned to Celeste. ¡°Did you know they¡¯d be attending?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°No.¡± She didn¡¯t expect him to be here. And Trevor hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about attending. After the previous banquet and tech expo, Wynn had gained quite a bit of recognition in high society. Now that she was appearing alongside Trevor again, she naturally attracted a lot of attention. ¡°Last time, when Mr. Fleming brought her to that banquet, her outfit was worth over 30 million. Looking at her tonight, she¡¯s not holding back either.¡± ¡°Forget the diamond jewelry¨Cjust her dress alone was personally designed by Imes, one of the world¡¯s top fashion designers. ¡°Everyone knows that in the past decade, Imes has been semi¨Cretired and only creates three dresses per year, each worth over ten million.¡± ¡°Over 30 millionst time, another several million this time¡­ In just these two appearances, Mr. Fleming has spent tens of millions on her. He¡¯s really willing to splurge ¡°Exactly.¡± Wynn¡¯s shimmering blue satin gown sparkled under the lights, 111 After all, when Matthias had taken her to the previous banquet and the tech expo, Trevor had ignored her existence from beginning to end. As she was thinking about this, the auction started. The host took the stage, and the hall quieted down. Celeste had already gone through the auction catalog in detail. She had her eye on a set of emerald jewelry and an embroidered painting by a renowned artist. Which one she would actually bid on depended on the situation. The auction began quickly. Celeste was focused¨Cif the item wasn¡¯t something she wanted, she didn¡¯t raise her paddle. Meanwhile, neither Trevor nor Wynn had ced any bids either. After a while, both Celeste and Lottie noticed that Wynn finally raised her paddle. She was bidding on a diamond bracelet. It was a piece from a famous international designer, and just from the style, it was clear that the bracelet was meant for young women. There was no doubt¨Cthis bracelet was something Trevor was buying for Wynn. The starting bid was one and a half million. Wynn raised the paddle and immediately doubled it to three million. Other bidders followed, pushing it up to four million. At that moment, Celeste noticed Wynn leaning toward Trevor, whispering something. Then, Wynn raised her paddle again and called out clearly in the hall, ¡°Eight million.¡± As soon as her voice rang out, the auction hall buzzed withmotion. The bracelet was indeed a beautiful piece, but in terms of actual value, it wasn¡¯t worth eight million. Even four million was already too much. But Wynn seemed to really love it. And Trevor, being wealthy and extravagant, clearly didn¡¯t want anyone elsepeting with Wynn¨Cso he directly raised the bid to eight million. Everyone was shocked¨Cnot just at how casually Trevor spent money, but also at how much he pampered Wynn. It went just as expected. Once the eight million bid was ced, no one else dared topete. Wynn sessfully won the bracelet. Lottie, green with envy, gritted her teeth. ¡°This is giving me a toothache.¡± Before Celeste could respond, the next round had already started. A whileter, an antique vase was brought onto the stage. Wynn raised her paddle again. The Starting bid was five million. Other bidders were increasing in increments of half a million or one million. But when it was Wynn¡¯s turn, she directly raised it to ten million. The number ofpetitors immediately dropped. However the room was filled with wealthy people. Soon, a male voice chimed in, ¡°15 million.¡± Celeste turned to look. It was a young man with striking features. ¡°That¡¯s Jorge Robinson,¡± Lottie whispered to her. Celeste nodded slightly. Wynn hesitated and turned to look at Trevor.. From this, both Celeste and Lottie could tell¨CWynn really wanted this vase for herself. It was only then that Celeste suddenly recalled¨Cher paternal grandmother, Erin Nixon, had always been passionate about collecting antiques. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess that Wynn was bidding on this antique vase for her. Trevor gave a slight nod, and Wynn raised her paddle again. ¡°25 million.¡± Jorge chuckled. ¡°30 million.¡± Wynn hesitated further, leaning in closer to Trevor, seemingly saying she wanted to give up. But Trevor shook his head. Wynn raised her paddle once more. ¡°40 million.¡± Jorge¡¯s voice rang out again. ¡°50 million.¡± After saying this, he smiled and nced over to Trevor¡¯s side. Wynn frowned and whispered to Trevor, ¡°Maybe¡­ We should just forget it?¡± 50 million was simply too much. The Scent of 112 Trevor chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Didn¡¯t you say your grandmother likes it? Go ahead and bid.¡± Seeing his smile, Wynn felt a sweetness in her heart. She raised her paddle again. ¡°60 million.¡± Jorge immediately followed. ¡°70 million.¡± Then, he called out loudly to Trevor, ¡°Mr. Fleming, my old folks at home love this kind of thing. How about showing me some courtesy and letting me have it?¡± Trevor looked over and returned a polite smile. ¡°Sorry, Mr. Robinson, but I also have elders at home who like this.¡± They made no effort to keep their conversation private, so naturally, Celeste and Lottie also heard it. The vase was meant for Erin, Wynn¡¯s paternal grandmother. Yet Trevor referred to her as his own elder, making it clear that he already considered the Locket family as his own. That was a stark contrast to how he treated her family. Wynn raised her paddle again. ¡°85 million.¡± This time, Jorge didn¡¯t continue bidding. In the end, Wynn won the antique vase for 85 million, once again drawing envious stares from the entire room. Even after the bid was secured, Wynn still felt a bit uneasy. The Locket family was wealthy, and her grandmother was a passionate antique collector who spent a fortune on artifacts every year. But spending close to 100 million on a single piece? That was unthinkable. If her family found out, they¡¯d probably be shocked senseless. Not to mention, Trevor had actually instructed her to bid 100 million for it. But she had felt it was too much, so she had lowered it to 85 million. Thinking about how generous Trevor was with his money, Wynn felt warm inside. Lottie cursed, ¡°Shit! That¡¯s almost 100 million!¡± Adding up the two auction items, the total was nearly 100 million. This time, it wasn¡¯t just her teeth aching¨Cher whole body felt sore with envy. Celeste pursed her lips tightly, her expression dark. Lottie noticed and asked, ¡°Cel, are you¡­ okay?¡± Trevor was treating his mistress so well. And that mistress was none other than the daughter of her father¡¯s mistress. How could she not be upset? But Celeste¡¯s bad mood wasn¡¯t because of that. ¡°Trevor can spend his money however he wants. It has nothing to do with me, and I don¡¯t care. ¡°What I care about right now is if he and Wynn want the same thing I do, with my financial situation, there¡¯s no way I can outbid them.¡± Lottie suddenly realized, ¡°¡°That¡¯s true. But she¡¯s already won two items, right? She probably won¡¯t bid again.¡± Hopefully. But Celeste knew that with Trevor¡¯s wealth, he could easily bid on a few more items tonight and spend another few hundred million without even blinking. Just as she was thinking this, the embroidered painting she had been eyeing was brought onto the stage. The starting bid was also five million. Someone quickly ced the first bid. ¡°Six million.¡± Celeste raised her paddle. ¡°Seven million.¡± At first, Wynn hadn¡¯t even noticed Celeste. But the moment Celeste spoke, Wynn immediately recognized her voice. She turned around¨Cand locked eyes with Celeste. Wynn¡¯s face remained expressionless. She quickly turned away again, then raised her paddle. ¡°Ten million.¡± Celeste¡¯s heart instantly sank. Wynn had recognized her. And Celeste refused to believe that Trevor hadn¡¯t recognized her voice too. But he didn¡¯t even turn around. Lottie cursed outright. ¡°Are you fucking kidding me? She¡¯s actually raising bids again?¡± Jorge joined in. ¡°15 million.¡± Celeste pressed her lips together and raised her paddle. ¡°18 million.¡± Wynn didn¡¯t even look back. She simply called out, ¡°25 million.¡± The Scent of 113 Wynn just raised the bid by a huge margin again! Celeste felt her heart sink further. She didn¡¯t have much money on hand. At the start, her budget for this auction had been set at no more than 30 million. After all, the Rodriguez family¡¯s business was struggling, and they didn¡¯t have much disposable ie to splurge. But now¡­ Jorge raised the bid. ¡°28 million.¡± Celeste raised her paddle. ¡°30 million.¡± She had bid twice in a row after him, her voice soft and clear, carrying a gentle allure. This made Jorge turn his head to look. When he saw Celeste he paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and smiled. Celeste, noticing his gaze, nodded back politely. Just then, Wynn raised her paddle again. ¡°40 million.¡± Celeste no longer paid attention to Jorge. The moment she heard Wynn¡¯s bid, her hands clenched into fists. Jorge raised again. ¡°43 million.¡± Celeste immediately followed. ¡°45 million.¡± Wynn bidded, ¡°50 million.¡± Celeste felt like her mind had exploded. Her initial budget had been 30 million, that was true. But the moment Wynn started bidding, she had mentally adjusted her limit to 50 million. She could afford to go even higher. She had considered selling the vi Trevor had given her just a few days ago. That property alone was worth at least a few hundred million. Since that money had practically fallen into herp, why not spend it? But deep down, she knew¨Cthis embroidery piece wasn¡¯t worth 50 million. She had the money, but she couldn¡¯t afford to be reckless right now. If she really sold the vi, she could use that money for something far more meaningful. With that thought, Celeste slowly put her paddle down. Lottie whispered, ¡°Why don¡¯t you call Trevor?¡± Celeste had thought about it too. But would Trevor stop Wynn just for her? Impossible. Even though she knew it was pointless, she still pulled out her phone and dialed his number. At that moment, Trevor felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and nced at the screen. Wynn happened to look over and saw the screen too She asked, ¡°A stranger?¡± it was just a string of numbers, with no saved contact name. Trevor chuckled, said nothing, and directly declined the call Seeing her call get instantly rejected, thest sliver of hope Celeste had vanishedpletely. Her mind went nk. for a moment. Lottie fumed, ¡°Are you fucking kidding me? He actually ignored your call?¡± Celeste said nothing and silently put her phone back into her bag. By then, the bid had already reached 95 million. Jorge rubbed his temples and turned to Trevor. ¡°Mr. Fleming, how about letting me have this one?¡± Trevor smiled politely. ¡°Next time, for sure.¡± Jorge was speechless. Frustrated, he raised his paddle again ¡°120 million.¡± Wynn followed immediately. ¡°150 million.¡± Jorge kept quiet. Lottie gritted her teeth and whispered into Celeste¡¯s ear, ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen Jorge take a loss like this. 91 The Robinson family was just as powerful as the Fleming family¨Cboth were top¨Ctier aristocrats. But tonight, with the way Jorge was bidding so conservatively, anyone unaware would think his financial strength was far beneath Trevor¡¯s. 1 But that wasn¡¯t the case at all. Jorge was simply being rational and didn¡¯t want to waste money. Meanwhile, Trevor was spending without hesitation, all for the sake of pleasing his woman. With no one else bidding, the embroidered artwork was once again imed by Wynn. Trevor turned to Jorge and said, ¡°Mr. Robinson, thanks for letting us have it.¡± Jorge forced a smile. ¡°Mr. Fleming, don¡¯t mention it.¡± The Scent of 114 Lottie said, ¡°At this point, we can only hope that Wynn doesn¡¯t go after the emerald jewelry set.¡± Celeste was thinking the same thing. But was that even possible? The emerald jewelry set started with a price of ten million. Someone bid 15 million. Celeste was the second to bid. ¡°18 million.¡± ¡°20 million.¡± ¡°25 million.¡± Seeing that Wynn hadn¡¯t bid yet, both Celeste and Lottie breathed a sigh of relief. But just as Celeste was about to raise her paddle again, Wynn lifted hers. ¡°50 million.¡± The auction hall erupted in murmurs of astonishment as Wynn calmly lowered her paddle. Celeste clenched her fists, thought for a moment, and bid, ¡°60 million.¡± ¡°65 million.¡± ¡°70 million.¡± Hearing this, Celeste hesitated. Her grandmother¡¯s seventieth birthday was a rare asion¨Cif she went up to 80 million¡­ Just as she was considering it, Wynn raised her paddle again. ¡°120 million.¡± Celeste felt a tightness in her chest. After taking a slow breath, she silently put down her paddle. By now, everyone had witnessed Trevor¡¯s insane wealth, No one else dared to bid further. And just like that, the emerald jewelry set went to Wynn. There was nothing else in the auction that interested Celeste, but since the rules required all guests to stay until the auction ended, she had no choice but to remain seated. The remaining items were even more expensive, and by the time Trevor had spent a staggering 360 million in a single night, Lottie couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. ¡°No way he¡¯s still bidding, right? Even if he¡¯s ridiculously rich, this is absurd! He¡¯s really spending without hesitation on that mistress!¡± Celeste had no answer for Lottie¡¯s outburst. But soon, the answer revealed itself¨CTrevor did not bid again. When the auction ended, Celeste and Lottie left the hall. Celeste didn¡¯t nce in Trevor¡¯s direction even once. Lottie, on the other hand, kept an eye on them and saw that Jorge had walked over to greet Trevor and Wynn. Just as Celeste and Lottie stepped outside, a well¨Cdressed older woman whom Lottie knew approached them. After exchanging pleasantries with Lottie, the woman¡¯s gazended on Celeste. With a polite smile, she asked, ¡± Lottie, this youngdy seeins unfamiliar who is she?¡± Lottie introduced Celeste to her. Upon hearing her background, the woman¡¯s smile faded slightly. ¡°Oh, so she¡¯s Mr. Rodriguez¡¯s niece. She is quite beautiful¡­¡± The woman knew a bit about the Rodriguez family¡¯s situation. It was said that Mr. Rodriguez¡¯s sister had suffered depression in her youth, leading to mental instability, and had spent most of her years in a nursing home. Celeste was indeed stunning, and she appeared well¨Cmannered. If her education was decent, then even with a mother who had mental issues, it wouldn¡¯t be a dealbreaker. However, the Rodriguez family¡¯s business had been declining for years. Despite Ivan¡¯s relentless efforts to save thepany, the chances of reviving Rodriguez Corporation were slim. With these two major ws, no matter how perfect Celeste seemed, she was still unworthy of marrying into their family. What a pity¡­ The woman didn¡¯t say anything outright, but both Celeste and Lottie picked up on her meaning. The woman continued chatting with Lottie, so they didn¡¯t leave immediately. At that moment, Trevor, Wynn, and Jorge emerged from the auction hall. Jorge extended a hand toward Trevor and Wynn. ¡°I have something to take care of. Let¡¯s talk next time.¡± ¡°Next time.¡± Jorge nodded and left with his friends. Soon, more people came to greet Trevor. As he shifted his stance, he ended up facing Celeste directly. Their eyes met. Celeste froze for a second¨Cthen quickly looked away. Trevor also withdrew his gaze and resumed chatting with the people greeting him. Wynn, noticing his indifference toward Celeste, slowly curved her lips into a satisfied smile. After socializing for over ten minutes, Lottie felt parched. She and Celeste headed to the drink station to grab something to quench their thirst before leaving. X Chapter 115 The Scent of 115 Chapter 115 There weren¡¯t many people around. Just as Lottie was about to speak, a conversation suddenly drifted over from the side. ¡°Jorge, are you interested in Trevor¡¯s girlfriend?¡± ¡°Interested? Not quite. But she is rather intriguing.¡± Celeste and Lottie froze. It was Jorge and his friends. However, they had their backs turned, and a row of drinks blocked most of their view, so they didn¡¯t notice Celeste and Lottie standing nearby. ¡°At the auction, I noticed you were also quite taken with that gentle beauty next to Lottie. She¡¯s probably still in the hall¨Caren¡¯t you going to go say hello?¡± Celeste hadn¡¯t expected the conversation to suddenly shift to her. Before she could react, Lottie arched an eyebrow, already thinking about dragging Celeste over to y matchmaker. But before she could act, Jorge shook his head, sounding uninterested. ¡°Nah.¡± Lottie paused. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this? Lost interest all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s pretty, sure. But she seems so quiet and gentle like she has no personality. That just makes her boring.¡± ¡°Oh,e on! And you say you¡¯re not into Wynn?¡± It was obvious¨Che had just talked to Wynn and found her even more captivating, making him lose interest in anyone else. ¡°That¡¯s not it. It¡¯s just-¡°Jorge hesitated. His friendughed. ¡°I get it. Wynn¡¯s your new type now, huh? But that still proves you¡¯re into her, doesn¡¯t it? Hahaha!¡± Before Jorge could reply, his friend added, ¡°To be fair, Wynn has that cold, haughty beauty. She¡¯s got that challenge, that edge¨Cshe¡¯s way more exciting.¡± ¡°Ever since Wynn showed up in our circle, a lot of guys have been into her¨Csome even obsessed. Too bad, though. She belongs to Trevor. Gotta admit, that man¡¯s got an eye for women.¡± Lottie¡¯s smile stiffened. Then, her expression darkened. She wanted to march over and teach those two ¨¤ lesson, but Celeste stopped her. Celeste shook her head and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Maybe she wasn¡¯t special. Maybe she wasn¡¯t exciting. But she was herself. She knew who she was, and whether strangers liked her or not wasn¡¯t something that mattered to her. After finishing their drinks, Jorge and his friends left. Lottie was still fuming. ¡°I used to think Jorge had great taste and a fun personality, but even he¡¯s fallen for Wynn? Before Celeste could respond, a sleazy¨Clooking man swaggered over. His puffy, tired eyes roamed over Celeste with an unmistakable leer. ¡°Lottie, is this your friend-¡± Before he could finish his sentence, Lottie cut him off coldly. ¡°You? Do you think you have a shot at my friend? What trash. Get lost!¡± The man¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Lottie, you- Lottie shot him a sharp re. The Cruz family wasn¡¯t to be trifled with, and he knew better than to truly provoke her. So, with an ugly expression, he walked away. Lottie downed a huge gulp of her drink, so angry that her chest ached. ¡°How many disgusting guys have hit on you tonight? And why is it that all the high¨Cquality men only go for Wynn?¡± Celeste gently patted her back to help her calm down. She thought¨Cbecause Wynn really was outstanding. But before she could say anything, Lottie¡¯s face suddenly turned cold. Following her gaze, Celeste turned her head and saw Wynn standing not far away. She was holding two cups of water. No one knew when she had arrived, but judging by the smirk on her lips, both Celeste and Lottie could tell she had heard Jorge¡¯s conversation. As they looked at her, Wynn¡¯s smile deepened. She didn¡¯t say anything. She just shot Celeste a cold, disdainful nce and then turned and walked away with her drinks. The Scent of 116 ¡°What the hell!¡± Lottie was even more furious, itching to tear Wynn apart on the spot. ¡°She¡¯s just the daughter of a mistress¨Cand a mistress herself! What the hell is she so smug about? Miss Popr? Pfft! She¡¯s nothing but trash!¡± Celeste poured her another ss of water and asked, ¡°Miss Popr?¡± ¡°Wynn is just like what that friend of Jorge, Xavier, said earlier¨Cthose brainless second¨Cgeneration rich kids are all bewitched by her for some reason. ¡°Now, everyone calls her ¡®Miss Popr,¡® like she¡¯s some kind of goddess that everyone loves!¡± Lottie kept grumbling, ¡°Fine, let those idiots fawn over her but even Trevor and Jorge?¡± She got a little too heated, then suddenly realized that Celeste might feel hurt hearing that. She immediately shut her mouth. ¡°No, Cel, I didn¡¯t mean-¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Ever since she was a child, Harvey, Lennox, and even her paternal grandmother, Erin, had sided with Wynn. Then, two years ago, Trevor fell for her at first sight, and even Jordyn wanted her as a mother. She had never spoken to anyone about how she really felt about all of it. She had never even truly cried over it. If she were going to break down, any one of those things would have been enough to make her cry her eyes out. But after all these years, she had gotten through it just fine. Compared to those things, what did Jorge and his friends even matter? Listening to their conversation earlier, she didn¡¯t feel a thing. Lottie paused, then said nothing more. Instead, she reached out and hugged her. ¡°Cel¡­¡± Celeste smiled. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Okay! And about your grandma¡¯s birthday gift¡ªI¡¯ll go shopping with you another day. There¡¯s no way we won¡¯t find something perfect!¡± Celeste smiled. ¡°Alright.¡± She held Lottie¡¯s hand, and the two of them left together. As they walked out of the building and headed to the parking lot, they ran into Trevor and Wynn, who were also leaving Trevor and Wynn nced over, but Celeste acted as if she hadn¡¯t seen them and got into the car first. Lottie huffed at them and pulled open the passenger door. The car quickly drove away. Wynn looked at Trevor. Trevor simply said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Wynn smiled sweetly. ¡°Okay.¡± As she spoke, she nced in the direction Celeste had left, and her smile grew even deeper. After dropping Lottie off at home, Celeste was just about to leave when she received a call from Jordyn. ¡°Mom, when are youing back?¡± Celeste started the car and replied, ¡°Not tonight. Go to bed early. I¡¯ll visit you when I have time.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Okay.¡± Hearing Jordyn¡¯s tone, Celeste could tell she was just bored. Lately, she had been sticking to Wynn all the time. But tonight, since Wynn and Trevor were at the auction, she had no one to apany her. So, now that she was lonely, she suddenly remembered Celeste. Celeste said, ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Mmm, goodnight, Mom.¡± For the next two days, Celeste was extremely busy with work. She had nned to go shopping for her grandma¡¯s birthday gift but never found the time. After working non¨Cstop, on the third day at noon, Matthias treated their team to a big lunch as a reward. After eating, Celeste went to the restroom. On her way back to the private dining room, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Not far away, Wynn and seven to eight others were leaving another private room. They quickly entered an elevator and didn¡¯t notice her. ¡°Was that¡­?¡± Matthias had unknowingly walked up beside her and also spotted Wynn along with Harvey, Lennox, and the others. Besides them, there was also a beautiful woman and an elderlydy. The beautiful woman and Harvey were acting close, making it clear that she was Harvey¡¯s current wife. As for the elderly woman, Wynn was supporting her arm. Celeste withdrew her gaze and simply said, ¡°The Locket family.¡± Matthias understood immediately. He looked at her and hesitated. ¡°That elderlydy¡­ Is she-¡± That was Erin. ¡°She has nothing to do with me anymore.¡± Matth¨ªas gave her a hug. ¡°Shall we head back?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She had changed herst name long ago and cut ties with the Locket family. They really had nothing to do with her anymore. And she didn¡¯t care about them either. But she did care about something else. A while back, Wynn¡¯s uncle¡¯s family¨Cthe Shaw family¡ªhad been buying property na¨C nning to settle in Baumond. She had suspected the Locket family would follow suit. However, she just hadn¡¯t been paying attention to their movements. But seeing almost all of them in the city, it seemed like they were already making the move. That afternoon, Celeste finished work early. She and Lottie grabbed dinner, then went shopping together. But after an hour of browsing, they still found nothing. While Lottie was trying on clothes, Celeste¡¯s phone rang again. It was Jordyn. ¡°Mom, when are youing back?¡± Celeste asked tly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Dad¡¯s on a business trip, and I¡¯m so bored!¡± Usually, when Trevor was away, it didn¡¯t stop Jordyn from going to Wynn. But tomorrow was the weekend, and instead of going to Wynn, she was calling her. Most likely, Wynn was too busy to entertain her. After all, Erin and the others were in town now. With Trevor away, Wynn definitely had no time for Jordyn. ¡°y by yourself for now. I¡¯lle back tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Jordyn perked up immediately. ¡°Promise you¡¯ll be back tomorrow morning, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± That night, she still hadn¡¯t found a satisfactory gift. Her grandma¡¯s birthday was approaching fast, and Celeste considered settling for something decent. But in the end, she couldn¡¯t bring herself topromise. The next morning, Celeste returned to Trevor¡¯s vi. While Jordyn was eating, Celeste remembered something she needed to take and went upstairs to the master bedroom. The moment she walked in, she noticed two exquisitely crafted brocade boxes sitting on her vanity table. The Scent of 117 Just like the previous property deed, since these items were ced on her vanity table, it meant they were meant for her. Feeling puzzled, Celeste opened one of the round brocade boxes. The moment she lifted the lid and saw what was inside, she froze for a second. It was the set of emerald jewelry she had wanted to bid on at the auction a few days ago! The other box was a rectangr one that looked heavy. Could it be¡­ She put down the round brocade box and opened the rectangr one. Inside, as expected, was a scroll. She picked up the scroll, ced it on the round table in the room, and slowly unrolled it. A stunningly lifelike embroidered painting, shimmering with brilliance, was revealed before her eyes. Looking at the two auction pieces she had wanted just days ago, now both in her hands, Celeste remained silent for a long time. She thought, if she wasn¡¯t mistaken, these two items had been bought by Trevor as birthday gifts for her grandma. One would be given in Martha¡¯s name. The other would be given in their name as husband and wife. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m done eating! We can go now!¡± Just then, Jordyn came running up the stairs, looking for her. Seeing the two open brocade boxes, she peeked inside and then casually remarked, ¡°Oh, Dad brought these back a few days ago. He said they¡¯re for you.¡°. Celeste responded with a soft hum before carefully rolling up the scroll and cing it back into the box. After putting the brocade boxes away, she and Jordyn headed out. Jordyn wanted to try shooting, so Celeste took her to a shooting range. Then, she apanied her on a roller coaster ride. After spending most of the day with Jordyn, the remaining time was for herself. Jordyn was still having fun and wanted to keep ying. In the past, Celeste would have never been able to bear dampening her spirits¨Cshe would always prioritize her daughter, putting her own mattersst. But now, Celeste calmly said, ¡°I still have other things to do. If you want to keep ying, you can have the bodyguards apany you.¡± Jordyn didn¡¯t want the bodyguards to tag along. She pouted unhappily and clung to Celeste, acting spoiled. ¡°Mom¡­ #1 This tactic had always worked¨CCeleste could never resist her sweet pleas. Jordyn thought her mother would surely give in again. But this time, Celeste gently pushed her away and said, ¡°I really have something important to do. I¡¯ll take you out again next time.¡± Seeing Celeste¡¯s firm stance and the slight furrow of her brows, Jordyn assumed her mother¡¯s business must be serious. In the end, she reluctantly agreed, ¡°Alright then¡­ After instructing the bodyguards to take care of Jordyn, Celeste got into her car, set the navigation, and drove to an antique market a little farther away¨Cone she had never visited before. She browsed for a long time before finally spotting an exquisite schr¡¯s writing set¡ªa fountain pen, a bottle of iron gall ink, blotting paper, and fine handmade paper¨Ccrafted from the rarest materials with extraordinary craftsmanship. At first nce, she was captivated and bought it for over ten million dors. Though this schr¡¯s writing set had cost only a little over ten million, a fraction of the price of the embroidery painting and emerald jewelry set she had considered before, she knew her grandmother well. Compared to the embroidery and jewelry, this set would bring the olddy far greater joy. Gently running her fingers over the specially textured paper and the fine carvings on the fountain pen, Celeste could already imagine the delighted expression on her grandma¡¯s face when she received it. Yes, this schr¡¯s writing set was her personal birthday gift for her grandma. As for the ones Trevor bought¡­ Just as this thought crossed her mind, Lottie¡¯s call came through. The Scent of 118 ¡°Lottie?¡± ¡°Sorry, Cel. I have to leave town tomorrow for something, so I won¡¯t be able to go with you to pick out a birthday gift for your grandma.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve already bought something.¡± She had never been to this antique shop before. And she originally came just to try her luck, thinking that if she didn¡¯t find anything suitable, she could continue shopping with Lottie the next day. She didn¡¯t expect to find the perfect gift. Lottie was pleasantly surprised. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡± Celeste smiled. ¡°Mm.¡± Then, Lottie suddenly said, ¡°Oh, right, Cel. A few days ago, you told me you saw the Locket family. I did some digging for you over the past couple of days. ¡°It turns out they really are nning to settle in Baumond. Apparently, they¡¯ve been house¨Chunting these past few days.¡± Hearing the mention of the Locket family, Celeste¡¯s smile faded slightly. ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± ¡°As for Wynn¡¯s mother¡¯s side of the family, I heard they¡¯ve already picked out a house. They¡¯ll be moving in soon. Supposedly, they¡¯ve even started sending out invitations for a housewarming banquet.¡± ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± After hanging up, Celeste drove back to the city. Next week was her grandma¡¯s birthday. On Sunday, Celeste took Jordyn back to the Rodriguez residence to discuss the banquet preparations with Ivan and his wife. Trevor didn¡¯t return that Sunday, so Celeste stayed at the vi. He only came back on Tuesday. Since she wouldn¡¯t being back to this vi in the next few days, she took the two brocade boxes with her before leaving. She had initially thought the gifts left on her vanity table were for her. But after seeing what was inside, she realized that Trevor wanted her to hand them over to her grandma on her birthday. After dropping Jordyn off at school, Celeste headed to the office. YodaVision wasunching three to four new projects at once, making the new week even busier for both Celeste and Matthias. Trevor had likely returned on schedule since Jordyn hadn¡¯t called her in the past two to three days. On Wednesday night, Celeste and Matthias were having dinner with a client. Just as they were about to enter the private dining room, she saw Trevor with Wynn, Harvey, Erin, and the others. This time, both Erin and Wynn¡¯s mother, Lilian, had to Bautnond. Naturally, as their soon¨Cto¨Cbe grandson- inw and son¨Cinw, Trevor had to show some courtesy Look at that he had just returned from a business trip yesterday, and today, he had already made time to have dinner with them. He was so attentive when it came to Wynn. Last time, Erin and the others didn¡¯t notice her. But this time, all of them saw her. They hesitated as if they wanted to say something, but perhaps because Trevor was there, they ultimately remained silent. As for Wynn and Trevor, due to the way they were standing, they didn¡¯t see her. Without any expression, Celeste withdrew her gaze and walked away. Erin and the others saw her leave but didn¡¯t follow. Over an hourter, after finishing dinner, Celeste and Matthias were leaving the restaurant when they ran inta Wynn and her group again. They were also in the parking lot, seemingly about to leave However, Trevor was no longer with them¨Che had likely already left. Before Celeste and Matthias could react, their client, Oscar Fletcher, spotted Wynn and her family and enthusiastically walked over. ¡°Ms. Locket, Mr. Locket!¡± The Scent of 119 ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Mr. Fletcher.¡± Seeing Oscar approach, Harvey and Wynn politely shook hands with him and exchanged pleasantries. ¡°Mr. Fletcher, are you here discussing business with Mr. Yoder?¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Yoder¡¯spany has a few projects I¡¯m quite interested in, so I came over to talk to him about them.¡± 1 Harvey paused when he noticed that Matthias and Celeste remained standing in ce withouting over, but he didn¡¯t think much of it. Oscar, unaware of the underlying tensions, found Matthias reaction a bit odd. After all, as a businessman, even if Matthias didn¡¯t know the Locket family personally, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to go over and greet them, maybe even make a new connection. While Wynn and Harvey chatted with Oscar, Erin greeted him briefly before walking toward Celeste and Matthias, apanied by Lilian. Matthias nced at Celeste. However, Celeste watched them approach but didn¡¯t move Erin spoke kindly, ¡°Cel, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± Celeste said nothing. Seeing her stubborn expression, Erin sighed. ¡°Cel, you- Before she could finish, Lilian interrupted her coldly. ¡°Cel, no matter how many misunderstandings or grievances you have against me, that¡¯s just between me, you, and your mother. ¡°It has nothing to do with Harvey or your grandma. I hope you won¡¯t push away those who truly care about you.¡± Lilian Shaw. Celeste remembered how, before divorcing her mother, Harvey had once spoken of Lilian with deep affection. He had said that Lilian was just like her name¨Cpristine and serene, proud yet elegant. She was his unattainable dream; his forever crush. He had said that only after meeting Lilian did he understand what love truly was. That their feelings for each other were mutual, He had told her that although Lilian seemed indifferent, she was actually a wonderful person. He had urged her not to cause trouble like her mother and to acknowledge Lilian¡¯s excellence. Unlike most mistresses, Lilian had always treated her well. But her demeanor had always been cold and distant, as if she were far superior to her. Years had passed, but Lilian was still as stunning and aloof as she had been in her memory. So, when she spoke these words¡ªnot in the gentle, conciliatory tone of a stepmother trying to win favor, but in her usual detached manner¨Cit almost sounded sincere. It made her words seem even more persuasive. After all, a woman as proud and distant as her wouldn¡¯t stoop to making things difficult for a stepdaughter. If there were conflicts, surely it was the stepdaughter who was being unreasonable. Lilian imed that the past issues between herself, her mother, and her father shouldn¡¯t affect the love Harvey and Erin had for her. However, Celeste craved her father¡¯s love and family affection. And that desire only grew stronger after her parents¡® divorce. Back then, Celeste had been just around nine years old. She had loved both of her parents and couldn¡¯t bear to choose between them. But deep down, she had sided with her mother. She felt sorry for her. So, when her parents fought for custody, even though her mother had already suffered a mental breakdown, Celeste still refused to stay with Harvey and Erin. She had insisted on following her mother. Even after choosing her mother, she had still held onto feelings for Harvey and Erin. But to avoid making her mother sad, she had hidden those feelings. A year after the divorce, Erin hade to Baumond for some business and secretly had someone contact her, saying she wanted to see her. It had been over a year since shest saw her grandmother. She had missed her, so she had snuck out to meet her, hiding it from Ivan and the others. But what she didn¡¯t know was that Erin had also brought Wynn along. Erin had told her that she and Wynn were sisters and should get along well. She didn¡¯t want to. But when she saw the disapproving look in Erin¡¯s eyes and heard her say that she was still too much like her mother, too stubborn, too unforgiving¨Cshe felt upset and started to doubt herself. Was she really just an ungracious child? The Scent of 120 Chapter 120 More than ten years had passed, yet Celeste still remembered everything clearly. She recalled that day¨Chow she had gone to the restroom, heartbroken, and when she returned, she saw Erin holding two ice creams, one for her and one for Wynn. One of them had been slightly scraped when a waiter carrying a dirty tray identally brushed against it, leaving a bit of grease on it. Wynn immediately picked the untouched one. Erin had merely ruffled her hair with a smile. She didn¡¯t bother to rece the dirty one with a new one. When she returned, Erin handed her the damaged ice cream without saying a word about why a chunk was missing. At that time, given the Locket family¡¯s financial status, buying not just one but a thousand, even ten thousand ice creams, would have been no issue at all. Yet, she simply didn¡¯t rece it. It was at that moment that she became acutely aware¨CErin¡¯s feelings for her had long since changed. She would also never forget the look on young Wynn¡¯s face as she watched her hold that tainted ice cream¨Cso full of malice. As for Harvey, there were even more incidents like this. Thinking about it now, she no longer cared about Trevor. Looking at the ever¨Ckindly Erin and the self¨Crighteous Lilian, who spoke as if they truly had her best interests at heart, she chuckled and responded to them through the matter of Trevor and Wynn. ¡°You both im you genuinely care about me. I really want to believe that. But if your idea of caring is helping Wynn interfere in my marriage, then what does that say?¡± Upon hearing this, neither Erin nor Lilian showed the slightest hint of embarrassment. They must have expected her to say this. Erin sighed, ¡°Cel, you know the situation between you and Trevor. Why force someone who doesn¡¯t love you to stay by your side? Getting a divorce allows you to start over. Grandma is-¡± ¡°You want to say you¡¯re doing this for my own good, don¡¯t you?¡± Celeste cut her off. She looked at them both and said, ¡°You¡¯ve repeated this so many times¨Cdon¡¯t you ever get tired of it? Even when you¡¯re trying to brush me off, couldn¡¯t you at leaste up with something new? ¡°How do you expect me to believe you if you don¡¯t even put in that much effort? Maybe next time, trying up with something new?¡± Before they could respond, Celeste continued, ¡°Not that it would make a difference. After all, words are empty. What really matters is what you¡¯ve actually done, right?¡± Her retort left Erin and Lilian momentarily speechless. But Erin remained unfazed. Just as she was about to speak again, Celeste turned to Oscar, who had returned, and said, ¡°Mr. Fletcher, are you done? Shall we leave now?¡± Oscar had already sensed that the atmosphere here was off e let out an awkward chuckle, nodding. ¡°Sure.¡± Then he turned to Erin and Lilian. ¡°Madam Locket, Mrs. Locket, we¡¯ll be taking our leave now.¡± Erin smiled and nodded, but when she looked at Celeste, she let out another sigh. Ever since Harvey had decided to divorce her mother, every time she didn¡¯t do as they wanted, he and Erin would sigh when speaking to her. It was as if she was disobedient and troublesome, and as if all the problems were her fault. It was so much so that after her parents divorced and she moved back to the Rodriguez family with her mother, Celeste developed a conditioned fear of people sighing at her. For years, up until she was around 12 or 13, even though everyone in the Rodriguez family treated her well, she had been excessively well¨Cbehaved¨Ctoo afraid to make mistakes, too afraid to be herself. The Scent of 121 Chapter 121 As they walked further away, Oscar asked, ¡°Is there something going on between you both and the Lockets?¡± Matthias and Celeste exchanged a nce. Then, Celeste said, ¡°No, there isn¡¯t.¡± It wasn¡¯t a misunderstanding, after all. However, Oscar misunderstood her words, thinking that she truly had no conflicts with the Lockets. ¡°Very well then.¡± Oscar was optimistic about YodaVision¡¯s prospects. Hence, he remarked sincerely, ¡°Considering how highly Trevor regards Ms. Locket, the Locket family is about to skyrocket in status. The Flemings, especially Trevor, are not people to mess with. Even if you don¡¯t want to get close to the Lockets, it¡¯s best not to provoke them.¡± Celeste smiled, realizing what Oscar had said was quite ironic. Who else but her would ever be told to maintain a good rtionship with her husband¡¯s mistress, all because her ¨C husband cared about his mistress too much? Matthias couldn¡¯t stand listening to that as well. He said, ¡°We¡¯re not afraid of Trevor at all. Theirpany had been shielded by the government all along because of Cuap. 1 Trevor didn¡¯t manage toy his hand on YodaVision some time ago. And with their ongoing project, Matthias believed that they¡¯d gain substantial backing from the government soon. Theirpany¡¯s size would expand considerably within a year this time. By then, YodaVision would bepletely beyond Trevor¡¯s control. Hence, what Matthias had just said wasn¡¯t just anything he blurted out of frustration. It was the confidence Celeste had given him. Betty would be celebrating her birthday on Saturday. Celeste no longer cared whether Trevor showed up for Betty¡¯s birthday. Jordyn, however, had to be there. To prevent Jordyn from slipping away to see Wynn that day, leaving her whereabouts unknown, Celeste gave Jordyn a call on Thursday morning. It was the first time she¡¯d called Jordyn since she¡¯de back from Andostan on her birthday. Jordyn was having her breakfast. Trevor was there too. Seeing Celeste¡¯s name on her phone would still fill Jordyn with joy now. She put away the utensils immediately and answered the phone. ¡°Mom!¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Celeste could tell that Jordyn was speaking with food in her mouth. She asked, ¡°Are you having your breakfast?¡± ¡°Yes! Have you eaten, Mom?¡± ¡°I have.¡± Celeste went on, ¡°I¡¯m calling to let you know that Granny¡¯s birthday is this Saturday. So don¡¯t make any ns that day¡ªyou¡¯ll being with me to her ce for celebration, okay?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Jordyn didn¡¯t expect Celeste to call just to tell her this. She hadn¡¯t managed to spend time with Wynnst weekend, and she thought she could make up for it this week. Hence, she felt a bit reluctant to hear what Celeste had just said. But still, she couldn¡¯t turn a deaf ear to Celeste¡¯s words. Celeste must have noticed Jordyn¡¯s reluctance too, as she knew exactly what was on thetter¡¯s mind. Tightening the grip on her phone, she asked Jordyn, ¡°Is your Dad around?¡± ¡°Dad? Yeah,¡± Jordyn replied as she looked at Trevor, who was sitting across from her. Then, she asked Celeste, Do you want to talk to him, Mom?¡± ¡°Yes, please pass your phone to him. I have something to tell him.¡± ¡®Okay.¡± Jordyn handed the phone to Trevor, who was still eating his breakfast. ¡°Dad, Mom wants to talk to you.¡± Trevor put down the utensils and grabbed the phone. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°My Granny is celebrating her birthday the day after tomorrow. Please tell Jo to follow me back to the Rodriguez residence on that day, and she must not sneak away.¡± Trevor replied, ¡°Alright. Anything else?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be taking her to the Rodriguez residence on Friday night.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste felt a sense of relief upon hearing Trevor¡¯s answer. After a brief pause, she said, ¡°Thank you.¡± Trevor hummed a reply. Celeste had never asked whether he was free on Saturday when she gave him the invitation. This time, too. Moreover, since he¡¯d passed the item he had bought at the auction to her, it was clear he intended for her to give the gift to Betty in his ce. The Scent of 122 Basically, Trevor wasn¡¯t going to attend the celebration. Why did Celeste have to ask any further then? Thus, without adding anything, she ended the call. Celeste used to ask him every year to join her at the Rodriguez residence for Betty¡¯s birthday. However, Trevor didn¡¯t seem to realize that she hadn¡¯t asked him this year. After Celeste ended the call, he handed the phone back to Jordyn and said, ¡°Mom will be fetching you to Granny¡¯s ce tomorrow night. Make sure you listen to her on Saturday and don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± Jordyn pursed her lips. ¡°But¡­¡± Trevor remained silent, staring at her expressionlessly. Jordyn then realized that there was no room for discussion. Hence, she mumbled reluctantly, ¡°Okay¡­¡± Trevor nodded. ¡°Good girl.¡± With a pout, Jordyn insisted, ¡°But I want to go see Wynn on Sunday, and you have toe along.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Trevor replied with a faint smile. On Friday night, Celeste went to the Fleming manor after work. She noticed Trevor right after she stepped into the vi. It was unusual to see him home at this hour. Trevor was on a call. When he heard her footsteps, he tilted his head, nced at her, and turned around, making calls again. Peter knew that Celeste was going to bring Jordyn back to the Rodriguez residence tonight. He had made arrangements for the meal in advance, intending for Celeste and Jordyn to eat before they left. But Celeste wanted to eat at the Rodr¨ªguez residence. Hence, she rejected Peter. Peter was at a loss for words. He turned to Trevor, waiting for his response. Trevor was still on a call. He probably overheard Peter and Celeste¡¯s conversation, so he pulled his phone away slightly and said to Peter, ¡°Just do as Mrs. Fleming says.¡± As soon as he finished his words, he turned back and resumed the call. With that, Celeste turned to Jordyn. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Jo.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jordyn waved at Trevor. ¡°We¡¯ll get going now, Dad Goodbye!¡± Trevor waved back. ¡°See you.¡± Without saying a single word to Trevor, Celeste took Jordyn and left. Trevor, too. He only watched as they left after waving goodbye to Jordyn. The birthday party for Betty was held on a grand scale this time. After arriving at the Rodriguez residence and eating, Celeste pitched in with the preparations. It was already close to midnight when she finished setting things up. She woke up early the next morning. Before having breakfast, Celeste, Ivan, and a few other people gathered beside Betty, extended their birthday greetings to her, and gave her the gifts they had prepared. Jordyn was stunned for a moment when she saw them handing Betty gifts. She pulled Celeste¡¯s sleeve lightly. Celeste crouched slightly, bringing her ear near Jordyn. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jordyn¡¯s face was flushed with embarrassment. ¡°Mom, I didn¡¯t prepare a gift for Granny¡­¡± she whispered. She only just remembered at this point. Then, she couldn¡¯t help but say reproachfully, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you remind me, Mom?¡± Celeste responded, ¡°I¡¯ve brought gifts from myself, your Dad, and Nana. You¡¯re still a child, so it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t have one. But if you¡¯d like to show your appreciation, just remember to prepare something for your Granny next time.¡± Celesteforted Jordyn, but there was a hint of coldness in her expression. It was true that she didn¡¯t remind Jordyn to prepare a gift for Betty. However, if Jordyn truly cared, she would have thought of bringing a gift the moment she found out it was Betty¡¯s birthday. It didn¡¯t have to be anything expensive, nor did she need to put too much effort into it. She could have simply drawn something or asked Celeste to take her shopping for a gift when she was picked up from the manor yesterday. Yet Jordyn had never mentioned anything about the present before this. This wasn¡¯t how she treated Wynn. When it came to Wynn, Jordyn would remember the exact date of Wynn¡¯s birthday. She¡¯d count it down day by day too. + Celeste could see herck of sincerity, which was why she didn¡¯t bother reminding Jordyn of it. X The Scent of 123 Jordyn didn¡¯t notice the indifference in Celeste¡¯s tone. She breathed out a sigh of relief upon hearing what Celeste had just said. Ivan handed his gift to Betty, and Celeste followed afterward. The first gift she gave Betty was an embroidery painting. ¡°Grandma had Trevor help prepare this painting for you. Betty took the painting, unfolded it, and examined it for a while. It was exactly what she wanted. Smiling with satisfaction, she said, ¡°How considerate of her.¡± . Next, Celeste handed the emerald jewelry set to Betty. ¡°This is from Trevor.¡± The jewelry set was of exceptional quality. Betty liked it a lot. ¨C However, since it was a gift from Trevor, she closed the box and put it away right after she took a nce at it. She remarked in a neutral tone, ¡°It looks lovely. Pass along my thanks to him for me.¡± She never asked whether Trevor woulde to celebrate her birthday. She didn¡¯t care enough to ask, nor did she want to. Celeste knew Betty wasn¡¯t fond of Trevor. She¡¯d have definitely defended Trevor in the But now, she no longer spoke up for him. She took out the gift she had past. ed for Betty and handed it to her. It was just as Celeste had expected¨Camong all the gifts Betty received, she loved the set of exquisite schr¡¯s writing set from Celeste the most. Betty had it in her hand, admiring it nonstop. Immediately, she went to the study and wrote a piece of calligraphy. Once the gifts were given, they all sat down for breakfast. The breakfast was filled with warmth andughter. Betty, too, was all smiles, clearly delighted. And yet¡­ Every so often, a fleeting loneliness could be seen in her eyes. Celeste, Ivan, and the rest understood that today was, above all, a day for a family reunion. But on an important day like this, there was one noticeable absence. The thought made Celeste avert her gaze, her eyes growing misty. However, to keep the atmosphere light, no one mentioned isabelle. By mid¨Cmorning, the guests with closer ties to the Rodriguez family started to arrive. They¡¯d dine at a hotel they had reserved for dinner in the evening as well. It was then that the birthday party would trulymence. As Celeste was greeting the guests, Ivan¡¯s son, Hector Rodriguez, noticed Jordyn sitting aside, looking bored. Hence, he tenderly rubbed her cheeks and asked, ¡°What are you doing, Jo? You seem lost in thought.¡± Upon hearing that, Celeste knew Jordyn was missing Wynn Jordyn did obey Trevor¡¯s words. She stayed in the Rodriguez residence and didn¡¯t sneak away. But her mind was clearly elsewhere. Jordyn sent several texts to Wynn in a row today. However, Wynn seeined to be busy too because she barely texted her back. In the afternoon, they all went to the hotel. The guests were slowly arriving at around 6:00 pm. Ivan epted the gift and guided the guests to their seats. Hesitating for a moment, the guest said, ¡°Apologies, Mr. Rodriguez. I have a banquet to attend today. I¡¯ll just have a ss of water, and I¡¯ll leave.¡± Ivan and Celeste understood and didn¡¯t insist, knowing the guest had other ns. Initially, they thought it was just an exception. But half an hourter, a lot of business partners handed over their gifts and then left. On top of that, several guests opted to have their secretaries bring the gifts instead ofing themselves. Given the current situation, it seemed that the majority of the reserved tables would go unused tonight. It was disappointing to see this. After all, it was such a joyous asion with a well¨Cprepared birthday feast. Betty would probably be upset once she found this out. Ivan could understand if the guest had decided to leave early for personal reasons. It was just that his expression would certainly be far from cheerful. Seeing how everyone was rushing to another banquet, Ivan couldn¡¯t help but turn to Robert Langley, who had a closer rtionship with him, and asked, ¡°A lot of friends mentioned that they didn¡¯t have time for food tonight, and they all said they¡¯re going to another banquet. Mind if I ask, Mr. Langley, to which banquet you¡¯re heading next?¡± Those who didn¡¯t stay or left after giving presents¨Ccould they be attending the same banquet as Robert? What were the odds of such a coincidence if not for that? ¡°I¡¯m heading to the Shaw Residence,¡± Robert replied. Secondster, he added, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the grandmother¡¯s house of Mr. Fleming¡¯s girlfriend. They¡¯re not from Letville. Since they¡¯re moving to the Baumond, they¡¯ve purchased a house not long ago. Today¡¯s the day of their housewarming party.¡± Upon hearing that, Celeste and Ivan¡¯s expression darkened They thought there wouldn¡¯t be any other matters to deal with for a while once they had resolved the vi issue. They had never expected the Shaws to have something like this nned for them. And they refused to believe that it was just a coincidence that the Shaws had their housewarming party today. After all, Betty had known Wynn¡¯s maternal grandmother for years, and they had celebrated countless birthdays together. Thus, could the Shaws really forget the fact that today was Betty¡¯s birthday? No, they must have remembered. They purposely held a housewarming party today, just because they remembered Betty¡¯s birthday. Robert was unaware of the grievances between the Rodriguezs, the Shaws, and the Lockets. He could understand how Ivan felt, seeing the empty tables at such a meticulously nned birthday feast. Lowering his voice, Robert uttered, ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do, really. The Shaws are backed by Mr. Fleming, and they¡¯ve sent the invitation. We¡¯re not familiar with the Shaws, but who would dare refuse Mr. Fleming? I had no choice, Ivan¡­¡± If he skipped the Shaws¡® housewarming party or just attended briefly without eating, they¡¯d sure think he was snubbing them. Besides, rumor had it that Trevor was going to marry Wynn soon. Hence, it¡¯d be like offending both Wynn and Trevor if they offended the Shaws. And upsetting Trevor was something they couldn¡¯t risk. Chapter 124 The Scent of 124 Chapter 124 Some of them didn¡¯t want to cross Trevor. However, some of them were eager to establish good rtions with the Lockets and Shaws. After all, the Rodriguez family had been struggling quite a bit in recent years. The Lockets and Shaws, on the contrary, had Trevor backing them up, so it was clear what the right choice was. Robert left after apologizing to Ivan. Betty and Adeline didn¡¯t pay attention to it at first. As more guests arrived and only to leave shortly after, and with the meal about to begin, fewer and fewer people remained in the banquet hall. A lot of seats were left empty, and they finally realized something was off. Frowning, Betty and Adeline walked over and asked, ¡°Why have so many guests left? What happened?¡± Ivan and Celeste were at a loss for words. At this point, they could only tell them the truth. Ivan uttered, ¡°The Shaws and Lockets have moved to Baumond, and the Shaws held a housewarming party today. Besides, they have sent invitations to most of our guests, so¡­¡± So, that was the cause of the scene in front of them today. As his words fell, Ivan and Celeste wore a worried look, gazing at Betty. They were worried that it might be too much for her. After everything the Shaws had done to the Rodriguez family, thetter couldn¡¯t possibly forgive. As long as Isabelle remained in the nursing home, their grudge would never die. It was no surprise that Betty would loathe the Shaws more after what they had pulled on her birthday. But Betty was someone who had gone through a lot. So, when she heard what Ivan had said, her fingers only tightened around the table¡¯s edge. In the next instant, her eyes shed coldly, looking at Ivan and Celeste. ¡°That guy from the Flemings is the one backing them, isn¡¯t he?¡± she stated bluntly. How could the Shaws, neers in Baumond and barely settled down, have drawn so otherwise? Moests on their own And obviously, Betty was referring to Trevor when she mentioned ¡°that guy from the Flemings¡°. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Celeste looked down, her eyes growing misty. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Granny.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± Betty caressed Celeste¡¯s face tenderly. ¡°You were far too naive to know how low they would stoop.¡± ¡°Granny¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Betty scanned around the banquet hall. It looked even more deste with only a few guests. She remarked calmly, ¡°It¡¯s just a birthday. As long as you¡¯re all safe and happy, I have nothing more to wish for. ¡°So, never let someone else¡¯s shamelessness be a reason to hurt yourself, understand?¡± There was an unspoken reference to what happened with Isabelle in Betty¡¯s words. Without hesitation, Celeste and Ivan replied, ¡°We understand.¡± Celeste had invited Matthias and Lottie as well. They just arrived. And they were very well aware of the history between the three families. Upon hearing what had happened, Lottie cursed outright, ¡°Unbelievable! I¡¯ve never seen such shameless and disgusting people!¡± Matthias gave Celeste¡¯s shoulder aforting pat. Momentster, his phone chimed. When he saw the text, he paused for a brief moment and said, ¡°I¡¯ll bring ¨C someone in to help.¡± Celeste was confused. ¡°Huh?¡± Matthias responded with a smile, ¡°You¡¯ll seeter.¡± At the same time in the banquet hall of the Shaw residence¡­ X The Scent of 125 Chapter 125 Seeing the endless stream of arriving guests, Patricia and Mason were all smiles. It was just as what the Rodriguez family thought, they did remember Betty¡¯s birthday. No, in fact, after so many years of celebrating Betty¡¯s birthday, forgetting it was simply out of the question. Thus, it was no coincidence that they held their housewarming party today. They couldn¡¯t help but fume, thinking back to how they had nned to move across from the Rodriguez family, only for Celeste to interfere and enlist Trevor¡¯s help, throwing their ns into disarray. But Trevorter made up for it, and ironically, they ended up better off because of it. It made them even more delighted, thinking about how they had scheduled their housewarming party to sh with the Rodriguez family¡¯s event and sessfully diverted their guests. ¡°Their party must be nearly empty now, huh?¡± Linda stifled a quietugh. ¡°They couldn¡¯t even keep their guests ¨C after all that effort. It¡¯s just humiliating at this point. If word gets out, everyone will know the Rodriguez family has lost both its influence and connections. Who¡¯d still want to do business with them, honestly?¡± Ruby apuded andughed. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Although the Shaws had invited various elites from Baumond, they weren¡¯t familiar with most of them. While today was the Shaws¡® housewarming party, it was also a way for them to expand theirwork. That night, Wynn wore the diamond bracelet Trevor had bought at the auction for her. Many people knew that Trevor had splurged over 400 million dors at the auction to im four prized items. Seeing how much Trevor valued Wynn, plenty of people at the party were eager to ingratiate with her. Noticing how Wynn was wearing the bracelet, they gushed, ¡°This piece suits you beautifully, Ms. Locket. Mr. Fleming sure has impable taste.¡± Though the guests were clearly ttering her, Wynn¡¯s beauty made anything she wore look stunning. With her elegant ensemble tonight, the diamond braceletplemented her perfectly, adding a refined touch to her noble presence. ¡°Thank you,¡± Wynn responded. Many had brushed up on their knowledge ahead of time to impress the Lockets. Thus, quite a few people knew that Erin had a keen interest in antiques. Someone remarked out of nowhere, ¡°I heard Madam Locket loves collecting antiques. Was the antique vase from thest auction something Mr. Fleming intentionally purchased to honor Madam Locket?¡± The person phrased his sentence in a way that they believed Trevor already considered himself part of the Lockets. Wynn nodded in reply. ¡°Yes, it was.¡± Erin was genuinely fond of that antique vase. Just thinking about the antique vase put a smile on her face It was a vase worth over 100 million dors, after all, It was undeniable that Trevor put a lot of thought and money into Wynn. Upon hearing this, Patricia felt a slight pang of jealousy. As one of Wynn¡¯s elders, Erin had a priceless antique vase- while she was left with nothing. But as Wynn had told her, Trevor bought another two prized items at the auction that night, and they were far pricier than the antique vase. Trevor knew it was the Shaws¡® housewarming party today. Patricia reckoned at least one of those two items was for them. And that put her in a much better mood. S 4 The Scent of 126 Chapter 126 Just then, Beck and Miles arrived. The moment the Shaws and Lockets noticed the two, they went up to them. After all, these two were anything but ordinary in Baumond It was only natural that they held the two in high regard. Linda had already met Beck before. The moment sheid eyes on him again today, a blush crept onto her face, barely concealed by her makeup. Rubyughed, seeing Linda¡¯s reaction. The Harpers were just as distinguished as the Flemings, and with Beck¡¯s remarkable qualities, the Shaws were more than happy to see Linda take an interest in him. With Wynn and Trevor a certainty, and now Linda and Beck potentially forming a match, the Shaws would definitely hold undeniable power in Baumond in the future. With that in mind, the Shaws showed even greater enthusiasm when talking to Beck and Miler. Wynn furrowed her brows when she noticed the Shaws¡® attitude toward the two men. She thought they were being too sycophantic. As friends, Wynn and Beck were equals. Yet, her family was practically groveling before him. How humiliating was that? But it wasn¡¯t¨Csomething she could address in front of everyone, so she stayed quiet. After all, the Lockets had been sitting on their fortune for more than a few decades now. The Shaws naturally transitioned into the ranks of the elite, following the Lockets on the rankings. Yet, it had only been a little more than ten years. The Shaws stillcked the depth and legacy of the Lockets. Hence, to Beck and Miler, the Shaws simply didn¡¯t measure up. They didn¡¯t particrly care about this because of Wynn. After handing the presents to the Shaws, they asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Trevor? Is he not here yet?¡± Wynn said, ¡°He¡¯s been dealing with some minorplications in his overseas business, and he workedte the past couple of nights. Since things aren¡¯tpletely settled yet, he¡¯ll be arrivingter.¡± Beck and Miler nodded in reply. 1 Since Wynn was friends with them, she led them to their seats herself. The hour was gettingte¨Cit was time to start the meal. However, Trevor, the center figure of the evening, hadn¡¯t arrived yet. Mason was uncertain about whether to proceed. He turned to Wynn and Lilian for their thoughts. Wynn said, ¡°We can start the meal first.¡± Since the guests hade all this way to the party, it wouldn¡¯t be polite to let them go hungry, even if they were willing to wait. ¡°Would it be okay to start without Trevor, though?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. He wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± Wynn was essentially speaking on Trevor¡¯s behalf. It was clear to the guests how close they were, judging by her actions. Seeing the Lockets confidently begin the meal without Trevor, assured he wouldn¡¯t take offense, only reinforced how much Trevor valued Wynn. This made others even more eager to strengthen ties with the Lockets. On the other side¡­ Although a lot of guests had left, Betty stillpleted every step of the formalities without exception. After confirming that all the guests had arrived, she took the stage to express her appreciation and apologized for the unexpected incident. The audience responded with a round of apuse. As soon as Betty wrapped up her speech, Ivan gave the cue for the hotel staff to begin the meal. The Scent of 127 Chapter 127 With that, Matthias interrupted, ¡°Can we hold off for a bit, Mr. Rodriguez? There¡¯s someone elseing, and they should be here in ten minutes.¡± Ivan was well aware of how Matthias and Celeste were connected. Matthias had always taken care of Celeste as well. Hence, Betty and Ivan were pretty grateful to him. Upon hearing what Matthias had just said, Ivan asked, ¡°Is he by himself? We still have empty seats at the main table if he doesn¡¯t mind joining us.¡± ¡°He¡¯s totally okay with it,¡± Matthias replied. ¡°Okay.¡± Ivan nodded and instructed the staff to serve the other tables first, while their dishes would be servedter. As the first few dishes arrived, Matthias nced at his phone. Then, he pulled Celeste aside and said, ¡°The person. is here. I¡¯ll go get them.¡± Celeste nodded. The moment she turned around, she heard a familiar yet icy voice. ¡°No need, I¡¯m here already.¡± Celeste was stunned. She immediately turned around. ¡°Mr. Newman?¡± Zachary hummed a reply. The remaining guests were dumbfounded when they saw Zachary. They thought they were seeing things. It was Zachary, the renowned tech tycoon who was always in the headlines, who came, after all. Who wouldn¡¯t recognize him, though? His talent alone was remarkable, but word was that his background was equally powerful. A high¨Cprofile person like him at Betty¡¯s birthday party? That was unexpected. Betty and Ivan were stunned the moment they saw Zachary They immediately stood up and greeted him after snapping back to their senses. Despite Zachary¡¯s cold demeanor, he remained respectful toward elders he valued. He had met Betty before. Hence, he rushed over, helping Betty settle into her seat, ¡°Please, don¡¯t trouble yourself to stand,¡± he said. Betty sat back down and replied, ¡°It¡¯s such an honor to have you here, Mr. Newman.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too gracious, Madam Klein.¡± Zachary settled down in the seat beside Betty. ¡°My apologies, I should have visited you sooner.¡® #1 As he spoke, he signaled Matth¨ªas to pass the gift to him, and then he handed it to Betty. ¡°I came in a hurry and couldn¡¯t arrange something more thoughtful¨CI hope you don¡¯t mind, Madam Klein.¡± Betty smiled. ¡°Having you here is the best gift I could ask for, Mr. Newman.¡± After Zachary and Betty exchanged a few warm words, Zachary noticed Celeste and Matthias, who were standing quietly behind him like chastised schoolchildren. He cast a nce at them. Immediately, Celeste and Matthias nodded in unison and sat beside him. Betty voiced again, ¡°Thank you for looking after Cel in the past.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal,¡± Zachary said. ¡°She¡¯s had some research breakthroughstely, so at least her talents aren¡¯t going to waste. You have nothing to worry about, Madam Klein.¡± Zachary and Betty didn¡¯t stop Celeste when she decided to give up on her studies for Trevor. They both believed that facing setbacks was part of growing up. Besides, one would only learn what regret felt like by making their own choices. What was truly concerning was how one let setbacks define them, unable to move forward. Fortunately, despite the setbacks, Celeste chose to rise again. Having Isabelle as the precedent, Betty had been concerned too. However, she knew that over¨Cintervening wouldn¡¯t help in the long run, so she chose to let Celeste find her own way. Hearing what Zachary had said, Betty felt at ease. ¡°Good, good, that¡¯s all I needed to know.¡± ** The Scent of 128 Chapter 128 Celeste was sitting beside Zachary, He was still talking to Betty, and he hadn¡¯t spared her a nce yet. Celeste turned a little to Matthias. ¡°Thank you, Matthias.¡± She could tell that Betty was in a much better mood after Zachary came. ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me.¡± Matthias shrugged. ¡°Mr. Newman just happened to reply to me regarding the project you came up with not long ago. Then I told him about this, and he came. So, really, you should be thanking yourself.¡± As Celeste was about to speak, she heard someone mention Trevor¡¯s name. Hesitating for a moment, she turned around, only to see Trevor at the entrance. With all eyes on him, he approached Betty with steady steps. ¡°Happy birthday.¡± Then, he handed the gift box to her and said, ¡°Just in case the first gift wasn¡¯t to your taste, I brought another. I hope you like it.¡± Betty didn¡¯t realize Trevor would attend at all. Yet his arrival didn¡¯t bring joy to her.. Sure, the Shaws were shameless, but without his support, they wouldn¡¯t have the nerve to act so boldly here in Baumond. With so many people watching, Betty epted the gift politely. ¡°Thank you, that¡¯s very thoughtful of you,¡± she voiced indifferently. Then, she turned to the waiter and asked, ¡°Could you set an extra ce at the table?¡± Trevor remained unfazed by Betty¡¯s indifference. Noticing Zachary aside, he greeted calmly, ¡°Hello, Mr. Newman. 11 Zachary gave him a quick nod. As Celeste looked his way, he met her eyes. Trevor instructed the waiter to ce a chair between Celeste and Zachary, then settled into his seat. The guests here wasted no time spreading the news that Zachary was there to celebrate Betty¡¯s birthday after he had arrived. It took less than two minutes for the news to reach the Shaws¡® side. The guests at the Shaw residence were all shocked. ¡°The Rodriguez family has connections this strong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Oh, that¡¯s Matthias Yoder in the photo, right? And the beautifuldy by his side is actually Mr. Rodriguez¡¯s niece? I don¡¯t recall Mr. Rodriguez ever mentioning this. Well, that clears things up. If she¡¯s Mr. Rodriguez¡¯s niece, it makes perfect sense.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°She and Matthias went to the tech expo together recently. They¡¯re clearly close¨Cmaybe something big ising. The Yoders were a prestigious family, and YodaVision was doing exceptionally well. Apparently, Zachary had great expectations for Matthias as well. If Ivan¡¯s niece and Matthias really got together, it would significantly boost the Rodriguez family¡¯s connections. With that, the Rodriguez family was still not to be underestimated. Neither the Locket family nor the Rodriguez family anticipated that Zachary would make an appearance at Betty¡¯s birthday party, a Watching the guests reassess their rtionship with the Rodriguez family due to Matthias and Zachary¡¯s presence, the Shaws couldn¡¯t hide their displeasure. Linda wasn¡¯t one to keep up with national news. She was aware Wynn wanted to learn from someone, but since she wasn¡¯t interested, she didn¡¯t remember the person¡¯s name. She asked, ¡°Is Zachary someone influential? Why are they so surprised?¡± Wynn replied expressionlessly, ¡°He¡¯s a globally influential figure in the AI field and also someone who could speak for the country. He¡¯s my ideal mentor.¡± Linda was stunned. ¡°That¡¯s impressive.¡± Secondster, she added, ¡°So, was this the reason why Uncle Harvey was so angry with Celeste for making you lose the chance to meet with this important figure?¡± X y The Scent of 129 Linda scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s so shameless of her!¡± Just talking about that made her upset. ¡°Could it be that they have a great connection, which is why such a significant person is attending her birthday?¡± ¡°No,¡± Wynn replied coldly. ¡°They just barely know each other.¡± From her perspective, Celeste got to know Zachary through Matthias. So, the reason why Zachary was there today was probably because of Matthias. ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Linda said. Beck and Miles were sitting at the table beside Wynn¡¯s, right behind her. Initially, Beck was quietly enjoying his meal. He paused for a moment when he heard how Zachary was at Betty¡¯s birthday party. He asked, ¡°The Rodriguez family¡¯s birthday party?¡± Miles then exined, ¡°Oh, today¡¯s the birthday of Celeste¡¯s maternal grandmother. The parties for the Rodriguez family and the Shaw family are on the same day, and the guest lists coincide. Thus, most of the ovepping guests are attending this one because of Trevor and Wynn.¡± Miles had no prior knowledge of this. He only found out just now after hearing it in the banquet hall. It dawned on Beck what was happening at the Rodriguez family¡¯s party. ¡°Does it mean there¡¯s barely anyone left there?¡± Miles shrugged as he said, ¡°Yeah, I heard three¨Cquarters of the tables are empty.¡± Then, he chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s just so sad, seeing all the guests leave and having no way to stop them.¡± Miles¡® tone wasced with amusement when he said that. Beck¡¯s expression shifted. He stood up all of a sudden. It surprised Miles for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I need to make a call,¡± Beck said. Without waiting for Miles to respond, Beck walked out quickly. Wynn and Linda looked over, seeing how Beck had just left in a rush. Wynn asked, ¡°Where is Beck going?¡± ¡°He said there¡¯s something urgent, and he needed to make a call.¡± ¡°Oh¡± Wynn didn¡¯t ask any further. The seat beside her was empty. She had deliberately saved it for Trevor. Erin nced at the clock and said, ¡°Is Trevor not here yet, Wynn? Do you want to call and check on him?¡± Wynn was thinking the same thing as well. She took out her phone and called Trevor. But the call didn¡¯t go through. Arge number of guests came to the Shaws¡® housewarming party today. The Shaws went around to each table, offering drinks and mingling around to build connections. Wynn was, naturally, part of that process. After all, the guests came to their housewarming party because of Wynn. And with Wynn around, the guests would surely show them more respect. As they approached with drinks, the guests stood up politely. After they exchanged pleasantries, someone asked, ¡°Is Mr. Fleming not here yet, Ms. Locket?¡± Wynn replied, ¡°He¡¯s on his way now, and he should be here soon.¡± As her words fell, someone nearby remarked, ¡°My friend told me Mr. Fleming is at the Rodriguez family¡¯s party.¡± ¡°Mr. Fleming is there too? Really?¡± ¡°There¡¯s even photos of him. Look!¡± ¡°Gosh, it¡¯s really him!¡± Everyone looked at Wynn in unison. They weren¡¯t familiar with the Shaws, but they attended the housewarming party, partly to show respect for Trevor, but also because the Rodriguez family¡¯s business was struggling, with no chance of bouncing back. But now, not only had Zachary gone to Betty¡¯s birthday party, but even Trevor was there to celebrate it too. So, why did they evene here in the first ce? The Scent of 130 apter 130 Wynn didn¡¯t panic at all when she heard that Trevor was at the Rodriguez family¡¯s party. After all, Martha had such a close rtionship with Betty. She¡¯d definitely let Trevor attend Betty¡¯s 70th birthday on her behalf since she couldn¡¯t make it herself. Wynn had known this long ago. Still, she was a little upset even though Trevor was there because of Martha¡¯s order. When the crowd found out that Trevor went to the Rodriguez family¡¯s party instead ofing here, they assumed something had happened between Wynn and Trevor. Wynn remarked in a cold voice, ¡°Madam Daniels and Madam Klein have a good rtionship, and Trevor was only there as instructed by Madam Daniels.¡± There had been rumors that the Rodriguez family and the Fleming family were on good terms. ¨C But people hadn¡¯t seen them interacting with each other before, so they only took it as a rumor. Perhaps it was true then, judging by what Wynn had said. At that moment, someone came in. They had a gift box in their hands, walking toward Wynn and the Shaws. ¡°Ms. Locket, Mr. Fleming had an unexpected matter to attend to, so he might arrivete. He was worried about missing the party and asked me to bring a gift in his ce,¡± the person said to Wynn. Wynn took the gift and thanked him, ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± Given that Betty was friends with Martha, it made sense for Trevor to visit Betty first on her birthday before he came here. It seemed Trevor had anticipated the guests to question his rtionship with Wynn. So, even though he was at Betty¡¯s birthday party, he thoughtfully arranged for the gift to be sent over first, showing his care and attention to Wynn. Besides, it was basically impossible to im that a person like Trevor didn¡¯t care about Wynn after the thoughtfulness and kindness he showed toward her. With that, the guestsughed awkwardly. Although the Shaws weren¡¯t pleased to learn that Trevor had gone to Betty¡¯s birthday party, they kept it to themselves. Once the awkward tension had lifted, Mason raised his ss and thanked the guests foring. Thanks to Mason, the atmosphere became lively again. Wynn¡¯s heart softened with warmth as she saw how considerate Trevor was. All her displeasure melted away too. Noticing how Beck hadn¡¯te back, she asked Miles, ¡°Why is Beck not back yet?¡± ¡°Let me call him to ask.¡± Miles talked to Beck on the phone for a short while. After he had ended the call, he said, ¡°Beck has something urgent to take care of, so he left. He said sorry, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I understand.¡± Wynn then asked, ¡°Did he say what kind of urgent work?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask.¡± Miles didn¡¯t pay attention to it at first, but he thought of something suddenly. ¡°Could it be rted to the person he likes?¡± Wynn¡¯s smile froze upon hearing that. ¡°Beck hasn¡¯t mentioned it for a while now, so I¡¯m not sure,¡± she said in a slightly t tone. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Miles rubbed his chin, smiling. ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask him next time?¡± Wynn lowered her gaze and murmured a soft ¡°okay¡°. Meanwhile, after Trevor had settled himself down at the main table, he cast a nce at Celeste. Celeste was surprised when he showed up just now. But she calmed down quickly. Noticing his gaze, she asked expressionlessly, ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Trevor then shifted his gaze. ¡°Nothing,¡± he replied. The Scent of 131 Chapter 131 Neither Celeste nor Trevor spoke again. Celeste¡¯s younger cousins had rarely seen Trevor before. Now that they were seeing him in person, they couldn¡¯t help but look at him with curiosity. As someone who had held a position of power for years, Trevor exuded authority effortlessly, even without trying. When he noticed their gazes, he nced at them briefly. Unable to meet his eyes, they instinctively looked away, not daring to stare any longer. Trevor showed no reaction to this, nor did he make any effort to exchange pleasantries. He simply shifted his gaze . away, calm and indifferent. Trevor was the man Celeste loved. She had thrown herself into this love headfirst, and after all these years, she still couldn¡¯t escape. Given the way Trevor had treated his own niece for so long, it was impossible for Ivan not to harbor resentment toward him. However, what could he do? The Rodriguez family was powerless against Trevor. Now that Trevor was here, as the host, Ivan had no choice but to extend the standard courtesies given to any guest. He stood up, raised his ss, and said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting Mr. Fleming toe. If there¡¯s anythingcking in our hospitality, please forgive us.¡± Hearing this, Trevor also picked up his ss and stood up. He clinked sses with Ivan and replied, ¡°Mr. Rodriguez, you¡¯re too polite.¡± He addressed him as ¡°Mr. Rodriguez¡± not ¡°Uncle Ivan¡°. As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone noticed the deliberate choice. He had no intention of acknowledging the Rodriguez family as his own. Celeste had known this for a long time. And now, she neither wanted nor needed him to ept her family. She knew he had onlye because of Martha. With a cold tone, she said, ¡°We appreciate Grandma¡¯s kindness. If you have other matters to attend to, you may leave.¡± If he stayed, he would only make the atmosphere more ufortable. Trevor responded tly, ¡°I¡¯m not in a rush.¡± Celeste frowned, unsure of what he meant. But Trevor didn¡¯t continue speaking to her. Instead, he turned to Zachary and said, ¡°Recently, ourpany has been developing a new feature that enables products to achieveplete invisibility, evading all radar detection. Mr. Newman, would you be interested in learning more?¡± ¡°All radar?¡± Zachary paused, his expression turning serious Then, he looked over and said, ¡°Go on.¡± Trevor didn¡¯t seen worried about revealing sensitive information and began discussing the details with Zachary. Celeste hadn¡¯t expected Trevor to start talking to her mentor about such things. But just by listening to their conversation, she could tell that Trevor had an exceptional understanding of AI technology. If it was something that even Zachary found intriguing, how could Celeste and Matthias not be interested? At first, they had only been half¨Clistening. But before they knew it, they had be so engrossed that they even forgot to eat. Initially, Ivan wanted to remind them to eat while listening but seeing how focused they were¨Cafraid of missing even a single detail¨Che decided not to interrupt them. Before this, aside from Celeste, no one here had been particrly familiar with Trevor. Moreover, his presence wasn¡¯t exactly weed. Under such circumstances, one would expect him to feel awkward. Yet somehow, he had managed to turn the conversation into his domain. Of course, tonight¡¯s main focus was Betty. Trevor knew better than to steal the spotlight. After a few minutes of discussion, he said, ¡°If Mr. Newman is interested in learning more, perhaps we can schedule a time to continue this conversation in detail?¡± . . The Scent of 132 Chapter 132 Zachary said, ¡°Sure.¡± Trevor nodded and turned to Celeste. ¡°Are you going home tonight?¡± Celeste had still been going over the conversation between Trevor and Zachary in her head. When he suddenly spoke to her, she paused for a moment before responding, ¡°No.¡± Trevor nodded again. ¡°Got it.¡± Then he stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯lle byter to pick Jo up.¡± That meant he was leaving. Celeste replied coldly, ¡°Got it.¡± Trevor didn¡¯t say anything else to her. Instead, he walked over to Betty and said, ¡°Madam Klein, I have things to attend to, so I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Betty didn¡¯t stand up, and her tone was equally cold, ¡°Sure I won¡¯t see you off ¡± Trevor didn¡¯t seem bothered by her indifference. He turned to Ivan, gave him a slight nod as a form of greeting, and then left the banquet hall. Outside the hotel, Beck had just stepped out of his car when he saw Trevor walking out. His movements stalled for a brief moment. Trevor quickly got into his car and drove off. Beck watched but remained seated in his car, not making a move. It wasn¡¯t until after the banquet ended that Zachary and Matthias left together. Meanwhile, Jordyn had eaten too many snacks earlier in the day. By the time the banquet started, she had only picked at a few bites of food before heading upstairs to y video games. Once most of the guests had left, Celeste finally went upstairs to look for her. When Jordyn saw here in, she took off her headphones. ¡°Mom, are you done?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Remembering what Trevor had said before leaving, Celeste added, ¡°Your dad said he¡¯s picking you up tonight. Call him and ask when he¡¯ll be here.¡± Thinking about how she¡¯d get to y with Wynn tomorrow once she got back, Jordyn happily agreed. ¡°Okay!¡± She dialed the number, and the call was answered almost immediately. A momentter, she put down the phone and told Celeste, ¡°Dad said he¡¯ll be here in fifteen minutes. ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± Celeste then said, ¡°Pack up your things. ll take you downstairs to wait for him.¡± Jordyn wanted to act spoiled and have her mom help her pack. After all, most of the time, Celeste was the one who¡® helped her with her things. But seeing that her mom didn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood, she swallowed back her words. When it was almost time, Celeste took Jordyn downstairs. In the elevator, Jordyn held onto Celeste¡¯s hand and swung it lightly. ¡°Mom.¡± Celeste looked down. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t talk as muchtely.¡± She had already noticed that her mom no longer called her every day like she used to, nor did she constantly ask about her whereabouts. She actually liked this change in her mom. But recently, she realized that beyond those things, her mom didn¡¯t even talk to her as much when they were together. It was like¡­ her mom had be quieter. Celeste had raised Jordyn herself and knew that she wasn¡¯t an oblivious child. The fact that it took her this long to notice her change in demeanor only meant one thing¨Cshe had grown used to ignoring her. Celeste looked away and simply said, ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Seeing how exhausted her mom looked, Jordyn didn¡¯t ask any more questions. The night wind was particrly cold. As they stepped out of the hotel lobby, the icy gusts stung their faces. -Jordyn shivered from the chill, refusing to move any further. She clutched Celeste¡¯s hand and turned around, burying her small face against her mother¡¯s stomach. ¡°It¡¯s so cold, Mom. Carry me.¡± Jordyn was almost six years old and already quite heavy. It was difficult for Celeste to carry her, but she still bent down and picked her up. The Scent of 133 Jordyn wrapped her arms around Celeste¡¯s neck, burying her small face against it to shield herself from the cold wind. Celeste¡¯s clothes were soft and warm, and Jordyn snuggled into her embrace, rubbing her face against her neck with enjoyment. Trevor was always punctual. By the time Celeste carried Jordyn to the parking lot, his car had pulled in. Seeing them, the car stopped right beside Celeste. Even though her dad had arrived, Jordyn didn¡¯t get down from Celeste¡¯s arms. Instead, she yfully said to Trevor, who had lowered the car window, ¡°Dad, carry me inside.¡± Trevor didn¡¯t say anything. He simply got out of the car and took Jordyn from Celeste¡¯s arms. Happily, Jordyn swung her legs in the air while nestled in his hold. -As Trevor leaned in to take her, Celeste caught a familiar scent¨CWynn¡¯s perfume. When he had been sitting beside her earlier, he hadn¡¯t smelled like this. This meant that after leaving them, he had gone to the Shaw family. Trevor looked at her and said, ¡°The night wind is cold. Go home.¡± Celeste took a step back. ¡°I will.¡± Jordyn cheerfully waved. ¡°Bye, Mom!¡± Celeste nodded and hummed a response. After Trevor had carried Jordyn into the car, Celeste didn¡¯t wait for them to drive off. She simply turned and walked toward her own car. Watching her retreating figure, Trevor stared for a moment before finally looking away and instructing the driver, ¡°Drive.¡± With that, his car quickly merged into the traffic. Just as Celeste was about to reach her car, Beck stepped out of his own vehicle. ¡°Celeste.¡± She hadn¡¯t been paying attention, assuming it was a stranger. But upon hearing her name, she turned and saw that it was Beck. She thought it was just a coincidence. After all, they hadn¡¯t booked the entire hotel, so it wasn¡¯t impossible for Beck to be here for his own reasons. Giving him a slight nod as a greeting, she unlocked her car and prepared to leave. Seeing how she still treated him like a stranger, Beck remained where he was. Celeste had just opened her car door when she noticed he was still standing there, looking at her. He seemed like he had something to say. Her expression turned colder and more distant. ¡°Do you need something?¡± Beck hesitated for a moment. In the end, he didn¡¯t bring up tonight¡¯s events. Instead, he said, ¡°Shanice has a gift for you. Can we find time in the next couple of days to have a meal together?¡± Shanice seemed to have been through some major trauma, both physically and emotionally. She had once mentioned to Celeste that she resembled her mother a little But her mother had already passed away. So, Celeste understood that Shanice had some attachment to her. To be honest, she liked Shanice too. If they ran into each other on ordinary asions, she would put aside her personal grievances with Beck and spend more time with her. But to meet up just for Shanice¡­ Just then, Beck suddenly said, ¡°There¡¯s a project your uncle is working on. I can help.¡± Celeste froze for a moment. . He didn¡¯t borate. Instead, he simply said, ¡°Think about it. Once you¡¯ve decided, feel free to call me anytime.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t respond. To be honest, she didn¡¯t trust him. He was close to both Wynn and Trevor. Even if Beck was genuinely offering help now and the project ended up being sessful, if she ever had a conflict with Wynn in the future, who was to say he wouldn¡¯t turn around and use this project against her, just like Trevor did? 4 The Scent of 134 Perhaps guessing the reason for Celeste¡¯s hesitation, Beck said, ¡°I can guarantee you that personal matters will never interfere with business between me and your uncle.¡± Hearing this, Celeste asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Celeste knew Ivan¡¯spany was in a difficult situation. So, after a moment of hesitation, she said, ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re free, and I¡¯ll arrange a time to meet.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Celeste replied. At that moment, Beck looked at her dark hair, slightly tousled by the cold wind, and said, ¡°The night wind is chilly. You should head inside.¡± Celeste paused. Those were the exact same words Trevor had said to her just moments ago. She nodded without saying anything else and got into her car. Beck remained where he was. As her car passed him, Celeste rolled down the window, nodded to him as a farewell, then stepped on the gas and drove away. Only after watching her car disappear into the distance did Beck get into his own car and leave. Betty, Ivan, and Adeline were still awake, though Jamie and Hector had already gone upstairs to rest. When they saw her return, they all looked over at her in unison. It was obvious they had been waiting for her. Betty said, ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Seeing her grandma extend her hand, Celeste set down her bag and walked over to sit beside her. Holding her hand, Betty asked, ¡°Cel, have you decided to let go of Trevor?¡± Her attitude toward him today was drastically different from before. It was impossible not to notice. ¡°Yes,¡± Celeste replied. ¡°We¡¯re nning to get a divorce.¡± Hearing this, Betty smiled. ¡°Good, good. Divorce is a good thing.¡® 11 But then she frowned and said, ¡°Jo is very attached to him, and to be fair, he has treated her quite well these past two years. He probably won¡¯t give you custody that easily. This¡­¡± Celeste didn¡¯t want custody of Jordyn. But she didn¡¯t say it outright. Celeste simply responded, ¡°I know. I¡¯ll talk to him properly about that. It¡¯s gettingte¨Ceveryone should rest.¡± The others went to bed, but Celeste couldn¡¯t rest yet. Zachary and Matth¨ªas had been discussing various topics on their way home, and by the time she got back to her room, she had already received a task list from Matthias. He had even noted, ¡°This is for the professor. It needs to bepleted by six tomorrow morning.¡± Celeste set down her bag, took a sip of water, and replied, Got it.¡± Without removing her makeup or taking a shower, she immediately turned on herptop and got to work. Finally, at around 4:00 am, she finished the tasks and sent thepleted files over. Matthias was also swamped with work, but he was nearly done as well. He then sent her a message: ¡°The professor wants us at his ce before nine.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Alright.¡± They didn¡¯t chat any further. After shutting down herputer, Celeste went to the bathroom to remove her makeup and shower. By the time she finished everything, it was already past 5:00 am. She set an rm for three hourster before finally turning off the lights and going to bed. Later, she was jolted awake by the rm. Her body felt weak and exhausted, but she forced herself up immediately and went to freshen up. When she came downstairs, her fatigue was evident. Betty looked at her with concern. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep in?¡± I have to go see my professor.¡± Betty knew that Zachary was strict with students. So, she simply said, ¡°I¡¯m worried about you driving in this state. Let the driver take you.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Celeste agreed. When she arrived at Zachary¡¯s vi, the three of them went straight into the study and got to work. J The Scent of 135 It wasn¡¯t until noon, when it was time for lunch, that Matthias and Celeste finally got a chance to take a breather.. At that moment, Celeste¡¯s phone suddenly rang. It was a message from Lottie, asking if she wanted to go skiing with her in the afternoon. Celeste replied via voice message, ¡°I have things to do today, so I won¡¯t be going. You go ahead and have fun.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± In the evening, while Celeste stepped out of Zachary¡¯s study to get some water, Lottie sent her another message. This time, it was a few photos. And the people in the photos were none other than Trevor, Wynn, Jordyn, Beck, and Shanice. Then, Lottie sent another message: ¡°My friends and I were having such a great time skiing, but then we ran into them. Totally ruined the mood!¡± Celeste only clicked on one photo. Once she confirmed who was in them, she didn¡¯t bother looking at the rest. Seeing Lottie¡¯sint, she calmly replied with a voice message, ¡°Just enjoy yourselves and ignore them.¡± Lottie quickly sent another voice message: ¡°We might stay until thete evening. Do you want toe?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Celeste put her phone away, picked up her ss of water, and returned to the study. They remained busy for the rest of the day. By night time, Matthias stretched and suggested, ¡°Mr. Newman, let¡¯s go out for dinner! We¡¯ll treat you.¡± Zachary didn¡¯t even look at him before saying, ¡°I have ns.¡± Both Celeste and Matthias were surprised. ¡°I¡¯m having dinner with Trevor tonight.¡± Matthias nced at Celeste, who simply took a sip of her water without any reaction. Zachary grabbed his car keys and left, reminding them, ¡°Make sure to lock up when you leave.¡± Then, as if remembering something, he added, ¡°But I won¡¯t be gone for long.¡± ¡°Got it, professor.¡± ?? Meanwhile, on the other side, Jordyn, Trevor, Wynn, and the others had been skiing for most of the day and were in high spirits. As they left the ski resort, Jordyn happily said to Trevor, ¡°Dad, I want seafood for dinner.¡± Trever replied, ¡°Wynn and I have something important to doter, so we can¡¯t have dinner with you. The driver is already waiting in the parking lot. When you get home, just tell the chef what you want.¡± Hearing this, the smile on Jordyn¡¯s face instantly disappeared. ¡°What is it? Why can¡¯t I go too?¡± Trevor gently pinched her cheek and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s something very important.¡± C The Scent of 136 Chapter 136 After watching Jordyn and Beck leave, Trevor and Wynn also got into their car and headed to the restaurant. A few minutes after they arrived in their private dining room, Zachary also arrived. ¡°Mr. Newman.¡± Seeing Zachary push the door open, Trevor and Wynn both stood up to greet him. Zachary showed no surprise upon seeing Wynn. Wynn politely reintroduced herself, ¡°Hello, Mr. Newman. My name is Wynn Locket. We met before at the technology exhibition-¡± ¡°I know.¡± Zachary¡¯s expression remained neutral as he briefly shook her hand. After he had sat down, Wynn took the seat beside him and said, ¡°I greatly admire you. I¡¯ve always hoped for the opportunity to meet you in person and discuss the AI industry face¨Cto¨Cface.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± At that moment, Trevor¡¯s phone buzzed. He stood up and said to them, ¡°I need to take a call. You two go ahead and talk.¡± Wynn nodded. After Trevor had stepped out, Wynn picked up the menu and handed it to Zachary. ¡°Mr. Newman, shall we order first and discuss things over dinner?¡± Zachary pushed the menu aside and said, ¡°No need for now.¡°¡® Wynn paused, slightly caught off guard. Before she could react, Zachary asked bluntly, ¡°You want to be my student?¡± Wynn didn¡¯t expect him to be so direct. But she wasn¡¯t intimidated by the fact that he was one of the top figures in the AI field. With confidence andposure, she admitted, ¡°Yes. I have a strong interest in AI and hope to study under you to further improve myself.¡± Since she hade to meet Zachary, she had naturally prepared in advance. After speaking, she took out herptop and said, ¡°May I show you the project I developed for my PhD?¡± Zachary scrolled through her work, reviewing the data. After examining a few sets of figures, hemented in an indifferent tone, ¡°For a PhD dissertation, it¡¯s certainly above average.¡± Hearing this, Wynn¡¯s smile deepened, and she felt even more confident. Just as she was about to speak, Zachary let go of the mouse, shifted his gaze away from the screen, and asked, ¡± Did youplete this project this year?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Wynn hesitated for a moment, unsure if he was satisfied and expecting more impressive work from her, or if he was unimpressed but willing to give her another chance. However, she had always been a top student at her university, had won numerous awards, and her PhD advisor had spoken highly of her. It was worth noting that her advisor was a highly influential figure in Andostan¡¯s AI researchmunity and had even participated in several of the nation¡¯s aerospace projects. His praise carried significant weight. Thinking of this, Wynn regained herposure and said, conducted a technical analysis of the AI products showcased at thest technology exhibition. Would you like to hear about it?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Wynn then began an in¨Cdepth technical discussion on an autonomous vehicle exhibited at the event, focusing on its three core aspects of perception, nning, and control. She spoke for over ten minutes. During this time, Trevor briefly returned, only to say that he had another important call to take. A whileter, just as Wynn was about to continue speaking, Zachary suddenly looked up and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. 11 Wynn immediately stopped. Zachary stood up and gave his final assessment. level for me to take you on as a student.¡± foundational knowledge is decent, but you¡¯re not at the The Scent of 137 Wynn was momentarily stunned before she pressed her lips together. This wasn¡¯t the answer she¡¯d wanted. Zachary was about to push the door open and leave when Wynn quickly stepped forward and asked, ¡°Mr. Newman, how do you think I should improve?¡± Zachary paused for a brief moment and replied indifferently, ¡°Do more research. Keep up with thetest developments in the industry.¡± Just as he finished speaking, Trevor returned. Before he could say anything, Zachary stated, ¡°I¡¯ve done what I needed to do. I¡¯ll contact you in a few days.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± With that, Zachary left. Trevor looked at Wynn and noticed her expression wasn¡¯t great. ¡°Didn¡¯t go well?¡± Wynn nodded frankly. ¡°He didn¡¯t ept me.¡± ¡°What did Mr. Newman say? Tell me about it.¡± Wynn recounted the entire conversation, including Zachary¡¯s evaluation and advice. ¡°You¡¯re definitely capable,¡± Trevor said. ¡°And I think his advice is quite fair.¡± Wynn paused. Lately, she had indeed spent less time diving into professional research and rarely followed thetest developments in the industry. Did Zachary see that she wasn¡¯t putting in enough effort and focus? Did he think her attitude toward her profession wascking and that she wasn¡¯t worth mentoring, so he rejected her? Realizing that it was her professional attitude rather than her ability that had led to his decision, Wynn felt significantly better. (1 Trevor said, ¡°You can always try again.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Wynn believed that once she corrected her attitude, her professional abilities would be enough to meet Zachary¡¯s standards. Thinking about it, she regretted spending so much time on racing in recent months. Otherwise, she might already be Zachary¡¯s student by now. Zachary soon returned to the vi. Inside, Celeste and Matthias had just finished buying and washing ingredients, preparing to make stew. Seeing him return, Matthias said, ¡°Back so soon?¡± Zachary took off his coat, his tone as cold as ever. ¡°Mm.¡°. Matthias nced at Celeste, who wasing out of the kitchen with bowls and utensils, then asked gossipily, ¡± So, I guess we don¡¯t have a new junior, huh?¡± Zachary ignored him, took the bowl Celeste handed him, and sat down. Silence meant no. Matthias chuckled, raised an eyebrow at Celeste, and said, ¡°See? I figured her out the first time I met her.¡± Celeste smiled and sent him back to the kitchen to bring out the rest of the meat. ¡°Yep, you¡¯re the smartest.¡± Matthias brought the meat over and curiously asked, ¡°Mr. Newman, what level do you think she¡¯s at in the field?¡± ¡°Above the average PhD graduate by a small margin.¡± ¡°Great minds think alike.¡± Over the past decade, the country¡¯s AI field had advanced rapidly, likely surpassing the world¡¯s top standards for some time now. As one of the most pivotal figures in this industry, Zachary was constantly exposed to the most cutting¨Cedge products, technology, and talent. Wynn¡¯s level was undoubtedly impressive among ordinary people. But among top¨Ctier students, she was merely above average. Compared to the people around Zachary, she was still far behind. As for Matthias and Celeste? That was another level entirely. After all, Wynn was already 25, yet she still couldn¡¯t evene close to what Celeste had achieved years ago with CUAP. The Scent of 138 Maybe because he saw how exhausted they were, Zachary let Matthias and Celeste go home early that night. After a long day, Celeste took a shower as soon as she got home and went to bed early. There was something that needed their attention at InnovaTech the next day. In the afternoon, Celeste and Matthias found time to make a trip there. As soon as they arrived, they started discussing technical issues. Not long after, Jorge and Xavier walked in, led by InnovaTech staff. Both of them looked surprised to see Celeste. Xavier raised an eyebrow. ¡°She¡® actually an employee at InnovaTech? What a coincidence.¡± Jorge shrugged. He didn¡¯t even really know her, so how would he know if she worked at InnovaTech? Hearing their conversation, one of the InnovaTech staff members said, ¡°Are you talking about Ms. Rodriguez? She¡¯s not an employee here. She¡¯s a tech specialist from YodaVision, and she¡¯s here today to help with some technical issues.¡± Sensing that someone was looking at her, Celeste turned her head. When she saw Jorge and Xavier, she immediately recognized them as the ones who hadmented on her at the auction that day. She only nced at them before looking away, her expressionpletely neutral. Xavier chuckled. ¡°Whoa, she¡¯s ignoring us. Jorge, however, wasn¡¯t interested in talking about Celeste any further. Just as he was about to speak, Wynn walked in from outside Seeing them, Wynn was also a little surprised and stopped in her tracks. ¡°Ms. Locket.¡± The moment he saw Wynn, Jorge¡¯s demeanor changed. He was no longer as indifferent as when Xavier had mentioned Celeste. Wynn gave a slight nod, her expression calm. ¡°Mr. Robinson, Mr. York.¡± Jorge took the initiative to walk over. ¡°Ms. Locket, do you work at InnovaTech?¡± ¡°No,¡± Wynn replied. ¡°I specialize in algorithms, and I came here recently to improve myself and learn a few things from everyone.¡± Although Jorge was a native of the capital, he rarely stayed in the city. He had only returned recently. After getting to know Wynn, he realized that she was frequently talked about in their circles. She was rumored to be highly intelligent¨Cgraduating from university at 18 was already impressive, but she was also a PhD student at a top¨Ctier global university. That kind of resume made him feel inferior. On top of that, she was supposedly skilled in both racing and esports¨Cat a level where she could winpetitions. And besides that, she enjoyed rock climbing, skydiving, and other extreme sports. The more he learned about Wynn, the more he realized she was even cooler and more attractive than he had initially thought. His interest in her only grew. Unfortunately, she was Trevor¡¯s woman. At that thought, he kept a respectable distance and said, ¡°Ms. Locket, you¡¯re really ambitious and eager to improve.¡± Wynn responded, ¡°You tter me, Mr. Robinson. It¡¯s precisely because I¡¯ve recognized my shorings that I need to work harder, don¡¯t you think?¡± Even though Wynn was already outstanding, she remained humble. Jorge couldn¡¯t help but admire her even more. Jorge and Xavier were also at InnovaTech for business. Theirpany, CodeFlux Inc., was coborating with InnovaTech as well. In fact, YodaVision, InnovaTech, and CodeFlux were all working on the same project¨Cexcept YodaVision was¡¢ responsible for the system technology while CodeFlux focused on materials. Seeing that Jorge and Xavier had arrived, another project leader at InnovaTech, Albert Stafford, came over to greet ¨C them. Their group walked over to where Celeste and Matthias were. Albert smiled. ¡°Mr. Yoder, these two gentlemen are¡­¡± Matthias looked up, raised an eyebrow upon seeing them, and said, ¡°So, it¡¯s Mr. Robinson, Mr. York¡­ and Ms. Locket.¡± Celeste had nced at Jorge earlier but didn¡¯t look toward the door again, so she didn¡¯t notice Wynn was there. But the moment she heard Matthias mention ¡°Ms. Locket¡°, she immediately knew it s Wynn. The Scent of 139 However, Celeste didn¡¯t look up and continued discussing technical matters with the InnovaTech staff. Albert smiled. ¡°Mr. Yoder, do you know Mr. Robinson and Mr. York?¡± Matthias replied, ¡°Yeah.¡± After all, they were all second- or third¨Cgeneration elites in Baumond¡¯s upper circles, so naturally, they knew each other. It was just that he had taken a different path from them, so they weren¡¯t particrly close. After exchanging brief greetings with Matthias, Jorge and Xavier followed Albert to another area to discuss their business. Wynn, however, stayed with Matthias. She had also noticed Celeste, but after just one nce, she quickly withdrew her gaze, uninterested, and refocused ¨C on Matthias. ¡°Mr. Yoder, did you just arrive?¡± she asked. Matthias was highly capable in his own right, and on top of that, he was Zachary¡¯s student. Even though she could tell that he held some bias against her because of Celeste and had always been somewhat cold toward her, she still wanted to maintain a good rtionship with him. After all, once she became Zachary¡¯s student as well, they would be spending more time together.. ¡°I¡¯ve been here for about half an hour,¡± Matthias replied absentmindedly while jotting down notes. ¡°Ms. Locket, you look like you¡¯ve been here for a while.¡± Wynn said, ¡°I arrived at InnovaTech this morning, but I was busy for most of the day. I got a little tired, so I went upstairs for a ss of water and a short break.¡± That ¡°going upstairs for a break¡± obviously meant going to Trevor¡¯s office. Hearing this, Matthias paused, and his tone grew even more indifferent. ¡°Oh? So, Mr. Fleming is at InnovaTech too?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s at Fleming Group.¡± In other words, even if Trevor wasn¡¯t around, she could stille and go from his office freely? Did Trevor have no secrets from her at all? Matthias gave a nomittal ¡°oh¡± and said nothing more. Instead, he stepped forward, notebook in hand, and approached Celeste, pointing at something in his notes. Celeste nced at it, nodded to indicate she understood, then turned back to her work. Seeing this, Wynn asked, ¡°Which part of the content has issues? Would you mind discussing it with me?¡± Matthias replied coolly, ¡°Ms. Locket, I¡¯m working. It¡¯s not very convenient.¡± Wynn was about to speak when Celeste walked over and reported a set of data to Matthias. The moment Wynn saw Celeste approach, her expression turned cold. Celeste didn¡¯t n on looking at her, but when she noticed Wynn staring icily at her, she gave her a simrly cold C The Scent of 140 Jorge asked, ¡°Are you familiar with that woman?¡± Hearing him mention Celeste, Wynn¡¯s fingers briefly tightened on the keyboard. She instinctively thought he might be interested in her. Celeste was indeed beautiful. But recalling what she had overheard at the auction that day, along with Jorge¡¯s current attitude, she quickly realized she had been mistaken. Expressionless, she replied, ¡°Not really. Why?¡± Jorge nced in Celeste and Matthias¡¯s direction and said, ¡°Judging by how she talks with Matthias, she seems quite capable.¡± Wynn said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I heard she only has a bachelor¡¯s degree.¡± ¡°Only a bachelor¡¯s degree?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± That exined a lot. With a lower academic background than Wynn andcking the same striking charm, it was understandable that she would feel insecure about Matthias being taken away. Jorge could understand Celeste¡¯s nervousness about losing Matthias. But seeing someone better than herself and instantly treating them as an enemy, always assuming other women were trying to seduce her boyfriend? That was a real turn¨Coff. With that thought, Jorge¡¯s neutral attitude toward Celeste shifted into mild dislike. Meanwhile, Matthias, now free for a moment, nced through the ss window at Jorge and Wynn inside the conference room. After watching for a few seconds, he leaned in close to Celeste and murmured, ¡°Jorge likes Wynn?¡± Celeste was focused on processing data, and it took her a second to register who he was referring to. Then she replied in a t tone, ¡°Probably.¡± She genuinely didn¡¯t care about the matter. After answering, she simply pulled Matthias back to work, reminding him to quit gossiping. The sooner they finished, the sooner they could leave. Matthias smirked. ¡°What a poor choice.¡± That was the end of his gossiping. Jorge, noticing Matthias ncing their way, assumed he was looking at Wynn. And when he saw Celeste frown and pull Matthias away, he thought she was annoyed that he kept staring at Wynn. Wynn ran into a technical issue and paused. She wanted to ask Matthias for guidance, but when she looked over, she found that both he and the InnovaTech engineers werepletely focused on listening to Celeste. The way they looked at her¨Cif she didn¡¯t know better, she would have thought Celeste was some kind of top¨Ctier technical expert. At that thought, Wynn averted her gaze. Celeste and Matthias worked straight through until after 5:00 pm before finally wrapping things up. Jonathan invited Celeste and Matthias into the conference room to take a break and have some water. Meanwhile, the contract between CodeFlux and InnovaTech had also been finalized. Seeing that Jorge¡¯s team had also finished their work, Jonathan said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. How about grabbing dinner together?¡± Jorge¡¯s heart stirred, and he looked at Wynn. Wynn, as if not noticing his gaze, replied, ¡°Sorry, Trevor ising to pick me up from Fleming Group. We have other ns, so I won¡¯t be joining. Enjoy your meal.¡± Hearing that Wynn wouldn¡¯t be going, Jorge instantly lost interest in the dinner as well. ¡°I¡¯ve got things to do as well. Let¡¯s do it another time.¡± Wynn wasn¡¯t surprised by his response, but she showed no reaction on her face. The more Matthias observed, the more convinced he became that Jorge liked Wynn. It was also obvious that Jorge only backed out of the dinner because Wynn wasn¡¯t going. With both of them declining, Jonathan found himself in an awkward position and turned to Matthias. ¡°Mr. Yoder, what about you?¡± Matthias clinked his teacup against Celeste¡¯s and grinned. ¡°We¡¯re free, right, Cel?¡± A The Scent of 141 Celeste knew that smile of his was a subtle jab at Jorge and nodded. ¡°Mm.¡± Wynn noticed that Matthias was genuinely good to Celeste and frowned. Although Jorge and the others had said they were busy and couldn¡¯t join the dinner, their work there was already done, so they headed downstairs with Celeste and Matthias, preparing to leave InnovaTech. At that moment, Wynn received a phone call. After hanging up, she said, ¡°Trevor is almost here too. I¡¯ll leave with you.¡± By the time they reached the ground floor, Trevor was already waiting outside. When he saw them, he got out of the car and greeted both Jarge and Matthias. He also nced at Celeste but didn¡¯t say anything to her. Meanwhile, Wynn had already moved to stand beside him the moment he stepped out of the car. Seeing them. together, they truly looked like the perfect couple. As Jorge exchanged pleasantries with Trevor, Matthias smirked slightly and said in a detached tone, ¡°Mr. Fleming, we have dinner ns, so we¡¯ll be heading off first.¡± Trevor replied, ¡°Take care, Mr. Yoder.¡± With that, Matthias and Celeste left. After having dinner with Jonathan and the others, Celeste drove home. The moment she arrived, Beck¡¯s call came in. She hesitated briefly before answering, ¡°Mr. Harper.¡± ¡°The contract has been signed,¡± Beck said. ¡°You can call your uncle to confirm and then get back to me.¡± Before she could respond, he had already hung up. Celeste didn¡¯t expect Beck to move so quickly. Even so, she didn¡¯t trust himpletely. After a brief thought, she called Ivan. ¡°Uncle Ivan, did thepany just sign a project deal with the Harper family? 81 ¡°Yes.¡± Ivan sounded quite pleased with thepany¡¯s progress but was also a bit puzzled. ¡°Cel, how did you find out about this?¡± ¡°I heard it from someone,¡± Celeste replied vaguely before changing the subject and asking about him and his family briefly before ending the call. Then, she called Beck back. He answered immediately. Celeste said, ¡°I¡¯m free on Saturday and Sunday.¡± Beck responded, ¡°Alright. Do you want to set the time, or should I?¡± ¡°You set it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After hanging up, Celeste took a shower. Since it was still early, she caught up on thetest global AI industry news. The next morning, Celeste had a simple breakfast and was about to leave the house when Beck called again. ¡°I talked to Shanicest night,¡± he said. ¡°She wants to go skiing. Ms. Rodriguez, do you ski?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Yes.¡± She knew how to ski. Beck asked, ¡°Do you need me to prepare ski equipment for you?¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯ll get my own.¡± ¡°Alright, see you on Saturday.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After ending the call, Celeste headed to thepany. At 5:00 pm, Jordyn called, saying she was craving Celeste¡¯s cooking. So, Celeste went over that evening. Trevor wasn¡¯t home¨Capparently, he was on a business trip. So, she ended up staying the night. The next day, before taking Jordyn to school, Celeste remembered her skiing ns with Shanice on Saturday and grabbed the ski equipment she had left there earlier. This way, she wouldn¡¯t have to go out and buy new gearter. Seeing this, Jordyn asked, ¡°Mom, are you going skiing?¡± ¡°Yes, in a few days.¡± Jordyn¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I want to go too!¡± She had gone to the ski resort with Wynn and the others a few days ago but hadn¡¯t had enough! The Scent of 142 Celeste paused and asked her, ¡°When do you want to go?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Jordyn hesitated. Celeste knew she was waiting for a time when Wynn and Trevor weren¡¯t avable so she could ask her instead. But she had no way of knowing when they¡¯d be busy, which was why she was hesitating. Celeste withdrew her gaze and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just tell me when you want to go, and if I¡¯m free, I¡¯ll take you.¡± Jordyn beamed. ¡°Okay!¡± Celeste was busy with work for the rest of the week. On Friday evening, she finished work early. Just as she got home and was about to make something to eat, her phone rang¨Cit was Jordyn calling. She hesitated for a moment before answering. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m free on Saturday! Let¡¯s go skiing!¡± Celeste had promised that Jordyn could let her know when she wanted to go skiing. But she didn¡¯t n on taking her tomorrow. Her schedule for the day was essentially half a social obligation, and she didn¡¯t want to be distracted by taking care of her. So, she said, ¡°I¡¯m not free tomorrow. Pick another day.¡± Jordyn whined, ¡°Nooo, I really want to go on Saturday. Please, Mom?¡± ¡°This Saturday won¡¯t work. Next week, if you still want to go, I¡¯ll take you.¡± Unwilling to give up, Jordyn kept trying to act cute to make Celeste relent. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± But Celeste didn¡¯t budge. ¡°If you still want to go next week, just let me know. And remember to eat well; don¡¯t be picky with food.¡± With that, she ended the call. Jordyn didn¡¯t call back. Based on what Celeste knew about her, she was probably mad. But she didn¡¯t care and simply went into the kitchen to start making dinner. The next day, when she woke up, Beck called again, asking if he should send a car to pick her up. Celeste declined. After breakfast, she drove to the ski resort. By the time she arrived, Beck and Shanice were already there. Seeing her, Beck nced over while Shanice happily let go of Beck¡¯s hand and ran toward her. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez!¡± As Shanice threw herself into her arms, Celeste gently hugged her back. Looking at Shanice¡¯s bright sinile, she touched her face and said, ¡°You¡¯ve grown a little taller, and your cheeks are a bit rounder. You¡¯re even prettier now.¡± Hearing Celeste¡¯s praise, Shanice nodded excitedly. ¡°Mm! Ive been eating lots of meat!¡± Celeste smiled. Just as she was about to speak, Shanice suddenly pulled a crystal keychain out of her pocket. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, this is for you.¡± It was a miniature pink cat¨Cshaped bag with a tiny white kitten inside¨Cdelicate and adorable. It looked very simr to the one Jordyn had attached to her backpack zipper a while ago, except in a different color. Since Beck often spent time with Trevor, Wynn, and the others, it wasn¡¯t surprising that Shanice and Jordyn had matching keychains. Celeste paused for a moment but didn¡¯t ask further. She smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. I love it. Thank you, Shanice.¡± Hearing that Celeste liked it, Shanice was even happier and tugged at her hand. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, let¡¯s go skiing!¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± As they walked inside, Beck asked, ¡°Have you had breakfast? We brought some for you. If you haven¡¯t eaten, you should have a little first.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°No need, I already ate.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Once they were dressed and had their goggles on, they headed for the slopes. Shanice wasn¡¯t very skilled at skiing yet, but Celeste had been skiing for years and patiently guided her. The ski resort was quite crowded that weekend. The Scent of 143 Worried that they might get bumped into by other people, Beck stayed close to them so he could protect them. However, the crowd was just toorge today. They had only been skiing for a little over an hour when two girls identally bumped into them. Shanice was fine, but Celeste ended up crashing directly into Beck. He instinctively wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her securely into his embrace. Pressed against his broad chest, Celeste froze for a moment and immediately felt ufortable. She tried to push him away, only to realize that her foot hurt. Beck didn¡¯t let go. ¡°Did you twist your ankle?¡± ¡°I think¡­ yeah.¡± He called over a staff member to help Shanice and then bent down and picked Celeste up. She had assumed he would let the staff assist her. So, being suddenly lifted into his arms, she was caught off guard and instinctively resisted. ¡°Put me down, I¡ª¡± Beck interrupted, ¡°The doctor is already waiting. Let¡¯s take care of your foot first.¡± Celeste hesitated but stopped struggling. Inside the lodge, Beck set her down. The waiting doctor examined her foot and found that it was just a mild dislocation. After a quick adjustment, she was fine. Beck asked, ¡°Do you still want to ski?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, I can continue.¡± Since she was already here, she didn¡¯t want to dampen Shanice¡¯s excitement. Hearing from the doctor that her leg was fine, Beck didn¡¯t stop her. Meanwhile, from a distance, someone was watching them, ¡°Linda? What are you looking at?¡± Linda squinted. ¡°I think I just saw someone I know.¡± The man in the distance looked a lot like Beck from the side But he was with a woman and a child. That couldn¡¯t be Beck, could it? Just as she took two steps forward to get a clearer look, the man put his hat and goggles back on and walked away. Over the next hour, Celeste and Shanice got bumped into twice more, but neither of them got hurt. When Beck reached out to steady her, holding her hand, Celeste lightly pulled away and said, ¡°I¡¯m good now, thanks.¡± Only then did Beck release her wrist. At noon, they left the ski resort and went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. He handed her the menu, letting her choose the dishes. It was then that Shanice suddenly remembered something and asked, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, what¡¯s your first name?¡± ¡°Celeste. My full name is Celeste Rodriguez. You can call me Ms. Celeste.¡± Shanice nodded. ¡°Ms. Celeste.¡± Celeste smiled and gently patted her little face. Perhaps she was too exhausted from skiing¨Cbefore they even finished eating, Shanice started dozing off. Beck picked her up and wiped the corner of her mouth. Celeste had also finished eating. Setting down her utensils, she said, ¡°Shall we call it a day?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± But instead of getting up immediately, Beck looked at her and asked, ¡°Can I invite you out again next time?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Sure.¡± He had helped her today, and since Shanice needed herpany, returning the favor a few times seemed only fair. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me.¡± Since Shanice was already asleep and she felt they had nothing more to talk about, Celeste didn¡¯t say much and simply turned to leave. Beck stood there watching as she drove away. Only after a while did he get into his own pre Shanice woke up when they reached home. ¡°Ms. Celeste already left?¡± car. ¡°Yes.¡± Holding her in his arms, Beck suddenly said, ¡°Oh, Shanice, from now on, just call her ¡®Ms. Rodriguez,¡® okay? Also, keep her name a secret for now. Don¡¯t tell anyone else, alright?¡± Shanice obediently nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± ÈË The Scent of 144 Celeste drove off after the meal with Beck and Shanice. On the way home, she received a call from Lottie. ¡°Cel, where are you? I¡¯m exhausted! Hurry up ande pick me up for dinner.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t mention that she had already eaten. ¡°Where are you?¡°¡± ¡°Yorkshire Garden,¡± Lottie said. ¡°It¡¯s that ssical courtyard¨Cstyle residentialplex developed a few years ago. I¡¯ve been here all morning with my aunt, looking at houses. I¡¯m dead tired.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After hanging up, Celeste adjusted her GPS and headed toward Yorkshire Garden. About ten minutester, Lottie called again. ¡°Damn! Guess who I just ran into?¡± Celeste paused. Lately, there was only one person who could make Lottie curse right off the bat. ¡°Trevor and Wynn with her whole family! He¡¯s here showing the Locket family around!¡± Staring straight ahead, Celeste¡¯s expression remained unchanged as she let out a neutral hum. Most of the time, when Trevor and Wynn went out, they would bring Jordyn along. So, the reason he had left Jordyn home alone today was because he was busy showing the Locket family houses. It made sense. The Shaw family had already settled into their new home. If the Locket family nned to stay in Baumond, they would need to buy property as well. Upon arriving at Yorkshire Garden, Celeste parked her car and sent Lottie her location. Lottie texted back that she would be out in a bit. Celeste asked where she was. She said she wanted to stop by the sales office to use the restroom. So, Lottie sent her the location. Just as Celeste was about to step out of the car, she spotted Erin, Harvey, and Lilian walking toward the parking lot. They were all smiling brightly, clearly in a great mood. Celeste got out of the car, but the three of them entered the parking lot from the other side and didn¡¯t notice her. A few minutester, as Celeste reached the entrance of the sales office, she ran into Trevor and Wynn. They were walking out surrounded by seven to eight senior executives from the sales team. Trevor nced sideways at her while Wynn, holding onto his arm, also gave her a cold look. Celeste withdrew her gaze indifferently. She walked past them and headed straight toward Lottie. Seeing her, Lottie gritted her teeth and whispered, ¡°The houses here start at 300 million. I just heard from the staff that the vi Trevor bought for the Locket family is the highest¨Cend model¨Cover 600 million!¡± Celeste responded with a simple hum. Observing her expression, Lottie continued, ¡°And, I also heard that the reason they came here to buy a house is because Wynn¡¯s mom likes the style¡­¡± Celeste¡¯s steps paused slightly, almost imperceptibly. No wonder Lilian had been smiling, so happily earlier. Suppressing her emotions, Celeste said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m going to the restroom.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Inside the restroom, Celeste clenched her hand into a fist. She no longer felt anything when people talked about how much Trevor adored Wynn. But hearing that he was trying to please Lilian still- Just then, voices from outside the restroom caught her attention. ¡°That Mr. Fleming really has good taste. His girlfriend is gorgeous.¡± ¡°Right? And her mother, too¨Celegant and ssy. The best part? Her husband and inws let her do whatever she wants. Everything revolves around her preferences. She¡¯s so spoiled! ¡°Ugh, looking at her and then at my own husband and inws just makes me mad.¡± ¡°Exactly! And Mr. Fleming treats his girlfriend so well. They¡¯re not even married yet, and he just spent over 600 million to buy her family a vi. Seriously, some women just win at life.¡± The Scent of 145 When Celeste came out of the restroom, ten minutes had already passed. After having dinner with Lottie, she suddenly felt the urge to visit the nursing home. But remembering Isabelle¡¯s condition and the director¡¯s instructions that she shouldn¡¯t see familiar people, she hesitated. She had already driven to the entrance of the nursing home, but in the end, she didn¡¯t go inside and just drove back home. Once she got home, she locked herself in her room and focused on her work. She wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed when her phone rang. It was a call from Trevor. Celeste nced at the screen, noted down the data she was working on, and ignored the call. The call naturally disconnected. However, a few minutester, he called again. She still didn¡¯t answer. Shortly after, a message from Trevor came through: ¡°Grandma wants us to go back to Fleming Manor for dinner.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t reply. On the other side, Trevor saw that she hadn¡¯t responded and silently stared at his phone for a moment. Just then, Jordyn¡¯s voice came from the staircase. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re back!¡± As she spoke, she had already run downstairs and thrown herself into his arms. Trevor steadied her and responded with a simple hum. Noticing that he was holding his phone, seemingly about to send a doing?¡± Trevor said, ¡°Your mom isn¡¯t answering my calls.¡± message, Jordyn asked, ¡°Dad, what are you Hearing him mention Celeste, Jordyn let out an annoyed huff and turned her little face away. Trevor pinched her soft cheek. ¡°You get mad every time I mention your mom. Did you upset her?¡± Jordyn widened her eyes and huffed, ¡°It was Mom who made me mad!¡± Trevor propped his face on his hand, seemingly curious. ¡°Oh?¡± Fuming, Jordyn tattled, ¡°She promised to take me skiing, but when I called her today, she said she was busy and told me we¡¯d go next time!¡± ¡°If your mom was busy and couldn¡¯t take you out, shouldn you be understanding instead of getting upset? Isn¡¯t that your fault?¡± Trevor chuckled, pressed hisrge hand against her head, and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jordyn paused. ¡°Where to?¡± ¡°Your great¨Cgrandma wants us to go home for dinner.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Pouting, Jordyn muttered under her breath and ran to catch up with him. Meanwhile, on the other side, Celeste ordered takeout, and just as she finished eating around 7:00 received a call from Martha. she She could ignore Trevor¡¯s calls, but Martha had been kind to her family¨Cher call was one she had to take. ¡°Hello, Grandma.¡± ¡°Cel, Trevor told me you¡¯re busy. When will you be done?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t want to go back to the manor. Since Trevor had already lied for her, she simply said, ¡°I¡¯ll be busy for the next couple of days. Sorry, Grandma, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have time to visit you.¡± Martha didn¡¯t mind and said warmly, ¡°That¡¯s alright, dear. I just worry that you¡¯re overworking yourself.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t, Grandma. I know my limits.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Martha added, ¡°Trevor is going back tomorrow. I¡¯ll have him bring you something good to eat.. Make sure you eat well, okay?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After hanging up, Martha nced at her grandson, who was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper, and said with a smirk, ¡°Next time, if Celeste doesn¡¯te back with you, don¡¯t bothering back either.¡± Trevor raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then should I just leave?¡± Martha was speechless. The Scent of 146 After hanging up, Celeste went back to work. After a full mental workout, she was already feeling much better. At that moment, Matthias called. ¡°Wanna hang out?¡± Half an hourter, Celeste arrived at the bar. Matthias came out to meet her and asked, ¡°Want a drink?¡± Celeste hesitated for a second before saying, ¡°Yeah, a little.¡± Matthias leaned in to take a closer look at her. ¡°Not in a good mood?¡± ¡°I¡¯m much better now.¡± Matthias didn¡¯t press further and ordered her a low alcohol cocktail. Celeste held the ss, taking small sips while listening to Matthias chat with his friends. Neither of them noticed that someone upstairs at the bar counter was watching them. Xaviermented, ¡°So, it¡¯s her and Matthias.¡± The man next to him followed his gaze. Seeing Celeste, he paused. Xavier noticed and smirked. ¡°Is she your type?¡± His friend didn¡¯t answer but asked, ¡°You know her?¡± 1 ¡°Yeah,¡± Xavier replied. ¡°She¡¯s the woman I told you about the other day¨Cthe one Jorge was into at first, but then suddenly lost interest in.¡± His friend studied Celeste. Though this bar wasn¡¯t exactly chaotic, her cool and pure aura stood out against the shing lights and heavy music. Instead of blending in, she exuded an air of quiet elegance, as if she had identally wandered into this ce. Matthias turned to Celeste. ¡°Wanna dance?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t know how to dance, but she was interested in trying. ¡°Sure.¡± Stepping onto the dance floor, she followed Matthias¡® lead, moving along with the music. After about a minute, she gradually got used to it, rxing as she swayed lightly, The alcohol was starting to hit, leaving her slightly tipsy. A flush crept onto her cheeks, making her look even more radiant. Her eyes were bright and glistening, and with every nce, she unknowingly carried a subtle allure¨Cmore captivating than usual. Xavier let out a low curse. ¡°Damn. Ms. Rodriguez might not have that conquer¨Cme vibe like Ms. Locket, but she¡¯s got that pure¨Cyet¨Cseductive charm. She¡¯s practically a walking temptation.¡± His friend didn¡¯t respond. At that moment, Celeste felt her phone vibrate. She didn¡¯t stop dancing but pulled out her phone to check. The moment she saw the caller ID, she immediately froze. Matthias noticed her change in expression, nced at her phone, and instantly felt a chill down his spine. ¡°Howe it¡¯s Mr. Newman?¡± Celeste and Matthias quickly left the dance floor. As they were heading out, Celeste happened to nce up and saw Xavier and the handsome young man sitting beside him. She wasn¡¯t familiar with Xavier and quickly looked away, stepping outside with Matthias to take the call. The moment she answered, her tone was instantly meek. ¡°Mr. Newman.¡± ¡°Come pick me up tomorrow at noon.¡± Celeste was stunned. ¡°Huh?¡± But the call had already ended Matthias hurriedly asked, ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°He told me to pick him up tomorrow at noon.¡± ¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t say why? And he didn¡¯t ask for me toe too?! Celeste shook her head. Matthias checked his phone. Zachary hadn¡¯t messaged him at all. Instantly, he felt a little betrayed. ¡°He¡¯s ying favorites.¡± The lively atmosphere of the bar did help ease the mood. Feeling much better, Celeste yfully patted Matthias¡¯s chest. ¡°Feeling any better now?¡± ¡°No. But if you cover tonight¡¯s bill, I might.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The Scent of 147 Of course, that was just a joke. There was no way Matthias would actually let Celeste pay. Besides, he was also worried that Zachary might find out he had taken Celeste out drinking at a bar. So, after settling the bill at the counter, he left with her. The next day at noon, Celeste drove to Zachary¡¯s vi to pick him up. Once Zachary got in the car, she asked, ¡°Mr. Newman, where are we going?¡± Zachary gave her an address. Half an hourter, they arrived at a restaurant. A waiter led them to a private dining room. When they pushed the door open, two men were already seated inside. Both were middle¨Caged men with imposing presences. Seeing them enter, the two men stood up. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Zachary, as indifferent as ever, introduced them, ¡°Theodore Robinson, Harold Jennings. My student, Celeste Rodriguez.¡± Celeste had seen them in the news before. One held a high¨Cranking position in the military, while the other was a major figure in politics. But despite their status, their demeanor toward Celeste was warm. They extended their hands to shake hers.¡± We¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡± Although Celeste was a little caught off guard, she remainedposed and shook their hands respectfully. ¡± That¡¯s something I should be saying to you.¡± Theodore and Harold chuckled and gestured for her to sit. Once she was seated, Theodore said, ¡°We¡¯ve heard about you for years. We¡¯ve always hoped Mr. Newman would introduce us, but everyone¡¯s been busy, and there was never a chance. ¡°Recently, our team has been studying the system you developed, and since we happen to have some free time these days, we thought we¡¯d invite you to a meal and finally meet you in person.¡± After some polite conversation, they began discussing more serious topics¨Csystems, chips, energy¡­. Zachary just sat quietly, eating and drinking tea, rarely joining in. Over an hourter, Theodore poured Celeste a cup of tea, which she quickly epted. He set down the teapot and gazed at her with deep, experienced eyes. Yet, his expression remained gentle. ¡°If I remember correctly, Cel, you¡¯re in your 20s, right?¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m 25.¡± ¡°Young indeed.¡± Harold, catching on immediately to Theodore¡¯s meaning, interjected with a smile, ¡°Do you have a boyfriend?¡± Celeste froze for a moment before answering, ¡°I¡¯m married¡± Though she¡¯d get a divorce soon. But given who she was speaking to, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to discuss her personal affairs, so she didn¡¯t borate. Theodore and Harold were clearly surprised. However, they were not ordinary men. When Celeste mentioned she was married, a flicker of emotion passed through her eyes¨Csubtle but telling. It suggested her marriage had issues. Which meant there was a good chance she¡¯d be divorced. That meant their sons might still have a shot. There was no shortage of prestigious youngdies eager to marry into the Robinsons and Jennings. Typically, even the daughters of wealthy families would struggle to gain entry into their circles, let alone a divorcee. But Celeste was different. She was far too talented. With the technology YodaVision currently possessed, thepany¡¯s growth in theing years would be unstoppable. Not to mention, Zachary¡¯s position would very likely be passed down to her in the future. In other words, Celeste¡¯s potential was limitless. And beyond all that, despite her young age and remarkable achievements, she remainedposed and graceful, without a trace of arrogance¨Can extremely rare quality in someone so young. The more they observed her, the more they liked her. Zachary, who had been listening in silence, finally lifted his gaze and shot them a cold, warning look. The Scent of 148 After lunch, as soon as Celeste got home, Matthias called. After hearing why Zachary had asked to see her, he said, ¡°Theodore and Harold? Yeah, I know them.¡± Then he added, ¡°By the way, that Jorge is actually Theodore¡¯s son. Tsk, with a father that impressive, I really don¡¯t get how the son ended up being blind at such a young age.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t expect Jorge to be Theodore¡¯s son. But it didn¡¯t concern her. On Tuesday, InnovaTech conducted the initial test of its self¨Cdriving car. Celeste and Matthias went over to InnovaTech early in the morning. By the time they got there, Jorge, Xavier, and the others had already arrived. When they saw Celeste and Matthias, they nced over briefly before looking away. Matthias didn¡¯t care to acknowledge them either and pulled Celeste along to focus on the test preparations. Seeing that everything was set up, but the test hadn¡¯t started yet, Matthias asked, ¡°Why hasn¡¯t it begun?¡± Henry replied, ¡°Mr. Fleming ising to observe the test personally. We¡¯ll start once he arrives.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Something urred to him, and he asked, ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Ms. Locket today?¡± Didn¡¯t Wynn say she wasing to InnovaTech to refine her skills? Why had she disappeared after just a few days? Henry chuckled. ¡°Oh, Ms. Locket said she wanted to improve herself, right? Mr. Fleming said the fastest and best way to do that is to lead a team and work on a project. ¡°So,st week, Mr. Fleming had one of thepany¡¯s shelved projects reorganized. In the past few days, Ms. Locket has gathered a team and is currently in a meeting upstairs.¡± Matthias was dumbfounded. He turned to nce at Celeste, only to see her jotting down notes on previous test results, showing no reaction whatsoever to Henry¡¯s mention of Trevor forming a team for Wynn. So, he sighed and ruffled her hair. Celeste swatted his hand away. ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me.¡± Her tone sounded fine¨Cso she probably didn¡¯t care anymore. That put him at ease. Just then, Trevor arrived. With him were Beck and Miles. Beck and Miles were clearly surprised to see Celeste there. They both looked at her in shock. Celeste, however, remained expressionless, sparing them only a nce before looking away. Trevor was polite as he greeted them. ¡°Thank you all for your hard work.¡± ¡°Mr Fleming, should we begin now?¡± Henry asked. ¡°Wait a moment, we¡¯re still waiting for someone.¡± Trevor checked his watch. ¡°I¡¯ll head upstairs to take a look. Please wait a bit.¡± With that, he left. Celeste didn¡¯t overthink things. Instead, she knew the person Trevor was waiting for was Wynn. Which meant that they couldn¡¯t begin the test until Wynn finished her meeting and came downstairs. Matthias obviously realized this too¨Che clenched his jaw, barely holding back a curse. Soon enough, Trevor and Wynn came downstairs. And tagging along with them was Linda. Linda wasn¡¯t surprised to see Celeste. Wynn had already told her in advance. Seeing Celeste¨CTrevor¡¯s wife¨Creduced to standing around like a subordinate, waiting for Wynn toe down before she could continue working, Linda¡¯s gaze carried a hint of mockery and satisfaction. Celeste didn¡¯t bother questioning why Linda was at InnovaTech in professional attire. She simply looked away indifferently. Wynn, meanwhile, politely apologized, ¡°Sorry to keep everyone waiting.¡± Her apology was sincere. However, when she spoke, her eyes only met those of Jorge, his group, and Matthias- never once looking at Celeste. The Scent of 149 Wynn didn¡¯t even spare Celeste a nce. Clearly, Celeste wasn¡¯t included in her apology. Jorge wasn¡¯t paying attention to Celeste at all, so he naturally didn¡¯t notice these details. He simply said, ¡°It was just a few minutes, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°How generous of you, Mr. Robinson,¡± Matthias stood up, his tone chilly. ¡°Now that everyone¡¯s here, let¡¯s not waste any more of our time. Let¡¯s get started.¡± Trevor maintained his politeness. ¡°That was our mistake, Mr. Yoder. Please, go ahead.¡± Matthias let out a cold huff, grabbed Celeste, and walked out of the meeting room first. Trevor saw how closely Matthias held onto Celeste, but he quickly looked away, showing no reaction, as if he didn¡¯t care. However, Beck nced at them a couple more times. Among the group, Trevor and Wynn were undoubtedly the center of attention. When they arrived at the test track, the staff respectfully reported, ¡°Mr. Fleming, Ms. Locket, everything is ready.¡± The way they acted made it clear they regarded Wynn as the boss¡¯s wife. ¡°Start the test,¡± Trevor ordered. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± They could clearly observe the driving conditions through the monitors. After the test driver had sessfullypleted a round, the staff asked if Trevor and Wynn wanted to experience it firsthand. Trevor agreed. So, he and Wynn got into the same car. On the monitors, they could be seen chatting happily. When they looked at each other, their gazes seemed practically intertwined. Celeste watched the screen without looking away, her expression calm. Matthias, on the other hand, looked thoroughly disgusted. Miles also wanted to try and was about to ask Beck when Linda approached him. ¡°Mr. Harper, shall we- Before she could finish, Beck cut her off. ¡°You guys go ahead. I¡¯m not interested.¡± Linda choked on her words. Meanwhile, Henry turned to Matthias and Celeste. ¡°Mr. Yoder, Ms. Rodriguez, would you like to give it a try?¡± They knew the car¡¯s specs better than most of the InnovaTech staff. They had originally nned to try it, but now, after everything that had happened, they were already fuming. What was the point? Matthias snorted. ¡°No thanks.¡± Celeste chuckled and leaned in to whisper to him about the car¡¯s engine specs. Then she asked, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to try it?¡± Matthias red at her. ¡°How do you know all this?¡± Celeste touched her nose. ¡°I happened to nce at the data they brought over earlier.¡± Having a good memory had its perks. Matthias¡® mood instantly improved. ¡°Go back and replicate it with me.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± With that, she pulled him into the car. Half an hourter, they were done with the test. Trevor said, ¡°Thank you all for your hard work today. How about we grab a meal together?¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Jorge answered. Matthias scoffed and said tly, ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re busy. Enjoy your meal. We have things to do, so we¡¯ll be heading out first.¡± Trevor nodded. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s do it another time.¡± Then, he turned to Henry. ¡°See Mr. Yoder and Ms. Rodriguez out.¡± Henry quickly responded, ¡°Of course.¡± Matthias curled his lips in mockery but didn¡¯t say anything. He simply walked out with Celeste. Meanwhile, Xavier lowered his voice and whispered to Jorge, ¡°Why do I get the feeling that Matthias really can¡¯t stand Mr. Fleming and his people?¡± Jorge had already noticed this thest time they ran into them here. Back then, he thought maybe he was overthinking it and that Matthia The Scent of 150 As they left InnovaTech and got into the car, Matthias was still fuming. Something suddenly urred to him, and he turned to Celeste. ¡°By the way, who was that woman in the business suit standing behind Wynn? She looked at you strangely. Do you two know each other?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Wynn¡¯s cousin.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s already bad enough that Trevor brought Wynn into InnovaTech, but he actually took in her family too? At this rate, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if InnovaTech changes its name to Locket in a few months.¡± Celeste felt the same way. But she simply hummed a response. Given how much Trevor adored Wynn, she wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if he handed InnovaTech over to her entirely. Letting the Shaw family work at InnovaTech was nothing. Matthias decided to stop talking about it before he got even more frustrated. That night, Celeste and Matthias stayed outte, working on replicating the engine specs of Trevor¡¯s self¨Cdriving car. On the way home, snow began to fall. When they arrived, Celeste was just about to take a shower when her phone rang. It was Trevor. She ignored the call, picked up her clothes, and went into the bathroom. When she came out, she checked her phone and saw that Trevor had called twice. Since she didn¡¯t answer, he had sent a message. ¡°Jordyn has a parent¨Cteacher meeting tomorrow.¡± Celeste read it and typed a short reply, ¡°I¡¯m not avable tomorrow.¡± Then, she put her phone aside and didn¡¯t think about it anymore. Meanwhile, Trevor was busy while Jordyn was ying with his phone. When she saw Celeste¡¯s reply. She lit up with excitement. ¡°Dad! Mom said she¡¯s not avable tomorrow! That means can ask Wynn to go to my parent¨Cteacher meeting, right?¡± Without looking up, Trevor responded with a simple hum. ¡°Yay! Awesome!¡± Jordyn jumped up from the couch, cheering and iling her arms in excitement. Trevor added, ¡°I will be going too.¡± Jordyn grinned. ¡°I know! If Wynn is going, of course, you¡¯d go too.¡± The next day at YodaVision, Celeste was at work, discussing a project with Yandel, when her phone suddenly chimed. It was a message from Jordyn¡¯s homeroom teacher: ¡°Mrs. Fleming, will you be attending today¡¯s parent¨Cteacher meeting for Jordyn?¡± Celeste saw the message and replied, ¡°I¡¯m busy. I won¡¯t be attending.¡± A whileter, the teacher sent another message: ¡°Jordyn¡¯s father and another woman came to the meeting in your ce today¡­¡± Attached to the message was a photo. In the picture, Trevor and Wynn were sitting together. Jordyn sat beside Wynn, clinging affectionately to her arm. Celeste wasn¡¯t surprised. After all, Jordyn had been hoping she wouldn¡¯t go and that Wynn would take her ce. Since Wynn was attending in her stead, how could Trevor possibly let Wynn go alone? While the teacher seemed concerned for her, Celeste simply replied, ¡°I know, it¡¯s fine. Thank you, Ms. Alper.¡± Then, she put her phone down and went back to work. Busy days always passed quickly. Before she knew it, it was Friday. That morning, not long after she woke up, she got a call from Beck. He said that Shanice wanted to go camping. Celeste paused. ¡°The kind where we stay overnight?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Beck reassured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll arrange for security. I¡¯ll prepare everything¨Csleeping bags, tents, heaters. You just need to show up.¡± The Scent of 151 ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste went back to the Rodriguez residence for a meal on Saturday morning. She asked Ivan about the new project. After confirming there were no issues with the new project. Celeste finally felt at ease. At 2:00 pm, she drove to the campsite.¡± Beck and Shanice had just arrived as well when she did. Beck¡¯s people were working on pitching the tents and preparing the grill. It had been showing for the past few days. Thus, there was a thickyer of snow stretching across the mountains. The moment she arrived, Shanice tugged at her excitedly, saying she wanted to build a snowman together. Celeste used to build snowmen with Jordyn as well. Hence, it wasn¡¯t aplicated task for Celeste. Before long, Celeste and Shanice put together a small snowman. Shanice even prepared a scarf for the snowman. When the snowman was done, she asked the helpers to look for the scarf and carrot for her. Beck walked up to Celeste. Celeste didn¡¯t say anything upon seeing him. Beck crouched beside her and asked, ¡°So, are you working in YodaVision now?¡± Celeste was still making some final touches to the snowman. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Beck recalled their encounter at InnovaTech. Her cold, dismissive attitude toward Trevor and Wynn made it seem like she had already moved on. ¡°When did you start working there?¡± he asked. Celeste replied, ¡°It has been a while now.¡± Beck wanted to dig deeper into the details, but Celeste was clearly not in the mood for it. Thus, he changed the topic. ¡°Just a total of five times.¡± Celeste paused for a moment. She knew he was asking her to apany Shanice a total of five times. ¡°Okay,¡± she answered. Shanice took two scarves over. She suggested building a bigger one next to it, so the two could stand together- one big, one small, just like her and Celeste. She even asked Beck to help them out. Beck quietly did as she asked. When the big snowman was done, Shanice asked Beck to take a photo of her and Celeste together with the snowmen. Beck took out his phone. Watching Celeste¡¯s smile through the screen, he snapped several photos in a row. Time slipped away quickly in the midst of theirughter and fun. By the time they finished taking the photos, the sky had turned dark. The smell of grilled food drifted through the air, and the tents glowed softly in the evening TED BUNUS Chanter 151 light Beck asked, ¡°Would you like some of these?¡± Celeste nodded, Then, he handed a couple of skewers to her. The campsite was bustling with winter campers. Though the tents weren¡¯t overcrowded, the energy of the c¨¦ made it feel alive. There was also a bonfire party scheduled forter in the evening. ¡°Shall we go to the bonfire party?¡± Beck asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine either way,¡± Celeste said. Just when Beck was about to speak, his phone rang suddenly. It was a call from Miles. Beck walked off to a quieter spot to take the call. Miles said through the phone, ¡°Let¡¯s get some drinks tonight.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass. You guys can go ahead.¡± ¡°Why¡­¡± At that moment, Shanice ran over with a skewer in her hand. ¡°Uncle Beck, this grilled chicken is for you!¡± Beck stooped down and took the skewer from Shanice. Miles heard Shanice¡¯s voice. ¡°Are you having a barbecue?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Where are you ¡°Outside,¡± he replied in a t tone. ¡°I went camping.¡± ¡°Damn, that¡¯s genius! Heavy snow, camping, snowball fights, and a bonfire sound like the perfect n. Why didn¡¯t I think of it?¡± As Miles¡® words fell, it hit him, and he added, ¡°Wait, you went camping without telling us?¡± Beck answered nonchntly, ¡°I won¡¯t forget next time.¡± ¡°Wait, wait. Thedy Shanice mentioned is there, too, right? Where are you guys? I¡¯ll head over right away. No, actually, let me tell Trevor as well. We can all¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m hanging up now,¡± Beck interrupted. Beck hung up the call before Miles could speak. Today¡¯s Bonus Offer The Scent of 152 The sky was nowpletely dark, and the mountain air had turned even colder. After hanging up the call, Beck turned around and walked back to their tent. He saw Celeste and Shanice huddled together, sharing food and conversation. Hence, he went into the tent and returned with two warm coats¨Cone big, one small. He passed the big coat to Celeste. She said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m not cold¡­¡± ¡°Just drape it over your shoulder.¡± Beck unfolded the coat and casually wrapped it around her, then made sure Shanice was bundled up in the small one. Celeste hadn¡¯t really felt cold, but with the coat blocking most of the mountain wind, it was undeniably warmer, so she chose not to refuse. They went to the bonfire party after dinner, As they approached, someone blurted out, ¡°Oh my, this little family is almost too good¨Clooking to be real!¡± Celeste paused for a brief moment and exined, ¡°We¡¯re not a family.¡± The group of people chuckled among themselves. They joked that even though the three weren¡¯t a family yet, it was only a matter of time until they became one. Then, Shanice wandered off to y with kids her age. Everyone else was there with their close friends and family, sitting in groups chatting, ying games, building snowmen, and having snowball fights¨Cit was a lively scene. Celeste wasn¡¯t close with Beck. Hence, they went quiet after Shanice ran off to y with the others. Well, there wasn¡¯t much to talk about, anyway. Any talk of family that touched on Trevor and Wynn was a sore spot for Celeste. Work talk? That might stir up memories of what had happened in InnovaTech. Atst, Beck asked, ¡°Settled in at YodaVision yet?¡± Celeste found the conversation dull, but she had no intention of getting too involved with Beck So, the quiet between them was just the way she liked it. When Beck asked that question, she was toying with dried grass, shaping it into a butterfly. ¡°Yes, I have,¡± she answered in a t tone. ¡°Matthias seemed to be looking out quite a lot for you, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You studied Al in college?¡± She gave a quiet hum in response. ¡°How did you and Matthias meet?¡± Celeste remained silent. Beck could tell that Celeste wasn¡¯t keen on chatting with him. She had always maintained this level of distance with him. He knew the reason, so he let it be. In the middle of everything, he answered a few calls at a quieter spot. By the time he got back, it was alreadyte. Celeste weaved a few butterflies with the dried leaves. Shanice loved them so much that she carefully kept them all in her pocket. Her smile froze upon seeing Shanice like that. Once, Jordyn had been just as enthusiastic as Shanice in everything Celeste did. But it was all in the past now. That night, Shanice insisted on sleeping together with Celeste. Beck turned to Celeste, silently waiting for her take. She agreed to it. Thus, Shanice snuggled into her warmth, looking content. They were technically sleeping together¨Cjust under the same tent. Besides, they slept separately in their own sleeping bags, so there was no way Shanice could get Celeste to cuddle her tonight. Shanice was prone to sickness. And after a night of strong winds, she woke up the next morning with a cold. Celeste didn¡¯t sleep wellst night, either. She woke up looking drained. Beck decided to bring Shanice to the hospital. Celeste, on the other hand, wanted to drive back on her own. Then, Shanice clung to Celeste, whining for her to go to the hospital with her. Seeing how sickly Shanice looked, Celeste gave in. They hopped onto Beck¡¯s car. Shortly after, they both fell asleep. Beck¡¯s gaze fell on Celeste¡¯s delicate face. He instinctively wanted to tuck the few strands of hair on her face away. But when hershes fluttered slightly, he withdrew his hand at thest second. The Scent of 153 Celeste dozed off for a few minutes in the car. She couldn¡¯t rest well. As she opened her eyes and noticed Beck pulling his hand back, she didn¡¯t dwell on it and simply asked, ¡°Are we there yet?¡± ¡°Almost.¡± Two minutester, their car pulled up in front of the hospital. Beck got out of the car with Shanice in his arms. Do you need someone to send you back?¡± he asked Celeste. She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can drive back.¡± Beck didn¡¯t insist. When Celeste almost reached home, her phone rang. It was a text from Trevor. He texted, ¡°Grandma will be visiting your Grannyter, and she asked us three to go to the Rodriguez residence together.¡± She had to respond to the text. Hence, she gave Trevor a call. He picked up right away. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Pll go and pick Jordyn up now,¡± Celeste said. She didn¡¯t think Trevor would want to go back to the Rodriguez residence with her, and that was why she said that. After all, he had beening up with different kinds of excuses whenever she asked him to head back with her. Besides, her family members probably weren¡¯t keen on seeing him either. Trevor paused for two seconds and went on, ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Celeste hung up the call and drove to his vi. When she arrived at the vi, Jordyn was already waiting for her, carrying a small backpack. As soon as Jordyn spotted Celeste, she snuggled close to Trevor, staying still and avoiding eye contact. Thus, Celeste thought Jordyn was still upset at her for not bringing her to skist week. Trevor looked up, staring at Celeste. ¡°Didn¡¯t you sleep wellst night?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t expect him to ask her that at all. It was probably because she hadn¡¯t put on any makeup, and her hair was a bit messy, making her exhaustion a little to obvious. Nonchntly, she hummed a reply. She didn¡¯t n to exin it in detail. Just then, Peter asked, ¡°Are you having trouble sleeping? We have some great incense here. I¡¯ll leave it in your roomter.¡± Celeste then exined, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Peter. I don¡¯t have trouble sleeping. I went campingst night, and I wasn¡¯t used to sleeping in a tent.¡± Peter furrowed his brows. ¡°Camping in this cold winter? I hope you don¡¯t catch a cold, though.¡± Celeste replied with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s fun, actually. You can have snowball fights, build snowmen, and y hide¨Cand- seek around the bonfire.¡± Everyone else at the campsitest night did have a wonderful time. And she was quite envious of them. Upon hearing that, Trevor put away the newspaper. His gaze lingered on her, filled with thought.. Jordyn, on the other hand, became even more upset. Thest time she got mad, Celeste didn¡¯t even bother to cheer her up. How could Celeste not take her camping when it was such a fun thing to do? Jordyn dragged her backpack and jumped off the couch. With a snort, she bolted up the stairs. Seeing that, Celeste frowned. Before she could speak, Trevor said in a t tone. ¡°Come back here, Jo.¡± Trevor¡¯s tone showed no signs of anger. Still, Jordyn instantly froze in ce. She pursed her lips, turned around, and stood frozen. Trevor nced at her. Secondster, Jordyn lowered her head and trudged back, dragging her small backpack. Yet she didn¡¯t walk to Celeste. Instead, she went to Trevor and tugged at his hand. ¡°Can youe along too, Dad?¡± she asked sweetly. The Scent of 154 Trevor didn¡¯t look at Celeste. He gently rubbed Jordyn¡¯s nose. ¡°I¡¯m busy, Jo. Be a good girl and listen to Mom, okay?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Jordyn replied nonchntly. She cast Celeste a look and walked to her. Then, she extended her hand, signaling Celeste to grasp it. This was basically her initiating the reconciliation. Celeste took her hand, exchanged a quick greeting with Peter, and left. By the time they reached the Rodriguez residence, Martha had been there for a while. When Martha noticed Trevor¡¯s absence, she frowned. ¡°Where¡¯s Trevor? Busy again?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Celeste replied. Martha took out her phone angrily, wanting to give Trevor a call. On the other hand, Betty felt that there was no need for Trevor to be here after knowing Celeste and Trevor were about to get a divorce. Hence, Betty stopped Martha. ¡°He¡¯s tied up with work, I get it. You don¡¯t need to force him toe.¡± Jordyn and Hector went upstairs to y games. And Celeste was chatting with both Betty and Martha. ne with the Martha was so impressed by the two new art pieces Betty had made. When she found out they were done exquisite schr¡¯s writing set Celeste had given Betty on her birthday, she showed a great interest in it. She was very fascinated by the writing set when she finally saw it herself. Then, she asked, ¡°What about Trevor? He wouldn¡¯t have forgotten to prepare anything for your birthday, would he?¡± ¡°He did get me something.¡± Betty became a little upset whenever she mentioned Trevor Still, she said, ¡°He gave me a gorgeous emerald jewelry set, and the embroidery painting he brought on behalf of you is just as impressive.¡± Martha chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Looks like he listened to me after all.¡± Celeste stayed quiet as she listened to them chat. After staying in the study for a while, Martha and Betty headed out to the courtyard for some tea. Betty stared at the house across from them. ¡°Oh, by the way, Isn¡¯t it weird that the renovations for the house just stopped unexpectedly? The renovations were going on day and night; and I thought the owner was in a rush to move in.¡± Martha smiled as she replied, ¡°Maybe something happened, and they ended up not moving in.¡± ¡°Well, maybe.¡± Celeste wanted to get rid of the house at first, but she was worried it might end up in the hands of someone from the Lockets or the Shaws. Hence, she didn¡¯t do anything about it. Besides, given that the Shaws were involved, she didn¡¯t feel like going in to check the house out. As a result, it was simply put aside. Just then, Celeste sneezed, a cold shiver running down her spine. Martha and Betty asked in unison, ¡°Are you okay? Did you catch a cold?¡± Celeste grabbed a tissue to wipe her nose. ¡°Maybe,¡± She likely caught a cold Wynn. The two of them were just having a joyful conversation about anything and everything. Momentster, Celeste received a call from Lottie, saying that she had bumped into Trevor again, who was dining with the Lockets. ¡°Seriously, why is it always me who runs into this kind of thing? I don¡¯t want it at all!¡± Lottie eximed. Then, she asked Celeste where she was. ¡°I¡¯m at my Granny¡¯s. ¡°You went back alone?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m here with Mrs. Fleming Senior.¡± Lottie understood right away. ¡°Oh, so instead of going back to the Rodriguez residence with you, Trevor is apanying Wynn¡¯s family now?¡± The Scent of 155 Celeste remained silent. She sneezed again after hanging up the call. Adeline was worried Celeste might have a cold. Hence, she cooked chicken soup for Celeste. After drinking it, she felt her head getting heavier, and before long, she was fast asleep. Celeste then realized she had a fever after waking up. Moreover, she was running a high fever, and her head felt all woozy. Jordyn approached her, looking worried. ¡°Are you sick, Mom?¡± Celeste murmured a response. Martha was worried about her as well. She suggested bringing Celeste back to Fleming Manor to see their family doctor, Bill, who would help her recover quickly. Betty, too, thought that the illness had hit Celeste too suddenly, so she urged Celeste to go back with Martha to see Bill. Soon, they arrived at Fleming Manor. Bill came over and gave Celeste some medication. After taking the medicine, Celeste headed upstairs and quickly dozed off again. When she woke up, she felt a lot less sluggish. She opened her eyes, only to realize the smallmp beside her was on. Turning around, she saw Trevor sitting there, reading. She was stunned for a brief moment. It then dawned on her that she was at Fleming Manor, in Trevor¡¯s room, the ce where he had spent his childhood. Hearing a sound, Trevor turned and asked, ¡°You¡¯re awake? With her throat sore and her mood low, Celeste didn¡¯t feel like speaking, so she kept silent. She put on a jacket, wanting to get out of bed. Just then, Trevor handed her a ss of water. Celeste paused briefly, then took it after a couple of seconds without a word of thanks. Trevor just shrugged it off. He extended his hand to her forehead. Even with a foggy mind, she wasn¡¯t slow, and she dodged his hand in time. Trevor hesitated, pulled back his hand, and got up. ¡°Bill is still downstairs. I¡¯ll go get him for you.¡± Without a reply from her, he went straight downstairs. Momentster, Bill, Martha, Trevor, and Jordyn all came to her room. Bill assessed Celeste¡¯s condition and said she was recovering well, though she still had to keep taking her medicine. He exined that her body was weak, and stress made her prone to falling ill when exposed to cold. weather. A good nutritional boost would help her regain her strength. Celeste nodded. ¡°Are you hungry, Cel?¡± Martha asked. Celeste wasn¡¯t feeling great at noon, so she hardly ate and went straight to bed. It was gettingte, and while she felt hungry, she had little appetite. Martha convinced her to have a few bites. Hence, she asked Trevor to go to the kitchen and get Celeste the dinner they had prepared for her. With that, Trevor went downstairs again. Then, he came back up with a tray of food. Martha and Bill left. Trevor, however, stayed in the room. While Celeste was having her dinner, he was reading. Celeste cast him a nce and realized he was reading the book she had read in the hot spring retreat. It wasn¡¯t until now that she realized he still had her book. She furrowed her brows. ¡°You¡­¡± Trevor replied with a smile, ¡°I spent about half an hour reading it that day and found some of your ideas really interesting. They gave me some new perspectives, so I kept the book, and I skim through it asionally.¡± Celeste bit her lip, ignoring him. She didn¡¯t have much of an appetite before, and now it waspletely gone. Trevor propped his chin up and observed her. ¡°Even after all these years, you still don¡¯t know how to fight back? Celeste turned away. He sighed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave you alone. Eat up. LZA BUNUS The Scent of 156 Celeste made it clear in the divorce agreement that she wouldn¡¯t take anything Since it didn¡¯t involve property division or custody of Jordyn, she assumed Trevor would quickly proceed with finalizing the divorce. However, it had been almost three months since she had handed him the agreement and left the country, and he still hadn¡¯t responded. With that in mind, Celeste looked up, wanting to ask Trevor about it. Just then, someone knocked on the door. Tucker¡¯s voice broke the silence. ¡°I heard you¡¯re sick, Celeste. Are you feeling better now?¡± Trevor responded before Celeste could, ¡°Come in.¡± With all the peopleing and going just now, the door was left ajar. Upon hearing Trevor¡¯s voice, Tucker entered the room. ¡°Hi Trev.¡± ¡°Hello, Tucker.¡± Tucker¡¯s gaze settled on Celeste. They hadn¡¯t spent much time together, and though Celeste knew he was concerned, he wasn¡¯t sure what to say. So, she spoke first. ¡°I¡¯m feeling much better now.¡± Tucker rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Oh, okay. That¡¯s good to hear.¡± ¡°It has been a while since you came back, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Celeste asked with a smile. ¡°Yes, it has. I missed the food here, so I decided toe back for a bit. Just as I got back, Grandma told me you were running a fever.¡± At that moment, Martha came up as well. She felt more at ease when she saw Celeste looking better. ¡°The soup is ready, and Bill said you can have some. Would you rathere down for it, or should I ask Trevor to bring it up?¡± Celeste barely ate and wasn¡¯t feeling hungry anymore. The room felt a bit stuffy to her, and she didn¡¯t want to stay in, so she joined them downstairs. As they came downstairs and didn¡¯t see Jordyn, Tucker asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Jo?¡± ¡°She had something earlier and can¡¯t have anymore soup at the moment. Let her have it a littleter,¡± Celeste sat down at the table. She took the bowl from the butler, cooled the broth with soft breaths, and had it slowly. Trevor took a seat beside her. When he received a text, he subtly turned to the side, creating some distance, and started texting back¨Cperhaps to keep her from seeing. Celeste watched in silence, slowly drinking her soup. Unable to tolerate it any longer, Martha said, ¡°Can¡¯t you wait until you finish the soup?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be quick,¡± Trevor replied. Celeste finished the soup in no time. Martha asked, ¡°Do you want some more?¡± Celeste shook her head and stood up. ¡°I¡¯m good, thank you Although Trevor shifted his body slightly, she still caught a glimpse of his conversation with Wynn. He seemed to be advising Wynn on a project. Noticing her attention, Trevor scooted a bit farther. Celeste had already averted her gaze. She made her way to the living room, sat down, and read through the newspaper. Moments , Tucker walked over with a te of freshly washed fruit and offered them to her. Celeste looked up. ¡°No thanks, you have it.¡± Then, she realized Trevor was walking upstairs, his phone still in his hand. She turned away. Tucker sat down beside her, casting her a quick look. Celeste noticed it. Thus, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not as smart as you and my brother, and I¡¯m not the best at studying. I need help with a few physics questions.¡± Celeste was taken aback for a moment. Before she could speak, Tucker continued, ¡°I was going to ask my but he said he had something to do and told me to ask you instead.¡± The Scent of 157 Celeste paused for a brief moment and took Tucker¡¯s test papers over. Tucker had a good academic record and a strong foundation Celeste skimmed through the questions and gave him a bit of guidance, and he understood right away. ¡°Whoa, you¡¯re amazing! Thanks, Celeste!¡± Once it clicked, Tucker casually crouched at the coffee table and began answering the questions. As soon as he finished, he kept away the test papers and pens. ¡°Okay, I can get back to my phone now!¡± Celeste smiled, set aside the newspaper she had almost finished, and, feeling a bit more refreshed, decided to head upstairs for a book to kill some time. Then, Tucker leaned in and whispered, ¡°My dream girl was in another car race recently, Celeste, and she was even cooler this time. I got a video. Wanna watch?¡± The smile on Celeste¡¯s face faded a little. ¡°I¡¯ll pass, I¡¯m not really into car racing ¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Tucker was slightly surprised when he heard that. He brought it up because he thought Celeste was interested in it. ¡°You were watching the race through the binocrs for so long that day. I really thought you were into it too.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°I wasn¡¯t watching the race. I just saw a few people I know.¡± Since she clearly wasn¡¯t interested, Tucker dropped the subject. He turned back to Wynn¡¯s race rey,menting as he watched, ¡°I heard she¡¯s not participating in the next race. I missed seeing her race, though. When will I get to see her again if she¡¯s not racing this time¡± Tucker sighed ¡°I¡¯m heading upstairs to get a book,¡± Celeste interrupted. ¡°Okay!¡± Brimming with energy, Tucker responded, ¡°d you¡¯re doing better, Celeste, but you should still take it easy!¡± ¡°Thank you, I will.¡± As soon as she finished her sentence, she stood up and went upstairs. Trevor wasn¡¯t in the room when she went back to the room. Celeste noticed the book Trevor had taken. It was on the table. She went to take it and put it back into her bag. She used to bring one to two books over whenever she came to stay the night. But she didn¡¯t manage to find the books in the room. Thinking that they might be in Jordyn¡¯s room, she turned and walked to Jordyn¡¯s room. Jordyn didn¡¯t close the door. Just as Celeste was approaching her room, Jordyn¡¯s voice drifted out. ¡°I¡¯m so bored, Wynn! Stay and chat with me for a bit.¡± Celeste stopped in her tracks and leaned against the wall. Secondster, Jordyn chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Wynn. I¡¯ll make sure to have the soupter! ¡°Okay, goodbye, Wynn!¡± She even blew kisses to Wynn. Jordyn didn¡¯t leave her room right away after hanging up the call. Celeste¡¯s throat was still ufortable from being sick. She let out a few coughs before stepping into Jordyn¡¯s room. That was when Jordyn finally looked up. She was sprawled on the bed, swinging her legs back and forth in delight. When she saw Celeste, she hopped out of bed. ¡°Why are you here, Mom?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for a book,¡± Celeste replied in a t tone. Jordyn walked to her and grabbed her hand. ¡°Nana said the soup is ready. Do you want to head downstairs together, Mom?¡± Celeste withdrew her hand. ¡°I¡¯ve had the soup already. If you haven¡¯t yet, go get yours downstairs.¡± After finishing the call with Wynn, Jordyn was in such a good mood that she didn¡¯t pick up on anything off about Celeste. ¡°I¡¯ll head downstairs now then!¡± Celeste only murmured a soft reply. The Scent of 158 Celeste found her book after Jordyn had left. With the book in hand, she sat by therge window on the second floor and started reading. Half an hourter, Martha brought up a bowl of herbal medicine. ¡°Oh, there you are, Cel.¡± Celeste put away her book and took the bowl. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to bring it up, Grandma. I would¡¯ve down if you¡¯d called me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better for you to rest rather than walk around too much.¡± Martha sat down on the other couch. Frustrated, sheined, ¡°I wanted to ask Trevor to bring this up for you, but he was busy tapping away on the keyboard in the study. It¡¯s the weekend. What¡¯s keeping him so busy?¡± Earlier, Trevor had been walking Wynn through some project work. Hence, Celeste assumed he went to the study since it¡¯d be easier to type on a keyboard. Remaining silent, she took the bowl and drank it. The medicine had cooled in the cold air, and Celeste downed it in just a few gulps. Martha wrinkled her brow.¡± That¡¯s so bitter, Cel. Take it slow.¡± Celeste set the bowl aside. ¡°It¡¯s not too bad, really.¡± She rinsed her mouth with a sip of water, and Martha handed her a piece of candy. Celeste didn¡¯t eat it. Dinner was almost ready. Since Celeste had had her dinner just now, she decided to continue reading. Martha then went downstairs for dinner. About half an hourter, Martha and Jordyn came upstairs with grim expressions. ¡°Trevor is still heading to the office at this hour. He¡¯s going to burn himself out!¡± Martha said with a stern face. Engrossed in her reading, Celeste hadn¡¯t even noticed the noise of the car outside. If Trevor was going out at this hour, it must be an issue with Wynn¡¯s project that he had been helping her with. Jordyn flopped onto Celeste¡¯sp, pouting ¡°Dad refused to bring me along¡± Trevor clearly wasn¡¯t going to bring her along. If he did, everyone at InnovaTech would know he was married¨Cand that he had a daughter this old. It would be so humiliating for Wynn. There was no way Trevor would allow Wynn to be criticized Celeste pushed Jordyn away lightly. ¡°I¡¯m still sick, Jo. Go sit somewhere else.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Since Celeste was still feeling a little unwell, she washed up and went to bed at around 10:00 pm. The next morning, she realized Trevor had stayed outst night. Thanks to Bill, Celeste recovered quickly. Martha had Bill check on Celeste again, and he prescribed two more doses of medicine to help with her recovery. Celeste nned to return to work, and Martha realized she couldn¡¯t talk her out of it. Hence, she insisted that Celestee back in the evening to take her medicine, saying she wasn¡¯t able to brew it herself. Seeing the determined look on Martha¡¯s face, Celeste had no choice but to agree. Jordyn asked Celeste to send her to school, and thetter rejected. ¡°Next time, Jo. I didn¡¯t drive here.¡± She shrugged. ¡°You can drive Dad¡¯s car, Mom! I¡¯ll give Dad a call now. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯ll say yes to this.¡± Without a reply from Celeste, Jordyn called Trevor, It didn¡¯t take long before the call connected. Upon hearing the voice, Jordyn almost called out the person¡¯s name. However, when she noticed Celeste was staring at her, she swallowed her words. With a ¡°forget it¡°, Jordyn ended the call. Jordyn assumed she had hidden it well, but Celeste caught how she had almost blurted out Wynn¡¯s name when the call connected. The Scent of 159 Clearly, it was Wynn who answered the call. Jordyn felt a little ufortable lying right in front of Celeste. ¡°Mom, how about you take me to school next. time?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Okay,¡± Celeste and Tucker were going the same way, so they shared a car. Having missed his morning study session, Tucker made up for it by studying in the car. Celeste noticed his hesitations and gently corrected him on a couple of points. Tucker gave her a thumbs up. ¡°You¡¯ve got a sharp memory Celeste!¡± They arrived at Tucker¡¯s high school. Celeste, too, graduated from the same high school. The familiar campus brought back a flood of memories for er. Her thoughts were cut short as Tucker quickly got out of the car. ¡°Bye, Celeste!¡± ¡°See you.¡± The car rejoined the bustling road. Arriving at YodaVision, Matthias pinched her cheek lightly ¡°Your face looks pale. Are you sick?¡± ¡°Yeah, I was running a fever yesterday,¡± ¡°And you still came to work today?¡± Celeste shrugged. ¡°But I¡¯m feeling much better now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m heading to InnovaTechter. Do you want to follow?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Celeste replied as she went through thetest test data ¡°Alright, I¡¯lle to youter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste noticed some problems with two sets of data, so she went to Yandel to have them corrected. Matthias came to her when she was about to go through the documents on her desk, telling her it was time to go. Once they arrived at InnovaTech, they didn¡¯t waste time with pleasantries, Jumping right into work. About an hourter, when the work was mostly done, Henry handed them a cup of coffee each. Matthias took a sip of the coffee andmented, ¡°This coffee is really good, even richer than the ones I¡¯ve had before. Looks like yourpany¡¯s benefits are getting better and better.¡± With that, Henry shed a mischievous grin. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Ms. Locket.¡± Matthias rolled his eyes. ¡°Wynn again?¡± he thought. He ced the cup back on the table and nced at Celeste ¡°I¡¯m thirsty,¡± Celeste uttered as she continued to sip on the coffee. Matthias was at a loss for words. Henry¡¯s penchant for gossip was still evident. ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr. Heming give Ms. Locket full control over a project?¡± Matthias nodded. Henry went on, ¡°Ms. Locket¡¯s probably a bit anxious since it¡¯s her first big project, so her team has been working overtime during the weekend. I heard they were working until past 10:00 pmst night.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Matthias responded coldly. ¡°Honestly, don¡¯t you think she¡¯s quite dedicated and responsible? She didn¡¯t treat the project as a game just because she¡¯s Mr. Fleming¡¯s girlfriend.¡± Matthias scoffed. ¡°Could it be that shecks the skills, which is why she needs so many people working overtime with her?¡± Henry knew what he was talking about. ¡°It takes time for people to improve, right?¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Matthias said nonchntly. He nced at Celeste. ¡°When Cel led her first big project at thepany, she managed it with impressive poise from beginning to end.¡± After working with Celeste a few times, Henry discovered that Celeste was way more capable than Matthias. Hence, he believed what Matthias had just said. He then added, ¡°At least she has a great attitude. With that, plus Mr. Fleming¡¯s support, she¡¯s sure to aplish great things down the road.¡± Chapter TEO Ch The Scent of 160 apter 160 Then, Henry sighed. ¡°Ms. Locket sure is lucky, huh?¡± Without waiting for a reply from Celeste and Matthias, Henry leaned in and whispered, ¡°Even though Ms. Locket¡¯s team worked over the weekend, the project wasn¡¯t progressing much. Last night, Mr. Fleming came back to the office around 7:00 pm to help her with the key aspect of the project, and things finally started to progress. ¡°And, here¡¯s the thing: ¡± Henry continued, ¡°Apparently, Mr. Fleming and Ms. Locket spent the night in the office upstairs, and they haven¡¯t gotten out of bed yet.¡± As his words fell, he shot Matthias a teasing look, raising an eyebrow. Matthias instantly grasped what Henry was implying Basically, Henry was saying thatst night, after Trevor and Wynn finished work, they were at the office upstairs and¡­ Matthias covered Celeste¡¯s ears immediately. ¡°Oh dear, what did I just hear?¡± Celeste had heard it all. It was a little toote to cover her ears. Besides, it was Wynn who had answered the call when Jordyn called Trevor this morning. That exined everything. Just as Matthias was about to speak, Wynn appeared out of nowhere. He withdrew his hands and scoffed. ¡°Didn¡¯t they already get up now?¡± Henry noticed Wynn, too. Awkwardly, he let out a few dry coughs. ¡°Yeah, it seems like they did.¡± Wynn appeared in good spirits, though she looked quite exhausted. She had been working overtime for the past few days, and she had spent the night upstairs with Trevor¡­ Henry shifted his gaze away in a stiff manner. Given everything, it was normal for her to be tired. After Wynn gave Matthias a quick nod, she joined her team for a meeting. Having rested for a while, Celeste and Matthias dove back into work. When it was almost lunch break, they talked about where to grab a meal. Just then, Trevor came in. He nced at Celeste and then quickly looked away and went into the meeting room to meet with Wynn. Everyone stood up and greeted him when they saw him entering. Wynn, however, remained in her seat. She looked up and smiled at Trevor. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Trevor nodded and asked, ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a clearer picture now, and things are starting toe together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Trevor replied. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to your helpst night,¡± said Wynn Trevor shed her a smile. ¡°It¡¯s the least I could do.!! Then, he turned to everyone else. ¡°Thanks for pushing through thest couple of days. Let¡¯s get together for a mealter.¡± He was offering to treat them to a meal. Hearing this, everyone in Wynn¡¯s team was excited, realizing how many advantages there were to working with her. Suddenly, Wynn asked, ¡°Shall we ask Mr. Yoder as well?¡± In other words, Wynn was suggesting to invite Matthias, Celeste, and Henry, along with their team members, for a meal. Though Trevor proposed a meal, Wynn was thinking of inviting others as well. Such suggestions typically came from people in very close rtionships, like lovers or spouses. ¡°Okay.¡± Trevor had no problem with it. Hence, Wynn left the meeting room and walked to Matthias and Celeste. The Scent of 161 Henry¡¯s face was full of smiles as he immediately greeted Wynn. ¡°Ms. Locket.¡± Wynn smiled and nodded before turning to both him and Matthias. ¡°Trevor is treating my team to a meal. Would Mr. Yoder and Mr. Quinn like to join us?¡± She deliberately ignored Celeste. Henry naturally wanted to agree, but he nced at Matthias and Celeste first. Matthias immediately declined, ¡°Ms. Locket, we appreciate the invitation, but we already have ns.¡± Wynn frowned. ¡°Mr. Yoder¡­¡± She didn¡¯t expect that despite her repeated efforts, Matthias still showed no sign of wavering. She nced at Celeste, who was sitting nearby, sipping water. Celeste noticed her gaze and coldly returned it. Then, Wynn looked away. Aside from being pretty, what did Celeste have that made Matthias so determined to stand by her? Was she as outstanding or as dazzling as herself? Since Matthias refused, Wynn simply smiled, maintaining her polite demeanor. ¡°Alright, next time then.¡± With that, she didn¡¯t spare Celeste or Henry another nce before turning and leaving Henry felt like he had just beenpletely ignored. ¡°Ms. Locket can be quite arrogant sometimes.¡± Sure, Wynn had the right to be proud. But even Trevor, the real boss of InnovaTech, was always polite and courteous whenever he met with employees. Matthias shrugged. ¡°I noticed.¡± Wynn carried herself like she already owned InnovaTech. But even without Trevor backing her up, she was still quite full of herself, probably because she believed in her own value. Not long after, Trevor, presumably after hearing from Wyn that Matthias had declined, came over. He shook hands with Matthias in a courteous manner and said, ¡°We¡¯ll be heading out now. Mr. Yoder, I hope you¡¯ll join us next time.¡± Matthias hesitated for a moment. ¡°¡­Of course.¡± Trevor smiled, nced at Celeste briefly, then turned and left with Wynn and her team, who were waiting at the entrance. After lunch, Celeste and Matthias returned to InnovaTech. Wynn and her team didn¡¯te back until some timeter At around 6:00 pm, Celeste and Matthias finished their work and were ready to leave. There was still plenty to handle, but they had time over the next few days to take care of it. There was no rush. Wynn and her team, however, seemed to still be busy, showing no signs of wrapping up. Henrymented, ¡°I heard they¡¯re nning to work overtine tonight.¡± Matthias replied, ¡°Oh.¡± Celeste said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Matthias chuckled. ¡°Let me treat you to dinner.¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I have other ns.¡± Martha had told her to return to the Fleming Manor for dinner. When she arrived, Trevor and Jordyn were already home. she didn¡¯t expect Trevor to be back. She had thought he would stay at thepany with Wynn. When Trevor saw here in, he gave her a brief nce before continuing his work on hisptop. During dinner, Trevor sat down beside Celeste. Noticing that he was busy on his phone, she suddenly said, ¡°Do you have timeter? I have something to discuss with you.¡± C The Scent of 162 hapter 162 Trevor didn¡¯t lift his eyes from his phone when he replied, Alright.¡± Hearing his agreement, Celeste felt relieved. Martha was talking to the housekeeper and didn¡¯t catch their conversation, but seeing that they actually had something to discuss, she smiled happily. After dinner, Martha had someone bring over Celeste¡¯s herbal medicine. Trever had the dining room to take a call. After finishing her medicine, Celeste had just stepped out of the dining room when she heard the sound of a car outside. She paused. ¡°Is he going out? what he¡¯s off Martha huffed, annoyed. ¡°Yes, he left in such a hurry. Who knows to do?¡± Celeste frowned, suspecting that he had gone to InnovaTech to help Wynn again. But he had promised to have a talk with herter. She hoped he woulde back that night. But he didn¡¯t. Things had been busy at InnovaTech the past few days. After having breakfast at the Fleming Manor, Celeste and Matthias met at the entrance of InnovaTech. By the time they arrived, Wynn¡¯s team was already there. Matthias remarked, ¡°You guys are here early. Didn¡¯t you worktest night?¡± ¡°They did,¡± Henry replied. ¡°But to stay on schedule, they still came in first thing in the morning. Pretty intense, huh?¡± Matthias didn¡¯t bothermenting further, and Celeste simply focused on her own work. Over an hourter, just as Celeste was about to head to the restroom, Trevor showed up. But, it didn¡¯t seem like he was here for Wynn. After greeting Wynn from afar, he walked straight toward them. Matthias asked, ¡°Mr. Fleming, is there something we can do for you? ?? Trevor said, ¡°I took some time to look into the system you¡¯ve been developing these past few days. It¡¯s quite impressive, but I have some additional ideas I¡¯d like to discuss with both of you.¡± Matthias nced at Celeste before saying, ¡°Please, go ahead, Mr. Fleming.¡± Celeste hesitated before excusing herself. ¡°Sorry, I need to step out to the restroom. You two go ahead.¡± Both men nodded in acknowledgment. On her way back, Celeste was only a few steps away from them when a sharp voice rang out from the direction of the conference room. ¡°Ms. Locket!¡± Then, amotion erupted. Celeste instinctively turned to look, but before she could fully take in the scene, Trevor¡¯s expression changed drastically. He rushed past her toward the conference room, bumping into her shoulder with such force that pain shot through her, nearly knocking her over. Matthias quickly stepped in to steady her. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Celeste clutched her shoulder where she had been hit, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± As she spoke, she watched Trevor carry Wynn out of the conference room, swiftly disappearing from sight. Henry, witnessing the scene, asked, ¡°What happened to Ms Locket?¡± ¡°She fainted,¡± Albert replied. ¡°Probably from overworking and exhaustion.¡± Matthias¡¯s face darkened. Remembering how Trevor had been so anxious about Wynn that he didn¡¯t even notice nearly knocking Celeste over, Matthias gritted his teeth. ¡°She won¡¯t die!¡± Seeing how furious Matthias was, Henry chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Matthias, Mr. Fleming was just too worried about Ms. Locket. There¡¯s no- Matthias snapped, ¡°Shut up!¡± Henry could only shut his mouth. Celeste genuinely didn¡¯t care anymore. Seeing Matthias¡¯s concern for her, she smiled lightly. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. It doesn¡¯t hurt much now.¡± Matthias pressed his lips together. ¡°Do you want to go home and rest?¡± Celeste shook her head, patted his shoulder, and said, ¡°I¡¯m not that fragile. Let¡¯s get back to work.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Matthias mumbled in response, then hesitated before asking, ¡°It¡¯s been a while¡­ Why haven¡¯t you and Trevor finalized your divorce yet?¡± Celeste said, ¡°I¡¯d like to know that too.¡± Last night, she had wanted to discuss exactly that with Trevor¨Cwhen they could officially finalize their divorce. But he had left abruptly andpletely forgotten about their conversation. The Scent of 163 Matthias said, ¡°Hurry up and finalize the divorce.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°I know.¡± During lunch, Albert came over and informed them that Wynn was fine¨CTrevor had already taken her home to rest. Celeste still hadn¡¯t finished the herbal medicine that Bill had prepared for her. That evening, after leaving InnovaTech, Celeste returned to the Fleming Manor. But Trevor did not return that night. Celeste pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and called him. But no one answered. She could only put the matter to rest for a while. While things were still going on in InnovaTech, Matthias and Celeste couldn¡¯t ignore their responsibilities at YodaVision either. The next morning, after handling some matters at YodaVision, they headed back to InnovaTech in the afternoon. By the end of the day, InnovaTech¡¯s matters wouldrgely be wrapped up, meaning they wouldn¡¯t have toe here often anymore. Thinking about this, Matthias felt relieved and told Celeste, ¡°I¡¯m nevering to InnovaTech again. I refuse to endure this kind of mistreatment.¡± Celeste chuckled. ¡°Alright.¡± When they arrived, Wynn and her team were finally not in a meeting. However, Wynn had already returned to work and seemed quite busy. However, neither Celeste nor Matthias cared about her situation. They only wanted to finish their work and say goodbye to InnovaTech. Atst, by around 5:00 pm, their work was done. Moving forward, their involvement with InnovaTech would be minimal. However, there were still matters to handle at YodaVision, so Celeste and Matthias needed to head back. As they reached the ground floor, they ran into Trevor and Wynn stepping out of another elevator. For a moment, all of them froze. Trevor walked over and said, ¡°I heard the system matters have been mostly settled. Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Yoder,¡± Matthias replied indifferently, ¡°Mr. Fleming, you¡¯re too polite. This is just part of my job.¡± Trevor continued, ¡°I¡¯m very satisfied with the system you developed. I hope we¡¯ll have more opportunities to coborate in the future.¡± Matthias replied, ¡°Mr. Fleming, you¡¯re ttering us.¡± Though he said that, in reality, he and Celeste had already cklisted InnovaTech. As they spoke, they made their way to the underground parking lot. Just as Trevor was about to say something else, a figure suddenly dashed out from the side¨Cwielding a knife- Chapter 163. charging straight at him. Celeste and Matthias had been preparing to leave and didn¡¯t notice immediately. By the time Celeste registered what was happening, her eyes widened in shock. ¡°Watch out!¡± She was too far from Trevor, but Wynn, who was closer, reacted instantly and shoved him aside. The knife plunged straight into her chest. The metallic scent of blood spread rapidly. The assant was quickly subdued. Trevor¡¯s face turned ashen as he scooped up the injured Wynn and rushed her into the car. In the blink of an eye, the vehicle sped off, disappearing from Celeste and Matthias¡¯s sight. Matthias tugged at Celeste. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Celeste snapped back to reality. ¡°Alright.¡± That night, when Celeste returned to the Fleming Manor, Trevor hadn¡¯t returned. In fact, he didn¡¯te back for the next two days. Jordyn must have also heard about Wynn¡¯s injury on the right of the incident, she had secretly sneaked out of the manor. Meanwhile, Celeste¡¯s herbal medicine was down to thest batch. On Friday, she nned to take the medicine at the manor and leave right after. However, to her surprise, Trevor had returned. She paused briefly, then, remembering the divorce, headed upstairs. Trevor was in the second¨Cfloor lounge, and surprisingly, Miles was there too. When they noticed her, Trevor spoke first. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Celeste hummed a response. She had no intention of asking about Wynn¡¯s condition. So, without hesitation, she got straight to the point. ¡°That day, I said- Before she could finish, Trevor interrupted her. ¡°Take a look at this. If you have no objections, sign it.¡® The Scent of 164 Celeste took the document. It was a divorce agreement. The very first use stated that Trevor would have full custody of Jordyn. The rest detailed the division of assets several pages listing everything he was giving her. She had been nning to ask him about the progress of their divorce. Now, seeing the agreement, she casually flipped through it without looking too closely, then ced it back on the table and said, ¡°I have no objections.¡± As she spoke, she opened her bag, took out a pen, and prepared to sign. Back when Celeste married Trevor, her methods had been less than honorable. Although neither Trevor nor Miles thought highly of her, they had also seen firsthand how deeply she loved Trevor over the years. Given how much she loved him, Miles had assumed that she wouldn¡¯t be able to ept the divorce¨Cthat she¡¯d be heartbroken and refuse to go through with it no matter what. But to his surprise, not only did she readily agree, but she didn¡¯t even object to Trevor taking custody of their daughter. This waspletely beyond Miles¡® expectations. He turned to Trevor in disbelief. Trevor was also watching Celeste, his gaze deep and unreadable, as if he didn¡¯t expect her to agree so easily either. Just as Celeste bent down to sign, she paused, hesitated for moment, and withdrew her pen. Miles smirked when he saw that. He knew it¨Cthere was no way she¡¯d actually- ¡°I¡¯ll have mywyer review this tomorrow,¡± Celeste said. there are no issues, I¡¯ll sign it within two days and have mywyer contact you.¡± The agreement listed many assets he was giving her. While casually flipping through earlier, she even noticed he was transferring some of hispany shares to her. In the divorce agreement she had initially given him, she didn¡¯t ask for anything. But now that he was offering it, she wouldn¡¯t refuse. They had been married for years he had never loved her, but he had also never set her up for failure. So, when she saw how much he was giving her, she had been tempted to sign immediately. But now, she hesitated. She was worried about potential loopholes in the uses. If hispany ran into trouble in the future, she might end up being used as a scapegoat just because she held those shares. Trevor might not have intended to harm her when drafting this agreement. But she couldn¡¯t guarantee that once he married Wynn, she wouldn¡¯t use those very loopholes to destroy her. Trevor seemed surprised by her caution. He paused for a moment before saying, ¡°Alright.¡± Celeste nodded, put the agreement back into her bag, zipped it up, and without another word, stood up and left. Miles watched her retreating figure, still in disbelief. He turned to Trevor. ¡°Is she okay?¡± Trevor watched Celeste disappear down the hall. Only then did he lower his gaze and reply coolly, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She didn¡¯t even react when you took custody of Jo. That¡¯s really strange Trevor fell silent for a moment. ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°Does she not want custody? That¡¯s impossible! Jo is her whole world!¡± Then, as if something had suddenly urred to him, Miles looked at Trevor sharply. ¡°Wait¨Cdid you two already agree on custody beforehand?¡± Trevor¡¯s expression darkened. He hesitated before replying, ¡°No. We never discussed it.¡± ¡°What the hell? Then why?¡± The Scent of 165 Miles was really starting to doubt reality. Just then, Martha came up in the elevator and said, ¡°Dinner is ready. Cel has already gone downstairs. Why are you two still sitting here? Come down and eat.¡± Miles snapped back to his senses. ¡°Oh! Got it,ing¡± Trevor also stood up. Downstairs, Jordyn was happily sitting on the sofa, leaning against Celeste and chatting with her. Celeste just sat beside her, watching and listening attentively. It was a warm and loving mother¨Cdaughter moment. But when Miles remembered that Celeste had given up custody of Jordyn without a word, the scene before him suddenly felt incredibly fake. Martha was still unaware of the divorce. She smiled and called out to Celeste and Jordyn, ¡°Cel, Jo,e eat.¡± Celeste and Jordyn responded in unison, ¡°Okay,ing.¡± Jordyn held onto Celeste¡¯s fingers, happily leading her toward the dining room. Miles only watched in silence. Since he was already here, he sat down beside Trevor at the dinner table. Meanwhile, Celeste sat with Jordyn. Martha beamed and said, ¡°Miles, it¡¯s been a while since you visited. When I saw youe in earlier, I had the kitchen prepare two more of your favorite dishes. You must eat plenty tonight.¡± Miles grinned. ¡°Of course, Grandma! I¡¯m iming all this meat for myself!¡± Marthaughed. ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Meanwhile, Celeste was carefully picking food for Jordyn, deboning her fish with meticulous attention. At first nce, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But¡­ Miles couldn¡¯t help but take a closer look. Noticing his gaze, Celeste shot him a cold nce. This made Miles freeze. In the past, because he, Trevor, and Beck were particrly close, Celeste had always tried to get along with him and Beck. But they had never taken her seriously. Still, she never gave up easily. She wasn¡¯t the best at socializing, but she made an effort¨Calways greeting them warmly, speaking with a gentle smile. But now, her eyes were indifferent, as if she were looking at a stranger with no connection to her. That was when he realized¨CCeleste¡¯s attitude toward Jordyn seemed to have changed as well. On the surface, she was still gentle and attentive. But the deep affection in her gaze¡­ was no longer there. There was only detachment. That couldn¡¯t be real, could it? Miles could understand her change in attitude toward him. After all, no one would keep throwing themselves at people who always ignored them. But Jordyn was her daughter. How was that possible? Maybe this was just another one of her tactics. Was it a way to pel Trevor¡¯s attention¨Cretreating in order to advance and win him back? As this thought crossed his mind, Miles shifted his gaze toward ¡®Trevor. And sure enough, Trevor was watching. Celeste too. What was more was that he didn¡¯t seen in any hurry to look away. That was something the old Trevor would never have done. Miles scoffed in amusement. He knew it. Martha suddenly cleared her throat. ¡°Miles, what are you staring at?¡± She had noticed him ncing at Celeste all night and frowned slightly. Miles quickly realized she had misunderstood and deliberately said something she would like to hear. ¡°I just noticed that Celeste seems especially quiet tonight. She¡¯s not even talking to Trevor like she used to. I found it strange, so I couldn¡¯t help but look at her.¡± Chapter 166. The Scent of 166 Martha had also noticed that Celeste was no longer as proactive with Trevor as before. Hearing this, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh, giving Trevor a sidelong nce. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault!¡± Celeste had taken the initiative for so long, and he still hadn¡¯t responded. Wouldn¡¯t she eventually feel disheartened and withdraw? Trevor only smiled faintly without saying a word. Celeste, on the other hand, remained silent as much as possible. Even after hearing this, she simply continued eating, showing no intention of speaking. Before dinner was even finished, Trevor¡¯s phone rang. He nced at the caller ID, got up, and walked away to answer it. But he returned quickly. After dinner, he told Martha, ¡°I have something to take care of, so I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± Jordyn was sharp enough to guess that the call had likelye from Wynn. She also wanted to go to the hospital to see her, so she said, ¡°Daddy, I want to go too.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Martha added, ¡°Take Cel with you. Tomorrow is Saturday. It¡¯s a good chance for you all to get out and rx.¡± Only then did Celeste speak. ¡°Grandma, I have to meet a friendter.¡± Martha hesitated. ¡°Alright then.¡± Jordyn had been worried that Celeste might follow them, but hearing this, she felt relieved. As they got into the car to leave, she said to Celeste, ¡°Mom, goodbye.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Alright, goodbye.¡± The car door closed, and soon, Trevor¡¯s car drove away. Celeste also got into her car and left. Once she was out of the Fleming Manor, she made a call to Matthias while driving. As soon as he answered, she got straight to the point. ¡°I¡¯m divorcing Trevor. He just gave me a divorce agreement. He¡¯s dividing some assets to me. I want a to make a call. He told Beck, ¡°Trevor is going through with the divorce.¡± Beck was currently out of town. Hearing this, he stopped in his tracks. ¡°What?¡± Then, after a brief pause, he asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure, I was there when it happened. What¡¯s there to doubt?¡± Miles added, ¡°And Trevor didn¡¯t give her custody of Jo either.¡± Beck gripped his phone tightly. Miles continued, ¡°But-¡°Before he could finish, Beck cut him off. ¡°I have something to do. I need to make a call.¡± Without waiting for a response, he hung up. ¡°What¡¯s so urgent?¡± Miles muttered. Meanwhile, Beck had already found Celeste¡¯s number. He hesitated for a moment before dialing. At that moment, Celeste had just arrived home. Seeing his call, she casually answered. ¡°Mr. Harper, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± He wanted to ask about her and Trevor, but it wasn¡¯t his ce to interfere Even a simple ¡°Are you okay?¡± felt inappropriate, given his current position. Celeste, however, assumed he was calling to arrange a meeting with Shanice. Noticing his hesitation, she spoke first. ¡°If it¡¯s about seeing Shanice, I have things to take care of tomorrow, so I might not be avable. Could we do it the day after tomorrow or next week?¡± The Scent of 167 Just now, Matthias had called her to say that he had arranged for awyer, and she would be meeting them tomorrow morning Celeste needed to finalize the divorce as soon as possible. Beck knew she had misunderstood, but he didn¡¯t correct her. He simply responded, ¡°Alright.¡± At this point, Celeste assumed he was about to hang up. But when he didn¡¯t, she asked in confusion, ¡°Mr. Harper, is there anything else?¡± Beck could tell that her voice was calm¨Cthere was no trace of the pain, sorrow, or turmoil he had expected. But¡­ Was that really the case? Or was she just suppressing her emotions? When he remained silent for two or three seconds, Celeste prompted, ¡°Mr. Harper? Are you still there?¡± He snapped back to reality and replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Celeste asked again, ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Then, without hesitation, she added, ¡°I have other matters to handle. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be hanging up.¡± Beck had no choice but to say, ¡°Alright.¡± Without further conversation, Celeste ended the call. Zachary had taken a liking to one of her recent research ideas. A few days ago, he had messaged her, asking her to organize her content. He offered to review it and, if there were no issues, guide her in submitting it to a journal. She had been very busy with InnovaTech and YodaVision recently, so this project had seen little progress. Now that she finally had some free time, she wanted to get it done as soon as possible. With that thought, she put her phone aside and opened herptop. After hanging up, Beck called Miles back and asked, ¡°Trevor wants a divorce and full custody of Jo. She must have disagreed, right? Are they preparing for a legal battle?¡± The reason Miles had called him earlier was precisely to discuss this matter. He quickly replied, ¡°No! She agreed! Whether it was the divorce or custody, she didn¡¯t object at all. She just signed the papers. She waspletely calm¨CI swear, it¡¯s like I saw a ghost!¡± Hearing this, Beck was equally shocked. This wasn¡¯t something Celeste would do. Just like Miles, he also found it hard to believe that Celeste would so easily give up custody of Jordyn. It didn¡¯t make sense. Miles asked, ¡°So, what do you think is going on?¡± Before Beck could answer, Miles continued, ¡°Could it be that she¡¯s using this to gain Trevor¡¯s sympathy? Trying to make him feel guilty?¡± Beck had no answer. He couldn¡¯t deny the possibility¨Cknowing how deeply Celeste felt for Trevor, it wasn¡¯t out of the question. After a moment of silence, he asked, ¡°What about Trevor? How did he react?¡°. Miles said, ¡°Trevor was definitely surprised. During dinner ht the manor, I could tell he was paying more attention to Celeste than usual. ¡°Damn, if my guess is right, Celeste is really ying a smart game here. Can¡¯t underestimate her!¡± Beck replied coolly, ¡°Or maybe¡­ She truly wants a divorce. Miles paused. ¡°You mean Celeste?¡± He let out a dismissiveugh. ¡°No way. She¡¯s liked Trevor since she was a teenager. After all these years, there¡¯s no way she¡¯d willingly leave him.¡± Beck¡¯s words carried a deeper meaning. ¡°People change.¡± Miles insisted, ¡°I still don¡¯t believe it.¡± Then, changing the subject, he said, ¡°Anyway, this is good news for Trevor. When you get back from your trip, and once Wynn has recovered a bit, we should celebrate.¡± Only then did he notice that Beck had fallen unusually silent The Scent of 168 Miles asked, ¡°Beck? Are you busy?¡± ¡°No.¡± Miles continued, ¡°Oh¡­ Right, you¡¯reing back on Tuesday?¡± Beck hummed a response. Before Miles could say anything else, Beck took the initiative. ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that.¡± ¡°Alright, let me know when you¡¯re back. I¡¯ll pick you up so you cane see Wynn.¡± Beck agreed, ¡°Okay.¡± The next day, after getting up, Celeste went for a run for over half an hour and then came back for breakfast before heading out. By the time she arrived at thew firm, Matthias was already there. Seeing her, he waved. Jason Payne was thewyer Matthias found for Celeste. As she took a seat, Jason¡¯s assistant poured her tea. Then, she handed the divorce agreement to Jason. He took it, and Matthias, being a long¨Ctime friend of his, leaned in for a look. The first use, concerning Jordyn¡¯s custody, caught his eye. Seeing that, he nced up at Celeste. He had seen Jordyn a few times years ago. Back then, Celeste had treated her like the most precious thing in the world¨Cwhenever they talked, it was always about her daughter. But ever since she had decided to divorce Trevor and return to YodaVision, she had never brought up Jordyn in front of him again. Noticing this, he had already guessed that in the past year or so, while Jordyn had been living abroad with Trevor, she must have grown attached to Wynn¨Cor perhaps even done something that deeply hurt Celeste. Seeing that Celeste only asked thewyer to focus on financial loopholes and didn¡¯t even mention custody, Matthias knew she had made up her mind to give up her daughter. He didn¡¯t ask further. In his eyes, Celeste was a gentle yet deeply emotional person. For her to willingly let go of her own daughter meant that she must have reached an extreme level of disappointment. With that thought, he no longer dwelled on it and instead continued scanning through the agreement. A momentter, he raised an eyebrow. ¡°So many real estate properties¡­ Tsk, I have to admit, Trevor is being pretty generous,¡± Celeste sipped her tea without responding. Matthias casually flipped through a few more pages but didn¡¯t interrupt Jason. Instead, he moved over to Celeste¡¯s side and started chatting with her about her research paper. They spoke in a way that only the two of them could understand, discussing a small section of it.. Jason¡¯s assistant waspletely lost. As for Jason himself, he was carefully reviewing the details of the divorce agreement. An hourter, Jason looked up and said, ¡°I¡¯ve gone over everything thoroughly. There are no issues with the agreement. In fact, it¡¯s extremely favorable to you.¡± Celeste paused. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The cash portion is straightforward, and the real estate properties are all clearly stated to have no ownership disputes,¡± Jason exined. ¡°As for thepany shares Trevor is giving you, the agreement explicitly states that you¡¯re only entitled to dividends each year. If anything happens to thepany legal liabilities,pensations, or any other obligations Trevor himself will be solely responsible. You won¡¯t be affected.¡± Celeste froze for a moment. Matthias, on the other hand, widened his eyes. ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t misread that? Trevor being this considerate?¡± Jason chuckled. ¡°Are you doubting my professional skills, Matthias?¡± Matthias hesitated. ¡°Not really.¡± It was just¡­ way too shocking Celeste was a little surprised but not overly so. Throughout their marriage, Trevor had always been cold to her and had never truly helped her. But based on what she knew about him, if he had decided to give her something, he would likely ensure she had nothing to worry about. That was why she had asked for the agreement to be reviewed¨Cnot because she suspected he would try to deceive her, but because she was concerned about any potential loopholes The Scent of 169 Hearing this, Celeste said calmly, ¡°As long as there are no issues, that¡¯s good.¡± With that, she picked up the pen beside her and signed her name without any hesitation. She then turned to Jason and said, ¡°T¡¯ll leave the rest of the divorce proceedings in your hands, Mr. Payne,¡± Jason nodded. ¡°I have a meeting in a bit, but this afternoon, I¡¯ll contact Mr. Fleming to follow up on the next steps for your divorce,¡± ¡°Alright.¡± It was almost lunchtime. After having a meal with Jason, Celeste and Matthias headed to her ce to continue working on her research paper. Meanwhile, at Fleming Group, Trevor had just returned to his office and was about to review some documents when his phone rang. He answered it casually. ¡°Hello, who is this?¡± ¡°Good afternoon, Mr. Fleming. I am Ms. Rodriguez¡¯swyer, Jason Payne. Ms. Rodriguez has already signed the divorce agreement, and she has entrusted me to handle the remaining proceedings. Do you have time to discuss this now?¡± Trevor paused for a moment before lowering his gaze and saying, ¡°I have two meetings this afternoon, so I won¡¯t be avable. You cane to Fleming Group tomorrow morning at around ten.¡± Jason replied, ¡°Understood. Thank you for your cooperation. Mr. Fleming Goodbye.¡± After hanging up, Trevor returned to reviewing his documents. That night, Matthias left Celeste¡¯s ce to attend to other matters. Celeste nned to have dinner at the Rodriguez residence, so she grabbed her bag and headed out. Just as she got into her car, her phone rang¨Cit was Jordyn. She didn¡¯t need to guess to know why Jordyn was calling. Not in the mood to deal with her, Celeste ignored the call. Jordyn called two more times. Seeing that Celeste wasn¡¯t answering, she eventually gave up. By the time Celeste arrived at the Rodriguez residence¡¯s gatedmunity, it was during peak hours for vehicle entry and exit. She stopped her car and waited behind other residents for die system to recognize their vehicles. Just then, someone knocked on her car window. Celeste turned her head to look. It was Beck She froze for a second, not expecting to run into him there. Lowering her window slowly, she greeted him. ¡°Mr. Harper.¡± Beck¡¯s gaze re rested on her face. Seeing that she looked calm¨Cwithout the exhaustion or distress he had expected- he paused briefly. Celeste asked, ¡°Is there something you need, Mr. Harper?¡± He responded, ¡°I had something to take care of here. I saw your car and thought I¡¯de over to say hello.¡± But given their level of familiarity, even if they did run into each other, he didn¡¯t necessarily have to go out of his way to greet her. Celeste thought about it but didn¡¯t say anything after all, be had helped her before. Besides, she would still be seeing himter when she met Shanice. They weren¡¯t friends, but there was no need to make things awkward between them. With that in mind, Celeste simply nodded. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll- Before she could finish, Beck said, ¡°I heard there¡¯s a well¨Cknown bakery around here. I haven¡¯t been to this area much and couldn¡¯t find it. Do you know where it is?¡°. Celeste didn¡¯t suspect anything and replied, ¡°There is a famous bakery, but it¡¯s not in this area. It¡¯s about a mile away on another street.¡± She pointed him in the right direction. Beck said, ¡°Got it. Thanks.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± At that moment, it was her turn for vehicle recognition. As her car rolled forward, she said, Goodbye.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± The Scent of 170 Beck actually knew the location of the bakery. After Celeste left, he didn¡¯t go there. Instead, he got into his car, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed a number. ¡°Miles, I¡¯m back. I have another flight to catchter, but I want to visit Wynn at the hospital before I leave. See if Trevor is free. If he¡¯s not,e with me.¡± Miles was stunned. ¡°You¡¯re back? When did you get back?¡± Beck ignored his question. ¡°Call Wynn and check if she¡¯s avable.¡± Miles was about to ask why Beck wasn¡¯t calling Trevor or Wynn himself, but after a second thought, he figured Beck must be busy and in a rush. Since he hadn¡¯t visited Wynn yet either, he didn¡¯t question it further and agreed. However, Trevor wasn¡¯t avable. After hanging up, Beck bought a bouquet and a basket of fruit before heading to the hospital to meet Miles. Inside the hospital room, Wynn smiled and asked, after seeing Beck, ¡°Why did you suddenlye back?¡± Beck replied coolly, ¡°Had to take care of something.¡± Wynn looked down, gently stroking the flowers he had just given her. ¡°I see¡­¡± Did he reallye back to handle business, or did he make a special trip just to see her? Although he hadn¡¯t rushed back immediately after she was injured, the fact that he came as soon as he found time still meant a lot. That night, Celeste stayed at the Rodriguez residence. The next morning, she woke up early. Looking at the healthy sulents on the windowsill, she stretchedzily, feeling in a good mood. When she went downstairs, Adeline was already up, busy preparing breakfast for her, Jamie, and Hector. Seeing her, Adeline smiled. ¡°Cel, you¡¯re in a good mood today?¡± Celeste went over to help knead the dough and smiled. ¡°Yeah, pretty good ¡± A steaming batch of buns was soon ready. Just as she sat down to eat, her phone rang. It was Jordyn again. She didn¡¯t pick up. But Jordyn called again. So, Celeste turned off her phone entirely and focused on her meal. Seeing that her calls were no longer going through, Jordyn pouted and ran to the master bedroom to find Trevor. Trevor had just finished his morning run and was about to shower when he saw her sulking He asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I called Mom yesterday and wanted her toe home and cook for me, but she didn¡¯t answer. I just tried calling twice again, and she still didn¡¯t pick up. When I was about to call a third time, it said the number was unavable.¡± Trevor said, ¡°She probably turned off her phone.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Jordyn frowned. ¡°Did her battery die?¡± Trevor neither confirmed nor denied it. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°What do I do then? I wanted to go skiing today. Mom said before that if she had time, she¡¯d take me.¡± Originally, she hadn¡¯t been in the mood to y because Wynn was injured, and she wanted to stay with her at the hospital. But hospitals had too many germs, and everyone kept her from going too often. Now that Wynn was getting better, she wasn¡¯t as worried. Since she had free time and no one to go with, she naturally wanted to find her mom. But when she called, her mom wouldn¡¯t answer. ¡°Try againter. She¡¯ll probably turn her phone back on.¡± Jordyn pouted. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Celeste didn¡¯t n to keep her phone off all day. After all, she still had things to discuss with Matthias. And Jason might contact herter as well. About half an hourter, she powered her phone back on. Not long after, Jordyn called again. Celeste opened herptop, ignored the call, and continued working on her research paper. Seeing that her mother still wasn¡¯t answering and that Trevor was about to leave, Jordyn said, ¡°Dad, Mom still isn¡¯t picking up. Can you call her for me?¡± The Scent of 171 Trevor didn¡¯t say much and simply used his phone to call Celeste. Celeste saw the call and directly cut it off. Trevor paused for a moment before saying, ¡°Your mom didn¡¯t answer my call either.¡± ¡°She must have been busy, so she didn¡¯t see it.¡± Otherwise, there was no way Celeste wouldn¡¯t answer Trevor¡¯s call. ¡°Maybe.¡± Trevor put on his suit jacket, picked up a ck coat, and said, ¡°I¡¯m heading out. If you want to go out, have the bodyguards take you.¡± ¡°But I want Mom to go with me¡­¡± Even though she didn¡¯t like it when Celeste disciplined her, she still wanted herpany sometimes. She pouted and asked, ¡°Dad, are you going to the hospital to see Wynn, or are you heading to the office?¡± ¡°I¡¯m stopping by the hospital first, then going to the office. Trevor lightly tapped her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m off. Have fun She called Celeste two more times but still got no answer. With no other choice, she had the bodyguards and Hannah take her out. But without the person she wanted to be with, even skiing felt boring. She quickly lost interest and went home. After leaving the hospital, Trevor returned to Fleming Group. Not long after he arrived, Miles showed up. Trevor nced at him, and Miles grinned. ¡°I came to watch the show.¡± Before Trevor could say anything, Jacob walked over and said, ¡°Mr. Payne is here.¡± Trevor said, ¡°Bring him up.¡± Led by Jacob, Jason entered the reception room. Trevor shook hands with him. ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± Jason didn¡¯t waste any time. He sat down and took out the signed divorce agreement from the previous day, sliding it across the table to Trevor. Trevor took it. Since it was the weekend, Miles had specificallye to see if Celeste would really sign the papers. Seeing the document, he leaned in and, spotting Celeste¡¯s signature, eximed in surprise, ¡°She actually signed it?¡± Trevor nced at her signature without any visible reaction and then continued discussing matters with Jason. Once their conversation was wrapping up, he said, ¡°There are a lot of assets involved¨Cproperties, shares, and so on. I¡¯need some time to handle the necessary transfers. Once everything is settled, I¡¯ll contact you again.¡± Jason nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± Trevor turned to Jacob. ¡°Jacob, see Mr. Payne out.¡± After leaving Fleming Group, Jason contacted Celeste and updated her on the situation. She frowned. ¡°How long will it take?¡± ¡°That depends on Mr. Fleming¡¯s progress.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Celeste said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Payne,¡± The next day, she went to work at YodaVision as usual. In the afternoon, she was discussing something with Matthias when his phone suddenly rang. Matthias nced at the caller ID and frowned. Celeste asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? He handed her the phone. ¡°It¡¯s Jorge Robinson.¡± Everyone in the industry knew each other. Though they didn¡¯t interact often, they at least had each other¡¯s contact information. Since theirst encounter at InnovaTech, Matthias didn¡¯t expect to have any further dealings with Jorge So, why was he suddenly calling? Puzzled, Matthias answered. A momentter, he hung up and turned to Celeste. ¡°He wants to coborate on a new project.¡± The two projects Celeste was leading had gained a lot of attention, and it was already confirmed that they would be involved in close cooperation with the government With such a promising future, it was only a matter of time before potential partners lined up at YodaVision¡¯s door. The news hadn¡¯t even gone public yet, and Jorge had already reached out. Matthias smirked. ¡°Theodore really is a sly old fox.¡± The Scent of 172 Chapter 172 But considering Theodore¡¯s position, having ess to first¨Chand information and giving his own people an advantage was only natural, That was just how things worked in high society. Matthias was used to it. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Ourpany does need partners to expand the project, but I just can¡¯t stand Jorge¡­ Celeste knew he was upset because Jorge liked Wynn. But she didn¡¯t care. She remained calm. ¡°The priority is making sure the project runs smoothly and maximizing our benefits. Everything else is secondary.¡± She had met Theodore once. He might have his own agenda, but judging by how Zachary treated him, he was someone trustworthy. Matthias sighed. ¡°I know.¡± He was just venting. Then, with a smirk, he said, ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s still time before we officially start seeking investors. I¡¯ll keep him hanging for a while.¡± Celeste chuckled. ¡°Alright.¡± As long as he was happy. After Jorge¡¯s call, Celeste and Matthias went back to business. But half an hourter, his phone rang again. When he saw the caller ID, his expression was a mix of disdain and satisfaction. Celeste knew it was another familiar face and asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± Matthias grinned. ¡°Beck.¡± ¡°Also looking to coborate?¡± ¡°Most likely.¡± Just like it was with Jorge, Matthias didn¡¯t usually have much interaction with Beck, Miles, and their friends. So, there was no reason for Beck to call him out of the blue. Besides, the Harper family, like the Robinson family, had strong connections in both politics and the military. They were always well¨Cinformed. Matthias turned to Celeste. ¡°Should I answer?¡± Celeste was Trevor¡¯s wife, and Beck, as one of Trevor¡¯s childhood friends, had never thought much of her. Instead, he had epted Wynn, the mistress, and was even close to her. In Matthias¡¯s eyes, Beck was even more detestable than Jorge. Celeste said, ¡°Answer it.¡± She didn¡¯t want Matthias to act out of spite. So, he picked up the call. As expected, Beck, just like Jorge, was also calling about a potential partnership. After exining his intentions, he said, ¡°I¡¯m currently out of town on a business trip. I¡¯ll be back in Baumond tomorrow at noon. How about dinner tomorrow night?¡± Matthias responded indifferently, ¡°I appreciate the offer, Mr. Harper, but our project is still in early development, and thepany has a lot on its te. I really won¡¯t have time tomorrow. Maybe next time.¡± ¡°What about Thursday?¡± Matthias replied, ¡°I might not be avable then either. But if I am, I¡¯ll be sure to contact you.¡± Beck knew theirpany¡¯s lining up. projects were in high demand, and Mattls had no shortage of So, he said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be waiting for your call.¡± After hanging up, Matthias happily smacked the table and burst intoughter. ¡°That felt great!¡± Celeste smiled as well. But as heughed, Matthias suddenly quieted down and looked at her. ¡°Do you think Trevor might also want to coborate with us?¡± YodaVision was in the same industry as InnovaTech, meaning they were technicallypetitors. Butpetition didn¡¯t rule out the possibility of coboration. And given the nature of these two new projects, there were quite a few aspects where they could work with InnovaTech. Celeste responded calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t know. But we should focus on the project itself. Personal grievances can be set aside.¡± ¡°I get it.¡± A little bit of attitude was fine, but when it came down to serious business, he never acted on impulse. Thinking about it, Matthias was actually looking forward to a call from Trevor. But it never came. Instead, he received several other calls¨Call from people wanting to coborate. But none were from Trevor. However, just before the end of the workday, he got a call from an unknown number. After ncing at it for a moment, he decided to answer. A voice spoke first. ¡°Mr. Yoder, correct? I¡¯m Harvey Locket, Wynn¡¯s father.¡± Matthias immediately stopped walking. He pulled the phone away slightly and told Celeste, ¡°It¡¯s Harvey.¡± Celeste looked at him without saying anything Having known her for so many years, Matthias understood her meaning instantly. With others, they could put personal grudges aside for the sake of business. But when it came to the Locket family there was no need to do that. Putting the phone back to his ear, he replied with a smile, though his eyes remained cold. ¡°Oh, Mr. Locket. What can I do for you?¡± As expected, Harvey was also looking to coborate. After listening to him, Matthias said, ¡°I understand, Mr. Locket. If your proposal is a good fit, we¡¯ll definitely consider it. You can rest assured about that.¡± Harvey wasn¡¯t stupid. He could tell Matthias¡® words were perfectly diplomatic, but whether he actually meant them was another matter entirely. He wanted to find an opportunity to invite Matthias to a meal, but Matthias declined, saying he was busy, and hung up. Turning to Celeste, he scoffed, ¡°I can understand Jorge and Beck being the first to get wind of this¨Cthey family¡­?¡± The Locket family was an outsider in Baumond, barely having established their footing. If they had caught wind of the news so early, that could only mean¡­ Celeste knew he was implying that either Trevor or Beck had tipped them off. Given Trevor¡¯s feelings for Wynn and Beck¡¯s close friendship with her, it wasn¡¯t surprising that they¡¯d pass along the information. Matthias scoffed. His good mood had been ruined. But he also knew that Celeste probably felt worse. So, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Your senior has plenty of money¨CI¡¯m taking you out for a feast!¡± In truth, Celeste wasn¡¯t as upset as he thought. She had alreadye to terms with many things. Those people no longer had the power to sway her emotions so easily. Besides, this time, she was the one holding the reins. She had nothing to worry about. But s since Matthias was offering her a meal, she wouldn¡¯t refuse. She smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Then, the two of them walked out together. The Scent of 173 At the restaurant, seeing the Locket and Shaw families approaching, Celeste remained expressionless. Matthias, on the other hand, muttered under his breath, ¡°What a small world.¡± The Locket and Shaw families were delighted to see Matthias. Harvey greeted him with a smile, ¡°Mr. Yoder, we meet again.¡± Matthias responded with a faint smile, ¡°Yes¡± Harvey suggested, ¡°Since we¡¯ve run into each other, why don¡¯t we dine together?¡± Earlier on the phone, Harvey had already wanted to invite Matthias for a meal. Now that they¡¯d met by chance, he naturally didn¡¯t want to miss the opportunity. Matthias replied, ¡°No need. This is my personal time. Maybe next time.¡± ¡°Well¡­ Alright, next time then.¡± Since Matthias had declined, Harvey couldn¡¯t insist. Matthias nodded and said to Celeste, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Celeste nodded as well. Without sparing the Locket and Shaw families another nce, she followed him upstairs. Watching them leave, Lennox frowned. ¡°Wynn told me that Matthias has always kept his attitude lukewarm toward her because of Celeste. Do you think he¡¯ll refuse to work with us on the YodaVision project because of her?¡± Given Matthias¡® Indifferent attitude, it was a real possibility. Lilianmented lightly, ¡°There¡¯s still some time before the bidding for the YodaVision projects. Nothing is set In stone yet, so anything is possible.¡± Mason chuckled, ¡°Exactly. Wynn and Trevor¡¯s rtionship couldn¡¯t progress because of Mrs. Fleming Senior¡¯s interference. But now, things have suddenly turned around, haven¡¯t they? So, we shouldn¡¯t lose hope. There¡¯s still a chance.¡± The turnaround he was referring to was Trevor and Celeste¡¯s impending divorce. Hearing this, Patricia¡¯s mood brightened. None of them, including Wynn, had known about this until Miles had casually mentioned it to her. Later, they found out that the divorce papers were taking longer than expected to process. Trevor hadn¡¯t told Wynn because he didn¡¯t want her to worry. He had nned to surprise her once everything was finalized. Thinking of this, Patricia beamed. ¡°Trevor has wanted a divorce for a long time. Now that Wynn got injured saving him, he¡¯s ignoring his grandma¡¯s objections and insisting on divorcing Celeste. He truly cares for Wynn.¡± ¡°Yes, all of Wynn¡¯s patience is finally paying off. Her happy days are just around the corner.¡°¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Hearing this, Lilian and Harvey also smiled. But then, looking in the direction where Celeste and Matthias had left, Patricia¡¯s smile faded a little. ¡°That Celeste surely doesn¡¯t want a divorce. What if, in the end, it doesn¡¯t go through?¡± Gin 1 equeson uned aid. ¡°Too viat Vyom told me Trevor usually makes his own decisions. The reason He hadn¡¯t dived befom was that he was waiting for the right time¨Che didn¡¯t want to upset his grandma. ¡°¡°gur be has always been desped to Wyn, and now that she almost lost her life for him, he¡¯s directly demanding a donnes Souq. Oriente. That means he¡¯s no longer willing to let Wynn suffer. divorce ¡°He¡¯s made in his mind, so the chances of the dice going through are very high.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t date. Dzer¡¯s restive Patricia said chy. ¡°What¡¯m worried about is Celeste causing trouble and Janine Tarvart back down to Stedt Farey and En ¡°Too might need to talk to her.¡± Samey and Erin hat already been considering that Tertter Celeste Matthias knew what the Locket and Shaw families were plotting Aher stepping out of the elevato, Crest and Mathias were about to head to their private dining room when three tall figuntes walked toward them. Seeing them. Matthias¡¯s face deckened ¡°Am I cursed today?¡± he muttered. Why did he keep running into people Csta sacred at the thres ment
  1. Tad and another familr¨Clooking man¡­ Somehow, she couldn¡¯t recall where she had seen him before.
The free men space them as well and greeted Matthias Matthias, what a coincidence.¡± Mattias formed a smile ¡°Yeah quite the coincidence.¡± a a?moon. Jorge had called Marnies, hoping to invite him to dinner and discuss a potential coboration. But now they can into each other ignoring Celeste, Jorge suggested, ¡°Since we¡¯re all here, why not have a meal Later added with augh. ¡°Teah, it¡¯s been a while since west had one together.¡± ¡°No stanics. ¡°Mamies said with a smile. ¡°I have things to. It¡¯s not convenient.¡± Then he looked at the third min. ¡°Caleb, howe you¡¯re free today?¡± Caleb Fennings strongly handsome face remained impassive. ¡°I took a few days off.¡± Marias nodded, not wanting to continue the conversation. ¡°Let¡¯s leave the meal for another time. We have sno do.¡± Caleb simply nodded in response Then Mames and Celeste beaded into their private dining room. they had walked some distance away, Caleb finally spoke. ¡°Did one of you offend him?¡± Manishad made it obvious, but his attitude clearly showed he wasn¡¯t interested in engaging with them. Interlocked puzzled ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Jorge frowned but said nothing Inside their private room, Xavier took a sip of tea andmented, ¡°I have to say, Matthias is pretty impressive. If those two projects go through, his worth will skyrocket.¡± Caleb responded coolly, ¡°He¡¯s always been smart. He was mentored by Zachary, and his field of study happened to align perfectly with industry trends, and he¡¯s highly capable. His sess is only natural. ¡± Then he turned to Jorge. ¡°I heard from Xavier that you were once interested in the woman by Matthias¡® side but quickly moved on. ¡°Moving on is one thing, but why do you seem to dislike her now? Did she do something?¡± Earlier, Jorge hadn¡¯t even looked at Celeste. His dislike was so apparent that it was impossible to ignore. Mentioning how he had once been captivated by Celeste¡¯s beauty and presence was now something Jorge didn¡¯t want to hear. It annoyed him. He frowned and said, ¡°Can we not talk about her? Let¡¯s just order.¡± Caleb shrugged and dropped the topic. The Scent of 174 There were a lot of things going on in YodaVision. That evening, after dinner, Celeste and Matthias returned to YodaVision to work. On Wednesday morning, while they were in a meeting, Matthias¡® secretary walked in and informed him that Beck was there. He didn¡¯t even need to think to know why Beck had shown up unannounced. Given Beck¡¯s status, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to ignore him since he was already there. Matthias had no choice but to say to Celeste, ¡°You continue with the meeting. I¡¯ll go see him.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± When Matthias arrived, Beck was already seated in the reception room. Seeing that Matthias hade alone, Beck¡¯s deep eyes flickered slightly. He stood up and took the initiative to shake hands. ¡°I came unannounced¨Chope you don¡¯t mind, Mr. Yoder.¡± Matthias had no choice but to say, ¡°Mr. Harper, you¡¯re too polite.¡± Once seated, Beck got straight to the point, handing over a document. ¡°This is my offer of cooperation. Do you want to take a look?¡± Matthias took it and began reading. The more he read, the more serious he became. Finally, he put down the document and said, ¡°Mr. Harper, your sincerity is clear, but I still have other considerations. I¡¯ll need some time before I can give you an answer.¡± Beck remained courteous. ¡°No problem. Comparing options is understandable. If you have any concerns about my offer, feel free to contact me anytime. I¡¯m open to discussions and adjustments.¡± Not staying long, Beck left after saying his goodbyes. His sincerity and attitude left no room for criticism, so Matthias had to personally see him out. When he returned, Celeste had already finished the meeting Matthias couldn¡¯t help but say to her, ¡°Beck is really efficient.¡± Just two days ago, he had turned him down over the phone, and now Beck had shown up with a well¨Cprepared proposal and no unnecessary words, just straight to business. He continued, ¡°Honestly, his offer is very tempting.¡± Celeste said, ¡°You can observe for a while. If it truly works for us, there¡¯s no harm in working with him.¡± Matthias had the same thought. The only problem was that it would make it harder for him to make things difficult for Beck That left him feeling a bit frustrated, like having nowhere to vent his irritation. At around five in the evening, Celeste¡¯s phone suddenly rang while she was still busy with work She nced at it and saw that it was Jordyn again. Jordyn hadn¡¯t called her for the past two days. However, she still didn¡¯t answer and continued with her work. Two dayster, on Friday morning, not long after Celeste get up, Jordyn called her again. Celeste looked at the screen, set the phone on the table, and ignored it. Then, she headed into the kitchen to make breakfast. Seeing that her mother still wouldn¡¯t pick up, Jordyn felt so upset that she wanted to throw away her phone. But in the end, she held back. Her eyes reddened slightly as she quietly took small bites of breakfast. Sitting across from her, Trevor was also eating, so she said to him in a muffled voice, ¡°That was the fourth time. Sincest Saturday, I¡¯ve called Mom four times, but she hasn¡¯t answered once¡­. Trevor said, ¡°Then wait a while before calling again.¡± She lost her appetite. ¡°What if she still doesn¡¯t pick up?¡± ¡°Then wait a bit longer. Eventually, she¡¯ll answer.¡± ¦§ Hearing this, Jordyn felt a little better and asked expectantly, ¡°How long is that?¡± Trevor paused slightly and said, ¡°Within two weeks.¡± Jordyn immediately pouted. ¡°Two weeks? That¡¯s so long!¡± Trevor nodded. ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± ¡°But I want to go out this weekend. Wynn¡¯s injuries haven¡¯t healed yet, so she can¡¯t go with me. Dad, can you take me?¡± Trevor seriously negotiated, ¡°I¡¯m busy on Saturday, but I¡¯ll be free on Sunday. If you want to go out on Saturday, you can go with Beck and Shanice.¡± The Scent of 175 Jordyn nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± As long as she didn¡¯t have to go out alone, that was fine. Trevor made a call to Beck, asking him to take care of Jordy on Saturday. Beck agreed. ¡°Sure.¡± On Saturday, Beck took Jordyn and Shanice to Happy Valley The amusement park had a variety of attractions. But no matter what ride it was, Jordyn didn¡¯t seem very interested. Unlike before, she wasn¡¯t having as much fun She looked a bit preupied. Beck handed the ice cream cones he had bought to both her and Shanice. Looking at her face, which bore some resemnce to Celeste¡¯s, he asked, ¡°Jo, are you feeling down today?¡± Sitting on a swing, Jordyn licked her ice cream in small bites and softly said, ¡°I miss my mom a little.¡± Back when they were abroad, sometimes she wouldn¡¯t see her mom for two to three months. But she would call her every day and chat with her. Lately, her mom had been busy with work, but even when she called every few days, her mom would always answer and even rush home to cook for her. But now, no matter how many times she called, her mom wouldn¡¯t pick up. That had never happened before. Beck knew that Celeste and Trevor had already signed the divorce papers, with custody of Jordyn awarded to Trevor. But he wasn¡¯t sure how things had been between them since the agreement was finalized. Hearing what Jordyn said, Beck asked, ¡°Did something happen?¡± Jordyn had no choice but to tell him about her mom not answering her calls. Beck knew that Jordyn was still unaware of her parents¡® impending divorce. For a moment, he didn¡¯t know what to say. Instead, he simply reassured her, ¡°Your mom definitely isn¡¯t ignoring your calls on purpose. She¡¯s probably just really busy. Things will go back to normal soon.¡± Jordyn nodded. ¡°Mm, that¡¯s what Dad said too.¡± Beck paused and didn¡¯t say anything else. Seeing that Jordyn was upset, Shanice also tried tofort her. ¡°I miss my aunt too, but Uncle Beck said she¡¯s been really busytely and doesn¡¯t have time. Grown¨Cups are always busy. It¡¯ll get better soon.¡± Jordyn nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Beck hadn¡¯t contacted Celeste recently¨Cnot because she was busy, but because he knew the divorce was a big change for her. On top of that, losing custody of Jordyn must have been tough. He worried that if he asked her to help apany Shanice now, it might only make her feel worse. At around 5:00 pm, after finishing work, Trevor called Beck ¡°Where are you guys now?¡± 1 Beck gave him the location, and Trevor drove over to meet them. ¡°Dad!¡± Even though Beck had treated her well, Jordyn was still visibly happier when she saw Trevor. Dressed in a sharp sult, Trevor had left his long coat in the car. He bent down, scooped her up, and pinched her little cheek. ¡°Did you have fun with Beck and Shanice today?¡± Jordyn was in a much better mood now. So, she nodded. ¡°Mo, it was fun!¡± She clung to Trevor, unwilling to let go. Trevor carried her into the restaurant and only put her dow once they entered their private dining room. He then turned to Beck and said, ¡°Thanks for today.¡± ¡°No trouble at all,¡± Beck replied. ¡°They yed on their own most of the time. I barely had to do anything¨Cit was actually pretty easy.¡± Seeing that the two kids were preupied and not paying attention to their conversation, Beck looked at Trever and asked, ¡°I know you have custody of Jo, but how are you handling visitation rights?¡± Trevor immediately understood what he was implying. He chuckled. ¡°You think I¡¯m stopping her from seeing Jo?¡± C The Scent of 176 hapter 176 Beck did indeed think that way. Trevor took a sip of tea. ¡°Although I have custody, the agreement clearly states that she can see Jordyn anytime she wants¨Cthere are no restrictions.¡± Beck didn¡¯t expect that. At that moment, the two children looked over, so they dropped the topic. Trevor suddenly said, ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been in contact with YodaVision recently?¡± Beck paused. ¡°Yeah.¡± Then he asked, ¡°What about you? Not interested?¡± Trevor replied, ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet. There¡¯s still time, and I¡¯m not in a rush.¡± Beck hummed a response. Celeste still hadn¡¯t finished her thesis. After spending a day and a half working on it, she went out for dinner with Lottie on Sunday evening. They wandered around for more than two hours before heading home. A quiet, productive, and undisturbed weekend passed just like that. On Monday, Celeste went to work at YodaVision as usual. From that day on, those who had previously called Matthias to discuss potential coborations with YodaVision started visiting in person, bringing their proposals with them. Jorge arrived on Thursday. However, Matthias happened to be on a business trip that day. When Celeste received the news, she put aside her work and headed to the reception room. As the door opened, Jorge stood up. But when he saw that it was only Celeste who entered, he hesitated for a moment Celeste extended her hand and said politely, ¡°Hello, Mr. Robinson. I¡¯m Celeste Rodriguez. Matthias went on a business trip yesterday and isn¡¯t in YodaVision at the moment. ¡°I am currently handling allpany matters on his behalf. If there¡¯s anything you¡¯d like to discuss, you can talk to me it¡¯s the same.¡± Handling everything on his behalf? In what capacity? As Matthias¡® girlfriend? Jorge wasn¡¯t sure if what she said was true or if she was just trying to assert her importance in Matthias¡® life. Even if she was telling the truth, their proposal contained a lot of technical content and specialized terminology. Would she even understand it? What was even more ridiculous was that, despite knowing be was here for a business discussion, she didn¡¯t even bring a technical expert with her¨Cshe hade alone. That said, Matthias did seem to value her quite a bit. Thinking of that, even though he suspected she might not fully grasp their proposal, he decided not to walk away and create unnecessary trouble. Instead, he extended his hand for a brief handshake and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Ms. Rodriguez.¡± He sat down and handed over a document. ¡°This is ourpany¡¯s proposal, Ms. Rodriguez. Please have a look.¡± Celeste took it. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll review it first.¡± Just as she was about to open the document, one of Matthias¡® secretaries knocked and entered, leaning in to whisper in her ear, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, there are visitors downstairs. They said their names are Harvey and Wynn Locket. Should I have them wait in your office-¡± ¡°No need,¡± Celeste interrupted softly. ¡°Send them away.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± After the secretary left, Celeste apologized to Jorge before officially starting to review his proposal. As she read through it, she thought to herself that although Jorge had arrivedter than others, he was clearly confident enough to do so. His proposal was thorough, almost perfectly aligned with what she was looking for. She appearedpletely focused, as if she genuinely understood everything. If she wanted to put on an act, Jorge wasn¡¯t going to expose her. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry, after all. Over half an hourter, Celeste set down the document and said, ¡°Mr. Robinson, your proposal is indeed highly suitable for ourpany¡¯s needs. We will seriously consider it.¡± Jorge didn¡¯t want to discuss much with Celeste¨Che nned to wait until Matthias returned and talk to him. directly. But on the surface, he remained polite. ¡°Thank you for your recognition. I look forward to the opportunity to coborate with yourpany.¡± The Scent of 177 After saying that, Jorge added, ¡°I have other matters to attend to, Ms. Rodriguez. See you next time.¡± Celeste had already sensed that Jorge didn¡¯t seem to like her. Even though he remained polite during their meeting in the reception room, she could still pick up on the subtle indifference in his attitude. Business was business. She was simply looking for a suitable partner¨Cwhat mattered to her was her own interests, not necessarily making friends with him. So, she pretended not to notice his attitude and smiled. ¡°Alright, see you next time.¡± Then she instructed Matthias¡® secretary, Candice Arden, ¡°Ms. Arden, please see Mr. Robinson out.¡± Jorge left. Downstairs, he spotted a familiar figure. ¡°Ms. Locket?¡± Yes, Wynn and Harvey had not left. Candice had indeed told them to leave, citing ¡°Mr. Yoder is away on a business ¡°but they had chosen to stay. They suspected that it was just an excuse¨Can attempt to avoid meeting them. So, they had been waiting downstairs, hoping to catch him when he came out. But instead of seeing Matthias, they saw Jorge. It had been exactly half a month since Wyrin had been injured. Her wound had mostly healed, though notpletely. Still, she was more or l less able to resume her normal life. Last week, Jorge had gone to InnovaTech but hadn¡¯t seen Wynn. When he asked around, he learned that she had been injured. Her injury had been quite severe, and her time in the hospital hadn¡¯t been easy. As a result, she still looked a little pale and weary. Seeing her like that, Jorge felt a pang of concern. However, remembering that she had been injured while trying to save Trevor, he suddenly didn¡¯t know what to say. Beside them, Harvey noticed Jorge¡¯s distinguished demeanor and guessed that he wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. He asked, ¡°Wynn, who is this?¡± Wynn didn¡¯t miss the flicker of concern in Jorge¡¯s eyes Her tone was calm. ¡°Jorge Robinson.¡± Then, she introduced him to Jorge. ¡°Mr. Robinson, this is my father, Harvey Locket.¡± Upon learning that Harvey was Wynn¡¯s father, Jorge greeted him politely, ¡°So, you¡¯re Mr. Locket. A pleasure to meet you.¡± After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Wynn asked, ¡°Mr. Robinson, did youe to YodaVision to discuss a coboration with Mr. Yoder as well?¡± ¡°Yes. And you and Mr. Locket?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Wynn nodded. ¡°Did you get to meet Mr. Yoder?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s on a business trip.¡± ¦° Harvey chuckled at that. ¡°So, Mr. Yoder really is on a business trip. I thought he just didn¡¯t want to see us.¡± Jorge paused. Noticing that they were still sitting there, he asked, ¡°You weren¡¯t invited upstairs?¡± Wynn replied, ¡°No. His secretary told us that he was away and asked us to leave.¡± Jorge¡¯s expression darkened. Wynn noticed and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is something off? Jorge said coldly, ¡°Mr. Yoder is indeed away, but the person who met me was Ms. Rodriguez, the one we previously met at InnovaTech. ¡°She said that since Mr. Yoder was absent, she was handling all matters for YodaVision and could negotiate with me on his behalf.¡± Whether Celeste¡¯s im that she represented YodaVision was true or not didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was that she had received him¨Cbut refused to meet Wynn. That was clearly intentional! Harvey was taken aback. Wynn also paused for a moment, then responded indifferently, ¡°Is that so?¡± Then she turned to Harvey and said, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, Dad, let¡¯s head back.¡± Harvey pursed his lips, displeased with how Celeste had treated them. But since Wynn said so, he could only reply, ¡°Alright.¡± Jorge frowned, about to speak, when Celeste came downstairs. Seeing the three of them, she stopped in her tracks. Before she could say anything, Wynn¡¯s phone suddenly rang. She picked up the call. ¡°Trevor?¡± A smile curved her lips. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived? Alright, I¡¯lle out now.¡± The Scent of 178 ¡°Mr. Fleming is here?¡± Jorge asked. ¡°Mm.¡± At the mention of Trevor, Wynn¡¯s tone softened. ¡°My injury hasn¡¯t fully healed yet, and Trevor was worried, so he came to pick me up.¡± As she spoke, she didn¡¯t spare Celeste a single nce. Then she added, ¡°Mr. Robinson, we¡¯ll be leaving now. See you next time.¡® Jorge had originally intended to question Celeste and stand op for Wynn. But seeing that Wynn didn¡¯t even bother to look at Celeste, he realized that shepletely disdained her¨Cso much so that she wouldn¡¯t even waste energy pretending to be polite. Watching Wynn¡¯s proud and direct demeanor, Jorge found her even more charismatic and intriguing. At that moment, he felt there was no point in wasting words on Celeste. She wasn¡¯t worth it. With that thought, his dislike for Celeste grew even stronger. He said to Wynn, ¡°I¡¯m leaving too. Let¡¯s go together.¡± Wynn nodded, and she and Harvey left without looking back Wynn didn¡¯t spare Celeste a nce, but before leaving, Jorge turned and gave her a cold, hard stare. Celeste didn¡¯t even need to guess what that look meant. Jorge wasn¡¯t the first man to dislike her simply because of Wynn Thinking of this, she coldly returned the look and then indifferently turned away, striding toward the exit as if they were nothing but air. Jorge was taken aback. She wasn¡¯t the least bit ashamed of being called out¨Con the contrary, she was acting righteously arrogant about in He let out a mockingugh. Unbelievable. The world really was full of all kinds of people. Seeing Celeste walking out alongside them without hesitation, Harvey was both surprised and displeased, furrowing his brows. Wynn¡¯s steps faltered slightly but quickly resumed, as if she hadn¡¯t noticed Celeste at all. In the parking lot, Trevor had already stepped out of his car and was leaning against the door, waiting for Wynn. Noticing Celeste walking out with them, he hesitated for a moment but quickly regained hisposure. Celeste saw Trevor too. But without a single nce at anyone else, she walked straight to her car. After adjusting the navigation, she drove off. As the car moved forward, she caught a glimpse of Trevor thoughtfully opening the car door for Wynn with his usual gentle care. There was a banquet on Saturday evening, and Matthias returned on Friday afternoon. THE BLAMUSI When he heard about Jorge¡¯s behavior, he scoffed coldly. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no need for us to coborate with him. There¡¯s no point in dealing with someone so annoying.¡± Celeste agreed Jorge wasn¡¯t the only good business partner avable. She didn¡¯t need to lower herself for him. On Saturday afternoon, while Celeste was preparing her evening gown, her phone rang It was Jordyn. She had been ignoring her calls, thinking that might make Jordyn stop calling as frequently. But to her surprise, Jordyn still called two to three times a week. Celeste didn¡¯t answer this time either. However, unlike before, Jordyn no longer felt as disappointed. She had been heartbroken at first when her mother repeatedly ignored her calls. But her dad had told her that if she wanted to call, she should¨Csomeday, her mom would pick up. So now, whenever she wanted to talk to Celeste, even knowing she might not answer, she still called her right away. Afterward, she casually put down her phone and looked at Trevor, who was now dressed in a formal suit. Lying on the master bed, she kicked her legs back and forth. ¡°Dad, are you heading out so soon to pick up Wynn?¡± Trevor hummed a response. ¡°Then you guys have toe back early tomorrow and take me out.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Trevor left about ten minutes after he was fully dressed. By 8:00 pm, Trevor and Wynn arrived at the banquet entrance together. Wynn was once again dressed in an expensive outfit, looking stunning and impossible to ignore. As soon as they stepped into the hall, they immediately became the center of attention. Beck and Miles had already arrived. Seeing them enter, they walked over. Jorge, Caleb, and Xavier had just arrived as well. Noticing themotion, they turned to look. When Jorge saw Wynn, a flicker of admiration shed in his eyes again. Caleb nced at Trevor and Wynn and asked Xavier, ¡°That¡¯s Wynn Locket?¡± Xavier nodded. ¡°Yeah. Beautiful and captivating, isn¡¯t she? But, no matter how beautiful or captivating, she was someone else¡¯s girlfriend. Caleb only looked twice before withdrawing his gaze withoutmenting. Trevor¡¯s presence alone was enough tomand respect. As soon as he arrived, many people immediately went over to greet him. Before long, a crowd had gathered around him and Wynn. At that moment, Matthias and Celeste finally arrived. YodaVision was currently the most talked¨Caboutpany in the industry at the moment. So, Matthias¡® presence at the banquet was naturally expected and attracted eager gazes from around. At the same time, many were also captivated by Celeste¡¯s appearance. Tonight, Celeste wore an off¨Cwhite, handcrafted embroidered evening gown that perfectly entuated her graceful figure while exuding a schrly, serene beauty, Someone in the crowd murmured, ¡°Gotta say, both Mr. Fleming and Mr. Yoder are really lucky men.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Although Wynn and Celeste had different styles, both of them were top¨Ctier beauties. The moment Matthias and Celeste stepped into the hall, Beck, Miles, Caleb, and Jorge all immediately took notice. As YodaVision was the most talked¨Caboutpanytely, It was no surprise the banquet host had invited Matthias. But Beck wasn¡¯t sure if Celeste woulde with him. Now, seeing her appear with her arm on Matthias, his gaze deepened. Miles had suspected she might attend but hadn¡¯t expected her to look this breathtaking. Even if he didn¡¯t like her, he had to admit¨CCeleste¡¯s unique, serene charm was undeniable. The Scent of 179 What a pity. Celeste was beautiful on the outside but rotten within. Thinking this, Miles suddenly lost interest and looked away, 2 Jorge had also been momentarily dazzled by Celeste¡¯s beauty. However, his thoughts were simr to Miles¡®. That was why he almost immediately turned his face away in disgust. Xavier, on the other hand, quite liked Celeste¡¯s type. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry to look away, but noticing Jorge¡¯s reaction, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s up with you? That reaction.. Did she offend you again?¡± Caleb also withdrew his gaze. Jorge then recounted in full detail what had happened at YodaVision a couple of days ago. Xaviermented, ¡°Huh¡­ Never would¡¯ve thought that Ms Rodriguez was that kind of person.¡± Caleb, pausing as he sipped his drink, responded, ¡°Maybe there was already an unresolved grudge between her and Ms. Locket that we don¡¯t know about.¡± Jorge dismissed the thought. ¡°Even if there¡¯s a grudge, does that mean she gets to abuse her position for personal revenge? Without knowing the full story, Caleb refrained from making further judgments. Meanwhile, Celeste and Matthias, who had just arrived at the banquet hall, were immediately surrounded by the crowd. Everyone was eager to tter Matthias, Matthias replied, ¡°You give me too much credit. YodaVisions sess today is the result of our entirepany¡¯s efforts.¡± At that, he turned to look at Celeste and added, ¡°Especially cel¨Cher contributions have been invaluable. From the CUAP project to thetest initiatives, the core technology was all in her hands. Of course, her identity still couldn¡¯t be revealed. In fact, even the key personnel from theirpany involved in the project had signed confidentiality agreements with the government. While he couldn¡¯t expose her identity, he could at least make sure people recognized her significance. Lately, with so much attention on YodaVision, many knew that Celeste was not only an employee there but also had a close rtionship with Matthias. Some even knew that Matthias would entrust her with handlingpany affairs in his absence. Hearing him say this now, most instinctively believed that Celeste must be quite capable at work. But as for his im that ¡°YodaVision wouldn¡¯t be where it is today without her,¡± no one took that too seriously. After all, they had heard that Celeste had only joined YodaVision two to three months ago. Matthias was probably just deeply in love, not wanting anyone to look down on her. Given Celeste¡¯s undeniable beauty and the fact that Matthias was currently riding high in his career, it was no surprise he¡¯d be utterly enchanted by her. Though people thought this privately, they kept their expressionsposed, smiling as theyplimented her, Ms. Rodriguez truly embodies both talent and beauty.¡± Chapter 17: On the other side, Wynn overheard this and let out a mocking; chuckle. She nced at Trevor, only to see that after looking over in Celeste¡¯s direction for a brief moment, he lost interest and looked away. Seeing this, Wynn also withdrew her gaze indifferently, but just then, she noticed Beck staring intently in that direction. No¨Che was probably looking at Matthias, not Celeste. Wynn Inew that Beck was interested in coborating with YodaVision. As for Celeste, Beck had always despised her. There was no way he¡¯d be watching her. No matter how beautiful. Celeste was, Beck would never be interested in her. Noticing Wynn looking at him, Beck turned his gaze away and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Wynn smiled. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Beck didn¡¯t press the matter. Seeing that the crowd around Matthias and Celeste had thinned a bit, he said, going over to greet Matthias. Trevor, have you decided whether to coborate with YodaVision? If so, why don¡¯t we go over together?¡± The Scent of 180 Trevor said, ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry. You go ahead.¡± Hearing this, Beck nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± He walked over and came face to face with Celeste. ¡°Mr. Yoder, Ms. Rodriguez.¡± Seeing it was him, Matthias¡® smile faded slightly. ¡°Mr. Harper.¡± Celeste also greeted him politely. ¡°Mr. Harper.¡± At that moment, Jorge also approached. Unlike Beck, he only greeted Matthias ¡°Mr. Yoder.¡± Matthias¡® smile grew even fainter. ¡°Mr. Robinson is here too? Apologies, I was busy earlier and didn¡¯t notice.¡± Jorge immediately picked up on the fact that Matthias seemed even less weing toward him than during their encounter. But he wasn¡¯t surprised. He cast a cold nce at Celeste. He knew she must have whispered all sorts of things about that day to Matthias. Not caring much about Matthias¡® attitude, he said, ¡°I visited YodaVision a couple of days ago. I wonder if you¡¯re aware, Mr. Yoder?¡± ¡°Of course, Cel told me.¡± Matthias continued, ¡°I also reviewed your proposal. I think it¡¯s well done, but¡­ Personally, it¡¯s just not to my liking. So I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Robinson, but as for our coboration, I¡¯m afraid- Jorge didn¡¯t expect Matthias to be so biased because of Celeste. He frowned. ¡°I thought you were someone who could separate personal matters from business, Mr. Yoder.¡± ¡°I usually do.¡± Now that things were out in the open, Matthias didn¡¯t bother pretending. He chuckled, ¡°But it depends on the situation.¡± His words implied that when it came to Celeste, whether he remained impartial was another matter. Theodore had instructed him to focus on coborations with YodaVision for the next two years, which meant thepany¡¯s projects had even greater potential than most realized. Despite his conflict with Matthias, he wasn¡¯t going to give up on working with YodaVision so easily. ¡°If you find issues with my proposal, I¡¯ll bring a revised one on my next visit, Mr. Yoder,¡± he said. ncing at Beck, he added, ¡°Since you¡¯re busy, I won¡¯t take up more of your time: Goodbye.¡± With that, he turned and left. Throughout the conversation, Jorge never once acknowledged Celeste. But standing nearby, Beck could tell from Jorge¡¯s deliberate disregard that Matthias¡® refusal to coborate was very much rted to Celeste.. However, he chose not to ask about it and instead acted as if he hadn¡¯t noticed. ¡°I¡¯ve also prepared a revised proposal. Would you two be avable for dinner on Monday?¡± Given Beck¡¯s close ties with Wynn and Trevor, Matthias had never been particrly fond of him, even if his proposal was excellent. Charter 180. But now, since Beck was making an effort to set aside personal grievances and even took the initiative to include Celeste in the invitation, Matthias¡® impression of him improved slightly. Still, he kept things professional. ¡°Monday? I¡¯m not sure yet. If I¡¯m free, I¡¯ll let you know. Rest assured, Mr. Harper.¡± Beck wasn¡¯t in a rush. ¡°That¡¯s all I needed to know.¡± Just as he finished speaking, the host of the banquet suddenly stepped onto the stage and made an announcement. Momentster, amidst apuse and music, the host and his wife began the first dance. Many guests soon joined in. Tonight¡¯s banquet was filled with stunning and distinguished socialites. At that moment, a strikingly beautiful heiress approached Beck ¡°Mr. Harper,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°May I have this dance?¡± The Scent of 181 There was a slight shift in Heck¡¯s expression. He nced at Celeste. Matthias didn¡¯t notice that Beck was staring at Celeste. He was getting into the mood. Dramatically, he bent at the waist and offered his hand like a true gentleman. ¡°May I have the honor of a dance with you, the beautiful and charming Ms. Rodriguez?¡± Celeste knew how to dance as well. She chuckled at Matthias¡¯s enthusiasm and said, ¡°I¡¯d be delighted. In fact, It¡¯s my pleasure.¡± Then, she ced her hand in his. With her hand in his, Matthias led her onto the dance floor, Upon seeing that, Beck offered his hand politely to the woman before him. As Celeste and Matthias stepped onto the dance floor, their eyes fell on Trevor and Wynn. They were about to dance too, and they just happened to look in Celeste and Matthias¡® direction. When Celeste was about to look away, she caught a glimpse of Trevor smiling at her. She frowned. Then, she realized it was just a fleeting misperception. Trevor was smiling at Wynn. He wasn¡¯t looking at Celeste at all. Celeste shifted her attention back to Matthias, fully immersing herself in the dance. Caleb, Jorge, and Miles were the kinds of bachelors that turned heads in elite circles. . Hence, manydies were eager to dance with them. After greeting Matthias, Wynn was the only person Jorge was paying attention to. Just like Caleb, Jorge had no ns to dance. However, there were some youngdies from distinguished families who had good rtions with theirs. Thanks to the elders¡® matchmaking, they finally obliged, each taking a youngdy¡¯s hand, and joined the dance floor. Miles, on the other hand, was the one doing the inviting just as one would expect from adies¡® man. Celeste¡¯s presence was effortlessly serene and elegant. Dressed in a cocktail dress, she moved with a ssic, lyrical grace on the dance floor. With her radiant smile, she was undeniably the evening¡¯s shining star, Hence, many were eager to swap dance partners with Matthias, and Xavier was no e exception.. He approached Matthias and Celeste with his dance partner in tow and asked, ¡°Mr. Yoder, care to switch partners for a bit?¡± Xavier¡¯s gaze was practically glued to Celeste. Matthias¡® expression darkened. ¡°I¡¯d rather not.¡± Xavier was at a loss for words. Just then, Celeste heard someone calling her name. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, right? Would you mind switching partners for the next dance?¡± Celeste paused for a moment and nced over, only to find Caleb¡¯s partner speaking to her. She had a charming face, and she seemed more than a little intrigued by Matthias. Celeste smiled. Then, she took a look at Matthias, who was clearly stunned for a second, and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine with it, but I¡¯m not sure if Mr. Jennings¡­¡± Caleb responded, ¡°I¡¯m fine with either.¡± Matthias was speechless. So, his opinions weren¡¯t necessary, were they? But to be fair, Caleb did have impressive qualities, and he didn¡¯t seem like a bad match for Celeste. With that, Matthias changed his mind. After a wordless consensus, they smoothly exchanged partners. It was quite ufortable for Celeste to ce her hand in a stranger¡¯s and rest the other on him. Ever the gentleman, Caleb kept his touch light and respectful. Noticing Celeste¡¯s instinctive difort, Caleb couldn¡¯t help but think she seemed inexperienced, as if she had never been in love. They had seen each other before, but they weren¡¯t actually familiar with each other. Thus, Caleb introduced himself, ¡°Caleb Jennings. That¡¯s my name.¡± Celeste simply wasn¡¯t used to being this close with an unfamiliar man. After a brief moment topose herself, she looked up and said, ¡°Celeste Rodriguez.¡± The Scent of 182 ¡°Celeste?¡± Caleb paused for a brief moment and continued, As in¡­ celestial?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The name suited her a lot, but Caleb didn¡¯t say it aloud. Jorge, Miles, Beck, Wynn, and Trevor all noticed what was happening. Switching partners on the dance floor was nothing unusual. But Celeste and Caleb? Visually speaking, they looked incredible together. Jorge furrowed his brows. And Beck stilled for a second. His partner looked at him and asked, ¡°Mr. Harper?¡± Beck averted his gaze. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± There was indeed nothing unusual about swapping partners on the dance floor. To him, even swapping partners with Trevor was fine. But Celeste¡­ It was Wynn¡¯s first time seeing Caleb tonight. Jorge had stopped by to say hello, but Caleb hadn¡¯te with him. Hence, she had no idea about Caleb¡¯s background. But from the way Jorge and Xavier treated Caleb, she knew his status had to be at least equal to Jorge¡¯s. Wynn frowned as she watched Celeste dance with Caleb, her face tinged with red, while Caleb seemed to treat her rather well. Just then, Miles grinned and asked, ¡°Let¡¯s switch up for a bit, Trevor.¡± Upon hearing that, Wynn snapped back to her senses. Trevor gazed at her. ¡°What do you say?¡± Smilingly, Wynn replied, ¡°Sure.¡± Then, Trevor swapped partners with Miles. Miles¡¯s dance partner hadn¡¯t expected Wynn to genuinely agree to the swap. As Trevor held her hand and gently wrapped an arm around her waist, thedy gazed at his breathtakingly handsome face, her heart thudding uncontrobly¨Cshe even forgot to move. Thedy¡¯s cheeks burned as she realized her blunder. She gazed flickered to Trevor in a moment of awkward. hesitation. Trevor paused for a quick moment, looking at thedy before him. With a gentle voice, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Noticing Trevor¡¯s gentle demeanor, she calmed herself. After a quiet apology, she gradually fell in step with him. Initially, Wynn didn¡¯t mind swapping dance partners. She wasn¡¯t worried¨CTrevor wouldn¡¯t be stolen away over just one dance. But when Wynn saw thedy¡¯s starry¨Ceyed, bashful expression as she looked at Trevor, she instinctively frowned. Miles had never entertained any romantic notions about Wyn as she was dating his good friend. 1 Swapping had been a spontaneous decision. Yet, now that the swap was done, Miles felt oddly unsettled. Wynn was his good friend¡¯s girlfriend, after all. Holding her hand was awkward enough, and he had no clue where to put his other hand. Wynn stared at him and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a dance. Trevor won¡¯t mind.¡± Miles eased up andughed. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± As they talked, Celeste and Trevor were slowly getting closer. However, Celeste didn¡¯t notice it at all. Soon, she heard Trevor speak next to her. ¡°Caleb, feel like switching?¡± Celeste tilted her head, meeting Trevor¡¯s gaze head¨Con. Caleb looked at her. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, what do you¡­¡± Before he could get another word out, Trevor had already made the exchange, handing his partner over. If Caleb didn¡¯t catch her, she¡¯d likely fall. Seeing Trevor reach for Celeste and ensure she wouldn¡¯t fall, Caleb had no choice but to let go of Celeste and catch the other girl, steadying her by her waist. It all happened so fast¨Cbefore Celeste could react, she was already in Trevor¡¯s embrace securely. The Scent of 183 Chapter 183 Realizing what had just happened, Celeste¡¯s immediate response was to push Trevor away. ¡°Rx,¡± Trevor said casually. As if he had expected her reaction, he gripped a little firmer on her waist. ¡°You!¡± She couldn¡¯t pull away, and she wasn¡¯t about attracting unwanted attention. People didn¡¯t do things without a reason. She figured he must have something to say, which was why he pulled this switch. Hence, she stopped struggling. In a cold voice, she asked, ¡°What do you want to tell me?¡± Trevor nced down at her cool expression but didn¡¯t seem bothered. Then, he asked in a rxed tone, ¡°When are you going to pick up Jo¡¯s calls?¡± ¡°Some timeter.¡± Trevor smiled. ¡°Which is like, around ten days then?¡± Celeste paused for a brief moment. ¡°Yeah.¡± Even though she and Trevor were getting divorced and she didn¡¯t have custody of Jordyn, she still had obligations as Jordyn¡¯s mother. Hence, she had decided to carve out one day each month just for Jordyn. In roughly ten days, it would mark almost a month. ¡°Alright,¡± Trevor responded. That was about all there was to say. After all, they had nothing left to talk about. Celeste cast him a look, signaling him to let go of her. Yet Trevor didn¡¯t. Instead, he asked, ¡°How are you doing these days?¡± Celeste pursed her lips. She wasn¡¯t sure what he was up to. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Whether she was okay or not was no longer his business. It seemed like a casual question from Trevor. When she didn¡¯t reply, he didn¡¯t insist. Before she knew it, he had guided her off the dance floor and left. Everyone else had no idea how Trevor and Celeste had be dance partners out of nowhere. And when they saw it, they were all surprised. Wynn, too, was biting her lip. It didn¡¯t take long for her to calm down. If Trevor was ever going to fall for Celeste, he would have done it a long time ago. And it wouldn¡¯t have taken until now. When she noticed Trevor hade back, she got off the dance floor and asked, ¡°Did you say something to her?¡± Trevor replied, ¡°It was about Jo.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Wynn knew it. Trevor wouldn¡¯t have approached Celeste for no reason. With that, she smiled and invited Trevor for a dance again. Then, Trevor stepped onto the dance floor with her once more. On the other side¡­ Matthias was shocked after seeing Celeste dance with Trevor. Hearing that Trevor only wanted to talk about Jordyn, he felt a bit more at ease. ¡°From now on, try to keep your distance with him if you can.¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± Just then, Caleb walked over. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, I¡¯m sorry for switching partners without asking you first.¡± When they swapped partners, he noticed Celeste¡¯s dark expression. She seemed to be clearly unwilling to be around Trevor. She didn¡¯t want to dance with Trevor at all. That was when Caleb realized Trevor was Wynn¡¯s boyfriend Wynn and Celeste seemed to have a history of conflict. So Caleb figured Trevor sought out Celeste to talk about Wynn¨Cmaybe even to defend her. Celeste shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, and it¡¯s not ever your fault, anyway. I¡¯d do the same if I were you, too.¡± She sounded calm and sincere. He could tell she genuinely didn¡¯t me him. When they were dancing earlier, Caleb realized she wasn¡¯t particrly chatty or socially agile. She was quiet and reserved. Her gaze held no ulterior motives¨Cshe saw him purely as her dance partner for the moment. Caleb extended his hand. ¡°May I have another dance with you then?¡± The Scent of 184 Celeste was stunned for a moment. Even though Caleb invited her to dance again, she could tell that he didn¡¯t mean it romantically. It was just a gesture of apology and friendliness. Seeing his sincerity, Celeste obliged and ced her hand in his. Beck had already got off the dance floor. His expression darkened when he noticed that Celeste and Caleb were back on the dance floor, dancing together. Wynn, too, was a little surprised when she saw how Caleb had invited Celeste for another dance. Trevor saw them as well. He lifted an eyebrow, smirking. As though nothing had happened, he continued his dance with Wynn. Momentster, Trevor received a call. He and Wynn stepped off the dance floor. It just so happened that Miles didn¡¯t want to keep dancing either. Hence, Miles and Wynn made their way to Beck, whose gaze had hardly left Celeste. Celeste and Caleb were still dancing Miles took a sip of his drink, his gaze settling on Celeste. ¡°Caleb seems pretty interested in her. But, you know, with such a distinguished family, they would never approve of her, even if he really likes her,¡± he said. After all, Celeste had been married and even had a child. Given how the Rodriguezs were barely holding on, it¡¯d be shocking if the Jennings ever epted her. Miles didn¡¯t say those words aloud, but Wynn knew what he was trying to convey. Having stayed at Baumond for so long, she knew the Flemings, Harpers, Quintons, Jennings, and Robinsons were * among the most prestigious families in the city. She had guessed before that Caleb came from an influential family¨Cmaybe even the Jennings. And she was right. Maybe Caleb did like Celeste, yet that didn¡¯t mean it was in a romantic way. As for Celeste marrying into the Jennings? That was nowhere near happening. Just as Wynn was mulling over it, she saw Caleb and Celeste walk away from the dance floor. After a brief nod to Celeste, Caleb walked away without a trace of reluctance. Wynn smiled. It seemed like she had guessed it right. She knew Celeste simply wasn¡¯t the kind of woman who could make a man like Caleb fall for her at first sight. Miles averted his gaze. ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry after all those dances. Wanna go for a bite?¡± he asked. Seeing Celeste and Matthias walk to the buffet area, Beck answered, ¡°Okay.¡± Wynn let Trevor¨Cwho was still on his phone¨Cknow where they were headed before leaving with Miles and Beck to the buffet area. As they arrived, several people at the buffet area came over to greet them. Some even took the opportunity to discuss potential business coborations with Beck and Miles. Wynn stood aside as she listened to them talk. Just then, Caleb and Jorge came. When Jorge noticed her, he walked over. ¡°Hello, Ms. Locket Wynn wore a faint smile, ¡°Hi, Mr. Robinson.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Fleming? Why isn¡¯t he with you? ¡°He¡¯s busy making calls now.¡± Realizing that Wynn and Caleb hadn¡¯t been introduced, Jorge took the initiative. ¡°Ms. Locket, this is my good friend, Caleb Jennings.¡± Then, he turned to Caleb and said, ¡°Caleb, this is Ms. Locker¡± Caleb extended his hand. ¡°Nice to meet you, Ms. Locket.¡± Wynn shook hands with him. ¡°Likewise.¡± Celeste and Matthias were about to head to where they were as well. When he saw them, Matthias clicked his tongue in annoyance. The Scent of 185 The pastries Matthias wanted were right over there. Just as Matthias and Celeste were about to head there, someone called them over to talk business. On the other side, after greeting Wynn, Caleb turned to Beck and Miles. ¡°Hello, Mr. Harper, Mr. Quinton.¡± Beck nodded. Just then, Trevor wrapped up his calls and made his way over. Miles recalled how Caleb and Celeste had spent quite a while on the dance floor. He rubbed his nose and let out a quict cough. After all, regardless of everything, Celeste was still Trevor¡¯s wife. Beck¡¯s expression darkened a little as well. Trevor, however, appearedpletely unfazed. He took the initiative to greet Caleb when he saw him. ¡°Hello, Mr. Jennings.¡± Caleb nodded. ¡°Hello, Mr. Fleming¡® Trevor tapped his ss against his, took a sip, and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, huh?¡± Caleb gripped his ss lightly. ¡°Yeah, it has been.¡± Miles was at a loss for words, Well, that was a pointless concern. The group of people then started chatting among themselves. Celeste and Matthias were tied up in conversation for a good while. They didn¡¯t run into Trevor and the others again for the night. As it was gettingte, they greeted the host before quietly slipping away. On Monday morning, just as Matthias arrived at the office, he was told that Ethan Yates from Fleming Group was already downstairs, hoping to discuss a coboration. Wynn had arrived alongside Ethan. Matthias was at a loss for words. Had it been Trevor personally seeking a meeting, he wouldn¡¯t have bothered meeting him. But he had a solid rapport with Ethan. With Trevor sending him over, turning him down wasn¡¯t exactly an option. He had to admit that Trevor really knew how to pull the right strings. Besides, Ethan had brought Wynn along Matthias¡¯s temples ached with an oing headache. He bit back his frustration as he went to Celeste and filled her in Chapter 185 Celeste said, ¡°Seeing Wynn isn¡¯t that big of a deal, though. Meeting her didn¡¯t necessarily mean a deal was on the table, anyway. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Matthias replied. Secondster, he asked, ¡°Do you want toe along?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± After letting Wynn and Ethan wait in the meeting room for a while, Celeste and Matts finally made their way over. As Matthias stepped through the door, Ethan and Wynn rose in unison to greet him. Wynn¡¯s expression flickered when she saw Celeste walk in with him, but she didn¡¯t dwell on it. After Ethan exchanged greetings with Matthias, she followed suit. ¡°Hello, Mr. Yoder.¡± Matthias nodded. ¡°Please, have a seat, Ms. Locket,¡± Celeste¡¯s outstanding appearance, coupled with her years at Fleming Group, made her quite memorable to Ethan. Before he took his seat, he blurted out, ¡°It¡¯s you, Ms. Rodriguez!¡± Ethan smiled. ¡°I was wondering why I hadn¡¯t seen you in a while. So, you quit and came to YodaVision.¡± Back when Celeste was still working at Fleming Group, they did have the asional work interaction. She replied with a beam, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been working here for some time now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± After the pleasantries, they moved on to the main topic. When Ethan handed his proposal to Matthias, Wynn did the same. Matthias took the proposals in hand and passed one of them to Celeste. ¡°Cel, you can look at Ms. Locket¡¯s proposal. What do you say?¡± ¡°okay.¡± Wynn stilled for a brief moment, but she didn¡¯t utter a word Celeste started to flip through the proposal Though she couldn¡¯t read ten lines in a single nce, her speed was above average. It only took her a few minutes to finish reading Wynn¡¯s proposal. Then, she handed the proposal back to Wynn. Staring into Wynn¡¯s eyes, she said, ¡°I can see that you put in a lot of effort, Ms. Locket. Still, there are quite a few issues. Compared to otherpanies seeking to coborate with YodaVision, your proposal isn¡¯t in a favorable position.¡± The Scent of 186 Upon hearing what Celeste had just said, Wynn replied, ¡°I see.¡± With a sharp gaze fixed on Celeste, she added, ¡°In that case, Ms. Rodriguez, will you please tell me what issues my proposal has so I can revise it ordingly?¡± Celeste immediately realized that she was being challenged on purpose, with the intent to make things difficult for her. Hence, she smiled and responded, ¡°Ms. Locket, any issues with the proposal are yours to resolve. Do you think it¡¯s appropriate for us to pinpoint the issues for you? Let me remind you that we¡¯re not obligated to work with you. By asking that sort of question, are you implying that you want to coborate with us but you have no clear understanding of ourpany¡¯s needs? If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m even more convinced that your team is incapable of meeting our standards.¡± Wynn¡¯s words indeed reflected her doubt toward Celeste and her deliberate attempt to put Celeste in a tough spot. She was sure that Celeste wouldn¡¯t be able to point out the ws in the proposal when she asked that question, and at the same time, she set a trap. If Celeste took the bait and listed the issues, she¡¯d have an easy way to strike back. However, to her surprise, Celeste didn¡¯t fall for it at all. Instead, she took the opportunity to set up a bigger trap for Wynn. That was what Wynn was thinking. Keeping her cool, she said, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s a misunderstanding. What I¡¯m suggesting is that coboration should benefit both parties. If there are problems with the proposal, wouldn¡¯t it be best for both of us to discuss and solve them together?¡± Celeste paused as she was drinking. She was caught off guard by Wynn¡¯s question. Then, she asked, ¡°Is this your first time negotiating a partnership, Ms. Locket?¡± Wynn furrowed her brows. For a moment, she didn¡¯t know why she had asked that question. Without waiting for Wynn¡¯s reply, Celeste went on with a smile, ¡°What you¡¯re suggesting, discussing and improving together, happens more in family or school settings. In business, peoplee together for profit; without it, they part ways. So, why would we choose the less than ideal option when there¡¯s a better one avable? Celeste¡¯s voice was gentle, and she was even smiling, but Wynn felt a cold shiver run through her as she listened to her talk She stared nkly at Celeste. She knew she had underestimated thetter. Celeste pushed the cup of tea closer to Wynn and said, ¡°Have a taste of the tea, Ms. Locket.¡± Wynn stilled for a moment. With the way things were, she couldn¡¯t refuse, even if she didn¡¯t want any. She lifted the cup of tea and muttered, ¡°Thank you, Ms. Rodriguez ¡± ¡°You¡¯re very wee, Ms. Locket.¡± Matthias had been paying attention to what was happening on their side. Honestly, he was quite worried that Wynn would take advantage of Celeste again. He was truly surprised when he heard that Celeste had so effortlessly rendered Wynn speechless. After he had gone through the proposal, talked with Ethan, and seen them out, he gave Celeste a thumbs¨Cup. That was impressive.¡± Celeste lowered her gaze and chuckled. ¡°Well, I worked as a secretary at Fleming Group for a reason.¡± Although ordinary secretaries like her didn¡¯t often interact with the major clients of Fleming Group, she had still dealt with plenty of people and situations over the years, and those had built up some experience for her. Matthias forgot all about this, He asked, ¡°So, were there really ws in the Lockets¡® proposal? ¡°Yes, there were.¡± While the proposal was written in great detail, the technical aspects were also spot¨Con Celeste suspected that Trevor had personally assisted the Lockets with it. Yet, for some reason, when it was put into practice, it was just a little off. The Scent of 187 Once she was done discussing Wynn¡¯s proposal, Celeste asked, ¡°What about Fleming Group¡¯s proposal?¡± Matthias rubbed his nose lightly. ¡°Well, you know, Trevor is in the same industry as us, so he¡¯s pretty tech¨Csavvy. Besides, Fleming Group was financially strong Their tech experts were highly sought after in the industry. Not to mention that Trevor was an expert himself. Thus, the proposal he sent over wasn¡¯t just good¨Cit was on a whole different level. Perhaps that was why he could remain unruffled and only now make his move for a partnership. It didn¡¯t really surprise Celeste when she heard that. She said, ¡°Just assess the situation objectively when you make the decision.¡± After all, working with a top¨Ctier team took a lot of worries off the table. Whatever had happened between her and Trevor was insignificantpared to the project. Jorge came to YodaVision in the afternoon. And this time, Matthias didn¡¯t go and meet him. Since Jorge didn¡¯t manage to see anyone, he soon left on his own. Then, Beck came. Matthias and Celeste went to meet him together. As they finished reading through Beck¡¯s new proposal, they exchanged a nce. ¨C Realizing their thoughts aligned, Celeste extended her hand to Beck and said, ¡°Let¡¯s make this a sessful partnership, Mr. Harper.¡± Beck noticed that Celeste had the final say over YodaVision His gaze briefly flickered between her and Matthias before he stood and shook hands with both. ¡°Looking forward to it. I believe this will be a great coboration.¡± Then, they dove straight into the contract details. As evening fell, they neared an agreement on the initial terms. Just then, Celeste¡¯s phone rang. Jordyn¡¯s name shed on the screen¨Ctwo calls back to back Celeste dismissed them outright, and Jordyn didn¡¯t try a third time. Trevor, on the other hand, answered the call from Jordyn. He went back home half an hourter. Jordyn was on an IV, looking pale in bed, Seeing Trevor, she mustered just enough energy to murmur, ¡°Dad¡­.¡± Trevor sat by the bed. When he noticed the sheen of cold sweat on her forehead, he took out a handkerchief and wiped it carefully. ¡°Does your stomach still hurt?¡± ¡°Slightly.. Though it was still quite painful to her. Trevor didn¡¯t scold her for eating something bad. Instead, he picked up on her low mood ¡°Want me to ask Wynn toe by?¡± he asked. In the past, she wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to agree. But this time, she held onto Trevor¡¯s fingers, shook her head, and whispered, ¡°I want Mom toe back.¡± Jordyn adored Wynn. Yet, even when her mother could get on her nerves sometimes, she was still the first person. Jordyn wanted to see when she wasn¡¯t feeling well. More than anything, she wanted Celeste to be the one by her side now. Upon hearing that, Trevor replied, ¡°Okay.¡± He let Jordyn hold his hand as he used the other to call Celeste. Celeste had just finished discussing the contract details with Beck, and they were about to go for dinner. She thought of the two missed calls from Jordyn when she saw Trevor calling. After hesitating for a quick while, she answered the call, ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Jo has mild food poisoning, and she¡¯s currently on IV at home: She wants to see you,¡± said Trevor. Celeste¡¯s fingers tensed around the phone. ¡°Got it. I¡¯lle back now.¡± As soon as she hung up the call, she turned to Beck. ¡°Sorry, something just came up. We¡¯ll have to do dinner another day.¡± Catching the shift in her expression and voice, Beck asked, ¡°Did something happen to Jo?¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°Is it something major?¡± Trevor didn¡¯t exin much, so Celeste wasn¡¯t sure either. ¡°She¡¯s probably okay now.¡± The Scent of 188 Chapter 188 ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Feeling slightly reassured, Beck dropped the subject. After a brief word with Matthias, Celeste left the office. When Celeste arrived at the vi, she entered Jordyn¡¯s room to find Trevor working at the desk. Trevor looked up, noticing her. ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± he said. Celeste murmured a soft reply. She set aside her bag and went over to Jordyn¡¯s bedside. Jordyn was still on an IV. She must have been tired, as she had dozed off with a slight frown. Celeste didn¡¯t wake her up. Instead, she turned to Trevor and asked, ¡°Is she okay now?¡± ¡°She was hurting pretty bad when I got home, but it¡¯s much better now.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Celeste sank into the couch, book in hand, intending to read while waiting for Jordyn to wake up. Then, Trevor asked, ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± Before Trevor could utter another word, Jordyn woke up. She was very surprised to see Celeste. ¡°Mom? You¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Celeste closed the book she had barely started reading, walked over, and sat by the bed. Before she could speak, . Jordyn sat up and threw her arms around Celeste¡¯s neck. ¡°You¡¯re finally back, Mom!¡± Feeling the warmth of her tiny body, Celeste paused briefly before hugging her back, making sure to avoid the IV site. Jordyn was feeling much better after being on the IV for more than half an hour. As the hunger set in, she said, ¡± Mom, I¡¯m hungry.¡± Trevor stayed where he was, ncing over. ¡°Should I ask someone to bring you something to eat?¡± Still curled up against Celeste, Jordyn lifted her head. ¡°No, I want to eat Mom¡¯s cooking.¡± Upon hearing that, Celeste said, ¡°Have something else for now, Jo. I¡¯ll make you something next time.¡± It was already toote to start preparing a meal. ¡°Alright,¡± she mumbled. ¡°You have to eat with me then.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jordyn¡¯s joy was almost tangible after Celeste hade. As her IV drip neared its end, Trevor carefully removed the needle for her, and she immediately asked Celeste to carry her downstairs for dinner. Celeste lifted her, only to realize that Jordyn had gained some weight. She seemed to have grown taller as well. It had only been 20 days had she really changed that much? ¡°Mom?¡± Jordyn noticed that Celeste seemed lost in thought. Softly, she ced her hand on Celeste¡¯s cheek. Without a word, Celeste held her close and headed downstairs. Trevor shut hisptop and trailed behind them. When he saw Jordyn bearning on Celeste¡¯s shoulder, he reached out and gave her cheek a light pinch. Jordyn was in such a good mood that she didn¡¯t even protest She sat next to Celeste, munching on her dinner while telling Celeste what she wanted for breakfast the next day. ¡°I have something to doter. I¡¯ll cook these for you another time, Jo,¡± Celeste said, seeing that Jordyn was fine NOW. With that, Trevor nced at Celeste but said nothing. Yet, Jordyn wasn¡¯t too happy about that. ¡°But Mom, you¡¯ve been so busy with worktely. I don¡¯t want you to go! You just got home!¡± Watching her pout in frustration, Celeste realized that visiting only once a month but staying for just a short while wasn¡¯t exactly fair. Hence, she gave in. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stay the night with you.¡± Jordyn broke into a smile and added, ¡°And you have to send me to school tomorrow!¡± Celeste took another bite and nodded. With so much to catch up on, Jordyn pulled Celeste upstairs right after dinner. Enthusiastically, she shared stories about her ssmates, teachers, and all the things she had been enjoying After listening for a while, Celeste noticed Trevor was leaning against the doorframe, watching them. She had no idea how long he had been there. The Scent of 189 Chapter 189 Celeste was about to wash up after helping Jordyn with her bath and drying her hair. Since her toiletries weren¡¯t in Jordyn¡¯s room, she went to the master bedroom. The master bedroom was all dim and silent. Trevor wasn¡¯t there. She switched on the light and immediately froze, for a second thinking she might have stepped into the wrong room. Having spent seven years in this room, she was intimately familiar with every part of it. Yet, everything in sight felt so foreign to her. Everything about the room was different. Well, almost¨Cat least the floor remained unchanged. The floor was the only thing left untouched. The chandelier curtains, bed, nightstand, small round table by the window, couch, coffee table, rug¨Ceverything had changed. Even the water dispensers and mugs were new. On top of those, the vanity desk she had always used was nowhere to be seen, along with all her bottles and jars. She could tell that every reminder of her had been deliberately removed. Then again, it made sense. Their divorce was nearly a done deal, after all. When Wynn got injured saving Trevor, he immediately rushed back and had Celeste sign a new divorce agreement. That alone made it obvious¨Che was eager to end their marriage and give Wynn a proper title. Their divorce wasn¡¯t even finalized yet, and he was already so desperate to remove all traces of her? Celeste took a step backward. Just as she was about to turn off the lights and leave, Hannah called out to her from behind. She turned around and saw Hannah standing there with a tray. There was a cup of warm milk on the tray. ¡°Oh, hi, Hannah.¡± Hannah smiled. ¡°Mrs. Fleming Senior left this milk here when she visited before. She told me to make something with it for you when I get the chance.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Celeste replied. ¡°You¡¯re very wee.¡± After a brief pause, she added, ¡°Mr. Fleming asked me to pack up all your belongings at the beginning of the month Mrs. Fleming. I¡¯ve moved them to the third floor. If you need anything, I can bring it down for you, or¡­¡± It was early this month when she and Trevor signed the divorce papers. Celeste responded, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll go get them myselfter. ¡°Alright.¡± Hannah then asked, ¡°Do I take this cup of warm milk to Jo¡¯s room?¡± This was a silent confirmation that she could no longer enter the master bedroom. Celeste took the tray and uttered, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Hannah nodded. ¡± Then, Celeste switched off the lights in the master bedroom and went back to Jordyn¡¯s room with the tray in her hand. As soon as she finished the cup of warm milk, she went to the third floor. Her belongings were neatly arranged in a corner room on the third floor. The room was clean and tidy as well. She could tell that Hannah had been maintaining the room for her. She took a fresh set of clothes and toiletries and went back to Jordyn¡¯s room for a bath. After the bath and a short reading session with Jordyn, she got ready for bed. Before bed, Jordyn asked, ¡°I¡¯m going to say goodnight to Dad. Do you want toe, Mom?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°No. You can go ahead.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Three minutester, Jordyn came back. ¡°Mom, Dad says goodnight too.¡± Celeste put away the book as she murmured a reply. Yawning, Jordyn snuggled into Celeste¡¯s embrace. ¡°We can sleep now, Mom. Goodnight!¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± With that, she turned off the lights. The next morning¡­ Celeste woke up just as dawn was breaking. Jordyn, however, was still fast asleep. Celeste washed up and went to the kitchen. The Scent of 190 Celeste went upstairs at around 7:00 am. Jordyn had already woken up. Seeing her return, Jordyn quickly switched away from the WhatsApp conversation. Celeste pretended not to notice it and said casually, ¡°Go wash up and get changed.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Celeste packed up her things and was about to head downstairs when she saw Hannah gathering her pajamas fromst night to wash. Thus, she said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to wash them, Hannah. You can just throw them away. ¡°The other stuff as well, though. Please throw them away for me; I won¡¯t be needing them anymore.¡± Her divorce with Trevor should be finalized soon. Going forward, even if she was meeting Jordyn, she wouldn¡¯t set foot here again, let alone stay the night These belongings were no longer needed, nor did she wish to keep them. There had always been issues between Celeste and Trevor. Over thest few months, Celeste¡¯s rare visits had already hinted that their rtionship was nearing its end. When Trevor had her things cleared out of the master bedroom earlier that month, it was as good as confirmation. Now, with what Celeste had just said, Hannah had no doubts left. Hannah wasn¡¯t sure what to say all of a sudden. Softly, she muttered, ¡°Alright.¡± Carrying her bag downstairs, Celeste ran into Trevor, who had juste back from a jog. . He took the initiative to greet her. ¡°Good morning.¡± Celeste nodded, replying in a t tone, ¡°Morning.¡± Then, she ced her bag on the couch and went into the kitchen. Trevor, on the other hand, went upstairs. With breakfast still in the works, Hannah took care of the rest. Celeste went into the living room, reading a book while waiting for Jordyn toe downstairs. With time running short and Jordyn still not downstairs, Celeste sat still, asking Hannah to go upstairs and urge her. Back then, Celeste used to handle these kinds of tasks herself. Yet now, she seemed more like a guest, showing less concern for Jordyn than before. Hannah noticed this and, with a resigned nod, went upstairs. ¡°A new book?¡± Celeste was so engrossed in the book that she didn¡¯t realize Trevor was already downstairs. She nodded. Trevor stretched out his hand. ¡°Can I take a look?¡± Celeste went still for a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t you have it?¡± It was the newest journal in the AI field. When they had just married, she wasn¡¯t yet familiar with Al, but she had noticed many AI¨Crted books in his study. Naturally, thetest journals in the field were part of the collection. He probably had a habit of subscribing to them. ¡°I¡¯ve been busytely and haven¡¯t had the chance to check it out.¡± He reached out his hand to her. Just then, Celeste heard Jordyn¡¯s footsteps approaching. Since she was going to have her breakfast, she passed the journal to Trevor. Jordyn came downstairs, spotted them, and went over to grab Celeste¡¯s hand. ¡°Is breakfast ready, Mom?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Celeste headed toward the dining room. As Jordyn followed her, she turned back to Trevor, who still had the journal in his hand, and asked, ¡°Are you noting, Dad?¡± He responded, ¡°I¡¯ll join in a second.¡± After Celeste and Jordyn had settled at the table, Trevor came. Just as he started eating, his phone buzzed with a notification. He put down his utensils and picked up the phone. Celeste quietly savored the breakfast. Finishing most of her food, she left the dining room and ced the book Trevor had left on the coffee table back into her bag. Once Jordyn was done with her breakfast, Celeste left with her without saying anything to Trevor. The Scent of 191 At Jordyn¡¯s school, Celeste heard a sweet voice call out her name. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez.¡± Turning slightly, she saw Sylvia running toward her and saying, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, my mom asked me to bring you some bunsst night, but you weren¡¯t home, so I took them back.¡± Just as Celeste was about to speak, Jordyn, unaware that Celeste had already moved out, huffed and said, ¡°That¡¯s not true. My mom was homest night.¡± Sylvia scratched her head. ¡°Huh? Really? Then why¡­¡± Before Celeste could respond, Jordyn¡¯s teacher called out to her, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez.¡± Celeste turned. ¡°Ms. Alper.¡± Donna gestured for Jordyn and Sylvia to head inside, saying she had something to discuss with Celeste. Once the two children went in, Donna said, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, do you know about next week¡¯s parent¨Cchild activity at the school?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°No.¡± Jordyn didn¡¯t mention it to her. Donna hesitated, having already suspected this but still wanting to confirm it with her. Celeste simply said, ¡°As long as someone is there to apany her, it¡¯s fine.¡± Seeing Celeste¡¯s consistent attitude on the matter, Donna sighed and said, ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± After thanking her, Celeste turned and left. Not long after returning to thepany, she was informed that Wynn and Harvey hade again. Theirst meeting with Wynn was just incidental. Neither she nor Matthias had ever considered working with the Locket family. Upon hearing the news, Matthias directly instructed his staff to send them away. Shortly after, Matthias received a phone call. Seeing the caller ID, he nced at Celeste. Celeste looked up. ¡°Trevor?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Already guessing the purpose of the call, Celeste ignored it and continued working. Matthias answered, ¡°Mr. Fleming.¡± On the other end, Trevor said, ¡°Mr. Yoder, how about a meal togetherter?¡± Matthias didn¡¯t bother with pleasantries. ¡°Mr. Fleming, this call is on behalf of the Locket family, isn¡¯t it?¡± Trevor replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Matthias chuckled and stated clearly, ¡°Mr. Fleming, YodaVision will never coborate with the Locket family. I don¡¯t think I need to exin why.¡± Before Trevor could respond, he added, ¡°Furthermore, the proposal Fleming Group submittedst time was excellent. However, if we were to coborate, I have one condition¨Cyou must guarantee that no one from the Lockets or the Shaws will have any involvement with our project. ¡°If that can¡¯t be ensured, then there¡¯s nothing more to discuss. Mr. Fleming, have I made myself clear?¡± Trevor responded, ¡°Very clear.¡± ¡°Good. Goodbye then, Mr. Fleming.¡± With that, Matthias hung up. Trevor did not call back. In the following days, even the Fleming Group remained silent. It seemed as though Trevor was willing to forgo the opportunity to coborate for Wynn¡¯s sake. And in reality, that was exactly the case. Two or three dayster, Matthias heard that Fleming Group had established a project team for a new development, with both the Lockets and the Shaws involved. While it was a pity not to coborate with Fleming Group, there were still plenty of otherpanies of a simr scale. YodaVision didn¡¯t necessarily need Fleming Group. On Friday night, Zachary returned. The Scent of 192 Celeste brought herptop and went with Matthias to have dinner at Zachary¡¯s home. After dinner, Zachary helped her review her thesis. It waste at night when she got into the car to head home. At that moment, Adeline called. She had originally booked tickets for the next day to take her two kids on a one¨Cday cruise trip, but something hade up at her family¡¯s side, and she had to go back, meaning she wouldn¡¯t be able to take care of the kids. After listening, Celeste said, ¡°Got it. I happen to be free tomorrow, so I¡¯ll take them.¡± Not long after she hung up, her phone rang again. This time, it was Beck calling. Celeste answered and spoke first, ¡°Sorry, if this is about Shanice, I already have ns tomorrow and won¡¯t be able to make time,¡± However, Beck didn¡¯t hang up. Instead, he asked, ¡°Would you mind telling me what ns you have?¡± Then he added, ¡°Shanice really hopes to see you tomorrow.¡± Since it wasn¡¯t something that needed to be kept secret, Celeste exined the situation to him. After hearing it, Beck said, ¡°A cruise trip, huh? Shanice would love that. Would you mind if we joined you?¡± Celeste was momentarily stunned but quickly responded, ¡°I¡¯ll check with my cousins and see what they think.¡± Beck replied, ¡°Alright.¡± Five minutester, Celeste gave Beck a definite answer. The next morning, a little after 8:00 am, Celeste, along with Jamie and Hector, arrived at the pier. Beck and Shanice were already there. Upon seeing Celeste, Shanice ran over excitedly. ¡°Ms. Celeste!¡± Celeste bent down to hug Shanice and smiled. ¡°Shanice, long time no see.¡± Seeing Jamie and Hector looking at Beck and Shanice with some confusion, Celeste introduced them to each other. Beck was polite and warm. ¡°Hello.¡± He then took out some gifts he had prepared and said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what you¡¯d like, so I brought a little something. I hope you¡¯ll like it.¡± No one had expected Beck to be so considerate. Even Celeste was momentarily surprised, let alone Jamie and Hector. After some brief conversation, they boarded the boat. Jamie and Hector already knew about Celeste¡¯s impending divorce from Trevor. Watching her holding Shanice¡¯s hand and talking with Beck Jamie shot a nce at Hector as if asking, ¡°Is this our future brother¨Cinw?¡± Hector returned with, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Probably?¡± Seeing that neither Celeste nor Beck was paying attention to them, Jamie leaned closer to her younger brother and whispered, ¡°He¡¯s pretty handsome.¡± And he seemed more approachable than their former brother¨Cinw. However, watching Celeste y with Shanice and treat her so kindly left them feeling conflicted. They not only knew that Celeste was divorcing Trevor but also that she was unlikely to gain custody of Jordyn. Not only was Trevor unwilling to let go, but from what they could tell, despite having recently returned to the country, Jordyn rarely visited the Rodriguez family. It was clear that she preferred staying with Trevor over Celeste. They couldn¡¯t imagine how heartbreaking that must be for Celeste. Now, seeing her beginning to move on in her personal life, they naturally felt happy for her. So, they joined in to y with Shanice. They figured that if they were nice to Beck¡¯s family now, if Celeste really did marry him in the future, the Harper family would surely treat their cousin well in return. The Scent of 193 Jamie and Hector came over and asked Shanice if she wanted to y on the water slide. Shanice looked at the colorful water slide not far away and eagerly nodded. The yacht¡¯s water slide was indoors and designed like a hot spring, so even in the middle of winter, it wouldn¡¯t be cold. The slide was suitable for both adults and children, though it was primarily a yground for the young. After sliding a few times, Celeste and Beck lost interest. But Shanice, Jamie, and Hector were having the time of their lives. Celeste sat to the side and soaked in the hot spring. At that moment, Beck handed her a drink. Celeste took it. ¡°Thanks.¡± Beck sat down not far from her. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Then he asked, ¡°How old are they?¡± ¡°Jamie¡¯s 16, Hector¡¯s 14.¡± ¡°Do you take them out often?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°I used to, buttely, work has kept me too busy.¡± Just then, Beck¡¯s phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he remained calm as he stood up. ¡°I need to take this.¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± He walked a little further away before answering. ¡°Trevor.¡± Trevor asked, ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°On a yacht.¡± ¡°You¡¯re out at sea?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Beck¡¯s gazended on Celeste in the distance. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Trevor said, ¡°Jo wants to y with Shanice, so she asked me to call you.¡± ¡°The boat is already out at sea. Maybe next time.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Trevor didn¡¯t say much more and hung up. At noon, the five of them sat together for a seafood feast. In the afternoon, they lounged on the deck, sunbathing and fishing. Shanice, Jamie, and Hector were exhausted from ying. After fishing for a while, they dozed off on their lounge chairs. Beck had some business to attend to and stepped away to make a few calls. When he returned, he saw Celeste still sitting there, reading a book. He had studied finance in college, and though he wasn¡¯t too familiar with the book in her hands, it did seem somewhat familiar. Then he quickly remembered¨Che had often seen Trevor reading that same book. Watching Celeste absorbed in her reading, Beck paused. She had been so engrossed that she didn¡¯t even notice he had returned. It wasn¡¯t until the wind blew Shanice¡¯s nket off, and Beck adjusted it for her, that Celeste finally realized he was back. He sat down in his chair and asked, ¡°This book¡­ do you read it often too?¡± The way he said ¡°too¡± made it clear that he was referring to Trevor. Celeste nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Her focused posture while reading¡­ It really did resemble Trevor¡¯s. Not in appearance, but in expression. At that moment, Beck suddenly felt that, in some ways, Celeste and Trevor were actually quite simr¨Cthey shared a passion for the same field. By that logic, they should have been able to get along well. Yet¡­ Thinking about their marriage, Beck¡¯s gaze darkened slightly.¡± Everyone said she had used underhanded tactics to force Trevor into marriage. He had once believed that wholeheartedly. But after spending time with her, he realized she didn¡¯t seem like that kind of person. Her thoughts didn¡¯t seem so scheming or maniptive. After dinner, the yacht prepared to dock. By the end of the day, Jamie, Hector, and Shanice had gotten quite familiar with each other. Jamie and Hector were no longer nervous even around Beck As they were leaving, they casually said, ¡°Beck, see you next time.¡± Beck nodded, his gaze falling on Celeste. ¡°See you next time.¡± The Scent of 194 Celeste said, ¡°See you next time.¡± With that, she drove off without hesitation. After returning to the Rodriguez residence, Celeste went upstairs while Hector eagerly shared the day¡¯s events with Betty. When the olddy learned that the person who had spent the day with Celeste was actually Beck, she was quite surprised. After all, Beck and Trevor had grown up together, and Celeste had never been particrly close to him before. How did this suddenly happen? Ivan mused, ¡°No wonder the Harper family suddenly reached out to coborate with me recently, and Beck has been quite polite whenever he sees me. So, this is why¡­¡± Adeline added, ¡°So, it might actually be true?¡± Betty, however, understood Celeste well. She said, ¡°Cel isn¡¯t officially divorced yet. I don¡¯t think she sees it that way. Let¡¯s just let things take their course and not interfere too much.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The next day, Celeste woke up at the Rodriguez residence. Just as she finished breakfast, her phone rang. It was Trevor. Celeste saw the call but didn¡¯t answer. Momentster, a message from Trevor popped up. ¡°Tomorrow, Jo¡¯s school is holding a parent¨Cchild event. Make sure youe.¡± Celeste read it and replied, ¡°I¡¯m not avable.¡± Trevor called again. Celeste ignored it and turned off her phone. After finishing her work, she turned her phone back on and saw an unread message from him. ¡°Are you at the Rodriguez residence?¡± It was just a few words, but Celeste understood the underlying meaning¨Cif she didn¡¯t respond, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate toe find her directly. She clenched her phone and sent him a reply, ¡°What time does it start?¡± But it wasn¡¯t until over half an hourter that Trevor finally responded. ¡°9:00 am.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t reply after that. That night, Jordyn called. As soon as Celeste picked up, the little girl asked, ¡°Mom, why aren¡¯t you home yet?¡± Trevor told her that Celeste would be back to attend the school event with her tomorrow, but it was already past 9: 00 pm but Celeste still wasn¡¯t home. Celeste said, ¡°I¡¯m not going back there. I¡¯ll meet you at your school tomorrow.¡± Jordyn didn¡¯t expect that. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Celeste then said, ¡°Go to bed early.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After hanging up, Celeste also let Matthias know that she would be arriving at the officeter than usual the next day. On Monday morning, she arrived at Jordyn¡¯s school on time ¡°Mom!¡± Seeing her, Jordyn, who was standing beside Trevor, happily waved. Celeste walked over, and Trevor greeted her, ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Recalling his veiled threat from the night before, Celeste ignored him and instead opened Jordyn¡¯s tablet to check the event schedule. After a while, she and Trevor sat down in their seats. When Donna saw Celeste, she was visibly pleased and made a special effort to greet her. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, you made it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Celeste gave her a warm smile. Jordyn then walked over with the flower wreath that the school had prepared for mothers and handed it to Trevor, signaling him to ce it on Celeste¡¯s head. Celeste took it and said, ¡°I can do it myself.¡± Trevor didn¡¯t insist and simply handed the flower to her. With their striking looks, Celeste and Trevor stood out among the parents, drawing the attention of nearly everyone present. Tilda had previously heard from Sylvia that Celeste was already married and had a daughter the same age as h¨¦r. Now seeing her in person, she walked over and asked, ¡°Cel, is this¡­ your husband?¡± The Scent of 195 Jordyn wasn¡¯t around, so Celeste smiled slightly and said, ¡°We¡¯re about to divorce.¡± Tilda had already suspected as much. After all, Celeste had daughter but had been living alone across from her all this time. Not to mention, Celeste hadn¡¯t attended thest parent¨Cteacher meeting. Instead, someone else had¨Ca sexy and beautiful woman. Trevor, however, took the initiative to greet her. ¡°Hello.¡± Tilda responded, ¡°Hello.¡± Trevor asked, ¡°You two know each other?¡± Although the question was directed at Tilda, his gazended on Celeste. Celeste didn¡¯t want to engage and remained silent. Tilda answered, ¡°Cel and I are neighbors.¡± Sensing the awkward tension between them and noticing that Celeste didn¡¯t seem interested in speaking with Trevor, Tilda quickly found an excuse to leave. Trevor remarked, ¡°Seems like you get along well with your new neighbor.¡± Celeste lowered her head and checked her phone. Trevor didn¡¯t seem upset, but he also didn¡¯t continue speaking. At that moment, Jordyn returned, and the parent¨Cchild event was about to begin. Celeste had participated in a simr event during Jordyn¡¯s first year of kindergarten. But ever since Jordyn and Trevor moved abroadst year, she didn¡¯t attend again. The first activity was ¡°Musical Chairs¡°. The game required chairs to be arranged in a circle, with two fewer chairs than the number of participating families. Parents had to carry their child and walk around the chairs while music yed. When the music stopped, they had to quickly find a seat. Families who didn¡¯t secure a chair would be eliminated each round, and thest family left would be the champion Trevor turned to Celeste. ¡°Do you want to do it, or should I? . Just as Celeste was about to say ¡°You do it,¡± Jordyn eagerly spoke first, ¡°Dad will do it!¡± Trevor looked at Celeste. ¡°What do you think?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°You do it.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Trevor handed her his phone. ¡°Then you record it.¡± Celeste hesitated and didn¡¯t want to touch his phone. ¡°I¡¯ll use mine. I¡¯ll send you the videoter.¡± Trevor didn¡¯t insist and took his phone back. Then, he picked up Jordyn and stood beside the other parents near the chairs. Celeste stood up, opened her phone¡¯s video recording function, and aimed it at Trevor and Jordyn. Suddenly, Trevor nced over at her. The camera captured his face directly. He smiled at her. Celeste¡¯s grip on her phone tightened for a brief moment. Just then, the music started ying. Trevor turned away, holding Jordyn effortlessly as he moved along with the other parents in a circle around the chairs. After one to two rounds, the music abruptly stopped. Trevor sat down in a chair with ease, still holding Jordyn in his arms. Seeing that they had secured a chair, Jordyn sat in hisp, happily waving at Celeste. ¡°Mom, we got a chair!¡± Celeste responded, ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± To be honest, when she first looked at the event schedule, she had assumed that both Trevor and Jordyn would find these school¨Corganized games boring. But in reality, Jordyn had already been excited the moment Trevor picked her up before the game even started. Now that they had sessfully grabbed a chair, she was even more thrilled. Trevor chuckled at her reaction and nced over at Celeste. At first, it had been obvious to Celeste that Trevor wasn¡¯t particrly interested in the game. But perhaps the lively atmosphere, the cheerful music, and thepetitive nature of the activity had drawn him in. By now, he seemed fully engaged and was genuinely enjoying himself. Thanks to his quick reflexes, he easily won round after round, ultimately bing the champion. The Scent of 196 Jordyn happily ran over to Celeste, holding up her hand for a high¨Cfive. ¡°Mom, we won!¡± Celeste gave her a high¨Cfive. ¡°Mm.¡± Trevor also walked over. ¡°Did you get the video?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Celeste responded as she sent the video to him. After the musical chairs game, the next activity was the Invincible Firewheel game. The game required four families to form a team. Each team had to move forward while continuously rolling a circr tape ring under their feet. The first team to reach the finish line would win. Trevor looked at Celeste. ¡°Want to do this round?¡± Jordyn nodded eagerly. ¡°Mom will y this round with me Celeste had no objections. ¡°Alright.¡± As the game was about to start, Celeste hesitated for a moment while looking at her bag. At that moment, Trevor reached out his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll hold it.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Celeste handed her bag to him. For most couples, a husband holding his wife¡¯s bag was an everyday urrence. But for them, this was the first time Trevor had ever held her bag. Celeste had no idea if he had ever held Wynn¡¯s bag before. Today, he wasn¡¯t dressed as formally as usual, but with his tall frame in a sleek ck overcoat, holding her bag somehow didn¡¯t seem out of ce at all. From a distance, anyone who didn¡¯t know their situation might assume he was just a man standing there, holding his beloved woman¡¯s bag, waiting for her to return. Celeste quickly looked away. The game required strong teamwork. So, Celeste stood in the center, raising her hands in sync with the team to rotate the tape ring. Jordyn stood behind her, tugging at her coat to follow her rhythm, clearly enjoying herself. When she noticed Trevor recording them with his phone, she became even more excited. ¡°Dad!¡± Trevor stood slightly ahead to the side. Celeste was aware of his presence, but she was too focused on the game to look at him. Then, as soon as Jordyn spoke, Trevor¡¯s voice followed from the side. ¡°Eyes on the game. Follow your mom¡¯s rhythm.¡± Jordyn answered cheerfully, ¡°Got it!¡± Earlier, when Celeste had recorded the previous game, she had stood still and filmed from one spot. But now, as Trevor recorded them, he moved with the game¡¯s pace, walking backward while filming. After one full round, the game ended. Jordyn ran over to Trevor. ¡°Dad, this game was so fun! Can we y it again sometime?¡± Trevor smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± Celeste returned and took her bag from his hands. Just then, she heard a notification sound from inside her bag. She took out her phone and saw that Trevor had sent her a video. She just nced at it but didn¡¯t open it. Meanwhile, Jordyn had scooted up beside Trevor, eager to watch the video he had recorded. Trevor handed his phone to her, then opened a water bottle and held it out to Celeste. Celeste epted it. ¡°Thanks.¡± She was indeed a little thirsty. She took two sips, then screwed the cap back on just as Trevor asked, ¡°What¡¯s the next game?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t believe that someone with his memory would forget the schedule after reading it once. But¡­ She nced at the water bottle in her hand and paused. It was hard to refuse someone after epting their favor. With that thought, she replied, ¡°The Ball Transportation Game.¡± X The Scent of 197 Trevor asked again, ¡°You or me?¡± Celeste looked at Jordyn. ¡°Jo, you decide.¡± ¡°Dad.¡± Jordyn said, ¡°Mom doesn¡¯t know how to y basketball, but Dad is really good at it.¡± Celeste actually did know how to y basketball. But she didn¡¯t correct her. Since Jordyn had already made up her mind, she simply said, ¡°You do it.¡± Trevor nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± The sun was getting hotter, and the outdoor temperature had risen significantly. Trevor took off his long ck coat and handed it to her. ¡°Hold this for me.¡± Celeste just looked at it, took it, and ced it on the grass nearby. (1 He raised an eyebrow but didn¡¯t say anything. However, just before the game started, he suddenly told her, ¡°When you record the videoter, keep up with our pace. Don¡¯t just stand still.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Got it.¡± The Ball Transportation Game¡¯s rules required the parent to pull a loop of rope forward while the child dribbled a basketball inside the loop. At the turnaround point, the child pulled the loop while the parent dribbled. Throughout the game, the ball had to stay within the loop¡¯s range. Celeste had taken Jordyn to y basketball and volleyball before. But at that time, Jordyn didn¡¯t show much interest¨Cmaybe because she was still too young and had forgotten about it. Now, whether it was because the school had taught her or because Trevor had, when the game started, Jordyn dribbled with impressive skill. As Trevor pulled the loop backward, he matched her dribbling rhythm perfectly. They easilypleted the first round. The return trip was even smoother. Jordyn had said that Trevor was good at basketball. And she was right. He spun the ball effortlessly between his hands. With his sleeves casually rolled up, his movements were both elegant and effortlessly skilled as he followed Jordyn¡¯s pace. Around them, a few spectators gasped in admiration. ¡°So handsome.¡± Celeste kept recording steadily. But as he dribbled, an image suddenly resurfaced in her mind¨Cthe memory of him ying basketball on their campus court years ago. Just a few months ago, when she asionally recalled the past, his face and figure had remained crystal clear in her memory. But now, looking at the present¨Cday Trevor¨Ctaller, moreposed, and even more striking than before¨Cthose old memories seemed to blur. 112 Unsurprisingly, Trevor and Jordyn came in first ce. Jordyn jumped with joy, her smile never leaving her face. Trevor grinned and bent down to lift her into his arms. Celeste captured the moment on video. She thought Jordyn must be the happiest child in the entire school. But at the same time, she figured¨Cif the person here with them today was Wynn instead of her, Jordyn would probably be even happier. Some of the other parents started chatting with Trevor. He shook hands with one of them and engaged in conversation. Meanwhile, Tilda stood beside Celeste. Seeing that the game was about to end and that Celeste had finished recording, shemented, ¡°Your daughter and her dad have such a great rtionship.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Indeed, their bond was strong, and it would probably only grow stronger. What Tilda didn¡¯t say was that it was quite rare for a child to be closer to their father than their mother¨Cto this extent, at least. But she also had to admit¨CCeleste¡¯s husband treated their daughter very well. The Scent of 198 Chapter 198 It was only natural for Jordyn to be close to her father. Besides that, Tilda also noticed how the other parents reacted while watching their spouses y games with their children. When things were going well, theyughed and pped excitedly. If things weren¡¯t going well, they got anxious and cheered them on. Anyone could tell that these families were together¨Ca united front. But when it came to Celeste, even though she smiled while ying with her child, something felt different. It was as if there was a gap between her, her husband, and their daughter¨Clike she wasn¡¯t really part of them. Then she remembered thest parent¨Cteacher meeting. Celeste¡¯s daughter clearly had a great rtionship with that other woman. So, it made sense that Celeste didn¡¯t quite fit in with her husband and daughter now. After all, whose child wouldn¡¯t feel distant from them if they were close to the very person who had disrupted their marriage? Thinking about it, she figured Celeste must be feeling awful inside. But looking at her, she didn¡¯t know how to offer any words offort. Celeste noticed the sympathy and hesitation in her gaze. She knew Tilda had probably pieced together what had happened. So, she just smiled. The hardest part of it all was already behind her. She knew that the only reason she was here today was because Wynn wasn¡¯t avable. That was why Trevor and Jordyn had asked her toe instead. So yes, she did feel a bit like an outsider today. Just then, Trevor and Jordyn came back. Jordyn ran up to see the video Celeste had recorded. Celeste sent it to both her and Trevor. ¡°I sent it to you. You can watch it on your tablet.¡± Jordyn beamed. ¡°Okay!¡± After three rounds of games, the parent¨Cchild activities were finally over. Jordyn had won two championship trophies. Holding them in her arms, she eagerly asked Trevor to take pictures of her with her prizes. Trevor took several shots. Then Jordyn turned to Celeste. ¡°Mom, take some pictures of me and Dad too!¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± At her daughter¡¯s request, she took four or five photos of Jordyn and Trevor together. After sending the photos to Jordyn, Trevor suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll take some of you and Jo too.¡± ¡°Yes! Mom,e here!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Trevor took her phone and snapped some photos of her and Jordyn. Once they were done, Celeste took back her phone. A momentter, it started ringing. It was Matthias calling. ¡°I need to take this,¡± Celeste said. Jordyn responded cheerfully, ¡°Okay, Moin!¡± Trevor simply nodded. ¡°Mm.¡± She talked with Matthias for about ten minutes about work. When she turned back, she noticed Trevor and Jordyn seemed to be on a video call with someone, She didn¡¯t walk over. Instead, she focused on the work files Matthias had just sent her. A little whileter, Jordyn waved her over. ¡°Mom! Come take a big group photo with us, and then we can go for lunch!¡± Celeste walked over, and the three of them, along with the other parents, posed for a group picture. Donna also took individual photos of each family. With that, the school¡¯s parent¨Cchild event officially came to an end. Just as Celeste was about to leave, Trevor went over to retrieve his coat. Then he turned to her and asked, ¡°Where do you want to go for lunch?¡± Before Celeste could answer, Jordyn excitedly raised her hand. ¡°I want barbecue! The ce we went tost time!¡± Trevor pinched her cheek. ¡°That ce is too far. You still have ss in the afternoon¨Cwe won¡¯t make it in time.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Jordyn thought for a moment, then brightened up again. ¡°Then seafood?¡± Trevor didn¡¯t answer right away. Instead, he turned to Celeste. ¡°What do you want?¡± The Scent of 199 Chapter 199 Celeste said, ¡°You guys go ahead. I won¡¯t be joining.¡± Jordyn blinked in surprise. ¡°Huh? Mom, you¡¯re noting?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± She gently patted Jordyn¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m heading off first. Have a great meal.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Celeste smiled but didn¡¯t say more. Without looking back, she turned and left. Trevor watched her retreating figure but didn¡¯t call her back. Instead, he said to Jordyn, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As soon as they got in the car, Trevor¡¯s phone rang. It was Martha calling. The moment he picked up, she gritted her teeth and demanded, ¡°Did you approve a project for the Lockets and the Shaws through Fleming Group?¡± Trevor gave a calm hum in response and then chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re only finding out now?¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± Martha was livid. ¡°What are you trying to do? Are you¡­ nning to divorce Cel?¡± Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be so tant about it. For him to openly bring the Lockets and the Shaws into the Fleming Group¡¯s business meant he wasn¡¯t afraid of her finding out. It also meant that he had already made up his mind. Before he could respond, Martha snapped, ¡°I don¡¯t agree! And if you insist on going forward with this project, fine ¨Cbut you need to rece them. If you don¡¯t, then I will¡ª ¡°Grandma.¡± Trevor¡¯s tone was asposed as ever. ¡°Before I got married, I upheld the conditions I promised you Now, I ask you to do the same¨Cstop interfering in my decisions.¡± In other words, she was not to touch the Lockets and the Shaws. ¡°You¡­¡± Ever since he took over Fleming Group, thepany had only grown stronger under his leadership. Over the years, the board members and senior management hade to realize that following Trevor¡¯s direction was the best way forward. If she tried to oppose him, the first ones to object wouldn¡¯t be him¨Cbut the other shareholders. Simply put, the Fleming Group needed Trevor more than he needed them. It was useless to use thepany as leverage against him. What about emotional leverage? As he had just reminded her, his marriage to Celeste was already apromise he made for the family. Martha knew him well¨Che was never someone who would keep making concessions for others. Once he had set his sights on what he wanted, he would stay true to himself And if he were pushed too far¡­ Martha fell silent. That silence meant she had conceded. Trevor casually asked, ¡°Have you eaten?¡± She hung up on him. Trevor looked at his phone and chuckled. Jordyn peeked over curiously. ¡°What happened?¡± Trevor put his phone down, his expression rxed. ¡°Your Nana is mad.¡± ¡°Huh? Did you make her mad?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to make it up to her?¡± Jordyn asked. ¡°Not right now. I¡¯ll deal with itter.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Okay.¡± Back at the office, Matthias saw Celeste return but didn¡¯t ask about the parent¨Cchild event. He only asked, ¡°You¡¯re back. Have you eaten?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Come on then, let¡¯s grab a meal.¡± Celeste smiled. ¡°Alright.¡± 11 When they arrived at the restaurant, they unexpectedly ran into Ethan, a senior executive from Fleming Group, who was there with his family. Ethan sent his family ahead to a private dining room, then turned to Matthias and said, ¡°I honestly thought we¡¯d have another chance to coborate. But now¡­¡±
  • Matthias raised an eyebrow, smirking faintly. ¡°I heard yourpany¡¯s new project is doing quite well.¡±
¡°It is. Since Mr. Fleming personally approved it, there¡¯s basically no room for mistakes.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Matthias¡¯s response was indifferent, his tone cold. Then he asked, ¡°I also heard the Lockets and the Shaws have a pretty significant role in the project. No objections from the rest of yourpany?¡± The Scent of 200 Chapter 200 There are always some objections, but nothing that will have a major impact,¡± Ethan said. ¡°Whenever thepany secures a good project, the other shareholders naturally want their own people involved. But Mr. Fleming rarely assigns personnel himself¨Cpeople can¡¯t startining the moment he finally does, right? ¡°Besides, the Lockets and the Shaws are indeedpetent and follow the rules, so overall, it doesn¡¯t cause much disruption.¡± Matthias had heard enough. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t keep you from your family. Let¡¯s have a meal together next time.¡± Ethan replied, ¡°Sure, next time.¡± After he left, Matthias turned to Celeste. ¡°Let¡¯s head inside.¡® Celeste nodded. ¡°Mm.¡± After finishing their meal and returning to the office, they were informed that Jorge was there to meet them. Neither Celeste nor Matthias had any intention of meeting him. But Jorge didn¡¯t leave. By evening, when Celeste got off work and headed to the parking lot, he called out to her. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez.¡± She turned around, her tone indifferent. ¡°Mr. Robinson, what do you need?¡± Jorge looked at her. ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡± Celeste countered, ¡°Do you really want to talk, or do you mean you wish to reprimand me?¡± Jorge paused, then said, ¡°I¡¯m serious. I hope you can put aside personal grudges and focus on business. Don¡¯t let personal matters cloud your judgment and harm yourpany¡¯s interests.¡± Celeste was honestly impressed. She responded, ¡°I thought that was something I should be saying to you, Mr. Robinson.¡± After all, it was him who let his feelings for Wynn interfere with their negotiations. And yet, in his version of events, she was the one being unreasonable and abusing her authority. With that thought, she lost interest in continuing the conversation. Ignoring him, she got into her car and drove away. Jorge¡¯s expression darkened. Just then, his phone rang. After answering the call, he, too, got into his car and left. Half an hourter, when he entered a private dining room, Xavier and Caleb were already there. Seeing his sour expression, Xavier asked, ¡°What? The negotiation didn¡¯t go well?¡± Jorge had already gone to YodaVision two to three times in the past few days. But, Matthias had refused to see him every time. As the saying went, only the one who tied the knot could untie it. So, Jorge had sought out Celeste, hoping to talk things over with her instead. But recalling herpletely unyielding attitude, he shook his head. ¡°If things aren¡¯t working with Matthias and there¡¯s no progress with Ms. Rodriguez either, then honestly, securing the YodaVision project is looking pretty unlikely,¡± Xaviermented. ¡°But hey, if you can¡¯t get it, then so be it. There are plenty of profitable projects in the world¨Cyou don¡¯t have to go after this one.¡± Jorge shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve looked into the YodaVision project thoroughly, and I¡¯m genuinely interested in it.¡± Even if Theodore didn¡¯t push him, after studying the project, he himself wanted to be involved. ¡°Well then,¡± Xavier said, ¡°maybe it¡¯s time to find another approach?¡± At that, he nced at Caleb and said, ¡°Oh, right, Caleb¨Cwhen you two were dancingst time, didn¡¯t you have a pretty good conversation with her? She seemed to have a favorable impression of you. ¡°Since she won¡¯t listen to Jorge, maybe you could mediate and help ease tensions between them?¡± Caleb had been sipping tea. Upon hearing this, he set his cup down and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have that kind of rtionship with her. It wouldn¡¯t be appropriate.¡± The Scent of 201 Æ· Chap 201 Xavier continued, ¡°Then how about you talk to Matthias? You and Matthias have some connection, right?¡± Caleb replied, ¡°I could, but I don¡¯t think Matths would listen.¡± From the way Celeste had looked when she agreed to switch dance partners that night, Caleb had sensed that she and Matthias were not in a romantic rtionship. But at the same time, it was clear that Matthias valued Celeste deeply. He didn¡¯t believe that even if he helped Jorge reconcile with Matthias, Matthias would suddenly agree to coborate with Jorge ¡°So, we still have to focus on Ms. Rodriguez? But we don¡¯t loow much about her. How should we approach her? Should we get someone to look into her background?¡± Xaviermented. Jorge shook his head. ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t want to waste any more time on her. I¡¯ll just reach out to my old manter. ¦§ Caleb immediately caught on. ¡°You mean you want to go through Mr. Newman?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Matthias was Zachary¡¯s student. If Zachary spoke up, Jorge believed Matthias would budge. Without hesitation, he decided to call Theodore. On his way home after dinner, Jorge was about to call Theodore. But before he could, Theodore¡¯s call came through first. Getting straight to the point, Theodore asked, ¡°How are the negotiations with YodaVision going?¡± Jorge decided to be honest. ¡°They didn¡¯t go through. I was just about to ask for your help. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I offended an engineer at YodaVision, and for her sake, Matthias_¡± Theodore cut him off. ¡°What¡¯s that engineer¡¯s name?¡± Jorge was momentarily stunned¨Che didn¡¯t expect that question. But he instinctively answered, ¡°Celeste Rodriguez¡± Taking a deep breath, Theodore let out augh. ¡°So, before the coboration even started, you managed to offend one of their core technical personnel. Impressive.¡± Jorge was about to argue that Celeste wasn¡¯t exactly a core gure¨Cjust someone with an ambiguous rtionship with Matthias. But Theodore didn¡¯t give him the chance. ¡°I can help you with this,¡± he said. Jorge Immediately responded, ¡°Thanks, old man!¡± ¡°Shameless.¡± ¡°When¡¯s your next vacation? Jorge didn¡¯t see anything shameful about asking his father for help this time. In his opinion, he could have secured the YodaVision proje based on his own ability. The only thing standing in his way was a personal grudge. +25 BONU And since that grudge wasn¡¯t something he cared about, why not just take the easiest way around it? was nning to take some time off in a few days,¡± Theodore said. ¡°But now I don¡¯t think I will. Seeing you would probably shorten my lifespan.¡± With that, he hung up. As for Celeste, he didn¡¯t even bother mentioning her. After all, when someone¡¯s life was too smooth, it might not necessarily be a good thing After ending the call, Theodore picked up his phone again and dialed Celeste. Celeste¡¯s gaze shifted from herputer screen. Seeing his name on the caller ID, her eyes flickered slightly before she answered, ¡°Mr. Robinson.¡± Theodore chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re smart enough to guess why I¡¯m calling, aren¡¯t you?¡± Celeste hummed a response. Even though she had already figured out his intentions, Theodore still asked, ¡°Can you agree to work with Jorge? Think of it as me owing you a favor. What do you say?¡± Business was business. In reality, as long as both parties were sincere enough, even enemies could work together. The Scent of 202 Chapter 202 Besides, Celeste and Jorge weren¡¯t exactly enemies. It was just that in that situation, Celeste wasn¡¯t in the wrong, and she didn¡¯t want topromise too casily. Now that Theodore had personally reached out, she could give him this courtesy.. However¡­ At that moment, Theodore spoke gently, ¡°Cel, there¡¯s no rush. Take your time to think about it and reply to me. when you¡¯re ready.¡± Celeste responded, ¡°Okay.¡± Theodore added, ¡°As for Jorge, just treat him however you see fit. You don¡¯t have to do it for my sake.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°I understand.¡± Hearing her straightforward response, Theodore chuckled. ¡°Alright, then I won¡¯t disturb you any longer. Let¡¯s chat again when we have time.¡± ¡°Okay. Goodbye.¡± After ending the call, Celeste thought for a moment and then dialed Zachary It took Zachary half an hour to return the call. ¡°What is it?¡± Celeste briefly exined the situation. Zachary responded, ¡°Theodore doesn¡¯t easily promise favors. You should think it through carefully.¡± His words reaffirmed Theodore¡¯s character. Hearing this, Celeste said, ¡°Alright, I understand. Thank you, Mr. Newman.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Zachary didn¡¯t say much else and hung up. The next morning, Celeste finally returned Theodore¡¯s call Theodore had anticipated that she might consult Zachary before making a decision, so he wasn¡¯t surprised by the dyed response. Hearing her answer, he spoke warmly, ¡°Alright, I understand. Thank you, Cel.¡± Celeste said, ¡°You¡¯re too polite.¡± After hanging up, Theodore sighed. A colleague beside him chuckled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mr. Robinson?¡± Theodore sat down and said, ¡°I wish I had a daughter.¡± ¡°We¡¯re at this age already. Don¡¯t give your wife a hard time Your son is at the right age to get married¨Cyou should be hoping for a daughter¨Cinw instead.¡± Theodore answered, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like my son is making things any easier.¡± That afternoon, as soon as Jorge got the news, he immediately went to YodaVision Celeste had already informed Matthias that Theodore had reached out to her. When Jorge arrived, Matthias made him wait for over an hour before finally agreeing to see him. Jorge was genuinely eager to coborate because the new proposal he brought was even better than the previous one. However, Matthias remained indifferent and simply said, Looking forward to working together.¡± Jorge shook his hand. ¡°Looking forward to working together¡± He had no personal grudge against Matthias¨Chis issue was only with Celeste. He then suggested, ¡°It¡¯s a littlete. Let¡¯s have lunch together and discuss the next steps for our coboration?¡± Matthias smiled. ¡°Sure. But Cel will be joining us too. You don¡¯t mind, do you, Mr. Robinson?¡± Jorge assumed that Matthias had agreed to the coboration because Theodore had reached out to Zachary, who then spoke to Matthias. He didn¡¯t actually care about Celeste. Although he didn¡¯t like her, now that they had to work together, he was willing to set personal grudges aside and focus on business. He replied, ¡°Of course. As long as Ms. Rodriguez doesn¡¯t mind.¡± Matthias said nothing and sent someone to invite Celeste. When Celeste received the message, she came over right away. Jorge had expected her to be upset about the coboration or tosh out at Matthias. But when she saw him, she simply extended her hand calmly and said, ¡°Looking forward to working with you. The Scent of 203 3 Celeste¡¯s calm demeanor made it seem as if she had already known they would end up working together. Jorge didn¡¯t think too much about it, assuming that Matthias had given her a heads¨Cup in advance. He responded indifferently, ¡°Looking forward to working with you.¡± At the restaurant, just as Celeste and Matthias were about to head upstairs after getting out of the car, Jorge caught sight of Trevor and Wynn entering from another side. He paused and greeted them, ¡°Mr. Fleming, Ms. Locket.¡± Trevor and Wynn also noticed them. Trevor nodded, ¡°Mr. Robinson, Mr. Yoder.¡± Matthias, wearing a polite yet insincere smile, replied, ¡°M Fleming.¡± Before Trevor could say anything, Matthias cut him off, ¡°You two go ahead and chat¨Cwe¡¯ll head up first.¡± With that, he stepped into the elevator with Celeste. Back when they ran into each other at InnovaTech, Jorge had already noticed that Matthias had no fondness for Trevor. This time, Matthias didn¡¯t even bother hiding it, which surprised Jorge. He wasn¡¯t sure what kind of grudge existed between Matthias and Trevor, but it was clear that Trevor was still polite toward him. As Trevor and Wynn withdrew their gazes from Matthias and Celeste¡¯s departing figures, Wynn asked, ¡°If Mr. Robinson is here dining with Mr. Yoder, does that mean the contract negotiations have been settled?¡± Jorge smiled, ¡°Yes, they have.¡± Wynn knew that the previous deal between Jorge and Yodavision had falleni through because he had angered Celeste, and because of that, Matthias had turned against him. Matthias had been very firm in refusing to work with Jorge She had thought that, just like her own situation, Jorge would end up missing out on working with YodaVision because of Celeste. But unexpectedly, he managed to pull it off. Did this mean that, in Matthias¡¯s mind, no matter how important Celeste was to him, when his real interests were at stake, he would ultimately prioritize his own benefit? In other words, maybe Celeste wasn¡¯t as important to Matthias as Wynn had previously assumed. Thinking of this, Wynn smiled and said, ¡°Congrattions. Hearing her congrattions, Jorge chuckled and replied, ¡°hank you.¡± Then, he turned to Trevor and said, ¡°By the way, Mr. Fleming, there¡¯s a project at yourpany that I¡¯m quite interested in. I was wondering when you¡¯d be avable¡ªI love to discuss it with you.¡± Trevor replied, ¡°I¡¯m free for the next few days. Whenever you have time, feel free to reach out.¡± Jorge nodded. After exiting the elevator, he parted ways with them and headed to his privat Chapter 203 By the time he entered, Matthias and Celeste were already ordering food. Seeing him walk in, Matthias remarked, ¡°Oh, Mr. Robinson done chatting?¡± Jorge took a seat, adjusting his position slightly to sit further away from Celeste. Ignoring Matthias¡¯s tone, he casually asked, ¡°Is there some conflict between you and Mr. Fleming?¡± Matthias curled his lips. ¡°No. It¡¯s a full¨Cblown feud.¡± If it were truly that serious, he wouldn¡¯t say it so easily. Realizing that Matthias didn¡¯t want to borate, Jorge didt press the matter. Instead, noticing that they were picking out dishes together, he offered politely, ¡°This meat is on me. Please, order whatever you¡¯d like.¡± Without even looking up, Matthias replied, ¡°I know. We weren¡¯t nning to hold back.¡± Jorge couldn¡¯t say anything. Once Matthias and Celeste finished ordering, Jorge casually added two more dishes and shifted the conversation to business. After a while, the food started arriving When Matthias said they weren¡¯t holding back, Jorge had thought he was joking. But when he saw the tablepletely covered with dishes, with servers continuously bringing in more food¨Call of which happened to be the most expensive items on the menu¨Che felt a faint headacheing on. Matthias,pletely ignoring his expression, kept serving food onto Celeste¡¯s te. ¡°Cel, take your time. No rush.¡± The Scent of 204 hapter 204 Celeste nodded. ¡°Mm.¡± Jorge kept quiet. Matthias was simply trying to make things difficult for Jorge. In reality, neither of them cared about the money. During the meal, they began discussing business seriously, Celeste sat quietly, eating and only speaking up when necessary. For the most part, she stayed silent. Jorge noticed this and was somewhat surprised¨CwheneverCeleste did interject, herments were insightful and constructive. She actually seemed quite capable. Before, he had assumed that in her rtionship with Matthias, Celeste was the one clinging to him, the lower- ranked party, the one actively pursuing him. But observing their dynamic during this meal, it seemed to be the other way around. Then again, perhaps this was exactly how Celeste had managed topletely captivate Matthias. After all, if she didn¡¯t have any real abilities, how could Matthias be so taken with her? When the meal was almost over, Celeste excused herself to go to the restroom. As she walked out, she happened to run into Trevor, who wasing out of the adjacent restroom. Trevor saw her but didn¡¯t seem inclined to speak¨Cperhaps because he didn¡¯t know what to say. Celeste had no intention of speaking to him either and was about to walk past him when she suddenly remembered something, and stopped. ¡°When can we officially finalize the divorce?¡± She knew he was in a hurry to get it done. So, he would definitely handle it as soon as possible so that he could be rid of her. Knowing that, she had never bothered to ask before. But now, so much time had passed- Trevor replied, ¡°It¡¯ll take a little longer.¡± ¡°No specific date?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you know once it¡¯s confirmed.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t say anything else and was about to leave when Trevor suddenly said, ¡°Grandma knows about the divorce.¡± Celeste responded, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± At least she wouldn¡¯t be trying to push them together anymore. And Celeste wouldn¡¯t have to keep up the act with him. Trevor hummed in agreement. They didn¡¯t speak further and walked forward in silence. Just then, someone suddenly ran out from a corner. Both Celeste and Trevor instinctively stepped aside, but Celeste still got bumped, causing her to stumble backward -right into Trevor. His hand reflexivelynded on her waist to steady her. The person who had bumped into her quickly apologized before rushing into the restroom. By the time Celeste realized what had happened, she didn¡¯t even have time to rub her sore shoulder¨Cshe immediately tried to step away from Trevor¡¯s hold. But at that exact moment, Jorge appeared around the corner. Seeing Celeste leaning against Trevor, his hand still on her waist, Jorge came to an abrupt stop. ¡°You two-¡± Trevor let go of Celeste. Celeste shifted sideways to put some distance between them, not looking at either Trevor or Jorge as she turned and walked away. Jorge¡¯s gaze followed her departing figure before shifting, back to Trevor. Trevor smiled. ¡°Mr. Robinson, are you here for the restroom as well?¡± Jorge replied tly, ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Trevor nodded slightly, said nothing more, and turned to leave. Watching Trevor walk away so nonchntly, Jorge pressed his lips into a thin line. He had never considered any connection between Celeste and Trevor. As far as he knew, they had only seen each other once at InnovaTech. And even then, they hadn¡¯t exchanged a single word. Which made sense¨Cafter all, Celeste was at most just an engineer at YodaVision, far too low¨Cranking to have any real interaction with someone like Trevor. Then there was that banquet. But the only reason Trevor had sought out Celeste that time was because of Other than that, they shouldn¡¯t have had any connection. fun wasn¡¯t it? So, what exactly had he just witnessed? GET IT NOW Chanter 205 The Scent of 205 Celeste returned to the private dining room, and a whileter, Jorge also came back. By then, they had finished eating, so they left the restaurant Jorge returned to hispany to prepare materials, while Celeste and Matthias headed back to YodaVision. Around 3:00 pm, Beck arrived at YodaVision at nearly the same time as Jorge. They had dined together before during the autonomous vehicle tests at InnovaTech. Seeing Beck now, Jorge greeted him, ¡°Mr. Harper, have you confirmed your partnership with YodaVision?¡± ¡°Yes. So that means Mr. Robinson is also ready to sign the contract?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Beck was a little surprised. After all, at the banquet before, Matthias had outright rejected Jorge without hesitation. He didn¡¯t expect that in the end, they would still end up working together. But what exactly changed? At that moment, Celeste and Matthias entered the receptiat room. Although Matthias wasn¡¯t particrly fond of either Beck of Jorge, it was clear that Beck had a much better attitude toward Celestepared to Jorge. So, when it came to discussing business, Matthias let Celeste handle the negotiations with Beck, while he took care of matters with Jorge. Jorge had no objections to this arrangement. But Beck¡­ He simply smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be in your hands, Ms. Rodriguez.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Mr. Harper, you¡¯re too polite. This way, please.¡± After sitting down, Celeste began discussing technical matters with Beck¡¯s team. By the time they finished, the sky had already darkened. As they left the meeting room, Beck asked, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, would you like to have dinner together?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°I have something to take care of. I¡¯ll ask Matthias-¡± At that moment, Matthias stepped out of the reception room and interjected, ¡°Dinner? Sounds good¡± Then He turned to Celeste and said, ¡°Cel, if you have something to do, go ahead. I¡¯ll take care of this.¡± Celeste nodded, greeted Beck, ignored Jorge¡¯s gaze, and turned to leave. Beck couldn¡¯t say anything Matthias looked at Jorge and said, ¡°Mr. Harper is treating us to dinner. Mr. Robinson, care to join?¡± Jorge replied, ¡°T¡¯ll join.¡± After leaving YodaVision, Celeste returned to the Rodriguez residence, Her visit this time was to discuss business with Ivan. Currently, YodaVision was focused on preparing two major projects, though each project was divided into multiple parts and outsourced. She h had specifically set aside one of these outsourced segments for her uncle. After hearing her out, Ivan was naturally tempted. ¡°Would Matthias be okay with this?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t mind. I¡¯ve already discussed it with him.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Ivan nodded, then hesitated before saying, ¡°But my liquidity is running low. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± ¡°I have over 100 million,¡± Celeste said. ¡°If that¡¯s not enough, we can auction off the two gifts Trevor gave Grandma for her birthday.¡± During Betty¡¯s birthday, two major projects were already in their final stages of confirmation. So, Celeste had taken those two gifts back with her at the time, knowing exactly how she would use them. Since she and Trevor were getting divorced, if she wanted to auction off the things he had given, he wouldn¡¯t object. However¡­ ¡°Trevor has extensive connections. If we really put those gifts up for auction and he finds out, won¡¯t he¡­¡± ¡°He won¡¯t care.¡± Seeing her certainty, Ivan felt reassured. ¡± With her 100 million, plus the estimated 100 million from the auction, and some additional funds from his side they should be able to gather around 500 million¨Cenough for the project. If it still wasn¡¯t enough. Celeste nced toward the vi across the street. The next afternoon, Ivan found an opportunity to send the items to the auction house.. The Scent of 206 Not long after, Trevor received a call from the auction house. Upon hearing the news, his expression remained unchanged as he replied, ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± The person on the other end asked, ¡°Would you like us to hold onto these two items for you?¡± Trevor said, ¡°No need.¡± Sensing his indifference, the caller didn¡¯t dare to ask further and quickly ended the call. Sitting beside him at the dining table, Wynn asked, ¡°Something wrong with thepany?¡± Trevor put his phone back in his pocket and replied, ¡°No, it was a call from the auction house.¡± Wynn smiled and was about to say something when Jordyn interjected, ¡°What¡¯s an auction house?¡± Trevor, holding his knife and fork, cut a piece of meat and replied, ¡°A ce where treasures are auctioned.¡± ¡°Auctioning treasures? What kind of treasures? Is it fun?¡± Wynn chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s actually quite fun. Jordyn, have you never been to one?¡± Jordyn shook her head. ¡°Nope.¡± She then asked, ¡°Are there a lot of treasures there?¡± Trevor replied, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then I want to go see what an auction house looks like tool¡± Wynn said, ¡°But the things inside may not be what woul ¡°Oh¡­¡± Hearing that, Jordyn instantly lost interest. Trevor added, ¡°You can still go and help with the bidding.¡± ¡°Bidding?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Trevor put down his knife and fork, picked up her tablet, and gave her a quick exnation of how auctions work After watching for a while, Jordyn found bidding quite fun and immediately got excited. ¡°I want to try it! Dad, can You take me?¡± ¡®Sure, I¡¯ll take you next time when I¡¯m free. We can bid on everything you like.¡± ¡®Okay! Vynn smiled but didn¡¯t say anything more. arly the next morning, Jorge went to InnovaTech. When he got there, both Wynn and Trevor were present. eeing Wynn, Jorge paused slightly, ¡°Ms. Locket is here too¡± The project I was leading before is still under my supervision for now.¡± rge smiled. ¡°I see.¡± He had thought that after her family hol +25 BONUS back to help them. Trevor then said, ¡°Mr. Robinson, please have a seat.¡± As Jorge looked at Trevor, he suddenly recalled the scene at the restaurant the other day when Trevor had been holding Celeste. He hesitated for a moment before sitting down. Putting personal matters aside, he focused on discussing business with Trevor. Wynn listened for a while but soon left as she had other things to handle. However, a little over an hourter, she returned to take a break and drink some coffee that Trevor¡¯s secretary had specially prepared for her. Trevor and Jorge were still in discussion. At that moment, revor received a phone call. He excused himself and stepped away to answer it. Watching Trevor¡¯s retreating figure, then ncing at Wynn Jorge couldn¡¯t help but recall that moment when Trevor had held Celeste again ¡°Mr. Robinson, do you have something to say to me?¡± His hesitation was quite obvious, Jorge shook his head. ¡°I just think Mr. Fleming treats you really well.¡± Since he still hadn¡¯t figured out the context of what he had seen, it didn¡¯t seem appropriate to bring it up rashly. After thinking it over, he decided it was best not to say anything at all. Besides, whether it was Trevor reviving a stalled project at novaTech just to help her improve, or the way he diligently introduced contacts to her family, or evenunching a new project under Fleming Group for her sake¡­ It was just too much. Jorge had seen it all with his own eyes. And he realized that if it were him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to treat her so well. The Scent of 207 Trevor¡¯s feelings for Wynn were beyond doubt. So, that scene where Trevor was holding Celeste was most likely just a misunderstanding. On Friday morning, shortly after Celeste got up, she received a call from Betty, asking her to apany her to Harry Jennings¡® art exhibition on Sunday morning. Betty was a devoted fan of Harry, a renowned artist. Thest time he held an exhibition was over a decade ago. Since this was a rare opportunity, Celeste said, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll go with you on Sunday.¡± Just as she hung up, another call came in¨Cit was Jordyn. This was the first time Jordyn had called her since Monday, after attending the parent¨Cchild event at her school. Celeste didn¡¯t pick up. On Saturday afternoon, she went back to the Rodriguez residence for dinner. Then, on Sunday morning, Celeste and Betty left together for the exhibition. When they arrived, just as Celeste stepped out of the car, she saw Matthias¡® car pulling in as well. Surprised, she called out, ¡°Matthias?¡± Matthias also looked surprised when he saw her and Betty Cel? Madam Klein? You¡¯re here too?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Betty smiled and asked, ¡°Matthias, are you interested in paintings as well?¡± Matthias replied, ¡°Not exactly. I¡¯m here to deliver a gift on behalf of my family¡­¡± Harry was a renowned painter, and the Jennings family had an illustrious background. Whenever he held an exhibition, those within his circle would always show their support, while those outside it would try their best to get close, hoping to build connections. It was said that whenever Harry hosted an exhibition, not only did his paintings sell out, but the congrattory gifts he received would amount to billions. But the Jennings family didn¡¯t need that money. Frustrated by the overwhelming social obligations, Harry had stopped holding exhibitions more than ten years apo. The Yoder family actually didn¡¯t need to curry favor with the Jennings family as well. Although their rtionship had grown somewhat distant since his father¡¯s generation, the two elder patriarchs still maintained a strong bond. Now, Harry was holding an exhibition again after so many years. However, Matthias¡® grandfather, Alvin Yoder, wasn¡¯t interested in attending the crowded event. So, as a gesture of goodwill, he sent Matthias to deliver a gift on the family¡¯s behalf. Matthias didn¡¯t expect to run into Celeste and Betty here. Back when Harry used to hold exhibitions, the venues would always be packed. Now, with the Jennings family still thriving and this being Barry¡¯s first exhibition in over a decade, Matthias could already imagine how grand and bustling the event would be. Which meant Trevor, Wynn, and the Locket family would likely be here as well. Thest time Harry held an exhibition, Celeste had been tog young to attend. Over the years, she only knew that he rarely hosted exhibitions, and since there had been little news about him, she wasn¡¯t very familiar with the details Noticing the concem on Matthias¡® face, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Matthias smiled, ¡°Nothing, Wait here for a moment¨CI¡¯ll park the car, and we¡¯ll go in together,¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After parking, Matthias joined Celeste and Betty, and the three of them entered the exhibition hall together. As Matthias had expected, the massive three¨Cstory venue was already packed with people. However, before they even had the chance to properly admire the paintings or apany Matthias to greet the Jennings family, they ran into members of the Lockets and the Shaws. Erin and Patricia were both present, chatting happily with others. When they noticed Celeste¡¯s group, neither of them was surprised. After all, they were well aware of Betty¡¯s admiration for Harry¡¯s paintings. Now that an exhibition had finally been held after so many years, how could Betty possibly miss it? The Scent of 208 Celeste tightened her grip on Betty¡¯s arm. Betty c calmly patted the back of her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s fin If they could predict that she woulde, how could she not have anticipated that they would be here as well? Matthias said, ¡°Madam Klein, I¡¯ll go inside and find Mr. Jennings Senior. Why don¡¯t you and Cele with me?¡± He was offering to introduce them to Harry, giving her a chance to speak with her idol. But Betty shook her head and said, ¡°Being able to see so many of the artist¡¯s paintings in one ce is already an honor for me. I don¡¯t want to disturb him.¡± Since she had made up her mind, Matthias had no choice but to drop the idea. Still, with the Lockets and the Shaws present, he was a little worried about them.. Celeste reassured him, ¡°Go ahead, don¡¯t worry about us.¡± The Lockets and the Shaws cared a lot about their reputation. In this kind of setting, they wouldn¡¯t dare do anything to them. With that, Matthias left. Celeste asked, ¡°Grandma, which painting would you like to see first?¡± Betty smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s start from the nearest one.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Just as Celeste was about to lead Betty away, Jorge and Xavier arrived. They spotted Celeste as soon as they stepped in. Xavier, still harboring feelings for her, wanted to go over and say hello. Jorge, however, instinctively frowned. Celeste ignored them and turned away. Betty asked, ¡°Do you know those two young men?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve worked together before.¡± Since it was just a work¨Crted acquaintance, Betty didn¡¯t ask further. At that moment, Harvey and Lilian also arrived. Just as they were about to greetrge, he spoke first. ¡°Mr. Locket, Mrs. Locket, you¡¯re here too?¡± #yes.¡± Harvey was about to say something when Erin and Patricia walked over. They asked, ¡°Harvey, Lin, do you know these two young en?¡± Earlier, they had noticed that there seemed to be some familiarity between Celeste and Jorge. Harvey smiled and said, ¡°This is Mr. Robinson, a friend of Wynn and Trevor.¡± ¡°I sec.¡± After exchanging pleasantries with the Lockets and the Shaws, Jorge and Xavier proceeded insid gifts. When they entered, they saw Matthias and weren¡¯t surprised. ¡°Matthias is here too?¡± Since they were all attending under their elders¡® instructions, they adjusted their tone ordingly. Matthias smirked. ¡°Yeali.¡± Just then, Caleb walked out, handed a cup of tea to Matthias, and looked at Jorge, ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Jorge nodded. ¡°Yeah. Where¡¯s your grandfather?¡°. ¡°He¡¯s inside, chatting with some guests. He¡¯ll probably take a while. Why don¡¯t you guys have a seat?¡± Jorge sat down. ¡°Alright.¡± But Matthias seemed restless, constantly checking the time Caleb noticed and asked, ¡°Matthias, are you in a hurry?¡± Matthias hesitated. ¡°¡­No, I just have something else to take care of.¡± Leaving without meeting Harry would seem impolite. However, his concern outweighed his manners. He said, ¡°Sorry, Caleb, I need to step out for a bit.¡± Caleb didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Matthias immediately turned and left. Jorge watched his retreating figure and quickly guessed that he was going to Celeste. Caleb remarked, ¡°My grandfather will probably take a while to finish chatting. You two might as well step outside. for some fresh air too.¡± The Scent of 209
  1. T Jorge recalled that Harvey had mentioned Wynn and Trevor would also be attending. So, he stood up and said, ¡± Alright, once your grandfather is done, send me a message ¡°Sure.¡± Jorge and Xavier then stepped outside. Just as they left, Beck and Miles arrived. The Lockets and the Shaws immediately went up to greet them. Beck shook hands with Harvey. Then, Miles nced around ¡°Where are Trevor and Wynn? They haven¡¯t-¡± Before he could finish his sentence, his gazended on Celeste. ¡°Damn!¡± She was here too. Beck, unaware of what was going on, followed his gaze and also spotted Celeste. His eyes darkened slightly. At that moment, Matthias was walking toward Celeste and Betty. Beck turned back to Miles and Harvey and said, ¡°I¡¯m going over to say hello.¡± With that, he left. ¡°Mr. Yoder, Ms. Rodriguez.¡± Hearing his voice, Matthias and Celeste turned around. Matthias greeted, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Mr. Harper.¡± Upon hearing the name, Betty recalled what Hector and Ivas had mentioned before and took a closer look at Beck. Seeing the close bond between Celeste and Betty, Beck quickly guessed her identity and respectfully said, ¡°You must be Madam Klein. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡°Hello, Mr. Harper.¡± Betty smiled. The Lockets and the Shaws had assumed Beck was going to greet some high¨Cprofile figure. They didn¡¯t expect it to be Matthias and Celeste. They could understand why he would acknowledge Matthias, but Celeste and Betty. Seeing Beck treating them with such respect, Patricia¡¯s eyes flickered, and she turned to Miles. ¡°Mr. Quinton, look Miles exined, ¡°Beck has an important business coboration with Matthias right now. Celeste holds significant influence in YodaVision. ¡°Previously, Matthias even considered canceling his coboration with Becke because of Celeste. For the sake of business, Beck had no choice but to set aside personal grievances and temporarily maintain a peaceful rtionship with her.¡± Upon hearing this, Erin and Patricia nodded in understanding. They were well aware of YodaVision¡¯s influence. After all, the Locket family had also hadn¡¯t been sessful. to coborate with YodaVision. However, due to Celeste, they Because of this, they naturally held some resentment toward her. For that reason, they didn¡¯t read too much into Beck¡¯s polite behavior toward Celeste and Betty. Ruby, holding onto Patricia¡¯s arm, lowered her voice and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Yoder to be so attentive to Celeste.¡± Seeing how much Matthias valued Celeste, she felt somewhat displeased. Patricia, however, remainedposed. ¡°No rush.¡± It was still too early to say if there was anything going on between Matthias and Celeste. Once Trevor actually divorced her, Celeste would be a divorced woman with a child. Would the Yoder family ever ept a woman with such a past Celeste¡¯s good days wouldn¡¯t
The Scent of 210 Seeing Beck actually talking to Celeste, Linda¡¯s eyes widenel in shock. She couldn¡¯t help but ask Miles, ¡°Why is Beck talking to her?¡± Before Miles could respond, she immediately started walking in their direction. Lilian grabbed her arm and said calmly, ¡°They¡¯re discussing business.¡± ¡°Business? ¡°Mhm.¡± Linda pursed her lips and huffed, suppressing her impulses, but her eyes remained fixed on Celeste and Beck. Celeste was wearing a long winter dress today. Even though she hadn¡¯t put much effort into dressing up, she still stood out. Standing next to Beck, they unexpectedly looked well¨Cmatched. Although Linda knew there couldn¡¯t be anything between them, she still felt uneasy. She couldn¡¯t help but tug at Miles¡® sleeve. ¡°Miles, what are they talking about? Why is it taking so long?¡± Linda¡¯s feelings for Beck were obvious. Miles had known Beck for years and was well aware that Beek wasn¡¯t interested in girls with a spoiled, willful personality like hers. Besides, Beck had made his rejection of her quite clear. Miles chuckled. ¡°They¡¯re just socializing; it happens. ¡°Can¡¯t business matters be discussed on a workday?¡± Miles wasn¡¯t in the mood to argue with her. He also wanted to go inside for some tea, but Beck hadn¡¯t returned yet. At that moment, Trevor and Wynn finally arrived. Miles immediately waved them over. ¡°Over here.¡± Seeing them, Harvey and the others broke into smiles. ¡°Trevor, Wynn, you¡¯re here!¡± Trevor nodded and was about to speak when he caught sight of Celeste and Beck nearby. The Lockets and the Shaws watched him closely, anticipating his reaction. But after just a nce, Trevor withdrew his gaze and simply said, ¡°I¡¯m going over to say hello.¡± Patricia and Lilian exchanged a subtle nce as Trevor walked away. Wynn, however, smiled and said, ¡°Mrs. Fleming Senior has a good rtionship with them. Even if they¡¯re divorced, he wouldn¡¯t easily burn bridges.¡± So, if they ran into each other in public, a simple greeting was still necessary. As for anything more¨Cthere wouldn¡¯t be any. Hearing this, Patricia and the others rxed. For a moment they had wondered¡­. Wynn nced in Celeste¡¯s direction, but then casually looked away. Celeste was facing Harvey and the others. So, naturally, she had noticed when Trevor and Wynn arrived. +25 BOM What she didn¡¯t expect was for Trevor to walk toward her. She frowned slightly. ¡°Madam Klein.¡± Trevor greeted Betty first. A moment ago, she had been all smiles, but upon seeing him approach, her expression immediately turned cold.¡± Mr. Fleming.¡± Trevor wasn¡¯t bothered by her indifferent tone. He gave Celeste a brief nod as well. Celeste turned her face away and ignored him. As Wynn had said, he was only here to exchange pleasantries. Once that was done, he was ready to leave. Before leaving, he nced at Beck, silently asking if he wanted to go with him. Beck turned to Betty and Matthias and said, ¡°I have something to take care of. Let¡¯s talk another time.¡± Matthias waved him off, clearly unimpressed. Betty, however, remained polite. ¡°Let¡¯s chat again when you¡¯re free.¡± With that, Beck and Trevor turned and walked back toward the Lockets and the Shaws. The Scent of 211 ¡°You¡¯re back, Beck,¡± Linda called out sweetly when she saw Beck return. Beck gave her a cold nod. Lilian noticed Trevor was looking for Wynn. ¡°Wynn¡¯s outside. She¡¯s on the phone,¡± she said. Trevor replied, ¡°Okay, thanks.¡± Just as he finished his words, amotion arose in the distance. It was Harry making his way to the crowd. Harold, Caleb, and the rest of the Jennings were there as well. M With a packed house, Harry patiently waited for the chatter to die down before thanking everyone else foring Celeste and Matthias stood further at the back, but Harold still saw them. Matthias attended with a gift on behalf of his grandfather, Alvin. Caleb had already informed Harold and Harry about it. Yet Harold didn¡¯t know Celeste came as well. Seeing her, Harold greeted her with a warm nod and a smile Celeste had never known there was a connection between Harold and Harry. She returned Harold¡¯s greeting with a polite smile. The Lockets and Shaws noticed that Harold seemed to be greeting someone, but they weren¡¯t sure who exactly he was greeting. As Harry finished his speech, the audience burst into enthusiastic apuse. Soon, the guests began approaching him, eager to discuss his artwork. A lot of them were exchanging greetings with Harold as well. After mingling for a while, Beck and Trevor finally had the chance to approach Harry. Harry epted their gifts and remarked, ¡°That¡¯s very thoughtful of you.¡± He scanned around the group¨CTrevor, Beck, and Jorge¨Cbefore grinning. ¡°It¡¯s into fine young men. Impressive.¡± s been years but you¡¯ve all grown While Harry was engaged in conversation with Trevor and the others, Harold made his way toward Celeste¡¯s group as he continued greeting the other guests. As he approached, Matthias was the first to offer him a greeting Harold exchanged pleasantries with Matthias, Then, he turned to Celeste. ¡°Fancy seeing you again, Cel.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s always a pleasure, Mr. Jennings,¡± Celeste replied, Harold smiled and offered a polite handshake after learning who Betty was. When Harold was told that Betty liked his father¡¯s painting a lot, he grinned. ¡°Madam Klein, if you wouldn¡¯t mind, I¡¯d love for you to join us insideter. There may be many guests today, but true admirers of my father¡¯s paintings are rare. He would be thrilled to know he has a kindred spirit in you.¡± The real reason Harold came over was to talk to Celeste. However, to the rest of the quests, it seemed like he was just making his way through the crowd and naturally ended up near Matthias. They thought Harold was engaging with Celeste out of courtesy to the Yoders. After chatting with Harry for a while, Trevor¡¯s phone rang He gave a polite apology before slipping away to answer the call. A short while after he had gone, Wynn finally returned from her call. Wynn¡¯s elegant demeanor drew attention. The moment she moved past the crowd and stood beside Jorge and Beck, Harry¡¯s eyes were on her. Harry noted herposed presence and casually assumed she was dating either Jorge or Beck. Just as he was about to speak, Jorge chimed in, after seeing Beck didn¡¯t have the intention to introduce Wynn an behalf of Trevor, ¡°Mr. Jennings Sentor, this is Wynn Locker, Trevor¡¯s girlfriend.¡± ¡°Ah, so she¡¯s with Trevor,¡± said Harry, smiling knowingly. A fine match.¡± 200 The Scent of 212 Wynn replied politely, ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you to say.¡± Harry then nced at the group and teased, ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time for you guys to step up, too.¡± Just then, Harold arrived with Celeste and Matthias in tow, He turned to Harry. ¡°Father, meet the youngest Yoder. Hispany, YodaVision, has seen remarkable growth and is on the government¡¯s priority list for future support.¡± He continued, ¡°This is Celeste Rodriguez, the core technical developer at YodaVision and a rare talent in the field. Thepany owes much of its sess to her.¡± People of the older generation often had a greater concern for the future of the country. Hearing Harold¡¯s words, Harry¡¯s smile softened as he remarked, ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. With the talent we have, there¡¯s a lot to look forward to.¡± Harold also took the opportunity to introduce Betty to Harry- Then, Harry and Betty started chatting about art. Having been raised in a cultured household, Betty regrly practiced calligraphy and painting. While she wasn¡¯t in the same league as Harry, she had a solid grasp of painting and could speak on the subject with real depth. The conversation between them went on for a long time. Wynn noticed Harold¡¯s introduction of Celeste mirrored Matthias¡® words from thest banquet. She assumed that Harold admired Matthias and was simply echoing his praise As Celeste and Betty basked in the Jennings family¡¯s favor, Patricia and the Lockets couldn¡¯t quite hide their difort. Since Patricia and the others had missed thest banquet, they had no idea that Matthias had already spoken highly of Celeste before. Surprised by Harold¡¯s glowing words, Ruby pulled Wynn aside and lowered her voice. ¡°Is Celeste really that impressive?¡± Wynn shrugged and replied, ¡°Nope.¡± Then, she repeated exactly what Matthias had said about Celeste at the banquet. ¡°She only got into YodaVision recently. How could its current sess have anything to do with her? But Matthias clearly has a soft spot for her, or he wouldn¡¯t be so willing to share credit.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. I really thought she was the real deal.¡± Wynn remarked casually, ¡°She¡¯s just an undergrad.¡± ¡°Yeah, whether it¡¯s her school, degree, or anything else, she¡¯s nowhere close to your level. The way Mr. Jennings hype her up, you¡¯d think she was even more aplished than Matthias.¡± Lilian¡¯s expression, which had just wavered slightly, quickly returned to its usual icy calm after hearing Wynn¡¯s Sometimeter, Trevor returned. His eyes flicked toward Celeste and Betty, who had unexpectedly moved to the front, but after a brief look, he turned away. Wynn smiled, noticing him. ¡°Call over?¡± ¡°Probably moreing inter.¡± ¡°Something about the overseaspany?¡± Trevor nodded. Seeing them engaged in conversation, Beck averted his gaze and let it settle on Celeste standing nearby. He realized she wasn¡¯t even looking at Trevor and Wynn all. It was as if she no longer cared about Trevor, The Shaws, however, were beaming. After all, even with all the recognition Celeste and Betty gained from Harry, it wouldn¡¯t do much to improve the Rodriguez family¡¯s standing There was no way the Jennings would try to set Celeste up with Caleb, It just didn¡¯t make sense. The Scent of 213 Trevor put away the ss and responded, ¡°The honor is mine, Mr. Keller Senior.¡± Then, he settled into the seat across from Brandon. ¡°Mr. Killer Senior, please go easy on me.¡± Wynn, Beck, and the others came over to spectate the match Celeste and Matthias joined the crowd as well. However, they were standing behind Brandon Wynn, Beck, and the others knew how to y chess, Seeing Celeste watching intently, as if she was familiar with chess, Beck headed over to her. He asked, ¡°You y chess?¡± Celeste answered, ¡°A little bit.¡± With that, Matthias went speechless. A bit? More like a whole lot. But he didn¡¯t say that aloud. Since they weren¡¯t familiar with each other¡¯s ystyles, Brandon and Trevor started off with cautious, unclear Over time, they seemed to grasp each other¡¯s tendencies, and Brandon adopted a more offensive strategy. Trevor, on the other hand, was countering Brandon¡¯s aggressive moves and searching carefully for his own openings. It looked like he was having a tough time keeping up. Yet, in reality¡­ Celeste¡¯s gaze became more intense the longer she observed. Being well¨Cversed in chess himself, Matthias watched for awhile before asking Celeste, ¡°Who¡¯s more likely to win?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to say.¡± Wynn and Miles, standing nearby, couldn¡¯t help but feel that Celeste¡¯s vague answer was meaningless. Matthias knew she wasn¡¯t being vague without reason¨Cthere was more, but she couldn¡¯t voice it. In fact, Celeste couldn¡¯t just say it outright. Trevor frequently looked like he was falling behind, yet he always found a way to even the odds. It was also possible that he had beenying a trap the entire time, drawing Brandon into his rhythm Despite everything, the matchs still appeared neck to neck. The real reason she held back earlier wasn¡¯t that she could predict the result it was that she didn¡¯t know if Trevor even wanted to win. As the younger.one, if he chose to hold back and let Brandon win¡­ Just as that thought crossed her spind, Brandon chuckled and said to Trevor, ¡°I may not be the best, Trevor, but if you keep going easy on me, I won¡¯t be pleased.¡± Trevor smiled. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since myst game, so I¡¯m a little out of touch.¡± Brandon snickered, ignoring him. He was quite capable, and it wasn¡¯t until more than ten minutester that he conceded defeat, losing by a single piece to Trevor. Instead of being upset, Brandon¡¯s curiosity was piqued¨Che was eager to see just how skilled Trevor truly was. Grinning, Trevor signaled him to begin. Without hesitation, Brandon jumped straight into the next match. Trevor yed more aggressively this time. Brandon narrowed his eyes at him, but Trevor only responded smilingly, ¡°Well yed.¡± To be honest, Brandon was delighted; it had been ages since he had lost a match this enjoyably. Then, they went straight to the next round. Before they began, Brandon voiced, ¡°Give it your all! Don¡¯t act like I¡¯m some old¨Ctimer who can¡¯t see what¡¯s going on. ? ¡°You¡¯ve got me all wrong, Mr. Keller Senior.¡± Brandon brushed him off and concentrated on the match. As expected, he lost again. He put down his piece, got up, and said, ¡°I concede¡ªfair and square.¡± Before Trevor could speak, Brandon added, ¡°Any takers? I¡¯m not saying you have to take him down, just make it less of a breeze for him.¡± 215 The Scent of 214 Just as that thought crossed her spind, Brandon chuckled and said to Trevor, ¡°I may not be the best, Trevor, but if you keep going easy on me, I won¡¯t be pleased.¡± Trevor smiled. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since myst game, so I¡¯m a little out of touch.¡± Brandon snickered, ignoring him. He was quite capable, and it wasn¡¯t until more than ten minutester that he conceded defeat, losing by a single piece to Trevor. Instead of being upset, Brandon¡¯s curiosity was piqued¨Che was eager to see just how skilled Trevor truly was. Grinning, Trevor signaled him to begin. Without hesitation, Brandon jumped straight into the next match. Trevor yed more aggressively this time. Brandon narrowed his eyes at him, but Trevor only responded smilingly, ¡°Well yed.¡± To be honest, Brandon was delighted; it had been ages since he had lost a match this enjoyably. Then, they went straight to the next round. Before they began, Brandon voiced, ¡°Give it your all! Don¡¯t act like I¡¯m some old¨Ctimer who can¡¯t see what¡¯s going on. ? ¡°You¡¯ve got me all wrong, Mr. Keller Senior.¡± Brandon brushed him off and concentrated on the match. As expected, he lost again. He put down his piece, got up, and said, ¡°I concede¡ªfair and square.¡± Before Trevor could speak, Brandon added, ¡°Any takers? I¡¯m not saying you have to take him down, just make it less of a breeze for him.¡± 215 The Scent of 215 Chapter 215 As Celeste reviewed the moves, thement made her pause, a flicker of interest surfacing. Just then, she heard Wynn¡¯s voice. ¡°Mr. Keller Senior, I¡¯d love to give it a shot after seeing your match. But with my abilities, beating Trevor might be¡­¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s all in good fum; I wasn¡¯t being serious,¡± Brandonughed. ¡°If you¡¯d like to y, go ahead.¡± Wynn was about to speak when someone chuckled. ¡°If Ms Locket joins, the game could go either way.¡± ¡°Right? Mr. Fleming might be great at chess, but if he actually defeats Ms. Locket, he¡¯ll probably have some exining to do at home.¡± With that,ughter rippled through the crowd. Brandon wasn¡¯t aware of Wynn and Trevor¡¯s rtionship. Upon hearing the remark, he observed Wynn¡¯s elegance and confidence. She truly seemed like a fitting match for Trevor Then, he smiled, looking at Trevor as he teased, ¡°Oh? In that case, I¡¯m curious to see if you can still keep your cool ying against your girlfriend like you did with me.¡± Unfazed by the attention, Wynn turned to Trevor. ¡°I¡¯m not the type to be a sore loser. Let¡¯s just y fair.¡± A subtle smile yed on Trevor¡¯s sharp features. ¡°Okay.¡± Someone in the crowd blurted out, ¡°The game hasn¡¯t even begun, and they¡¯re already putting their romance on disy.¡± ¡°Flirting aside, Ms. Locket holds a PhD from one of the world¡¯s top universities. If she¡¯s this confident, she must know her stuff,¡± another person added. Brandon hadn¡¯t heard of Wynn before. After learning this, he chuckled. ¡°So, you¡¯re a PhD schr, huh?¡± Then, turning to Trevor, he said, ¡°Not bad, you¡¯ve got a good eye Matthias rolled his eyes. Initially, he wanted to ask if Celeste was interested in giving it a go. However, before he could speak, Wynn chimed in. Watching this, he felt a headacheing on. He scoffed and muttered, ¡°What¡¯s with all the nonsense?¡± His voice was so soft, yet Celeste and Beck still heard him. Celeste let out a soft chuckle. Beck noticed that her expression was as calm as ever, with no sign of emotion. It gave him a sense of relief. Finally, Trevor and Wynn began their game of chess. Celeste could tell that Wynn was quite proficient at chess. And she wasn¡¯t a novice at all. It was just that¡­. After observing for a moment, Celeste looked away. Matthias seemed to catch on to something after watching for a while. He rolled lils eyes again, having the urge to leav As he noticed Celeste was losing her interest in the game, lie asked, ¡°Do you want to head back to the pavilion and grab a bite?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s stay here a little longer. Beck spotted it earlier than Matthias Celeste¡¯s attention had drifted from the game. Earlier, while Brandon and Trevor were ying, Beck noticed how intensely Celeste had been concentrating As Trevor and Wynn began their game, she observed for a brief moment, then lost interest and looked away. While the game between Trevor and Wyrm had its fair share of back¨Cand¨Cforth, it was clear that Wynn¡¯s chess skills weren¡¯t quite on par with Brandon¡¯s, let alone ¡®Trevor¡¯s. Still, she yed very well. Celeste¡¯s response¡­ ¡°Not bad at all.¡± At that moment, Harry¡¯s voice rang out from the side. He and Caleb had appeared out of nowhere, and they were now standing beside Brandon. Matthias seemed to catch on to something after watching for a while. He rolled his eyes again, having the urge to leave. As he noticed Celeste was losing her interest in the game, he asked, ¡°Do you want to head back to the pavilion and grab a bite?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s stay here a little longer.¡± Beck spotted it earlier than Matthias¨CCeleste¡¯s attention had drifted from the game. Earlier, while Brandon and Trevor were ying, Beck noticed how intensely Celeste had been concentrating As Trevor and Wynn began their game, she observed for a brief moment, then lost interest and looked away. While the game between Trevor and Wynn had its fair share of back¨Cand¨Cforth, it was clear that Wynn¡¯s chess skills weren¡¯t quite on par with Brandon¡¯s, let alone Trevor¡¯s. Still, she yed very well. Celeste¡¯s response¡­ ¡°Not bad at all.¡°¡± At that moment, Harry¡¯s voice rang out from the side. He and Caleb had appeared out of nowhere, and they were now standing beside Brandon. The Scent of 216 Brandon smiled. ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s not bad at all.¡± Upon finishing his words, he asked again, ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy with your painting? Why are you here?¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t want you to think that I wasn¡¯t a good host, so I came over to take a look.¡± ¡°Go take care of your stuff; don¡¯t disturb me while I watch the match.¡± However, Harry stayed. When the Shaws and Lockets heard Brandon and Harry praise Wynn, smiles spread across their faces. A lot of people there knew Wynn, and many felt both envious and jealous of her. After all, Wynn had the looks and the credentials. And now, thanks to her chess skills, she caught the attention of Harry and Brandon. Besides, Wynn¡¯s charm had earned Trevor¡¯s affection, helping both the Shaws and Lockets rise effortlessly in status. What parent wouldn¡¯t want a daughter like that? With envy, someone remarked to the Lockets and Shaws, ¡°What a fantastic daughter and granddaughter you have. ¡°Exactly!¡± the others agreed, then asked, ¡°How did you manage to raise such an impressive child? Madam Locket, Mrs. Locket, we¡¯re all friends¨Ccare to share any advice?¡± Soon, a few of the prominentdies gathered around the Lockets and Shaws. The praise and admiration for Wynn made Ruby proud as well. She nced over at Celeste, smiling as she whispered to Lin, ¡°She¡¯s clearly out of Wynn¡¯s league, huh?¡± Lilian¡¯s expression darkened, as though she was bothered by theparison between her daughter and Celeste. Erin and Harvey heard what Ruby had just said as well. Then, they both looked at Celeste. Wynn truly outshone Celeste in every regard. They shifted their gazes back onto Wynn, looking so tender and affectionate. Just then, Wynn stood up. She turned to Brandon and said, ¡°Sorry, I lost.¡± With a kind smile, Brandon remarked, ¡°Losing doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯ve done well. Not everyone is like that young man from the Flemings, after all. Besides, it¡¯s not often you meet someone who¡¯s both schrly and skilled at chess, like you. Hearing hispliments, Wynn grinned. ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Mr. Keller Senior.¡± Brandon asked, ¡°Do you want another go?¡± Wynn shook her head. ¡°One attempt is enough. Let¡¯s give someone else a chance.¡± Hence, Brandon asked again, ¡°Does anyone else want to try?¡± #35 BONUS Beck nced over to Trevor, only to catch him holding a chess piece, staring at him. Just then, Celeste stepped forward. She looked at Trevor and asked, ¡°Care to y a match with me?¡± Trevor paused for a second, staring at her. Surprised, Beck turned his gaze away and looked at Celeste He couldn¡¯t believe that Celeste would take the initiative to challenge Trevor to a game of chess in this situation. Beck wasn¡¯t the only one surprised; the Lockets and Shaws, particrly Wynn, were even more astonished because she had never expected her to do so. She figured that with Celeste¡¯s personality, she¡¯d never openly ask to y chess with Trevor in front of everyone. Yet, she did. The Shaws and Lockets all furrowed their brows. Lennox said, ¡°I should¡¯ve warned her earlier, had I known she was going to do this.¡± +25 BONUS Chapter 217 The Scent of 217 Just then, Trevor spoke. ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste sat across from him. Once the shock wore off, Wynn¡¯s face returned to its usual calm. After greeting Harry, she went to stand beside Trevor, It wasn¡¯t just Beck, the Lockets, and the Shaws were surprised; Caleb and Harry were just as stunned. While Harold had introduced Celeste to them in the gallery earlier, they still didn¡¯t know much about her. Seeing how quiet and reserved Celeste was, they figured she wasn¡¯t the type to draw attention to herself. Hence, they assumed that even if she knew how to y chess, she wouldn¡¯t just challenge others publicly like that. Brandon didn¡¯t know Celeste as well, but he did notice her presence. With her striking appearance and gentle, well¨Cmannered personality, Celeste came across the picture of a well- raised, polite young woman. To him, this kind of young woman seemed to be a great fit as his grandson¡¯s wife. He didn¡¯t expect Celeste to know how to y chess too. Trevor looked at Celeste. ¡°You wanna go first?¡± The yer who started first typically held a strategic advantage. Upon hearing that, Celeste made the first move. Trevor followed suit with his move. In the beginning, they both yed cautiously, not giving anything away. They didn¡¯t talk either. Celeste focused solely on the chessboard, hardly sparing a nce at Trevor across from her. After a while, both Harry and Brandon realized that Celeste¡¯s ystyle was just like her personality¨Ccalm and measured. Her approach was methodical, with no rush in offense and defense. She was orchestrating the whole game instead of just thinking a few steps ahead. When they realized this, Harry and Brandon were genuinely taken aback. Previously, they had praised Wynn for her quick reactions and solid gamey. However, in reality, she was just following Trevor¡¯s lead, and Trevor was essentially letting her win. That game went on for a long time, mainly because Trevor was guiding Wynn and letting her win. Their exchange felt more like a couple¡¯s game than a serious match.¡± Despite everything, Wynn¡¯s problem¨Csolving and adaptability were well above average for her age. But now¡­ Trevor soon caught on that Celeste wasn¡¯t following his lead and was, in fact, trying to guide him into her own. trap. +25 BONUS When he eased off the attack, Celeste didn¡¯t let up. She seized the moment, defending and counter¨Cattacking with precision. Then, sheered him, forcing Trevor to hesitate. He nced up at Celeste, offering a small smile. Brandon, amazed by Celeste¡¯s moves, couldn¡¯t help but apud. ¡°Impressive!¡± Raising an eyebrow, Matthias smiled. Beck and Caleb, on the other hand, were utterly stunned. They realized that long ago, they¡¯d already lost pace with Celeste¡¯s strategy. Her calm, defensive ystyle had thrown them off, and they hadn¡¯t seen her subtle moves. It became clear at this point that Celeste wasn¡¯t only familiar with chess¨Cshe was quite a formidable yer. Wynn stood next to Trevor, mostly watching what was happening on his side. Just like Beck and the others, she had already lost track of Trevor¡¯s moves. She had originally thought that Celeste would lose quickly. Yet, as she watched Trevor¡¯s increasingly focused expression, she realized that he was taking the game more seriously than when they yed together. When Harry and the others also started paying full attention, it dawned on her¨CCeleste was genuinely good at chess, maybe even better than she was. The Scent of 218 From then on, Wynn started paying more attention to Celeste¡¯s moves. When she saw Celeste resolve the tricky situation Trevor had set up for her in a way she hadn¡¯t anticipated, she felt a sense of unease. Hearing Brandon¡¯s praise, her heart sank even lower. Celeste was fully absorbed in the game, blocking out everything around her. She was holding her ground for now. However, she knew that winning was almost out of reach. Thus, she paused for a second, looking at Trevor, Trevor made another move. And Celeste halted her movements. Harry chuckled. ¡°This is incredible. I never imagined I¡¯d witness such an amazing game here, especially yed by two young ones. Well done!¡± Brandon was frustrated since he broke his concentration. ¡°Shush, shush!¡± Harry was at a loss for words. After a few minutes, Celeste made her move, subtly shifting the game back to her advantage. Two minutester, Trevor countered with a move. Then, Celeste set the chess piece down and said, ¡°I lost.¡± A few moves could still be made, but the result was already clear. It was pointless to keep on ying, With that, she stood up and was ready to leave. Immediately, Trevor asked, ¡°How about a rematch? After a brief hesitation, Celeste sat back down. Harry smiled as hemented, ¡°She looks so calm and collected, but here she is, challenging Trevor to a game in a situation like this. She probably doesn¡¯t get to y with someone like him very often, so she doesn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity, does she?¡± He was speaking to Matthias, who also picked up on it. Hence Matthias nodded in reply. Harry spoke again. ¡°I bet you can¡¯t beat her.¡± Despite Matthias being another prodigy in their social circle, second only to Trevor, he agreed. Matthias replied bluntly, ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t.¡± Before this, Celeste had always been ying chess with Zachary. Though she hadn¡¯t won a single game, Zachary¡¯s reactions andments showed that Celeste was already a formidable yer. And she was so young. Zachary, on the other hand, had never lost a game since his teenage years. Not many, regardless of age or gender, could earn such praise from Zachary. Clearly, Celeste was quite skilled at ying chess. During their conversation, Celeste and Trevor had already tidied up the chessboard. He asked, ¡°Would you like to go first?¡± ¡°No, you go ahead.¡± She lost several pieces to him earlier, and she was eager to discover her limits. Just as Harry guessed, she hadn¡¯t yed chess in a while. Aside from Zachary, she hadn¡¯te across a tough opponent in ages. She really didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity. To her, Trevor was just a mere chess opponent now, nothing else. She wouldn¡¯t shy away from ying with him just because he was Trevor. Upon hearing her, Trevor didn¡¯t insist and took the first move this time. They kept ying in silence, not exchanging a word. For some reason, Harry and Brandon both sensed an unspoken connection between the two while watching the game. It felt like they had known each other for a long time The Scent of 219 Harry and Brandon nced at Trevor, then at Celeste. As their gazesnded on Wynn, they furrowed their brows. After a moment of silence, Trevor spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you yed chess, hasn¡¯t it?¡± While examining his setup, she simply nodded and hummed in reply, not looking up. She barely yed chess anymore after marrying him. ¡°I can tell you¡¯re a little rusty,¡± Trevor remarked. Celeste didn¡¯t say anything in reply, her attention fixed on the chessboard. The game wasn¡¯t going well for her right now. It looked like there was a promising opening on Trevor¡¯s side, but in truth, his hidden pieces were lying in wait, ready to trap her. She pondered for a moment. Then, she avoided the trap he hadid and made her move And now, Trevor was at a disadvantage. He smirked and, after a long moment, ced his next piece on the board. The tension in the game increased again. After several more moves, Celeste was defeated, but it was a close game. somewhere else. ¡°Too bad,¡± Harry mused. ¡°This round was even more exciting than thest, though. She didn¡¯t have the advantage of going first, but in their first match, she managed to understand part of her opponent¡¯s strategy. She repeatedly made moves to counter his attacks while setting hidden pieces to disrupt his ns. For someone so young to have such sharp observation, memory, and control of the game it¡¯s remarkable.¡± With that, he turned to Brandon and said firmly, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to beat her either.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Brandon mumbled in reply. Had he been the one ying with Trevor, he wouldn¡¯t have made it as far as Celeste.. After cleaning up the chess pieces, Celeste stood up, Noticing she seemed done, Trevor asked again, ¡°Another round?¡± Upon hearing that, Wynn pursed her lips, Before Celeste could speak, someone added, ¡°Yeah, the gap is so close; another game and you might win.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Celeste, however, shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m good.¡± The previous game seemed to be very close, almost as if she had figured out Trevor¡¯s strategy halfway. But honestly, the half¨Cunderstanding might have been a false impression he purposely created. With that thought in mind, she left without looking back, making space for others. And Lucas stepped in to take her ce. Matthias went up to Celeste. ¡°Let¡¯s get something to drink shall we?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Harry caught sight of the close rtionship between Celeste and Matthias. ¡°The youngest Yoder sure is lucky.¡± Brandon nodded in agreement. Before, they had thought Wynn was impressive. Yet after watching Celeste y twice, they realized she was even more skilled. When it came to ying chess, there was noparison¨Cthey were inpletely different tiers. With herposed and intelligent demeanor, it was obvious she had a good upbringing. They had thought about asking whether she had a boyfriend, but before they could, Matthias stepped in. Harry uttered, ¡°Well, they seem like a good match.¡± He nced at Caleb, who was standing beside him when he said that. Caleb immediately understood what he meant. With a resigned smile, he watched Celeste and Matthias leave, and then a few secondster, he turned his gaze away. After they sat at the pavilion for a while, Lennox and Harvey went up to them. From their perspectives, Celeste¡¯s choice to y chess with Trevor earlier was a way to get his attention and keep him from divorcing her. Furthermore, during the game, Trevor seemned to show her more respect, and his attitude was noticeably better than before. +25 BONUS The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! The Scent of 220 That wasn¡¯t a good sign.. Hence, they wanted to talk to Celeste about it. Harvey spoke first. ¡°Cel, I¡­¡± Before Celeste could respond, Matthias chuckled and interrupted, ¡°Mr. Locket, are you here to announce your rtionship with Cel?¡± Harvey¡¯s smile faltered, and then he awkwardlyughed. ¡°Mr. Yoder, I need to talk to Cel for a moment, can you¡­¡± Matthias cut him off. ¡°If you¡¯re eager for everyone to know about your rtionship with Cel, you¡¯re wee to say anything¡® Harvey didn¡¯t want to upset Matthias. Hence, he could only leave with Lennox. However, before he left, he turned to Celeste. ¡°I¡¯ll call youter tonight. Don¡¯t forget to pick it up.¡± Celeste remained silent. She couldn¡¯t be bothered with him. As for the call, there was no way she was answering it. Matthias was frustrated. ¡°Man, I really want to justsh out at him.¡± How could Celeste not feel the same? The problem was, when it came to her situation with Trevor, she had never been able to prove her innocence. But if she were to openly confront the Lockets, Trevor and the others would likely use this against her to protect Wynn. Besides, she was no stranger to how the Shaws could turn things around and use them against her. After all, her mother was still in the nursing home and couldn¡¯t even get out.. While chatting with Matthias, Celeste turned and noticed that Trevor and the others weren¡¯t ying chess anymore. Since it was gettingte, they decided to go to Betty. Betty and Harry had just wrapped up their discussions about paintings. Harry saw some friends arrive and went over to greet them Not wanting to disturb Harry any longer, Betty figured it was time to leave when she saw Celeste approaching. When Harry found out they were leaving, he purposely came and gifted the Silent Peaks¨Ca painting Betty had liked a lot to Betty. After the pleasantries, they left. Stepping out, they noticed Trevor and Wynn were still sitting at the pavilion, chatting. Trevor and Wynn noticed them too. Trevor gave Celeste a quick look before turning back to chat with Beck, Miles, and the rest. Wynn saw it. With a smirk on her face, she looked away. Beck gave a nod in Celeste¡¯s direction. Celeste and Matthias nodded in response and then left without a second nce. The next day, as usual, they headed to work at YodaVision Thepany¡¯stest projects started to roll out, and there was a lot left to do. They soon found themselves fully immersed in their work. Over the next few days, they were so busy they barely had time to catch their breath. Then, one day, Celeste received several gingerbread cookies from people at thepany. Celeste was stunned for a moment. ¡°Already Christmas? Time flew by!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Stretching, her colleague said, ¡°It feels pretty festive outside. I¡¯m nning to go out with friends after work and take in the holiday fun. How about you? Any ns?¡± Celeste smiled and shook her head. She put away the gingerbread cookies and dove straight back to work. After work, she remembered that a nt at home was wilting, so she decided to pick up a new one. Upon arriving at the mall, she noticed the surroundings were decorated with Christmas trees and Santa figures, just as her colleague had said. It felt very festive indeed. The street was bustling with people, all walking with someone by their side. Celeste took in the lively sights around her and suddenly found herself frozen in ce. - Chapter 221 The Scent of 221 Chapter 221 Jordyn absolutely loved Christmas. Every year, she would decorate the Christmas tree at home with Celeste. On Christmas Day, they would go out together, strolling through the streets and soaking in the festive atmosphere with everyone around them. But ever since Jordyn went abroad with Trevor, they had never spent another Christmas together. No, it would be more urate to say she had stopped celebrating Christmas altogether. Celeste told herself she was moving on. But in the end, this was the daughter she had given birth to and raised with her own hands for many years. Now, standing amidst the bustling crowds, watching the lively scene around her, memories of the past surged up, disturbing her peace. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez?¡± Celeste turned around. It was Caleb. She gave a polite nod. ¡°Mr. Jennings.¡± ¡°Why are you here alone?¡± Celeste cressed the emotions in her eyes and smiled. ¡°just came out to buy some nts for my home.¡± Caleb had approached her because he had seen her standing alone in the crowd from a distance¨Cher figure and expression tinged with solitude. There even seemed to be an unshakable sadness about her. He didn¡¯t know much about Celeste. But whatever was troubling her, it was enough to weigh heavily on her heart. He asked, ¡°Want to grab a drink?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just going to buy what I need and head home.¡± Then, out of politeness, she asked, What about you? Why are you here alone?¡± Caleb replied, ¡°I was out having dinner with a friend, but he had to leave early.¡± Since she had onlye here on a whim, she might not know about the eventter. So, he said, ¡°There¡¯s going to be a big fireworks show here soon. Want to stay and watchi He wasn¡¯t asking her out¨Cjust letting her know. Celeste smiled. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why it¡¯s so crowded here.¡± She wasn¡¯t very familiar with Caleb. Just as she was about to say something, her words stalled when she suddenly noticed three familiar figures emerging from the crowd. It was Trevor, Wynn, and Jordyn. They were heading toward the za, seemingly there for the fireworks show as well Caleb noticed her change in expression and followed her gaze, spotting Trevor and Wynn¨Calong with a little girl. He was momentarily stunned. He had heard from Jorge that, recently, there was a growing rumor in their circle¨CTrevor had a child. For years, there had also been spection that Trevor was married. But those rumors were never confirmed. Truth and fiction blurred together, and no one really knew for sure. Most people thought the im about Trevor having a child was just hearsay. Caleb had thought the same. But now, seeing Trevor and Wynn out with a little girl on such a festive asion, he was genuinely surprised. Even so, that didn¡¯t necessarily mean the girl was Trevor¡¯s daughter, right? Besides, Wynn was only about 25 and had supposedly been studying abroad all these years. She couldn¡¯t have been pursuing a master¡¯s and a Ph.D. while also having a child, could she? That wouldn¡¯t make any sense. While these thoughts ran through his mind, Trevor and Wynn had already disappeared into the crowd. Caleb turned back to look at Celeste and saw that she had already averted her gaze. Caleb recalled that she and Wynn never got along. But just now; when she saw Trevor and Wynn together, her expression had been¡­ strange. He asked, ¡°Want to take a walk?¡± Fireworks, huh? Celeste had actually been looking forward to them. But now. Still, avoiding the fireworks just because of Trevor and Wynn would be a pointless loss. The Scent of 222 Chapter 222 Hearing Caleb¡¯s invitation, Celeste smiled and said, ¡°Okay, They followed the crowd forward Just as they reached the railing, brilliant fireworks exploded across the riverbank, drawing gasps andughter from the crowd, though the sounds were quickly drowned out by the thunderous bursts. Many people took photos, while others made wishes. Noticing that Celeste was simply watching in silence without doing anything else, Caleb asked, ¡°Do you want me to record a video for you?¡± Celeste shook her head, ¡°No need, just watching is enough Caleb didn¡¯t press further. At that moment, Wynn¡¯s gaze swept in their direction. They were several meters apart, but Caleb¡¯s tall stature and striking appearance made him easy to spot. Having met him a few times before, they were at least acquaintances. Wynn was about to mention him to Trevor, who was holding Jordyn, and go over to say hello¨Cwhen she suddenly saw the person standing partially obscured behind Caleb, It was Celeste. Her smile froze instantly. Why were they here together? Events like this were usually enjoyed by family members or couples. Aside from a single dance at a banquet, Celeste and Caleb had barely any interaction. So, why were they here together? She looked again and confirmed that it was indeed just the two of them. ¡°Wynn, look! It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± At that moment, Jordyn noticed Wynn looking elsewhere. Not wanting her to miss the spectacr scene, she bent down, cupped her hands around Wynn¡¯s ear, and excitedly shared her joy. Wynn turned back and smiled. ¡°Yes, I see it.¡± Trevor nced at her and noticed she seemed distracted. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wynn quickly replied, ¡°Nothing.¡± Jordyn was so captivated by the fireworks show that she hadn¡¯t looked in Celeste¡¯s direction, and thus, didn¡¯t notice her. But when Trevor turned to speak to Wynn, his eyes happened tond on Celeste. Since Caleb was talking to her, Celeste¡¯s gaze was also turned in their direction. Their eyes met across the distance. Celeste froze for a moment, pressed her lips together, and looked away. Just then, Caleb turned back toward the fireworks, his profile bing visible to Trevor. +25 BONUS Even with only a side view, Trevor recognized him instanti Seeing Trevor take notice of Caleb and Celeste, Wynn said, I didn¡¯t expect them toe watch the fireworks together.¡± ¡°Mm,¡± Trevor responded indifferently and withdrew his page. Wynn, seeing hispleteck of reaction, smiled¨Cbut then her expression subtly shifted. The idea of Caleb and Celeste being here together made the smile at the corners of her lips fade. Her eyes drifted back to Celeste. At that moment, Caleb also nced her way. Noticing that Wynn had seen him, he gave her a polite nad Wynn returned the gesture with a smile. As acquaintances, Caleb would have gone over to greet her normally. But considering the apparent tension between Celeste and Wynn, he chose not to. Wynn furrowed her brows slightly before slowly looking away. After that one nce, Trevor never looked at Celeste again, As for Jordyn, she was too busy happily taking pictures and watching the fireworks with Trevor¡¯s phone to notice that Celeste was standing nearby. The Scent of 223 Chapter 223 ¡°Miss, would you like some chocte¨Ccovered fruit?¡± Celeste turned around. The plump fruits on the skewer gleamed temptingly in the light, stirring something in her heart. It had been a long time since she¡¯d had chocte¨Ccovered fruit. With that thought, she nced in Jordyn¡¯s direction. As expected, she saw the little girl happily munching on a skewer of chocte¨Ccovered fruit. Aside from that, at some point, Wynn had acquired a bouquet of red roses. She leaned against Trevor, talking to him, while Jordyn handed her the skewer with a bite taken out of it. Wynn smiled as she epted it and took a bite right from Jordyn¡¯s hand. After another bite, Jordyn passed it to Trevor. Trevor shook his head, said something she couldn¡¯t hear, and declined. Celeste withdrew her gaze and said to the vendor, ¡°I¡¯ll take a skewer of strawberries.¡± Just as she was about to ask Caleb if he wanted one, he spoke first, ¡°I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Before she could react, he had already taken out his phone, paid for it, and epted the skewer from the vendor before handing it to her. It was only ten dors. Seeing this, Celeste reached out to take it and said, ¡°Thankyou.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± As they exchanged words, neither of them noticed that Wynn and Trevor had turned to look in their direction just in time to witness Caleb paying for Celeste¡¯s chocte¨Ccovered fruit. Trevor¡¯s gaze darkened slightly, while Wynn¡¯s smile faded once again. Celeste and Caleb, however, remained oblivious to them. The fireworks showsted around 20 minutes. As it continued, they turned back to watch Jordynflugged on Trevor¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Dad, Wynn, what are you looking at?¡± Trevor retracted his gaze. ¡°Nothing.¡± Wynn also smiled, brushing it off. A few minutester, the fireworks show finally came to an end. Celeste turned to Caleb. ¡°Thank you for watching the fireworks with me. And for the strawberries.¡± ¡°Heading back now?¡± ¡°Yeah, just going to buy some nts, then I¡¯ll head home. Caleb didn¡¯t try to keep her. ¡°Alright. Goodbye.¡± ¡°Goodbye¡± Celeste walked away. Caleb followed the crowd, heading toward the parking lot. But after only a few steps, someone called out to him. ¡°Caleb?¡± It was Jorge¡¯s voice. Caleb turned around. ¡°Jorge.¡± Jorge walked over. ¡°What are you doing here?¡°! ¡°Had dinner with a friend,¡± Caleb replied. ¡°You?¡± Jorge looked a bit ufortable. ¡°Same here.¡± ¡°I was just about to head back. What about you?¡± ¡°1¡ª¡± Jorge started to speak, but suddenly fell silent, his gaze locking onto something in the distance. Caleb followed his line of sight and saw what he was looking at¨CTrevor and Wynn. They didn¡¯t seem to be leaving but had instead entered a cafe. Jorge¡¯s eyes remained fixed in that direction. ¡°That little girl¡­ Could the rumors be true? Does Trevor really have a daughter?¡± Caleb wasn¡¯t particrly interested in this topic. ¡°Maybe.¡± Jorge stood still, lips pressed into a thin line. If that girl really was Trevor¡¯s daughter, then wouldn¡¯t Wynn have to suffer a lot in the future? Moreover, there had also been rumors that Trevor was already married. What if that were true? If Trevor and his ex¨Cwife became entangled again because of their child, wouldn¡¯t Wynn suffer even more? 1 The Scent of 224 Caleb¡¯s phone rang. After a moment, he put it down and said, ¡°I have something to take care of. I¡¯m heading back first¨Cwant toe along?¡± Jorge snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes darkening slightly. ¡°No, I¡¯m waiting for someone. You go ahead. Let¡¯s catch up another time.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Caleb left. Once his figure disappeared, Jorge turned and walked toward the cafe. As he pushed the door open, he happened to run into Wynn, who was about to take Jordyn to the restroom. Both of them stopped in their tracks, Wynn recognized him and said, ¡°Mr. Robinson? What a coincidence.¡± a ¡°Yeah.¡± Jorge closed the door behind him, letting his gaze sweep across the cafe. Then, he spotted Trevor at the counter, ordering from the server. Retracting his gaze, he let it fall on Jordyn. It only took a single nce for him to be almost certain¨CJordyn was Trevor¡¯s daughter. She resembled him by at least 50%. Still, he asked, ¡°And she is¡­?¡± Wynn lowered her eyes slightly. ¡°Trevor¡¯s daughter.¡± As expected. Jorge¡¯s heart sank. At that moment, Jordyn spoke up, ¡°Wynn, who¡¯s this handsome man?¡± Wynn bent down and tapped Jordyn¡¯s little nose, smiling gently. ¡°A friend of mine.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Jordyn nodded. Wynn then turned back to Jorge. ¡°Mr. Robinson, are you meeting a friend-¡± Before she could finish, Jordyn interrupted, shaking Wynn¡¯s arm. ¡°Wynn, hurry, take me to the restroom.¡± She had milkshake earlier, and now the urge to go was bing unbearable. Seeing that Wynn still seemed Inclined to chat, she couldn¡¯t help but cut her off. And because she was so anxious, her tone came off as more like amand. Jorge frowned slightly at the way Jordyn treated Wynn¨Cit was as if she was ordering her around. Yet, Wynn didn¡¯t seem to mind in the slightest. She remained as patient and gentle as ever, smiling warmly. Alright, I know. I¡¯ll take you right away.¡± Then, she turned to Jorge and said, ¡°We¡¯ll head out first. See youter.¡± Watching this, Jorge felt even more uneasy. But he wasn¡¯t in any position to say anything, so he simply offered, ¡°I happen to need the restroom too. Why don¡¯t we go together?¡± Wynn smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± +25 BONUS Jordyn, truly desperate, couldn¡¯t wait for Wynn any longer. She let go of her hand and ran toward the restroom on her own Seeing this, Wynn forgot all about Jorge and quickly followed. ¡°Jo, wait for me!¡± Jorge watched, his frown deepening. In lids eyes, Jordyn was far too willful. Jordyn was about to say something when she suddenly halted, turning to look off to the side. ¡°Jo?¡± Wynn caught up, noticing that she had stopped in her tracks. A thought shed through her mind¨Ccould she have seen Celeste? ncing at Jorge, who was approaching quickly, Wynn¡¯s eyes flickered as she took Jordyn¡¯s hand. ¡°Jo, didn¡¯t you need the restroom? Let¡¯s-¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Jordyn nced around a few more times but didn¡¯t spot Celeste again Convinced she must have imagined it, she didn¡¯t look any further and hurried into the restroom. However, Celeste was indeed in the direction Jordyn had been looking, but she was blocked by the crowd. Amidst the bustling shopping mall, neither of them noticed the other. The Scent of 225 A little whileter, Wynn, Jordyn, and Jorge came out of the restroom. Jordyn was at an age where her curiosity was at its peak. She was fascinated by everything along the way, looking here and there, chatting nonstop with Wynn. Wynn responded with a gentle smile the entire time. Jorge observed them and felt that Wynn was incredibly dedicated to Trevor¡¯s child. At the same time, he realized how difficult it was to take care of a lid. Back at the cafe, the first thing Jorge did was nce toward Trevor. He saw that Trevor was casually sipping his coffee while flipping through a magazine, lookingpletely at ease. like someone who had simply delegated all responsibilities to others. Jorge paused slightly. Earlier, on the way to the restroom, Jorge had mentioned that he was also meeting a friend at the cafe. Once they were inside, Wynn asked, ¡°Has your friend arrived yet?¡± Jorge shook his head. ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t youe sit with us for a while?¡± ¡°You two are out on a date. It wouldn¡¯t be right for me to intrude.¡± Wynn chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Trevor wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± So, Jorge joined them and walked over to where Trevor was seated. As soon as they got there, the first thing Jorge noticed was the vibrant bouquet of red roses ced beside Trevor¡¯s seal. There was no doubt in his mind that Trevor had given them to Wynn. Perhaps Trevor wasn¡¯t as indifferent toward Wynn as he had originally thought. ¡°Dad, we¡¯re back!¡± Jordyn chirped happily, immediately returning to her seat. Trevor acknowledged her with a hum, then turned his head toward Wynn¨Conly then did he notice Jorge as well. He greeted him, ¡°Mr. Robinson?¡± Jorge nodded. ¡°I ran into Ms. Locket at the entrance, and when I saw you were here as well, I thought I¡¯de over to say hello.¡± After shaking hands and exchanging some pleasantries, Jorge observed how well the three of them interacted. He ultimately chose not to sit down and instead said, ¡°My friend should be here soon, so I won¡¯t join you. Next time.¡± Trevor didn¡¯t press the issue. ¡°Alright.¡± Jorge nced at Wynn once more before turning and finding an empty seat nearby. Trevor, Wynn, and Jordyn spoke in low voices, so he couldnt make out what they were saying About 20 minutester, Trevor and his group prepared to leave. Before leaving, he walked over to Jorge to say +25 BONUS Chapter 225 goodbye. ¡°Leaving already?¡± Jorge asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Trevor replied. ¡°See you next time.¡± As Trevor left, Jorge noticed that Wynn and Jordyn remained behind. So, be asked, ¡°You¡¯re not leaving with him?¡± Wynn smiled. ¡°Trevor went to the underground parking lot to bring the car around.¡± Since the cafe was near the street but the parking lot was quiterge, having him drive the car to pick them up was indeed a thoughtful gesture. Jorge chuckled lightly. Wyrm Wynn also smiled and asked, ¡°Did your friend ever show up?¡± Jorge shook his head. ¡°No.¡± Wynn lowered her gaze slightly, a knowing look shing in her eyes. But she didn¡¯t call him out on it and simply asked, ¡°Are you going to keep waiting?¡± ¡°No,¡± Jorge replied. After chatting for a bit longer, Trevor called. Then, Wynn said, ¡°Time for us to go.¡± Jorge nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± As Wynn and Jorge said their goodbyes outside the cafe, Jordyn suddenly let go of Wynn¡¯s hand and turned to look to the side. ¡°Jo?¡± Jordyn was convinced that this time, she had really seen Celeste. But the crowd was too dense, and she was too small¨Cher view was quickly blocked. She turned to Wynn and said, ¡°Wynn, I think I just saw¡± Wynn interrupted her, ¡°Your dad is waiting for us. Let¡¯s The Scent of 226 Jordyn looked around again. After confirming that Celeste was nowhere to be seen, she left with Wynn. Watching their retreating figures, Jorge was about to leave when he suddenly noticed Celeste standing not far to the side. His steps faltered. Realizing who it was, he initially decided to ignore her and walk away. But then, he noticed that Celeste¡¯s gaze was fixed on Wynn and Jordyn. Her expression was cold, and her eyes were even colder. In fact, the way she looked at Wynn almost felt like she was looking at an enemy. With that kind of stare, Jorge couldn¡¯t help but think that Celeste might actually harbor ill intentions toward Wynn. He observed her silently, convinced that she was still holding a grudge against Wynn. So, he walked over. Celeste was carrying quite a few things¨Ctwo potted nts and several decorative ornaments. The ornaments were an impulse buy. Ever since she moved into her current ce, she had been too busy with her own affairs to decorate much, leaving her home looking rather empty. This time, she had only nned to buy some nts, but when she saw a store nearby selling decorative pieces for disy cabs, she picked out a few. Just as she was about to leave, she unexpectedly ran into Wynn and Jordyn again. After they left, she was about to go on her way when she noticed Jorge approaching her. He said, ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Celeste stopped in her tracks. ¡°What do you mean?¡°¡± Jorge said coldly, ¡°She doesn¡¯t even care about you. You mean nothing to her, yet you¡¯re still holding a grudge? Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s pointless?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t care about me?¡± Celeste¡¯s gaze turned icy. ¡°You really put her on a pedestal, don¡¯t you?¡± To Jorge, Wynn was indeed good in every way. Before he could respond, Celeste continued, ¡°So? What are you trying to say? Are you here to warn me not to harm her?¡± That was exactly what Jorge intended JFL Celeste let out a coldugh. ¡°Even Trevor hasn¡¯t said that to me. But you, Mr. Robinson, rushed over to do it¡­ On what grounds? Are you Wynn¡¯s secret admirer?¡± Jorge didn¡¯t bother to hide his admiration and feelings for Wynn in front of Celeste. Hearing her taunt, he replied icily, ¡°So, what you¡¯re sayings¨CI should go remind Mr. Fleming to watch out for you?¡± At that moment, he recalled what happened at a banquet before, when Trevor had asked Celeste for a dance. Back then, both he and Caleb felt that Trevor had approachest Celeste solely to warn her not to target Wynn. +25 BONUS With that thought, he added, ¡°Or¡­ Do you think Trevor¡¯s previous warning was too gentle?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t respond. She simply looked at him, her gaze arrying a faint hint of mockery. Before Jorge could react, she suddenly asked, ¡°Are you really Theodore Robinson¡¯s son?¡± She hadn¡¯t interacted with Theodore much, but in her eyes, he had the warmth of an elder while also possessing: the authority and depth of a true leader. Aside from their resemnce in appearance, she saw nothing of Theodore in Jorge. Then again, maybe it was just because Jorge was too blinded by his feelings for Wynn¨Cso much so that he let his emotions cloud his judgment. Jorge didn¡¯t expect her to bring up his father. Her tone almost made it seem like she knew him. But how could she possibly know his father? His expression darkened. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to have Trevor warn me? Fine, I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± With that, she turned and left without looking back. The Scent of 227 As soon as Trevor and Jordyn returned to the vi, Trevor¡¯s phone rang. So, he answered the call. A momentter, he put his phone away, slipped back into the coat he had just taken off, and told Jordyn, who was walking upstairs with him, ¡°Your Nama identally fell and got injured. She¡¯s been taken to the hospital. I¡¯m heading over now. You should get some rest early.¡± Jordyn said worriedly, ¡°I want to go see Nana too- ¡°You have school tomorrow. You can visit after ss.¡± ¡°Alright then¡­¡± Jordyn said. Trevor turned and left. Just then, Jordyn¡¯s phone chimed. She quickly picked it up and checked. Seeing that it was just a spam message, she pouted in disappointment. On the way back, she had tried calling Celeste, wanting to ask if the person she saw at the mall was really her. But she didn¡¯t answer. When she got a message just now, she thought for a moment that it might be from Celeste. But, it wasn¡¯t. Still, thinking about it, if Celeste really had time to go shopping on Christmas, she definitely would have invited her along, So, she must have been mistaker. One hourter, at Baumond Orthopedic Hospital, Trevor spoke with the doctors about the situation. Martha had suffered a fracture in her upper thigh, requiring surgery to couldn¡¯t be done immediately. rece the bone. However, the surgery They needed to monitor her condition first and ensure she was stable before proceeding. Most of the Fleming family members were currently out of town. Aside from Trevor, the only ones present at the hospital were Peter and Samantha Russell, the maid who usually took care of Martha¡¯s daily needs. As for the other family members, Peter had already informed them one by one. Seeing Trevor arrive, Peter quickly got up to greet him. Martha was lying on her side. When she saw him approach, she closed her eyes and ignored him. Trevor pulled up a chair and sat beside her. ¡°Still angry?¡± He was referring to the recent project he hadunched at Fleming Group, specifically for the Lockets and the Shaws. Ever since then, Martha never answered his calls. She remained silent. After a moment of silence, Trevor asked, ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Martha finally opened her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± Of course, Trevor knew. He responded indifferently, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll take care of it tomorrow.¡± By that, he naturally meant cutting ties with the Lockets and the Shaws, removing them from Fleming Group, and reiming the projects they had been given. ¡°And?¡± Trevor knew exactly what she was referring to. His brows furrowed, ¡°Grandma¡­¡± Martha closed her eyes again. Trevor didn¡¯t say anything further. After a while, Martha said, ¡°You should go.¡± But Trevor didn¡¯t leave. Instead, he adjusted her nket to make sure she wasfortable. A little whileter, the doctor came in to update him on Martha¡¯s condition, informing him that the surgery could be scheduled for the day after tomorrow. The bone recement surgery carried a rtively low risk. If everything went ording to n, she would be able to walk with the aid of a walker within a month. After the doctor left, in the corridor outside, Peter nced at Martha¡¯s figure in the hospital bed and said, ¡°Mrs. Fleming Senior actually really wants to see Mrs. Fleming, but she won¡¯t let me call her.¡± What Martha meant was that she felt guilty toward Celeste. Now that she was injured, how could she ask her to visit? Trevor said, ¡°I understand.¡± Peter said nothing more and returned to the hospital room. The Scent of 228 Chapter 228 That night, Trevor did not leave the hospital. The next morning, Queenie and Teagan, along with other family members, gradually returned and visited the hospital. Upon learning that Trevor had stayed at the hospital all night, they urged him to go home and rest. Trevor told Martha, ¡°I¡¯lle back to see you tonight.¡± However, Martha ignored him. After leaving the hospital, Trevor made a phone call. An hourter, the Lockets and the Shaws received the news that they had been removed from the project team. They immediately contacted Wynn. Wynn said, ¡°It was Madam Daniels¡® decision. She had a fast night¡­¡± The Lockets and the Shaws didn¡¯t expect this turn of events Mason asked, ¡°Does this mean Madam Daniels also took the opportunity to demand that Trevor break up with you and forbid him from divorcing Celeste?¡± Wynn pressed her lips together tightly. After discussing a bit more, she ended the call. Just then, someone knocked and entered her office. ¡°Ms. Locket, the meeting is about to start.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Wynn put down her phone, left the office, and headed toward the conference room. As she walked, she happened to see Celeste discussing work with Henry. She was aware that InnovaTech and YodaVision¡¯s coboration was still ongoing, and that YodaVision¡¯s technical team needed to visit InnovaTech periodically for system maintenance. But she didn¡¯t expect to run into Celeste at InnovaTech today. Celeste sensed someone looking at her. When she turned and saw that it was Wynn, she immediately looked away without a moment¡¯s hesitation At around 10:00 am, Celeste went to the restroom As she stepped out, she saw Trevor. She wasn¡¯t sure when he had arrived, but he was leaning against the wall, seemingly waiting for someone. Without the slightest pause, she was about to walk past him when Trevor looked at her and said, ¡°Grandma fellst night. She fractured her upper thigh bone and needs a bone recement.¡± Celeste abruptly stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. Trevor then told her the name of the hospital and the ward number before adding, ¡°She really hopes you¡¯ll visit her.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t say anything and was about to leave when Wynn happened to step out from inside. Seeing Trevor there, Wynn was visibly surprised. She didn¡¯t expect him to be at InnovaTech. And he was talking to Celeste She stopped in her tracks and pursed her lips. Celeste, however, didn¡¯t concern herself with them and simply turned toward the restroom. By the time she returried, Trevor and Wynn were both gone Celeste resumed her work. At around 11:00 am, afterpleting the maintenance and adjustments, Celeste and the other YodaVision staff left InnovaTech and returned to YodaVision. At lunchtime, Celeste told Betty about Martha¡¯s fall Betty was startled. She said, ¡°Let¡¯s go visit her at the hospital tonight.¡± Regardless of what had happened between Celeste and Trevor, Martha had helped the Rodriguez family a great deal during their most difficult times. One could say that without Martha¡¯s assistance back then, the Rodriguez family wouldn¡¯t be where they were today. That kindness was something Betty would never forget. Hearing this, Celeste nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± In the afternoon, Celeste left work early, had dinner at horne, and then took Betty with her to the orthopedic hospital. ¡°Mom!¡± As soon as they arrived, Jordyn spotted them and ran over excitedly, throwing her arms around Celeste¡¯s leg The Scent of 229 Chapter 229 Celeste wasn¡¯t surprised to see Jordyn at the hospital. She reached out and patted her head. ¡°Came over after school?¡± ¡°Mm!¡± Jordyn was delighted to see her. She then called out to Martha, ¡°Nana.¡± Just as Martha responded, Trevor walked out of the hospital room. Seeing them, he nodded slightly in greeting. Betty¡¯s expression remained indifferent, and she didn¡¯t say anything. Celeste only nced at him briefly before looking away. Seeing that Jordyn seemed to have something to say to her, Celeste said, ¡°Granny and I will go in first to see your Nana.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Hearing this, Jordyn reluctantly suppressed her urge to talk She reached out to hold Celeste¡¯s hand and followed her into the hospital room. Trevor took the flowers and fruit basket they had brought and followed behind them into the room. When Martha saw Celeste and Betty, she was pleasantly surprised and smiled. ¡°What brings you two here?¡± Seeing her struggling to sit up despite the pain, Betty quickly stopped her and said, ¡°How can you say that? Something this serious happened, and you didn¡¯t even tell us.¡± Hearing this, Martha¡¯s smile faded slightly. She nced at Trevor, who was personally pouring water for Celeste and Betty, and said, ¡°I can¡¯t face you¡­.¡® Celeste and Betty epted the cups of water Trevor handed them. Betty then said, ¡°This is between them. How can we me you?¡± ¡°But I¡± Noticing that Jordyn was present, Martha refrained from saying too much. Betty patted the back of her hand. ¡°I know.¡± After exchanging a few pleasantries, Martha turned her attention to Celeste. Since thest parent¨Cchild event at school, Jordyn hadn¡¯t seen Celeste again. So, now, she clung to Celeste, even squeezing between her legs, trying to climb onto herp. Celeste had no choice but to put down her cup and lift her onto herp. Seeing Betty looking over, Celeste softly called, ¡°Granny.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Betty¡¯s face lit up with a smile. Since Jordyn was there, they avoided discussing anything rted to Celeste and Trevor. Most of the conversation revolved around Martha¡¯s condition. Martba exined everything in detail. When Betty learned that her surgery was scheduled for the next day, she said, ¡°I¡¯lle keep youpany tomorrow.¡± ¡°That would be a great help, my dear friend.¡± With Betty there to chat, she would feel more at ease. +25 BONUT. After talking for a while, Martha suddenly remembered something. ¡°You two haven¡¯t eaten yet, have you? Trevor, make some arrangements- ¡°No need.¡± Betty interrupted her. ¡°Celeste and I already had dinner beforeing.¡± After saying that, she coolly told Trevor, ¡°If you and Jordyn haven¡¯t eaten yet, go ahead and get something.¡± Jordyn hadn¡¯t had a meal with Celeste in a long time. Hearing this, she clung to Celeste¡¯s neck and pleaded, Mom, I miss you so much. Come eat with us, okay?¡± Thinking about everything she had seen the night before, Celeste lowered her gaze and gave a faint smile. She gently declined her request. ¡°I¡¯ve been working all day and am too tired to walk around. You two go ahead.¡± With that, Jordyn couldn¡¯t insist any further. However, as she nestled in Celeste¡¯s arms, breathing in her familiar scent, she was reluctant to let go. The Scent of 230 Crupter 230 Jordyn turned to Trevor, who was sitting nearby, watching them. ¡°Dad, I want to eat here. Can we have the food packed and brought back?¡± Trevor said, ¡°Okay.¡± Jordyn immediately brightened up and hugged Celeste even tighter. Betty and Martha had plenty to talk about. Celeste, on the other hand, mostly sat quietly, asionally chiming in with a few words. After a while, Jordyn started feeling tired and asked Celeste, ¡°Mom, when will you be done with work?¡± Not wanting Betty to hear, Celeste picked her up and carried her over to the couch near the hospital bed before answering, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but if things go as expected, I will probably get even busier.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Jordyn didn¡¯t expect that answer and was visibly disappointed. ¡°Then when will you have time to take me skiing?¡± She hadn¡¯t forgotten about it. Celeste thought for a moment and said, ¡°Next month.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°When I have time, I¡¯ll let you know.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Jordyn instantly perked up. Rememberingst night, she suddenly asked, ¡°Oh, Mom, dil you go shoppingst night?¡± Celeste paused for a moment but still replied, ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Huh? So, that really was you I sawst night?¡± ¡°Possibly.¡± As soon as Celeste finished speaking, she noticed Trevor ncing sideways at her. Jordyn hadn¡¯t gone shopping with Celeste in a long time. There was a time when she thought just aimlessly walking around was boring, but now, thinking back, she actually missed it. So, she said, ¡°Then next time you have free time, can you take me shopping too? And we have to go to the arcade to y bumper cars!¡± Celeste looked away. ¡°Okay.¡± Jordyn kept chattering away. Meanwhile, Trevor picked up the cup Celeste had been drinking from, poured out the now¨Ccold water, refilled it with warm water, and ced it back on the coffee table in front of her. Celeste looked at him and said a quiet, ¡°Thank you.¡± Trevor replied, ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Then, he sat down on the couch beside them. Mariba and Betty had been having a good conversation, but seeing the three of them sitting together as a family, Martha hesitated mid¨Csentence. Following her gaze, Betty looked over but didn¡¯t show any reaction. She simply withdrew her gaze. Martha sighed. ¡°You see- ¡°Since they¡¯ve made their decision, let¡¯s not force them,¡± Betty interrupted. Martha sighed again. Not long after, the food Trevor ordered was delivered. It was arge spread¨Cclearly more than just enough for two people. Trevor turned to Celeste and said, ¡°Have some too.¡± Celeste noticed that half of the dishes were ones she liked. Not only that, but Trevor had instructed the staff to ce them all closer to her. Then, he said, ¡°Jo, go call your Granny over for dinner.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Jordyn finally got down from Celeste¡¯sp and ran over to pull Betty¡¯s hand, inviting her to eat, Martha chimed in, ¡°Go have a bite. Otherwise, I¡¯d feel bad asking you toe keep mepany again tomorrow.¡± Left with no choice, Betty walked over and sat down at the table. Seeing that the dishes in front of Celeste were all her favorites, Betty paused slightly and nced at Trevor. The Scent of 231 Celeste remained calm. As she had thought before¨Cwith Trevor¡¯s memory, remembering these details wasn¡¯t surprising. The fact that he prepared these dishes was likely just his way of thanking them for visiting Martha. It didn¡¯t mean anything else. After finishing their meal, Celeste and Betty sat for another hour before getting ready to leave. Seeing that it was gettingte, Martha didn¡¯t insist on keeping them and instead said to Trevor, ¡°You and Jo should head home early too.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Trevor replied. ¡°I¡¯lle see you tomorrow morning. The four of them left the hospital room together. Once they entered the elevator, Trevor asked, ¡°Did you drive here yourself?¡± Celeste replied with a hum. Trevor didn¡¯t say anything more, but Jordyn suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, ¡°Mom, are your noting home tonight too?¡± ¡°No,¡± Celeste replied. ¡°I¡¯m taking your Granny home and staying over at her ce for the night.¡± ¡°Then I want to stay at Granny¡¯s house too!¡± Although Jordyn was now closer to Trevor, in Betty¡¯s heart, she would always be Celeste¡¯s daughter. Hearing Jordyn say she wanted to go to the Rodriguez residence, Betty, with a warm smile, said, ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Since Betty had already agreed, Celeste kept quiet. However, she reminded Jordyn, ¡°You don¡¯t have any spare dothes at Granny¡¯s house.¡± Before Jordyn started living with Trevor more often, Celeste used to take her to the Rodriguez residence frequently. Back then, she and Adeline, had filled half a wardrobe with clothes for her. But in the past years, Jordyn¡¯s visits had significantly decreased, and since children grow fast, neither she nor Adeline had continued replenishing her wardrobe like before. So now, there were no clothes at the Rodriguez residence that would fit her. ¡°Huh?¡± Jordyn was disappointed. ¡°Then-¡± At that moment, Trevor spoke, ¡°I¡¯ll ask someone to send over some clothes¡± Celeste hesitated briefly but didn¡¯t say anything. Jordyn, on the other hand, was thrilled. ¡°Yay! I get to sleep with Mom tonight!¡± Qutside the hospital, Jordyn happily followed Celeste to her car, while Trevor walked over to his own car and retrieved Jordyn¡¯s backpack before handing it to her. Jordyn eagerly took it. ¡°Thank you, Dad!¡± Trevor ruffled her hair and nced at Celeste, who was seated in the driver¡¯s seat. She didn¡¯t look back but instead. said to Jordyn, ¡°Jo, say goodbye to Dad¡± ¡°Goodbye, Dad.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± As soon as Trevor finished speaking, Celeste rolled up the winded the steering wheel, and drove away. By the time they arrived at the Rodriguez residence, Jordyn¡¯s clothes had already been delivered. As Jordyn ran upstairs, Betty said to Celeste, ¡°At least he¡¯s not stopping you from being close to Jo. That¡¯s something.¡± She had been worried that since custody was with Trevor, he might not let Celeste see her daughter. If that had happened over time, their mother¨Cdaughter bond would have inevitably grown distant. For a mother, that would be far too cruel. Celeste didn¡¯t exin anything to Betty. She simply responded with a quiet hum, reminded her to rest early, and then went upstairs. The next morning, the Rodriguez family had breakfast downstairs with Jordyn. Just then, a message came from the security booth outside they had a visitor. Celeste nced at the screen and saw that it was Trevor¡¯s car. The Scent of 232 Chapter 232 Jordyn leaned over as well. Seeing Trevor, she said, ¡°Oh! It¡¯s Dad! Mom, let Dad in!¡± Celeste lowered her eyes. ¡°Mm.¡± The rest of the Rodriguez family overheard their conversation. They were a bit surprised to learn that Trevor was , Trevor arrived Celeste went out to meet him and asked, ¡°Are you here to pick my grandmother up to visit the hospital?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Trevor replied, ¡°Alright.¡± He remained seated in his car. About ten minutester, Betty finally came out of the house. Seeing this, Trevor got out and opened the car door for her Jordyn was also getting ready to leave for school and said to Trevor, ¡°Bye, Dad!¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± After exchanging nods with Celeste and the rest of the Rodriguez family, he got into his car and drove away. Celeste also got into her car and took Jordyn to school. At 11:30 am, while Celeste was busy at work, Betty called and said, ¡°The surgery was a sess.¡± Celeste finally felt relieved. She had just put down her phone when a call from Trevor came through. But she didn¡¯t answer. Shortly after, a message arrived from him. ¡°We¡¯re going out for lunchter. Want to join?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t reply. She was sure Trevor would understand exactly what her silence meant. Sure enough, after that, he didn¡¯t send another message. But just around noon, Lottie called. ¡°Cell I just saw your husband¨Cno, future ex¨Chusband¨Chelping your grandmother up the stairs outside a restaurant!¡± Before Celeste could respond, she continued, ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me you two have already reconciled behind my back? ¡°No.¡± While flipping through a book, Celeste briefly exined that Martha had fallen and been hospitalized. Then she added, ¡°We visited Grandma, and he¡¯s just being grateful.¡± That was why he had personallye to pick up Betty this morning. Lottie sounded disappointed. ¡°So, it¡¯s just that?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ay their k kindness. In fact, the more considerate and polite Trevor acted, the more it showed that he wanted to repay and keep things clear between them. Ultimately, his actions were just another way of drawing a boundary. Only someone not thinking clearly would mistake it for an attempt at reconciliation. That evening, Celeste workedte. By the time she arrived at the hospital, it was already past 7:00 pm. Just as she stepped out of her car, she spotted Wynn leaning against the side of another vehicle. Wynn saw her too. She pursed her lips and looked Celeste up and down coldly but said nothing. Celeste shut her car door without sparing her another nce and carried the flowers inside. The VIP floor was quiet. As soon as she pushed open the hospital room door, she saw Trevor, Beck, and Miles sitting inside. Thinking back to Wynn waiting downstairs, she immediately understood they had likelye together. As for whether Wynn had already been inside to see Martha, she had no way of knowing. Noticing her arrival, Miles smirked. Beck, however, stood up from his chair. Meanwhile, Trevor walked toward her and said, ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Ignoring him, Celeste withdrew her gaze. Only after making eye contact with Martha did she finally smile and say, ¡°Grandma ¡± The Scent of 233 Chapter 233 Seeing Trevor reach out, Celeste had no choice but to hand him the flowers she was holding She didn¡¯t look at Miles or Beck and instead walled straight to the bedside, asking Martha, ¡°How are you feeling now?¡± ¡°Still a little sore, but it¡¯s alright,¡± Martha said. she was a Having just undergone surgery not long ago, she was already feeling a bit fatigued. She reached out to hold Celeste¡¯s hand and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been working all day¨Care you tired? Have you eaten? Why don¡¯t you join Trevor and the others for dinnerter?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Grandma. I ate at the office beforeing over. ¡± Seeing that Celeste was still maintaining her distance from Trevor, Martha paused and didn¡¯t insist any further. Celeste chatted with her for a little while longer. When Martha began to feel tired and wanted to rest, Celeste prepared to leave. Martha asked Trevor to walk her out. Since he and the others were about to go for dinner anyway, she left with them. Inside the elevator, Miles kept staring at her curiously. Celeste turned her head and shot him a cold nce. ¡°Have you seen enough?¡± Miles shot back, ¡°Almost.¡± Celeste ignored him. When the elevator doors opened, she was the first to step out. Trevor and the other two followed behind her. Noticing that she was keeping a few steps¡® distance from them, Miles leaned toward Trevor and lowered his voice, ¡°Her attitude toward you has really changed a lot. Has she really moved on? But, why do I find that hard to believe? Trevor looked at Celeste¡¯s back without responding Beck hadn¡¯t caught what they were saying and asked, ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Miles repeated his question to him. Beck reacted the same way as Trevor¨Cboth simply looked at Celeste¡¯s back withoutmenting. As they reached the hospital entrance, Trevor suddenly said ¡°Io is still at the Rodriguez residence.¡± Celeste¡¯s steps faltered for a moment, but she didn¡¯t say anything and continued walking toward the parking lot. Then, she noticed that Wynn was still there. Seeing theme out, Wynn stepped toward them. Celeste, however, walked straight to her car, while Trevor, Beck, and Miles all headed toward Wynn instead. Celeste got into her car and drove away without paying any attention to the four of them. She drove back to the Rodriguez residence.. Seeing her return, Jordyn, who was ying with Jamie and Hector, looked up and said, ¡°Mom, you¡¯re back?¡± Celeste closed the door, shutting out the cold air from outside. As she took off her coat, she responded, ¡°Mm.¡± Jordyn put down her tablet, ran over, and hugged her leg. ¡°Mom, Dad said I can stay with you for the next couple of days! After we visit Nana at the hospital tomorrow morning, can we go skiing?¡± Before Celeste could reply, Jamie and Hector chimed in, ¡°Yeah, Celestel Let¡¯s all go together.¡± Celeste answered, ¡°Alright.¡± Jordyn cheered happily. ¡°I¡¯m going to call Dad and tell him! With that, she grabbed her phone and dialed Trevor. Celeste didn¡¯t listen to their conversation and simply turned around to head upstairs. The next morning, when she arrived at the hospital, Wynn was not there. However, it seemed like Trevor had moved his work to the hospital. When Celeste and Jordyn walked in, he was busy handling documents. ¡°Dad!¡± Jordyn called out. Before Trevor could respond, she noticed that the nearby table was filled with all sorts of fruit, pastries, and drinks that were popr among young people and children +25 BONUS The Scent of 234 chapter Jordyn ran over excitedly. ¡°Wow, so much delicious food! And milkshakes too!¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Trevor said, ¡°I knew you wereing, so I had some things prepared.¡± As he spoke, his gazended on Celeste. Seeing that she ignored him, he shifted his focus to Hector and Jamie, nodding at them before standing up and saying, ¡°Sit.¡± Trevor carried an imposing presence, So, after greeting Martha, Jamie and Hector instinctively followed his words, sitting down with Jordyn and sharing the food that she and Trevor passed to them. Once the children started eating, Trevor handed Celeste a serving. ¡°Try it?¡± Noticing that Martha was watching, Celeste epted it and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± She took a sip and realized it was strawberry¨Cvored¨Cexactly to her taste. Hearing that they were going skiing, Martha turned to Trevor and said, ¡°Trevor, you should go with Cel and the kids.¡± She continued, ¡°Skiing is a dangerous activity. It¡¯ll be too much for Cel to watch over three children alone. Go help her. I have Peter and Samantha here, so you don¡¯t need to stay with me all the time.¡± Celeste was about to speak, but before she could, Trevor said, ¡°Got it.¡± Jordyn was thrilled to hear that Trevor would be joining them. After spending some more time in the hospital room, Celeste and the others prepared to leave. Trevor gathered his documents before leaving with them. They took two cars. Jordyn, Jamie, and Hector rode in Celeste¡¯s car. At the ski resort, Trevor helped Jordyn adjust her clothes and goggles when his phone rang. So, he stepped away to take the call and, after a brief exchange, said, ¡°I¡¯lle byter.¡± Jordyn asked, ¡°Dad, who was that?¡± Trevor didn¡¯t answer her directly. Instead, he asked, ¡°Do you want to have lunch with Dad, or do you want to eat with Mom?¡± Jordyn was taken aback. ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t we all eating together?¡± Trevor replied, ¡°No, Dad has something to take care of.¡± Celeste and the others overheard the conversation but didn¡¯tment. Trevor patted Jordyn¡¯s head and said, ¡°No rush. Ski first¨Cyou can decideter.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± While the three children were chatting nearby, Celeste put on her goggles and looked at Trevor. ¡°The divorce still isn¡¯t finalized?¡± Trevor replied, ¡°Not yet.¡± He paused for a moment before saying, ¡°If you need money urgently, I can have someone transfer a portion to your ount first.¡± That wasn¡¯t what Celeste had been referring to. But before she could respond, Jordyn called out to her. ¡°Mom,e over here!¡± Celeste let the topic drop and was about to walk over when her phone rang. It was a call from Ivan. He said, ¡°Someone from Fleming Group just contacted me. They want to discuss a potential coboration!¡± Fleming Group was currently under Trevor¡¯s control. With years of business experience, Ivan knew Trevor wouldn¡¯t offer help for no reason. He was calling Celeste to understand why Trevor was doing this and to rationally discuss whether there were any hidden traps in the deal¨Cwhether he should ept it or not Celeste didn¡¯t respond to him immediately. After hanging up, she turned to look at Trevor. The Scent of 235 Chapter 235 Celeste said to Trevor, ¡°My uncle said someone from Fleming Group approached him about a project coboration.¡± Trevor was about to respond when Celeste continued, ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to owe me or my grandmother, and you¡¯re trying to express your gratitude in this way. ¡°But my grandmother and I visit your grandmother at the hospital because of her, not because of you. So, you don¡¯t need to offer us any projects.¡± If they did business with Fleming Group, the Lockets and the Shaws would surely be displeased and stir up trouble. Even if he was sincerely trying to thank her and her grandmother by offering the project to her uncle to help him, the fact remained that the woman he loved was Wynn. If, one day, he wavered and changed his mind, the so¨Ccalled help now would turn into a burden. And if it happened, the ones who would bear the consequences would still be the Rodriguez family. She couldn¡¯t afford to ept his offer. With an indifferent tone, she added, ¡°You can also rest assured¨Conce the divorce is finalized, we¡¯ll go our separate ways. I won¡¯t entangle myself with you anymore.¡± To her, this was just another way for Trevor to draw a clear boundary between them. Wasn¡¯t he in such a hurry to sever ties because he feared she would cling to him? But she wouldn¡¯t. Not anymore. Trevor was silent for a few seconds before responding, ¡°Alright.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t say anything else. She picked up her phone and ryed her decision to Ivan. After hanging up, they went skiing. The trip went smoothly without any incidents. However, Celeste spent most of her time talking with Jamie, Hector, and Jordyn. As for Trevor, they spoke only when necessary. He didn¡¯t take the initiative to speak much. Around noon, Trevor told Celeste he had to leave early. Celeste replied indifferently, ¡°Alright.¡± Trevor, then turned to Jordyn. ¡°Jo, do you-¡± ¡°I want to watch a movie with Mom, Jamie, and Hector!¡± It wasn¡¯t Celeste who had suggested it. Jamie and Hector wanted to see a movie; and the three kids had nned it together before mentioning it to Celeste. Trevor nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± After giving Celeste a brief nod, he turned and left.. About ten minutester, Celeste¡¯s phone rang. It was her divorcewyer, Jason. He said, ¡°I just got a call from Trevor. He said he¡¯ll prepare new divorce agreement by the end of today. Compared to the previous one, the main change is in the asset division¨Cbe intends to give you two to three additional properties, each worth a few hundred million.¡± Celeste¡¯s expression remained unchanged. So, this was how Trevor saw it? He didn¡¯t believe what she had just told him. Did he think she was still trying to cling to him? And because she refused his offer, he couldn feel at ease? She replied, ¡°Alright, I understand. I have no objections. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡± Meanwhile, not long after leaving the ski resort, Trevor went to pick up Wynn before heading to a restaurant, When they arrived, the private dining room was already packed. Besides the Lockets and the Shaws, there were also other guests seated around therge table. Seeing Trevor arrive with Wynn, Harvey and Mason immediately broke into smiles. Wynn took a seat beside Ruby. Trevor sat down and started conversing with Simon Radcliffe and Ronan Sinir regarding business. Ruby leaned close to Wynn and whispered, ¡°Wynn, your unde and I just heard that Trevor ns to give a Fleming Group project to the Rodriguez family!¡± Wynn replied, ¡°I already know about it.¡± The Scent of 236 Ruby anxiously said, ¡°I heard that in the few days since Martha got injured, Trevor and Celeste¨Ceven the other members of the Rodriguez family¨Chave been in frequent contact. ¡°Yesterday, someone even saw Trevor having a meal with the olddy from the Rodriguez family. Could they bel rekindling their past rtionship?¡± ¡°There was never a rtionship to rekindle,¡± Wynn replied calmly, though she disliked Ruby¡¯s choice of words. Seeing how worried Ruby was, Wynn patiently exined, ¡°Madam Daniels has a close rtionship with the Rodriguez family. Trevor needs to keep Celeste and the olddy on good terms, so they¡¯ll continue visiting Martha. ¡°That way, Martha won¡¯t use her surgery as leverage to forge Trevor to break up with me.¡± Ruby had never thought of this. Ever since Martha¡¯s fall, she had expelled both their families from the Fleming Group. For the past two days, both families had been worried that Martha would demand Trevor and Wynn break up as a condition for agreeing to the surgery. They had also been afraid that Trevor might give in. Now that Trevor and Wynn were still together, they had assumed he had persuaded Martha. But unexpectedly, he had resolved the issue by working through the Rodriguez family instead. Realizing this, Ruby finally felt at ease. She then asked, ¡°So, that project¨Cwas it Trevor¡¯s way of thanking the Rodriguez family?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Wynn replied. ¡°It¡¯s both a thank¨Cyou gift and a way to draw a clear boundary.¡± Hearing this, Ruby couldn¡¯t help but admire him. ¡°Trevor is truly thorough in everything he does. No wonder he manages all hispanies so well.¡± With things progressing favorably, Ruby should have been happy. But¡­ Something suddenly came to her mind, and before she could stay happy for even a minute, she frowned. ¡°Because of Celeste, the Rodriguez family has already secured a project from YodaVision. ¡°Their business has started showing signs of revival. If they also take on a project from Fleming Group, won¡¯t theirpany trulye back to life?¡± Hearing this, Wynn¡¯s expression turned cold. She said, ¡°They didn¡¯t take the project.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t?¡± Before Wynn could answer, Ruby figured it out on her own. So, they want Trevor to owe them a favor, giving Celeste an excuse to stay entangled with him? What a clever scheme!¡± With Trevor and Celeste about to finalize their divorce, Ruby would not allow anyplications to arise. She said, ¡°We can¡¯t fall into their trap-¡± But Wynn remainedposed. ¡°No need to worry. Trevor will handle it.¡± Hearing this, Ruby recalled everything that had happened so far. Not once had Trevor let them down. If he dared to offer the project, he had probably already anticipated that the Rodriguez family would try to take advantage of the situation. +25 BONUS Trevor was so shrewd he must have already nned a way to deal with it, right? Thinking this, Ruby finally feltpletely reassured. After a moment, as if something else hade to mind, she asked, ¡°By the way, have you visited Madam Daniels. in the past couple of days?¡± Wynn replied, ¡°No.¡± Ruby seemed a bit disappointed. Wynn exined, ¡°Her recovery must be smooth, without any .¡± Right now wasn¡¯t the right time for her to appear. Besides, although Trevor had managed to keep Celeste and the olddy from the Rodriguez family in check and sessfully convinced Martha to undergo surgery, her post¨Csurgery recovery would take time. For that, they would still need Celeste and her grandmother¡¯s presence. Wynn was not in a hurry. The Scent of 237 During lunch, Celeste bought movie tickets. After eating, they watched the movie and then went shopping for a while. While Jamie was trying on clothes and Hector was buying figurines, Celeste sald to Jordyn, ¡°I¡¯ll take you hometer.¡± ¡°Home?¡± Sitting beside her, Jordyn said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go home. I want to stay at Granny¡¯s for another night, I¡¯ll go back tomorrow evening.¡± Celeste took a sip of water and said, ¡°Jamie and Hector have spent the whole day with you. Tomorrow, they need to focus on their homework. If you stay at Granny¡¯s, you¡¯ll distract them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need them to y with me. I can y on my tablet by myself.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t say anything more, but she found a moment to send Trevor a message, asking him to have someone pick Jordyn upter. Trevor was probably busy, as he didn¡¯t reply for a long time After Jamie finished shopping, they walked around a bit more before heading back to the Rodriguez residence. Betty and Ivan were genuinely happy to see Jordyn. They truly adored her. Jordyn was quite sweet and charming- After dinner, she even apanied Betty on a walk, making her extremely happy. However, there was no reply from Trevor. That night, Jordyn ended up staying over at the Rodriguez residence. The next day, Jamie and Hector stayed in their rooms to do their homework as nned. And true to her word, Jordyn kept herself entertained downstairs and quietly sat beside Celeste without causing any disturbance. At that moment, Trevor sent Celeste a message saying he would send someone to pick Jordyn up soon. Celeste didn¡¯t reply. A few secondster, Jordyn¡¯s phone rang. She looked at Celeste and said, ¡°It¡¯s Dad calling.¡± Celeste responded with a simple hum. Whatever Trevor said on the other end, it made Jordyn put down her phone and tell Celeste, ¡°Mom, Dad says he¡¯s taking me out to y¡­¡± ¡°Mm, your dad told me. If you want to go, then go.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Half an hourter, the car Trevor sent arrived. Betty was reluctant to see Jordyn leave, as always. She prepared a bunch of food and snacks for her to take home. Watching the car drive away, Betty grumbled, ¡°I used to think he was quite generous, but now¡­ It¡¯s only been two days, and he¡¯s already in a hurry to take her back.¡± After saying that, she didn¡¯t wait for Celeste¡¯s response. Feeling reluctant and mncholic, she went back inside. Just then, Celeste¡¯s phone rang. It was Jason calling. He said, ¡°I just met with Trevor¡¯swyer. I¡¯ve received the new divorce agreement. The three additional properties are worth about one billion in total¨Cthere are no issues.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Got it.¡± Jason continued, ¡°Trevor¡¯swyer also mentioned that if you need money urgently, he can pay a portion of the assets into your ount in advance. What do you think?¡± Yesterday, Trevor had misunderstood her intentions. The two birthday gifts he gave Betty had already been auctioned off, and the money had already been credited. Ivan was not short on funds anymore. However, Celeste said, ¡°Go ahead with the advance.¡± Their divorce wasn¡¯t finalized yet¨Canything could still change. Since he was willing to give it to her, why shouldn¡¯t she take it? After all, if she didn¡¯t take it now, there was no guarantee it would still be thereter. Jason responded, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± The Scent of 238 After Jordyn left, Celeste went upstairs, turned on herputer, and got to work. About an hourter, Jason sent her some documents to review. Celeste opened them and looked through them. The first thing that caught her eye was the three newly added properties, with their specific locations clearly marked: She paused when she saw the details. All three properties were vacant units in the Rodriguez family¡¯s residential neighborhood, and they were rtively close to the Rodriguez residence. To be honest, although Trevor had previously helped her buy the house in front of the Rodriguez residence, that alone didn¡¯tpletely put her at ease. After all, Betty loved going out for walks. Even if the Shaw family no longer lived right across from her, as long as they were in the same neighborhood, they would inevitably run into each other. That had always worried her. But now¡­ Looking at this new agreement¨Cwas Trevor trying to eliminate her concerns once again? Even though he was likely just expressing his gratitude and ensuring she wouldn¡¯t overthink things, these three properties still felt like they were perfectly tailored to her needs. As for anything else, she neither dwelled on it nor cared. So, she moved on to the next document. It stated that Trevor would first transfer two billion dors to her as cash flow. Although she had already witnessed his wealth¨Cboth at the auction and when she learned he had bought homes for the Locket family¨Cseeing him casually move around billions of dors still surprised her. After confirming there were no issues, Celeste contacted Jason. Shortly after the agreement was signed, the money was credited to her ount. As for the properties, Trevor¡¯swyer said the ownership transfer was still being processed, and in a couple of days, the property deeds would be delivered to Celeste. By the time everything was settled, the morning had already passed. Since Martha had just undergone surgery, Betty was worried she might feel lonely, so she decided to visit her at the hospital in the afternoon. Celeste went along as well. Starting Monday, she would be fully immersed in work, and she likely wouldn¡¯t have time to visit Martha again for a while. When they arrived at the hospital, Celeste once again saw Wynn. She wasn¡¯t particrly concerned about Wynn and Trevor¡¯s rtionship. Thest time she saw Wynn standing outside the car waiting, she hadn¡¯t given it much thought. But today, the weather was cold and windy. Yet Wynn was still standing outside, making it obvious that she was doing it on purpose for Celeste to see. She was sending a message saying that she and Trevor were doing just fine. No matter what Celeste did, she would 2 Chunter 238 nevere between them. Celeste smiled but She nced at Betty. She wasn¡¯t sure how Betty felt about Wynn. Just then, Betty happened to lower her head and didn¡¯t notice Wynn Celeste didn¡¯t mention it either. She withdrew her gaze; linked arms with Betty, and walked toward the hospital entrance. Since Wynn was waiting downstairs, that meant Trevor must be inside. Sure enough, when Celeste and Betty entered the hospital room, Trevor was there. Seeing them, he greeted them. Celeste¡¯s expression remained indifferent. Martha, on the other hand, was delighted to see them. She held Betty¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I have to trouble my dear old friend to visit me again.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been friends for so many years¨Cwhy say such things?¡± Celeste and Betty sat down. They both noticed that Martha looked much better today, with more color in her face and a liveller spirit than before. Seeing this, they finally felt at ease. The Scent of 239 Chapter 239 Celeste and Betty stayed with Martha for about half an hour before Trevor said, ¡°I¡¯m stepping out for a bit.¡± During that time, Trevor had mostly remained a silent observer, barely speaking. Hearing this, Martha scoffed, ¡°Just go then.¡± Trevor left the hospital room. But once he was gone, he didn¡¯t return for over half an hour. Earlier, Samantha had been there, making sure the fruit, pastries, and tea were all well taken care of. After Samantha stepped away for a moment, Celeste noticed that Betty¡¯s tea had gone cold. So, she picked up the small teapot and went over to the table, intending to brew a fresh pot of tea. Seeing Celeste personally handling the tea, Martha suddenly thought of Trevor. She frowned and muttered, ¡°Trevor really is something¡­ I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s off doing, but he¡¯s been gone for so long.¡± When Trevor had said he was stepping out, Celeste didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. But hearing Martha¡¯sint, she suddenly recalled that Wynn was still downstairs. Trevor had most likely gone down to keep Wynnpany so she wouldn¡¯t get bored. Still, he had been gone for over half an hour¨Cthat was quite some dedication. 1 After brewing the tea, Celeste poured fresh cups for herself, Betty, and Martha. Just as she set down the teapot, the door swung open, and Trevor walked in. Martha looked at him and huffed, ¡°I thought you weren¡¯ting back.¡± Trevor only smiled without replying. Martha didn¡¯t press the matter and instead turned to Celeste with a warm smile. ¡°Cel still makes the best tea.¡± Trevor remained uninvolved in their conversation. However, when their teapot ran empty, he took note of Martha¡¯s request and came over to refill their cups. Another half hour passed, and the sky gradually darkened. Celeste and Betty decided it was time to leave. Martha instructed Trevor to have dinner with them. At this, Trevor seemed slightly hesitant. But before he could say anything, Celeste and Betty had already declined. ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble yourself. There¡¯s soup waiting for us at home¨Cwe¡¯ll just eat there.¡± They were telling the truth. But aside from that, they genuinely had no interest in having dinner with Trevor. Martha probably sensed this as well, so she didn¡¯t insist. Instead, she simply told Trevor to escort them downstairs. Trevor agreed and then turned back to Martha. ¡°I have some matters to take care of. I¡¯lle by again tomorrow.¡± ¡°Go, go. Come if you want to, I don¡¯t care.¡± Despite her words, ever since her fall, Trevor had been visiting the hospital quite frequently. In truth, she was already quite satisfied with his attitude. Her dissatisfactiony solely in his attitude toward Celeste. She could tell that he was still determined to go through with the divorce. Trevor apanied Celeste and Betty downstairs. Just as they stepped out of the elevator, they ran into Tucker, who was standing outside waiting for the next lift. He had a backpack slung over her shoulders. Upon seeing them, he immediately greeted them. ¡°Trev, Celeste, Madam Klein.¡± Celeste and Betty nodded in acknowledgment. Tucker then asked, ¡°Are you going to dinner?¡± Before Celeste could respond, Trevor cut in with a question of his own. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in ss yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to check on Grandma for a bit, then I¡¯ll head to ss.¡± ¡°Go on, then.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tucker stepped into the elevator, and Celeste and Betty exited the hospital. At the entrance, Celeste turned to Trevor and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to see us off.¡± Trevor didn¡¯t insist. ¡°Alright.¡± Chapter 240 The Scent of 240 Chapter 240 Celeste and Betty walked toward their car. Just as they were about to get in, Wynn stepped out of a nearby vehicle. ¡°Oh, so she hasn¡¯t left,¡± Betty said and nced at her before withdrawing her gaze. Celeste had thought Betty didn¡¯t notice Wynn earlier, but apparently, she had. As she watched Trevor walk over to Wynn, Betty seemed to remember how he had left the hospital room for over half an hour earlier. She remarked, ¡°Their rtionship seems to be quite good.¡± Celeste fastened Betty¡¯s seatbelt without responding. Just as she pressed the gas pedal and was about to drive away, she saw Tucker running out of the hospital. He had probably just spotted Wynn as he looked both surprised and excited as he quickly ran over to them. Celeste took one nce before withdrawing her gaze and driving off. ¡°Trev!¡± Tucker ran over, his eyes locked onto Wynn. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re really CC! I¨CI thought I was seeing things!¡± Wynn knew that Trevor had a younger brother in high school. But they had never met before. Seeing Tucker¡¯s reaction, she realized that this was Trevor¡¯s brother. Before she could say anything, Tucker excitedly continued, ¡®CC, hi! I¡¯m a huge fan of yours! I even went to watch/ your race in person not long ago. ¡°That moment when you overtook on the bend at three minutes and three seconds was insanely cool! I saved the video and watched it dozens of times¨CI never get tired of it¡ª¡± Before he could finish, he noticed Trevor raising an eyebrow at him. Although Trevor didn¡¯t actually interrupt, Tucker still stopped himself and suddenly realized something. ¡°Wait¡­ Trev, you¡­ You know my idol?¡± Trevor didn¡¯t answer but asked instead, ¡°Is that a problem? ¡°N¨CNo problem.¡± Tucker wasn¡¯t actually surprised. His elder brother was well¨Cconnected¨Cknowing Wynn wasn¡¯t all that unexpected. Trevor asked, ¡°Why are you back down so quickly?¡± Tucker smacked his forehead. ¡°Oh, right! I forgot something. It almost slipped my mind.¡± As he spoke, he nced at the time. ¡°What the¡­? Is it thiste already?¡± He ran toward another car while calling out, ¡°Trev, CC, I gotta go- 11 Halfway through, he suddenly remembered something and ran back, his face turning slightly red as he looked at Wynn expectantly. ¡°Um¡­ CC, can I add you on Instagram?¡± Before Wynn could respond, he quickly added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I swear I won¡¯t bother you!¡°¡® Wynn chuckled. ¡°Sure.¡± Hearing this, Tucker was overjoyed. He immediately pulled out his phone and added her. Since he was in a hurry, he was about to leave after thanking her. But then, another thought struck him, and he hurriedly turned back. ¡°Oh! Can¡­ Can you sign an autograph for me?¡± ¡°Of course, but you-¡± Before Wynn could finish, Trevor spoke up. ¡°Go take care of your things first. I¡¯ll bring your autograph back for youter.¡± Hearing this, Tucker was instantly relieved and grinned. ¡°Thanks, Trev!¡± With that, he happily ran off. Although Trevor rarely interfered in his life, Tucker had always thought his brother disapproved of his behavior. But to his surprise, Trevor had agreed so quickly. Maybe it was because CC was his friend and he thought she was good enough to be admired? Chapter 241 The Scent of 241 Chapter 241 Celeste had just driven away from the hospital when Betty suddenly recalled something. ¡°Trevor made it to the hospital, but what about Jo? Where did she go?¡± Before Celeste could speak, Betty¡¯s expression darkened right away. Celeste could tell from her expression that she was unhappy about Trevor leaving Jordyn behind while he and Wynn came to the hospital to see Martha. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll take good care of her,¡± Celeste said. However, Betty wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°If he keeps this up, Cel, take him to court. No matter what, you have to get custody of Jo!¡± Celeste paused for a brief moment before she spoke tly. ¡°Okay.¡± Betty remained displeased. She got out of the car as soon as they arrived at the Rodriguez residence. Just then, Celeste¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from Jordyn, but she didn¡¯t pick it up. Maybe it was because she hadn¡¯t spent much time with Jordyn these past few months and had been missing her calls, but over thest two days, she could clearly sense that Jordyn was more attached to her¨Cjust like back when it was the two of them. Her phone rang again. After a quick nce, she still chose not to answer it. She simply turned it off and went inside to join her family for dinner. But just as she had sat down, the family¡¯sndline phone rang. Celeste instantly knew who was on the other end. ¡°I¡¯ll answer it.¡± She stood up before everyone else could and went to the living room. As she had guessed, it was Jordyn on the other end. The moment she spoke, Jordyn¡¯s cheerful voice rang out. ¡°Mom!¡± Celeste hummed a soft reply and asked, ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jordyn sounded a little down. ¡°Are you at Granny¡¯s house, Mom? I want to go too. Will you have dinner with meter?¡± Betty nced over at Celeste as she asked, ¡°Is it Jo?¡± Sighing inwardly, Celeste answered, ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Does Jo want to see you?¡± Betty put down her utensils and walked over. ¡°If she wants toe, call Trevor and have someone send her over. We¡¯ll save some food for her. ¡°Alright.¡°. Then, she turned to the phone. ¡°Alright, you cane over now.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Just before ending the call, Celeste added, ¡°Make sure you tell your dad before youe.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± They all wanted to wait for Jordyn to arrive before they continued eating, but Celeste asked them to go on. Around an hourter, Jordyn arrived. She ran to Celeste the moment she stepped through the door. ¡°Mom! I¡¯m back!¡± Celeste adjusted Jordyn¡¯s outfit and said lightly, ¡°I¡¯ll heat the dishes for you.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Jordyn put away her backpack and tablet, following Celeste into the kitchen. Ivan and his wife had sent Jamie to school while Betty remained at home. Seeing Jordyn stick to Celeste like a shadow, Betty smiled warmly and let them enjoy their time together without interrupting. Celeste asked Jordyn to wait outside. Jordyn sat patiently at the dining table, waiting for Celeste to serve the warmed¨Cup food. She was usually a picky eater¨Cleftovers never tasted as good as a fresh meal. But today, she didn¡¯tin and enjoyed every bite. She chatted with Celeste between bites. ¡°Mom, I went out with Mr. Harper and Shanice today.¡± The Scent of 242 Chapter 242 Celeste murmured a reply. Jordyn paused, realizing that Celeste might not know who Shanice was, and quickly added, ¡°Shanice is my friend. ¨Cshe calls Mr. Harper her uncle.¡± Celeste responded softly, noticing how eager she was to share. ¡°What did you guys do?¡± ¡°We explored a maze!¡± Celeste listened without much reaction, but Betty¡¯s expression grew stern. When Trevor took Jordyn back, she thought he would be looking after Jordyn himself. It was only now that she realized Trevor wasn¡¯t taking care of Jordyn himself. Instead, he was focused on dating Wynn and would rather leave her with someone else than let Celeste care for her. Betty¡¯s face soured. Jordyn had no clue what Betty was thinking. Then, she added, ¡°Mr. Harper asked me to stay for dinner, but I want toe back, so I called you.¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°Did you thank him then?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes, I did!¡± Jordyn replied cheerfully. Celeste didn¡¯t ask any further. Since Jordyn had finished her homework, she stayed in the living room with Celeste and Betty after she finished her meal. Sitting beside Jordyn, Betty asked, ¡°Jo, do you want to stay here at Granny¡¯s for a longer time?¡°. Before Celeste could reply, Jordyn chimed in, ¡°I¡¯d love to!¡± ¡°Jo, you made a promise to me, so no take¨Cbacks! You have to stay for at least a week.¡® ¡°Awesome!¡± Celeste, however, furrowed her brows. Pleased, Betty patted Jordyn¡¯s hand affectionately. ¡± While Jordyn was engrossed in her game, Betty said to Celeste, ¡°There¡¯s a difference when you¡¯ve raised a child yourself. You see, Jo is still very attached to you.¡± Upon hearing that, Celeste just smiled. Jordyn scooted closer, asking Celeste to y with her. Celeste stared at her and asked, ¡°Are you sure you want to stay here?¡± She had a feeling that while Jordyn agreed without hesitation now, she might change her mind in a few days and want to go back to Trevor and Wynn. Jordyn didn¡¯t catch on to what Celeste was implying right away. It only dawned on her two secondster. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve promised Granny!¡± she replied. Hence, Celeste remained silent. Jordyn¡¯s eyes lit up as she recalled something. ¡°Oh! I forgot to tell Dad. I¡¯ll give him a call now.¡± Trevor picked up the call almost immediately. When he heard what Jordyn had said, he simply responded, ¡®Got it. If you need anything, just give me a call, and I¡¯ll have it sent over.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Secondster, Jordyn hung up the call. Betty had initially feared that Trevor wouldn¡¯t allow Jordyn to stay. For a moment, she wanted to prevent Jordyn from making the call, but she knew she couldn¡¯t. Noticing Jordyn¡¯s bright mood after the call, she asked, ¡°So, he said yes?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Jordyn replied cheerfully. As her words fell, she asked in confusion again, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he?¡± Jordyn then turned to Betty and muttered, ¡°Dad is super nice to me. He usually says yes to whatever I want.¡± Betty was at a loss for words all of a sudden. Celeste didn¡¯t interrupt their conversation either. When it was about time, she led Jordyn upstairs to take a bath. X The Scent of 243 Chapter 243 Even though YodaVision had sealed the deal with Jorge and Beck, certain aspects of the business stillcked suitable partners. To elerate the search for the right partners, enhance thepany¡¯s exposure, and push for growth, YodaVision had been organizing an investment conference, which officially took ce on Monday morning. After dropping Jordyn off at school in the morning, Celeste headed to the hotel for the conference. By the time she got there, Matthias and the others were already present. Celeste was set to take the stage shortly as thepany¡¯s core engineer to deliver a speech and answer the media¡¯s questions. Hence, she was going over the agenda backstage with Matthias. Just then, Beck arrived. He had only been seated for a moment when Jorge also showed up. About 20 minutester, Matthias and Celeste went upstage to give their speeches. Jorge appeared engaged during Matthias¡¯s speech, yet when Celeste stepped forward, a frown crept onto his face. Was Matthias really handing over such an important segment¨Cintroducing the product and technology¨Cto Celeste? Celeste didn¡¯t spare Jorge a nce. Whether it was presenting thepany¡¯s products or tackling technical questions from the media, her voice remained gentle andposed. She answered everything wlessly, showing no signs of nervousness. The moment Celeste began speaking, Jorge¡¯s mind drifted elsewhere, and he had no interest in listening to her speech. As she responded to the media¡¯s product¨Crted questions, he figured YodaVision must have fed her the answers beforehand. His mind wandered, but when he nced sideways, he saw Beck¡¯s eyes locked on Celeste. Unlike him, Beck seemed fully engaged, listening with keen interest. He didn¡¯t give it much thought, assuming that it was just Beck¡¯s usual disy of professionalism. After the conference wrapped up, Celeste and Matthias¡® schedules became even more hectic. Since Jorge had to visit InnovaTechter in the day, he kept his stay brief. He greeted Matthias before he left. He got to InnovaTech before Trevor. Hence, he made his way to where Wynn and her team worked. As he approached the entrance, he could tell the ce was buzzing with activity. Albert greeted him right away when he saw him. ¡°Nice seeing you here, Mr. Robinson.¡± Jorge acknowledged him with a nod. Wynn nced over and added, ¡°Trevor should be here in about ten minutes. Please wait for a moment.¡± From the way Wynn spoke, Jorge could tell her bond with Trevor was strong; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t update her on everything. ¡°I know; his secretary has informed me about it,¡± he said. With that, he shifted the topic. ¡°It¡¯s quite lively here today. Is there something worth celebrating?¡± Albert immediately responded, ¡°We¡¯d been struggling with a major technical hurdle for over a week, but Ms. Locket just solved itpletely. Now, we can finally move forward, so everyone¡¯s in high spirits.¡± Someone chimed in, ¡°We really owe it to Ms. Locket this time. A PhD holder from a top¨Ctier university makes all the difference¨Cthey have such vast technical expertisepared to us.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Jorge had always known Wynn was talented, but now he had seen it for himself. Hearing everyone¡¯s praise for Wynn, he felt genuinely happy for her. ¡°Congrattions.¡± Wynn replied with a smile, ¡°Thank you.¡± In the next instant, she added, ¡°I can¡¯t take all the credit, though. Trevor has taught me a lot recently, and that¡¯s what helped me improve so quickly.¡± And Wynn wasn¡¯t lying when she said that. The Scent of 244 Chapter 244 However, everyone thought she was just being humble. After a brief moment of celebration, the team settled back into work. Wynn knew YodaVision had a press conference this morning. She was just too busy to look it up online. Then, she grabbed her phone and searched for news about the conference. ¡°Did you attend the press conference this morning as well, Mr. Robinson?¡± she asked Jorge. ¡°Yeah.¡± She was watching the video seriously, and the screen happened to be disying Celeste¡¯s presentation on YodaVision¡¯s products and technology. He observed Wynn¡¯s expression and noticed that she lookedposed, without any hint of displeasure or irritation toward Celeste. Remembering Celeste¡¯s hostility toward Wynn on Christmas andparing it to Wynn¡¯s demeanor now, he was even more convinced that Celeste couldn¡¯t match Wynn¡¯s level ofposure. Just as he was about to speak, Albert leaned over andmented, ¡°I watched parts of YodaVision¡¯s press conference, and I have to say, their tech is pretty impressive.¡± Wynn responded, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Jorge wasn¡¯t well¨Cversed in technology, but he was aware that YodaVision¡¯s capabilities were top¨Ctier. As she yed the video of Matthias¡¯s speech, Jorge remarked, ¡°Well, with Ms. Locket on board, InnovaTech has every opportunity to develop even more cutting¨Cedge technology in the future.¡± Wynn simply smiled. ¡°You tter me, Mr. Robinson. I still have a long way to gopared to Mr. Yoder.¡± Jorge thought she was being humble by saying that. Hence, he added, ¡°You don¡¯t have to downy yourself, Ms. Locket.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s true,¡± Wynn interrupted. ¡°It has always been my dream to learn from Mr. Newman. I had the chance to meet him recently, but I wasn¡¯t qualified enough to be his student.¡± Her words were candid. Upon hearing that, Jorge was further convinced of her integrity and ambition. He now understood that Wynn paid attention to Matthias not just because of his talent in the AI industry but also because he had been mentored by Zachary. Jorge said, ¡°If you¡¯re not there yet, just keep pushing forward. With your abilities, I have no doubt you¡¯ll reach your goal someday.¡± Wynn smiled at him. Before she could speak, Trevor walked in. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Robinson.¡± Jorge stood up. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Mr. Fleming. I arrived early.¡± After a bit of small talk, Trevor shed Wynn a smile and then went upstairs with Jorge to get down to business. Wynn watched as they left. When she was about to start working, her phone rang. It was a call from Harvey. Of course, Harvey and the others had tuned in to YodaVision¡¯s press conference. It made a huge impact in the industry, after all. The idea that YodaVision¡¯s ventures might generate an enormous fortune made him feel the pressure. The Lockets had their own techpany, but without key technology, their products struggled topete, leading to years of financial losses. Losing money would be eptable if there was real progress, but after all these years, their techpany had gone nowhere. Every extra day meant burning more cash¨Chow could Harvey not be on edge? Hence, he reached out to Wynn, hoping she might have a solution. He knew Trevor had been guiding her. Also, he wondered if Wynn had finally reached a level that would impress Zachary. The Scent of 245 Chapter 245 After hanging up, Harvey set down his phone. As he watched the YodaVision press conference ying on the huge screen, he pressed his fingers against his temple, feeling the weight of his concerns. Linda lounged as she enjoyed the fruit. However, watching Celestemand the stage with such ease at a major event unsettled her. With a scowl, she turned off the TV. ¡°Why does she get to be the one up there? She¡¯s stealing all the attention.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point,¡± Lilian said. As far as she was concerned, Celeste was just benefiting from Matthias¡® influence. A speech at the press conference? So what? That was nothing but a superficial moment in the spotlight. What truly mattered was YodaVision¡¯s technology. That was the real prize. Harvey caught on to Lilian¡¯s meaning. Sure, Celeste spoke well at the event, but when it came to YodaVision¡¯s technology, he, Wynn, and Lilian all believed that Matthias had fed her the information beforehand. There was no way she genuinely understood it all. Ruby disagreed. ¡°Well, like it or not, she¡¯s secured with Matthias¡® support.¡± No matter what, Celeste had made a ssh today, and in the process, she¡¯d even brought some benefit to the Rodriguez family. That alone, in Ruby¡¯s eyes, proved she had some real skill. Linda, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t concerned about all that. She noticed Beck was watching Celeste closely in his seat. And she had never seen Beck¡¯s eyes linger on her like that. If she had been the one on stage, she was sure it would have been her holding his attention. By the time Celeste and Matthias stepped out of the hotel, the clock was nearing 10:00 pm. After a full day of work, Celeste¡¯s head was pounding with exhaustion. After leaving the hotel, she instinctively drove back to her usual residence area. It wasn¡¯t until she parked the car that she realized her habit had taken over. It waste, and she had no ns to head back to the Rodriguez residence. As she stepped out of the car, she scrolled through her phone and noticed several missed calls¨Cboth from her 4 family members and Jordyn. Beside the calls, Jordyn had also sent her a message around 8:00 pm, asking when she would be back. Celeste cast it a nce before putting her phone away. After arriving home, she washed up and went straight to bed. The next day, she had only been awake for a moment when fordyn¡¯s name shed on her screen. Celeste didn¡¯t want to answer it. The moment her phone stopped ringing, the Rodriguez resilence¡¯s house phone called next. Celeste had no choice but to answer it. ¡°Granny.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t youe backst night, Cel?¡± ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t. I was too busy yesterday.¡± Hearing that, Betty didn¡¯t press further and simply passed the phone to Jordyn. ¡°Mom!¡± Celeste murmured a short reply. Jordyn hadn¡¯t expected that Celeste wouldn¡¯te home to the Rodriguez residence every night. She had called Celestest night, but there was no response This morning she woke up and still didn¡¯t see her, which left her a little down. ¡°When will you be back, Mom?¡± Jordyn asked. ¡°Tonight¡­ probably.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Celeste suddenly remembered something and added, ¡°Call your dad and ask him to send a driver to take you to school. I¡¯m busy today.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Jordyn answered. ¡°Mom, where are you staying now? Can Ie see you after school?¡± ¡°No.¡± Celeste rejected it immediately. Then, she continued, ¡°I¡¯ll still be working when you¡¯re done with school. Stay with Granny, and if you get bored, ask your dad to take you out for dinner.¡± Chapter 246 ¡°Okay.¡± The Scent of 246 Chapter 246 ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hang up now. I have to workter,¡± Celeste added. ¡°Alright, bye, Mom!¡± Celeste then ended the call. After having breakfast, she went to the office. Yesterday had been hectic, and today was just as demanding But in the afternoon, she managed to leave a little early and went back to the Rodriguez residence to have lunch with Betty. When she arrived, she noticed that Betty seemed a little down. She nced around the living room, and Jordyn was nowhere to be seen. Jordyn was probably out having dinner with Trevor. Celeste wasn¡¯t fazed, but Betty noticed how attached Jordyn was to Trevor. With a serious tone, she said, ¡°Cel, when work isn¡¯t as hectic, you really need to spend more time with Jo. Otherwise¡­¡± Celeste nodded absentmindedly. ¡°I know. I will. Let¡¯s eat first.¡± Betty sighed, letting the conversation end there. After dinner, Celeste chatted for a bit with Betty before she went upstairs to rest. At around 9:00 pm, she went downstairs, only to see the inte from the security booth buzz, notifying them of a visitor. Celeste nced over and saw it was Trevor¡¯s car. She frowned. Before she could react, her phone rang. It was a call from Jordyn. Betty hadn¡¯t gone to bed yet. Stepping out of her room and taking in the scene, she quickly grasped that Trevor- had just brought Jordyn back. Hence, she quickly instructed the security to let Trevor in. Celeste answered her phone. After a few words with Jordyn, she hung up. Momentster, Trevor¡¯s car rolled to a stop at the entrance of the Rodriguez residence. Jordyn hopped out of the car happily. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back!¡± C¨¦leste wore a faint smile. Betty was very happy when she saw Jordyn. The car door was still ajar, and Trevor remained seated inside. Stepping out, he grabbed Jordyn¡¯s forgotten backpack along with a cake box and headed toward Celeste and Jordyn. Celeste remained silent. It was only then that Jordyn realized she had left her things behind. ¡°Thank you, Dad!¡± Trevor hummed a reply, staring at Celeste and Betty. He greeted Betty, ¡°Madam Klein, good evening.¡± Betty nodded nonchntly as a reply. With no other option, Celeste took the cake box from Trevor¡¯s hand. Jordyn was about to tell Celeste how good the cake tasted, but before she could finish, Celeste cut her off and said, ¡°Jo, say goodbye to your dad.¡± Jordyn didn¡¯t dwell on it further. ¡°Is Dad leaving already?¡± Trevor answered with a smile, ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Alright. Goodbye, Dad!¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± As his words fell, he gave Betty a slight nod before turning and heading back to his car. Celeste, holding both the cake and Jordyn¡¯s hand, led Jordyn inside without a second nce at Trevor. Momentster, Trevor¡¯s car pulled away. As soon as she stepped into the house, Jordyn remarked happily, ¡°Mom, Granny, this is the cake Dad and I bought for you. It¡¯s your favorite vor¨Cstrawberry! Go ahead and give it a try.¡± A subtle hint of Wynn¡¯s perfume clung to Jordyn. Celeste set the cake aside and said, ¡°I just ate, so I¡¯m not really hungry. Let¡¯s save it forter.¡± Betty nodded in agreement. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Jordyn mumbled. The Scent of 247 Chapter 247 Celeste ced the cake box into the fridge. Just as Jordyn finished her bath, her phone rang. It was Trevor who called. She answered the call. ¡°Dad?¡± ¡°I just received a message from your grandpa, and he¡¯sing back in the afternoon tomorrow. I¡¯ll send someone to pick you up after school, and we¡¯ll have dinner at home. Go tell your mom about this.¡± Trevor¡¯s father, Lincoln Fleming, worked for the government. He was usually busy working, and he seldom had time to visit his family. The night Martha took a fall, Lincoln rushed back at dawn but left again before the sun even rose. Now, with her still in the hospital, Lincoln arranged for two days off so he could return and spend New Year¡¯s Day with her. Upon hearing what Trevor had just said, Jordyn replied, ¡°Okay, got it.¡± After speaking, she suddenly remembered that Trevor had said ¡°pick you up¡± on the phone¨Cnot ¡°pick you both up¡°. That meant Celeste wasn¡¯t part of the n. Hence, she turned to Celeste and asked, ¡°Are you not joining us, Mom?¡± In the past, whenever Lincoln came home, Martha would always insist that Celeste and Jordyn join the gathering at the Fleming Manor¨Cwhether or not Trevor was present. Since it had be a routine, even at her young age, Jordyn instinctively linked her grandfather¡¯s return with having dinner at the Fleming Manor. Just as Celeste was about to answer, Trevor interrupted, ¡°Your mom is busy tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± Jordyn had the call on speakerphone, so Celeste heard everything. This was the first time she learned that Lincoln had returned. She and Trevor were already in the middle of divorce proceedings. At this point, there was no reason for her to go back and see his family. Trevor was clearly on the same page. Thus, before she even had a chance to say anything, he had already offered a justification for her absence. Without another word, Trevor ended the call. The next afternoon, Beck and hispany¡¯s core engineers came to YodaVision for a business meeting. Lately, he had been extremely cooperative, sparing Celeste a great deal of trouble. As a result, she treated him with more courtesy than before As soon as he arrived, she set aside her tasks to greet him personally. Beck¡¯s phone rang about an hourter. It was Trevor who had called. Beck excused himself and went outside to answer the call. He fell silent for two seconds after Trevor spoke, then answered simply, ¡°Okay.¡± Before the words had fully settled, Trevor suddenly added, ¡°My father¡¯s back and will be home for dinner tonight. I¡¯ll have to rely on you for this.¡± ¡°Mr. Fleming is back?¡± After a quick pause, Beck asked again, ¡°How long will he be staying this time?¡± ¡°A few days, I think.¡± Hanging up the call, Beck went back to the meeting room. He studied Celeste with a thoughtful expression. She was focused on her conversation with his engineers and didn¡¯t notice his gaze. As their discussion wrapped up and she stood to see them out, Beck asked, ¡°Workingte again tonight?¡± ¡°Yeah, there are still a few things to take care of,¡± Celeste answered without giving it much thought. Beck¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. So, she wasn¡¯t going back to the Fleming Manor with Trevor tonight. Something shifted inside him. ¡°Are you freeter? Let¡¯s have dinner together.¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°No, I have too much work. I can¡¯t leave.¡± Hearing that, Beck almost suggested ordering food for her instead. The Scent of 248 Technically, she was still married. And with where things stood between them, saying something like that would be inappropriate. After seeing Beck off, Celeste quickly headed back upstairs, He watched her go, lingering for a moment before turning to James Ford, one of hispany¡¯s core engineers, and said, ¡°I need your help with something.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± James replied. ¡°A friend of mine is looking to study naturalnguage processing in depth but needs an elite mentor¡­¡± James listened and, given their rapport, agreed without question. However, he paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°I may have some expertise in this field, but to be honest, I don¡¯t think I measure up to Mr. Yoder from YodaVision or Ms. Rodriguez, who has been handling our coboration discussions. So, if you¡¯re looking for the best guidance, Ms. Rodriguez or Mr. Yoder might be better choices.¡± Beck was a little surprised when he heard what James had said. His background was in finance, and AI wasn¡¯t his domain. Yet James was an expert. When it came to NLP¨Cnaturalnguage processing, James was one of the most respected names in the country¡ª if not the absolute best, then certainly among the top. If not, Trevor wouldn¡¯t have chosen to bypass InnovaTech and Fleming Tech¡¯s own specialists to ask for his help. James had praised Celeste plenty of times before, but even Beck hadn¡¯t realized just how capable she truly was. Matthias had never held back in praising Celeste, constantly speaking of her talents in front of the others. He had assumed that, while Celeste was indeed skilled, Matthias¡® admiration was tinted with personal motives and some exaggeration. But now¡­ ¡°Mr. Harper?¡± Beck snapped back to his senses. ¡°Both Mr. Yoder and Ms. Rodriguez have had past conflicts with that friend of mine. It¡¯s not the best option.¡± ¡°I see.¡± James ended the conversation at that. When Beck and James arrived at the private lounge that night, Wynn was already there. Wynn was all politeness when she saw James. After exchanging pleasantries, she quickly steered the conversation toward technical topics. Meanwhile, Beck remained mostly silent, appearing distracted as he listened. Having chatted with James for a while, Wynn turned to Beck. ¡°It¡¯s a bit boring, right?¡± Beck pulled himself out of his distraction and answered, ¡°I¡¯m fine. You two carry on; don¡¯t mind me.¡± Wynn smiled and took him at his word, continuing her discussion with James. She was genuinely eager to improve, so she took it seriously. Her enthusiasm,bined with her humble attitude, made James more than happy to help. After evaluating her level of understanding, he guided her on how to structure her studies and gave her an overview of the field¡¯s current advancements. The discussion carried on pleasantly over dinner. Well, of course, they only scratched the surface today. Wynn was looking for a much deeper dive. Tomorrow was New Year¡¯s Day, and she sincerely asked James to mentor her. Out of respect for Beck, James agreed to clear half a day from his schedule to meet with her. Hence, Wynn thanked him profusely. After dinner, they sent James off. Then, Wynn cast an eye on Beck, who had been mostly silent all along. ¡°Thank you for today, Beck,¡± she said. He answered tly, ¡°Trevor and I grew up together¨Cthis is nothing.¡± Before she could reply, he added, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Head home and get some rest.¡± ¡°Alright. See you tomorrow.¡± At this, Beck muttered, ¡°I¡¯ve got ns tomorrow, so count me out.¡± The Scent of 249 Wynn was stunned for a moment. After processing his words, she responded kindly, ¡°No worries. Your ns shoulde first.¡± Beck nodded. Once Wynn drove off, he got into his own car. But instead of starting the engine, he reached for his phone found Celeste¡¯s number, and, after a brief pause, dialed. Celeste was still at the office. Seeing his name on the screen, she answered the call casually, ¡°Mr. Harper?¡± Beck had words at the tip of his tongue, but the noise in the background made him stop short. Instead, he asked, ¡± Still working at this hour?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Considering the time, Celeste assumed this wasn¡¯t a work matter. ¡°I¡¯m free tomorrow. What does Shanice have in mind?¡± Silence. Noticing his silence, Celeste prompted, ¡°Mr. Harper?¡± Beck knew how busy she had been this week. It was already past nine, and she was still working. He didn¡¯t even need to ask¨Cshe had to be drained. Her own daughter had returned to the Fleming Manor, and she wouldn¡¯t get to see her tomorrow. Yet, despite that, he was still asking her to spend time with someone else¡¯s child. It seemed a little too unfair for her. Hence, he said, ¡°If you¡¯re tired, let¡¯s push it to next time.¡± Celeste, however, wasn¡¯t feeling particrly exhausted. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Tomorrow works.¡± Beck hesitated for a couple of seconds before responding, ¡°Alright then.¡± Meanwhile¡­ As the Flemings exited the restaurant after dinner, they bumped into the Robinsons. Theodore, being well¨Cacquainted with Lincoln, greeted him warmly. Jorge and Trevor exchanged greetings as well. Jordyn, who was holding Trevor¡¯s hand, looked up and greeted, ¡°Mr. Robinson, hi!¡± Jorge nodded. ¡°Hello there.¡± The moment Jorge spotted the Flemings, his gaze swept over the group. He realized he recognized everyone. However, he hadn¡¯t seen any unfamiliar woman who might be Jordyn¡¯s mother. So, had Trevor really ended his marriage? After some small talk with the Robinsons, the Flemings got into their car and drove to the hospital to see Martha. That night, Lincoln stayed behind to apany Martha. Trever and the others, on the other hand, went back to the Fleming Manor. Just as they had arrived, Tucker turned to Trevor and asked, ¡°Trev, you didn¡¯t forget my idol¡¯s autograph, did you? Trevor tossed him the car keys. ¡°It¡¯s in the car. Go get it yourself.¡± Thank you, Trev!¡± Tucker excitedly caught the keys. Upon seeing this, Queenie asked, ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡± Tucker froze momentarily. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Trevor replied. Letting out a breath of relief, Tucker bolted outside to get Wynn¡¯s autograph. Queenie shrugged and didn¡¯t press further. Momentster, Tucker came back with a few notebooks in his hand. Although it did have ¡°CC¡± on it, it wasn¡¯t the kind of autograph he wanted. He blurted out, ¡°Trev, I wanted a signed poster¨Cthe kind you can hang on the wall and admire every day.¡± Trevor replied tly, ¡°You¡¯re not the right fit for that.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± It wasn¡¯t like he was going to do anything weird. He just wanted to put it on his wall and nce at it whenever he felt like it. Trevor looked at him with a smile but said nothing. From that expression alone, Tucker knew the answer was a definite no. Hence, he didn¡¯t push further. But still, he had his idol¡¯s autograph, and that was enough to make him happy. ` Feeling satisfied, he quickly sent Wynn a message to say thanks. Some timeter, Jordyn went up to Trevor with a tablet in her hand. ¡°Dad, there¡¯s a new animated movieing out tomorrow! The trailer looks amazing. Can we go watch it together?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be busy tomorrow, though,¡± Trevor said. Now that Lincoln was back, Fleming Manor would probably be filled with guests tomorrow. Chapt 249 Then, he added, ¡°Try asking your ¡°Oh¡­¡± She had been seeing Celeste more frequentlytely, so she wasn¡¯t as attached as before. ¡°What about Wynn? Can I¡­¡± ¡°She has a lesson with someone tomorrow. Don¡¯t disturb her,¡± Trevor responded. Pouting, Jordyn muttered, ¡°Okay. I guess I¡¯ll ask Mom then.¡± With that, Jordyn pulled out her phone and gave Celeste a call. Celeste had just arrived home not long ago. She saw the caller¡¯s name, but she didn¡¯t answer the call. Putting her phone away, she went to take a bath. When Celeste didn¡¯t answer, Jordyn figured she was probably swamped with work. ¡°Mom is busy too¡­¡± Trevor cast an eye on Tucker, who was sitting nearby. ¡°Let your uncle take you then.¡± Tucker was at a loss for words after processing what had just happened. He was supposed to go out with his friends! But remembering how Trevor had just gotten him his idol¡¯s autograph and how his idol had been extra nice to him, he felt pretty good about it. Thus, he agreed right away. The Scent of 250 Chapter 250 The next day, just before noon, Celeste went out. It had been a long while since she had met Shanice, and Shanice missed her a lot. Celeste stepped into the restaurant and made her way to the private lounge. The moment Shanice spotted her, she ran over. ¡°Ms. Celeste!¡± Smiling, Celeste gave her a hug. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Shanice. It was Celeste¡¯s first time dining at that restaurant. As she sampled the food, she found every dish surprisingly good¨Cexactly to her taste. After lunch, they went straight to the cinema to pick up the tickets that Beck had booked for the early afternoon. Before heading to the theatre, Shanice asked for popcorn. Beck, about to buy it, asked, ¡°Large or small?¡± ¡°Large! I¡¯ll share it with you and Ms. Celeste.¡± Beck replied with a smile. ¡°Alright.¡± Inside, Shanice sat in the middle. Settling in, she ced the popcorn bucket on herp, took a piece, and munched on it before nudging Celeste to have some too. Celeste obliged, reaching for a piece and eating it. Then, Shanice turned to Beck, urging him to have some popcorn as well. Beck chose a newly released animated movie, thinking to pick something Shanice would enjoy. Despite being a kids¡® movie, the story was engaging and filled with humorous and heartwarming moments. Even Celeste found herself absorbed in it. The three of them sat together, enjoying popcorn as they watched the movie. At some point, as Celeste reached for another piece of popcorn, Beck reached in at the same time. His hand brushed against hers, his fingers unconsciously closing over hers. Celeste stilled. Beck, too, froze for a moment. However, to Celeste, it was just a fleeting touch¨Cnothing worth overthinking. As the thought crossed her mind, Beck retracted his hand and murmured, ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Shanice,pletely immersed in the movie, remained oblivious to their brief interaction. Seeing that only a few pieces of popcorn were left in Shanice¡¯s bucket, Celeste let it be. Beck noticed it, but he thought she was intentionally keeping her distance. He lowered his gaze and chose not to take any more popcorn either. A little whileter, Shanice drank too much soda and needed a trip to the restroom. Hence, Celeste got up to take her. There were some things Beck help with, after all. ¡°Appreciate it,¡± he said. ¡°No problem.¡± As Celeste and Shanice stepped out of the restroom, a young boy walked out from the men¡¯s side. He saw Celeste and Shani They soon disappeared into the crowd and headed back to the theatre to continue the movie. They soon disappeared into the crowd and he ¡°Mom.¡± Just then, the young boy walked to Teagan. ¡°I¡¯m done, Mom. Let¡¯s go.¡± Teagan hummed a reply. The young boy was none other than Teagan¡¯s son, Maurice. He didn¡¯t like Celeste, so he pretended not to see her when they passed by. Teagan, however, was on a call just now. Hence, she didn¡¯t notice Celeste either. After a while, feeling a little bored, Maurice finally brought up Celeste. ¡°Mom, I saw Aunt Celeste just now.¡± Teagan barely reacted. ¡°Oh, did you?¡± ¡°Yeah, she had a kid with her, but it wasn¡¯t Jo.¡± Teagan still didn¡¯t seem interested. ¡°Oh, really?¡± Her reaction showed that she didn¡¯t really care much about Celeste. When her son mentioned it, she assumed it was just a kid from the Rodriguez family¡¯s side.and didn¡¯t think much of it. They left the cinema and went to the Fleming Manor. As they arrived, Lincoln was already there, hosting the guests with Trevor. Maurice, still intimidated by Trevor, greeted them politely Jordyn was ying with a puzzle. After greeting the elders, Teagan asked Maurice to go join Jordyn. X The Scent of 251 Chapter 251: Maurice walked over to Jordyn. ¡°Ja.¡± +28 BONUS! Jordyn nodded. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Maurice sat down and started working on the puzzle with her while saying, ¡°I went to the movies with my mom just now. I saw your mom there too.¡± Jordyn had been concentrating on her puzzle, but when sheard this, she immediately looked up. ¡°You saw my mom? Where?¡± ¡°At the cinema ¡± Jordyn pursed her lips. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! My mom is super busy right now. She doesn¡¯t have time to go to the movies. You must have mistaken her for someone else. Maurice frowned, unhappy. ¡°I didn¡¯t. That was definitely your mom.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± Jordyn refused to believe him. Justst night and this morning, she had called her mom, and her mom didn¡¯t even have time to answer. How could she have time to go to the movies? ¡°I¡¯m not lying,¡± Maurice insisted. Feeling doubted, he described what he saw in detail, ¡°And your mom wasn¡¯t alone. She was with another kid¨Cabout your height, super cute!¡± Up until now, Jordyn hadn¡¯t taken Maurice¡¯s words too seriously. But as soon as she heard this, she exploded. She grabbed a handful of puzzle pieces, jumped up, and threw them forcefully at Maurice. ¡°Impossible! I dare you to say that again!¡± Maurice had been telling the truth. He had no idea why Jordyn wouldn¡¯t believe him and was even getting mad at him. He had been a spoiled kid too and wasn¡¯t one to back down easily. Furious, he grabbed a handful of puzzle pieces and threw them back at her. ¡°I¡¯m not lying!¡± ¡°You ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Their argument was so loud that even the guests in the living room could hear them. Queenie immediately walked over. Maurice, feeling wronged, had tears welling up in his eyes I was just saying- ¡°Hmph!¡± Jordyn¡¯s eyes were also red, her lips trembling. Without waiting for Maurice to exin, she turned and ran toward the living room. ¡°Dad!¡± Seeing her, Trevor had no choice but to catch her as she threw herself into his arms. After giving a brief word of apology to the guests, he carried Jordyn out of the living room. Once they were a little #28 BONUS farther away, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jordyn was about to repeat what her cousin said, but before he could, the thought of her mom spending time. with someone else someone cuter than her¨Cmade her es well up with tears. Meanwhile, Queenie and Teagan had already gotten the fullstory from Maurice. Queenie asked Teagan whether she had seen Celeste at the inerna, but Teagan admitted she didn¡¯t notice and wasn¡¯t sure if what Maurice said was true. After thinking for a moment, Queenie said, ¡°I believe Maurice wasn¡¯t lying. It¡¯s very possible that you really did see your cousin¡¯s mom. ¡°But it¡¯s also possible that you just saw someone who look like her¨CIt might not have actually been your Aunt Celeste.¡± Yesterday, after Lincoln returned, he had noticed that Trever had taken Jordyn to visit Martha at the hospital, but Celeste hadn¡¯te. Curious, he had asked about her. Because Jordyn had been there, Trevor had only said that Celeste was busy and couldn¡¯t make it. Other than Martha, no one in the Fleming family knew that Trevor and Celeste were getting divorced. Over the years, the family had seen how much Celeste cared about Trevor, So, when Trevor said she was too busy, everyone had assured something urgent had happened with the Rodriguez family, preventing her froming home. Now, hearing Maurice¡¯s story, both Queenie and Teagan believed he might have been mistaken. After all, as far as they knew, there were no young children in the Rodriguez family close to Jordyn¡¯s age. And if Celeste really had the time, it didn¡¯t make sense for her to go to a movie Instead ofing back to see the family. It just wasn¡¯t logical. The Scent of 252 Chapter 252 Maurice couldn¡¯t stand being used of lying. As soon as Queenieforted him, his mood improved siificantly. Hearing this, Jordyn also stopped crying. ¡°That¡¯s right. Maurice probably just mistook someone else for mom. That person wasn¡¯t her mom at all.¡± With that thought, she felt much better. But then, she suddenly remembered that Celeste had praise Sylvia for being cute before. And they seemed quite familiar with each other. Jordyn didn¡¯t even bother wiping her tears before reaching into Trevor¡¯s pocket. ¡°Dad, give me your phone.¡± Trevor had already guessed what had happened from Queenie¡¯s words. So, he wiped her tears with his thumb before handing his phone to her. Jordyn quickly entered Celeste¡¯s number and dialed. At that moment, Celeste had just finished watching a movie and was ying games at the arcade next to the cinema. Seeing Trevor¡¯s call, she didn¡¯t hesitate to reject it. 5275 Jordyn¡¯s eyes were still red. ¡°Mom didn¡¯t pick up.¡± ¡°She¡¯s probably busy,¡± Trevor said. ¡°Let¡¯s not disturb her. How about I take you out for dinner tonight?¡± Trevor saying that Celeste was busy made Jordyn feel even more certain that Maurice had mistaken someone else for her mom. She rxed. ¡°Can Wynne too?¡± led. ¡°Sure,¡± Trevor smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± Feeling much better, Jordyn got out of his arms and was about to return to her puzzle. But she was still a little uneasy. She called Donna and asked to speak to Sylvia. Donna was surprised. From her impression, Jordyn didn¡¯t like Sylvia very much. She didn¡¯t bully her, but¡­ Unable to resist Jordyn¡¯s pleading, Donna contacted Tilda first. After confirming both Sylvia and her mom were okay with it, she gave Jordyn Tilda¡¯s contact information. Jordyn immediately made a video call. Sylvia picked up quickly, looking pleasantly surprised. ¡°Jordyn? Ms. Alper said you were looking for me? Do you want to y with me?¡± Even though it seemed like Jordyn didn¡¯t like her much, Sylvia had always liked her. She thought Jordyn was bold, confident, and cool. ¡°Mm.¡± Jordyn pursed her lips. ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°At home!¡± Sylvia happily turned the camera around. ¡°My grandparents are here. They and my mom are making my favorite ravioli. Do you want to- Chapter 2.52. Seeing therge pile of ravioll in Sylvia¡¯s house and realizing they were really at home, Jordyn finally rxed. She asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t go to the movies with my mom today, right?¡± Sylvia shook her head. ¡°With Ms. Rodriguez? No, I haven¡¯t seen her in a long time.¡± Hearing this, Jordyn waspletely relieved. ¡°Got it. Enjoy your ravioll.¡± She was about to hang up but hesitated for a moment before awkwardly adding, ¡°Bye.¡± Sylvia blinked. ¡°Oh, B¨CBye.¡± When Trevor returned to the living room, Lincoln asked, ¡°Everything settled?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The guests sitting across from Lincoln and Trevor had just arrived not long ago. It was their first time seeing Jordyn. One of them couldn¡¯t help but remark, ¡°I can¡¯t believe Trevor¡¯s child is already this big. So, he¡¯s been married for a long time?¡± Rumors had been spreading recently that Trevor had a child But most people thought it was just gossip, Seeing it with their own eyes now, they realized it was true. Trevor took a sip of tea. ¡°Yes.¡± The others exchanged awkward smiles. They had deliberately brought their daughters today, hoping they and Trevor could meet. If something coulde out of it, that would be ideal. But now, they found out he was already married. Their daughters were beautiful, gentle, and quiet, yet in the half hour they had been here, Trevor hadn¡¯t spared them a single nce. Clearly, he had no interest in them whatsoever. Maybe, even if he weren¡¯t married, their daughters wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance. After ying in the arcade for over an hour, Beck and Shanice had to leave due to othermitments. Before going out today, Celeste had been working on her thesis. Now that it was almost done, she nned to make some final edits when she got home and send it to Zachary for review. Once it was confirmed to be fine, she would submit it officially. Lost in thought, she continued ying her VR game, unaware that someone leaving the cinema had spotted her. Linda scoffed at the sight of Celeste ying arcade games all alone before turning and walking away. Half an hourter, Linda arrived at the luxurious Locket family vi. Rushing upstairs, she was surprised to see Ruby there. ¡°Man? Weren¡¯t you supposed to be out shopping? What are you doing at Aunt Lizzy¡¯s ce?¡± Chapter 25 +25 DONUT ¡°I just got back from shopping¡± Though the Shaw family¡¯s vi was already quite nice, it was nothingpared to the one Trevor had bought for Lilian Ever since the Locket family moved in, Ruby found every excuse to visit. Even though some time had passed, she still couldn¡¯t help ut admire the extravagant decor. Linda was the same. Since the Lockets and the Shaws were close, she, like her mother, found herselfing over more often. Acting as if she were at home, she sat down and mysteriously said, ¡°Mom, Wynn, Aunt Lizzy, guess who I just saw at the arcade?¡± At that moment, Wynn was sitting by the enormous floor¨Cto¨Cceiling window, reading, Hearing this, she already had an answer in mind. But she wasn¡¯t interested and didn¡¯t respond. Ruby, however, was intrigued. ¡°You saw Celeste?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Linda grinned as she popped a sunflower seed into her mouth. ¡°Is Trevor not letting her return to the Fleming Manor anymore? Now she¡¯s all alone, ying arcade games by herself. Gosh, she looked so pitiful from behind.¡± The Scent of 253 Chapter 253 They had known about this for a long time. But hearing Linda bring it up again, Ruby still smiled happily. Wynn, however, remained focused on her book, showing no reaction. Lilian was the same. It was as if Celeste was no longer worth their attention. Seeing that Linda intended to keep talking, Lilian said calmly, ¡°Linda, Wynn is still studying. Don¡¯t disturb her ¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Linda nced at Wynn, who was studying so intently. ¡°Didn¡¯t the tutor arrive this morning? It¡¯s already past five in the afternoon, and she¡¯s still studying. Just watching her makes me feel exhausted. Aren¡¯t you tired, Wynn?¡± Ruby replied, ¡°Of course, she¡¯s tired. But she¡¯s someone who aims high. I¡¯ve always told you to learn from her, but you never listen.¡± Then, smiling, she added, ¡°But Wynn, as important as hard work is, you should take proper breaks. Why don¡¯t youe and have something to eat first?¡± Without looking up, Wynn responded, ¡°No need. Trevor invited me to dinner. I¡¯ll head out after this.¡± After finishing her game, Celeste returned to the Rodriguez residence and spent over three hours revising her thesis. Once she was sure there were no issues, she sent it to Zachary. After stretching herself, she left the room. But when she got downstairs, she saw her grandmother standing at the door in the middle of winter, as if she were waiting for someone. Celeste frowned and quickly walked over. ¡°Granny, you Before she could finish speaking, the sound of a car pulling up interrupted her. Just as she reached the door, a car drove into the courtyard Momentster, Jordyn pushed the door open and ran out of the car. ¡°Mom! Granny!¡± ¡°Oh my!¡± Betty¡¯s eyes crinkled with joy as she bent down and spread her arms to embrace her. Jordyn had actually been running toward Celeste at first, but when she saw Betty bending down for a hug, she turned and hugged her great¨Cgrandmother first. Betty asked, ¡°Have you eaten? Are you hungry?¡± ¡°I just had dinner with Dad outside, so I¡¯m not hungry.¡± After answering, Jordyn pulled away from Betty and tiptoed toward Celeste. ¡°Mom, hug me!¡± Celeste bent down to pick her up. Even though she caught a faint whiff of perfume on her daughter¡¯s clothes, her expression remained unchanged. This time, Trevor didn¡¯t personally drop Jordyn off. She had left the car door open after getting out, so the driver stepped out to close the door before nodding to -Celeste and Betty in greeting. Then, he left. Since Jordyn had school the next day, she didn¡¯t stay up long after arriving. After taking a bath, she went straight to bed. Celeste tucked her in, then picked up her phone and sent a message to Trevor. ¡°Have the driver pick Jo up tomorrow afternoon. Also, stop dropping her off at my ce without informing me Trevor didn¡¯t respond to the message. The next day, after taking Jordyn to school, Celeste returned to work. It wasn¡¯t until then that Trevor finally replied. ¡°Okay.¡± After reading the message, Celeste put her phone down and focused on work. Two days passed, and soon it was the weekend.. On Saturday morning, Celeste received a reply from Zachary, ¡°No issues. You can submit it.¡± It had been a while since Celeste and Matthias hadst seen Zachary. The Scent of 254 After submitting her thesis, Celeste and Matthias invited Zachary out for dinner in the evening. This time, Zachary didn¡¯t refuse. When they arrived at the restaurant, Celeste got out of the car with Zachary and Matthias. They headed upstairs without noticing that Beck¡¯s car was parked not far from theirs, However, Beck saw them. As he was about to open the car door and step out, his movements paused for a moment. It wasn¡¯t until two or three minutester that he finally got out of the car, carrying a drowsy Shanice. Miles had arrived. So, when he saw Beck, he greeted him. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Beck nodded. ¡°Mm.¡± A few minutester, just as Shanice was waking up, Trevor, Wynn, Jordyn, and Linda also arrived. When Beck saw Linda, his gaze lowered slightly. Linda, on the other hand, was thrilled. She quickly walked up to him and greeted him sweetly, ¡°Beck¡± Beck looked at her coldly and didn¡¯t respond, making the atmosphere grow slightly awkward. Just then, Jordyn walked over. Noticing that Shanice didn¡¯t seem too energetic, she asked, ¡°Shanice, are you not feeling well?¡± Shanice shook her head. ¡°No¡­¡± Seeing Jordyn, Beck¡¯s expression softened into a gentle smile. ¡°Shanice¡¯s fine. She¡¯s just a little groggy from sleep. Now fully awake, Shanice slid down from Beck¡¯s arms and want in sit in the corner of the sofa with Jordyn, chatting quietly. After Wynn arrived, she sat down beside Trevor. Taking a sip of the water he handed her, she pulled a book from her bag and said to Beck and the others, ¡°I¡¯ll read for a bit. You guys can talk, don¡¯t mind me.¡± Miles knew about Wynn studying under James. Seeing her work so hard, he couldn¡¯t help butment, ¡°You even brought your books to dinner? Isn¡¯t that a bit much?¡± Linda, now sitting beside Beck, chimed in, ¡°She¡¯s been like this for days¨Cshe¡¯s working super hard.¡± Beck was aware that Wynn wanted to be Zachary¡¯s student. And right now, Zachary was having dinner just a short distance away from their private dining room. However, he didn¡¯t mention this. As he thought about it, he recalled seeing, Celeste downstairs earlier, standing between Zachary and Matthias. At that time, he had assumed Celeste was only there because of Matthias, that she was dining with Zachary due to her connection with him. But if that were truly the case, wouldn¡¯t she have been standing next to Matthias instead? Celeste had never been particrly social, yet downstairs, she had been speaking with Zachary in an unmistakably familiar andfortable manner. YodaVision¡¯s two projects had only been developed in the past few months. And it just so happened that Celeste had left Fleming Group and joined YodaVision around three to four months ago. Just a few days ago, James had said that Celeste¡¯s abilities serpassed even his own. And then, Beck suddenly recalled that when Wynn had tried to join YodaVision, Matthias had, without hesitation, rejected her all because of Celeste. At that time, both Miles and he had assumed Matthias¡® actions were driven by some ambiguous personal rtionship with Celeste. That his preference for her over Wynn had nothing to do with work. But now¡­ He nced at Wynn, who was flipping through her book, earnestly asking Trevor about things she didn¡¯t understand. A sudden realization struck Beck like a bolt of lightning, making himpletely frozen. Then, as if jolted awake, he abruptly stood up from his chair. The Scent of 255 ¡°Beck?¡± Trevor, Miles, and the others were momentarily stunned when they saw Beck abruptly stand up. Noticing the strange expression on his face, Trevor asked, Did something happen?¡± Beck snapped back to reality, his gaze lingering on Trevor and Wynn for a moment before he slowly shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing ¡± With that, he sat back down. Linda hesitated, then said, ¡°Beck, 1- But Beck seemed not to hear her. Instead, he turned toward Shanice and asked warmly, ¡°Shanice, are you thirsty? Do you want some water?¡± Shanice nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± She ran over, took two sips of water from Beck¡¯s cup, then scurried back to chat with Jordyn again. Earlier, they had been talking about the little toy Jordyn had brought for her. After drinking the water, Shanice returned to Jordyn¡¯s side and handed her a figurine. ¡°I bought this when I went to the movies during the New Year¡¯s holiday. It¡¯s for you.¡± Jordyn was delighted and epted it with surprise. ¡°You went to the movies during New Year¡¯s too?¡± ¡°Yeah! My uncle and aunt took me,¡± Shanice said happily. ¡°After the movie, we yed some arcade games. My aunt is really good at games! But my uncle and I had something to do, so we had to leave early. ¡°Uncle Tucker took me to see a movie that morning too,¡± Jordyn said, a little wistfully. ¡°But he was in a hurry to meet up with his friends, so we went straight home afterward. I didn¡¯t even know you could buy figurines there.¡± Realizing she had missed out on getting a figurine, Jordyn felt a bit disappointed. Then, hearing Shanice praise her aunt¡¯s gaming skills, she couldn¡¯t help but say softly, ¡°My mom is really good at games too.¡°! ¡°Then next time, I¡¯ll bring my aunt, and you can bring your mom! We can y together,¡± Shanice suggested cheerfully:¡± As she spoke, she noticed Trevor watching them. Jordyn noticed too. ¡°Dad, what is it?¡± Trevor smiled slightly. ¡°Nothing, go on with your chat.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After ordering the food, Miles suddenly asked, ¡°By the way, Beck, how¡¯s yourpany¡¯s coboration with YodaVision going? Still running smoothly?¡± Beck replied, ¡°Pretty good.¡± Miles raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. ¡°Oh? No unexpected problems?¡± ?? Wynn had been intently reading her book, but at this, her fingers froze slightly as she turned the page. Having known each other for years, Beck naturally understood that Miles was referring to whether Celeste had caused any trouble or made any mistakes. He noticed that Trevor was also looking over and seemed interested in the tople as well. Lowering his gaze slightly, Beck replied, ¡°No.¡± Miles was surprised. ¡°Really? Not even one?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Wynn pursed her lips slightly before flipping to the next page. Trevor sipped his tea in silence. Finding the conversation uninteresting, Miles soon changed the topic. Roughly two hourster, after finishing their meal, they all left the restaurant. Just as they stepped out, Celeste and Zachary¡¯s group also came downstairs to leave. Back home, Celeste immediately started studying the materials Zachary had given her. Those documents covered thetest Al development ns from countries worldwide¨Cin other words, everything in them was still in the conceptual stage and might not necessarily lead to actual products. She read for a long time¨Cso long that she didn¡¯t even notice when night turned into morning. It wasn¡¯t until the sun was already high in the sky that her aunt, Adeline, gently knocked on her door. ¡°Cel, time for breakfast¡± Celeste responded, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be down in a bit.¡± After brushing her teeth and taking a shower, she picked up her phone and called Matthias. The Scent of 256 Matthias rubbed his sore temples, his eyes barely open. ¡°I knew you didn¡¯t sleep either!¡± ¡°I¡¯m heading downstairs for breakfast now. Let¡¯s talk in a bit?¡± Despite his exhaustion, Matthias, slumped in his chair like corpse, spoke with excitement. ¡°Talk? Of course, we have to talk!¡± Inspiration was fleeting¨Cit had to be seized while itsted ¡°Alright.¡± Just as Celeste finished breakfast and was about to video call Matthias, Jason¡¯s call came in. ¡°I just got a call from Trevor¡¯swyer. The property deeds for the three vis he transferred to you have been processed. I¡¯ll pick them upter today. ¡°When would you be avable to collect them? If you¡¯re busy, we can arrange a time so I can bring them to you.¡± Celeste had almost forgotten about this. Her mind was elsewhere now. Hearing Jason¡¯s words, she replied, ¡°Thanks, Mr. Payne. Sorry for the trouble.¡± After hanging up, she and Matthias got to work immediately. They worked tirelessly until noon, their brains nearly fried from overuse, before finally taking a break. Thest time Celeste had visited Martha was the previous Sunday. She and Betty had nned to visit her again in the afternoon. However, after an all¨Cnighter and still having not slept, Celeste suggested over lunch that they postpone the visit until the evening. Seeing how exhausted she looked, Betty agreed. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go after dinner.¡± Celeste took a nap and didn¡¯t wake up until nearly 6:00 pm. After dinner, she and Betty headed to the hospital. When they arrived, Trevor wasn¡¯t there. They stayed with Martha for almost two hours. Just as they were about to leave, Trevor returned. He didn¡¯t seem surprised to see them. It was as if he had expected them to , casually stuffed them into a cab, and went to take a shower. After an exhausting day and a severeck of sleep, she quickly fell asleep after bathing The next day, Celeste went for a run, had breakfast, and then left for work. When she arrived at the YodaVision office building, she noticed a car with its window rolled down as she was about to turn into the underground parking lot. It was Beck inside the car. She frowned. Why was he here so early in the morning? If she remembered correctly, there were no scheduled meetings between YodaVision and Beck today. - The Scent of 257 Just as Celeste was thinking about this, Beck spotted her car and walked toward her. Celeste slowly rolled down the window. ¡°Mr. Harper.¡± ¡°Good morning,¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°Moming.¡± Then she asked, ¡°Did youe here for something, Mr. Harper?¡± In truth, Beck had no particr business here. He had just been thinking about his suspicions from the night beforest So, he said, ¡°Last Saturday night, 1 saw you with Mr. Yoder and Mr. Newman outside the restaurant.¡± Celeste listened, not yet understanding why he was bringing this up, when she suddenly heard him ask, ¡°You¡¯re also Mr. Newman¡¯s student, aren¡¯t you?¡± She froze, frowning at him. ¡°You-¡± But Beck had already seen the answer in her reaction. ¡°So, these two YodaVision projects were also developed under your leadership?¡± Celeste pressed her lips together. ¡°What exactly are you ¡°Onest question.¡± Beck continued, ¡°YodaVision¡¯s CUAP programmingnguage¨Cwas that also created by you?¡± He wasn¡¯t a coding expert, but his family¡¯s business involved in rted fields. He knew just how powerful CUAP was. As far as he knew, CUAP had existed since the very inception of YodaVision. If this suspicion was also correct, then that meant Celeste had developed such an advanced programmingnguage at just 17 years old. Yet, even now, Wynn still couldn¡¯t grasp the fundamentals of CUAP. It was clear just how extraordinary Celeste was in this field. People praised YodaVision¡¯s technology, but the truth was the genius wasn¡¯t Matthias. The truly brilliant one was Celeste. Celeste said nothing. But Beck had already reached his conclusion, Even though he had suspected this, having it confirmed still left him utterly shaken. Looking at Celeste, memories from the past and recent events shed through his mind. He suddenly realized- he had never truly understood her. Celeste pursed her lips before finally speaking. ¡°Did youe all this way just to tell me this?¡± ¡°I was just extremely shocked and wanted confirmation¡± Although he had shown up here this morning, he didn¡¯t actually n to ask her these questions. Given their current rtionship, he knew it wasn¡¯t really his ce to pry. But the moment he saw her, the words had just slipped out, Even he was surprised at himself. #25 BONUS Before Celeste could reply, Beck looked at her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Celeste paused. She saw the sincerity in his eyes as he spol. But, she didn¡¯t say anything. Beck took a step back, putting some distance between the ¡°Go ahead inside. I won¡¯t keep you.¡± With that, he tumed and left. Celeste frowned slightly and then drove into the underground parking lot and headed upstairs. For the next ten days, Celeste and Matthias buried themselves in work. Whenever they had a moment to spare, they meticulously studied the materials Zachary had given them. They arrived at the office early every morning and often didn¡¯t leave until after midnight. Then, one morning, Celeste went to the airport to pick up a business partner. After waiting for more than 20 minutes, the person she was expecting finally arrived. The Scent of 258 Just as Celeste was about to step forward to greet her business partner, a familiar figure appeared behind him. When Celeste saw Harvey, her expression remained unchaliged. Harvey, however, didn¡¯t notice her. But a teenage boy of around 17 or 18 beside Harvey happily waved toward the other side of the exit. ¡°Mom, Wynn! Dad and I are over here!¡± Hearing the teenager¡¯s words, Celeste abruptly stopped in her tracks. She suddenly realized who he was. Tuming her head, she saw exactly what she expected¨CLilian and Wynn. Lilian and Wynn smiled, while Calvin Locket quickly ran toward them. At that moment, YodaVision¡¯s business partner, Kevin Thatcher, approached with a friendly smile and greeted her in advance. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez¡± Celeste unclenched her fist, withdrew her gaze, and smiled as she shook hands with him. ¡°Mr. Thatcher.¡± Just then, Lilian, Harvey, and the others finally noticed Celeste. Harvey frowned slightly. Lilian¡¯s smile faded somewhat. Wynn, however, remained indifferent and unconcerned. Calvin, unaware of his parents and sister¡¯s reactions, followed their gaze. When he saw Celeste, he was immediately stunned by her beauty. He blurted out, ¡°Wow, what a beautifuldy!¡± Wynn frowned and shot him a nce. Harvey paused, patted Calvin¡¯s shoulder, and withdrew his gaze. ¡°Let¡¯s get in the car first.¡± Calvin looked away but suddenly remembered something. He grumbled, ¡°Where¡¯s my future brother¨Cinw? Why didn¡¯t hee to pick Dad and me up? With that kind of attitude, he wants to marry my beautiful and talented sister? Hmph, I object!¡± Wynn chuckled, lightly tapping the back of his head. ¡°Trevor had an important meeting and couldn¡¯t get away. ¡°But he knew you wereing, so he canceled a social engagement and booked a private dining room as your wee dinner. What do you think? Satisfied now?¡± ¡°Barely.¡± Calvin lifted his chin arrogantly, looking at Wynn. ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful and outstanding. No matter how much he does, it¡¯s only what he should be doing if he wants to marry you!¡± Hearing Calvin¡¯s words, Wynn, Lilian, and the others allughed. By this time, Celeste had finished exchanging pleasantries with Kevin. So, they also got into the car. Just before getting in, Celeste overheard someone nearby. ¡°That¡¯s such an attractive family of four. Are they celebrities?¡± +25 DONUT ¡°I don¡¯t know, but their family seems so warm. I¡¯m so jealous.¡± Celeste closed the car door, slitting out the voices outside She chatted with Kevin throughout the nearly hour¨Clong ride. Around noon, their car came to a steady stop in front of a restaurant. Just as Celeste and Kevin stepped out of their vehicle, Harvey¡¯s group also got out of theirs. They saw Celeste as well. Harvey didn¡¯t expect to run into her here. He frowned slightly. to worry Wynn understood his concern. But she just smiled nonchntly, signaling to him that there was nothing to worry about. Before Trevor had formally proposed to divorce Celeste, he had apanied Wynn to meet her family. Back then, Celeste had been too afraid of offending Trevor to even utter a word. Now that the divorce was about to be finalized, she would be even less likely to cause any trouble. Harvey understood her meaning. But one could never be too careful. He didn¡¯t want any unpleasant surprises ruining such a happy day. Celeste didn¡¯t even nce their way. Just then, Matthias arrived. The moment he stepped out of the car, he spotted Harvey¡¯s group¨Cand he also noticed Calvin The Scent of 259 However, Harvey and his group had already turned and gone upstairs, so they didn¡¯t see Matthias getting out of the car. Matthias withdrew his gaze and quickly went over to greet Kevin. After exchanging pleasantries, their group was about to head upstairs when Trevor also arrived. As soon as he stepped out of the car, Kevin spotted him and greeted him with delight. ¡°Mr. Fleming!¡± Trevor¡¯s expression remained unchanged when he saw Celeste and Matthias. He smiled faintly and shook hands with the approaching Kevin. ¡°Mr. Thatcher, when did you arrive?¡± ¡°Just now,¡± Kevin said with augh. ¡°Last time, you mentioned having a meal together when you had time. When would you be avable? How about tonight?¡± Trevor replied, ¡°My schedule is full today. Let¡¯s do it in a couple of days.¡± ¡°Sure, sure, a couple of days works too.¡± Watching Trevor and Kevin chatting, Matthias muttered in low voice, ¡°We only had peace for half a month, and Dow we¡¯ve run into them again.¡± Celeste said nothing. But indeed, it had been half a month since shest saw Trevor. Even when she visited Martha at the hospitalst weekend, he wasn¡¯t there. Over the past ten days or so, Jordyn had called her several times¨Cespecially in thest two to three days. It was probably because winter break had started, and with Trevor and Wynn too busy to spend time with her, she had been bored and called Celeste multiple times. But Celeste never answered any of her calls. To be fair, Trevor had kept his promise. Whatever he had told Jordyn, it worked¨Cbecause even though Celeste hadn¡¯t answered, Jordyn didn¡¯t show up at the Rodriguez residence either. That had saved her a lot of trouble. As she was thinking about this, Trevor and Kevin finished their conversation. So, all of them entered the elevator together. Seeing that Matthias and Celeste weren¡¯t speaking to Trevor, Kevin btedly realized there seemed to be some tension between them. His smile turned a little awkward. Celeste noticed that Trevor seemed to be looking at her. She pursed her lips, and just as she raised her head, her gaze met his deep ck eyes. Then Trevor suddenly asked her, ¡°When are you free?¡± Celeste withdrew her gaze and didn¡¯t look at him, responding coldly, ¡°I¡¯m never free.¡± Even without thinking, she knew this question had something to do with Jordyn. It had only been half a month since shest saw her¨Cthere were still over ten days before it reached a full month. +20 BONUS She had been extremely busytely and had no time to take care of Jordyn. Trevor chuckled slightly, as if he didn¡¯t mind her attitude, and simply sald, ¡°The Ember Festival ising soon. Celeste paused, suddenly realizing what he meant. If she didn¡¯t take some time for Jordyn now, then during the Ember Festival. She had been so busytely that she hadpletely forgotten about this. However, she said indifferently, ¡°I don¡¯t mind skipping a month.¡± After all, she had spent quite a bit of time with Jordynst month. What did it matter if she didn¡¯t this month? Trevor raised an eyebrow at her words but said nothing. Kevin, listening to their conversation, was momentarily confused. He didn¡¯t understand what they were talking about. Just then, the elevator stopped. Trevor gave Kevin a brief nod before stepping out and leaving- Once the elevator doors closed, Kevin turned to Celeste. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, were you and Mr. Fleming a couple?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°No.¡± Kevin didn¡¯t believe her. He assumed that she and Trevor had quarreled and were just saying that out of spite. Besides, he thought the two of them actually looked quitepatible. But before he could say more, his phone rang. So, the topic was dropped. After their meal, Celeste and Matthias headed downstairs with their group, only to run into Trevor and the Locket family again in the parking lot. They overheard Calvin saying to Trevor, ¡°You¡¯d better treat my sister well! If you dare bully her, I won¡¯t let you off! Got it?¡± It was Calvin¡¯s first time meeting Trevor in person. In the private dining room earlier, when he firstid eyes on him, Calvin didn¡¯t dare to speak so boldly. After all, Trevor carried an imposing aura¨Cit was clear at a nce that he wasn¡¯t an ordinary man. However, Trevor had been very kind to him. Recalling how his family had praised Trevor endlessly, the distance between them had faded over the course of the meal, and Calvin was no longer intimidated. So, D now, he dared to throw down some tough words. But in reality, Calvin was actually very satisfied with his future brother¨Cinw. From his perspective, Trevor was indeed worthy of his sister in every aspect. Not to mention, Trevor treated both Wynn and their family exceptionally well. Naturally, Calvin had noints. So, while his words sounded fierce, everyone present understood his true meaning. Trevor smiled and said, ¡°Alright.¡± Wynn, hearing this, also smiled sweetly. It was a very heartwarming scene. Matthias, watching it all, let out a coldugh. Celeste remained expressionless. Kevin, however, finally understood something. He turned to Celeste. ¡°So, you really weren¡¯t in a rtionship with Mr. Fleming?¡± So, that beautiful woman over there was actually Trevor¡¯s girlfriend? Celeste answered indifferently, ¡°Yes.¡± At that moment, Trevor and Wynn also noticed Celeste and Matthias, turning their gazes toward them. But Matthias had no interest in them. He simply said to Ken, ¡°Mr. Thatcher, please get in the car.¡± Earlier, when they had run into Trevor, Kevin had already sensed that Matthias and Trevor weren¡¯t on good terms. Given the situation, Kevin didn¡¯t say much. He merely nodded politely toward Trevor before getting into the car. Celeste and Matthias followed right after. Soon, their car left the parking lot. The Scent of 260 The coboration with Kevin went smoothly. Two days , both parties signed the contract, and since Revin had other engagements, he left YodaVision. After a tiring half¨Cday, Celeste and Matthias returned to the meeting room. They had just taken a short break with some hot drinks when Candice walked in, cing a thick stack of invitations in front of them. ¡°These are all the year¨Cend banquet invitations we¡¯ve received over the past few days.¡± There were at least 30 invitations. Among them were Invitations from Jorge, Beck, Fleming Group, and InnovaTech. Looking through them, Celeste and Matthias noticed that the Locket family had also sent an invitation. Not only was Matthias¡® name on the Locket family¡¯s invitation, but Celeste¡¯s name was included as well. Matthias leanedzily against the conference table, holding the Locket family¡¯s invitation with a smirk. ¡°Looks like ourpany has quite the charm.¡± Rather than saying their even sending gifts was unnecessary. The best approach was to cut tiespletely. ¡°Agreed.¡± Celeste had the same thought. Aside from handling corepany affairs, she and Matthias had been focusing most of their energy on studying the materials their mentor had given them earlier. So, unless it was a necessary social engagement, they did want to waste time dealing with unnecessary people, Meanwhile, YodaVision was also preparing its own banque However, since they were busy, their invitations wouldn¡¯t be sent out for another couple of days, With the fiscal yearing to an end, they indeed needed to follow up on their business with InnovaTech. The next day, Celeste went to InnovaTech with Yandel and a few others. When they arrived, they happened to run into Wynn. However, they didn¡¯t even exchange nces and simply went about their respective business, Celeste was busy with work when she suddenly noticed someone looking at her. When she turned to check, she saw that it was Calvin. The moment she recognized him, she withdrew her gaze. a Calvin had been in Baumond for a few days. After ying around for two days, he got bored at home. Upon learning that Wynn was working at Trevorpany, curiosity led him to visit InnovaTech. He didn¡¯t expect to run into Celeste as soon as he entered. So, he assumed she was also an employee of InnovaTech. Seeing that she had only nced at him before looking away, he curiously asked the person who brought him in, What are they busy with?¡± The person replied, ¡°Different department, so I¡¯m not too sure. But it¡¯s probably rted to thenguage system maintenance.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Calvin was actually quite interested in taking a look. But seeing how focused Celeste and her team were, he hesitated to disturb their work. Instead, he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s my sister?¡± The person smiled and said, ¡°Ms. Locket is in a meeting. Would you like to go in and see?¡± Calvin nodded and followed. A whileter, he found himself in a meeting room where everyone was listening intently as his sister discussed work. The Scent of 261 Calvin said, ¡°Everyone seems to have a lot of respect for Wyn.¡± The person leading him in smiled and replied, ¡°Of course. Ms. Locket is highly capable, and our team really likes her.¡± Besides, because of Wynn¡¯s rtionship with Trevor, the team also enjoyed excellent benefits. Of course, he didn¡¯t say that part out loud. Hearing someone praise his sister, Calvin smiled happily, feeling a sense of pride. However, he didn¡¯t intend to disturb Wynn while she was working. So, he said, ¡°Take me to see the rest of the .¡± ¡°Alright.¡± As Calvin and his guide walked out, they happened to run into Beck, who had just arrived. The person apanying Calvin quickly greeted him, ¡°Mr. Harper.¡± Beck nodded and nced at Calvin. Seeing his youthful face and student¨Clike attire, he immediately guessed his identity. But he didn¡¯t say anything. The person beside Calvin introduced him, ¡°This is Ms. Locket¡¯s younger brother, Calvin Locket.¡± Calvin had never met Beck before, but he knew of him. Hearing his guide address him as ¡°Mr. Harper,¡± Calvin guessed, ¡°Are you Beck?¡± Beck nodded. ¡°Hello.¡± Calvin smiled ¡°Hello.¡± Just as he was about to say something, Beck¡¯s attention shifted to Celeste, who was working nearby. He said inly, ¡°I¡¯ll head over there.¡± Without waiting for Calvin or the guide to respond, he walked straight toward Celeste. Calvin was momentarily stunned. Wasn¡¯t Trevor¡¯s friend supposed to have a good rtionship with Wynn too? Why did it feel like Beck was a bit Indifferent toward him? But Beck didn¡¯t care what Calvin thought. He walked up to Celeste and greeted her, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez. Celeste turned around, paused when she saw him, then responded, ¡°Mr. Harper.¡± With the year¨Cend rush, Beck had been busy, and he and Celeste hadn¡¯t seen each other in half a month. Moreover, just two days after theirst conversation, he had been secretly summoned for a meeting by the higher- ups¡­ But he had no intention of bringing that up now. Looking at Celeste, he asked, ¡°Will you be attending mypany¡¯s banquet this weekend?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Yes,¡± Ever since he had voluntarily stepped in to help her uncle, Celeste had sensed that his attitude toward her was rather positive. No matter what, he had helped her. Besides, their coboration had been smooth recently, and he had personally sent her an Invitation. Both professionally and personally, she had no reason not to atteul. Hearing her response, Beck smiled slightly. ¡°I appreciate Celeste replied, ¡°You¡¯re too polite.¡± Sensing that she wasn¡¯t particrly interested in prolonging; the conversation, Beck didn¡¯t simply said, ¡°Go ahead with your work, don¡¯t mind me,¡± press further. He Celeste didn¡¯t say much either and continued discussing business with Henry and the team. However, Beck didn¡¯t leave. He stood nearby, listening to their discussion, asionally chiming in Both Beck and Miles held shares in InnovaTech, though they weren¡¯t directly involved in its operations. But with thepany¡¯s annual meetinging up, they would still be attending. That was why Beck hade today¨Cfor a meeting. A little whileter, Wynn finished her meeting and spotted Calvin. ¡°Finished touring thepany?¡± Calvin nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve seen everything¡± Just then, Miles arrived. Seeing Wynn, he greeted her before turning his attention to Calvin. With a smile, he said, ¡°This must be your little brother? Not bad, not bad¨Cyou Locket family folks really have great genes.¡± Wynn chuckled and was about to introduce Calvin to Miles when Calvin spoke up first. ¡°You must be Miles.¡± Miles raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯ve got a good eye¨Cspot on.¡± Wynn smiled again, about to say something, when Calvin scratched his head a bit sheepishly. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s because I already met Beck.¡± Hearing this, Wynn asked, ¡°Beck is here?¡± ¡°Yeah, over there.¡± Calvin gestured toward Celeste¡¯s direction. Both Miles and Wynn looked over and saw Beck talking to Celeste¡ªhis attitude notably gentle. Chapter 262 The Scent of 262 Chapter 262 Wynn watched but didn¡¯t seem to care. Beck¡¯s softened attitude toward Celeste was merely because of his coboration with YodaVision. Miles shared the same thought. This was the third time Calvin had seen Celeste, He said, ¡°So, that youngdy is Beck¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Miles almost choked on his own saliva. ¡°What girlfriend? They have no such rtionship. Don¡¯t make things up.¡± Calvin had juste to Baumond and didn¡¯t know much about anything. Miles and Wynn assumed he was just guessing because Celeste was good¨Clooking, and she and Beck made an attractive pair. ¡°Alright then.¡± But earlier, after Beck saw that youngdy, his attention never shifted away from her even once. That was why he thought they were a couple. But even if they weren¡¯t together now, Beck must like that youngdy, right? Beck had already noticed the gazes from Wynn and Miles. As the meeting time approached, he briefly exchanged farewells with Celeste and was about to leave. But suddenly, he remembered something and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not attending InnovaTech¡¯s banquet in a few days, are you?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°No.¡± Hearing her definite answer, Beck felt a slight stir in his chest. He said nothing further, gave her a small nod, and turned to leave. Just as he was approaching Miles, Trevor arrived. He, too, saw Celeste working in the distance. But after just a couple of nces, he withdrew his gaze and said to Miles and Beck, ¡°It¡¯s about time. Let¡¯s head upstairs for the meeting.¡± Beck noticed Trevor¡¯splete indifference toward Celeste His eyes lowered slightly. Before heading upstairs, Trevor asked Calvin, ¡°Have you been to my office yet?! ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°I had some tea and snacks prepared. If you get bored, go up and have some.¡± In just two to three days, Trevor and Calvin had already developed a good rapport. At noon, after the meeting, InnovaTech¡¯s executives and shareholders gathered for a meal. Although Wynn and Calvin weren¡¯t high¨Cranking executives, because of their rtionship with Trevor, they ended up riding in his car to the restaurant. As they left, Beck nced up at InnovaTech¡¯s office building, thinking of Celeste. Suddenly, he asked Miles, When will Trevor¡¯s divorce proceedings be finalized?¡± Miles didn¡¯t think much of it, assuming Beck was simply concerned about Trevor and Wynn¡¯s rtionship and wanted Trevor to finalize the divorce with Celeste soon. He replied, ¡°It could¡¯ve been done a few days ago, but there was an issue with the transfer of shares in one of Trevor¡¯spanies. That has to be resolved before they can proceed. But it should be soon.¡± ¡°I see. Got it.¡± At noon, Celeste had lunch with InnovaTech¡¯s employees in thepany cafeteria. After eating, she rested for a bit before getting back to work By around 3:00 pm, she finished her tasks at InnovaTech and returned to YodaVision. On the night of Harper Corporation¡¯s banquet, Celeste and Matthias headed there together after wrapping up work. When Beck heard that they had arrived, he went to the entrance to greet them. But the moment he saw Celeste, he involuntarily halted his steps. Tonight, Celeste wore a shimmering, off¨Cshoulder gown in shades of blue and violet. Her soft skin was wless, almost glowing, and the gown¡¯s flowing silhouette entuated her elegance and freshness. Beck took in the sight, feeling that tonight, she was more breathtaking than he had ever seen her before. Two secondster, he quickly suppressed his emotions and walked forward, greeting them politely, ¡°Mr. Yoder, Ms. Rodriguez.¡± Matthias and Celeste greeted him together. ¡°Mr. Harper.¡± As they exchanged a few pleasantries, Trevor and Wynn arrived. Wynn¡¯s outfit for the night was also striking She wore a white, form¨Cfitting, high¨Cfashion gown,plemented by dazzling jewelry on her ears and neck- clearly expensive pieces Her entire look was nothing short of stunning. But when she saw Celeste, she paused briefly. She had to admit¨Ctonight, Celeste was even more beautiful than she had been in the past. Even so, Wynn felt neither anxious nor inferior. So what if Celeste was beautiful? Her inner essence had no appeal to others. Meanwhile, Wynn had more to offer than just her looks. With that thought, she withdrew her gaze calmly and turned to Trevor beside her. Seeing that he had merely nced at Celeste before looking away without any reaction, Wynn¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile. The Scent of 263 Seeing Trevor and Wynn, Beck¡¯s gaze fell on Celeste. Noticing that Celeste¡¯s expression remained unchanged at the sight of those two, he lowered his head slightly and smiled, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll head over for a moment.¡± Celeste and Matthias both nodded. Beck walked over and had just exchanged a few words with Trevor and Wynn when Jorge arrived as well. Upon seeing Wynn, his instinct was to walk toward her. Wynn nced at him and smiled slightly, ¡°Mr. Robinson.¡± ¡°Ms. Locket.¡± Jorge had been busytely and hadn¡¯t seen Wynn in a while. Now that he did, a flicker of admiration shed in his eyes. He took an extra discreet nce at her before greeting Beck and Trevor. YodaVision was now an extremely important partner for the Robinson Group. So, after a brief chat with Beck, Jorge headed over to Matthias and proactively greeted him. After exchanging pleasantries, he greeted Celeste with a lukewarm, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez.¡± Celeste simply smiled without responding. YodaVision had already sent out invitations for its own banquet, but the Robinson Group hadn¡¯t received one. Jorge had only learned about this tonight. If YodaVision didn¡¯t even bother to invite him, then chances were, Celeste and Matthias wouldn¡¯t be attending the Robinson Group¡¯s banquet tomorrow either. Thinking of this, Jorge frowned slightly. Neither Celeste nor Matthias had any intention of dealing with him. Matthias directly said, ¡°Mr. Robinson, we¡¯re going to greet some old friends. Please excuse us.¡± Without waiting for a response, the two of them turned and walked away. Of course, Jorge knew they simply didn¡¯t want to talk to him. Truthfully, he had wanted to establish a good rtionship with Matthias. But despite their long¨Cstanding business partnership, Matthias had never given him a single opening. His dislike was so apparent that he didn¡¯t even bother to hide it. Jorge pressed his lips together. He was displeased but had nothing to say, so he could only watch them leave. For the past two to three months, YodaVision had been in the spotlight. So, seeing Celeste and Matthias, many people actively went over to greet them. Among them were several business partners YodaVision had been in contact with recently. Ever since YodaVision¡¯s investment conference, many of its deals had been handled by Celeste. As a result, many business partners who had engaged with her knew just how strong she was in the field. Some of them had even secretly tried to poach her. However, Celeste had turned them all down. Even so, those executives remained courteous toward her. Now, seeing her again, someone couldn¡¯t help but openly attempt to recruit her in front of Matthias. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, ourpany is also one of the top firms the country. The benefits are excellent, and there¡¯s a lot of flexibility. Whatever conditions you have, we can negotiate.¡± These people really had some nerve. Celeste smiled and politely declined, ¡°I currently have no ns to leave YodaVision, but I appreciate your offer, Mr. Simmons.¡± Hearing her refusal again, David Simmons sighed heavily. A momentter, someone noticed his frustrated expression and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°David, what¡¯s with you tonight? If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d think you just missed out on a billion¨Cdor deal.¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost the same.¡± Since the person wasn¡¯t a businesspetitor, he confided, ¡°I came across an exceptional talent, but no matter how hard I try, she won¡¯t budge.¡± ¡°Oh? Who?¡± ¡°Ms. Rodriguez from YodaVision.¡± ¡°Huh? Her? She looks quite young. Is she really that capable?¡± ¡°She really is.¡± Hispany¡¯s top technical experts had spoken highly of her after conversing with her. And these were no ordinary professionals¨Cthey were the best of the younger generation, personally recruited by David himself. For them to praise someone so highly, it spoke volumes about her ability. Wynn was unaware of thepliments Celeste was receiving. She was chatting with James. After speaking with a few people, Jorge stepped away from the crowd. Noticing that Wynn wasn¡¯t with Trevor, he walked over. Seeing him approach, Wynn gave him a faint smile. ¡°Mr. Robinson.¡± Jorge nodded, then looked at James and asked, ¡°This is¡­?¡± Wynn Introduced James¡® background, then added, ¡°He¡¯s my mentor now. I¡¯ve been studying under him for a while and have gained a lot of knowledge.¡± She had previously expressed her desire to be Zachary¡¯s student and had been working toward that goal without giving up. Hearing her say this now, Jorge realized she was even more determined than he had imagined. He admired her persistence and respect for knowledge. Stepping back, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll let you two continue.¡± Wynn nodded and turned back to continue her discussion with James. Seeing her so focused, Jorge found it hard to look away. Just then, someone approached him for a conversation, so he left. A momentter, Jorge stepped away from the crowd, intending to go to the restroom. But on his way, he spotted Celeste and Trevor off to the side. He abruptly stopped. The scene of Trevor embracing Celeste from a few months go suddenly resurfaced in his mind. Before he could fully process his thoughts, he saw Trevor pick up a piece of cake and hand it to Celeste. Jorge¡¯s gaze darkened. He pursed his lips and walked toward them. Celeste did not reach out to take the cake. As Jorge drew closer, Trevor noticed him and turned around ¡°Mr. Robinson.¡± The Scent of 264 Jorge said coolly, ¡°What were you two talking about?¡± Trevor chuckled, ¡°We didn¡¯t get a chance to talk yet.¡± Before Jorge could respond, Celeste showed no intention of greeting him. Instead, she simply walked past him and turned to leave. Jorge watched her go before shifting his gaze back, only to notice that Trevor was holding two drinks. ¡°These are¡­? Trevor replied, ¡°Specially mixed cocktails. Would you like to try one, Mr. Robinson?¡± Jorge paused. ¡°Is the other one for Ms. Locket?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Just as Jorge was about to say something, Trevor suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back. Feel free to make yourselffortable, Mr. Robinson.¡± Jorge frowned and looked in the direction Trevor was heading, only to see that at some point, Wynn had ended up standing next to Matthias, while Celeste was walking toward them. Jorge was momentarily stunned. Was Trevor rushing over because he was worried Wynn would be bullied by Celeste and Matthias? At that thought, Jorge frowned and followed. Wynn had only just arrived and hadn¡¯t even had a charice to speak with Matthias when Celeste returned. But Wynn didn¡¯t pay much attention. Treating Celeste as if he weren¡¯t there, she spoke to Matthias, ¡°Mr. Yoder ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Matthias, however, ignored Wynn and looked directly at Celeste. ¡°Everything okay?¡± He had just seen Trevor heading in her direction. He had wanted to go over as well, but Wynn had gotten in his way. 1 Celeste shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Just as Trevor had said, they hadn¡¯t even had a proper conversation before Jorge had appeared. Naturally, nothing had happened. At that moment, Trevor and Jorge walked over. Trevor handed the second cocktail to Wynn and asked, ¡°What were you discussing?¡± Seeing him, Wynn¡¯s gaze softened slightly. She took the drink and smiled, ¡°I wanted to ask Mr. Yoder for some advice, but I haven¡¯t had the chance to bring it up yet.¡± Trevor nodded, then turned to Matthias and asked, ¡°Mr. Yoder, when would you be free to have a meal togethe It was clear he was trying to set up a private meeting between Wynn and Matthias. Hearing this, Celeste¡¯s expression turned cold. Matthias, however, simply let out a shortugh, his tone leg. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not free¨Cever.¡± Without giving Trevor or the others a chance to respond, he turned to Celeste. ¡°Cel, let¡¯s go.¡± Celeste nodded, not sparing them another nce as she turned and left with him. +26 BONUS Jorge had initially been a little concerned about whether there was something going on between Trevor and Wynn. But now, seeing how concerned Trevor was about Wynn and how he was even trying to set up a meeting between her and Matthias, Jorge realized he had been overthinking There had never been any real animosity between Matthias and Wynn. Matthias was simply Celeste¡¯s strongest support right now. If Trevor managed to mediate and help mend the rtionship between Wynn and Matthias, then Celeste would lose her biggest advantage. For Wynn, this was undoubtedly a good thing. A little farther away, Matthias clicked his tongue and asked Celeste, ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Celeste nodded her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Compared to everything that had happened in the past, this was nothing. Matthias asked, ¡°Heading back now?¡± They had already nned to leave earlier. They just didn¡¯t expect this little episode before their departure. Celeste nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Before leaving, they went to say goodbye to Beck. Beck didn¡¯t expect them to leave so soon. But he could tell that Celeste wasn¡¯t someone who enjoyed socializing. Since she wasn¡¯t interested, he didn¡¯t want to force her. Instead, he simply said, ¡°I¡¯ll see you out.¡± The Scent of 265 The YodaVision banquet took ce three days after the Harper Corporation¡¯s banquet. That evening, Beck arrived quite early +25 BORUS Perhaps because Wynn, Trevor, and Jorge weren¡¯t present, nothing major happened at the YodaVision banquet. There were quite a lot of guests that night. Celeste and Matthias were extremely busy and didn¡¯t have touch time to pay special attention to Beck. It wasn¡¯t until halfway through the banquet, when they saw Bleck chatting with Ivan, that they suddenly realized he hadn¡¯t left. After all, the Locket family was hosting their own banquet that evening as well. They had assumed Beck had arrived early so he could leave midway to attend the Locket family¡¯s banquet. But unexpectedly. Matthias, quite satisfied, couldn¡¯t help butment, ¡°Now this is what it means to value a partnership with YodaVision. Look at this textbook example. And that Jorge Tsk, I don¡¯t even want to talk about him.¡± Celeste was also a little surprised Since Beck was showing them such respect, it wouldn¡¯t be right for her and Matthias to neglect him. They walked over and greeted him politely, ¡°Mr. Harper, we have a lot of guests tonight. If our hospitality has beencking in any way, please forgive us.¡± Throughout the evening, Beck¡¯s gaze had asionally lingered on Celeste¨Cthough no one seemed to notice. Raising his ss, he clinked it lightly against theirs, took a sip, and said, ¡°We¡¯re all friends here. No need to be so formal,¡± Although their coboration had been smooth so far, Matthias never considered them to be friends. And he certainly didn¡¯t take Beck¡¯s words seriously¨Cit was just social niceties. Still, he had to admit he appreciated Beck¡¯s ability to set aside personal grievances and focus solely on business. Even though Beck was speaking to Matthias, his attention was actually on Celeste. Tonight¡¯s banquet was mainly for Matthias and Celeste. Despite having Matthias¡¯s protection, Celeste had still ended up drinking quite a bit. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes slightly misty, making her look a little softer than usual¨Calmost cute. Beck¡¯s grip on his wine ss tightened slightly before he slowly shifted his gaze away. Although Celeste had been drinking, she wasn¡¯t drunk. As the banquet wasing to an end, she walked Beck to the entrance. He stopped just before stepping out. A winter wind blew through the doorway, and his gaze fell on the small portion of her slender leg visible beneath her soft, flowing gown. ¡°You don¡¯t need to see me off any further.¡± #25 BONU Celeste nodded. ¡°Alright. Take care.¡± Beck looked at her, as if he wanted to say something. But after a brief pause, he held back and simply turned to leave. Once the important guests had left, Celeste finally got into Ivan¡¯s car and left the hotel. However, Beck didn¡¯t actually leave yet. He was worried that Celeste might run into trouble after denking. Only after seeing her safely get into Ivan¡¯s car and drive away did he tell his driver, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The next morning, Celeste woke up and was having breakfast while Adeline and Betty were discussing preparations for the Ember Festival. Tomorrow would be the Ember Festival¡¯s Eve. Starting today, thepany was officially on holiday. Celeste said, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you two.¡± Betty beamed. ¡°Alright, alright, we¡¯ll go together. ¦§ Then, after a slight pause, she hesitated before asking, ¡°Cel is Jo spending the holidays with the Fleming family this year?¡± At the mention of Jordyn, Celeste¡¯s smile faded slightly. ¡°I think so.¡± That day when she had received Kevin, she had run into Trevor in the elevator. He had subtly hinted that he hoped she would take care of Jordyn. But after that, neither Trevor nor Jordyn had reached out to her again. C The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! The Scent of 266 #25 BONUS Since that was the case, Jordyn would most likely be spending the Ember Festival at Fleming Manor, Betty felt reluctant to part with Jordyn and also felt sorry for Celeste. However, Celeste remained calm and reassured Betty, saying, ¡°Gramy, I¡¯m fine. As long as Jo is happy.¡± Betty, however, felt that she was just putting on a brave face so as not to make her worry. She sighed silently and didn¡¯t bring it up again. After breakfast, Celeste and Adeline went out to buy some goods for the festival. The shopping streets outside were decorated beautifully, in familiar festival songs were yed everywhere, creating a strong festive atmosphere. In fact, Adeline and the others had already done a round of shopping. Most of the necessities were already prepared at home, so today was just about filling in the things they had? missed Children could already be seen on the streets dressed in festive cotton outfits, carrying adorable light wands in their hands. Celeste stopped in her tracks as she watched a little girl bouncing along the street. Every year before Jordyn left with Trevor, she would buy her two or three sets of these cotton outfits for the festival. Jordyn loved them. She also loved the little light wands. For several days during the holidays, the light wands were her favorite toys. At night, she would light a candle Inside and carry the light wand around, ying with it for hours without getting bored. But that was two years ago. In the two years since Jordyn left, one year was spent celebrating abroad with Trevor. Last year, she came back. But she no longer liked these festive things. She found them tacky and refused to wear them. But, Celeste never forced her. She picked out other things for her instead, but Jordyn didn¡¯t like those either. At first, she thought she simply couldn¡¯t keep up with Jordyn¡¯s tastes. Later, she realized that Jordyn just didn¡¯t want to wear anything she bought. Celeste slowly withdrew her gaze and thoughts, catching up with Betty and Adeline. When Hector and Jamie heard that Celeste, Adeline, and Betty were out shopping, they secretly contacted Celeste, asking her to buy more fireworks so they could set them off in the gardenter that night. Celeste smiled at the message and replied, ¡°Okay.¡± In all the years she had been married to Trevor, he was not only rarely in Baumond, but even during holidays, h was often flying around the world Even so, after marrying him, whether he was around or not, she always took Jordyn back to the Fleming Manor for the Ember Festival. # Thinking about it now, it had been seven years since shest spent the Ember Festival with the Rodriguez family. Putting away her phone with a smile, she was just about to buy the fireworks when her phone suddenly rang It was a call from Matthias. He told her he had bought a lot of expensive fireworks and would be sending some over to her, Celeste didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and said, ¡°Thank you, Mathias.¡± From the way Matthias spoke, it seemed like he was sending quite a lot, so she figured there was no need to buy more herself. Not long after, her phone rang again. This time, it was Beck calling. Celeste paused before answering, ¡°Mr. Harper.¡± ¡°I ordered a small batch of fireworks some time ago. Shanice told me to send some to you. Send me the address, and I¡¯ll have someone deliver them to you.¡± Celeste was momentarily stunned and instinctively refused, ¡°Mr. Harper, there¡¯s no need-¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you call Shanice yourself and tell her that?¡± She fell silent for two seconds before saying, ¡°Please thank Shanice for me.¡± The Scent of 267 Chapter 267 Matthias had been to the Rodriguez residence before, so he delivered the fireworks directly. As for Beck, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Celeste gave hiru address near the Rodriguez residence instead. At around 2:00 pm, Celeste drove to the meeting spot. Over the phone, Beck had said he would have someone deliver the fireworks to her. However, after parking her car, Celeste was surprised to see Beck himself. Beck said, ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°Open the trunk.¡± After Celeste opened the trunk, Beck loaded the fireworks and some gifts into it. Seeing the gifts, Celeste couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°There¡¯s no need for these-¡± ¡°Shanice asked me to bring them to you.¡± She then ced a friendship bracelet she had made, along with some gifts she bought after lunch, into Beck¡¯s car. ¡°These are for Shanice.¡± Beck smiled and said, ¡°Alright.¡± Among the gifts she prepared, he noticed a thick, plush rabbit. He picked it up and asked, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rabbit light wand,¡± Celeste exined. ¡°I bought two¨Cone is a bear, and one is a rabbit. Kids will probably like them.¡± Beck examined them. Both the rabbit and bear light wands were designed to be adorable and festive. He nodded and said, ¡°I think Shanice will like them too. Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a small exchange of gifts¨Cno need for thanks.¡± Beck ced the light wand back and nced at a nearby cafe. ¡°Want to sit down for a bit?¡± Celeste declined, ¡°No, I have things to do. I need to head out again soon.¡± Martha was being discharged from the hospital that evening. She had to go with Betty to the hospitalter. Beck paused before saying, ¡°Alright.¡± Without much more conversation, Celeste got into her car and left. Not long after arriving home, she and Betty took the gifts they had prepared for Martha and left for the hospital. However, before heading there, they had already informed Martha. When they arrived, they found only Martha and her caretaker, Samantha, in the hospital room. It was unclear whether it was to avoid an awkward situation or for another reason, but Jordyn was not there. Betty looked a little disappointed but didn¡¯t say anything. Martha, however, noticed the look on her face. She also knew about Celeste and Trevor¡¯s impending divorce. Ever since New Year¡¯s Day, when Lincoln returned but Celeste never showed up, Martha had realized that even if Celeste and Trevor weren¡¯t officially divorced yet, she was already cutting ties with the Fleming family. She had also guessed that Celeste wouldn¡¯t be spending Eriber Festival at the Fleming Manor this year. As for Jordyn¡¯s custody, she had brought it up with Trevor few days ago. But no matter what, he refused topromise. When she asked him a couple of days ago where Jordyn would be spending the Ember Festival, he said it would be up to her. However, Jordyn had gone abroad for a trip recently and was only returning tonight, so Martha didn¡¯t have the chance to ask her yet. So, seeing her old friend looking so disappointed, Martha felt even more guilty.. But the truth was, Jordyn had be more attached to Trevor. Without Jordyn¡¯s explicit consent, Martha couldn¡¯t make any promises to Betty or Celeste. Even though she said nothing, both Betty and Celeste understood her feelings. So, they didn¡¯t bring up Jordyn and instead chatted about lighter topics and inquired about Martha¡¯s leg recovery. Before long, it was time for Martha¡¯s discharge. Not wanting to impose, Celeste and Betty left after staying for about half an hour. Martha had prepared gifts for them as well. So, before they left, she had her staff bring them down to the lobby. Shortly after they departed, Trevor arrived at the hospital. Martha knew he had deliberately waited to avoid running into Celeste. The divorce was already set in stone¨Cshe knew she couldn¡¯t stop it. Watching Trevor sit by her bed and skillfully peel an apple for her, Martha pressed her lips together and said, Trevor, Jo is the daughter that Cel gave birth to. Can¡¯t you at least give her custody to Cel?¡± Trevor continued peeling the apple with his usual grace and replied indifferently, ¡°Jo is my daughter too.¡± Martha grew angry. ¡°You barely cared about her in the past few years, and now you have the nerve to fight for custody?¡± Trevor ced the peeled and sliced apple onto a te and handed it to her. ¡°I¡¯ve changed now.¡± Martha turned her face away, refusing to take it or acknowledge him. Trevor put the te down and said, ¡°Grandma, this is between us. Please don¡¯t interfere.¡± Afterpleting the discharge procedures, he first took Martha back to Fleming Manor. Later, when it was time, he went to the airport to pick up Jordyn and bring her home. The Scent of 268 ¡°Dad! Wynn!¡± As soon as she exited the airport and saw Trevor and Wyn Jordyn let go of Hannah¡¯s hand and ran toward them, throwing herself into their arms. Once in the car, Jordyn rummaged through her little backpack and handed over the small trinkets she had bought during her trip. ¡°Dad, Wynn, I got you gifts!¡± Wynn took them and gently ruffled her hair, smiling ¡°Thank you, Jo.¡± That evening, since Martha was being discharged from the hospital, Trevor and Jordyn were heading back to the manor for dinner. After dropping Wynn off at her home, Trevor instructed the driver to turn the car toward the Fleming Manor. On the way back, Trevor was busy handling work affairs. So, Jordyn didn¡¯t disturb him and yed by herself. When they arrived at the manor, Jordyn hopped out of the car, slung her little backpack over her shoulders, and ran toward the house, calling out, ¡°Mom! Mom!¡± Trevor put away hisptop and got out of the car. Hearing this, he said unhurriedly, ¡°Your mom isn¡¯t here.¡± Jordyn froze in her tracks and turned back to look at him. ¡°Huh? Mom¡¯s not here?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°She¡¯s still busy?¡± Trevor ruffled her little head with hisrge hand. ¡°Maybe you should call and ask her.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lately, every time she called, her mom never picked up. It wasn¡¯t so bad when she was at home, but when she was abroad, with neither Trevor nor Wynn around¨Cthough they called and video¨Cchatted with her every day¨Cit wasn¡¯t the same as having them by her side. She had felt lonely and homesick. In the first few days overseas, the person she missed most was her mom. She called every day, but her mom never answered. Eventually, she got used to it and figured her mom was probably too busy to take her calls. So, she stopped calling. Before returning home, she had hoped her mom woulde to pick her up at the airport. But since Trevor and Wynn had said they would be there, Jordyn hadn¡¯t called Celeste. She had assumed that once she arrived at the manor, Celeste would definitely be there. But now, thinking about it, Jordyn suddenly didn¡¯t want to call anymore. She figured that even if she did, her morn still wouldn¡¯t have time to answer. At that moment, all the excitement ofing home faded away. Trevor crouched down slightly, pinched her cheek lightly, and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you crying?¡± 12 Jordyn pursed her lips, turned her face away, and muttered, ¡°No, I¡¯m not!¡± Trevor smirked. ¡°So, you¡¯ve given up? You don¡¯t want to call your moin anymore?¡± Jordyn didn¡¯t respond. After a long pause, she whispered reluctantly, ¡°N No¡­ She still wanted to call. Trevor chuckled but said nothing more. He simply reached out, picked her up, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go inside.¡± Jordyn wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled into his warth, broad embrace. Finally, she felt a little better. Inside, the Fleming family was waiting for them to start dier. When they walked in, all eyes turned toward them. Especially Martha¨Cher face instantly lit up with joy when she saw Jordyn. ¡°Jo, you¡¯re back? Come here, let me have a good look at you.¡± Jordyn climbed down from Trevor¡¯s arms and ran over. ¡°Nana!¡± Then she greeted the others. ¡°Grandma, Aunt Teagan, Uncle Tucker.¡±
  1. nt. Tucker, on the other hand, was delighted. He got Queenie and Teagan responded, but their tones were indifferent. Tucker, on the other hand, was delighted. He got up, hugged her, and started ying with her.
Jordyn giggled as he teased her. Then, out of nowhere, Tucker tilted his head and asked, ¡°By the way, Trey, where¡¯s Celeste?¡± The Scent of 269 When Queenie and the others arrived and didn¡¯t see Celeste, they assumed she had gone to the airport with Trevor to pick Jordyn up. Now that Trevor and Jordyn had returned home, but Celeste was still nowhere to be seen, they found it odd, However, since they didn¡¯t really care about Celeste, they couldn¡¯t be bothered to ask. Trevor simply said, ¡°She¡¯s busy.¡± Tucker didn¡¯t question it and continued ying with Jordyn. Martha, however, understood what was going on but chose to remain silent. After dinner, Jordyn yed by herself for a while, but soon got bored and decided to call Celeste. Even though it was the holidays, Celeste had no intention of letting herself be idle. When Jordyn¡¯s call came in, Celeste was in the middle of reviewing some documents sent by Zachary. Seeing the caller ID and realizing it had been nearly a month since theyst saw each other, she casually picked up the phone. ¡°Hello?¡± Celeste hadn¡¯t answered her calls for so long that Jordyn had almost lost hope. Hearing her mom pick up out of the blue, she was overjoyed ¡°Mom!¡± Celeste¡¯s attention remained on herputer as she responded indifferently, ¡°Mm.¡± Jordyn didn¡¯t notice her detached tone and excitedly said, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back from being abroad!¡± Celeste didn¡¯t even know she left the country. So, hearing this, she simply responded with a brief hum as acknowledgement. From the moment Celeste answered the call, Jordyn had been on cloud nine. She jumped around on the bed excitedly. ¡°Mom, when will you be done with work? Are youing home tonight? I want you to hold me while I sleep, and I have so many fun things to tell you! ¡°Also, I really want to eat your breakfast tomorrow morning. When are youing back?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t tell her that she wouldn¡¯t be going back to the Fleming Manor anymore. Instead, she said, ¡°I¡¯m really busy right now. Next month, I¡¯ll take you out to y.¡± It had been a long time since Celeste had taken her out. The thought of going on an outing together made jordyn very happy. ¡°Next month?¡± Even though next month was only a few days away, it still felt like a long wait for Jordyn. She didn¡¯tin, though. Instead, she asked, ¡°When exactly next month?¡± Even through the phone, Celeste could feel Jordyn¡¯s eagerness to talk to her and see her. Her grip on the mouse tightened slightly before she finally said, ¡°We¡¯ll see when the timees. I¡¯ll let you knew once I decide, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste asked, ¡°Have you taken a bath yet?¡± ¡°Not yet. But soon. ¡°Then go take your bath. I still have work to do. I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± ¡°We just started talking, and you¡¯re already hanging up?¡± Jordyn was reluctant to end the call. She nced at the call duration and protested, ¡°Mom, It¡¯s only been two minutes! Can¡¯t we talk a little longer?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Next time, when I have time, if you want to talk, we can talk longer. Hearing this, Jordyn finally gave in, albeit unwillingly. ¡°Okay. But Mom, you have to keep your promise.¡± Celeste said, ¡°I will.¡± Only then did Jordyn whisper, ¡°Bye, Mom.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± As soon as she finished speaking, Celeste ended the call. Jordyn suddenly remembered that she hadn¡¯t told Celeste about the gift she had bought for her. She was just about to mention it when she realized the call had already ended. Her heart sank with disappointment. Setting her phone down, she climbed out of bed and went to find Trevor in his study. Trevor was in the middle of a video conference. When he saw her walk in, he adjusted the camera angle and muted his microphone before asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Couldn¡¯t get through?¡± The Scent of 270 Chapter 270 Jordyn shook her head and said, ¡°She picked up.¡± Trevor held her in his arms, gently rubbing her temple with his thumb as he gazed at her eyebrows and eyes that resembled his own. ¡°She picked up, but you¡¯re still not happy?¡± Jordyn furrowed her little brows. ¡°I¡¯m happy, but¡­¡± She hadn¡¯t spoken to her mom in so long. Now that she had finally called, she was indeed happy, but¡­. Trevor asked, ¡°But what?¡± Jordyn mumbled, ¡°But I also feel a little unhappy.¡± ¡°That sounds pretty deep,¡± Trevor propped his chin up and chuckled. ¡°You probably just miss your mom since you haven¡¯t seen her in so long. Once she¡¯s done with work she¡¯ll spend more time with you.¡± Jordyn nodded, but she still pouted. ¡°But Mom is so busy. She said she won¡¯t have time for me until next month ¡°Then we¡¯ll wait together until next month, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jordyn was getting sleepy. After chatting for a bit longer, she yawned, climbed down from his arms, and went back to her room to rest. It was the day before the Ember Festival. The morning was almost over, but Queenie and Tucker still hadn¡¯t seen any sign of Celeste. On New Year¡¯s Day, Lincoln had returned home to visit Martha, but Celeste hadn¡¯te back at all. Queenie had assumed that something major had happened with the Rodriguez family. Yesterday, when Martha was discharged from the hospital, Celeste was absent as well. Trevor had simply said she was busy. Given Celeste¡¯s affection for her son, Queenie had never thought she would be willing to go through with a divorce, so she hadn¡¯t given it much thought. But today was different. Celeste didn¡¯t have the same kind of career as Trevor. No matter how busy she was or how serious things were at the Rodriguez family, she should have at least found time toe back for a short visit. So, at around 11:00 am, when Trevor came downstairs, Queenie couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity any longer and asked, ¡°Have you and Celeste already divorced?¡± Tucker was also there. He hadn¡¯t thought much about Celeste¡¯s absence over the past two days. But upon hearing Queenie¡¯s question, he waspletely stunned. Trevor took a sip of tea and replied calmly, ¡°Not yet, but it¡¯s underway.¡± Tucker¡¯s eyes widened. So, were they really getting divorced? He had always known that Trevor didn¡¯t love Celeste, but after all these years, he had assumed they would just continue like this indefinitely. He never thought they would actually go through with it. Queenie looked at Trevor If there was no love in the marriage, then divorce was probably for the best. But Wynn¡­. She was about to say something when Trevor, seemingly pressing what was on her mind, stood up and said, ¡°I have a meeting.¡± With that, he left. Queenie frowned. ¡°You-¡± Meanwhile, at the Rodriguez residence, after a long day, by the time they finished dinner, the sky had already turnedpletely dark. Celeste, Hector and Jamie were getting ready to set off fireworks when Beck suddenly video¨Ccalled her. Celeste paused. Beck would never video¨Ccall her without a reason So, she answered the call, and sure enough, Shanice¡¯s little face immediately appeared on the screen. ¡°Ms. Celeste!¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Celeste smiled. ¡°Shanice, Happy Ember¡¯s Day.¡± ¡°Happy Ember¡¯s Day.¡± Shanice seemed to be in a garden. She handed the phone to Beck and lifted a small rabbit light wand glowing with a warm orange light. ¡°Look, Ms. Celeste! My little light wand is so pretty! I love it! Thank you!¡± ¡°As long as you like it, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± Shanice beamed. ¡°Ms. Celeste, Uncle Beck and I are going to set off fireworkster. Do you want toe over?¡± Celeste assumed she was referring to going to the Harper family¡¯s ce. So, she replied, ¡°I can¡¯t today, sweetie. I have other things to do. Maybe next time, okay?¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Shanice chatted with Celeste for a little while longer, but soon, something else caught her attention, and she ran off. Beck took the phone back and said, ¡°Happy Ember¡¯s Day.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Happy Ember¡¯s Day.¡± Without Shanice in the conversation, the video call suddenly felt a bit awkward to Celeste. Beck asked, ¡°Do you have any nster? Fireworks? Going out for the countdown?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°Probably.¡± Hector and Jamie wanted to go out, so she would likely tagalong. Chapter 270 She assumed Beck was just making small talk and didn¡¯t think much of it. She still felt like there wasn¡¯t much to say between them. So, she said, ¡°I have things to do, let¡¯s leave it here?¡± Beck nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste gave him a slight nod, nced at him on the screen onest time, and then ended the call. Setting her phone down, she stepped out of the small garden to join Hector and Jarnie in setting off fireworks. The Scent of 271 Beck had barely ended the call when Shanice came running with a light wand in her hand. ¡°Uncle Beck, can I call Jo on video?¡± After a quick pause, Beck nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± The call went through, and Jordyn picked up almost instantly. The moment the call connected, Shanice beamed. ¡°Jo, look have a light wand!¡± Worried that Jordyn couldn¡¯t see it clearly, Shanice passede phone to Beck and ran a few steps away to show the whole thing. They were in their garden, and it was dimly lit. Hence, the light wand stood out even more. Jordyn was still taking it in when Shanice ran back, grinning. ¡°I got this as an Ember Festival gift! Isn¡¯t it cute?¡± There were many things from two or three years ago that Jordyn could no longer remember. But seeing Shanice with the light wand triggered a few fleeting memories. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s cute,¡± she said. ¡°I think I used to have one too. ¡®Really? Don¡¯t you have a light wand now?¡± Jordyn shook her head. Watching Shanice run around with the light wand actually looked fun. Shaking her head again, she blurted out, ¡°I¡¯m going to ask my dad to get me one! Don¡¯t hang up¨Cwe¡¯ll talk in a bit¡± Before Shanice could reply, Jordyn dashed upstairs with her phone. A day before the Ember Festival, a small part of the Flemings¡® extended rtives would be at the Fleming Manor to celebrate the Ember Festival. And now, Trevor was busy mingling with others. When he saw her running over, Trevor excused himself and carried Jordyn a little further away. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked. ¡°Shanice got a light wand as a gift. I want one too.¡± ¡°A light wand?¡± ¡°Not those I have in my room.¡± With that, Jordyn held up her phone. ¡°Shanice, show my dad your light wand.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Shanice took a few steps back, revealing the whole thing. After Trevor examined it, he thanked Shanice, ¡°Okay, I got it. Thank you, Shanice.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Trevor then asked Beck, who was still holding the phone, ¡°Got any nster?¡± Beck hesitated briefly. ¡°Might go for the countdown. You?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be heading out, too,¡± Trevor said. Beck wasn¡¯t surprised. After all, given the significance of the night, there was no way Trevor wouldn¡¯t go find Wynn. Beck didn¡¯t press further and changed the subject. ¡°Were you tied up earlier?¡± ¡°Yeah, I was still entertaining guests,¡± Trevor answered. Beck understood. Being the head of the Flemings, the Ember Festival was never an easy time for him. ¡°I¡¯ll let you ge ¡°I¡¯ll let you get back to it, then.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Before handing the phone back to Jordyn, Trevor smiled. ¡°Enjoy the Ember Festival.¡± ¡°You too.¡± Trevor returned the phone to Jordyn. ¡°You two chat; I¡¯ll have someone buy a light wand for you. ¡°Okay!¡± Jordyn replied happily. Then, Trevor walked away, Beck, too, gave the phone to Shanice so she could chat with Jordyn. When they had talked about their ns earlier, he hadn¡¯t asked where Trevor was going, just as Trevor hadn¡¯t invited him to tag along. That alone made it clear¨CTrevor didn¡¯t want anypany tonight. The Scent of 272 Chapter 272 After setting off the fireworks, Celeste and Jamie bid farewell to the family elders and headed out. Their destination was the Baumond Broadcast Tower, one the best ces to take in the city¡¯s nightscape. The night before the Ember Festival, it would also feature stunning light show and other festivities. As they arrived at the broadcast tower, a crowd had already gathered. The air buzzed withughter and excitement. The light show hadn¡¯t started yet. Hector and a few of his ssmates had made ns to celelite the Ember Festival at the tower. Not long after they arrived, he found his friends and joined them. When they saw Celeste and Jamie, Hector¡¯s ssmates politely greeted them. But soon, they couldn¡¯t help sneaking nces at Celeste and whispering to Hector, ¡°Your cousin is beautiful¨Clike, really beautiful!¡± Hector grinned. ¡°Obviously! The group was swept up in the festive energy. They goofed around, taking photos and recording videos. Celeste and Jamie stayed back, letting them enjoy themselves. Just then, Celeste¡¯s phone buzzed. It was a text from Beck. ¡°Will you be at the broadcast tower for the light show tonight?¡± Celeste was a little confused. Still, she replied, ¡°I¡¯m already here. Why?¡± Beck responded almost right away, ¡°Shanice and I are on our way as well.¡± Upon reading the text, Celeste paused for a second. ¡°I see.¡± What a coincidence. Beck left the conversation at that. Not long after, the light show started. Celeste watched in awe,pletely absorbed¨Cuntil a familiar voice rang out. ¡°Ms. Celeste!¡± She turned and, sure enough, spotted Beck and Shanice. The moment Shanice saw her looking, she beamed with excitement, stretching out her arms. Celeste pulled Jamie along as they wove through the crowd toward Shanice and Beck. When they reached them, she scooped Shanice into her arms. Shanice wrapped her arms around Celeste¡¯s neck, eyes glued to the light show, shrieking in delight. ¡°Ms. Celeste, Jook!¡± Celeste chuckled. ¡°I see it.¡± The festive energy was contagious, and she found herself smiling the entire time. Beck watched her, then, worried she might get tired from holding Shanice for too long, gently took the little girl back. ¡°Where¡¯s Hector? Didn¡¯t hee with you?¡± ¡°He did, he¡¯s over there.¡± Celeste gestured toward Hector and his group, who hadn¡¯t wandered far Just as she was about to turn away, she caught sight of three familiar figures. Her smile disappeared. It was Harvey, Lilian, and Calvin She wasn¡¯t sure what they were saying, but Harvey tousled Calvin¡¯s hair with a warm, affectionate gesture. The three of them stood close, looking every bit like a happy, loving family Celeste¡¯s expression changed in an instant. And Beck noticed it immediately. He followed Celeste¡¯s gaze and noticed Harvey and the others. Before he could look away, Calvin spotted them too. Seeing familiar faces on a festive night like this, Calvin lit up with excitement. He waved eagerly and called out, Beck!¡± At his voice, Harvey and Lilian turned. Their expressions warmed when they saw Beck. But as soon as their eyes on Celeste, the warmth drained from their expressions. Especially Lilian. Her brows knitted almost right away upon seeing Celeste standing beside Beck. Since they had already run into each other, it would be rude to ignore thempletely. Beck hesitated for a moment and turned to Celeste. ¡°I¡¯ll go say hello.¡± Celeste¡¯s response was t. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Beck gave her another nce before carrying Shanice toward them. Jamie had noticed the shift in Celeste¡¯s demeanor as well. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure what had happened to Celeste in the past, and Harvey was little more than a vague figure. in her memory. However, the way Celeste¡¯s expression cooled in an instant Jamie¡¯s sharp intuition told her exactly who Harvey and Lilian were. A pang clenched in her chest. Jamie grasped Celeste¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Maybe we should go?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t want to ruin their Ember Festival. Thus, she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Her mood shift had nothing to do with lingering feelings for Harvey. It was just¡­ Seeing him with Lilian brought back thoughts of her mother. Especially tonight. +25 BONUT Why did they get to enjoy Ember Festival together happily while her mother- Oh, right. Not just the three of them. They were a family of four. Wynn was probably off on a date with Trevor, They had destroyed her mother¡¯s life, yet their family of four kept thriving. What a cruel joke. Jamie squeezed Celeste¡¯s hand but said nothing. She had known their family wasn¡¯t like others. For them, holidays weren¡¯t a time of celebration¨Cthey were a time of grief. Visiting Isabelle was painful; so was not visiting. Every trip to the nursing home forced thein to relive the past in excruciating detail, leaving them restless. Moving on was painful, and so was refusing to move on. Their family had been scraping by¨Cnot great, not awful, just surviving. But then Wynn came back out of nowhere and took Trevor away from Celeste. And now, to top it all off, her entire family had relocated to Baumond. It just made their lives even harder. Noticing Celeste and Jamie¡¯s expression shift, Hector excused himself from his friends and headed over. He wasn¡¯t sure what was going on. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Celeste?¡± Before Celeste could reply, Jamie shot a look toward Harvey¡¯s group and said, ¡°The ones talking to Beck are the Lockets,¡± Hector instantly got the message, his lips pressing into a firm line. Meanwhile¡­. Beck had just finished exchanging pleasantries with Harvey and the others. When he turned back, he saw that Celeste and the others were gone. The Scent of 273 The Rodriguez family didn¡¯t have a tradition of staying upte for the Ember Festival. By the time Celeste and the others got home, Betty was already asleep, When Celeste went upstairs, the clock struck midnight. Her phone had been vibrating nonstop. Matthias, Beck, and several colleagues from YodaVision had sent her Ember Festival greetings, including Theodore and Harold. She replied to each of them, including Beck, before sending greetings of her own to Zachary and Lottle. Just then, Theodore sent another message, asking if she had time in the next few days. He mentioned that he¡¯d been too busy with work to properly thank herst time, and now that he had a break, he wanted to take her out for a meal. After finishing her chat with Theodore, Celeste set down her phone and went to take a shower. Whether they visited or not, seeing Isabelle was always painful for the Rodriguez family. But on a day like this, how could they truly not go? Every year, on the morning of Ember Festival¡¯s first day, Celeste and Betty would prepare a feast, pack it up, and take it to the nursing home. to the This year was no different. Hence, on the first morning of the Ember Festival, Celeste was up early. Betty, Ivan, and Adeline were already awake when she came downstairs. Seeing her, Betty and Adeline both handed her a gift box. Betty gently cupped Celeste¡¯s face and said warmly, ¡°May everything go smoothly for you this year, Cel.¡± ¡°Thank you, Granny.¡± After breakfast, Celeste and Adeline headed into the kitchen to prepare the ingredients. Both Betty and Ivan were skilled cooks, but when it came to making food for Isabelle, they could only assist because Isabelle could always tell who made the food, and it would trigger an emotional episode. So, for years, this had always been Adeline¡¯s task. Over time, as Celeste learned to cook, she and Adeline began splitting the work In truth, she had wanted to learn how to cook ever since she was a child¨Cfor Isabelle¡¯s sake. But Betty wouldn¡¯t allow it. Betty believed Celeste was too young. If she learned to cook at an early age because of Isabelle, it would mean taking on that weight far too soon. Celeste¡¯s childhood had already been difficult enough. Betty wanted her to have as much happiness as possible without being constantly tied to the past. Two hourster, a table full of dishes was ready. #25 NONUS Chapter 2/3 Jamie and Hector helped pack everything up. With the Ember Festival gifts in hand, the six of them made their way to the nursing home. They had also prepared small gifts for the doctors and nurses who looked after Isabelle. Isabelle was still as frail as ever, her eyes vacant. Celeste, Betty, and the others stood where Isabelle couldn¡¯t see them, watching as she showed no reaction to the gifts the doctors had brought on their behalf. The nurse ced the gift box prepared by Betty in Isabelle¡¯s hands, but she barely seemed to notice it. After ncing at it briefly, she let it fall to the floor as if it meant nothing to her. She had little appetite, Even with a feastid out in front of her, she showed no interest. Only when the nurse ced a few bites in her bowl did she eat. Before she had even sampled every dish, she lost interest and withdrew into her own world once more. Seeing this, the nurse sighed and cleared the table. Celeste¡¯s eyes stung, but she held it in, not wanting to dampen the mood for others. But really, they all felt it. After spending half an hour there, they left. #79 BONUT The Scent of 274 It was already close to noon when they left. Going home to cook didn¡¯t feel right. None of them were really in the mood. In fact, they didn¡¯t have much appetite for lunch at all. But they still had to eat. Celeste then suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s cat out. Betty nodded. ¡°Okay, whatever you decide, Cel.¡± After parking, Celeste and Ivan had barely stepped out of the car when they spotted the Lockets and Shaws. It seemed they hade to the same restaurant. As they arrived, someone recognized Wynn and Harvey, wannly greeting them and inviting them to join their table. The Lockets and Shaws also noticed the Rodriguezs. Patricia let out a scoff, looking at them disdainfully. Lilian barely gave them a nce before looking away. Wynn didn¡¯t even bother¨Cshe acted as if they weren¡¯t there at all. Just then, the restaurant manager hurried out, addressing Wynn with a polite smile. ¡°Ms. Locket, Mr. Fleming¡¯s preferred private lounge has been prepared for you. Please, this way.¡± Wynn gave a small nod, not even ncing at Celeste and her family. Instead, she turned to Cassian, the man who had just invited them to dine together. ¡°Apologies, Mr. Vale but this is a private family gathering. Let¡¯s arrange something another time.¡± Cassian, sensing the clear rejection, quickly nodded. ¡°Of course, of course. I wouldn¡¯t dream of intruding on your family dinner.¡± Without another word, Wynn followed the restaurant manager inside. Celeste hadn¡¯t expected to run into them here. She looped her arm through Betty¡¯s, hesitating a little. Reassuringly, Betty patted her hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just go on ¡°Alright,¡± Celeste said. As soon as they stepped inside, a well¨Cdressed host approached with an apologetic smile. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, but we¡¯re fully booked for the afternoon. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have any avable tables at the moment.¡± Celeste had been here plenty of times before. A full house? Practically unheard of. This was definitely the Lockets and Shaws¡® doing. She clenched her jaw. Celeste wasn¡¯t the only one who realized it. Ivan and Betty had caught on as well. 426 BONUS ¡°Ms. Rodriguez?¡± Upon hearing her name, she turned around, only to see Caleb. ¡°Hello, Mr. Jennings,¡± she greeted him. Caleb¡¯s gaze flicked to the host, who was starting to look uneasy. He then turned to Celeste. ¡°What happened? Why aren¡¯t you going in?¡± Celeste¡¯s tone was calm. ¡°Well, the staff told us that all the tables are booked.¡± Caleb nced at the host. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± The host definitely knew who Caleb was. Moreover, his family¨Cparticrly Harold¨Cwas inside the restaurant at this very moment. Seeing that Caleb might intervene on Celeste¡¯s behalf, the bost panicked and stepped forward. ¡°We just received word that a table has opened up. A private lounge is now avable. Please,e in.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t move. She was staring at Betty instead. ¡°Le head somewhere else to eat,¡± Betty said. ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste turned to Caleb. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Jennings.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal,¡± Caleb replied casually. He paused for a second and nodded in greeting to Betty and the others. The Rodriguezs left. Caleb stepped into the restaurant, his gaze sweeping over the host. The host was sweating, forcing a nervous smile, but he didn¡¯t dare say a word. The fact that he wasn¡¯t offering an exnation told Caleb everything he needed to know¨Cthe person behind this had real influence. The Scent of 275 Celeste had barely started her meal at another restaurant when her phone buzzed twice. It was a message from Lottle. She tapped it open and found two photos attached. The people in the photos? Trevor and Wynn. She pursed her lips. Without examining them further, she exited the chat. The second she did, Lottie¡¯s call came through Celeste hesitated briefly, then got up and stepped outside to answer. ¡°Lottle, hl.¡± ¡°Cel, did you see the photos I sent you just now?¡± She only nced at one of the photos; she didn¡¯t bother looking at the other one. Still, she said, ¡°Yeah, I saw them.¡± Lottieunched into a rant. ¡°My friend sent the first photo to mest night, saying that they spotted them at a hotel. On Ember Festival, of all holidays! Can you believe it? They actually booked a room together? Shameless, Celeste¡¯s expression remained unchanged. She didn¡¯t even frown one bit and just hummed a soft reply. ¡°The second one is even worse. My friend screenshotted her post. She unted the roses and gifts Trevor gave her for Ember Festival¨Cshe took the pictures right in the hotel room. And she had the nerve to act all smug, like it was some perfect and romantic night. Honestly, she just makes me sick.¡± After giving a casual response, Celeste asked, ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± ¡°Not yet. I went out with friends for a countdownst night, drank way too much, and just woke up. I even forgot to reply to your wishes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Celeste added, ¡°Enjoy your Ember Festival.¡± ¡°You too, Cel.¡± As Lottie finished speaking, she thought of Trevor and Wynh again. She hesitated, debating whether to keep talking about it, but then changed the subject. ¡°Cel, what are you up to right now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m having lunch with Granny and the others.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lottie scratched her head. ¡°Sorry, Cel. I probably killed your appetite. I shouldn¡¯t have brought that all up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Celeste responded gently. ¡°Go freshen up and eat something, or your stomach¡¯s going to give you trouble again.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know.¡± The two chatted for a while longer before ending the call. Since it was still early after lunch, Celeste took a walk with Betty, strolling through the streets and window- shopping. +25 ROPAS This time, they didn¡¯t run into anyone. By the time they returned home, their moods had noticeably Improved. The Rodriguezes didn¡¯t have many rtives In Baumond, so the Ember Festival was never particrly hectic for them. By the evening of the second day, Celeste finally had some time to herself. She opened herptop and resumed going through the research materials Zachary had given her. Just after ten, as she was about to shower, her phone rang It was a call from Trevor. Celeste nced at the screen but didn¡¯t bother answering, stead, she walked straight to the bathroom. After showering, she did some more research. As she finished taking notes, she heard the sound of a car pulling up outside. Her hand on the mouse suddenly paused. She thought of Trevor¡¯s call from earlier. Frowning, she set the mouse aside and walked over to the window¨Cjust in time to see Jordyn jump out of the car, calling out, ¡°Granny!¡± Celeste pressed her lips together, turned away, and picked up her phone. That was when she noticed a message from Trevor, sent after she ignored his call. ¡°I¡¯m heading overseas tomorrow. Please take care of Jo for the next few days.¡± She stared at the text for a moment before putting away her phone. Then, Jordyn came running upstairs and pushed open her bedroom door. The second she saw Celeste, her face lit up, and she threw herself into Celeste¡¯s arms. ¡°Hi, Mom!¡± The Scent of 276 Celeste instinctively reached out, steadying Jordyn to keep her from falling But the moment Jordyn crashed into her arms, Wynn¡¯s perfume drifted into her nose once again. Celeste took the girl¡¯s backpack and set it aside on the couch. Just as Jordyn was about to run toward the bed, Celeste gently pulled her back. ¡°Did you shower?¡± ¡°I did.¡± And yet, Wynn¡¯s scent still lingered on her. That could only mean one thing¨CWynn had either been living with Trevor, or the two of them had just dropped her off together. They just hadn¡¯t bothered toe inside. ¡°You¡¯re all sweaty, change into something clean,¡± Celeste said tly. Jordyn recalled that after her shower, she had been running around and probably worked up a little sweat. Hence, she nodded obediently and went into the bathroom to change. Celeste, on the other hand, continued to organize her research materials. As soon as Jordyn finished changing, she came out of the bathroom. Then, she took out a bunny¨Cshaped light wand from her backpack. ¡°Mom, look! It¡¯s a light wand.¡± Celeste nced at it, then paused for a quick moment. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°Dad bought it for me! Isn¡¯t it cute?¡± Celeste nodded. Jordyn then ran over, turned off the lights in Celeste¡¯s room and switched on the light wand. With excitement written all over her face, she asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it prettier when the lights are off?¡± ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± She added, ¡°Do you like it a lot?¡± ¡°Yes, I love it!¡± With that, Jordyn took out another light wand from her backpack. ¡°Dad bought me two, and this one¡¯s for you! Mom, will you take a stroll with me downstairs with the light wand?¡± ¡°I already took a shower, Jo. Let¡¯s wait until tomorrow. And you¡¯ve changed your clothes too; we don¡¯t want to get them dirty.¡°¡± Jordyn¡¯s enthusiasm seemed to fade a bit, her excitement cooling off. ¡°Oh¡­¡± She remembered it had been over a month since she¡¯dst seen Celeste. Noticing that Celeste didn¡¯t seem particrly interested in the light wand, Jordyn stopped showing it to her and put it away. Then, she ran over to hug her. ¡°Mom..¡± Celeste put away her book. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jordyn didn¡¯t say anything. She kicked off her shoes and snuggled into her embrace. ¡°I missed you so much, Mom.¡± With that, she wrapped her arms around Celeste¡¯s neck, nting a few kisses on her cheek +25 BONUS ¡°Mom, you smell so nice,¡± she said gleefully. Celeste tightened her arms around Jordyn. Secondster, she caressed her face quietly. She could tell that Jordyn¡¯s face changed slightly, showing hint of maturity. It seemed she was beginning to look more like Trevor. Celeste lowered her gaze and saw that Jordyn wasn¡¯t wearing any socks. She gently ced her on the bed and covered her feet with the nket. ¡°How long are you staying here this time?¡± Jordyn shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Dad didn¡¯t say anything about it. He just asked me to wait for him here,¡± she answered. Celeste nodded slightly, saying nothing. Just then, Jordyn remembered something. She hopped off the bed to rummage through her backpack. ¡°Mom, I bought a souvenir for you when I went abroad.¡± She found the crystal ball she had bought for Celeste and eagerly handed it to her. After getting close to Wynn, it had been a long while since Jordyn prepared any gifts for Celeste. Celeste took the gift withposure. ¡°Thank you. I like it a lot.¡± The Scent of 277 The next day, when Celeste went upstairs after breakfast, je noticed fondyn was on a video call with Trevor. Jordyn looked up and called mit to her Celeste hummed a soft reply, then opened herptop. On the other end of the phone, Trevor asked, ¡°Do you have any ns for today?¡± Jordyn was lying on the bed. Cheerfully, she replied, ¡°I want to watch a movie, and Mom will be taking me to see one this aftemoon!¡± Celeste was engrossed in the materials she had organized the day before. Moments , Jordyn came over holding the phone. ¡°Mom, Dad wants me to give this to you.¡± Celeste paused, took the phone, and nced at Trevor¡¯s face on the screen. She didn¡¯t feel like having a video chat, so she ced the phone on the desk, pointing the front camera at the ceiling. ¡°What is it?¡± Thank you for taking care of Jo these few days,¡± Trevor sail. Celeste didn¡¯t reply. Her attention was still on herptop as she typed, adding in the ideas she had missed yesterday. ¡°Anything else?¡± she asked. ¡°No,¡± Trevor said. ¡°Enjoy your Ember Festival.¡± Celeste muttered a soft reply before ending the call. She handed the phone back to Jordyn. As noon approached and she was just about to take Jordyn out, her phone rang. It was Matthias. She smiled slightly and picked up. The moment the call connected, Matthias¡¯s voice dropped to a hushed tone. Shit, I just ran into those two again!¡± Celeste stilled. She knew exactly who he was talking about, Before she could speak, Matthias caught Trevor and Wynn looking his way. Matthias was at a loss for words. Secondster, he uttered, ¡°They¡¯re heading over. I¡¯m gonna hang up.¡± ¡°Okay. The moment she ended the call, Trevor and Wynn had already reached Matthias, ¡°Where are you off to, Mr. Yoder?¡± Matthias didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he shed a tight and insincere smile. ¡°Mr. Fleming, Ms. Locket, we¡¯re not exactly friends. Next time, feel free to just walk past me.¡± Wynn lounge. Once he was far enough away, he redialed Celeste. ¡°What are you up to?¡± Celeste had just changed into fresh clothes. ¡°Getting ready to head out for a movie,¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± He asked, ¡°Going solo?¡± ¡°With Jo.¡± Matthias was speechless for a brief moment. ¡°Wasn¡¯t she supposed to be with the Flemings for the Ember Festival? Why¡¯s she at your ce?¡± While adjusting her makeup, Celeste replied nonchntly, ¡°They dropped her off herest night.¡± Matthias snorted. ¡°So, Trevor wants some alone time with Wynn, but your daughter gets in the way, so they just dropped her off at your ce? Wow. No shame at all.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t respond. Just then, Jordyn came bouncing over and grabbed her hand ¡°I¡¯m ready, Mom! Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She then told Matthias, ¡°Forget them. Just¨Chave fun.¡± Matthias sighed. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll be back soon¨Cwon¡¯t leave thepany all on you.¡± Chuckling, Celeste replied, ¡°Okay.¡± The Scent of 278 +25 BONUT After grabbing a bite and watching a movie, Celeste and Jordyn passed by an arcade. Jordyn¡¯s eyes lit up¨Cshe hadn¡¯t yed games with Celeste in ages. Without hesitation, she pulled her inside. Trips to the mall, movies, and arcades were nothing new for Jordyn, but getting to do them with Celeste again made it feel special. She was having the time of her life. That evening, Celeste had dinner ns with Theodore. As they left the arcade, she figured she¡¯d drop Jordyn off at home before heading to the restaurant. But Jordyn wasn¡¯t ready to part ways. She tugged on Celeste¡¯s hand and pouted. ¡°Can¡¯t Ie with you?¡± Celeste hesitated. It was just a casual dinner with Theodore¨Cnothing formal Hence, bringing Jordyn along wouldn¡¯t be a big deal. With that in mind, Celeste called Theodore and asked if he was okay with her bringing a child. Theodore chuckled as he replied, ¡°Cel, just bring them along. I don¡¯t mind.¡± Then, after a brief pause, he asked, Yours?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Theodore was a little surprised when he heard that.. Thest time they met, she had mentioned being married, but he hadn¡¯t expected that someone who looked so young already had a child. About 30 minutester, Celeste arrived at the private lounge, holding Jordyn¡¯s hand. Theodore was already there. Seeing the little girl, he smiled ¡°Cel, so this is your daughter? She looks just like your Smiling, Celeste nodded. ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°Jordyn Fleming.¡± ¡°Fleming?¡± Theodore stilled for a moment. Something about Jordyn looked familiar, but Theodore couldn¡¯t immediately recall where he had seen her before. Then, as soon as Celeste confirmed it, realization dawned he had seen the Flemings on New Year¡¯s Day. The little girl holding Trevor¡¯s hand back then was undoubtedly Jordyn. He blinked in shock. ¡°Your husband is Trevor?¡± Celeste nodded. Then, he was at a loss for words. When she had first mentioned being married, he had wondered why someone as exceptional as her would settle down so young +25 BONAI After all, few could truly measure up to her. But if it was Trevor¡­ Well, realistically speaking, in terms of background, status, and capabilities, he was probably the only real match for her in their social circle. Theodore let out a small smile, but as his thoughts wandered, he recalled the distant look in Celeste¡¯s eyes when she first mentioned her marriage. Then there was New Year¡¯s Day¨Che had seen the Flemings, yet she had been nowhere in sight. It wasn¡¯t just a strained rtionship. The cracks between her and Trevor ran deeper than he had imagined He gestured for them to sit and took out two gift boxes, handling them over. Celeste instinctively refused. However, Theodore¡¯s tone was kind as he said, ¡°It¡¯s just a small tradition. Nothing much¡ªtake it.¡± With no other option, she epted. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Robinson.¡± Turning to Jordyn, Celeste prompted, ¡°Say thank you, Jo.¡± Jordyn, bright and well¨Cmannered, beamed up at Theodore. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Robinson.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Chuckling, Theodore studied her features. ¡°She¡¯s definitely got more of Trevor¡¯s looks.¡± ¡°She does.¡± Theodore grinned. ¡°Whether she takes after Trevor or you, with parents like you two, she¡¯s going to turn out just fine.¡± Celeste lowered her gaze, offering only a faint smile without responding. Theodore then asked, ¡°So, has my stubborn son finally made peace with you?¡± She shook her head, smiling. ¡°If anything, things have gotten worse. Theodoreughed outright. ¡°Good.¡± Completely unconcerned, he added, ¡°He¡¯s had it way too easy. A little lesson in humility will do him some good. Honestly, I¡¯m kind of looking forward to it.¡± After that, their conversation drifted to other topics. Once dinner was over, Celeste and Theodore continued chatting for over an hour before finally parting ways. With the movie outing and dinner behind her, Celeste spent the next few days at home, poring over the research materials Zachary had sent her. While Celeste immersed herself in research at home, Jordyn was well¨Cbehaved. Aside from the asional outing with Hector and the others, she mostly stayed in her room, entertaining herself. Still, she¡¯d call Trevor on video every day. And most of the time, Wynn was right there with him. It wasn¡¯t that Celeste made a habit of listening in, but Jordyn knew how she felt about Wynn. Thus, whenever Wynn was around, she¡¯d take her tablet outside rather than staying in her room. After two or three days of deep focus, Celeste finally had a Breakthrough. For the first time since receiving, Zachary¡¯s materials, her ideas felt clear and tangibl That day, she worked nonstop from morning to night, so absorbed that she didn¡¯t even respond when called downstairs for lunch. Seeing this, Adeline simply brought her food upstairs instead, Jordyn noticed her food had gone cold, and Celeste still hadn¡¯t eaten. So, she called out, ¡°Mom, eat first.¡± +36 BONUS Celeste merely mumbled a reply while keeping her eyes on theptop screen, unaware she had actually responded. Jordyn tried calling her a few more times. It wasn¡¯t until then that Celeste took a break and ate her meal. The same pattern repeated at night. She was so engrossed in her work that she didn¡¯t even make time to eat. Jordyn had originally intended to ask her for help with a bath, but after several unsessful calls, she gave up and went downstairs to ask Jamie for help instead. When Jordyn finished her bath and returned to her room, she found Celeste still glued to theptop. Hence, she quietly climbed into bed by herself and drifted off to sleep. Jordyn woke up, still feeling drowsy, and realized it was already morning. She got up, holding her doll, and walked to Celeste. ¡°Didn¡¯t you sleep at all, Mom?¡± Celeste replied casually, ¡°You can sleep first. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Jordyn was at a loss for words. She had already slept and woken up, and Celeste was still sitting in front of her . ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired, Mom?¡± Celeste hummed a soft reply. Noticing her frown, Jordyn thought she had disturbed her. Initially, she was going to ask if Celeste was hungry, but she held back. Quietly, she went to wash up. The Scent of 279 Having worked non¨Cstop for over a day and night, Celeste ted down everything that needed to be documented and sent it to Matthias. Finally, she made her way downstairs for breakfast. After going through the materials she had sent, Matthias was so excited his hands trembled. ¡°This is exactly it, Cel! It¡¯s perfect!¡± Rubbing her aching temples, Celeste replied, ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep for a bit. Let¡¯s talkter.¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± Celeste slept untilte aftemoon. When she woke up, she found Jordyn ying with a puzzle in her room. As soon as Jordyn saw Celeste, the former stood up. ¡°Mom, you¡¯re awake!¡± Celeste nodded in reply. ¡°Are you thirsty, Mom? Should I get you a ss of water?¡± Celeste paused for a second. ¡°Yes, please.¡± After pouring Celeste a ss of water, Jordyn went back to her own game. Celeste watched as she yed the puzzle, and she realized how much she had neglected her in the past few days due to her work. But today was thest day of the holidays. Tomorrow, she would be back at work at YodaVision, and she¡¯d have less time to spend with her. With that in mind, she called, ¡°Jo.¡± Jordyn turned around to look at her. ¡°What is it, Mom?¡± ¡°When will your dad be back?¡± ¡°He said not so soon, though.¡± Jordyn asked, ¡°Did you need him for something?¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°No, nothing. You go ahead.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Finishing her ss of water, Celeste sent a text to Trevor. ¡°When will you be back? I¡¯m going to work tomorrow, and have no time to look after Jordyn. Come take her back. About half an hourter, she received a reply from Trevor. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in two days.¡± Then, Celeste left the conversation there. After dinner, Jordyn went to take a stroll with Betty. Celeste, on the other hand, received a call from Matthias right after she went upstairs. Since they were discussing and organizing some ideas, Celeste had the phone on speaker when talking to Matthias Jordyn came back after the stroll. She heard Celeste talking to someone, and the voice on the other end of the phone waspletely unfamiliar to her. Feeling a little upet, she blurted out, ¡°Who are you talking to, Mom?** ¡°A friend of mine.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Matthias heard Jordyn¡¯s voice, but he stayed silent. He also didn¡¯t bring up that he had seen her when she was young, or that he had even held her before. Their call went on until past 10:00 pm, and it wasn¡¯t until then that they ended the call. On the next day, Celeste went back to work. Ever since YodaVision began developing the two projects she¡¯d createdst year, there had been a shortage of staff. They had intended to hire more people at the end ofst year. However, Celeste and Matthias had been too busy to do so. With the need for expansion growing more urgent, Celeste took charge of the arrangements on her first day back at work after the holidays. Trevor had mentioned that he would be back after two days. But four days had passed, and he was still overseas. On the fifth day, Celeste received a call from Jordyn when she was still at the office. ¡°Mom, Dad is back! He has sent someone over to pick me up.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Celeste responded. ¡°Make sure you don¡¯t leave anything behind.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Secondster, Jordyn asked again, ¡°Can youe back and see me off, Mom?¡± Celeste still had a pile of work to do. She was going to reject her at first. Yet she recalled how she hadn¡¯t spent much time with Jordyn because of her busy schedule. Moreover, Jordyn would probably forget about her for a while after this. So, she agreed, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go back now.¡± Jordyn cheered, ¡°Yes!¡± strip as Matthias had returned from his well. Celeste, worn out from worktely, had his full support if she wanted to leave early and take some time to rest. It was just that¡­ Matthias scoffed. ¡°Trevor dropped everything to go on a honeymoon with that woman and even dyeding back for a few days. He didn¡¯t feel guilty at all. But you, as a mother without custody, feel guilty just for not being able to spend time with your child? Honestly, I think Trevor is just taking advantage of how soft¨Chearted you throwing the kid on you and running off to have fun.¡± The Scent of 280 Just after Jordyn called Celeste, the car Trevor sent to pick fordyn up showed up. In the end, Jordyn didn¡¯t manage to see Celeste before she left. As she reached the private lounge, Jordyn ran straight into Trevor¡¯s arms. ¡°Dad, Wynn, hi!¡± Smiling, Trevor softly ruffled her hair. Wynn helped Jordyn set her backpack aside, Beck, Miles, and Linda were there in the private lounge as well. Seeing how much Jordyn missed Trevor and Wynn, Miles duckled and said, ¡°See? I told you, Trevor. You should¡¯ve brought Jo along on the trip. Look how upset shes. If you¡¯d stayed away any longer, Jo would probably have been in tears.¡± Miles¡¯sment made it seem like staying with Celeste had been unfair to Jordyn. Before Trevor and the others could say anything, Beck smoothly steered the conversation in another direction. Did you do anything fun while you were there, Jo?¡± Jordyn settled down in her seat. ¡°I did! I went to watch a movie with Mom, and we yed VR games together. We also dined out.¡± Miles chimed in, ¡°Was that all?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Jordyn responded nonchntly. ¡°Mom was too busy to spend time with me.¡± Miles assumed that when Jordyn mentioned Celeste being busy, she meant caught up in the usual Ember Festival family gatherings. After all, that was how it had been for him and Beck. They had been swamped since the end ofst year, juggling endless visits with different rtives. Just as they finally settled, work picked up again, and they were tied up nonstop. It wasn¡¯t until today that they finally managed to set aside some time to grab a meal with Trevor and the others¨Cto rx and catch up. Wynn was reading a book. Taking a sip of her drink, Jordyn nced at the cover of the book out of boredom. It looked familiar, catching her attention enough for her to take another look. Then, Beck asked, ¡°Are you interested in the book, Jo?¡± Jordyn shook her head. ¡°No, I just realized Mom has the same book.¡± Upon hearing what Jordyn had just said, Wynn stilled for a moment as a subtle smile yed on her lips. The beginner and advanced editions of this book had the same cover. Wynn was reading the advanced edition. She hadn¡¯t even encountered this sort of detailed content during her PhD, let alone in her undergrad. She had been reading a lottely, and since Linda visited the Lockets almost every day, she knew the book had both a beginner and advanced version. At Jordyn¡¯s words, she figured Celeste was definitely reading the beginner¡¯s version. She almost burst intoughter. +25 BORBUN However, since Trevor and Beck were there, she held it back Beck, on the other hand, had figured the situation out himself. He lowered his gaze, smiling and staying quiet. Just then, Miles suddenly turned to Beck. Raising an eyebrow, he asked teasingly, ¡°I heard your mom¡¯s been pushing you to go on blind dates, Beck. Found any good matches yet?¡± And that instantly drew everyone¡¯s attention. Linda had heard about it too, and, because of that, she was even more worried. She stared nervously at Beck, waiting for his answer. Yet, Beckpletely ignored her. He gave Miles a look as he answered, ¡°Can¡¯t you go on a day without gossiping?¡± Miles smiled yfully. ¡°I¡¯m just curious. That¡¯s all.¡± Beck remained silent. It was obvious to them that Beck wasn¡¯t interested in blind dates. His silence spoke volumes, and everyone understood right away. Then, Miles blurted out, ¡°So, how¡¯s it going with the woman Shanice kept mentioning? If you like her, why not just tell your mom? Or is her background too different from yours, and you¡¯re worried your mom won¡¯t approve of her?¡± Beck didn¡¯t take a nce at Trevor. Instantly, he interrupted Miles, ¡°Honestly, there¡¯s all this food, and you¡¯re still running your mouth?¡± The more Beck kept quiet about it, the more curious Miles became. Miles went on, ¡°I get it; you¡¯re worried your mom might disapprove, so you didn¡¯t bring her home. But it¡¯s been a while now at least let us meet her. You can bring her here to see me and Trevor.¡± Without waiting for Beck to respond, Miles turned to Trevor. ¡°Don¡¯t you agree, Trevor?¡± Trevor chuckled, ncing at Beck. ¡°When the timees, you probably won¡¯t have to urge him at all. Beck will bring her over for us to meet. We should just stay out of it. Miles was speechless. Everyone knew that, of course. He was just curious about the person. Linda lightly tugged on Wynn¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Wynn¡­¡± Miles had told her that Beck had a crush on someone else before, and she refused to believe it back then. Well, it seemed like that was true, after all. Wynn smiled, looking rxed. She didn¡¯t utter a word. It was true that they had never met the woman Shanice had mentioned before. However, did Beck actually care about her that much? Or was the woman merely a decoy? Perhaps Beck orchestrated this whole thing just to keep his true feelings hidden. The Scent of 281 They were halfway through the meal when something suddenly popped into Miles¡® mind. He said to Wynn, ¡°That reminds me, YodaVision Co. is actively recruiting talents. Do you want to try working there again?¡± Although she had spent thest few days overseas, she was aware of YodaVision Co.¡¯s movements. Truth be told, she was quite tempted to go. After all, thepany had the most impressive technology ever. Working there would do wonders for her personal growth. However, something was still holding her back. Miles knew that Wynn was worried that Celeste might make things hard for her. He grinned and said, ¡°I ran into a friend yesterday. It sounded like Matthias was also earnestly getting in touch with people with experience in management, aside from technicians with a specific set of skills. ¡°Judging by the way YodaVision Co. was recruiting new talents, Matthias didn¡¯t reserve any managerial position for her.¡± Naturally, he was talking about Celeste. YodaVision Co. was expanding its internal recruitment and restructuring. By all means, these arrangements should¡¯ve provided a perfect opportunity for Celeste to hold a position in thepany. However, Matthias didn¡¯t save any managerial position for Celeste. It went to show that he still kept a clear head and didn¡¯t let her have her way. Alternatively, things between them could¡¯ve gotten hairy. In any case, her authority in YodaVision Co. would be significantly reduced if she couldn¡¯t get hold of a position. That was why this would be a wonderful window for Wynn to get into thepany now. Wynn knew just how much Matthias looked after Celeste. During the year¨Cend banquet, he even spoke bluntly to her for Celeste¡¯s sake. It was quite surprising how they were already having a fallout now. She was stunned for a moment, feeling shocked. Once she gave it some thought, however, she found that it wasn¡¯t that surprising either. Wynn had known from the beginning that Celeste wouldn¡¯t be able to keep Matthias under her thumb for long. This day would¡¯vee sooner orter. She grinned subtly and said, ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll send my resume in and give it a shot when I have the time.¡± Miles smiled and shot Trevor a teasing look. Thetter had been quiet the whole time. He said, ¡°Trevor initiated a project on your behalf at InnovaTech. Your sudden departure might have some bearing on it.¡± Trevor ced some food on Jordyn¡¯s te and responded, ¡°That¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Wynn knew he would respond this way. He had always given her his full support, no matter what she wanted to do. He had never put her in any difficult situations. The thought made her feel loved. Beck had been busy after New Year¡¯s Eve. He wasn¡¯t able to make time and meet with Celeste. When he heard what Miles and Wynn said, he lowered his head and said nothing Celeste and Matthias were both Zachary¡¯s mentees. She also led the research team and developed Cuap and the twotest projects at YodaVision Co. Needless to say, she was a key figure in thepany, and no one could deny her importance. Positions meant nothing to someone like her. With that said, the fact that Celeste wasn¡¯t interested in a position also meant that she had other ns down. road. Celeste had started nning to allocate more time to research at the end ofst year. She talked it over with Matthias and decided they¡¯d let someone capable take charge of YodaVision Co. After New Year, he got in touch with several people, and he already ha the recruitment was going to take a long time. a list on his mind by now. With that said, As for thetest research, Celeste had alreadypiled everything and sent it to Zachary three days ago. was left was his response. At the thought of it, she actually received a text from him. ¡°Swing by my ce tonight.¡± All that The Scent of 282 After work, Celeste and Matthias swing by Zachary¡¯s vi. Zachary was frowning and talking with someone over the phone. When he saw them, he ended the call, took a seat, and said, ¡°After seeing your research content, some people were interested in meeting you. I¡¯ll introduce you to them next time.¡± Celeste nodded obediently. ¡°Okay.¡± Her current research had been officially designated as a national project. Then, Zachary talked to her about what she should expect from it, Afterward, Celeste and Matthias asked lilm for some pointers about something. By the time they left, it was already midnight. The next morning, they went back to YodaVision Co. Celeste was going through the resumes that the human resources department had filtered for the technical department. She had been reading them for a while when she suddenly stopped. Matthias was right next to her, and he noticed how unusual she looked. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°This is Wynn¡¯s resume.¡± Matthias raised an eyebrow and chuckled. ¡°Did she actually send in her resume? She just doesn¡¯t know when to give up.¡± Celeste fell silent and skipped Wynn¡¯s resume altogether. Matthias had to go on an outstation trip in the afternoon. He said, ¡°I¡¯m going to have to count on you for the forum two days from now.¡± Celeste responded, ¡°Alright.¡± He was referring to a business¨Cgovernment forum that was hosted by the local government. Only a little over 30panies were invited to it. Celeste went there as a representative for YodaVision Co. She arrived at the venue and had just gotten out of the and walked car when she bumped into someone she knew. She stopped in her tracks before turning her gaze away up the steps to get into the hall. Jorge watched Celeste¡¯s retreating figure. Just as he was about to walk up the steps as well, he heard someone calling out for him. ¡°Mr. Robinson.¡± He turned around and looked at the man walking toward him. ¡°Mr. Fleming.¡± Trevor shook hands with Jorge and said, ¡± Jorge responded, ¡°Indeed.¡± been a long time.¡± They chatted as they climbed the stairs and made their way to the conference room. Everypany¡¯s que was ced at every seat in there. When they stepped through the conference room door, they saw that Celeste had already taken her seat. Jorge stopped in his tracks when he saw her. He realized that Trevor¡¯spany que was ced next to her Meanwhile, Trevor remained unfazed. The conference table was long and rectangr, and Jorge¡¯s seat was across from Trevor and Celeste. Trevor grinned and nodded at Jorge before he turned around and took his seat that was next to Celeste. Meanwhile, she merely stared at her phone quietly, not intending to greet him at all. He turned sideways and looked at her. ¡°You seem to have petten skinnier. Have you been busytely?¡± Celeste was aware that Trevor was talking to her, but she didn¡¯t respond to him. Instead, she lowered her head and read the document in her hand. At that moment, someone came over and greeted Trevor, and he got up to chat with the person. A whileter, everyone had arrived. Only then did Harold and the other politicians move to the conference room. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Celeste and Trevor. Like Theodore, he had no idea who Celeste¡¯s husband was when she told them that she was married. It wasn¡¯t until after Theodore shared a meal with her and told him about it that he learned Trevor was actually her husband. Taking a look at Celeste and Trevor now, he realized that they looked nothing like a married couple. In fact, it looked like they weren¡¯t close at all. Eventually, Harold turned his gaze away. Then, the forummenced. Celeste and Trevor didn¡¯t say anything unless it was their turn to deliver a speech. The Scent of 283 The government staff arranged lunch for Celeste and the otherpany representatives. After the forum had. concluded, she packed her stuff, rose to her feet, and left. Trevor watched her retreating figure and walked behind her. The Robinson family and the Jennings family were quite close to each other. So, Jorge and Harold knew one another quite well. Once they were out of the conference rodin, the former greeted thetter. Celeste ignored Jorge, who was standing next to Harold, Instead, she walked over and greeted Harold as well. ¡°Mr. Jennings.¡± He smiled and responded warmly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so stiff. Just act natural.¡± Celester readily took his advice. ¡°Alright, Mr. Jennings.¡± Jorge heard what she said and was stumped. If memory served him right, Celeste and Harold had probably met each other for the first time during Harry¡¯s art exhibition. Back then, Harold might¡¯ve been quite polite toward Celeste out of respect for Matthias, but they were likely not that close. Things didn¡¯t seem to be the case, though. Not only did Harold recognize Celeste at first nce, but he was even quite warm toward her. It was as if she came from his friend¡¯s family, and he had also known her since she was a kid as well. Furthermore, she was calm when she greeted Harold, even though she was the younger one. At that moment, Trevor also came over. ¡°Mr. Jennings.¡± The smile on Harold¡¯s face faded somewhat when he saw Trevor. The Jennings family didn¡¯t exactly have a close rtionship with the Fleming family. However, he had been interacting with Trevor asionally due to work for the past few years. As for Trevor, Harold used to think the former was so excellent that he outshone everyone around him. At the same time, it was exceedingly rare for someone like Trevor to be humble and courteous around people. He had never paid any attention to the young man¡¯s love life, though. Harold clearly remembered knowing that Trevor had a girlfriend from what he had gathered during Harry¡¯s art exhibition. More to the point, it seemed like everyone knew about it. On the other hand, no one seemed to know that Trevor was married to Celeste. Back then, it didn¡¯t look like they knew each other at all. That was why Harold was quite shocked when he learned that Trevor was married to Celeste. On top of that, they even had a kid who was around six years old. With that said, Trevor and Celeste acted as if they didn¡¯t know each other during Harry¡¯s art exhibitionst year. There was a strong possibility that they were already divorced back then. All of them headed to the dining area. Jorge looked at them and frowned. Before the forum began, he noticed Trevor taking the initiative to talk to Celeste. Although he couldn¡¯t hear what they talked about, she had been maliciously targeting Wynn this whole time. The thing was, Trevor had treated Celeste very warmly. Moreover, he acted as if they were very close. In fact, Trevor even made a point of sitting next to Celeste right now. The longer Jorge looked at them, the deeper his frown grew Celeste lowered her head and ate quietly as she listened in on Harold and the other politician¡¯s exchange. Trevor might¡¯ve been sitting next to him, but he had been chatting with someone else. He did talk to her that much. Trevor didn¡¯t talk to Celeste until the meal was almost over ¡°Jo¡¯s going back to school in a few days. Do you want to take her yourself on her first day of school?¡± She lowered her gaze and responded nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯m busy, and I can¡¯t make time for it.¡± He heard what she said, grinned, and said, ¡°Okay. I get the picture.¡± Then, he turned around and chatted with someone else. Jorge made sure to pay attention to them. He had some thoghts when he saw Trevor talking to Celeste again. However, Trevor was openly talking to her in front of everyone. Perhaps he had been overthinking it after all. More to the point, InnovaTech and YodaVision Co. had ongoing coborative projects. Trevor might¡¯ve talked to Celeste out of pure courtesy. Maybe that was all there was to it. The meal was almost over, too. So, Jorge turned his gaze away. Then, he saw Harold, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind. He quickly pulled out his phone and sent a text to Caleb. ¡°Did your uncle know Celeste in person before your grandpa¡¯s art exhibition?¡± Caleb had a unique job. Normally, he wouldn¡¯t reply to a text that quickly. However, it just so happened that he had an off day today. When he saw Jorge¡¯s text, he quickly replied to it. ¡°Uncle Harold doesn¡¯t know Celeste. What¡¯s the matter?¡± The Scent of 284 Jorge proceeded to tell Caleb about what he saw today. Thetter replied to his text, saying, ¡°Celeste and her grandina left a good impression on my dad and my grandpa, Perhaps that has something to do with it.¡± The way Jorge saw it, Harold paid close attention to Celeste and treated her rather specially. It didn¡¯t matter how good of an impression she left, they had merely met each offer once. It was too far¨Cfetched. With that said, Jorge didn¡¯t think too much of it after he heard what Caleb said. The weather forecast predicted rain or even show in the afternoon. Before Celeste finished eating, she noticed that it was pouring outside. After the meal, Harold and the other politicians needed to have a deeper discussion with Celeste and the otherpany representatives. This time, it was aboutst year¡¯s production and operation as well as this year¡¯s development n. Later, Harold and the other politicians thanked the variouspanies for their contribution to the city¡¯s economy. That marked the end of the business¨Cgovernment forum. After the forum ended, Trevor and Celeste would leave after they shook hands with Harold and the other politicians. When she was shaking Harold¡¯s hand, he said, ¡°It¡¯s particrly cold today. From what I heard, the road out there is covered with a thinyer of ice. It¡¯s going to be slippery. So, drive carefully.¡± Celeste responded, ¡°I will. Thank you, Mr. Jennings.¡± She, Trevor, and the otherpany representatives left together and headed to the parking lot outside. He stood next to her and said, ¡°You¡¯re wearing a pair of high heels, which can¡¯t be good for walking. You have to watch out,¡± Trevor spoke to Celeste in front of many people. It would be inappropriate if she ignored him. t out of options, she responded, ¡°I appreciate it, Mr. Fleming, I will be careful! What happened now reminded her of an incident that happened duringst year¡¯s technology exposition. Back then, all of them gathered at a restaurant, and she slipped and fell. He cared so much about avoiding misunderstandings that he wouldn¡¯t even help her up. Now, however, he was acting very differently. He didn¡¯t deliberately lower his volume when he spoke either. What was more, he was in the middle of a conversation with the other businessmen when he spoke to her. Trevor¡¯s tone sounded intimate, too. Moreover, he took the initiative to talk to Celeste. So, everypany representative, including Jorge, heard what he said. Aside from Jorge, some of thepany representatives shared a meal with Trevor and Celeste during the technology expositionst year. YodaVision Co. rose to prominence out of nowhere, which also caused Celeste to shoot to fame in the business circle. Now, many people thought they knew about her rtionship with Matthias Naturally, more people remembered what happened during the technology expositionst year. They believed that Trevor ignored Celeste when she ¡°deliberately slipped and fell¡± in an attempt to seduce him during the dinner. Now, however, it no longer seemed like that was the case. They thought that maybe Trevor was being polite and expressed concern for Celeste because InnovaTech and YodaVision Co. had coborative projects. However, he addressed her by her first name. It came off so naturally that it sounded quite suggestive, no matter how one interpreted it. It begged a question. Was Trevor finally mesmerized by Celeste? Jorge didn¡¯t attend the technology expositionst year. He had no idea that Celeste ¡°deliberately seduced¡± Trevor. All he knew was that Trevor had taken the Initiative to talk to her earlier. He couldn¡¯t hear what they were talking about. Back then, he suspected he had misread the situation. Judging by what he heard now, however, it didn¡¯t seem like the case anymore. Jorge also believed that Trevor was captivated by Celeste and had the intention to have an affair with her. The notion made his expression turn icy as he looked at them. Celeste knew that it would rain today. So, she brought an umbre. However, the chilling wind was so biting that it could¡¯ve nicked someone¡¯s face. She might have known about the possibility of rain and snow today, but she still thought that it wouldn¡¯t be too bad in Baumond because it was already February. The snow should have melted as soon as it fell to the ground, which meant the road shouldn¡¯t have been that slippery. However, the road icing situation was much worse than she had previously thought. Exiting the venue, that it was quite slippery when she walked up the steps. So, she walked more carefully to avoid slipping she felt The people who weren¡¯t close to Trevor walked past Celeste Meanwhile, he stood next to her and didn¡¯t show any signs of leaving. Meanwhile, the businessmen who did know Trevor gave him a teasing look. Jorge stopped walking and was about to say something, but Celeste slipped and fell forward. Just as she was about to hit the floor, Trevor swiftly reached out and held her by the waist, keeping her safe from harm. Before she knew what happened, he pulled her into his arms. The Scent of 285 Celeste¡¯s expression shifted slightly. She pushed him away and said, ¡°Let me¡­¡± Trevor interrupted her and said, ¡°Hold the umbre,¡± At the next moment, he swooped her up and carried her down the steps before she could say anything. She was still in his arms when he tumed around and said to the others, ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave now. Let¡¯s hang out again when we have the chance.¡± The businessmen who were considerably close to him were actually a little stunned. After all, everybody knew about Celeste¡¯s rtionship with Matthias. If Matthias let her represent YodaVision Co. for the forum hosted by the government, it also meant that things were still fine between them¡­ Trevor had his own girlfriend. Even if he did have feelings for Celeste, he really should have exercised some restraint. Instead, he openly did something so intimate to someone else¡¯s girlfriend. In all honesty, he demonstrated a massive show of disrespect for Matthias. After all, Matthias had some fearsome pulls and influence. He wasn¡¯t someone who could be trifled with. With that said, they didn¡¯t voice their thoughts. Instead, they smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s hang out again.¡± There were so many people here. So, Celeste had no choice but to say, ¡°Thanks, Mr. Fleming. We¡¯re off the steps now. I can walk on my¡­¡± || Trevor was steadily carrying her to his car. When he heard what she said, he lowered his gaze and nced at her. He said, ¡°You are indeed skinnier.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t¡­¡± Trevor¡¯s driver noticed that he and the others had alreadye out from the venue, and he was already standing by the car and waiting for them. He felt somewhat surprised when he saw that Trevor had someone in his arms. Taking a closer look, he realized that it was Celeste, which made him feel even more surprised. ¡°Mrs. Fleming?¡± At the next moment, Trevor¡¯s driver hurriedly opened the car door for them. Only now did Celeste realize that Trevor wanted to give her a ride. She said coldly. ¡°My car is right over there.¡± Trevor signaled for his driver to take the umbre from Celeste before putting her in the backseat. He said, ¡°You twisted your ankle. Are you sure you can drive?¡± She responded nonchntly, ¡°I can always get someone to pick me up.¡± Before Trevor could say anything, Jorge had already walked over. ¡°Mr. Fleming.¡± He closed the door and took Celeste¡¯s umbre from his driver. Turning around, he responded with a grin, ¡± You¡¯re still here, Mr. Robinson.¡± Jorge knew that Celeste was in the car, but the reflective film on Trevor¡¯s car did its job so well that he couldn¡® see her from outside. He turned his gaze back to Trevor and said, ¡°Is Ms. Rodriguez inside?¡± Trevor said, ¡°Yeah. Her ankle is twisted. I¡¯m taking her to the doctor.¡± ¡°I have some free time. Furthermore, I happen to have something to discuss with Ms. Rodriguez. Mr. Fleming, if It¡¯s okay with you, I can take her to the hospital.¡± Trevor chuckled. ¡°What are the odds? As fate would have it we also have something to talk about. Maybe next. time, Mr. Robinson.¡± Jorge¡¯s expression darkened. Trevor said, ¡°The wind is very strong here, and your clothes are all wet, Mr. Robinson. You should go back to your car and take a rest.¡± Jorge knew that he wasn¡¯t in a ce toment on anything, even if Trevor had the intention to cheat with Celeste. So, he nodded in response, cast a nce at the backseat, and walked away. Trevor¡¯s car had incredible soundproofing, which meant that Celeste couldn¡¯t hear the exchange between him and Jorge. With that said, she did notice the look on Jorge¡¯s face when he looked into the car. She was aware of Jorge¡¯s feelings for Wynn. It didn¡¯t matter if she couldn¡¯t hear their conversation. She still had a good idea about the reason he came here. Eventually, Celeste stopped paying attention to them. Turning her gaze away, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number, asking someone to pick her up there. At the same time, she also lowered her head and checked her ankle. She felt much better once she made sure that her ankle wasn¡¯t hurt too badly and that she could walk. Putting her phone down, she opened the door and got out of the car. +25 BONUS Trevor heard the sound of a car door opening, and he turned around to check. Celeste stepped out of the car and closed the door. She stepped forward quietly and took the umbre from his hand He lowered his head and looked at her ankle, ¡°Are you okay! It actually hurt a little, but Celeste could still walk. However, she didn¡¯t say anything to him. She couldn¡¯t be bothered to think about the reason he swooped her up and carried her in his arms. She said nonchntly, ¡°Give me a call once the divorce procedures are done,¡± What she meant was that there was no need for them to keep in touch with each other if it wasn¡¯t about their divorce. At the next moment, Celeste held the umbre, walked past him, and left. away. Trevor watched her retreating figure, but he didn¡¯t stop het Instead, he did nothing as she walked Their cars weren¡¯t parked too far away from each other. He didn¡¯t turn around and leave until she had safely gotten into her car. A whileter, his car drove out of the parking lot. Then, Jorge¡¯s car also left. Reporters were present during the conference and meal. Celeste went to the hospital before she went home around 8:00 pm. She had just had dinner when the news regarding the forum was released. At the same time, Wynn and Lilian were reading the news as well. They frowned when they realized that Celeste represented YodaVision Co. at an important government event. Didn¡¯t Celeste have some rtionship issues with Matthias How could she have attended such a pivotal event on his behalf, then? Wynn was aware of something. If Celeste had represented Matthias in such an important event, then she probably would have achieved nothing by sending in her resume. Lilian¡¯s furrowed eyebrows quickly rxed. She gracefully took the bowl of soup her maid handed her and said, ¡± No rush. Let¡¯s wait and see what happens.¡± Celeste had a rather outstanding appearance, and Matthias wouldn¡¯t be able to part ways with her just like that. It was normal for them to grow apart and get back together again from time to time. With that said, the fact that they did split up meant that there was a crack in their rtionship. They might still be together right now, but they probably wouldn¡¯tst long. That was why Wynn still stood a chance to work in YodaVision Co. and break the ice with Matthias. On the other hand, Wynn also understood what Lilian means. After all, she had a simr take on the situation as well. Aside from that, she didn¡¯t feel bothered when she saw Celeste and Trevor sitting close to each other at the forum. She had confidence in both herself and him. That was when Calvin came downstairs. ¡°Wynn. You¡¯re home.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Wynn asked, ¡°How did things go at school?¡± Calvin was in the 12th grade, and he transferred to Baumond starting this semester. Trevor¡¯s men had already handled the necessary procedures. 1 The Scent of 286 Chapter 286 Chapter 286 Trevor heard the sound of a car door opening, and he turned around to check. Celeste stepped out of the car and closed the door. She stepped forward quietly and took the umbre from his hand. He lowered his head and looked at her ankle. ¡°Are you okay¡± It actually hurt a little, but Celeste could still walk. However, she didn¡¯t say anything to him. She couldn¡¯t be bothered to think about the reason he swooped her up and carried her in his arms. She said nonchntly, ¡°Give me a call once the divorce procedures are done.¡± What she meant was that there was no need for them to keep in touch with each other if it wasn¡¯t about their divorce. At the next moment, Celeste held the umbre, walked past him, and left. Trevor watched her retreating figure, but he didn¡¯t stop her Instead, he did nothing as she walked away. Their cars weren¡¯t parked too far away from each other. He didn¡¯t turn around and leave until she had safely gotten into her car. A whileter, his car drove out of the parking lot. Then, Jorge¡¯s car also left. Reporters were present during the conference and meal. Celeste went to the hospital before she went home around 8:00 pm. She had just had dinner when the news regarding the forum was released. At the same time, Wynn and Lilian were reading the news as well. They frowned when they realized that Celeste represented YodaVision Co. at an important government event. Didn¡¯t Celeste have some rtionship issues with Matthias? How could she have attended such a pivotal event on his behalf, then? Wynn was aware of something. If Celeste had represented Matthias in such an important event, then she probably would have achieved nothing by sending in her resume. Lilian¡¯s furrowed eyebrows quickly rxed. She gracefully took the bowl of soup her maid handed her and said, ¡± No rush. Let¡¯s wait and see what happens.¡± Celeste had a rather outstanding appearance, and Matthias wouldn¡¯t be able to part ways with her just like that. It was normal for them to grow apart and get back together again from time to time. With that said, the fact that they did split up meant that there was a crack in their rtionship. They might still be together right now, but they probably wouldn¡¯tst long. That was why Wynn still stood a chance to work in YodaVision Co. and break the ice with Matthias. On the other hand, Wynn also understood what Lilian meant. After all, she had a simr take on the situation as well. Aside from that, she didn¡¯t feel bothered when she saw Celeste and Trevor sitting close to each other at the forum. She had confidence in both herself and him. That was when Calvin came downstairs, ¡°Wynn. You¡¯re home.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Wynn asked, ¡°How did things go at school?¡± Calvin was in the 12th grade, and he transferred to Baumond starting this semester. Trevor¡¯s men had already handled the necessary procedures. 1 ? +26 BONUS Chapter 286 However, the teaching materials in Youtopia were different from Baumond. After New Year, he had been the differences with his teacher, checking for gaps, and catching up on stuff he didn¡¯t know. He responded casually, ¡°Everything¡¯s swell. Aren¡¯t you aware of how good a student I am?¡± That was true. Wynn and Calvin had always been top students with excellent grades. They didn¡¯t need their parents to monitor their studies. Wynn and Lilian giggled when they heard his response. The next day, Beck and Jorge arrived at YodaVision Co. at the same time. Thetter said, ¡°Hi, Mr. Harper. Fancy bumping into you here.¡± Beck responded, ¡°Hi, Mr. Robinson.¡± Jorge was about to say something, but Celeste and Matthias came out and weed them. She got out of Trevor¡¯s car rather quickly yesterday. He wasn¡¯t sure about what she said to Trevor afterward, though. However, it had to be said that Trevor seemed to be the one who made a move on her on both asions, be itst year¡¯s year¨Cend banquet or everything that went down yesterday. Instead, she seemed to be rather cold and aloof. The realization left Jorge feeling bewildered. Celeste was extraordinarily beautiful. He would have understood it if the other guys fell in love with her, but the thing was that Trevor was no ordinary guy. Aside from physical appearance, she didn¡¯t hold a candle to Wynn. Jorge didn¡¯t get it. Why would Trevor have eyes for Celeste when he had Wynn? Celeste caught the coldness and disdain in Jorge¡¯s eyes, and she asked icily, ¡°Mr. Robinson, is there anything you want to tell me?¡± ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, you¡¯re being overly sensitive.¡± He responded coldly. ¡°It is my understanding that we don¡¯t have anymon topics.¡± Matthias and Beck saw the news about yesterday¡¯s forum. Naturally, they were aware that Celeste and Jorge had met each other yesterday. It didn¡¯t take Matthias long to guess that something unpleasant had gone down between the two of them. He stered on a smile as he looked at Jorge. ¡°Oh? What happened?¡± Celeste had no intention of wasting time. Before Jorge could say anything, she spoke up first, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Then, she turned and faced Beck. ¡°Mr. Harper, this way, please.¡± Beck nodded in response. He cast a nce at Jorge before following her to the conference room. Although she didn¡¯t tell Matthias about it, he knew that their unpleasant interaction must¡¯ve stemmed from Wynn. If she didn¡¯t want to talk about it, he wouldn¡¯t ask either. He said to Jorge coldly, ¡°Mr. Robinson, let¡¯s head inside.¡± This was the first time Beck had seen Celeste after New Year¡¯s Eve. His gaze had never left her when he saw her just now. The rest of them didn¡¯t notice it because they were focused on the unpleasantness between her and Jorge. Once they were in the conference room, he turned his gaze away and said as he took a seat, ¡°I intended to attend yesterday¡¯s forum. It¡¯s a shame that I had to go outstation for a couple of days and couldn¡¯t make it. I had to get someone else to take my ce instead.¡± It was normal for the clients to chat a little before they go and said, ¡°So, that¡¯s what happened.¡± Beck could tell that she didn¡¯t notice his intentions. Lowe business. It was normal for the clients to chat a little before they ge and said, ¡°So, that¡¯s what happened.¡± Beck could tell that she didn¡¯t notice his intentions, Lowe business. It was normal for the clients to chat a little before they got down to business. Celeste didn¡¯t think anything of it and said, ¡°So, that¡¯s what happened.¡°. Beck could tell that she didn¡¯t notice his intentions. Lowering his gaze, he changed the topic and talked about business. Chapter 287 The Scent of 287 Chapter 287 Beck had a business meetup that night. So, he intended to leve as son as he was done talking about work with Celeste. She noticed that he was staring at her, and she raised they out #2 Valentine¡¯s Day was tomorrow, but he didn¡¯t say anythigot it. Trusteart, he shook his head and responded, It¡¯s nothing Celeste waspletely focused on work now. She had all by forgotten about Valentine¡¯s Day It wasn¡¯t until herpany staff told her about it the next day that she suddenly realized what day it was She was about to return to her office when she heard a voice at the entranc ¡°Excuse me, but which one of you is Ms. Rodriguez? Soincone bought you some flowers. Pleasee over and take it.¡± Celeste turned around when she heard it. She found herself looking at a delivery guy holding a big bouquet of roses and standing outside. His words and the roses captivated the attention of everyone around him. The public might¡¯ve been spreading suggestive rumors about her and Matthias, but the fact was that a lot ofpany staff were aware that she was married. With that said, Celeste very rarely talked about her private life. So, they weren¡¯t too sure about what was going on with her marriage. One of her colleagues saw someone giving her flowers on Valentine¡¯s Day and said in a jealous tone, ¡°What a big bouquet of roses. I¡¯m going to wager that your husband sent it to you. You¡¯ve got yourself a keeper.¡± ¡°Exactly. I¡¯m wracked with jealousy.¡± There was no way Trevor would have sent her flowers. Celeste thought to herself, but she didn¡¯t say it out loud. She checked the card that came with the flowers and confirmed that it was her phone number, meaning it was meant for her. The delivery guy learned that she was Celeste, and he handed the bouquet to her. ¡°Please sign here.¡± It wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to make things difficult for the delivery guy. So, she had no choice but to sign and ept it. Carrying the bouquet to the office with her, she flipped the delicate card and nced at it. The flower was sent anonymously, and the person merely wrote ¡°Happy Valentine¡¯s Day¡± on it. Matthis opened the door and walked in. When he saw the bouquet of roses on the coffee table, he raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°Who sent that to you?¡± Celeste shook her head and said, ¡°No idea, but the handwriting looks a little familiar.¡± He chuckled. ¡°It looks like someone is secretly in love with you. Do you know who it could have been?¡± She shook her head and said, ¡°Not a clue.¡± Matthias rubbed his chin. He and Celeste had been ¡°inseparable¡± for a long time, but he didn¡¯t notice anyone having a crush on her. At the thought of it, he pursed his lips. Although it was basically impossible, he asked, ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been Trevor, could it?¡± Celeste responded ndly, ¡°It¡¯s not him.¡± She and Trevor had been married for a long time, and he had never spent a single Valentine¡¯s Day with her. Why would he send her roses when they were already on the cusp of a divorce? More to the point, she could recognize his handwriting. ¡°Fine, then,¡± Matthias responded. Then, he continued, ¡°In any case, the sender hand¨Cwrote his wishes on the card. That means he¡¯s quite considerate of you. Furthermore, he sent you the most expensive kind of roses.¡± Perhaps Matthias was right about it, but Celeste didn¡¯t feel that intrigued about it. She had no time for something like this right now. It didn¡¯t matter much to her who the sender was. If he didn¡¯t leave his contact number and name, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to find out about it. ¡°Let¡¯s just focus on our work for now.¡± Celeste needed to go to InnovaTech to get something done today. It was something that had been arranged a couple of days ago. She took some time topile the documents. Then, she drove to InnovaTech with her colleagues when it was about time. The Scent of 288 Celeste received a call from Martha on her way to InnovaTech. She answered it and said, ¡°HI, Grandma.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Martha¡¯s smile was warm and benevolent. ¡°A couple of days ago, jo told me that you were particrly busy with your work and that you even burned the midnight oil sometimes. ¡°I¡¯d received some supplements. So, I¡¯ve asked someone to send them to you. Remember to take them.¡± Celeste was aware that Martha wouldn¡¯t take them even if she turned down thetter¡¯s offer. So, she said, ¡°I will. Thanks, Grandma.¡± Martha chuckled. Then, something seemingly popped into her mind, and she said, ¡°That reminds me, I talked to Trevor about getting along well with you, and he promised me he¡¯ll do it. ¡°After all, you two are Jo¡¯s parents. If your rtionship is too strained, it¡¯s going to have a bad effect on her physical and mental growth.¡± So, that was it. This was why he acted out of character and expressed concern for her during the forum. Celeste responded nonchntly, ¡°Okay. I get it.¡°. She chatted with Martha for a while longer before she hung up the phone. By the time she arrived at InnovaTech, she didn¡¯t see Wynn, though. Henry caught sight of her and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s Valentine¡¯s Day today. Did you receive any flowers, Ms. Rodriguez?¡± Before Celeste could say anything, one of her fellow colleagues chimed in with a smile on her face. ¡°She did. The bouquet of roses was this big. We¡¯re dying of jealousy here.¡± Henryughed in response. He was about to say something, but Linda popped out of nowhere and said, ¡°Flowers? Is that it? Didn¡¯t you receive anything else?¡± Celeste¡¯s colleague was stumped. ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°So, all she got were flowers, huh?¡± Linda snickered and said, ¡°You guys are absurd. It¡¯s just a bouquet of roses. How does that make you feel jealous? ¡°Wynn received a whole bunch of them, but that¡¯s not even the best part. Her future husband even transferred InnovaTech¡¯s shares to her as a gift. I don¡¯t see her bragging about it, though.¡± Henry fell silent and didn¡¯t say anything. He actually couldn¡¯t think of anyeback for it. Then, he noticed that Celeste looked like she wasn¡¯t aware of what had happened. So, he lowered his voice and said to her, ¡°Word has it that Ms. Locket is very well¨Cliked in the circle. She¡¯s like this dream girl for every wealthy family heir. She has a rather impressive boyfriend, Mr. Fleming, and the other guys didn¡¯t dare topete with him openly. ¡°However, it¡¯s Valentine¡¯s Day today. So, some of Ms. Locket¡¯s suitors couldn¡¯t stop themselves from sending her flowers and gifts anonymously. Her office was almost stuffed full of them.¡± Before Celeste could say anything, Henry continued, ¡°However, there¡¯s a reason Mr. Fleming won Ms. Locket¡¯s heart. There¡¯s a rumor going around, saying that he gave her part of thepany shares as a gift. ¡°This is the first time we¡¯ve seen a boyfriend spoiling his girlfriend this way. Everyone in thepany was wracked with jealousy when we received the news this morning.¡± Wynn had ess to InnovaTech¡¯s confidential information. Calvin and Lilian coulde and go as they pleased as well. Back then, Celeste had a feeling that she wouldn¡¯t be surprised if someone changed thepany name to ¡°Locket Corporation¡°. So, she didn¡¯t find Henry¡¯s words shocking at all. With that said, it had to be said that Trevor made a deliberate decision to transfer shares to Wynn on Valentine¡¯s Day. It was obvious that he didn¡¯t just want to give her a gif, but he also wanted to make the gift meaningful and ceremonial. Evidently, he poured a lot of thought into Wynn. ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± That was when Wynn¡¯s voice echoed. Henry grinned and said, ¡°Ms. Locket, is the meeting over? She responded, ¡°Yeah.¡± An important meeting involving the top management staff took ce in InnovaTech today. X The Scent of 289 Chapter 289 Wynn officially owned InnovaTech¡¯s shares now. She was here earlier because she was in a meeting with Trevor. ¡°Hi, Wynn.¡± Linda walked over with a smile. She gave Celeste a sidelong nce and snickered. Then, she whispered, ¡°She received flowers and was gloating about it, but I told her that a lot of men sent you bouquets and that Trevor transferred thepany shares to you. She couldn¡¯t think of anything to say after that.¡± Wynn nced at Celeste when she heard it, but she remained quiet. Linda added, ¡°Wynn, you told me that Matthias doted on her. However, all he did was send her a bouquet on Valentine¡¯s Day.¡± Wynn raised an eyebrow. Was that all Matthias did? If that was really the case, then it was truly a half¨Cbaked attempt on his side. After all, Celeste had major authority in YodaVision Co. Now that Wynn couldpare herself with Celeste, she realized that things might not have been what she imagined. If Matthias really cared about thetter that much, he wouldn¡¯t have given her authority but not an official position, let alone shares. At that moment, Albert also walked over. When he saw Wynn, he smiled and said, ¡°You have thepany shares now. Are you going to step in and run InnovaTech with your own methods?¡± She responded, casting a nce at Celeste as she spoke. ¡°I won¡¯t, actually. I¡¯m going to leave it to the professionals. It¡¯s not my style to hold onto power.¡± Celeste was ipetent, but she still meddled in everything in order to gloat about the authority she had in YodaVision Co. With that said, that didn¡¯t change the fact that she didn¡¯t hold an actual position or shares in thepany. It was actually quite absurd. 2 Meanwhile, Celeste was working diligently. She wasn¡¯t fazed by what had happened earlier at all. That was when her phone beeped. ncing at it, she saw that it was a text from Zachary. ¡°Swing by and pick me up tomorrow night.¡® Last week, he told her that someone wanted to get to know her. That was probably why he wanted to meet her tomorrow. At the thought of it, Celeste replied to his text, ¡°Roger, Mr. Zachary.¡± Then, she tucked her phone away and buried herself in her work again. The next day, Celeste and Matthias picked Zachary up and went to the restaurant where they had made a reservation. Once they arrived at the destination, they stepped out of the car and saw Theodore and Harold. When Zachary said that someone wanted to meet her, she assumed that she would be seeing strangers today. It had never urred to her that Theodore and Harold would be here too. Celeste and Matthias greeted them, ¡°Hi, Mr. Robinson and Mr. Jennings.¡± Theodore and Harold nodded with a grin. They swapped some pleasantries and were about to head upstairs, but someone stepped out of the car and chuckled. ¡°Are you leaving already? Is no one going to wait for me?¡± $25 NOUS Celeste turned around, only to be stunned when she saw the person walking toward them. She knew that he halled from the Department of Defense. Zachary said with a nk face, ¡°This is Kael Gendric.¡± Kael had always exuded an intimidating air whenever he was interviewed, but he toned it down and put on a warm smile. He extended his hand and asked, ¡°Cel, I presume. Your reputation precedes you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Cel.¡± She responded. ¡°Greetings.¡± ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s here.¡± At that moment, someone stepped out of another car and walked toward them. He was a well¨Cknown figure who frequently appeared on news broadcasts. Zachary added coldly, ¡°That¡¯s Rowan Haldran.¡± Celeste shook Rowan¡¯s hands. Just as she was about to say something, she heard another voice call out. ¡°Dad?¡± Jorge got out of the car and was somewhat surprised when he saw this many pivotal figures gathered, including Theodore and Harold. What was more shocking was that Celeste stood among them. The Scent of 290 Chapter 290 With that said, Jorge no longer felt that surprised to see Celeste at a ce like this when he noticed that Matthias and Zachary were there. Theodore didn¡¯t expect to run into his own son here, either He asked, ¡°Are you here for a business meetup as well?¡± Jorge responded, ¡°Yeah.¡± Kael chuckled and asked, ¡°Theodore, is he your son?¡± Theodore grinned and responded, ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°He looks outstanding and is exceptionally talented. He¡¯s a fine man.¡± Needless to say, Jorge also knew just who Kael and Rowan were. They were extremely busy most of the time. Although Theodore was quite close to them, he had never seen them in person. Jorge noticed how Kael took the initiative to greet him, and he politely shook thetter¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯re too kind.¡± Then, he saw Wynn and Harvey getting out of the car, and he was stunned. Wynn and Harvey were rooted to the spot when they noticed Jorge, Zachary, Rowan, and the others. Aside from Jorge, it was extremely difficult to see the rest of them in person. Now, however, they were all gathered here. Naturally, Wynn and Harvey also saw Celeste and Matthias. Matthias was Zachary¡¯s mentee, and he made thetter proud by running YodaVision Co. this well. It was perfectly normal for Zachary to be introducing people to him. Wynn and Harvey shared the sentiment with Jorge and thought that Celeste had Matthias to thank for being able to meet Zachary, Rowan, and the others. In all honesty, it didn¡¯t matter whom she had to thank. Being able to see Rowan and Zachary in person would probably be the greatest honor Celeste would ever be bestowed. They had long heard that Zachary had impressive and expansive social connections. However, they didn¡¯t know just how extraordinary it was until they saw that he knew people who were as prominent as he was. Aside from that, Wynn and Harvey also recognized Harold and Theodore. She was aware that the two men were Caleb¡¯s and Jorge¡¯s fathers, respectively. When she noticed Jorge looking their way, she nodded and grinned. Theodore noticed that Jorge was looking at someone. He followed thetter¡¯s gaze and looked over, but he had never seen or heard Wynn and Harvey. It seemed like Jorge cared about them. He asked, ¡°Do you know them?¡± Jorge responded, ¡°Yeah.¡± Wynn and Harvey saw their brief interaction and walked over. Zachary almost rolled his eyes when he saw them approaching. Meanwhile, Celeste maintained an impassive expression. Jorge said, ¡°This is Mr. Locket and his daughter, Wynn Locket.¡± His expression was remarkably different when he saw Wynn. Theodore raised an eyebrow. Her appearance and elegance effortlessly set her apart from the averagedy. It went to show that Jorge had some good taste in women. On top of that, Jorge took the initiative to introduce them to him. So, he politely greeted Wynn and Harvey before shaking their hands. +25 BONU Harold had seen Wynn before, and he was aware that she was Trevor¡¯s girlfriend. When she walked over, he cast a nce at Celeste. Celeste might have kept her feelings to herself, but he could still tell that her attitude immediately turned cold when they showed up. Harold knew that she and Trevor were married, but he knew next to nothing about their rtionship. For that matter, he had no idea why they were having problems with each other. He saw the coldness in Celeste¡¯s eyes when she saw Wynn, and he immediately had a good idea about the whole picture. After Wynn greeted Theodore, she looked at Zachary and said politely, ¡°Hi, Mr. Newman.¡± Zachary nodded icily and said nothing. Trevor had once told her that Zachary was cold and distant to everyone. So, she knew that he wasn¡¯t specifically targeting her. X The Scent of 291 Chapter 291 So, faced with Zachary¡¯s indifference, Wynn didn¡¯t take it to heart. After greeting Zachary, she politely took the initiative to greet Rowan and the others, saying, ¡°Good evening. gentlemen.¡± She addressed them collectively rather than individually, which was the more appropriate approach. After all, Rowan and the others hadn¡¯t made any effort to get to know her. If she had greeted them one by one, it would have felt more like an intrusion to them. Kael and Rowan¡¯s attention was entirely on Celeste. Like Caleb, they had also noticed Celeste¡¯s apparent dislike for Harvey and Wynn. Kael even had detailed information about Celeste. He had recognized Harvey and Wynn the moment they showed
  1. up.
When he heard Wynn greet them, Kael simply gave a small nod before turning to Zachary and Celeste. ¡°Let¡¯s not just stand around here. We should head in,¡± he said. Zachary nodded, and the group turned and entered the restaurant. Theodore turned to Jorge and reminded him, ¡°Don¡¯t drink too much.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Jorge replied. Theodore didn¡¯t say anything further. He nodded at Wynn and Harvey, then followed after Zachary and the others. Jorge didn¡¯t follow because Theodore hadn¡¯t invited him. His silence meant the uing conversation wasn¡¯t something Jorge was meant to hear. But if he couldn¡¯t be there, howe Celeste could? That thought made Jorge frown. Still, he didn¡¯t dwell on it. Instead, he turned his head toward Wynn and Harvey. Mr. Locket, Ms. Locket¨Care you two here for a business dinner as well?¡± Wynn and Harvey nodded. ¡°Yes. You too, Mr. Robinson?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Harvey added, ¡°I heard yourpany recentlyunched a new project. We¡¯re quite interested. I wonder when you might have some time¡ª¡± The Robinson Group had indeed started a new project, though it was still in the nning stages. Nothing had been finalized yet. Thanks to Trevor¡¯s help and Harvery¡¯s hard work over the past few months, the Locket family business had stabilized. If the right opportunity came along, a coboration with them wouldn¡¯t be out of the question. With that in mind, Jorge added. ¡°Let¡¯s set up a time in the next few days to discuss it.¡± Throughout their small talk, Jorge¡¯s eyes kept drifting toward Wynn. Back at the forum, when he saw Trevor take the initiative to approach Celeste, he had considered reaching out to Wynn to let her know. But he knew it wasn¡¯t his ce. They weren¡¯t that close, after all. Besides, Wynn and Trevor were clearly very close¨Cso even if he told her, she might not believe him. He had also heard about Trevor transferring shares of InnovaTech to Wynn. 1 What he didn¡¯t know was whether Trevor had always intended to give her the shares, or if Wynn had already found out something, and Trevor waspensating her with them. There was something thoughtful, almost hesitant, in the way Jorge looked at her like he had something to say But since he didn¡¯t speak up, Wynn acted like she hadn¡¯t noticed. That aside, she was quite curious why Zachary and the others had shown up here today. But considering even Celeste was allowed to tag along, whatever they were discussing probably wasn¡¯t anything all that important. With that thought, she smiled and said, ¡°The people we¡¯re meeting have arrived, so we¡¯ll head up first.¡± ¡°My guests are here too. Let¡¯s go up together.¡± Jorge offered. ¡°Sure,¡± Wynn replied. ¥È The Scent of 292 Chapter 292 +25 BUS Meanwhile, in the private room, Kael smiled and said, ¡°We¡¯ve met plenty of prodigies over the years, but someone like you, Celso young yet already achieving so much¡ªis still a rare find. That¡¯s why Rowan and I both wanted to meet you. I hope it¡¯s not been a bother.¡± Despite his high status, Kael spoke with such courtesy that Celeste responded respectfully, ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s truly my honor to meet you.¡± Rowan chuckled and said to Kael, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t go scaring the kid,¡± Both he and Kael genuinely felt that Celeste was an exceptional young talent with limitless potential. They were impressed and optimistic about her future, which was why they had wanted to meet and get to know her. Kael and Rowan both spoke with warmth and politeness, and with Harold and Theodore also present, the atmosphere in the room was quite pleasant. After dinner, the group stayed and chatted for another hour. Only after exchanging contact details with Kael and Rowan did they finally part ways. Monday marked the start of the new school term for primary and middle school students in Baumond. This semester, Jamie would begin boarding at school. Adeline had matters to handle with her family, and Ivan was busy, so on Sunday afternoon, it was Celeste who took Jamie to school. When they arrived, Celeste saw members of both the Locket and Shaw families. Behind them were three maids, each holdingrge, heavy bags. The whole disy was quite extravagant. So, Calvin had transferred to Baumond as well? At a school like this, transferring in was extremely difficult without the right connections and influence. It went without saying¨CTrevor must have yed a key role in getting Calvin in. With Calvin starting school, the entire Locket family had shown up to see him off, which said everything about how much they valued and doted on him. Calvin himself looked like a child raised in thep of love¨Ccarefree, cheerful, and full of sunshine. Watching Erin gaze at Calvin with such affection, Celeste couldn¡¯t help but recall how Erin had once taken her hand with firm conviction, swearing that Celeste was her only granddaughter. Even after all these years, the memory still struck her as bitterly ironic. At that moment, the Locket and Shaw families also noticed her. The smiles on their faces faded the instant they saw her. Just then, a passerby caught sight of one of the suitcases being held by the maids behind the Locket family and eximed, ¡°Whoa, that suitcase costs over 300 thousand dors! I didn¡¯t think anyone actually bought stuff like that. Rich people really are on another level.¡± As the Locket family turned their heads in response, the person quickly realized they had spoken too loudly. Embarrassed, they apologized and hurried off with their friends. Of course, even without that outburst, Celeste had already noticed. It wasn¡¯t just that one suitcase¨Cevery bag and case they used for Calvin¡¯s things was made of genuine leather, with price tags in the tens of thousands dor Altogether, Calvin¡¯s luggage alone must have cost hundreds of thousands dors. And the crossbody purse Lilian carried was a limited edition worth over a million dors. Hearing others admire them, Erin and Linda turned to nce at Celeste. Seeing that Jamie¡¯s luggage was only half +75 BOLEM the size of Calvin¡¯s, and that both her suitcase and duffel bag were the inexpensive kind just a few hundred dors or maybe a thousand dors at most¨CErin gave it a single look before withdrawing her gaze indifferently. Linda, on the other hand, let out a scornfulugh. In the eyes of the Lockets and Shaws, the Rodriguez Corporation might have managed to breathe again, but it would still be a while before it turned a real profit. And who knew whether Ivan¡¯spany would even make it in the long run? As for Celeste, though she had gotten involved with Matthias, rumor had it that Matthias didn¡¯t actually value her as much as people had initially thought. In other words, the Rodriguez family no longer operated on the same level as them.1 The Scent of 293 Chapter 293 Besides, they still had Trevor. 1 Given how much Trevor valued Wynn, if the two of them got married in the future, then the Locket and Shaw families would quickly rise to another level. By then, the Rodriguez family probably wouldn¡¯t even have a ce near them. Thinking of that, Ruby smirked and nced disdainfully in Celeste¡¯s direction before heading off with the others to help Calvin move into the boys¡® dorm. After helping Jamie settle her luggage, Celeste left the school and returned to her own ce. She had only just walked in when there was a knock at the door¨Cit was Tilda and Sylvia, the mother and daughter duo. They had just returned from their hometown and, upon seeing that Celeste was back, came over especially to drop off some local specialties. Celeste epted them and said, ¡°Thank you.¡® ¡°You¡¯re wee!¡± Sylvia replied sweetly. Then she pulled a small ornament from her pocket. ¡°I set this aside especially for Jordyn. Tomorrow, when school starts, I¡¯ll bring it to give to her!¡± Sylvia really liked Jordyn. Ever since New Year¡¯s Day, when Jordyn had taken the initiative to call her, the two of them had gotten much closer. As she spoke, Sylvia happily shared with Celeste some things about the first day of school tomorrow. Listening to her, Celeste couldn¡¯t help but think of how Jordyn hadn¡¯t called her at alltely. Tomorrow was the first day of the new term. Since Jordyn hadn¡¯t called, it was clear she had no intention of asking her to take her to school. Which made sense¨CJordyn had no shortage of people who could take her. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if it wasn¡¯t just Trevor, but Wynn also going with him to drop Jordyn off. Celeste smiled and chatted with Sylvia and Tilda a bit more before heading into the living room with the specialty goods they brought. Since she still hadn¡¯t finished hiring all the staff she needed, she continued with the recruitment of technical personnel when she returned to the office the next day. During lunch, Tilda sent her several photos of Jordyn participating in school activities that day. One of the photos included both Wynn and Trevor in the frame. So, Jordyn really hadn¡¯t asked her to bring her to school just because Wynn would be there. Celeste nced at Trevor and Wynn in the photo, just about to exit when she realized the photo was suddenly gone. Tilda must have identally included that one and deleted it right away once she noticed. Celeste hadn¡¯t shared much about her marriage to Trevor with Tilda. After a divorce, it wasmon for the parent with custody to limit the other¡¯s ess to the child. Tilda assumed it was the same for her and Trevor- that Celeste rarely had the chance to see Jordyn, and that she must miss her daughter a lot. That¡¯s why Tilda had deliberately sent over a few pictures of Jordyn at the event. Exining things to others could be such a hassle sometimes. Knowing Tilda meant well, Celeste simply replied, ¡°Thank you.¡± Chapter 7d *75 BORUS On Wednesday, Celeste and Matthias were out handling some matters near Fleming Manor. After they finished, they had just gotten into the car when a vehicle pulled out from a side road nearby. That road led only to Fleming Manor. Celeste immediately recognized it as one of Trevor¡¯s regr cars. She was about to look away when it pulled over to the side¨Cand then Trevor and Wynn both stepped out of he car. Celeste paused. They hade from Fleming Manor. So, Trevor had taken Wynn back to the manor to meet Martha? The Scent of 294 Chapter 294 Matthias followed her gaze and saw Trevor and Wynn as well. The Yoder family didn¡¯t have much of a rtionship with the Fleming family, so Matth¨ªas had actually never been to Fleming Manor before and didn¡¯t even know it was nearby. Seeing Trevor and Wynn, he curled his lip slightly.¡± What are they doing here?¡± Celeste withdrew her gaze and said, ¡°That¡¯s the only road leading into Fleming Manor,¡± Matthias froze for a second, then suddenly realized, ¡°So, Trevor brought Wynn back to meet the Fleming family?¡± Before Celeste could say anything, Matthias let out a disbelievingugh. ¡°Your divorce papers aren¡¯t even finalized yet, and he¡¯s already bringing her to the manor? What¡¯s the rush?¡± It did seem like Trevor was in a hurry. But she knew that he had actually tried bringing Wynn to meet the Fleming family a long time ago. It was just that Martha had refused to allow it, and with Arnold seriously ill at the time and opposition from all sides, Trevor had been forced topromise. Now that he was finally bringing Wynn back to the Fleming family, it was actually something he had held off on for quite a while. With their divorce now underway, Trevor clearly wasn¡¯t going to pass up the opportunity when it finally came. Matthias looked at her and asked, ¡°By the way, it¡¯s been a while¨Cwhen are your divorce papers actually going to be finalized?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Thest time I asked Trevor, he said soon.¡± But it had already been a while since shest asked, and there was still no word from Trevor. Matthias curled his lip. ¡°Who knows what he¡¯s doing. He¡¯s the one in a hurry to get divorced and marry Wynn, yet he¡¯s also the one who hasn¡¯t told you to go finalize the paperwork. Next time you see him, remind him to hurry up and get it done already. Just seeing him is annoying.¡± Celeste smiled slightly and said, ¡°Alright.¡± Not long after she got back to the office, her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, she paused for a second before quickly answering, ¡°Mr. Yuvenhart.¡± Gideon Yuvenhart was an old friend of both Arnold and her grandfather. Ever since moving to the capital, whenever her grandfather met with Gideon, he would always bring her along. In a way, she had grown up under Gideon¡¯s watch. Due to poor health, Gideon had gone abroad a few years ago to recover and hadn¡¯t been back since. On the other end of the line, Gideon chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m back in the country. Celeste, why don¡¯t youe have lunch with me over the weekend?¡± Celeste eagerly agreed. ¡°Of course!¡± Gideon smiled again and added, ¡°Oh, right, make sure to bring Trevor too.¡± Celeste¡¯s smile faltered slightly. Before she could respond, Gideon had to hang up because some guests had arrived. Holding her phone, Celeste hesitated for a moment before sending Trevor a message, ¡°Mr. Yuyenhart wants visit him this weekend.¡± After sending the message, she set her phone aside and went back to work. . The next morning, just after arriving at the office, her phone buzzed¨Cit was a reply from Trevor, ¡°Okay.¡± She had messaged him yesterday afternoon, and he was only replying now. Just as she was about to put her phone down, another message from Trevor came in, ¡°Saturday or Sunday? Morning or afternoon? Is there a specific time?¡± Before she could even react, a third message arrived, ¡°Can you call Mr. Yuvenhart to confirm?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t respond, but she did call Gideon to confirm the details, then forwarded the specific time to Trevor. X The Scent of 295 Chapter 295 Trevor replied quickly this time, ¡°Alright, got it.¡± On Saturday morning, Celeste drove to the Yuvenhart manor. Most of the Yuvenhart family lived overseas, so when she arrived, aside from a few maids, only Gideon was home. When he heard she had arrived, Gideon personally came out to greet her. ¡°Cel¡¯s here?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Celeste smiled. Seeing that he looked fairly well, she felt a bit more at ease, but she still couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°You¡¯ve lost quite a bit of weight.¡± Gideon chuckled. ¡°I have, but I¡¯m in good spirits¨Cdon¡¯t worry about me.¡± They entered the house, and Gideon offered her some tea. When he saw she hade alone and Trevor wasn¡¯t with her, he didn¡¯t ask about him either. From that alone, Celeste could tell he was already aware that she and Trevor were preparing for divorce. Not only did Gideon not ask about Trevor, he also didn¡¯t bring up Jordyn¨Cwhich meant he likely already knew that Celeste didn¡¯t have custody either. Since he didn¡¯t ask, Celeste didn¡¯t bring it up. The two chatted over tea, and about 20 minutester, one Yuvenhart family¡¯s maids came over to inform Gideon that a guest had arrived. Gideon said nothing, clearly not intending to go out to greet them. He offered Celeste some pastries instead. Celeste nodded and tried a couple bites. Just then, the butler¡¯s voice came from the side entrance, ¡°Mr. Fleming, this way please.¡± Gideon nced in that direction, but after just one look, his expression darkened. the Celeste paused. The sound of high heels that followed confirmed her suspicion. She turned her head slightly¨Cand saw Trevor and Wynn walking in. Both of them spotted her. Trevor only gave her a nce before looking away and greeted Gideon with, ¡°Mr. Yuvenhart.¡± Gideon gave a cold grunt but didn¡¯t respond. Trevor then introduced her, ¡°Mr. Yuvenhart, this is Wynn Locket.¡± Wynn acted as if Celeste didn¡¯t exist. After Trevor spoke, she smiled politely and greeted him, ¡°Hello, Mr. Yuvenhart.¡± Since Gideon already knew Trevor nned to divorce Celeste, he clearly also knew about Trevor¡¯s rtionship with Wynn, Still, he hadn¡¯t expected Trevor to actually bring her here in person. Gideon let out a coldugh and said, ¡°I don¡¯t recall that I invited you, so don¡¯t call me that.¡± ¡°Mr. Yuvenhart,¡± Trevor said again, clearly unhappy with Gideon¡¯s attitude toward Wynn. But Gideon remained stone¨Cfaced and silent. Trevor, familiar with the Yuvenhart manor, didn¡¯t care about Gideon¡¯s coldness. He simply led Wynn over to the couch and sat down on the other side. Just two days ago, Trevor had taken Wynn back to the Fleming manor. Now, so soon after, he couldn¡¯t wait to bring her to see Gideon too? With their divorce just around the corner, he was already in a rush to introduce Wynn to the people he considered important? Celeste thought this to herself as she lowered her gaze and quietly sipped her tea. Trevor acted as if he were back in his own home. Seeing that Gideon wasn¡¯t going to pour them tea, he went ahead and served a cup for himself and Wynn. Gideon¡¯s face darkened as he reached out and pped Trevor¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t touch the tea I brewed!¡± Trevor grinned, ¡°Then should I brew it myself?¡± The Scent of 296 Chapter 296 Gideon was truly angry. He ignored Trevorpletely and looked at Celeste instead ¡°Come on, Celeste. I¡¯ll take you out for a meal.¡± Celeste set down her teacup and stood up. ¡°Alright.¡± With that, Gideon didn¡¯t spare Trevor another nce and left with Celeste. Trevor remained seated on the couch, calmly, sipping his tea. He neither got up to follow them nor tried to stop them from leaving. Wynn looked at their backs as they walked out. ¡°This-¡± Trevor said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just give it some time.¡± In other words, after enough time passed, Gideon would ept reality and slowly start epting her? Gideon had witnessed the state of Celeste and Trevor¡¯s marriage during the first two or three years after they got married. He had seen clearly from the start that Trevor didn¡¯t like Celeste. And now, Trevor had someone else he cared for. Though Trevor had always had a good rtionship with elders like Martha and Gideon, he was never someone easily swayed by them. So, even if they disapproved of his rtionship with Wynn, there was really nothing they could do about it¡ªand no way they could talk him out of it. As angry as Gideon was, he could only stew in silence. With that in mind, Gideon gently patted the back of Celeste¡¯s hand. ¡°These past few years¡­ sigh.¡± Celeste knew he was expressing sympathy. She gave a soft smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already let it go. I have a new life of my own now, and I¡¯m doing well. You don¡¯t have to worry about me, Mr. Yuvenhart.¡± Gideon smiled. ¡°Good, that¡¯s good.¡± After lunch, when Celeste brought Gideon back to his manor, Trevor and Wynn were already gone. Maybe after they had left the manor, Trevor and Wynn didn¡¯t bother checking in on Jordyn¨Cbecause as Celeste was leaving, Jordyn called her. She looked at the call, but didn¡¯t answer. That evening, when Celeste went back to the Rodriguez residence for dinner, she saw an invitation envelope sitting on the coffee table. Opening it, she saw it was an invitation to Martha¡¯s 75th birthday celebration. Technically, there was still some time before Martha¡¯s actual birthday. But a few years ago, a fortune teller had told her that she shouldn¡¯t hold a major birthday celebration within the next ten years, or she would face a life- threatening cmity. Martha took it seriously. So, for the past decade, she always just had a simple meal with family on her birthday- never throwing a proper banquet. Now that the ten¨Cyear period had passed, Lincoln, Trevor, and the others had already talked about throwing party for her this year. -g That was probably why, even though the event was still a while away, they had already finalized the details and started sending out invitations. * Betty came out of her room and saw the invitation In Celeste¡¯s hand. ¡°It was just delivered ¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste gave a soft nod. Betty added, ¡°This is the first time in a decade she¡¯s hosting a proper birthday banquet. Technically, we should attend no matter what, but-¡± But given the situation between Celeste and Trevor, it really didn¡¯t feel appropriate. And honestly, she didn¡¯t want to go either. Celeste understood exactly what Betty was thinking¨Cshe felt the same. Besides, Trevor had already brought Wynn to the manor. When the party came, under pressure from Martha, there was no telling if he might show up with Wynn too. She set that aside for now. After dinner with the Rodriguez family, Celeste returned to her own ce. On Monday morning, she headed back to work at YodaVision as usual. When work got busy, time always flew by and before she knew it, Thursday had arrived again. The Scent of 297 Chapter 297 That afternoon, Celeste was in the middle of a meeting when a call from Jordyn came through. Without even thinking, she immediately declined it. But the moment she hung up, Jordyn called again. Celeste frowned, but still didn¡¯t answer. This time, Jordyn didn¡¯t call back. Celeste continued with her meeting. A few minutester, her phone rang¨Cthis time, it was Trevor. Celeste pressed her lips together and turned off her phonepletely. It wasn¡¯t until an hourter, after the meeting ended, that she powered it back on. As soon as she did, she saw a message from Trevor, ¡°Jo fell down the stairs at school and was taken to the hospital. Celeste froze, her mind goingpletely nk. She grabbed her phone and bag and rushed out of the office, heading straight for the hospital. Once there, she quickly called Trevor to ask which part of the hospital they were in. He answered almost immediately and gave her the room number. When she reached the VIP ward floor, she pushed the door open without hesitation. Inside, she saw Trevor sitting by the bed, and Jordyn lying there. Jordyn¡¯s face was pale, her head wrapped in bandages. When she saw Celeste, she brightened, even though she looked weak and drained. ¡°Mom-¡± Celeste rushed over. ¡°How is she? What did the doctor say? Trevor answered, ¡°The doctor said it¡¯s a concussion¨Cnot too serious.¡± Celeste let out a breath of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Then Trevor asked, ¡°Have you eaten?¡± She hadn¡¯t. The meeting had runte, and it was already past seven. Celeste shook her head. Trevor didn¡¯t say anything more¨Che picked up his phone and ordered food to be delivered. Jordyn hadn¡¯t seen Celeste in more than half a month. Now, she looked exhausted and listless. Shey in Celeste¡¯s arms without saying a word. Celeste gently held her. ¡°If you¡¯re feeling unwell, why don¡¯t you sleep for a bit?¡® ¡°Okay.¡± Jordyn murmured. She held onto Celeste¡¯s hand, closed her eyes, andy down. But her brows were furrowed the whole time. It took nearly half an hour before she finally fell asleep. Just then, the food Trevor ordered arrived. He said to Celeste, ¡°You should eat something first.¡± But Celeste didn¡¯t ept it. ¡°If I want to eat, I¡¯ll order for myself.¡± Trevor looked at her, but didn¡¯t argue. Celeste picked up her phone and ced a new order on her own. While Jordyn slept, Celeste sat quietly by her side. Trevor seemed to have some business to take care of¡ªhe stepped outside to make a phone call and didn¡¯t return for quite a while. When he came back, he sat down across from her. It looked like he wanted to talk. Celeste noticed, but lowered her head to look at her phone instead. Her posture clearly said she didn¡¯t want to talk to him. Trevor saw that, smiled faintly, and didn¡¯t say anything more. In the hospital room, they each sat in silence, doing their own thing. As night deepened, Jordyn remained asleep. Trevor looked up at Celeste again and finally said, ¡°I¡¯ll stay tonight. You go home and get some rest.¡± Celeste turned her head to nce at Jordyn. She said nothing¨Cand didn¡¯t leave. Trevor looked at her and said, ¡°Be mad if you want, but from now on, even if you don¡¯t answer every call from Jo, at least pick up more often.¡± What he meant was clear¨Cno matter what, Jordyn was still her daughter. If something truly serious happened and she missed the call, it might be something she would regret for the rest of her life. Celeste froze for a second¨Cso he knew she had been deliberately ignoring Jordyn¡¯s calls? The Scent of 298 Chapter 298 Celeste was just about to speak when Trevor¡¯s phone rang again. It was probably Wynn. As he walked toward the door, he picked up the call and said gently, ¡°It¡¯s not too serious, no need to worry too much- 11 After Trevor stepped out to take the call and returned, Jordyn had woken up. Seeing both of them, she sleepily called out, ¡°Daddy, Mommy.¡± Celeste and Trevor responded at the same time, ¡°Yes.¡± Maybe her head was still spinning¨Clying in bed, Jordyn nced at Trevor, then at Celeste. Not long after waking, she frowned in difort and drifted back to sleep. Worried about disturbing her rest, Celeste and Trevor fell into a natural silence. After Jordyn had fully settled into sleep again, Trevor turned to Celeste. ¡°Are you staying?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t respond, but by remaining in her seat, she had already given her answer. Trevor didn¡¯t say anything more either. He simply went over to the other couch and sat down. Celeste stayed seated in the chair by the bed, and after a while, without realizing it, she dozed off. By the time she woke again, daylight had broken. She was lying on Jordyn¡¯s hospital bed. Celeste blinked in surprise. Last night, she clearly¨Cshe paused and looked toward the couch. Trevor was sleeping with his head propped against his hand. Whether it was a coincidence or he had felt her gaze, he suddenly opened his eyes and met hers. Celeste looked away, saying nothing. She didn¡¯t ask if it had been him who had carried her to the bed. Trevor didn¡¯t bring it up either. He straightened his legs and asked, ¡°Are you going home for breakfast or eating here?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t answer. She had her own ns. Seeing that she didn¡¯t want to talk to him, Trevor wasn¡¯t upset, but didn¡¯t press further. A short whileter, Jordyn woke up. As the doctor came in to examine her, Peter and Hannah entered the room carrying breakfast. When they saw Celeste, they greeted her in unison, ¡°Mrs. Fleming.¡± At the title, Celeste frowned slightly, but said nothing. Peter and Hannah ced the breakfast on the coffee table. Trevor had instructed them to bring a portion for Celeste as well. Peter said, ¡°Mrs. Fleming, why don¡¯t youe eat something?¡± Celeste shook her head, then said to Jordyn, who was eating breakfast, ¡°Mommy¡¯s going home to take a sho I¡¯lle back and see youter.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Jordyn, who was still woozy, replied weakly. ¡°But Mommy,e back soon.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Celeste picked up her bag, gave Jordyn onest nce, then turned and left. Back home, she showered, ate breakfast, and returned to the hospital. On the way, she called Matthias, told him about what had happened to Jordyn, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll check on the situation. I might not be back to the office until the afternoon.¡± No matter what, Jordyn was her daughter. Something like this had happened¨Cof course, Celeste should be there to care for her. Matthias simply replied, ¡°Alright.¡± When she arrived at the hospital and entered the room, she saw Beck and Miles. Miles nced at her and curled his lips, but said nothing. Beck looked like he wanted to speak¨Cbut with Trevor here, it wasn¡¯t his ce. He lowered his gaze and turned his head slightly toward Trevor. Trevor looked at Celeste and took the initiative. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Just then, Jordyn also called out, ¡°Mommy.¡± Celeste looked at her. ¡°Yes.¡± Beck and Miles had work to get back to and didn¡¯t stay long. After saying goodbye to Jordyn and giving Celeste a nce, they left together. Jordyn¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t too serious, and only one person needed to stay with her. Celeste thought Trevor would leave with them. But he didn¡¯t. He remained in the room, staying by Jordyn¡¯s side while also handling work. Celeste said nothing about it. That afternoon, not long after Jordyn fell asleep, Celeste also closed her eyes and rested for a bit. When she woke, she saw Peter in the room. At that moment, she heard Trevor, typing on hisptop, say to Peter, ¡°Mrs. Fleming is awake¨Cgo bring her the soup.¡± Peter responded cheerfully and walked over carrying a ceramic jar. ¡°Mrs. Fleming, Mr. Fleming had someone prepare this for you. Would you like some?¡± Celeste was still groggy from sleep. After a moment, once she had fully processed what was said, she frowned slightly and looked at Trevor. It was understandable that Peter and Hannah, out of habit, still called her ¡°Mrs. Fleming¡± without thinking. But Trevor¨Cwhy was he joining in? Just then, Jordyn woke up. Celeste didn¡¯t dwell on it any further. The next morning, Jordyn was feeling much better. Her dizziness had eased up, and after the doctor examined her and confirmed she was fine, Trevor arranged for her to be discharged. Though Jordyn was no longer in danger, she still needed two or three more days of rest. Holding Celeste¡¯s hand, Jordyn asked, ¡°Mommy, are you going back to work? Can¡¯t you stay home with me for a bit?¡± Celeste said, ¡°Next time.¡± Since Jordyn was alright, she had fulfilled her duty as a mother. As for Trevor¡¯s vi¨Cshe wasn¡¯t going back there again. Jordyn pouted. ¡°Okay then.¡± Trevor, who was standing to the side, finally spoke. ¡°Jo, say goodbye to Mommy,¡± Jordyn waved at Celeste. ¡°Bye, Mommy.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Celeste replied, got into her car, and quickly drove away from the hospital. The Scent of 299 Chapter 299 The Scientific and Technological Academic Exchange Conference, jointly hosted by the Baumond Association for Science and Technology and other organizations, had officially begun two days ago. This month¨Clong conference would include nearly 200 individual sessions, drawing participation from many academicians and experts in the scientific and industrialmunities. YodaVision was among the invitedpanies. That afternoon happened to be the main session in the field of Advanced Materials, a topic both Celeste and Matthias were particrly interested in. After returning from the hospital, Celeste went to the conference venue with Matthias and several YodaVision technical staff members. Matthias was attending as YodaVision¡¯s representative and had a reserved seat near the front. Celeste, along with thepany¡¯s staff, followed the event organizer¡¯s arrangement and sat near the back. They arrived early. Not long after they took their seats, Celeste spotted Trevor, Wynn, and Miles entering. They saw her too. Neither Wynn nor Miles looked surprised to see her¨Cthough their reactions differed. Miles assumed she was just there to join the crowd. Wynn, however, didn¡¯t care. After a quick nce, she looked away. Trevor also looked at Celeste briefly, then sat in the front row. Matthias, upon seeing Trevor, curled his lips and acted like he hadn¡¯t noticed him. Trevor, being rather forward, greeted him with a smile. ¡°Mr. Yoder.¡± He pressed his lips into a thin line, silently questioning his life choices. Had he not made himself clear enough? They weren¡¯t close, and there was no need to greet each other in the future. Why was it so hard for some people to take a hint? About ten minutester, the conference officially began. An academician from the Academy of Engineering took the stage and began borating on the field of Advanced Materials, discussing theories while engaging with the audience. Zachary held a unique status in this field. Celeste and Matthias had encountered and studied countless types of Advanced Materials. Many of the materials mentioned by the academician were ones they could immediately identify just by name, already familiar with their properties, raw materials, and manufacturing conditions. They had a broad knowledge base and a deeper understanding of advanced technologies than most. Still, the world was vast, and they couldn¡¯t know everything. Gathering diverse insights helped spark new ideas¨Cso they listened attentively. Wynn was also listening closely. With the rapid advancement of technology, the field of Advanced Materials had be incredibly vast. Many of the terms and materials being discussed were things she had never even heard of, let alone had experienced with. +25 BORUS As she listened to the back¨Cand¨Cforth between the speaker and audience, she realized just how much she still didn¡¯t know. She noted down key points she needed and nned to study them in detailter. Trevor sat quietly, seemingly deep in thought, but he, too, appeared to be paying attention. When the academician from the Academy of Engineering, Morgan Hale, finished speaking, many of the science and tech professionals eagerly stepped forward to ask him questions. Morgan responded to each one with patience. Matthias left his seat and came over to Celeste to exchange ideas. There were over 200 people in the hall. Some who didn¡¯t know Celeste or Matthias overheard their discussion and were surprised, gathering around to listen. Before long, a small crowd had formed around them. Someone recognized Matthias and said, ¡°That¡¯s Matthias Yoder¨CZachary Newman¡¯s student. No wonder he knows so much!¡± More and more people came over to ask questions. Since this was an academic exchange, as long as the questions didn¡¯t involve confidential material, Matthias was generous in answering them. But the crowd kept growing, and he couldn¡¯t get to everyone¨Cso he turned to the others waiting and said, ¡± Celeste has a broad knowledge base too. You can ask her your questions.¡± And so, a number of people turned to Celeste with their inquiries. Within just ten or 20 minutes, the crowd around them grew evenrger. Trevor, who knew Morgan personally, brought Wynn over to say hello. Wynn took the opportunity to ask Morgan a few questions. Listening to her, Morgan smiled and said to Trevor, ¡°Ms. Locket is so young and already has such a wide breadth of knowledge. Quite impressive. You¡¯ve got a good eye, Trevor.¡± ¡°You might not know this,¡± said Lucien Zandrell, who hade over as well, ¡°but Wynn is a PhD graduate from a top¨Cranked university. It¡¯s only natural that she¡¯s this impressive.¡± Wynn had already attended several sessions over the past two days. She stood out on her own, and yesterday morning, Bryson had also been present¨Che admired her and introduced her to several influential people. Lucien was one of them. After speaking, Lucien looked at Wynn and Trevor with a smile. So Wynn, you¡¯re Mr. Fleming¡¯s girlfriend? We talked so much yesterday, but you didn¡¯t mention that. So modest at such a young age¨Cthat¡¯s rare.¡± Wynn smiled. ¡°You tter me.¡± Their group had attracted a small crowd as well, and they engaged in a lively discussion for some time. Just then, someone nearby eximed, ¡°Matthias really lives up to being Mr. Newman¡¯s student¨Che knows so much! Ask him anything and he can answer!¡± Right? And not just Matthias¨Ceven the beautiful Ms. Rodriguez standing next to him is amazing. I was standing there listening, and honestly, it felt like I was hearing a foreignnguage.¡± At that, Wynn¡¯s expression tightened slightly. Morgan, hearing thements, seemed intrigued. He was of course, already aware of who Matthias was. After hearing that, he turned to Trevor and Lucien. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a look over there.¡± Lucien also showed interest. Wynn paused for a second¨Cthen decided she wanted to go too. She turned to Trevor. ¡°Shall we go see?¡± Trevor smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± Miles wasn¡¯t interested in any of it¨Cbut followed them anyway. The Scent of 300 Chapter 300 There were quite a few people gathered around Celeste and Matthias. When Morgan and Lucien approached, some people in the crowd were about to greet them, but Morgan smiled and gestured for them to stay quiet. Then he and the others stood at the edge of the group, quietly listening to Matthias and Celeste answer questions. Many attendees at the conference were graduates of prestigious universities. There was no shortage of capable, knowledgeable people. Celeste and Matthias not only responded to others¡® questions but also asionally encountered a few individuals who could carry on more in¨Cdepth discussions with them. Those with a simrly broad knowledge base were deeply engaged in the back¨Cand¨Cforth. Those whocked the technical background¨Cespecially when it came to materials and manufacturing¨Cfelt like they were listening to a foreignnguage. Lucien and Morgan clearly fell into the first group. Wynn could mostly keep up, too. In truth, after just a short exchange earlier, Celeste and Matthias had already sensed the gap between them and most of the crowd. So when they answered questions, they had unconsciously simplified their exnations. Lucien and Morgan listened with great interest. Just as they nned to keep listening, someone up front recognized them and eximed, ¡°Ah¨Cit¡¯s Academician Morgan Hale and Professor Lucien Zandrell!¡± Celeste and Matthias paused and followed the direction of everyone¡¯s gaze. Sure enough, they saw Morgan, Lucien -and Trevor, Wynn, and Miles. Celeste and Matthias instinctively ignored Trevor and Wynn. Now that Morgan had arrived, Matthias had no choice but to stop and, along with Celeste, walk over to greet them. ¡°Mr. Hale, Professor Zandrell.¡± Morgan smiled and pped his hands. ¡°As expected of Mr. Newman¡¯s student¨Cvery impressive.¡± Matthias smiled, but before he could say anything, Morgan added, ¡°Your talent doesn¡¯t surprise me. What surprises me more is that the young woman beside you is just as capable.¡± Heughed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to introduce us?¡± Matthias paused and said, ¡°Celeste Rodriguez, a member of our technical team at YodaVision.¡± ¡°Oh, a technician at YodaVision,¡± Morgan replied. ¡°So, yourpany doesn¡¯t just have you¨Cit has another young talent just as impressive. No wonder YodaVision is doing so well.¡± Matthias said, ¡°You tter us.¡± Lucien also came forward to greet them. Hearing how fluently Celeste conversed with others, Wynn was indeed surprised. So, Celeste wasn¡¯t as clueless as she had assumed. Matthias was Zachary¡¯s student and was exceptionally skilled. If Celeste had been following him closely, she might have truly been learning something. But materials were only one field. If Celeste had graduated from college at 18 just like her, then her learning ability was definitely there. As long as she had the right mindset, it waspletely reasonable for someone like her to pick things up under Matthias guidance. Wynn recalled hearing years ago that Celeste had skipped three grades in high school and been admitted to one of the top universities in the country¨CAurelia University. She had assumed Celeste must be quite impressive. But in the two or three years that followed, she learned that Celeste¡¯s performance in college was far less remarkablepared to her entrance exam results. Celeste had never participated in any major internationalpetitions. Wynn, on the other hand, hadn¡¯t scored as highly on her entrance exam, but during university, she had won numerous awards¨Cenough to get her a ce in a top¨Ctier graduate program, which she hadpleted all the way through her PhD without any setbacks. Thinking of all this, Wynn looked at Celeste, listening to Morgan praise her. She smiled, but said nothing. She turned her head and nced at Trevor. Trevor¡¯s expression was calm. He looked away, as ifpletely indifferent to thepliments Morgan and the others were giving Celeste. Like her, he didn¡¯t seem to think Celeste was particrly impressive. That thought made Wynn smile a little. As for things like Advanced Materials or AI¨CMiles had absolutely no clue what any of it meant. Listening to Celeste converse so smoothly, and with Morgan singing her praises nonstop, Miles felt a little dazed. He looked over at Trevor and Wynn. ¡°Is she actually this capable?¡± Before Trevor could respond, Wynn smiled and looked at him. ¡°What do you think?¡± He stared nkly for a second, utterly speechless. How was he supposed to know? If he had the answers, he wouldn¡¯t be standing here wasting time asking them. But judging by Trevor and Wynn¡¯s reactions, it seemed like maybe Celeste wasn¡¯t quite as impressive as she seemed. Seeing that Morgan probably wouldn¡¯t be done chatting with Celeste and Matthias anytime soon, Wynn said, Trevor, don¡¯t you still have things to take care of? Why don¡¯t we go first?¡± ¡°1 Trevor replied, ¡°Alright.¡± With that, he took a few steps forward and said to Morgan, ¡°Mr. Hale, we¡¯ve got something to attend to, so we¡¯ll be heading out first.¡± Morgan nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± He smiled and gave Wynn a polite nod. Trevor nced at Celeste once more, then turned and left with Wynn and Miles. The Scent of 301 Over the next few days, Celeste made time to attend two or three more conference events. She ran into Wynn twice, but on both asions, Trevor didn¡¯t apany her. By March, the rain had be more frequent. After one of the events, it began to rain outside. Celeste had brought an umbre, but she had left it in the car. She walked toward the main entrance, nning to wait until the rain eased up before leaving She hadn¡¯t even reached the door when she saw Wynn. Wynn was speaking with someone, but her smile faded as soon as she spotted Celeste. ust then, Tr Just Trevor appeared, holding an umbre. He had clearlye to pick Wynn up. He took off his coat and draped it over Wynn¡¯s shoulder. The people nearby, also waiting out the rain, looked on enviously. Some even gasped in admiration. It was only then that Trevor noticed Celeste and paused. She looked back at him expressionlessly. He turned his gaze away, lifted the umbre again, and left with Wynn. The wind was picking up, and since he had given his coat to Wynn, even if some rain drifted under the umbre, she wouldn¡¯t get wet with the extrayer shielding her. It was an especially thoughtful gesture on Trevor¡¯s part. Before long, the two of them had disappeared past the entrance. A little whileter, Trevor¡¯s driver came over from the parking lot holding an umbre. He handed it to her and said, ¡°Mrs. Fleming, Mr. Fleming asked me to bring you this. Celeste didn¡¯t take it. ¡°No need. You can take it back.¡± Martha had mentioned before that, for Jordyn¡¯s sake, Trevor had agreed to get along with her. Last time at the seminar, he had shown concern for her. Now, in front of Wynn, he was having someone bring her an umbre again. If Wynn could so easily allow Trevor to send her an umbre, she must be confident enough in their rtionship to believe he had no feelings for Celeste. It was just some passing courtesy for Jordyn¡¯s sake. The driver hesitated. ¡°But¡­¡± Celeste said, ¡°He won¡¯t mind. You can go.¡± Seeing how firm she was, the driver eventually turned and left with the umbre. He didn¡¯te back again. But the rain still showed no signs of stopping. Celeste checked the time, debating whether to keep waiting or just brave the rain and leave. Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke beside her. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡± It was Beck. Dusk was falling. If she didn¡¯t leave soon, who knew how long she would be stuck here. Celeste didn¡¯t refuse. ¡°Thank you.¡± # Beck started to take off his coat, seemingly Intending to give it to her. Celeste quickly said, ¡°No need. I have a spare set of clothes in the car. If I get wet, I can change.¡± Beck paused, not insisting. But as they walked out together he moved to shield her from the direction of the wind. Walking down the steps with him, Celeste asked, ¡°Mr. Harper, were you here for the conference too?¡± He wasn¡¯t. Beck had heard from Miles that she had been attending for the past few days. Since they hadn¡¯t had much to discuss work¨Cwise recently, he hadn¡¯t seen her in wille¨Cand truthfully, he had missed her. So he came. Noticing her ears were red from the cold, he let out a soft ¡°m¡± and asked, ¡°Do you have timeter? Want to grab a meal together?¡± He had helped her, and they still had work matters to deal with. Having a meal together didn¡¯t seem like a big deal. Celeste replied, ¡°Sure.¡± The Scent of 302 At the restaurant, once they entered the private room and sat down, Beck poured her a ss of water and asked, ¡± Did you gain anything from the conference this time?¡± ¡°More or less.¡± She had joined the conference to spark inspiration, hoping to find new angles to study the materials Zachary had given her and Matthias a while back. After attending a few sessions, she had more or less found a new direction As she spoke, Celeste asked, ¡°How¡¯s Shanice doingtely? ¡°Shanice¡¯s health has improved a lot since the second half ofst year. She¡¯s started school again this year and has even made new friends. She¡¯s been pretty happy both at home and at school.¡± Beck paused, then added as he looked at her, ¡°But she still brings you up often. Next time we get the chance, maybe the three of us could have a meal together?¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± After the personal talk, they moved on to work¨Crted toples. Toward the end, Beck even brought up some matters about his coboration with Ivan. The conversation flowed easily, and the overall atmosphere during the meal turned out to be quite pleasant. Back when he had used Shanice as an excuse to meet with Celeste, she barely spoke to him¨Cher attention was always on Shanice, and she responded to him half¨Cheartedly at best. But now, without Shanice around, they could have a proper conversation. Beck could tell that Celeste was letting go of old grudges and slowly beginning to ept him. Though that eptance wasn¡¯t in the sense of a rtionship, and they couldn¡¯t even really be called friends yet, it was already a huge improvementpared to the past. After dinner, they went their separate ways. Since moving out to live on her own, Celeste had been so busy with work that she had barely shopped for clothes in the past few months. Now that the seasons were changing, she didn¡¯t have many pieces in her wardrobe that were still suitable. On Saturday, she went out for a bit. After trying on clothes for more than an hour and picking out a few items for other members of the Rodriguez family, she sat down on a couch to rest and wait to pay. That was when a voice called from outside the store. ¡°Celeste?¡± Celeste turned and saw J Linvale standing at the entrance. J was Lennox¡¯s daughter, just a few months younger than her. They used to y together often as kids and were very close. But ever since Isabelle divorced Harvey, they hadn¡¯t seen much of each other. Thest time they met was three or four years ago. At that time, Trevor hadn¡¯t met Wynn yet. J had somehow heard that Harvey¡¯s business had run into serious trouble and was on the verge of bankruptcy. She had made a special trip to Youtopia to see Celeste, secretly giving her hundreds of thousands of dors of her saved¨Cup allowance money to help her through the crisis. Celeste smiled. ¡°Long time no see.¡± ¡°Yeah, long time.¡± J looked a little emotional. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she looked at +25 BONUS Celeste with concern and asked, ¡°Celeste, are you okay?¡± She knew about everything between Celeste, Wynn, and Trevor. She had heard that Celeste had loved Trevor for years, but Trevor never returned those feelings. The moment he met Wynn, he had been instantly captivated by her. J knew all too well how attractive Wynn could be. Over the years, she had seen countless men fall for her,pletely infatuated. Even her own high school crush had only dated her to get closer to Wynn. But the thing was, Wynn truly was excellent¨Cshe had real charmII. To have the man she loved taken away by someone so outstanding, and to be powerless to take him back, especially with everything between Lilian and Isabelle on top of it, Celeste¡¯s pain must have been unimaginable. The Scent of 303 Celeste had a good idea of what J was thinking. Just as she was about to say she was fine, Lennox walked in When she saw J, she snapped, ¡°What are you doing running around? Do you have any idea how long I¡¯ve been looking for you? You¡¯re not answering your phone-¡± Before she could finish, she caught sight of Celeste¡¯s back. Her expression immediately turned cold. Just then, a store clerk approached and said to Celeste, ¡°Ma Rodriguez, all the items you requested have been packed. Here¡¯s the receipt. The total to 5,897,64/ dors. Please take a look.¡± Celeste nodded and took the receipt. They were at Luvienne how. Everything Celeste had purchased was packed and neatly arranged on the floor. There were over 30 shopping bags in total, all lined up. Celeste checked the bill, confirmed it was correct, and handed over her card to the clerk. Both Lennox and J were stunned. Celeste had just spent nearly six million dors on clothes? But Lennox quickly regained herposure. She assumed Celeste was just putting on a show to keep others from thinking she was struggling¨Cpretending to be rich when she wasn¡¯t. After all, if not for Trevor, given the Locket family¡¯s current financial state, even Wynn wouldn¡¯t be able to spend that kind of money on clothes in a year. The Rodriguez family was running a deficit now, and Celeste didn¡¯t have any notable abilities. Where would the money being from? J, however, felt a bit worried. She had heard that while the Rodriguez family hadn¡¯t gone bankrupt, their business wasn¡¯t doing well either. Spending nearly six million dors so casually on clothes¨Cthat didn¡¯t sit right with her. Lennox let out a snort but didn¡¯t say anything. She turned to J and said, ¡°Uncle Harvey¡¯s almost done cooking Are you nning to make everyone wait for you to start dinner? Hurry up.¡± J nced at Celeste and gave her a nod before quickly following Lennox out. She had heard before that the Locket family¡¯s current house had been purchased by Trevor for Lilian, at a price of over 600 million dors. And that figure didn¡¯t even include the cost of the luxurious furniture and decor. ording to Lennox, therge vase in the living room alone was worth tens of millions of dors. It had been a housewarming gift from Trevor to Wynn. On top of that, there were plenty of other high¨Cend decorative items throughout the house. Even though J had been raised in wealth herself, it was still her first time seeing such avish and upscale vi. She was stunned the entire time, walking carefully, affald she might identally knock over somet expensive. Linda sat casually on the couch, munching on nuts. Seeing how wide¨Ceyed and cautious J looked, she couldn¡¯t help butugh. Wynn came gracefully down the stairs, Seeing how tense J was, she said indifferently, ¡°They¡¯re just some decorative knick¨Cknacks. Don¡¯t be so nervous. If something gets broken, we¡¯ll just rece it.¡± Her tone made it clear that she didn¡¯t care much about any of it. BONUS J was speechless. How J was speechless. How had Wynn be so extravagant so quickly? Linda grinned proudly. ¡°Trevor has more money than he knows what to do with, and he¡¯s generous with Wynn. If Wynn¡¯s happy, she could smash this stuff every day, and Trevor would still happily buy her more just to make sure she has fun.¡± J had no words. She had heard before that Trevor treated Wynn very well¨Cgiving her money, shares, connections, and helping the Locket family establish themselves in the capital. But hearing about it was one thing, seeing it with her own eyes was something else entirely. What made it even harder to swallow was that she had also heard Trevor was extremely stingy with Celeste. When the Rodriguez family ran into trouble, he refused to help at all. Yet with Wynn, he was this generous. The Scent of 304 Just as J was lost in thought, Trevor arrived. After greeing the Locket and Shaw family members, Wynn introduced J to him. ¡°This is my Aunt Lennox¡¯s daughter, J Linvale.¡± Trevor nced at J, smiled politely, and said, ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± J had only ever seen Trevor in Wynn¡¯s Instagram posts Seeing him in person now, she suddenly understood why Wynn had chosen him. The men who pursued Wynn in the past were already exceptional in every way¨Crenowned, capable, and impressive. Butpared to Trevor, whether it was his personal achievements, education, family background, or even looks and demeanor, none of them coulde close. She had thought those past suitors were already the best of the best, but only now did she realize there¡¯s always someone better out there. And she had to admit, Trevor and Wynn standing together did look incredibly well¨Cmatched. Still, thinking of everything that had happened between Trevor and Celeste, J lowered her gaze and quietly said, ¡°Hello.¡± After greeting the families, Trevor sat down on the couch. News that Wynn had found a boyfriend in Baumond¨Cand that with his help, the Locket family had smoothly entered Baumond¡¯s upper elite circle¨Chad spread through their social circles in Youtopia sincest year. Coincidentally, an old acquaintance of the Locket family from Youtopia hade by today to visit Erin When they first heard the Locket family had easily broken into Baumond¡¯s elite, they didn¡¯t believe it Even though Wynn was outstanding, and many of Youtopia¡¯s top young elites had pursued her over the years, the Locket family¡¯s status in Youtopia only ranked as mid¨Ctier among the wealthy. For Wynn to marry into Youtopia¡¯s upper elite was already a stretch, let alone reaching the top tier of Baumond society. But after seeing the vi the Locket family now lived in, and then meeting Trevor himself, they finally believed it. As they stared at Trevor in disbelief, Wynn said calmly, ¡°They¡¯re some old friends of the Locket family.¡± Trevor nodded. When they greeted him, he shook hands with each person courteously. Once Trevor arrived, they all moved to the dining room for the meal. J was about to finish her master¡¯s degree. Lennox had brought her to Baumond in hopes that she could find a job here and have Wynn help her find a suitable match. Trevor had always treated the Locket and Shaw families well. After dinner, seeing that Trevor seemed to be in at good mood, Lennox couldn¡¯t help bringing up the matter. J didn¡¯t really want to work here, nor did she want to trouble anyone. She couldn¡¯t stop herself from saying. You really don¡¯t need to go through the trouble- Before she could finish, Trevor looked at her and gave a small smile. ¡°It¡¯s no trouble.¡± He paused, then looked at her and said, ¡°J, right? Do you have any expectations for the kind of job you want?¡± J hadn¡¯t expected Trevor to treat her with such courtesy and importance. Was it because he loved Wynn enough to care for those around her too? During dinner, she had heard Linda mention how Trevor hall felt jealous because so many outstanding men liked Wynn. To put an end to any potentialpetition, he had even transferred arge portion of shares from one of hispanies to her. She had already thought that was enough to show how much he valued Wynn. But she hadn¡¯t expected Trevor to take Wynn seriously to the point that he would care about someone like her¨Cjust a rtive he was meeting for the first time. She had also heard that Trevor and Celeste hadn¡¯t officially divorced yet. And that Trevor and Wynn weren¡¯t married. When she heard Linda casually calling Trevor ¡°brother¨Cinw,¡± it had felt a bit off to her. But now, she hadn¡¯t expected Trevor to show her such courtesy. She was a little stunned. She had always been timid, andpared to Wynn, not particrly outstanding. She wasn¡¯t used to receiving this kind of attention. Now that Tvor was speaking to her so directly, she stammered, struggling to find her words. Wynn gently patted Trevor¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Don¡¯t scare her¡± Trevor smiled. ¡°Alright.¡± Then he said to J, ¡°Once you¡¯ve decided, just have someone let me know. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± J quickly replied. ¡°Okay.¡± The Scent of 305 +25 BONUS Just then, Wynn seemed to remember something and said, Isn¡¯t Beck¡¯spany hiring right now? Harper Corporation should have a suitable position for her. I¡¯ll call Beckter and ask.¡± Trevor smiled. ¡°Alright.¡± J knew who Beck was. She had heard that he and Trevor grew up together and that he also admired Wynn. Whenever Wynn needed help in the past, Beck would always go all out to support her. Hearing this, J wanted to say she didn¡¯t want to rely on anyone, but before she could speak, Lennox quickly responded, ¡°Thank you, Wynn I really appreciate your handling this.¡± Wynn said, ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do.¡± After that, Trevor and Wynn didn¡¯t bring up J again. They sat close together, speaking in low voices about who knows what. The conversation seemed endless, and their rapport felt effortless. Seeing how close and affectionate they were, J couldn¡¯t help but think of Celeste, who had gone shopping alone today. She quietly asked Linda, ¡°When are they getting divorced?¡± It took Linda a moment to realize J was referring to Celeste and Trevor. She curled her lip and said, ¡°Trevor said soon. It¡¯s just there¡¯s a bit of trouble with the asset division. He doesn¡¯t want Celeste using it as an excuse bother him and Wynnter, so he¡¯s going to finalize the financial matters before making the divorce official.¡± Hearing that Celeste would get a share of his assets, J felt a little relieved. She had heard Trevor seemed to hate Celeste and had thought he wouldn¡¯t give her anything at all during the divorce. Talking about the asset division made Linda visibly unhappy. Without waiting for J to speak again, she snorted and said, ¡°If Trevor wasn¡¯t worried that refusing her any assets would make that bitch run crying to Mrs. Fleming Senior, and that she¡¯d block the divorce out of spite, he wouldn¡¯t be giving her a single cent.¡± J murmured, ¡°Oh.¡± Then, after a pause, she asked, ¡°So, is it just a small portion of the assets?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a lot, but not exactly a little either. Hmph. It¡¯s still too good for her. Everything Trevor¡¯s giving her was discussed with Wynn first. It¡¯s just to keep up appearances. It¡¯s not much.¡± J understood. With Trevor¡¯s wealth, if even Linda was this upset about it, then Celeste must have gotten a significant sum. That thought gave her some peace of mind. It made sense. In Linda¡¯s view, what Celeste got might be a tiny slice of Trevor¡¯s total fortune, but even that added up to about as much as what Trevor had spent on Wynn over the years. To them, that was already arge amount. Money that should have belonged to them had gone to Celeste how could that not leave Linda feeling sour? im, At that moment, Linda remembered Wynn had just suggested J work at Beck¡¯spany. She gave J an annoyed look and said, ¡°Once you¡¯re there, keep an eye on Beck for me. Don¡¯t let other women get close got it?¡± J had heard from Lennox that Linda had taken a liking to Trevor¡¯s friend, who was also someone from Baumond¡¯s upper elite circles and had outstanding credentials. But apparently, he didn¡¯t feel the same way about Linda. Hearing Linda now, J wasn¡¯t sure what to say. She hesitated, then replied, ¡°That¨Cit¡¯s not even decided yet. I might not even get a position at Harper Corporation.¡± Linda curled her lip. ¡°You don¡¯t know Beck. As long as Wynn asks, he¡¯ll definitely say yes.! J muttered, ¡°Oh¡­¡± Trevor had matters to attend to and was preparing to leave. The Locket and Shaw families regarded him very highly, so everyone came out to send him off. the Lennox wanted J to establish herself in Baumond as soon as possible. After Trevor left, she brought up th earlier request to Wynn again. Seeing that there was time now, Wynn picked up her phone and called Beck But the call rang for quite a while, and no one answered. The Scent of 306 Wynn put down her phone and said to Lennox, ¡°He might be busy. I¡¯ll try calling againter.¡± More than half an hourter, she called Beck again. This time, Beck answered. Wynn said, ¡°Hope I¡¯m not bothering you?¡± Beck replied, ¡°Not at all.¡± In fact, Beck had seen her call the first time. He had just chosen not to pick up. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Wynn exined the reason for her call. After hearing it, Beck asked, ¡°Why not arrange for her to work at Trevor¡¯spany?¡± Wynn smiled at the question. ¡°Trevor¡¯spany isn¡¯t hiring right now.¡± Beck was silent for a second. Then he asked, ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°J Linvale.¡± ¡°How do you spell that?¡± ¡°J¨CA¨CN¨CE¨CTL¨CI¨CN¨CV¨CA¨CL¨CE¡± ¡°Alright. Got it. Have her submit a resume through the regr process over the next few days.¡± Wynn smiled. ¡°Thanks, Beck.¡± Before Beck could respond, Wynn seemed to want to chat a bit more and casually asked, ¡°What are you up to now? Been busytely?¡± Beck didn¡¯t get a chance to answer. A soft, pleasant female voice came from his end. ¡°Beck, who are you talking to?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Beck¡¯s tone turned cold. Then he said to Wynn, I have something to take care of. I¡¯m hanging up now. Before she could say anything else, he ended the call. The moment that woman¡¯s voice appeared, Beck¡¯s tone instantly went cold. It was obvious he wasn¡¯t happy she had interrupted their conversation. Maybe he had ended the call so abruptly because he was worried Wynn might hear too much and misunderstand his rtionship with that woman? Wynn raised her eyebrows at the thought. She set down her phone and said to Lennox, ¡°Beck agreed.¡± Lennox thanked her. ¡°Thank you, Wynn.¡± Linda, looking smug, said to J, ¡°See? I told you. As long as Wynn speaks up, Beck would definitely J paused, then couldn¡¯t help ncing at Wynn a few more times. That evening, after having dinner and returning from the Rodriguez residence to her own ce, Celeste had just turned on herputer to get back to work when she received a call from Trevor. She didn¡¯t answer. She turned off her phone instead. It wasn¡¯t until the next morning when she woke up that she turned it back on again. Then she saw a few messages from Trevor. [I want to talk to you.] [It¡¯s about Grandma¡¯s birthday celebration.] [I hope you¡¯ll attend.] Maybe because she didn¡¯t reply, Trevor didn¡¯t send any more messages after that. Celeste still didn¡¯t respond. After washing up, she was making breakfast when Trevor called again. She frowned. Pretending not to see it, she still didn¡¯t answer. Trevor called two or three more times, and when it was clear she wouldn¡¯t pick up, he stopped trying Celeste went to work at thepany as usual. That day, Jorge happened to visit YodaVision Co. for business. Matthias was the one who received him. Around noon, Jorge, as persistent as ever, tried to invite Matthias to lunch. As usual, Matthias declined. Jorge had no choice but to leave with his own colleagues. When he got to the parking lot downstairs, he saw Trevor leaning against a car door, as if waiting for someone. He paused, then stepped forward and greeted, ¡°Mr. Fleming.¡± Trevor looked over with a smile. ¡°Mr. Robinson, here on business at YodaVision?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Thinking of how proactive Trevor was being toward Celeste Jorge kept a calm expression and cautiously asked, You came here to¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to see Celeste.¡± Trevor smiled and looked up at the office building. ¡°She should be upstairs?¡± Jorge pressed his lips together but hadn¡¯t responded yet when Trevor sighed and said, ¡°She won¡¯t answer my calls or reply to my messages. I had no choice but toe here and wait for her.¡± Just as Jorge was about to say something, Celeste and Matthias walked out of the building together. Seeing Trevor and Jorge both waiting in the parking lot, they stopped in their tracks. Matthias wanted nothing more than to turn right back into the building. Of course, that was just a passing thought. They still headed toward the parking lot, walking, straight past Trevor and Jorge without acknowledging them, heading toward their car. Trevor walked over and said to Celeste, ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡± Matthias didn¡¯t know about Trevor hugging Celeste after thest conference. All he knew was that Trevor had always gone out of his way to hide their marriage and didn¡¯t want others to know about their rtions! Now, seeing Trevor not only approach Celeste openly but also seempletely unbothered by who was watching, Matthias frowned and looked at Celeste, silently asking, ¡°What the hell is he doing?¡± The moment Celeste saw Trevor, she already knew he was here for her. To be honest, she hadn¡¯t expected him to be this unreserved, showing up at YodaVision Co. in broad daylight just to confront her. She said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m not going¡± Trevor looked at her. ¡°No need to rush your decision. If you have any conditions, we can talk.¡± Celeste said, ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need. If I need to talk do with you.¡± The Scent of 307 As she spoke, Celeste stopped looking; at him and turned to leave. Trevor stepped forward, trying to stop her, but just then, his phone tang He nced at the caller ID and paused, watching as Celeste got into her car. Then be answered the call. Matthias had intended to stop Trevor when he saw him move toward Celeste, but seeing Trevor give up on his own, he shot him a nce, let out a cold snort, and got inte Celeste¡¯s car. Matthias hadn¡¯t really caught what Trevor and Celeste had just been talking about. After getting in the car, he asked. ¡°Where did he want you to go?¡± Celeste told him about Martha¡¯s uing birthday celebration. Matthias genuinely hadn¡¯t known about that. The Yoder family and the Fleming family didn¡¯t have particrly close ties, but since Martha¡¯s birthday was being arranged grandly, the Yoder family would probably receive an invitation: He just didn¡¯t visit his family often, so he wasnaware. After hearing it, he said, ¡°You¡¯re right not to go.¡± Then he frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t he already bring Wynn to the Fleming manor to meet the family? He¡¯ll probably take her to the birthday banquet too. If that¡¯s the case, why ask you to attend as well? Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense if you didn¡¯t go?¡± Celeste had wondered about that too. But since she no longer cared about Trevor or Wynn, and didn¡¯t expect to have anything to do with Trevor again, she hadn¡¯t thought too deeply about it, even though it seemed strange. Matthias paused and then added, ¡°Could it be that when he brought Wynn to the Fleming manor, the family didn¡¯t approve of their rtionship? And now he¡¯s banking on the fact that Mrs. Fleming Senior likes and values you¨Cso he¡¯s thinking if you give your blessing, Mrs. Fleming Senior and the others might stop being biased and ept Wynn, letting them be together smoothly?¡± Celeste fell silent for a moment. ¡°Maybe.¡± Matthias let out a coldugh. ¡°No wonder he¡¯s suddenly willing to humble himself toe looking for you. He sure knows how to calcte things.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t respond. She focused on driving Elsewhere, after chatting briefly, Trevor ended the call. Jorge hadn¡¯t left. When he saw Trevor put his phone away, be hesitated and asked, ¡°Was that Ms. Locket?¡± Trevor gave a faint smile. ¡°Yes.¡± He slipped his phone into his pocket and looked at him. ¡°Mr. Robinson, do you have agy nster? Want to grab a bite together?¡± Jorge paused, nced at Trevor, and then agreed. ¡°Sure.¡± More than half an hourter, Trevor and Jorge arrived at a restaurant. Trevor smiled. ¡°Yesterday I heard from Mr. Locket that you agreed to talk about a new project with him in the next few days?¡± Jorge immediately realized he was referring to Wynn¡¯s father, Harvey Locket. He had already heard that Trevor paid a lot of attention to the Locket family, but he hadn¡¯t expected Trevor to be this well¨Cinformed about their affairs. He replied coolly, ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Trevor said, ¡°I¡¯m actually quite interested in this project myself. I wonder if you could tell me more about it?¡± 1/2 Hearing that, lorge immediately understood that Trevor wasn¡¯t interested in the project itself. He was just worried Jorge might take advantage of the Locket family. Otherwise, Trevor wouldn¡¯t have brought up Harvey first before mentioning the project. If he were truly curious about the business, he would have asked directly about Jorge¡¯s and the n. He would take advantage of the Locket family? Jorge gave old chuckle. But he didn¡¯t say that aloud. Instead, he calmly replied, ¡°Sorry, Mr. Fleming. That project is still under wraps for now, so I can¡¯t say much. I hope you¡¯ll understand.¡± The Scent of 308 Celeste had no idea what Trevor and Jorge talked about. After lunch with Matthias, she returned to the office to continue working On Wednesday, she received a call from Gideon inviting her ower for dinner that weekend. He added, ¡°Jo will be there too.¡± Celeste paused for a moment and said, ¡°Alright¡± On Friday afternoon, while Celeste was in a meeting, her phone suddenly rang. Just as she was about to answer, the call ended. Since she was still in a meeting and the number was unfamr, she didn¡¯t give it much thought. The person calling had actually been J. She had officially started working at Harper Corporation on Wednesday. She had called Celeste to tell her that she had joined thepany and would be settling down in Baumond. But just after dialing, she remembered something Linda had said that Trevor¡¯s friends, like Beck, didn¡¯t like Celeste. No matter how hard she tried to win them over, they never warmed up to her. Yet they had easily epted Wynn. If she told Celeste about getting the job at Harper Corporation, Celeste would definitely know Wynn had a hand in it. And if Celeste knew that, she might feel hurt. Thinking of that, J hurriedly hung up. After work, prompted by Lennox, she returned to the Locket residence. She hadn¡¯t even stepped through the door when she saw several unfamiliar luxury cars parked outside the vi. Beforeing to Baumond, she had already heard from Lennox and the others that many elites and powerful families in the city now knew about Wynn¡¯s rtionship with Trevor. Just how good Trevor was to Wynn was practicallymon knowledge within their circle. J hadn¡¯t really grasped what that meant until she arrived in Baumond herself. Seeing so many high¨Cstatus people visiting the Locket family every day, asking them for favors, she finally realized just how influential the Locket family had be, Learning the identities of those visitors and seeing how, despite their own status, they came in person to connect with Wynn and her family had left J stunned. It was then she truly understood that Trevor¡¯s help to the Locket and Shaw families had been far greater than she had imagined. However, even when facing those powerful people, J saw Lennox speaking cautiously and respectfully, while Wynn remained calm and distant, even actively avoiding them. Yet those people didn¡¯t dare get upset and continued to tter her. Seeing the luxury cars in the yard, J knew more guests had arrived. She entered through the side door, went upstairs, and didn¡¯t draw anyone¡¯s attention. Wynn was upstair out for some peace and quiet. When she saw J, she looked over and asked, ¡°Just got off work?¡± J stopped. ¡°Yeah¡± Since Wynn had already spoken to Beck, she knew J getting hired at Harper Corporation wouldn¡¯t be a problem, so she didn¡¯t pay much attention to the matter. iding She flipped a page of her book, then, as if remembering something, looked up and asked, ¡°Did Beck say anything to you when you met?¡± J, seeing Wynn reading again, couldn¡¯t help but admire how hardworking, she was. She had even heard that Wynn had been attending some tech conferences recently and caught the attention of several influential figures. Thinking of this, J snapped back to attention and answered, ¡°I haven¡¯t met Mr. Harper yet.¡± Wynn paused. ¡°Beck didn¡¯t reach out to you?¡± ¡°No, he didn¡¯t.¡± Wynn had thought Beck, upon learning J was rted to her, would at least meet her once and ask someone to look out for her.. But then again, if he had done that, it might not have been good for J¡¯s Image at work. Thinking that, she said, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± J nodded and didn¡¯t say more before heading back to her room. Wynn put down her book and gave Beck a call. He let the phone ring for quite a while before finally answering, Hello.¡± Wynn smiled. ¡°I heard J has started at Harper Corporation. Thank you, Beck. Are you free over the next couple of days? I¡¯d like to treat you to a meal.¡± Beck replied in a detached tone, ¡°J got in on her own merit. There¡¯s no need to thank me.¡± If he hadn¡¯t specifically looked into it, how would he know she got in by merit? Wynn smiled but didn¡¯t say anything about that. She was just about to speak when Beck interrupted, ¡°I¡¯ve got things to do. Let¡¯s talk another time.¡± Wynn knew Beck had been busy with worktely. ¡°Alright. Once she replied, she hung up the call without hesitation. In truth, Beck didn¡¯t have anything urgent going on. What he really wanted was to call Celeste. As soon as Wynn ended the call, he dialed Celeste¡¯s number The Scent of 309 Celeste was still at YodaVision Co. when she saw Beck¡¯s call She answered, ¡°Mr. Harper?¡± Beck¡¯s tone softened as soon as he heard her voice. ¡°Shanice hasn¡¯t seen you in a while. Are you free this weekend? Maybe we can go out for a bit?¡± Celeste nced at the data models she had been organizing on herputer. ¡°I¡¯m tied up these next two days. Will next week be okay?¡± Hearing she was busy, Beck lowered his gaze. ¡°No problem. Next week, then.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Her mind was already back on the date, Celeste added. ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that for now?¡± Beck paused. ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste ended the call and stayed busy at work until after 10:00 pm before leaving YodaVision Co. The next morning, she went to the Yuvenhart manor. When Gideon went abroad for treatment years ago, Jordyn was already over two years old. Back then, she was especially adorable and quite close to Gideon. He was very fond of her. Even when he left for recovery overseas, he had been reluctant to part with her. This was something even Trevor, who hadn¡¯t paid much attention to Jordyn back then, should have known. Gideon had waited so long to return to the country. Thest time he invited them over, it was clear he really wanted to see Jordyn. But Trevor had brought Wynn instead and left Jordyn behind. This time, Gideon said Jordyn would being too. But when Celeste arrived there, Jordyn hadn¡¯t arrived y 1 yet. Seeing her, Gideon greeted her with a beaming smile. ¡°I had them prepare all kinds of delicious food for you. Make sure you eat plentyter.¡± Celeste smiled. ¡°Okay.¡± After chatting for a while, Gideon paused and said, ¡°I heard the other day that Trevor, the bastard, nned to bring Wynn to Martha¡¯s birthday banquet. Naturally, she refused and warned him that if he dared bring Wynn to her celebration and ruin it, she wouldn¡¯t show up to her own party.¡± Celeste paused mid¨Csip of coffee. Gideon continued, ¡°That bastard Trevor might be infuriating, but this is the first birthday celebration Martha has held in all these years. He seems to have backed down. Still, it upset her enough that she¡¯s been in a bad mood. these days. If you have time, give her a call. Talk to her for a bit.¡± Celeste nodded slowly. ¡°Alright.¡± Last time, Trevor had called and texted her, even showing up outside YodaVision Co. to wait for her. B. day, he never contacted her again. She hadn¡¯t given it much thought since. Liter that Now that Gideon mentioned it, she suddenly realized¨CTrevor must have alreadypromised. Knowing there was no need to convince her anymore, he had stopped reaching out. Gideon added, ¡°The others¨CLincoln and the rest¨Cwon¡¯t ept them.¡± Trevor stepping back from the birthday banquet made sense. But when it came to marrying Wynn, if Trevor Chapter 309 insisted, no one could really stop him. Gideon clearly understood that too. He frowned and clicked his tongue, his mood souring before quickly changing the subject. They chatted for over ten more minutes when the sound of a car came fro outside. Last time Trevor visited, Gideon hadn¡¯t bothered to greet him. But, guessing this time the visitor might be Jordyn, Gideon¡¯s eyes lit up, and he stood. ¡°That should be Jo.¡± He walked quickly toward the door. A whileter, Celeste followed. As Gideon expected, it was Jordynt. She had just gotten out of the car. When she saw Celeste, she ran toward her excitedly. ¡°Mom!¡± Before Celeste could say anything, Gideon was already smiling at Jordyn, about to speak. But when he saw Trevor step out of the car, his smile vanished. He snorted and gave Trevor a cold re. ¡°I recall saying you should have someone drop Jo off. Didn¡¯t I tell you not toe and annoy me? What are you doing there?¡± Trevor looked at Celeste standing beside Gideon, then smiled as he replied, ¡°I thought you were being sarcastic.¡± Gideon let out another snort. Trevor said, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be mad. I¡¯m just here to drop Jo off. I¡¯ll leave in a bit.¡± Ignoring him, Gideon turned back to Jordyn with a warm gaze. ¡°Jo, I¡¯m Mr. Yuvenhart Senior. We used to have a lot of fun together. Do you remember me?¡± Jordyn held Celeste¡¯s hand and looked at Gideon, shaking her head. While Gideon interacted with Jordyn, Trevor nced at Celeste but didn¡¯t say anything. After a moment, he simply said to Gideon, ¡°I¡¯m heading out now,¡± then got in his car and drove away. The Scent of 310 +25 BONUS That day, Celeste stayed at the Yuvenhart residence to drink coffee and y chess with Gideon. Jordyn seemed quite eager to return to the Rodriguez residence with her that evening. In the afternoon, Celeste found a free moment and sent Trevor a message, asking him to take Jordyn back hometer that night. Trevor didn¡¯t reply. She thought he might not have seen it. But after dinner, though Trevor himself didn¡¯t show up, the car he sent to pick up Jordyn arrived right on time at Yuvenhart Manor. After Jordyn left, Celeste also drove away. Martha¡¯s birthday wasing up the following week. Celeste had already decided not to attend. After thinking it over, Betty also agreed it was better for them not to go. With that settled, Celeste and Betty called Martha that evening. When Martha answered, she hadn¡¯t finished dinner yet. Her leg had mostly healed, and she was able to walk normally again. She nced at Trevor and then got up and stepped out of the dining room as she answered the phone. Her voice was full of warmth. ¡°Cel, have you had dinner?¡± ¡°I have.¡± Celeste had turned on the phone speaker. She and Betty exchanged a few pleasantries with Martha before getting to the point. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m sorry. On your birthday, Granny and I might not be able toe in person to celebrate with you.¡± Martha had already guessed as much. Though she was a little disappointed, she understood. She chuckled softly. Alright, that¡¯s okay. I understand. But no matter what, Cel, you mustn¡¯t be distant from me, understand? Remember to call me more often when you have time. And if anything everes up, if you need my help, just say the word. If I can help, I definitely will. Don¡¯t stand on ceremony with me, okay?¡± Celeste said, ¡°I understand. Thank you, Grandma.¡± They chatted a little longer before ending the call. With Martha¡¯s birthday banquet approaching, Queenie had already returned to Fleming Manor the day before. Tucker was also there. Just a moment ago, Queenie had asked about the situation between Trevor and Celeste. That was how Tucker found out that Trevor and Celeste were still in the process of finalizing their divorce and not yet officially divorced Given how close Celeste was to Martha, and since the divorce wasn¡¯t finalized, and Martha was hosting her first birthday banquet in years, by all logic, Celeste should havee to celebrate. But watching Martha¡¯s figure as she walked away, Tucker couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Trevor, is Celesteing to Grandma¡¯s birthday banquet?¡± Jordyn had already finished eating and wasn¡¯t in the dining room. Trevor continued eating slowly. At the question, he said, ¡°You can ask Grandma in a bit.¡± Tucker paused. So, he didn¡¯t know either? Or had Celeste just called Martha to talk about this? If she had nned to attend, there would be no need to make a special call So, that meant she probably hadn¡¯t nned on going in the first ce. Tucker genuinely liked Celeste. He looked at Trevor and really wanted to ask if he was absolutely sure about divorcing her. But Martha, Queenie, and Lincoln never interfered in Trevor¡¯s affairs. Tucker knew he had no right to ask either. After Martha returned from her call, Tucker asked with concern, ¡°Grandma, what did Celeste say?¡± Martha nced at Trevor, who was eating with perfectposure, his expression unchanged even upon hearing Celeste¡¯s name. She replied, ¡°She apologized and said she wouldn¡¯t be able to attend my birthday celebration in person.¡± Sensing the subtext, Trevor showed no reaction. He silently picked up some food and tried to ce it into Martha¡¯s bowl. Martha moved her bowl away, leaving his cutlery hanging in the air. The Scent of 311 Martha¡¯s birthday arrived quieldy, Since Trevor had reminded her in advance, Jordyn had alreally prepared a birthday gift for Martha. As soon as she came downstairs for breakfast, she immediately presented the gift. Martha¡¯s eyes crinkled with a smile. ¡°Thank you, Jo.¡± Trevor also handed over his gift. ¡°This is from both Cel and me. Happy birthday.¡± At his words, Martha shot him a nce. Before she could say anything, the butler entered carrying two gift boxes. ¡°Mrs. Fleming Senior, these birthday gifts were sent by Madam Klein and Mrs. Fleming.¡± Martha epted the gifts and then looked at Trevor. She knew he had mentioned Celeste¡¯s name just to make her happy, but she no longer insisted on meddling in their affairs. She huffed, ¡°Cel already prepared a separate gift for me. There¡¯s no need for your unnecessary gestures.¡± With that, she ignored him. Trevor just chuckled. He remained unfazed and turned to unge Jordyn to finish breakfast quickly so he could drive her to school. After delivering her gift, Celeste grabbed her car keys and headed to the office. Not long after she arrived, she and Matthias went to InnovaTech for a business matter. As soon as they arrived, they spotted Wynn. Upon seeing them, Wynn only greeted Matthias, ¡°Mr. Yoder ¡± She was smiling, seemingly in a good mood, with no trace of disappointment over missing Martha¡¯s birthday banquet. Matthias nced at her, curling his lips slightly but not responding. He and Celeste then simply went about their business. Matthias was quite interested in the fact that Celeste wasn¡¯t attending Martha¡¯s birthday banquet. That evening, he returned home and apanied his parents to the restaurant where the banquet was being held. They arrived fairly early. At that time, the banquet hall was still a little empty. Since it was Martha¡¯s grand birthday celebration, the Fleming family took it very seriously. Almost all the Fleming family members, including Jordyn, were already present. Matthias hadn¡¯t seen Jordyn in two to three years. When he first met her, he had thought she resembled Trevor. Now, after years of not seeing her, the r.nce was even more striking. When the Yoder family arrived, the Fleming family greeted them warmly. ¡°Mr. Yoder, Mrs. Yoder, Mr. Matthias.¡± After some polite exchanges, Matthias¡® mother, Melissa Thornton, looked at Jordyn Matthias and Celeste had met after she¡¯d be Zachary¡¯s student. Melissa had always liked Celeste she found her outstanding and close in age to Matthias and had once hoped they could be a couple. However, the moment she hinted at this idea, Matthias immediately shut it down, telling her that Celeste already had someone she liked. Before she could even react, she had already gone and married someone else. So, she knew a bit about Celeste and Trevor¡¯s rtionship. She also knew that Jordyn was Celeste¡¯s daughter. Seeing Melissa looking at Jordyn, Martha smiled. ¡°This is my great¨Cgranddaughter, Jo.¡± Melissa smiled and gently ruffled Jordyn¡¯s hair. ¡°So adorable.¡± Jordyn obediently greeted her, ¡°Mrs. Yoder.¡± Then, as she nced at Matthias, she couldn¡¯t help but stare at him for a moment. Martha chuckled. ¡°Jo, why are you staring at Matthias like that?¡± Jordyn tilted her head. ¡°Mr. Matthias looks really familiar. The Scent of 312 Before Matthias could say anything, Jordyn looked at him again and said, ¡°Mr. Matthias, I feel like I¡¯ve heard your voice somewhere before too.¡± Back during the Ember Festival, Celeste had put the phone on speaker while discussing business with Matthias for hours. Jordyn was there. So, how could she not find his voice famar? But Matthias didn¡¯t bring it up. He just smiled and said, ¡°Really?¡± Jordyn nodded. ¡°Mlum.¡± Matthias replied, ¡°Maybe I just sound familiar. Hearing this, Trevor rubbed his sharp nose bridge and let out a smallugh. Matthias heard it and thought, ¡°What¡¯s so funny? Does he really think this is amusing?¡± As more guests arrived, the Fleming family had to attend to their other visitors, so Matthias and the others didn¡¯t linger in conversation There had long been rumors that Trevor was already married with a child. But no one really knew if it was true. As the banquet hall filled up, people were shocked to see a little girl who looked remarkably like Trevor, holding his hand and calling him ¡°Dad¡°. Only then did they realize that Trevor really did have a child Whether he was actually married¨Cor divorced¨Cremained mystery. Since the Fleming family didn¡¯t bring it up, it wasn¡¯t their ce to ask. Jorge had already met Jordyn before. But he had never mentioned it to anyone. So, when his childhood friend, Xavier, saw Jordyn, he was utterly stunned. ¡°Holy shit! Trevor really did get married? And his kid is already this big? That means if Wynn marries him, she¡¯s going to be a stepmom? Wynn, of all people, bing someone¡¯s stepmother¡­ That¡¯s just¡ª¡± Xavier was about to say that Wynn would be at a disadvantage. But then he remembered the difference in status between the Lockets and the Flemings He thought about how exceptional Trevor was. Then, he immediately shut his mouth. If Wynn were marrying some ordinary man with a kid, it might be a loss for her. But given Trevor¡¯s status, even with a previous marriage and a child, the gap between their families meant Wynn would still be ming into wealth. Besides, Trevor¡¯s ex¨Cwife had given birth to a daughter, not a son. Daughters didn¡¯t have inheritance rights. As long as Wynn bore him a son, everything would be set in stone. So, whether Trevor had been married before really didn¡¯t affect Wynn at all. On the other side of the banquet hall, a guestplimented Melissa. ¡°Matthias is still so young, yet YodaVision is already thriving. Melissa, your son is truly outstanding.¡± Hearing the praise, Melissa couldn¡¯t hide her smile, though she remained modest. ¡°You¡¯re too kind. He¡¯s just been lucky.¡± This led to another topic¨CCeleste. Someone asked, ¡°Matthias isn¡¯t that young anymore, is he? I noticed he and Ms. Hodriguez from hispany seem to get along well. Any wedding news on the horizon?¡± Of course, Matthias and Celeste weren¡¯t Involved like that. But Melissa didn¡¯t exin. She simply smiled and said, ¡°Just let the youngsters decide for themselves.¡± To outsiders, her words made it sound like the moment Matthias and Celeste decided, she could have the wedding arranged right away. Meanwhile, Beck and Miles were also at the banquet. They weren¡¯t far from Melissa¡¯s table. Hearing Celeste¡¯s name mentioned, they couldn¡¯t help but eavesdrop. Over the past six months, Celeste and Matthias had indeed been spending a lot of time together. But Miles never believed Celeste would actually marry into the Yoder family After all, YodaVision was doing incredibly well now. And Matthias¨Cwealthy, capable, and from an elite family could have any woman he wanted. Why would he marry Celeste, a divorced woman with a child, an average background, and no particr talent? Yet now, hearing Melissa¡¯s tone, it sounded as if she actually approved of Celeste bing her daughter¨Cinw. Miles turned to Beck in shock. ¡°Is the Yoder family out of their minds?¡± The Scent of 313 After saying that, Miles added, ¡°Or do they just don¡¯t know about Celeste¡¯s past?¡± A lot of people had assumed Celeste and Matthias were a couple. Ever since finding out that Celeste was also Zachary¡¯s student, Heck had paid attention to her interactions with Matthias. He noticed that there was no romantic involvement between them. He didn¡¯t know if Melissa truly wished for them to be together or if there was another reason behind her words. But regardless, given Celeste¡¯s current achievements, even if she had been married and had a child, she was still worthy of anyone. He replied, ¡°They should know.¡± Miles widened his eyes. ¡°Then why would they still He suddenly paused mid¨Csentence, as if realizing something, Then he blurted out, ¡°So, Celeste really has fallen. for Matthias? She doesn¡¯t love Trevor anymore?¡± Before Beck could respond, Miles quickly pieced things together. ¡°No wonder she was so calm when Trevor wanted a divorce. She didn¡¯t even fight for Jo¡¯s custody. I thought she was scheming to get Trevor back, but she had already secured a backup n. ¡°If she had taken custody of Jo, marrying into the Yoder family would¡¯ve been much harder- Beck was quiet. Miles was genuinely surprised that the Yoder family was willing to ept Celeste. A momentter, when Trevor approached, Miles couldn¡¯t help but tell him, ¡°Just now, Beck and I overheard Matthias¡® mother chatting with some guests. From what she said, she seems to support Celeste marrying Matthias. ¡°I think she¡¯ll marry into the Yoder family soon after your divorce.¡± Trevor raised an eyebrow, looking rather amused. ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡± Miles insisted, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what Melissa¡¯s words sounded like. If you don¡¯t believe me, ask Beck.¡± Trevor turned to Beck. Beck hesitated for a moment before nodding Melissa¡¯s words did seem to suggest that. Trevor chuckled, nodded, and said nothing more. At that moment, Gideon arrived. He was one of thest guests to show up, Seeing him enter, Trevor patted Beck¡¯s shoulder before turning to greet him. ¡°Mr. Yuvenhart Senior¡± Gideon ignored himpletely. He handed his gift to Martha, exchanged a few pleasantries with her, then turned to Jordyn with a warm smile. ¡°Jordyn,e here and give me a hug.¡± Jordyn obediently went over and hugged him. Gideon¡¯s eyes crinkled with affection. ¡°Such a good girl.¡± Jordyn looked up Yuvenhart Senior Hidn¡¯t Mome with you?¡± at him and asked, ¡°Mr She had already asked Trevor about Celeste earlier. Trevor had told her that Celeste was busy and wouldn¡¯t be attending. But now that Gideon was here, she remembered how close be and her mother seemed to be. Seeing that he hade, but her mother hadn¡¯t, she couldn¡¯t help but ask. The guests who were unaware of the full situation were all extremely curious about Jordyn¡¯s mother¡¯s identity. Hearing her question, many people¨CIncluding Jorge¨Clooked over, eager to learn who this mysterious woman was. Gideon smiled kindly and said, ¡°No, your mother is busy and couldn¡¯t make it.¡± Jordyn sighed. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± The way she addressed Gideon indicated that her mother was not a member of the Yuvenhart family. Even after this exchange, the guests still had no idea who Trevor¡¯s ex¨Cwife was. However, hearing Gideon¡¯s response, those who didn¡¯t know the full story¨Cincluding Jorge¨Cassumed that Trevor and Jordyn¡¯s mother were already divorced. They figured the divorce had been kept a secret from Jordyn The Scent of 314 Chapter 314, +25 BONUS After Martha¡¯s birthday, news that Trevor had been married and already had a six¨Cyear¨Cold daughter quickly spread throughout the high society circles of Baumond. Wynn had many admirers. Even though it was known that she was already with Trevor there were still plenty of men who refused to give up. Upon learning that Trevor had actually been married and had a daughter, Wynn¡¯s secret admirers felt heartbroken for her, thinking she deserved better. The morning after Martha¡¯s birthday, quite a few of them even went to Innovatech, trying to persuade Wynn to leave Trevor. It took Albert and others stepping in to help ¡°rescue¡± Wynn from the situation. Word of this incident quickly spread throughout InnovaTech. Some employees couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°We already knew from Valentine¡¯s Day how popr Ms. Locket is, didn¡¯t expect it to be this crazy.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± but I Everyone at InnovaTech was aware of the strong rtionship between Trevor and Wynn. But most of them had no idea that Trevor had actually been married and had a child. Someone couldn¡¯t resist gossiping. ¡°Ms. Locket, is it true? Mr. Fleming was really married before and has a daughter?¡± Wynn smiled. ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing that she seemedpletely unfazed, someone hesitated before asking, ¡°And you¡­?¡± Wynn chuckled. ¡°We get along very well. Jordyn is very close to me. We have a great rtionship.¡± Since it was working hours, everyone only gossiped for a bit before getting back to their tasks. At around 5:00 pm, Wynn was still handling some work when Jordyn suddenly ran toward her. ¡°Wynn!¡± Wynn smiled and scooped her up in a hug. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Jordyn nodded eagerly. ¡°Mm!¡± Wynn said warmly, ¡°I still have some work to finish. Sit here for a bit, and in ten minutes, we¡¯ll go to Fleming, Group to find your dad.¡± Jordyn obediently replied, ¡°Okay!¡± When she had first rushed in, the employees at InnovaTech were all wondering whose child she was. But seeing this scene, there was no more doubt. Not to mention, Jordyn looked very much like Trevor. Earlier that morning, when Wynn had casually mentioned that she got along well with Trevor¡¯s dau the little girl was very fond of her, some people had been skeptical. and that But now, seeing how overjoyed Jordyn was to see Wynn, with that pure happiness shining in her eyes, everyone could tell¨CWynn hadn¡¯t exaggerated at all. She really did get along well with Trevor¡¯s daughter. People often said being a stepmother was difficult. Even though Trevor and Wynn weren¡¯t married yet, it probably wouldn¡¯t be long before they were. Seeing all this, someone couldn¡¯t help but exim, ¡°Ms. Locket, even children are enchanted by your charm. You¡¯re amazing!¡± +25 BORUS Wynn smiled helplessly. ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating. It¡¯s because fordyn has such a wonderful personality. The fact that we get along so well is the result of both our efforts. I can¡¯t take all the credit.¡± Looking at Jordyn, someone elsemented, ¡°Mr. Fleming¡¯s daughter is so beautiful. She¡¯s definitely going to grow up into a stunning beauty.¡± ¡°No doubt about it.¡± As they observed Jordyn, some employees started feeling that, besides resembling Trevor, she also looked vaguely familiar, as if they had seen someone like her before. Additionally, they couldn¡¯t help but wonder¨Cwhat kind of woman must Trevor¡¯s ex¨Cwife be to have given birth to such a beautiful child? Curious as they were, no one dared to ask too much. About 20 minutester, Wynn finished her work. She turned to Jordyn and said, ¡°Jordyn, I¡¯m ready now. Let¡¯s go find your dad.¡± Jordyn happily shouldered her backpack and held Wynn¡¯s hand. ¡°Okay!¡± Wynn gently reminded her, ¡°Jordyn, say goodbye to everyone.¡± Jordyn waved her hand cheerfully. ¡°Goodbye, everyone!¡± She was so adorable that as soon as she spoke, the employees immediately responded, ¡°Goodbye! Come visit us again!¡± Jordyn nodded. ¡°Okay!¡± Watching them leave, Albertmented, ¡°For those admirers of Ms. Locket who refuse to believe she¡¯s happy with Mr. Fleming, he sure isn¡¯t wasting time shutting down the rumors. ¡°Look, he immediately had his daughtere to visit Ms. Locket gotta say, Mr. Fleming is very attentive when ites to her.¡± ¡°Exactly. Ms. Locket is really lucky.¡± The Scent of 315 Celeste, Matthias, and Henry, the general manager of InnoTech, had a private group chat. Today¡¯s events were so explosive that Henry couldn¡¯t suppress his inner gossip¨Cloving soul and immediately shared all the juicy details with them. Neither Celeste nor Matthias was particrly interested in how many admirers Wynn had or how crazy they were over her. But in the afternoon, Henry messaged them again. ¡°Mr. Fleming¡¯s daughter came to thepany to find Ms. Locket. Before, when Ms. Locket said she got along well with Mr. Fleming¡¯s daughter, a lot of us didn¡¯t really bellew it.. ¡°But after seeing the little girl today, we realized¨CMr. Fleming¡¯s daughter truly adores her.¡± Celeste¡¯s fingers suddenly paused on the keyboard. It wasnt because she felt upset about Jordyn being close to Wynn She had just suddenly realized¨Cif the news about Wynn and Jordyn having a good rtionship spread, then there was no way to keep it hidden from her uncle and grandmother anymore. She had always known this day woulde sooner orter, but- Matthias nced at her expression and easily guessed what she was thinking. With a dismissive scoff, he said, ¡°The reason Jordyn¡¯s existence spread so quickly is because Trevor himself has enough influence. ¡°But Wynn? Who does she think she is? At best, she¡¯s just dependent on Trevor. Aside from InnovaTech¡¯s employees and those admirers, who in the upper circles actually cares how she gets along with his daughter?¡± Then, as if suddenly realizing something, Matthias chuckled. ¡°If people find out that you were also Zachary¡¯s student, that the Cuap system and the two major projects ourpany recently developed were all your work, and that you¡¯re actually Trevor¡¯s daughter¡¯s biological mother- now that would be the kind of news that truly shakes the entire social circle. ¡°As for Wynn, a mere nobody ying stepmother? Pfft!¡± Celeste was actually quite calm about all of this. However¡­ She paused for a moment before saying, ¡°Uncle Ivan and Granny have probably already guessed that Jordyn is close to Wynn.¡± They likely hadn¡¯t asked her about it because they didn¡¯t want to make her feel worse¨Cso they simply pretended not to know. Matthias thought the same. He patted her shoulder lightly in reassurance. ¡°It¡¯s actually a good thing that they¡¯re mentally prepared. The fact that they haven¡¯t said anything means that, in their hearts, you are their priority over Jordyn. What matters most to them is that you are doing well.¡± Celeste smiled. ¡°Mm, I know.¡± Barca this, m?nd Thanking dente, her man shihed to the status of her from Trevor To betonbark whs died the dvorce papers Trer hat green her, she had assumed the process would had tule, and ery time, he had said it would be finalized wam. But¡­ Strut Tonor was on caget toplete the than she was, she had simply watted for his porising Aurthur but, called to deck on the progre Abollowing in at the magma for my Tamory as my ammunicatan with my me¡¯swyer touching her inspiry, he replied, ¡± at mast get a nespense ¡°adrighir, ¡°Kaliente sant them at disa aking satuny, he will grow the same wager answer, wit thein Sawyer that fan willing wall with thing dog¡¯s want myming the given me a tones agroment we soon pussiin so Lean 1 Thinking about this, her mind shifted to the status of her divorce from Trevor. To be honest, back when she signed the divorce papers Trevor had given her, she had assumed the process would bepleted quickly. She never expected it to drag on for months. She had asked Trevor about it multiple times, and every time, he had said it would be finalized soon. But¡­ Since she knew that Trevor was more eager toplete the divorce than she was, she had simply waited for his notice without pressing further. But now it seems¡­ With that in mind, she called Jason to check on the progress Jason had been following up on the divorce process for her every week. Hearing her inquiry, he replied, ¡± Tomorrow is my scheduledmunication with Mr. Fleming¡¯swyer. I¡¯ll contact you as soon as I get a response. ¦° ¡°Alright, ¡°Celeste said, then paused before adding calmly, If they still give the same vague answer, tell theirwyer that I¡¯m willing to walk away with nothing. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything Trevor has given me. He can draft a new divorce agreement as soon as possible so I can sign it.¡± The Scent of 316 Jason paused. ¡°You don¡¯t want hing? Are you sure?¡± Trevor had been extremely generous he had allocated heron enormous sum of assets, enough for her to livevishly for the rest of her life Jason couldn¡¯t understand why she would willingly give it Celeste said firmly, ¡°I¡¯m sure. But I have one condition.¡± She had never nned to take his money to begin with. Even if she refused everything he had given her, the wouldn¡¯t feel any regret. It was just that back when Martha had fallen and been hospitalized, Trevor had wanted to thank her for visiting his grandmother. So, besides giving her two billion dors, he also transferred three vis in the neighborhood where Betty lived These three vis, though given to herter, had still been included in the division of marital assets. So, even though the property deeds were now in her name and in her possession, legally speaking, until the divorce was finalized, the vis weren¡¯t truly hers. If she walked away with nothing, she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep those vis. And if she didn¡¯t take possession of them, once the divorce was finalized, there was a high chance that Trevor would simply transfer them to the Lockets or the Shaws Given how the Shaw family operated, if they got hold of those vis, they would probably move in right away- Into Betty¡¯s neighborhood¨Cjust to disgust and harass her every day. Thinking of that possibility, she told Jason, ¡°I only want those three vis. He doesn¡¯t need to give them to me- I¡¯ll buy them from him.¡± She had earned a substantial ie over the past two months. So, she could afford to pay for the three vis now. Jason immediately understood her reasoning. In his opinion, this was a major loss for Celeste, but seeing how determined she was, he didn¡¯t try to dissuade her. With this new development, Jason quickly contacted Trevor¡¯swyer and ryed Celeste¡¯s decision. About half an hourter, just as Celeste was about to head out for dinner, Trevor called. Realizing he was likely calling to discuss the divorce, she picked up. ¡°Hello?¡± On the other end, Trevor asked, ¡°Have you had dinner?¡± ¡°No.¡± She didn¡¯t want to make small talk. ¡°I assume yourwyer has already told you my terms.¡± ¡°He has,¡± Trevor replied. ¡°Since that¡¯s what you want, I agree. However, my grandmother saw our divorce agreement after learning about our divorce. ¡°If you want to change the terms, you¡¯ll have to tell her yourself. Once she agrees, I¡¯ll process it immediately.¡± Martha cared about her. Celeste had already expected that she would want to intervene in the division of asse Hearing this, she responded tly, ¡°Let¡¯s not tell her. Let¡¯s finalize the divorce first, then deal with everything elseter.¡± ¡°Tharing the New Yo ¡°And you didn¡¯t think to sell me varitagli Heughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to change the ageme The Scent of 317 Trevor then added, ¡°Then, will you talk to Grandma?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t even need to ask to know there was no way Martha would agree to her walking away with nothing She asked instead, ¡°If we don¡¯t change the divorce agreement, when can we get the paperwork done?¡± ¡°It should be within this year.¡± It was only March now, meaning there was still quite some time left before the end of the year. She figured she could wait a few more months. But still¡­ Trevor asked, ¡°Anything else?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t respond and simply hung up the phone. The moment she ended the call, her phone rang again It was Beck. He told her that Shanice had caught the flu and wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the house for the next couple of days, so their weekend ns would have to be postponed. Hearing this, Celeste said, ¡°That¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll reschedule once Shanice feels better.¡± She was a little worried about Shanice, so she added, ¡°Let me know when she¡¯s feeling better.¡± Beck could hear the concern in her voice. He chuckled and said, ¡°Alright.¡± After exchanging a few more words, they ended the call. Celeste then focused on developing a new model for herst project. So, she spent most of the weekend at home, working. On Monday, Celeste reviewed some documents in her office before heading to the interview room. The fourth candidate paused at the door instead of stepping in. Seeing that Matthias wasn¡¯t there, he asked, ¡± Matthias isn¡¯t here?¡± Celeste nced up and replied, ¡°No.¡± Upon hearing this, the man gave her a once¨Cover, then raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re Celeste Rodriguez?¡± ¡°Tam.¡± She didn¡¯t ask how he knew¨Cit wasn¡¯t hard to guess. Instead, she got straight to the paint. ¡°Since he¡¯s not here, do you still want to continue the interview? The man hesitated for a moment, then studied her again before finally taking a seat. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it.¡± Seeing hisid¨Cback attitude, Celeste asked directly, ¡°How do you want to proceed?¡± Her question seemed to surprise him he clearly didn¡¯t expect her to ask something like that. So, he raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re saying I can do the interview however I want?¡± ¡°Tell me what you have in mind.¡± The man pulled a from his backpack, fiddled with it for a bit, then handed it over to Celeste. He leaned back, propped one leg over the other, and casually sucked on a lollipop while tilting his head to watch her. Celeste nced at the screen¨Cit was a long string of code. She skimmed through it briefly, said nothing, and immediately began making modifications. It didn¡¯t take her long After finishing, she turned theptop back to face him and said, ¡°Done.¡± The man, still biting his lollipop,zily sat up and took a look. After just two nces, he froze. Then, astonished, he lifted his head to stare at her. The code he had written was already of high quality. But in just a short time, Celeste had not only gone through the entire thing¨Cshe had optimized it. Her modifications significantly improved its modrity, efficiency, and scbility. How was this even possible? Strong programming skills weren¡¯t everything, but he had never encountered someone this good before. Excited, he braced his hands on the table and leaned in, his eyes practically glowing as he stared at her. ¡°Your name is Celeste, right? That¡¯s a nice name. What school did you graduate from? How long have you been out of school? What projects have you led? Can you tell me?¡± He was a little too close. Celeste leaned back, widening the distance between them. Then she asked, ¡°Do you still want to continue the interview?¡± The Scent of 318 ¡°Of course we¡¯ll continue the interview!¡± After saying that, the man took the initiative to extend his and toward Celeste. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Kieran Gibson. Nice to meet you¡± Celeste shook his hand. ¡°I know.¡± She already had his resume in hand. Looking at him, she asked, ¡°So, are you interviewing me, am I interviewing you?¡± Kieran grinned ¡°Either works.¡± His resume indicated that his strengthsy in algoritiuus, Celeste assessed his skills in data cleaning, feature. engineering, and parameter tuning. She also evaluated his lity toe up with innovative solutions when faced with new problems. By the time they finished talking, quite a bit of time had passed. Celeste could confidently say that Kieran was highly skilled¨Cespecially considering that he had just fields. switched In fact, he had only been in the Al field for a little over a year. It was rare for someone to develop such deep expertise in such a short time. If he maintained this momentum, his future would be limitless. Closing his resume, Celeste finally asked him a personal question. ¡°Your resume says you¡¯ve basically lived in Andostan since childhood. What made you decide to return to the country for your career?¡± Earlier, when she had asked whether he was interviewing her or vice versa, the truth was, during their conversation, they had both been evaluating each other. Kieran had already seen her exceptional programming skills when she modified his code earlier. Now, after their discussion, he realized that her overall abilities were almost terrifyingly strong. Hearing her question, Kieran answered straightforwardly. Because of your programmingnguage, Cuap, and thetest project, Infinite¨CCM. ¡°Especially YodaVision¡¯stest project, Infinite¨CCM. It made me see a lot of possibilities and showed me how vibrant the Al market is here. ¡°Al development in Andostan is basically stagnantpared to here.¡± After answering, he immediately followed up. ¡°Now that you¡¯re done asking questions, isn¡¯t it my tur?¡± Before she could respond, Kieran stood up, walked over to her, and looked straight at her. ¡°Do you have a boyfriend? What kind of guy do you like? Do you think I¡¯d be a good fit?¡± Celeste was slightly stunned. There were still other people in the interview room. Upon hearing this, they all covered their mouths, trying not tough. Celeste remained calm. ¡°Noment.¡± Then she added, ¡°Your interview is over. You can leave now.¡± Seeing that she was getting up to leave, Kieran seemed to take it as confirmation that he had been acted. He followed her and said, ¡°I can start working right away, I don¡¯t even need a sry.¡± Celeste ignored him and walked straight out the door. #25 DOMUE Matthias returned in the afternoon and asked Celeste, ¡°Did you find any suitable candidates today?¡± ¡°Two of them are pretty good.¡± She handed him the two remes. Matthias took a nce, then paused when he saw Kieran¡¯s It¡¯s him.¡± Celeste looked up. ¡°You know him?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Matthias said. ¡°He¡¯s the Gibson family¡¯s golden child. I heard he was doing well in finance, but two years ago, for some reason, he suddenly decided to switch fields. ¡°His family was furious¨Cafter all, they have a massive business empire waiting for him to take over.¡± Then he added, ¡°I also heard a few days ago that he ran away from home. His family¡¯s been searching for him everywhere. I didn¡¯t expect that he would actually sneak back to the country.¡± The Scent of 319 Celeste didn¡¯t give any response. Matthias nced at the resume again and asked, ¡°It looks well¨Cwritten. How¡¯s his actual ability?¡± ¡°Pretty good. He¡¯s only been studying for less than two years, but his skills already surpass most PhD students from top universities,¡± ¡°Oh? That definitely makes him a genius.¡± Matthias mused, then asked, ¡°You want to keep him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m considering it, but¡­¡± ¡°Worried he won¡¯t stick around?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Even though she could tell that Kieran was genuinely interested in Cuap and Infinite¨CCM, there were still other unstable factors about him. ¡°We can put him on probation first. If he¡¯s not a good fit, we can let him go.¡± Matthias suggested. ¡°Alright.¡± Meanwhile, Kieran instantly became the center of attention the moment he stepped into the arcade. He was a handsome, broad¨Cshouldered, long¨Clegged young man, exuding an elite aura. Several young women wanted to approach him, but his slightly pursed lips and the distant, unapproachable vibe he exuded made them hesitate. No one dared to strike up a conversation. It was unclear how much time had passed when Kieran¡¯s phone rang in his pocket. The moment he answered, the voice on the other end burst out excitedly, ¡°How did the interview go? Did that Rodriguez chick fall for your charm? ¡°Don¡¯t tell me she actually believed you fell in love with her at first sight? Hahaha! ¡°You should use a few more tricks make her so obsessed with you that she can¡¯t let go- Kieran¡¯s expression remained unreadable. Before he could respond, he noticed Wynn entering the arcade. When he saw him, she walked over. Seeing her, Kieran simply said into the phone, ¡°I¡¯ll call you back.¡± ¡°Finally found you.¡± Wynn stopped in front of him. ¡°You came back without a word¨Cyour sister and your family were scared out of their minds. They seriously thought something had happened to you. You¡¯re really- She was about to say reckless, but when she saw his silent, slightly defiant expression, she swallow the words. Instead, she said, ¡°I already know why you came back. If you return for YodaVision¡¯s technology, I fully support you. and then ¡°But if you came back because of me, and if you want to teach Celeste a lesson by making her fall for you ar cruelly dumping her to humiliate her I don¡¯t approve of that. ¡°My conflict with her is my own. I don¡¯t want you getting involved.¡± Kieran stared at her face but didn¡¯t speak. He also didn¡¯t ask how she had found him. Wynn noticed that his gaze lingered on her for a long time. She reached up to touch her face and chuckled. ¡°Do I have something on my face?¡± Kieran shook his head, withdrew his gaze, and said, ¡°No.¡± Wynn then said, ¡°About what I just sald-¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Kieran didn¡¯t respond to her words. He simply turned and walked away. ¡°Kieran, don¡¯t do anything reckless!¡± Wynn hurried after him. Kieran ignored her, stepped into the elevator, and went downstairs. As he was getting into his car, ready to leave, he spotted someone sitting inside another vehicle¨CTrevor. Kieran stopped in his tracks. Trevor smiled at him and said, ¡°Long time no see.¡± Kieran didn¡¯t reply. He just took a nce at Trevor before turning to Wynn and said, ¡°Take care. Goodbye.¡± Before Wynn could react, he had already gotten into the car and driven off. Watching him leave, Wynn frowned. The next day, when Celeste arrived at the office, she saw a bouquet of flowers on her desk. Before she could react, someone nearby said, ¡°The new guy from R&D, Kieran, sent them!¡± Hearing this, Celeste wasn¡¯t surprised or troubled. She simply said, ¡°Got it.¡± Then she casually ced the flowers aside and got straight to work. nger 320 +21 BONUS Chapter 320 The Scent of 320 Chapter 320 That morning, Celeste hadn¡¯t been working for long when the received an official eptance notice from an A Journal. A little whileter, Matis came by to discuss work with Her. He wasn¡¯t surprised when he learned that her paper had been epted. After all, with Zachary¡¯s endorsement as an authority in the field, if even he believed the paper was solid, there was no doubt it would pass the review stage. After finishing their discussion, Celeste checked the time and asked, ¡°Want to grab lunch together?¡± Matthias rubbed his temples, looking a little weary. ¡°I¡¯ve got ns.¡± Celeste looked up. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Matthias smirked. ¡°A blind date. Arranged by my grandpa.¡± Hearing this, Celeste chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re already 28 and only now going on your first blind date. That¡¯s pretty good.¡± Matthias was speechless. Honestly, his family had never been too pushy about his marriage. But this time, the young woman was the granddaughter of his grandfather¡¯s close friend. Since it was hard to refuse, he had no choice but to go. Celeste said, ¡°Alright then, go ahead. I¡¯ll just eat at the cafeteria.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Matthias arrived at the restaurant half an hourter. It was a cozy, romantic ce¨Cclearly designed for couples. Not long after he sat down, his blind date arrived as well. Coincidentally, Miles also came to the restaurant at that moment, apanied by his femalepanion. As soon as he walked in, he spotted Matthias sitting not far away. However, since Matthias was facing away from him, he didn¡¯t notice Miles, Miles faised an eyebrow and deliberately chose a seat behind Matthias. Matthias wasn¡¯t speaking particrly loudly, but since Miles was sitting so close, he quickly realized that Matthias was on a blind date. Miles¡® femalepanion was about to say something, but he put a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet. Excited, he pulled out his phone and secretly snapped a picture of Matthias and his date. Then, he sent it to a group chat with Trevor, Beck, and Wynn. ¡°Guess what¡¯s happening? Hint: this is a couple¡¯s restaurant.¡± Beck had just finished work and was about to grab a meal when he saw the new message notification. He looked at the picture after opening it. With Miles¡® hint, it was obvious¨CMatthias was on a blind date. But instead of replying, Beck left the message: unread, as if he hadn¡¯t seen it.. Wynn and Trevor also remained silent. Miles, eager to share his gossip, was getting impatient when no one responded. He quickly typed, ¡°Where is everyone? It¡¯s lunchtime¨Care you all busy?¡± Still, Beck didn¡¯t reply. Then, Wynn finally sent a message. ¡°Saw it.¡± Miles perked up and asked, ¡°Smart as you are, you must already know what¡¯s going on, right?¡± Like Beck, Wynn had immediately guessed what was happening the moment she saw the picture. She chuckled and replied, ¡°A blind date?¡± ¡°Bingo!¡± Wynn looked at Miles¡® reply and smiled but didn¡¯t continue the conversation. A few days ago, although she hadn¡¯t attended Martha¡¯s birthday banquet, she had heard about Matthias¡® mother expressing approval of Celeste. Apparently, Matthias¡® mother had even said that if Celeste and Matthias were ready, she could start preparing for their wedding anytime. When Wynn first heard this, she found it absurd She was certain that Matthias¡® mother had only said that because she didn¡¯t really know Celeste. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have made such a statement at Martha¡¯s birthday banquet. In other words, Matthias¡® mother was probablypletely unaware of Celeste¡¯s past with Trevor If she ever found out that Celeste had been married before, there was no way she would agree to Celeste marrying into their family. Since neither Trevor nor Beck had responded yet, Miles impatiently tagged them both. Seeing that they still hadn¡¯t replied, he asked Wynn, ¡°Trevor isn¡¯t with you?¡± Wynn saw the message and replied, ¡°No, he had something to do. He left on a business trip this morning.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Just as he sent that message, Trevor finally appeared in the chat with a brief response. ¡°Noted.¡± The Scent of 321 Trevor sent another message. ¡°T¡¯in at a business luncheon. You guys carry After that, he didn¡¯t appear in the chat again. on.¡± After getting into his car, Beck also decided he wasn¡¯t going to pay any more attention to this matter. He simply replied, ¡°Busy too. You guys chat.¡± Then, he exited the app. Seeing that both Trevor and Beck had lost interest in the topic, Wynn also sent a message. ¡°I¡¯m going for lunch. Talkter.¡± Miles couldn¡¯t do anything After lunch, Celeste went to the R&D department for a meeting Kieran was there as well. As she precisely pointed out issues and quickly proposed solutions, he sat in silence, watching her. When the meeting ended, Celeste was about to leave when she noticed Kieran looking at her. She paused and asked, as a formality, ¡°It¡¯s your first day at thepany. Are you adjusting well?¡± Kieran replied, ¡°I¡¯m adapting Thanks for asking.¡± Celeste nodded and, without saying anything more, left the meeting room with herptop. Over the next few days, she juggled work while discussing copyright agreements with the Al journal. On Friday, after reviewing the R&D department¡¯s progress report, Celeste asked Candice to have Kierane to her office. Three minutester, Kieran knocked and entered. Once he sat down, Celeste said, ¡°Your algorithm does improve the efficiency and performance of the existing model to some extent, but it still doesn¡¯t meet my expectations.¡± Then, she began discussing the ws in his algorithm Kieran listened carefully. It had been a few days since he¡¯d joined YodaVision, and he had interacted with Celeste several times. Compared to the impression he gave during his interview, his demeanor how was vastly different. Yet, whether she simply didn¡¯t care or had other reasons, Celeste showed no sign of surprise or curiosity about his change in attitude. Moreover, on his first day, he had given her a bouquet of yellow roses as an apology. But now, days had passed, and she had never once mentioned it. It was as if she had never even received the flowers. She didn¡¯t seem the least bit curious about why he had apologized in the first ce. He had already sensed Celeste¡¯s capabilities during the interview. But after actually joining VodaVision and witnessing how he handled her work, he realized she was far more skilled than he had initially thought. Kieran had always been considered a genius in the Al field. Yet, after spending time with Celeste, he felt as if t hadn¡¯t even begun to grasp her level of expertise, She seemed even more advanced and innovative than the top Al experts he had encountered in Andostan. But more importantly Before he could finish the thought, Celeste spoke ¡°Do you have any other question Kieran withdrew his gaze, stood up, and said, ¡°No.¡± Celeste nodded and didn¡¯t say anything further. Kieran then returned to his workstation. Not long after, his phone rang. As soon as he answered, the person on the other end asked, ¡°So, how¡¯s it going with that Rodriguez chick? Who do you think she¡¯d pick you or that Yoder guy?¡± Pick between him and Matthias? From what he could tell, in Celeste¡¯s eyes, he was no different from any other researcher in the R&D department. ¡°No progress,¡± he replied while analyzing data. ¡°I¡¯m hanging up.¡± Just as he ended the call, Wynn called. He nced at the screen but didn¡¯t answer, then continued working. ¡°Mom!¡± Sylvia saw her mother waiting and happily ran into her arms. Tilda hugged her, then smiled at the girl standing beside her. ¡°Jo.¡± Jordyn looked at Sylvia, who was clinging to her mother, and gave a small nod. ¡°Mrs. Golden.¡± Sylvia nced around and asked Jordyn, ¡°Is your driver here yet?¡± Jordyn looked around but didn¡¯t see him. Instead, she saw many ssmates being picked up by their mothers. She was usually picked up by her driver. She didn¡¯t seem to mind it initially. She thought having her mom pick her up from school wasn¡¯t cool at all. So, whether her mom came or not, she didn¡¯t really care. But now¡­ Seeing that the driver hadn¡¯t arrived yet, Tilda noticed that Jordyn seemed a little down. She asked with concern, What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look upset?¡± Jordyn didn¡¯t reply. Just then, her driver finally arrived. Jordyn waved at Sylvia and Tilda before getting into the car As the car drove off, she nced out the window and saw Sylvia happily bouncing alongside her mother. Jordyn then withdrew her gaze, took out her phone, and fod Celeste¡¯s number. But instead of calling her, she hesitated. After a few seconds, she dialed Trevor instead. The Scent of 322 A momentter, Trevor answered the call. ¡°School¡¯s out?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Trevor then asked, ¡°Missing Mom?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t call her?¡± Trevor chuckled and said, ¡°Go ahead and call her. She should have time to answer today.¡± Jordyn¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really. Call her.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After hanging up, Jordyn quickly dialed Celeste. When Celeste saw the caller ID, she paused for a moment. Although she had seen Jordyn twice recently¨Conce when Martha fell down the stairs and was hospitalized, and another time at the Yoder family¡¯s house¨Cthose encounters didn¡¯t count toward their usual once¨Ca¨Cmonth meetings. Aside from those two incidents, it had actually been over a month since theyst met. Thinking of this, she answered the call. ¡°Jo, are you out of school-¡± Before she could finish, Jordyn, thrilled that she had actually answered, excitedly called out, ¡°Mom!¡± Her voice was filled with joy. Celeste froze, her hand gripping the mouse stopping in ce, It took her two seconds to snap out of it before she softly responded, ¡°Mm, I¡¯m here. Are you out of school?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Jordyn replied happily. ¡°Mom, where are you? I wanted to call you earlier, but I was worried you wouldn¡¯t. have time to answer. ¡°But just now, I called Dad, and he said you¡¯d definitely be able to pick up today. So, are youring home?¡± She paused briefly before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m still at work right now. Later, I¡¯ll be going to your Granny¡¯s house. Do you want to go there, or ¡°I¡¯ll go wherever you go!¡± ¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After a brief pause, Celeste added, ¡°Then you can go to Granny¡¯s house first. I will go over once I¡¯m done with work.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After ending the call, Celeste wrapped up her work and left her office. Before Celeste even stepped inside the Rodriguez residence Jordynard the sound of a car arriving, She immediately ran out, throwing herself into her mom¡¯s arms. ¡°Mom!¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Celeste picked her up.. Seeing her return, Betty similed and said, ¡°Cel, you¡¯re back perfect timing, dinner is ready. Come in and eat.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jordyn sat beside Celeste for dinner. It had been a long time since she had eaten her mother¡¯s cooking So, she couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Mom, you haven¡¯t cooked for me in so long! Can you make me dinner tomorrow? ¡°I really miss your food.¡± Ever since she decided to divorce Trevor, she really hadn¡¯t cooked much for Jordyn. And whenever Jordyn visited the Rodriguez family, Celeste had been too busy to cook for her. Thinking about this, she agreed. ¡°Okay.¡°¨C Most of their social circle didn¡¯t pay much attention to Wynn¡¯s affairs. So, her close bond with Jordyn never reached Betty or Ivan¡¯s ears. However, even before Jordyn returned to the country, the two elders had anticipated that she might grow close to Wynn. Naturally, they weren¡¯t happy about it. But they also knew that Jordyn was still young and didn¡¯t understand the grudges between the Rodriguez family and the Locket family. So, she wasn¡¯t to me. Since Celeste had failed to secure custody, Betty and Ivan were worried that prolonged separation would drive a wedge between mother and daughter. Now, seeing how attached Jordyn was to Celeste, they were more than happy. The Scent of 323 After dinner, Jordyn mentioned something that made Celeste realize Trevor was away on a business trip. At around 9:00 pm, while Celeste was taking a shower, her phone rang Jordyn saw that it was Beck calling and answered it. ¡°Mr. Harper.¡± Hearing her voice, Beck paused slightly. ¡°Jo.¡± Before Jordyn could contine, Celeste stepped out of the bathroom. Seeing her, Jordyn handed her the phone and said, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s Mr. Harper.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste took the phone, but before she could speal, Beck beat her to it. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not disturbing you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Beck said, ¡°I¡¯m out of town right now, so we¡¯ll have to reschedule our dinner for another time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± After hanging up, Celeste was about to dry her hair when Jordyn suddenly looked at her in confusion. Noticing her gaze, Celeste asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Mom, you know Mr. Harper too?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The next morning, Celeste went downstairs to make breakfast. About half an hourter, as she was heading back upstairs, she saw Jordyn on the phone. When Jordyn spotted her, she ran over and handed her the phone. ¡°Mom, it¡¯s Dad¡± Celeste took the phone. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I can only get back on Wednesday. Until then, I don¡¯t think Jo will want to leave the Rodriguez residence. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to take care of her for the next few days.¡± Celeste listened silently, pressing her lips together before hanging up. After dropping Jordyn off at the kindergarten on Monday, Celeste headed to work. She had a major project deadline, so the entire week was hectic. She often workedte into the night, only returning home at midnight. Even though Jordyn was staying at the Rodriguez residence, they only had time to chat briefly in the mornings. On Thursday afternoon, Jordyn called to tell her that Trevor had returned. That same day, after school, she went straight back to the Fleming manor. On Saturday, Celeste, Beck, and Shanice met up at an amusement park. +25 BOHUS Upon seeing her, Beck said, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since west met.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Celeste hadn¡¯t really noticed. Beck looked at her, as if he had something on his mind, but he didn¡¯t say it right away. It wasn¡¯t until they were almost ready for lunch that he hesitated before speaking ¡°You know InnovaTech has multiple shareholders, right?¡± ¡°Mlun.¡± ¡°Trevor ns to buy out my shares, as well as Miles¡® and the others¡® and give it to¡­¡± He didn¡¯t finish his sentence, but Celeste knew exactly who he was referring to¨CWynn She had seen firsthand how indulgent Trevor was toward Wynn at InnovaTech Previously, she had even joked that she wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he outright changed InnovaTech¡¯s name to Locket. But she hadn¡¯t expected him to actually go through with something like this. InnovaTech might be a rtively newpany, but it was still worth billions. He was certainly generous to just give it away like that. At that moment, Beck added, ¡°Miles and I agreed to it.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± She wasn¡¯t surprised. Beck, Miles, and Trevor had been close friends since childhood, practically growing up together. Given their bond, she could understand why they agreed. The reason Beck brought this up was to let her know that InnovaTech was changing hands¨Cyet YodaVision and InnovaTech still had business ties. He knew how deeply Celeste had once loved Trevor. Before learning about her connection with Matthias, he had truly believed she had moved on. But now, he wasn¡¯t So Sure. The Scent of 324 Over the years, the Locket family¡¯s techpany had been struggling, constantly losing money due to ack of core technology and high¨Clevel talent. To help them solve this issue, Trevor had spent a significant amount of time during his business trip overseas recruiting a few top¨Ctier tech experts for the Locket family¡¯spany. With his support, the Locket family¡¯s business would likely improve in the near future. However, none of this had anything to do with Celeste. If she still had lingering feelings for Trevor, knowing about this would only upset her. So, Beck chose not to mention it. After lunch, since Beck had other matters to attend to, they went their separate ways. On Monday, the transfer of InnovaTech¡¯s shares to Wynn was finalized. Celeste and Matthias found out about it because the moment the news broke, the industry group chat they were in immediately shared the information. Whether it was the luxury vi worth over 600 million that Trevor gifted to Lilian or the shares he transferred to Wynn on Valentine¡¯s Day, Celeste had never told Matthias any of it. Although Matthias was aware that Trevor treated Wynn well, he had never truly grasped just how generous¨Chow utterly willing he was toward her. So, when he saw the news, he was momentarily stunned. Then, biting his lip, he muttered, ¡°Damn, that¡¯s some serious generosity.¡± Celeste had already heard about it beforehand and felt nothing at this point. She simply said, ¡°Let¡¯s just focus on work¡± They had a banquet to attend the next evening. By the time Celeste and Matthias arrived, the venue was already crowded. Shortly after, Beck and Miles arrived as well. Just as Beck greeted them, Trevor and Wynn entered the banquet hall, escorted by the host. As always, Wynn was dressed in expensive attire, her jewelry and essories all extravagant. InnovaTech was a well¨Cknownpany in their industry, and news of Trevor transferring the entirepany to Wynn had already spread like wildfire. So, the moment they appeared, nearly everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to them. ¡°That¡¯s Trevor and his girlfriend. You¡¯ve all heard about the InnovaTech deal, right? Trevor is talented and sessful, yet even he couldn¡¯t resist a beautiful woman. ¡°Apany with such great potential, and he just handed it over like that¨Cwhat a grand gesture.¡± ¡°Exactly! If I were Wynn, I¡¯d be over the moon. Imagine having a boyfriend who spoils you this much.¡± At this, someone else chimed in, ¡°Didn¡¯t Trevor have a wife before? Funny how he never treated his ex¨Cwife this generously.¡± ¡°I heard he didn¡¯t love her. He only married her because he had no choice.¡± ¡°Makes sense. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have kept his marriage a secret all this time. If not for Mrs. Fleming Senior¡¯s birthday partyst time, no one would have even known he was married.¡± ¡°Yeah, exactly.¡± Hearing all this, Matthias and Beck Instinctively nced at Celeste. But, her expression remained unchanged. Linda was also at the banquet. She hadn¡¯t seen Beck in a long time and had specificallye with Wynn just to run into him. The moment she spotted Beck, she immediately walked over. ¡°Beck.¡± However, Beck didn¡¯t respond As she felt slighted, Linda¡¯s face darkened. But when she noticed Celeste nearby, she pursed her lips, let out a small huff, then quickly forced a smile and said, ¡°Beck, Wynn and Trevor are over there. Let¡¯s go over and join them.¡± Chapter 325 The Scent of 325 Chapter 325 Beck still continued to ignore Linda. Just then, someone happened toe over and greet him. The person also knew Celeste and Matthias, so the four of them started chatting. Linda was left standing there,pletely ignored. Her face grew increasingly awkward until she had no choice but to leave, humiliated. Not far away, Miles nced in their direction and remarked ¡°Beck seems to be getting closer to them.¡± By ¡°them, ¡± he was naturally referring to Celeste and Matthias Wynn shared the same thought. After all, if Beck and Matthias were simply business partners, a quick greeting and some polite small talk would have sufficed at an event like this. Yet, Beck was engaged in a long conversation with Matthias and Celeste. It was starting to look like they were actually bing friends. Of course, in Wynn¡¯s view, the reason Beck would consider befriending Matthias was that Matthias was indeed worth knowing. As for Celeste, she was just along for the ride. Hearing Miles¡®ment, Trevor nced in their direction but showed no reaction. Wynn withdrew her gaze as well¨Conly to spot Kieran just as he stepped into the banquet hall. Trevor followed her gaze and also saw Kieran Dressed in a nice suit, Kieran looked even more striking and aloof than usual. When Wynn looked over, Kieran happened to meet her gaze Wynn smiled and was just about to walk toward him when Kieran looked away and entered the hall from the side with his friends,pletely ignoring her. Wynn stopped in her tracks, let out a helplessugh, and turned to Trevor ¡°He¡¯s probably still mad at me for telling his family where he was. He wouldn¡¯t even pick up my calls, and now that he sees me, he¡¯s still giving me the cold shoulder.¡± Trevor replied, ¡°He is still young. A bit of a temper is to be expected.¡± Wynn agreed. Kieran had no idea what Wynn and Trevor thought of him. Shortly after entering the hall, he caught sight of Celeste and Matthias out of the corner of his eye when he was about to greet the host. His fingers tightened around his wine ss. He didn¡¯t expect them to be at the banquet as well. Celeste was wearing a light blue, intricately embroidered gown that hugged her figure, perfectlyplementing her quiet and cool demeanor. She looked pure, wless, and absolutely stunning. This was the first time Kieran had ever seen Celeste in an evening gown. So, his gaze lingered for a long time. His friend beside him noticed his distraction and followed his line of sight. When he saw Celeste, he let out a low whistle. ¡°Holy shit. She¡¯s gorgeous. Who is she?¡± Kieran snapped out of it. ¡°Celeste Rodriguez.¡± ¡°What? That¡¯s Celeste? Damn, I wasn¡¯t expecting her to be this beautiful.¡± Kieran didn¡¯t respond. He set down his wine ss and strode toward Celeste and Matthias. ¡°Mr. Yoder. Ms. Rodriguez.¡± Celeste and Matthias turned around, mildly surprised to see Kieran. They didn¡¯t expect him to be here either. So, they nodded in acknowledgment. Beck, noticing Kieran, turned to Matthias and asked, ¡°This Is¡­?¡± Matthias introduced him. ¡°This is Kieran Gibson.¡± Then, he briefly exined Kieran¡¯s background before turning to Kieran. ¡°And this is Beck Harper.¡± Beck recalled that there was indeed a prestigious Gibson family in Baumond previously. After Matthias¡® introduction, he greeted Kieran. ¡°Mr. Gibson.¡± Kieran returned the greeting. The group fell into conversation. Throughout the exchange, Kieran¡¯s gaze frequently drifted toward Celeste. And his expression when he looked at her was¡­ Noticing this, Beck¡¯s grip on his wine ss tightened slightly. Lips pressed together, he turned his gaze to Kieran. Kieran felt his stare and met his eyes. In that brief moment, both men understood each other¡¯s thoughts about Celeste. They both fell silent suddenly as they locked gazes. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! The Scent of 326 However, neither Beck nor Kieran said anything. Celeste and Matthias were engaged in conversation with others and didn¡¯t notice the silent exchange between Beck and Kieran. Since Celeste hadn¡¯t eaten dinner, she excused herself after while and headed to the buffet area for food. Kieran followed her shortly after and struck up a conversation. At the same time, Miles happened to be near the buffet. When he noticed them, he froze for a second, muttered Shit,¡± and then turned back toward Trevor and Wynn He leaned toward Trevor and whispered, ¡°That Kieran¡­ I think he likes Celeste. The way he looks at her is¡­ tsk!¡± Trevor followed Miles¡® gaze and saw Kieran talking to Celeste The way Kieran looked at her¨Cslightly tilting his head down, his eyes warm and filled with a deep intensity¨Cwas unmistakably the way a man looked at a woman he adored: Moreover, he was treating her with great care, taking the empty ss from her hand and setting it aside before reaching for a piece of cake from the top shelf and cing it gently in her hands. Trevor raised an eyebrow with interest at Kieran¡¯s tenderness and attentiveness. Wynn had also nced in their direction the moment Miles spoke. Kieran¡¯s actions toward Celeste were indeed gentle and considerate. If she didn¡¯t know the truth, she might have actually believed that Kieran had genuinely fallen for Celeste. ¡°Kieran will pretend to like Celeste first. Once she falls for him, he¡¯ll ruthlessly dump her=¡± Recalling what Kieran¡¯s friend had said, Wynn turned her gaze back to Celeste and saw that she was chatting happily with Kieran. Had she really been drawn in by him? Or perhaps, did Celeste actually believe that Kieran had feelings for her? A subtle smile curled at the corners of Wynn¡¯s lips as she lowered her gaze slightly. She turned to look at Trevor. Seeing that he remainedpletely indifferent despite watching another man pursue Celeste, her smile deepened. Miles suddenly remembered something and said to Trevor, ¡°Oh, right. Isn¡¯t Fleming Group¡¯s techpany looking to coborate with YodaVision? Shouldn¡¯t you go talk to Matthias?¡± Trevor took a sip of his wine and replied, ¡°There are too many people around him right now. I can talk to himter.¡± If Fleming Group really pursued a partnership with Yodavision, Celeste and Trevor would inevitably cross paths more often in the future. For most women, if their man still had contact with his ex¨Cwife, they would likely do everything in their power to prevent such a coboration. But Wynn? She only smiled indifferently. On the other side of the banquet hall, Beck was caught up in a conversation with someone, When he finally looked over, he saw Celeste and Kieran still talking Judging by Celeste¡¯s expression, they seemed to be having an enjoyable conversation, He had known Celeste for quite some time now. Though their rtionship had Improved recently, there had been past tensions between them. Because of that, when she talked to him, she never showed such a genuinely happy smile. And she had never spoken this much. Beck didn¡¯t know much about Kieran. But in terms of appearance alone, Kieran was undoubtedly impressive. A shadow flickered in Beck¡¯s eyes as he thought about it.) Turning to the person he had been speaking with, he said, ¡°Apologies, I have something to take care of. Let¡¯s continue this conversationter.¡± With that, he turned and walked straight toward Celeste and Kieran. #26 BONUS The Scent of 327 As soon as Beck approached, Kieran noticed him. His thin lips pressed together in displeasure, and his gaze toward Beck instantly turned cold. But Beck acted as if he didn¡¯t see it, continuing toward them without the slightest hesitation in his steps. He stopped in front of Celeste and naturally faced her. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Celeste, unaware of the tension between them, casually replied, ¡°Work¨Crted stuff.¡± The fact that Celeste could talk so easily with Kieran suggested that Kieran must be quitepetent in his field. In other words,pared to him, Celeste and Kieran had more to talk about. Not to mention, Kieran was currently working at YodaVision. That meant Kieran had far more opportunities to interact with Celeste than he did. Thinking about this, the smile on Beck¡¯s face faded slightly Just as he was about to speak, Matthias walked over, Seeing both Kieran and Beck standing next to Celeste, he found it a bit odd. However, he didn¡¯t dwell on it and simply said, ¡°Everyone¡¯s gathered here.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Trevor and Wynn also approached. ¡°Mr. Yoder.¡± Trevor greeted. Matthias responded with a faint, insincere smile. ¡°Mr. Fleming, do you need something?¡± Trevor said, ¡°There¡¯s a project I¡¯d like to discuss with you. wonder if you¡¯d be interested.¡± Fleming Group¡¯s techpany was one of the leading firms in the country¡¯s technology sector, holding an extensive portfolio of core patents and cutting¨Cedge innovations. Their uing product had already generated international buzz The moment Trevor brought up coboration, Matthias immediately understood what it was about. To be honest, he was quite intrigued. Besides, as one of the country¡¯s top¨Ctier enterprises, they carried a responsibility to push local innovations onto the global stage and increase international influence. If they wanted their products to trulypete on the world stage, onepany alone wouldn¡¯t be enough. It required enterprises to support each other, coborate on technology, and achieve mutual sess. So, despite Matthias¡® personal dislike for Trevor and his reluctance to work with him¡­. He didn¡¯t need to consult Celeste on this matter as he already had an answer in his heart. Her answer would be the same as his So, he said tly, ¡°Now is not the time to discuss coboration. If you want to talk,e to YodaVision tomorrow at a more appropriate time,¡± Trevor wasn¡¯t surprised by his response. He chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll see you then.¡± Matthias, clearly annoyed, asked indifferently, ¡°Anything else, Mr. Fleming?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s all.¡± Trevor replied before adding, ¡°I won¡¯t bother you any longer.¡± With that, he didn¡¯t spare Celeste another nce. He simply turned and left with Wynn. Before leaving, Wynn looked toward Kieran and Beck. Kieran, noticing her gaze, turned his face away. Beck, on the other hand, said nothing The next day, just as Celeste got out of her car after reaching thepany, she coincidentally ran into Trevor and Jacob, who had also just stepped out of their vehicle. She paused slightly as she shut the car door. She knew Trevor would being in the morning to discuss the coboration, but she didn¡¯t expect him to arrive this early. Seeing her, Trevor greeted, ¡°Morning.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t reply and turned toward thepany entrance. Since leaving Fleming Group, she had barely seen Jacob. In his mind, Celeste was still the same woman who used to cling to Trevor all the time. Now, seeing how cold her attitude was toward him, he found it strangely unsettling The Scent of 328 Chapt Celeste ignored him, so Trevor didn¡¯t say anything else. Kieran had just walked out from the other side of the parking lot. Seeing them, he made his way toward Celeste. ¡°Morning¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°Moming.¡± Kieran paused for a moment before turning back to give Trevor a brief, indifferent greeting. ¡°Morning.¡± Trevor smiled. ¡°Morning¡± Today, Trevor was here at YodaVision to discuss a business coboration. As an important figure in thepany, Celeste should have been the one to warmly receive a potential business partner. Yet, after Kieran greeted both Celeste and Trevor, he noticed that Celeste never once turned back to acknowledge Trevor. She simply walked straight ahead, showing no intention of ying the host. Was this attitude because of Trevor¡¯s rtionship with Wynn? Thinking about this, Kieran nced back at Trevor. However, Trevor didn¡¯t look the least bit upset about Celeste¡¯s treatment of him. Kieran didn¡¯tment further. The four of them entered the elevator in silence. Inside, Kieran stood beside Celeste. She was wearing high heels and light makeup. She was still as beautiful andposed as ever. Kieran found himself unable to look away from her elegant profile. He kept staring at her until he noticed Trevor¡¯s gaze shifting toward him. Only then did he withdraw his gaze and look at Trevor instead. Seeing him nce over, Trevor simply smiled but said nothing Soon, the elevator reached YodaVision¡¯s floor. Celeste stepped out without looking at Trevor. Kieran, having work¨Crted matters to discuss with her, followed along. Watching their departing figures, Trevor retracted his gaze and, guided by the receptionist, entered YodaVision¡¯s reception room. They waited for over ten minutes before Matthias arrived at the office. Upon entering the reception room and seeing Trevor, he said, ¡°Apologies, Mr. Fleming, I¡¯mte.¡± Though his words sounded polite, his tone was indifferent, and his expressioncked any real sincerity. Jacob had been by Trevor¡¯s side for a long time and had metall kinds of powerful figures. Yet, he had never seen anyone dare to treat Trevor with such disregard. Thinking this, he frowned slightly. Trevor, however, appeared unfazed. He simply shook Matthias¡® hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry. It¡¯s no. problem.¡± Matthias disliked Trevor, but since they had agreed to coborate, he just wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. So, after sitting down, he got straight to the point and began discussing the deal. Although YodaVision already had a partnership with Innovatech, that deal had been negotiated by someone else Trevor had sent over. Technically, this was the first time Matthias was directly discussing a business coboration with Trevor Atst year¡¯s birthday banquet for Betty, Matthias had alrealy gotten a rough sense of how much Trevor understood about the Al field when he overheard him speaking with Zachary However, their conversation back then had been brief. Today, they spent nearly three hours discussing the requirements for YodaVision¡¯s next¨Cgeneration chip in terms ofputing and inference capabilities. As the conversation progressed, Matthias realized that Trevor¡¯s understanding of Al was far deeper than he had expected. No matter what topic he brought up, Trevor had no trouble keeping up. His knowledge was vast. At some points, Matthias even thought¨CTrevor¡¯s expertise in this field might not be any less than his own. That thought made him feel a bit frustrated. Trevor nced at the time and said, ¡°It¡¯s almost noon. Shall we continue in the afternoon?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The Scent of 329 Trevor then added, ¡°How about bunch together? My treat¡± Matthias had no interest in dining with him and replied, ¡°ppreciate your offer, but I¡¯m a bit tired today. I don¡¯t feel like going out. I¡¯ll just grab a simple meal at the cafetera You¡¯re wee to do as you please.¡± Trevor smiled. ¡°Eating at the cafeteria is certainly more convenient. If you don¡¯t mind, how about we join you! Matthias couldn¡¯t say anything So, just a few minutester, they found themselves in Vodavision¡¯s cafeteria As thepany¡¯s bossbined with the fact that both be and Trevor were strikingly handsome¨Ctheir arrival instantly drew attention. Celeste was already eating. And Kieran was sitting across from her. They were deep in conversation, so she didn¡¯t notice Matths¡® arrival. It wasn¡¯t until she heard someone greet him that she instinctively looked up¨Conly to realize that not only was Matthias here, but Trevor had alsoe to the cafeteria. Bearing the greeting, Kieran also looked over. Matthias, Trevor, and Jacob all noticed Kieran and Celeste. Seeing Celeste eating with Kieran, appearing rather close, Trevor remainedpletely unfazed. Matthias, of course, also noticed Celeste. He gave her a look, silently telling her to focus on her meal¨Che would handle things on this end. Celeste only nodded and averted her gaze. From the moment Matthias decided to go through with this coboration with Trevor, he had already nned to take full responsibility for it. As for Celeste, during the entire coboration process, they would avoid any unnecessary encounters between her and Trevor as much as possible. Thus, after getting their food, Matthias deliberately chose a table far away from Celeste. Trevor made noments about it. During the meal, he didn¡¯t nce in Celeste¡¯s direction even once. Jacob, however, stole several nces toward her. He had heard some things about Celeste and Matthias, though he wasn¡¯t sure which parts were true. This morning, Celeste had been cold toward Trevor, and now, even when seeing him again in the cafeteria, she showed no reaction whatsoever. It seemed like she had truly moved on from him. He also noticed that even though Celeste appeared to be close to Kieran, Trevor didn¡¯t seem to care at all, That didn¡¯t surprise him. After all, over the years, he had witnessed firsthand just how much Trevor despised Celeste¨Cand how deeply he loved Wynn. +25 BOUT With that thought, he withdrew his gaze. By the time Matthias and Trevor finished their meal, Celeste had already left the cafeteria. That afternoon, Trevor had other matters to attend to and left YodaVision around 3:00 pm. However, their coboration wasn¡¯t finalized yet. So, over the next few days, Trevor visited YodaVision several more times. Yet, aside from their brief encounter on the first day, he and Celeste never crossed paths again. For those few days, it was as if they had no connection at all If not for Matthias, who knew the truth, no one else would have ever guessed that they were actually married. After a few of Trevor¡¯s visits, word had spread throughout VodaVision¨CFleming Tech and YodaVision were officially working on a project together. That day, as Celeste entered the meeting room, she overheard a female employee saying, ¡°I just ran into that. Fleming Tech boss, Trevor, in the elevator. Oh my god, he¡¯s so handsome!¡± ¡°He¡¯s rich and good¨Clooking. Plus, I heard he treats his girlfriend incredibly well. Just recently, he even gave her InnovaTech! Can you imagine? If I w The Scent of 330 Betty had rtives visiting from Xelora, and they hado Baumond to see her. That morning, just as Celeste finished a meeting, Betty called and asked her toe over for lunch with them. She stood by the elevator, waiting, when Joseph Lockridge the newly hired general manager of YodaVision- walked over with Trevor and Jacob, Upon seeing her, Joseph greeted her, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez.¡± Celeste gave a slight nod. Joseph wasn¡¯t sure whether Trevor and Celeste knew each her. He only knew that despite Trevor being at YodaVision for several days discussing a coboration, he and Celeste had never crossed paths Seeing that Celeste didn¡¯t greet Trevor, Joseph assumed they weren¡¯t acquainted. So, he introduced them. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, this is Mr. Fleming of Fleming Group.¡± Then, he turned to Trevor and said, ¡°This is Ms. Rodriguez from YodaVision¡¯s R&D department.¡± Without looking at Trevor, Celeste simply said, ¡°I know.¡± Trevor, however, nced at her and told Joseph, ¡°No need for introductions- we know each other quite well.¡± Joseph paused, looking between the two. ¡°You know each other well? Sorry, but I don¡¯t see it.¡± He didn¡¯t say it aloud, though. Instead, he gave an awkwardugh. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Celeste remained silent. Trevor chuckled lightly but didn¡¯t say anything more. At this point, Joseph finally realized¨CCeleste simply didn¡¯t want to acknowledge Trevor. That made her just like Matthias. He wasn¡¯t sure if there was some unresolved grudge between Trevor, Celeste, and Matthias But, Trevor wasn¡¯t just anybody. Thepany was about to coborate with him, yet both Celeste and Matthias treated him with this distant, indifferent attitude. And what was even stranger¨CTrevor didn¡¯t seem to mind at all. Thinking about it, Joseph wasn¡¯t sure if he should be relieved or worried. Just as he was about to break the silence, Trevor¡¯s phone rang. He answered, ¡°You¡¯ve arrived? I¡¯ll be right down.¡± After hanging up, they stepped into the elevator. Joseph smiled and said, ¡°Ms. Locket is here to pick you up for lunch again? You two have a great rtionship.¡± Trevor smiled and was about to respond when his phone rang again. Seeing it was an important ca continue speaking. When the the elevator reached the ground floor, Celeste walked out without a backward nce. seph didn¡¯t +25 BONUT As soon as she stepped outside and reached the parking lot, she saw Wynn standing by a car, waiting Their eyes met Wynn¡¯s gaze was cold and indifferent. Celeste quickly looked away and walked toward her own car Wynn also shifted her gaze away. Only when she spotted Trevoring out of the building did her eyes softer As Celeste got into her car, she happened to see Wynn handing her car keys to Jacob before getting into Trevor¡¯s car with him. Celeste withdrew her gaze and drove off, leaving them behind in her rearview mirror. At the restaurant, after finishing lunch, Celeste escorted Betty¡¯s guests into their car and watched them leave. Just as she was about to get into her own car to return to work, she saw Jorge stepping out of the restaurant. The moment he saw her, his brows instinctively furrowed. Thest time he had seen her was when Trevor had gone to YodaVision to find her. He didn¡¯t know if things between them had progressed further, but he had heard that Trevor and YodaVision were now coborating Would that give Celeste and Trevor an opportunity to rekindle something? He didn¡¯t voice his thoughts, but the moment he saw her, his furrowed brows gave them away. Without greeting him, Celeste simply got into her car and drove off. Jorge also returned to hispany. His coboration with the Locket family was already in discussion. At around 3:00 pm, his secretary walked in and said, ¡°Mr. Robinson, Ms. Locket is here.¡± Jorge paused. ¡°Ms. Locket?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± his secretary replied. ¡°She said Mr. Locket has caught a cold, so she¡¯s here on his behalf to discuss the coboration with you.¡± Hearing this, a flicker of excitement shed in Jorge¡¯s eyes. He immediately stood up and strode toward the meeting room. Upon seeing him, Wynn immediately apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My father isn¡¯t feeling well, so for this coboration Jorge cut her off with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Wynn didn¡¯t miss the hint of joy in his eyes. She smiled slightly and simply withdrew her gaze. After discussing the coboration, Jorge seized the opportunity and asked, ¡°Ms. Locket, do you have timeter? Would you like to have dinner together?¡± Wynn smiled and shook her head. ¡°I have a raceing up, so I need to head to the track for train dinner another time.¡± Let¡¯s do Jorge knew Wynn was a racer. But ever since he met her, she hadn¡¯t participated in anypetitions He had only searched online for videos of her past races, downloading them to his phone to watch repeatedly. In other words, he had never seen her race in person before Now that she mentioned it, he was very tempted to go watch. However. If she were training today, then Trevor would definitely be apanying her, right? With th that thought, he didn¡¯t bring it up. Instead, he said, ¡°Another time, then Wynn nodded, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and left, Shortly after she left, Xavier called him. ¡°Caleb happens to be off today. Want to meet up?¡± Hearing this, Jorge immediately had an idea. ¡°Sure,¡± he said. ¡°But, let¡¯s skip the bar this time. How about we go somewhere else?¡± Xavier was intrigued. ¡°Oh? Where to?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go watch a car race.¡± ¡°A car race?¡± Xavier sounded interested. ¡°Sounds fun!¡± After finding out where Wynn¡¯s training session was taking ce, they went for dinner before heading to the race track with Caleb. The Scent of 331 Xavier and Caleb took their seats in the stands right as the practice game began. They weren¡¯t familiar with racing, and they didn¡¯t know who to support. But after listening to thementary, they found out that Racer 38, CC, and two others were favorites to win. The kicker? CC was the only woman in the race. So naturally, she drew a lot of attention. Besides, she pulled off two stumming overtakes on the curves that had the crowd roaring. Xavier couldn¡¯t hold back. ¡°Holy crap, she¡¯s got serious guts. That was so cool!¡± Jorge, knowing Xavier didn¡¯t realize CC was actually Wynn, just gave a faint knowing smile upon hearing that. CC came in first in both rounds. Xavier blurted out, ¡°Who even is this CC? I want to meet her!¡± Right then, the camera cut to CC stepping out of the car and removing her helmet¨Cwhen he saw it was Wynn, Xavier¡¯s jaw nearly hit the floor. ¡°She¡¯s CC? No way!¡± The shock was quickly reced by despair. ¡°I was literally going to ask her out. And now you¡¯re telling me she¡¯s actually Trevor¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Well, that was a game over for Xavier. The realization hit him hard, and he slumped. Still, he muttered enviously, ¡°So, this is the kind of life Trevor¡¯s enjoying, huh?¡± At that moment, Wynn spotted them. She was slightly surprised to see Caleb there too. Walking over, she said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Robinson, Mr. Jennings, Mr. York¨CI didn¡¯t know you guys were into racing.¡± Jorge responded first. ¡°We weren¡¯t, really. You mentioned before, and since we happened to be free, we figured we¡¯de to see what it was all about.¡± Then, he added, ¡°You were incredible out there. First ce in both rounds, eh? Congrats.¡± Smiling. Wynn thanked him. Caleb chimed in, ¡°Congrats.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± she replied, turning to Caleb. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it? When I saw you from afar earlier, I thought I was seeing things.¡± ¡°Work¡¯s been hectic; I don¡¯t have much time to rest,¡± said Caleb. Hearing that, Wynn asked, ¡°I heard you¡¯re a pilot, Mr. Jennings. Compared to flying jets, doesn¡¯t racing seem kind of tame?¡± ¡°Racing has its own kind of thrill. There¡¯s no need topare, and you were really impressive out there, Ms. Locket.¡± Wynn smiled at Caleb¡¯spliment. Jorge then spoke up. ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Mr. Fleming? Didn¡¯t hee to watch you race?¡± ¡°He had something to take care of, so he couldn¡¯t make it today. But he¡¯ll definitely be there for the real thing.¡± Wynn added, ¡°If you guys are free, then, I¡¯d love to see you there.¡± Jorge nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll definitelye if I¡¯m free.! ¨C And he meant it he wanted to watch her race for real. However, with Trevor also showing up¡­ That didplicate things for him. It was Saturday morning, and Celeste woke up early. She powered on herptop to check some model data and had barely started when her phone lit up. It was Kieran. A few days ago, he had pitched an idea at work that she thought was promising. She had already assigned some resources to it and was keeping a close eye on the progress herself. They had been in regr contact because of it and naturally exchanged numbers. Seeing his name pop up on the screen, she figured it was something work¨Crted¨Cand picked up. But Kieran wasn¡¯t calling for work; he just wanted to know if there was anything fun to do in Baumond. ¡°What I like might not be your thing. Don¡¯t you have friends here? Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to ask them?¡± Celeste replied. ¡°They all rmended stuff I¡¯m not interested in.¡± Kieran paused, then added, ¡°I hear typing. Are you workin¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Seriously, are you nning to spend the whole weekend at home?¡± Still focused on her screen, Celeste said, ¡°I¡¯m going to see a y with my granny tonight.¡± Chapter 332 The Scent of 332 Chapter 332 ¡°A y? What kind of y? Where do you even find one around here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an old¨Cschool kind of y. You probably wouldn¡¯t be into it.¡± Kieran¡¯s gaze sharpened. ¡°You never know. I may have grown up overseas, but I¡¯ve always been curious about Baumond¡¯s culture. I just haven¡¯t had the chance to really explore it.¡± Left with no excuse, Celeste told him the location of the theater. Kieran immediately purchased a ticket online. Some timeter, his friend called him, ¡°Hey, rich boy, we¡¯re hanging out tonight.¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Kieran cut in. ¡°I¡¯ve got ns tonight.¡± After wrapping up her call with Kieran, Celeste didn¡¯t take a break until afternoon. ncing at the calendar, she suddenly remembered that Shanice¡¯s birthday wasing up. She hesitated a little and decided to give Beck a call. Beck had always wanted to stay in closer contact with Celeste. Ever since he learned about Kieran¡¯s feelings for her, he had been more eager than ever. However, aside from their work together and Shanice, they didn¡¯t really have any reason to interact. Since he didn¡¯t have to go to YodaVision for the coboration, he couldn¡¯t think of any good reason to get in touch with her. On top of that, Trevor was coborating with YodaVision, so¡­ Beck stopped midway out of the car when he saw Celeste¡¯s name appear on his phone. Almost right away, he answered it. Celeste spoke first. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not disturbing you, Mr. Harper.¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Beck answered, his expression softening. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of preparing a birthday gift for Shanice myself, but I¡¯m a bit worried she won¡¯t like it. I wanted to get your advice.¡± Upon hearing how much Celeste cared about Shanice, Beck felt a warmth spread in his chest. He said with genuine sincerity, ¡°Shanice likes you a lot, so as long as it¡¯s something you put thought into, she¡¯ll absolutely love it.¡± Knowing Shanice¡¯s nature, Celeste figured that was true. ¡°Is there anything specific?¡± she asked. Beck paused for a second. ¡°Do you know how to bake a cake?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Celeste responded. ¡°I know what to do now. Thanks.¡± ¡°No worries. If anythinges up, feel free to get in touch will do.¡± After the call ended, Beck finally stepped out of the car and walked into the restaurant. Trevor, Wynn, and Miles were already there. ¡°You took your sweet time, huh?¡± Milesmented. Beck chuckled. ¡°Got held up on a call.¡± Wynn looked over at Beck¨Che seemed to be in a noticeably better mood. Ever since J started working at hispany, she had reached out a few times, inviting him to grab a meal. Yet each time, he politely declined, iming he was busy. Once or twice, she believed it. But this many times? Was he still holding a grudge because she kept trying to set him up with Linda, and now thought any contact from her was just another matchmaking attempt? That evening, just past six, Celeste had dinner at the Rodriguez residence. She was about to head out with Betty to see a y when she received a call from Zachary. ¡°Are you at the Rodriguez residence now?¡± he asked. ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I need you to deal with. Get ready; someone will pick you up in ten.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± From the way Zachary spoke, it was clearly important. When Betty heard Zachary needed her for something, she waved her off with a smile, saying that she¡¯d be fine going out with Adeline. Ten minutester, the car sent by Zachary pulled up outside the Rodriguez residence. As soon as she got in the car, Celeste learned why Zachary had called¨Cthe government¨Cbacked project she had previously signed off on was under a tight deadline, and Zachary, caught up in other matters, couldn¡¯t break away. She was the only person aside from him who truly understood the project¡¯s core tech. Hence, he needed her on¨Csite to keep things moving. The moment Celeste arrived at the base, her phone was taken away. The next two days were a whirlwind. She barely had time to rest. On the thin day, just as she stepped into the cafeteria for a quick lunch, she saw Caleb walking toward her. The Scent of 333 Caleb was a little surprised when he saw Celeste. He called gut, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez?¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°Hello, Mr. Jennings.¡± Caleb smiled, ncing at her. ¡°Are you stationed here for work now?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, my mentor asked me toe assist with something¡± That made him pause. Very few people had the authority to bring in outside personnel. Then, Caleb remembered her close rtionship with Matthias and how the two weren¡¯t romantically involved. It clicked ¡°Your mentor¡­ is Mr. Newman?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Celeste answered with a slight nod. So, she was really one of Zachary¡¯s students, just like Matthias, He hadn¡¯t even thought to connect those dots until now. However, if she were Zachary¡¯s student, everything suddenly made a lot of sense. Like why Matthias had gone out of his way at the banquet to credit her to YodaVision¡¯s recent breakthrough, or why his father had paid such close attention to her. It wasn¡¯t just at his grandfather¡¯s art exhibition but also at the forum Jorge attended. His father must have known her background all along Still, being one of Zachary¡¯s students alone wouldn¡¯t have earned that level of interest. Unless- Unless those two headline¨Cmaking projects from YodaVision were hers. That possibility hit Caleb all at once. He stared at Celeste, momentarily speechless. Celeste was quiet andposed, and she never sought attention. He had never guessed someone so unassuming and young could have aplished so much. They found a spot in the cafeteria and sat down. ¡°How long are you staying on base this time?¡± Caleb asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It will depend on my mentor.¡± Celeste paused and then added, ¡°Feels like it¡¯s been months since I saw you outside of work. Is training keeping you that busy?¡± Caleb nodded slightly. ¡°Yeah, pilots don¡¯t exactly get generous vacation time.¡± He didn¡¯t have much of a lunch break either. After a brief conversation, he excused himself and headed off to deal with other duties. He saw her again two days was collected, Celeste and the researchers immediately got to work, tweaking algorithms and diving into another round of analysis based onbat dynamics. When Caleb walked into her department, he spotted her among the flurry of focused researchers. She didn¡¯t notice him right away. When she finally looked up, she gave a polite nod and then returned to her screen without missing a beat. Celeste remained on base for nearly ten days before heading back. She left the base in the dead of night and arrived home just as the sun was rising When she turned her phone back on, nearly 20 missed calls lit up the screen. Kieran, Beck, Jordyn, and even Trevor had tried to reach her She could pretty much guess why Jordyn and Trevor had called. Kieran had called first and the most. Hence, she dialed him back first. Kieran picked up almost immediately. ¡°You¡¯re finally done?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Celeste replied. ¡°Was something wrong? Did it get resolved?¡± ¡°There was, but everything¡¯s fine now.¡± Ten days ago, he had shown up at the theater and didn¡¯t see her. Her phone kept going straight to voicemail, and when she didn¡¯t show up at work on Monday, he thought something serious had happened. He ended up going to Matthias and found out she had a family matter to deal with Now that he knew she was all alright, he could finally rx. +25 BONUS The Scent of 334 Then, Celeste called Beck back to ask if there was anything mportant when he had called two days ago. ¡°It¡¯s just that Shanice wanted to video chat,¡± he exined. No big deal.¡± They both had to head to work, so they kept It short. After hanging up the call, Celeste grabbed her car keys and drove to the office. Coincidentally, she and Matthias arrived at the parking lot at the same time. As they got out of their cars, Matthias greeted her with a smile, ¡°Back already?¡± Celeste beamed. ¡°Yeah.¡± Just then, Trevor¡¯s car entered the lot, and Wynn was seated beside him. Instead of pulling into a space, he stopped the car right in front of them. Then, Trevor and Wynn stepped out, looking at Matthias and Celeste. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Yoder, they greeted. -Matthias¡¯s face fell Wonderful. Just wonderful. Ignoring Trevor and Wynnpletely, he tugged Celeste forward without a word. Trevor and Wynn didn¡¯t seem to mind. As the two had left, Trevor passed his car keys to Wynn, opened the car door for her, and said softly, ¡°Be careful on the road.¡± Wynn¡¯s lips curled in a smile as she watched him¨Cand then flicked her gaze toward Celeste¡¯s figure in the distance. ¡°I will.¡± Inside the building, Matthias nced over his shoulder toward the entrance while waiting for the elevator. There was no sign of Trevor. Was he still busy ying the doting boyfriend out there? As the elevator door closed, Matthias muttered, ¡°They¡¯re showing up in the same car this early¡­ Are they living together now?¡± Celeste wasn¡¯t sure about that. Even if they weren¡¯t, the fact that they had arrived together meant Trevor had gone to pick Wynn up himself first thing elf and he Trevor had a personal driver, yet when it came to Wynn, he always insisted on doing everything himself, never seemed to find it a hassle. Their rtionship seemed as rock¨Csolid as ever. Shanice¡¯s birthday was in two days. That night, after work, Celeste went to the mall and picked out a pink bunny plushie. She got into the elevator, arms full of pink fluff¨Conly to run Into Wynn and Erin on their way up. Wynn noticed the plush bunny, assuming it was a gift for Jordyn. Her lips curled with faint amusement. Ever since getting close to Wynn, Jordyn hadpletely los interest in those girlish toys. And Celeste was still trying to win her over with a pink stuffed animal? Was she really that behind or just pathetically out of touch? Wynn looked away, disinterested. Erin barely acknowledged Celeste¨Cjust a nce before she turned her attention back to her granddaughter. She gave Wynn¡¯s arm a gentle pat, her face soft with pride, Erin¡¯s attitude made one thing clear¨CWynn was the only granddaughter she acknowledged now. Celeste didn¡¯t take it to heart. She made her way to the parking lot and drove off. The next morning, just after Celeste had woken up, Zachary called She listened, then said, ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Immediately after, she called Beck. ¡°I¡¯ve got something urgent tomorrow morning, so I won¡¯t be able to make it for Shanice¡¯s birthday. But I¡¯ll prep the cake ahead of time. Can you swing by my ce and deliver it along with her gift? And let her know I¡¯m really sorry, okay?¡± The Scent of 335 Beck was a little disappointed to hear Celeste couldn¡¯t make it to Shanice¡¯s birthday, but he understood . ¡°It¡¯s okay Work takes priority; Shanice will understand¡± Right after she hung up, just as Celeste finished freshening up, her phone rang again. It was a video call from Beck Only Shanice would use his phone to video call her. Celeste picked up, and Shanice¡¯s bright little face popped up on the screen. She smiled, but before she could get a word in, Shanice started talking excitedly. ¡°Good morning, Ms. Celeste! Uncle Beck told me you can¡¯te to my birthday party tomorrow. It¡¯s okay! If you¡¯re busy now, you can celebrate with me next time.¡± Then, without pausing, Shanice added, ¡°Uncle Beck said you¡¯re baking a cake and got me other gifts as well. Thank you, Ms. Celeste! That¡¯s so sweet of you. My grandma says that when someone gives you a gift, you should treat them to a meal. There¡¯s this new restaurant that¡¯s super good¨Care you free tonight? Uncle Beck and I want to take you out!¡± Celeste couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m free tonight. Thank you, Shanice.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be polite, Ms. Celeste. Treating you to dinner is what I should do!¡± Shanice was in a hurry to get to school. After saying goodbye, she quickly handed the phone back to Beck Celeste and Beck confirmed a time for dinner and then hung up. Later that morning at work, Celeste mentioned to Matthias that she needed to return to the base again the next day. Matthias gave her a quick pat on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve been working hard. I¡¯ll take care of things with the R&D team; just go do what you need to do.¡± ¡°Alright, thanks.¡± Celeste usually stayed in the office until past 8:00 pm. However, she started shutting things down and getting ready to leave a little early at around 6:00 pm on that day. Kieran stopped at her office. He was a little surprised when he saw her packing up. ¡°Clocking out early today?¡± ¡°Yeah I¡¯ve got something to take care of,¡± she said, then she remembered. ¡°Oh, right. I¡¯ll be out of town for a few days starting tomorrow. If anythinges up, talk to Matthias directly.¡± ¡°Again?¡± Celeste murmured a reply. Kieran didn¡¯t respond. She had just gotten back, and now she was heading out again. About 30 minutester, Celeste pulled into the restaurant Beck had reserved. As she stepped out of her car, Beck and Shanice arrived as well. The moment Shanice spotted her, she came rumming, ¡°Ms. Celeste!¡± Celeste crouched down and hugged her. ncing around at all the high¨Cend cars, Celestemented, ¡°This ce is seriously booming ¡± Beck chuckled softly. ¡°The owner really knew how to build hype. It has be the ce to meet if you want to talk business.¡± ¡°I see ¡°Let¡¯s head inside,¡± Beck said. ¡°Okay.¡± As they walked toward the entrance of the restaurant, Wynn stepped out of her car nearby, still on a call. She ended the call, closed the door, and turned around to head toward the restaurant- But at that very moment, the sight of Celeste, Beck, and Shanice walking together came into view. Seeing that, she froze, and her steps halted abruptly. The Scent of 336 For a split second, Wynn thought her eyes were ying tricks on her. But the image in front of her was far too vivid Celeste was walking hand in hand with Shanice, and Berk was ncing at her with that unmistakable smile This wasn¡¯t a mistake. It wasn¡¯t a dream. Celeste was there with them. Judging by how naturally the three of them moved together¨Chow it was Celeste, not Beck, holding Shanice¡¯s hand -this clearly wasn¡¯t their first dinner as a trio, A sudden thought hit Wynn like lightning. Could Celeste be the woman Shanice kept mentioning? No. No way. That didn¡¯t make sense. Then, her mind unhelpfully supplied the memory fromst year. When Beck came to InnovaTech for a meeting that time, he had approached Celeste to speak with her. And at recent banquets, whenever Celeste and Matthias were there, Beck would always linger after saying hello. He didn¡¯t just greet them and move on. He stayed. Wynn used to think it was because he didn¡¯t want to offend Matthias, But now¡­ She wasn¡¯t so sure anymore. Could it be that Beck actually liked Celeste? No. No way. Wynn stood still, refusing to believe what her brain was telling her. Beck had known Celeste for years. If she were his type, he would¡¯ve noticed her long ago. Why would it take him so long? Besides, what was so special about Celeste anyway? Perhaps she was reading too much into things. Even if Celeste was the woman Shanice kept talking about, that didn¡¯t mean Beck had feelings for her. Right? Harvey, seeing Wynn freeze in ce, walked over to her. ¡°Are you okay, Wynn?¡± Wynn snapped back to her senses. She shook her head and answered, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head inside.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The next day at around 8:00 am, Beck received a call from Celeste. When he arrived at the address she had sent, Celeste was already waiting by the entrance with a cake in one hand and a stuffed animal in the other. As soon as she saw him, she handed them over. Beck epted them and nced at the cake. ¡°You must¡¯ve been up early¨Ccakes like this take time.¡± She had been up before dawn, actually, But all Celeste said was, ¡°I went to bed earlyst night. I didn¡¯t mind getting up early.¡± ¡°Thank you. Shanice is going to love it.¡± Beck said sincerely He could tell that she had clearly put a lot of thought into it. He nced at the modest apartmentplex behind her.¡± this where you¡¯re living now?¡± He knew she had moved out of Trevor¡¯s ce, but he hadn¡¯t known where she had gone until now. ¡°Yeah,¡± Celeste replied. ¡°I¡¯m in a rush, though. I¡¯ll get going now.¡± Beck nodded in reply. ¡°Alright.¡± Celeste turned and walked back toward her building. Beck didn¡¯t look away until her figure disappeared from view. Then, finally, he got into his car. Since Jordyn wanted to celebrate Shanice¡¯s birthday for her Trevor had booked a private lounge at a restaurant. That afternoon, when Shanice got home from school and saw the cake Celeste had made herself, along with the bunny plush that was nearly her height, her face lit up. She was so thrilled she refused to leave it behind¨Cclutching the oversized toy all the way out the door. When Beck and Shanice arrived, Trevor, Wynn, and Jordyn were already there. As Beck opened the door to the private lounge, Wynn¡¯s eyesnded on the bunny plush Shanice was holding. She instantly recognized it as the same one she had seen Celeste carrying at the mall just two days earlier. So, the mysterious woman Shanice kept mentioning had really been Celeste all along? Shanice was glowing with joy. She barely made it through the door before rushing over to jordyn, holding the plush out like a prized treasure. ¡°Look what I got for my birthday, Jo! Isn¡¯t it cute?¡± The Scent of 337 Chapter 337 Chapter 337 Jordyn didn¡¯t actually have anything against the color pink If something was pretty or cute, she usually liked it as well. So, when Shanice beamed and showed off her plush, Jordyn smiled and nodded encouragingly. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s very cute. Then, she handed her gift to Shanice. Shanice thanked her politely, then couldn¡¯t help but gush a little more. ¡°I got a hand¨Cbaked birthday cake too! It¡¯s blue and so pretty!¡± She turned to Beck excitedly. ¡°Can you help me open it, Uncle Beck?¡± Raising an eyebrow, Milesmented, ¡°She not only made a cake for Shanice but also brought gifts. She clearly put a lot of thought into it, though. What are you waiting for, Beck?¡± The fact that Celeste woke up early to bake a cake for Shanice despite her busy schedule was enough to show Beck how much she cared for Shanice. Even with Trevor and Jordyn in the room, Beck couldn¡¯t help but smile warmly at the mention of Celeste. Yesterday, Wynn wasn¡¯t sure if Beck truly had feelings for Celeste, but after seeing that gentle smile of his just now, she was certain¨Che had fallen for Celeste. No wonder he didn¡¯t pick up her calls immediately like he used to for the past few months. Sometimes, he wouldn¡¯t even pick up at all. Wynn had thought that he was just busy when she called. But, honestly, what was so attractive about Celeste to him? Wynn pursed her lips. She couldn¡¯t understand what it was about Celeste that had captured his heart. The meaning behind Beck¡¯s unintentional smile was obvious, and Miles immediately picked up on it. ¡°So, you¡¯re finally admitting you like her?¡± he teased. Trevor, noticing Beck¡¯s smile, also smiled in response. The private lounge was filled with excitement. Some timeter, Shanice started making her wish. After she finished, Beck helped her cut the cake. Jordyn was the first to get a piece of it. Her face lit up after the first bite. ¡°It¡¯s so tasty!¡± It tasted just like the cake Celeste baked. Now that she thought about it, she hadn¡¯t seen her in a while. When her birthday came around, Celeste would definitely bake a cake for her, right? Miles didn¡¯t have a sweet tooth, yet after tasting a few bites hemented, ¡°It really is delicious. Looks like this person has some serious skills, Beck. You¡¯re a lucky guy.¡± Chapter 337 Beck¡¯s smile faltered briefly, giving Trevor a subtle nce, Trevor was eating the cake as well. However, he was just nibbling on it without saying anything, Initially, Wynn didn¡¯t want to taste the cake because she knew it was made by Celeste. Still, she decided to give it a try after hesitating for a little while. It didn¡¯t taste bad, really. ?? As she listened to Miles¡¯s praise, a sarcastic thought crossed her mind¨Cmaybe Beck liked Celeste because she was the ideal wife with great culinary skills. With that in mind, she noticed how Beck nced at Trevor Normally, Wynn wouldn¡¯t have thought twice about how Beck looked at Trevor. Yet in that moment, she understood the meaning behind his gaze. Trevor and Celeste were still a married couple now, though Did Beck really believe that being with a wife like Celeste was a kind of happiness then? He had to be both envious of Trevor and secretly hoping for a quick divorce so he could officially date Celeste. It hit Wynn suddenly¨Cperhaps Beck liked Celeste more than she had imagined. The Scent of 338 Chapter 338 Once Celeste arrived at the base, she quickly dove into her work. The Al¨Chumanbat drill required data support to improve. The day after her arrival, another round of Al¨Chumanbat drill was scheduled. That evening, Celeste headed to the cafeteria quitete. By the time she got there, the cafeteria was almost empty. She had just grabbed her meal and was about to sit down when she noticed Caleb, who had also gotten his food. Pausing for a moment, Caleb smiled and walked toward Celeste. ¡°When did you get here?¡± ¡°Yesterday,¡± Celeste replied. ¡°Just finished training?¡± ¡°Yeah, the training load¡¯s pretty heavy this year.¡± The future of airbat would no longer just be a battle between humans¨Cit would be a fight between humans and machines. So, the way pilots were being trained and how they approachedbat had changed quite a bit over the past few years. ¡°Was it stressful?¡± she asked. AI had incredibleputing and data¨Canalysis abilities, allowing it to quickly spot an opponent¡¯s weaknesses ande up with counter¨Cstrategies. Its response times and uracy were far beyond what humans could do. Even someone as experienced and sharp as Caleb would feel the pressure in a fight against AI. Caleb smiled and uttered, ¡°It was, but it¡¯s also pushing us pilots to improve.¡± Since AI could simte a wide range ofplex battle scenarios, pilots were getting more realistic and well- rounded training, which helped them grow. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard,¡± Celeste remarked. ¡°You researchers put in just as much effort as we do,¡± Caleb responded. Then, he noticed that while Celeste ate politely, she wasn¡¯t exactly taking her time. Hence, he asked, ¡°You¡¯ll be heading back to work soon, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Zachary had given her quite a few tasks, so she was really busy. As soon as she finished speaking, her phone buzzed. It was a text from Zachary, asking her to head straight back to the Research and Development department. She set her utensils aside and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go now you can take your time.¡± Caleb nodded. ¡°Alright. See you.¡± This time, Celeste left the base a little past 10:00 am on Sunday. After arriving home, she checked her phone and saw that both Jordyn and Gideon had called her. She only called Gideon back. Gideon teased her for being heartless, saying that if he didnt contact her, she wouldn¡¯t bother to visit. Celeste knew she owed him an apology, so she changed into a fresh set of clothes, grabbed her car keys, and left. When she drove into the Yuvenhart manor, she saw that Trevor¡¯s car was parked in the yard. She averted her gaze. Just as she stepped out of the car, Jordyn¨Chearing the sound of Celeste¡¯s car¨Ccame rushing out and jumped into her arms. ¡°Mom!¡± It had been almost a month since Celeste had seen Jordyn. She gently caressed Jordyn¡¯s hair. ¡°When did you get here, p?¡± Jordyn had missed Celeste so much after being apart for so long. She grabbed her hand tightly, beaming, ¡°Just now!¡± Celeste, holding Jordyn¡¯s hand, stepped inside and saw Trevor and Gideon sitting on the couch, sipping tea. She didn¡¯t see Wynn, though. When Gideon saw her, he smiled, gesturing for her to join them. ¡°You¡¯re here, Cel. Come on over and take a seat.¡± Trevor nced at her as well. However, after a quick nce, he looked away. Celeste sat down beside Gideon and greeted him.. Gideon smiled, taking a good look at her. Secondster, he frowned. ¡°You¡¯ve lost weight again.¡± At the base, she often skipped meals due to her busy work, and she had indeed lost a few pounds. Before she could reply, Trevor poured her a cup of tea and ced it in front of her. Celeste didn¡¯t say anything. She simply nodded as a gesture of appreciation. Gideon remarked, ¡°Someone sent me two top¨Cgrade lobsters the other day. How would you like it, Cel? I¡¯ll have someone cook it up for you.¡± Celeste picked up her cup of tea and took a sip. The fresh, clear tea went down smoothly. Just as she was about to speak, Trevor chimed in teasingly, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask me? You¡¯re so biased, Mr. Yuvenhart Senior.¡± The Scent of 339 Chapter 339 However, Gideon didn¡¯t bother talking to Trevor. Celeste, too, remained silent. No one paid him any mind, yet Trevor wasn¡¯t bothered by at all. He noticed that Celeste¡¯s tea was almost finished; he picked up the teapot and refilled both hers and Gideon¡¯s cups. Whether it was tea time or lunch, Celeste mostly chatted with Gideon and Jordyn. It wasn¡¯t clear if it was because Trevor sensed she didn¡¯t want to talk to him or if Trevor simply didn¡¯t feel like talking to her. When they were getting ready to leave the Yuvenhart manor in the afternoon, Celeste realized that she and Trevor hadn¡¯t spoken a word to each other even after being in the same room for nearly four hours. Gideon noticed it as well. But Trevor didn¡¯t seem interested in addressing it, and Celeste had let go of him. Gideon hadn¡¯t invited them here today to y the matchmaker. Since the two had nothing left to talk about, he figured there was really no reason for him to say anything either. Jordyn looked up at Celeste and asked, ¡°Are you going back home today, Mom?¡± She went on, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since you¡¯ve been home¡± Upon hearing that, Gideon let out a soft sigh. Trevor, on the other hand, remained silent. Celeste caressed Jordyn¡¯s face gently. ¡°I have something else to take care of, Jo. I won¡¯t be going back home.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Jordyn mumbled, feeling disappointed. ¡°Are you heading back to Granny¡¯s, or are you going on another business trip, Mom? I tried calling you before, and when the call couldn¡¯t get through, I went to Granny¡¯s ce, but you weren¡¯t there, either. She said you were away on a business trip.¡± Celeste hadn¡¯t realized Jordyn had gone to the Rodriguez residencest week. She was indeed nning to head thereter to have a meal with Betty and the others. When she thought about how Jordyn couldn¡¯t reach her and ended up going to the Rodriguez residence just because she missed her, Celeste hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m heading to Granny¡¯ster. Do you want to join me?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes!¡± Celeste¡¯s words finally put a smile back on Jordyn¡¯s face¨Cshe had thought her mother was about to rush off to work again. Celeste looked over at Trevor, who picked up on her cue and asked Jordyn, ¡°So, you¡¯re staying at your granny¡¯s tonight too?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Trevor said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone pick you up from school tomorrow.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± Jordyn responded quickly. ¡°I want to go back to Granny¡¯s after school tomorrow too.¡± Trevor chuckled, nced at Celeste, and remarked, ¡°Well, that¡¯s something you have to ask your mom about¡ªI don¡¯t get to decide that.¡± Jordyn hugged Celeste¡¯s leg and looked up at her. ¡°Are you going to leave Granny¡¯s again tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Okay then¡­¡± After sorting things out, they chatted with Gideon for a bit longer, then went their separate ways. The next day, after sending Jordyn to school, Celeste went to work. As she stepped into the elevator, she once again found herself riding up with Trevor and his assistant, Jacob. The three of them stood in silence, keeping up the pretense of beingplete strangers. Around 11:00 am, Trevor left the building. After he was gone, Matthias came by to catch up with Celeste, having heard she was back. As they wrapped up their discussion, Celeste thought of the morning elevator run¨Cin and asked, ¡°Is the deal with Fleming Group still not finalized?¡± ¡°It is,¡± Matthias replied. ¡°But there were a fewplications in the division of responsibilities. He came by to negotiate a couple of terms.¡± The Scent of 340 ¡°Did you run into him again this morning?¡± Matthias asked ¡°Yeah,¡± Celeste responded. Being stuck in the middle of a divorce and still running into your ex on a regr basis? Yes, it was exhausting. But with theirpanies now officially partnered, a few run¨Cins were inevitable. After two packed days at the office, Wednesday morning rolled around. Henry tagged both Celeste and Matthias in the group chat. Matthias was mid¨Cflight to another province, so after getting briefed on the situation, Celeste gathered her things and headed to InnovaTech with a few engineers. It was her first time back at InnovaTech since Trevor had handed it over to Wynn. As she and the engineers got out of the car, she spotted Jorge stepping out of a vehicle as well. He had already been working with InnovaTech, and that wasn¡¯t about to change just because Trevor had handed thepany over to Wynn. The only thing that had changed was who he dealt with¨Cbusiness used to be with Trevor, now it was Wynn. When they saw each other, they quickly looked away. As they walked into InnovaTech, they noticed Wynn right away. She looked like she was being cornered by yet another one of her overzealous admirers. And this one was armed with an outrageouslyrge bouquet of red roses. Wynn was facing the door, so the moment Celeste and Jorge saw her, she spotted them as well. It was the first time she hadid eyes on Celeste since learning that Beck had feelings for her. Wynn¡¯s expression darkened immediately. Jorge saw how fed up Wynn looked and walked over. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t spare them a second nce. Whatever drama was unfolding wasn¡¯t her concern¨Cshe just kept walking toward the elevator with her team. A couple of minutes passed. The elevator still hadn¡¯t arrived, but Wynn¡¯s voice carried across the lobby. ¡°Thanks for stepping in.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± With a worried tone, Jorge asked, ¡°Doesn¡¯t this building have security? Why didn¡¯t anyone stop him?¡± Wynn let out a tired sigh. ¡°He paid them off.¡± Jorge frowned. ¡°So, he¡¯s just free to show up whenever he wants?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t,¡± Wynn said coolly. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Trevor about itter. He¡¯ll handle it.¡± Jorge lowered his gaze. After a pause, he murmured, ¡°Alright.¡± By the time he finished speaking, they had already caught up with Celeste¡¯s group, and the elevator doors opened right then. Everyone stepped in together. The YodaVision employees, who often apanied Celeste to InnovaTech, already knew thepany had changed hands. They also recognized Wynn. Once they were inside the elevator, one of them greeted Wynn politely. Now that Wynn was officially in charge of thepany, the formalities had shifted. Wynn gave a small nod. ¡°I appreciate all your hard work.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± someone in the group replied quickly. ¡°Happy to help.¡± Wynn remained as gracious and courteous as ever. Then there was Celeste. Jorge noticed the same frosty look on her face as she pointedly ignored Wynn. The engineers had never seen the two of them interact directly before, despiteing to InnovaTech multiple times. Now, watching Celeste treat¨Cboth Wynn and Jorge like air¨Cand neither of them making a move to greet her either it became clear to them that things weren¡¯t good between the three. The elevator fell into an awkward silence. The Scent of 341 Chapter 341. When the elevator arrived at the floor Celeste wanted to go she walked out without batting an eye at Wynn and the others. She didn¡¯t bother herself with thetter either. Instead, she buried herself in her work. Some time had passed, and she was having a conversation with Henry. Raising her head slightly, she found herself looking at Erin, Patricia, Lilian, and Linda. They were all standing at her department entrance. Henry saw them too. He noticed how Celeste nced at them before turning her gaze away, and he thought that she didn¡¯t know who they were. Whispering, he said, ¡°They are Ms. Locket¡¯s grandmothers and mother.¡± Celeste lowered her gaze and hummed nonchntly in response. Erin and the others also saw her. They were probably aware that YodaVision Co. had some coborative projects with InnovaTech. So, they weren¡¯t surprised to see her showing up in thepany unannounced. Erin and Lilian were indifferent when they saw Celeste. They quickly turned their gaze away as if they didn¡¯t know who she was. Meanwhile, Linda felt quite good about it when she saw that Celeste was, in a way, working for Wynn. Patricia also chuckled merrily. Linda walked ahead of them and led them to Celeste. Erin, Patricia, and Lilian dropped by InnovaTech on the same afternoon that Trevor transferred thepany shares to Wynn. They wanted to see with their own eyes what his gift for her looked like. That was how everyone in InnovaTech came to know who they were. Henry noticed them heading his way, and he immediately put his work aside to greet them politely. ¡°Hi, Madam Locket, Madam Shaw, and Mrs. Locket.¡± Erin and Patricia put on a warm and benevolent smile in response. They acted as if they were concerned about InnovaTech¡¯s state and asked, ¡°From what I heard, there were some issues with the autonomous vehicle systems. Have you guys handled it?¡± Henry responded, ¡°It¡¯s going smoothly. We¡¯ll be able to resolve it by this afternoon.¡± Erin chuckled in response. Ignoring Celeste, she said to him, ¡°Wonderful. Good work, guys.¡± ¡°We¡¯re just carrying out our duties. You¡¯re too kind, Madam Locket.¡± Henry intended to continue the conversation by introducing Celeste to them. That was when Linda looked at Celeste and spoke up sarcastically. ¡°I haven¡¯t been working at InnovaTech for a long time, and yet your system has had several hups in a short amount of time. ¡°It makes me wonder if it¡¯s because a certain someone is just incapable, or if the service she provided to ourpany is just subpar. Maybe that¡¯s why their system needs frequent maintenance and upgrades.¡± It was in as day that Linda was out to get Celeste. Henry was immediately stunned when he heard what she said. He knew a thing or two about her, and he was aware that she had zero knowledge about their work. He was about to rify the situation, but Celeste suddenly spoke up. ¡°Feel free to end the agreement from your end if you think we are incapable or not fullymitted.¡± ¡°Why, you!¡± Linda had spoken impulsively earlier. She might¡¯ve known nothing about artificial intelligence, but she had picked up something during her time in InnovaTech. She was aware that YodaVision Co. had be the authority in the artificial intelligence sector in the country. She could question every entity in the world before she questioned YodaVision Co.¡¯s technological prowess. InnovaTech had nothing to gain in crossing Matthias. Linda scoffed. ¡°Such arrogance. I would¡¯ve thought that you called the shots for YodaVision Co. if I didn¡¯t know any better.¡± Celeste retorted icily, ¡°Get the people from yourpany to draft up a vition of contract agreement and see if I¡¯ll sign it. Then, you¡¯ll find out if I called the shots.¡± Chapter 342 Chapter 342 The Scent of 342 Chapter 342 If a party breached the contract for no good reason, that party was required to paypensation as per the stiptions. Celeste wouldn¡¯t mind calling off the coboration with InnovaTech if YodaVision Co, waspensated handsomely. ¡°Why, you!¡± Linda would love to draft the vition of contract agreement. However, she didn¡¯t have the authority to make any decisions for InnovaTech. Even if she could do it on behalf of Wynn, Matthias had YodaVision Co.¡¯s back. She was aware that Wynn and the others in the family wanted to keep an amicable rtionship with him. If Linda rashly called the shots and terminated YodaVision Co.¡¯s contract, she would definitely cross Matthias. This alone was enough to make Wynn think twice before agreeing to do it. For that matter, Patricia, Erin, and the others shared the same thoughts. Patricia found it distasteful when she saw how Linda was stumped. In fact, even Lilian¡¯s gaze turned colder when she looked at Celeste. None of them thought Celeste would retort in this manner. With that said, Lilian clearly didn¡¯t think Celeste was a threat. She said icily, ¡°You¡¯ve got a sharp tongue. I¡¯ll give you that, but how certain are you that your signature carries legal power?¡± Thest thing Henry had expected was for Celeste to start an argument with members of the Locket and Shaw families. At this point, he was worried that things would take a turn for the worse. He tugged at Celeste¡¯s hand, intending to defuse the tension. However, she shook his hand off and met Lilian¡¯s eyes firmly. Her gaze was even icier than thetter¡¯s when she spoke. ¡°Why don¡¯t we give it a try? Then, you¡¯ll know if my signature is legally binding. Do it. I dare you.¡± Her voice brimmed with confidence. Lilian pursed her lips in response. Ever since Wynn and Trevor had been in a rtionship, no one had made her feel sorry for herself, be it the Lockets or the Shaws. After all, she had his backing. The fact that Celeste was the one who belittled her didn¡¯t help at ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± That was when Wynn walked over all. Celeste immediately responded, not giving any one of them the chance to speak, ¡°Ms. Shaw used YodaVision Co. of being incapable. She also said that that was why mypany staff needed to perform frequent maintenance routines here at InnovaTech. ¡°I told her off and said that you guys are free to terminate the contract if you think we are not up to the job. However, Ms. Shaw said that I didn¡¯t have what it takes to make such a decision. ¡°I retorted by asking you guys to draft up the vition of contract agreement. After I sign it, you¡¯ll find out if I have the authority. ¡°Thisdy over here¡­¡± Celeste pointed at Lilian as she spoke. ¡°¡­imed that my signature isn¡¯t legally binding. I told her to draft the aforementioned agreement and give it a try. Then, everyone will know the kind of power my signature holds. ¡°They were the ones who insulted mypany without a good reason, but they didn¡¯t seem to dare to do anything, now that I asked them to put their theories to the test. So, what do you think, Ms. Locket?¡± Wynn also pursed her lips. She hadn¡¯t expected things to turn out this way. If Celeste had the confidence to say what she said, her signature most certainly was legally binding. Wynn was sure of that. If they actually signed the vition of contract agreement, they would have to pay a heftypensation. That wasn¡¯t the worst part either. They¡¯d need to source anotherpany to coborate with which night pose the risk of a major dy for theunch of the autonomous vehicle. That would certainly be a huge loss for InnovaTech. Celeste continued when she noticed that Wynn didn¡¯t give her a prompt response, ¡°So, you don¡¯t have the guts to do it too, Ms. Locket. Your people were the ones who insulted YodaVision Co., calling us ipetent. ¡°And yet, none of you made a peep when I asked for a vition of contract agreement. What is the meaning of this? Do you all think you can belittle anyone as you please because you think you are powerful and influential?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a big deal,¡± Wynn protested icily. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, why do you insist on blowing it out of proportion?¡± ¡°Ms. Locket. Your cousin recklessly mocked YodaVision Co. It was clear that she was in the wrong, and yet your mother helped her in pressuring me. ¡°Now, you are aware that your family made the mistake here, Ms. Locket. Not only did you not apologize to the people of mypany, but you pinned the me on us and said that we were the ones who blew things out of proportion.¡± Celeste nced at Wynn and said, ¡°I¡¯ve always heard that you werepassionate, sensible, and extremely kind- hearted. From what I can tell now, that is not the case. ¡°Ms. Locket, neither you nor your family live up to that reputation at all.¡± The Scent of 343 Lilian and Wynn¡¯s expressions shifted slightly when they heard what Celeste said. Normally, they would have made Linda apologize when something like this happened. They would never let the incident get worse and affect their reputation. However, Celeste said that they were free to terminate the contract with YodaVision Co. if they found her and her colleagues to be ipetent. Saying something like that shifted the Lockets and the Shaws¡® focus to the question of whether she had the power to call the shots for YodaVision Co. They instinctively thought that it didn¡¯t matter if Linda was in the wrong. They could still decide if they wanted to apologize to Celeste after they were done arguing with her, However, they didn¡¯t expect Celeste to capitalize on their careless mistake and steer the focus off track. Not everyone in thepany had a clue about the feud between Celeste and the Lockets and the Shaws, be it YodaVision Co.¡¯s technicians or InnovaTech staff. They were merely onlookers. They didn¡¯t care if Celeste¡¯s signature was legally binding. Throughout the whole argument, all they saw was that the Shaws and the Lockets wanted to defend Linda, even if they knew she was in the wrong. That was why the Shaws and the Lockets used Celeste of not having the deciding power and a legally binding signature. Truth be told, Henry and the others were quite shocked when they saw what the Shaws and the Lockets did. Linda really wasn¡¯t a great person. That was a given. However, Wynn, Lilian, and Erin gave off schrly and courteous impressions. The three of them looked the furthest thing from being unreasonable and difficult. Now, however, Henry and the others were seeing a different side of the Lockets. Wynn reacted quickly and apologized at once. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Rodriguez. Trevor and I value ourpany¡¯s coboration with YodaVision Co. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have initiated it in the first ce. Needless to say, we have absolute confidence in YodaVision Co.¡¯s technologies. ¡°My mother and I have always doted on Linda. On top of that, we¡¯re ustomed to keeping her safe. We let the moment get to us and said something that was inappropriate, but we didn¡¯t mean it. Ms. Rodriguez, I hope you can let it go.¡± Celeste heard what Wynn said and asked, ¡°So? Are you telling me to just let you all off the hook and pretend nothing happened?¡± Wynn was aware that Celeste would never let it slide this easily. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, what do you want us to do to show that we¡¯re serious? Just name your terms, and we¡¯ll do everything you ask, as long as it¡¯s within our capabilities.¡± Celeste threw the ball back in Wynn¡¯s court. ¡°Ms. Locket, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re the one who should figure out an answer to your question?¡± Wynn was stunned. ncing at Celeste, she said, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, you¡¯re absolutely right about it. I¡¯ll buy everyone lunchter as a way of apology¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re very busy with our work. I don¡¯t intend to attend any business meetups,¡± Celeste said as she cut he Ms. Locket, you can save your breath for when you talk to Mr. Yoder.¡± Then, she turned around and continued to work without batting an eye at the Shaws and the Lockets. Wynn nced at Celeste before she apologized to the other YodaVision Co. staff. Then, she turned around and left with Lilian, Erin, and the others. Once they had walked far away, Linda couldn¡¯t hold herself back anymore. ¡°It was a small deal at first. If you ask me, the bitch must¡¯ve found it distasteful that Trev gave InnovaTech to Wynn as a gift. ¡°That¡¯s why she blew the insignificant incident out of proportion and said this¡­¡± ¡°Her motive doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is that you have to watch what you say in the future.¡± Lilian said. She nced at Linda icily and added, ¡°Linda, you¡¯re a grown¨Cup now. You can¡¯t afford to be this reckless anymore.¡± Wynn had an awful look on her face as well. The Scent of 344 Chapter 344 Celeste made some time in the afternoon and filled Matthias in about what had happened. ¡°You¡¯ll have to shift the focus of the conflict for this.¡± He paused briefly before he caught on to what she was hinting at. Grinning, he said, ¡°Okay. I know what I have to do.¡± Shortly after, Matthias received a call from Wynn. He answered it casually and heard her voice over the phone. ¡°Mr. Yoder, I wonder if you¡¯re aware of the morning incident.¡± He chuckled and said, ¡°Ms. Locket, are you referring to the moment when your family ignored the truth and used my staff of being ipetent? If I got it right, they also ndered my staff for not beingmitted to fulfilling the terms of our agreement.¡± Wynn responded, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Yoder. Linda is in the wrong this time. I will¡­¡± Matthias interrupted her and said, ¡°Furthermore, it was made known to me that my staff told you about what happened and defended mypany, but you used her of blowing the incident out of proportion. Did something like that actually go down, I wonder? ¡°Ms. Locket, what are you going to do about this?¡± Wynn responded, ¡°Mr. Yoder, we are in the wrong this time. I give you my word that I will keep a close eye on Linda. This won¡¯t happen¡­¡± Matthias suddenly chuckled and said, ¡°Ms. Locket, I¡¯m afraid this isn¡¯t just about Linda. After you learned about the whole incident, you still believed that my staff was blowing it out of proportion when all she did was defend mypany. ¡°It¡¯s clear that you also thought that my staff was ipetent and not fullymitted to carrying out their tasks. ¡°Ms. Locket, what you did is nder and defame YodaVision Co. We¡¯re in a coboration, and yet you can¡¯t even show us respect, which was the bare minimum. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t keep coborating with someone like you. I hope you willpensate for the damage you¡¯ve caused to mypany¡¯s reputation and terminate the contract as soon as possible.¡± Wynn¡¯s expression shifted when she heard what Matthias said. She had always thought that this was an insignificant incident and that nothing woulde of it. At most, Matthias would want to make things right for Celeste and stop at that. Thest thing she had expected was for him to look past Linda altogether and escte the issue to her. Wynn said, ¡°Mr. Yoder, this incident really isn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I have a lot of things I have to do. Here¡¯s hoping you will give me a satisfactory answer, Ms. Locket.¡± Matthias hung up the phone as soon as he was done talking, not giving her a chance to say anything. Then, he gave Celeste a call and said, ¡°It¡¯s done, and I¡¯ve recorded the phone conversation.¡± She responded, ¡°I appreciate your hard work.¡± There was a reason Celeste told Wynn to talk to Matthias about the incident. She had guessed that Wynn weld tone down her attitude and want to resolve the issue when she was dealing with him. Aside from that, she also knew that Wynn would wrongly assume that Linda was the heart of this issue. ppter 344 +25 BORUT Matthias recounted the incident faithfully on the phone. If Wynn would admit her wrongdoings and apologize to him in person, it would also mean that she was owning up to the fact that she had ignored the truth and intentionally defamed her coborative partner. With the audio recording in their hands, Celeste and Matthias would have more say in how to proceed with handling the incident. He said, ¡°Come on. It was very easy, barely an inconvenience.¡± At this point, he scoffed and continued, ¡°At the end of the day, Trevor has to shoulder the me for this incident. He knew that we had coborations with InnovaTech. ¡°Since he owns a lot ofpanies, he could have given anypany to Wynn for all we care. Why did it have to be InnovaTech? Why couldn¡¯t he have picked anotherpany?¡± Trevor had never taken into consideration what kind of situation he was putting Celeste in, or how she was supposed to feel about it when her work involved InnovaTech in the future. She knew what Matth¨ªas meant, but she maintained a poker face and said nothing. Chapter 345 The Scent of 345 When Wynn was on the phone with Matthias, she was sitting in a luxurious private room in a restaurant with Lilian, Erin, and the others, waiting for their dishes to be served. Lilian noticed the awful look on Wynn¡¯s face after the phone call ended. She asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What did Matthias say to you?¡± Wynn tightened her grip on her phone and responded, ¡°Matthias is terminating the coboration with us and demanding wepensate YodaVision Co. for damage of reputation.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lilian gasped, and so did Erin, Linda, and the others. Linda said angrily, ¡°We have apologized properly for this incident. Didn¡¯t the bitch say that the whole thing will blow over once you get in touch with Matthias and tell him how sorry we are? ¡°Why is he terminating the contract and demanding some kind ofpensation?¡± Lilian wore an icy expression, but she caught on fast and chimed in, ¡°Celeste did it on purpose.¡± Linda didn¡¯t get it, though. ¡°Huh?¡± Wynn said, ¡°Celeste wanted InnovaTech and YodaVision¡¯s coboration to fall through because she wanted to dy theunch of our autonomous vehicles.¡± Countlesspanies, both local and foreign, were dabbling in autonomous vehicles. If they were dyed, a wrong maneuver would drastically reduce their products¡® marketability. If they actually terminated the coboration, they would definitely have to look for another coborative partner. The thing was, there was next to no chance that their new partner couldpete with YodaVision Co. in terms of technology. For that matter, the process would cost funding, and it wouldn¡¯t be a small amount. Terminating the contract and searching for a new partner would both cost them precious resources. If their autonomous vehicle¡¯s marketability were radically reduced, the estimated total loss would be immeasurable. Linda was utterly dumbfounded. She had never expected for the matter to be this serious. It wasn¡¯t just her, either. Wynn and the others in the private room didn¡¯t see thising either. Otherwise, Wynn wouldn¡¯t have naively made a phone call to Matthias, thinking that an apology or somepensation could appease him. Linda mmed the table and cried out, ¡°He can¡¯t terminate the coboration. We can¡¯t let him!¡± Everyone knew that they couldn¡¯t let thise to pass, but none of them had the kind of say in the matter. Erin chimed in with a darkened expression, ¡°Talk to Matthias again. We can amend the agreement again or give himpensation. We¡¯re all businessmen. As such, he would never turn his back on money. ¡°More to the point, he stands to lose some profit if the coboration is terminated. There¡¯s no reason to think that he wouldn¡¯t agree to it as long as we can make him a tempting offer.¡± Wynn didn¡¯t respond to Erin. It wasn¡¯t so much that she didn¡¯t want to talk to Matthias as it was that shecked confidence he would ept her terms. He would lose out on profits if the coboration was terminated, but he was willing to bear that loss because he wanted to screw her over on Celeste¡¯s behalf. In other words, it also meant that Celeste still meant a lot to him. Lilian also came to the same conclusion, but she pondered on it and said, ¡°This incident could be a big deal, but it¡¯s perfectly possible to handle it as a minor hup. Matthias could try taking us to court to terminate the coboration, but that doesn¡¯t mean that his victory is guaranteed.¡± Linda¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Yeah. If they can¡¯t win us in the legal battle, they won¡¯t have any choice but to continue coborating with us.¡± Wynn didn¡¯t share Linda¡¯s optimism. She responded, ¡°Legal battles are messy and time¨Cconsuming. They might not be able to beat us in court, but they still would have seeded at dying us. ¡°More to the point, what if they did win the case? What if we have to hold off looking for a new partner until the. legal case is resolved? That will just make us miss out on more opportunities.¡± Linda was stumped. All of a sudden, she had trouble stringing sentences together. Patricia also had a terrible look on her face. ¡°Celeste looks like such a pushover most of the time. She had never struck me as the scheming and malicious type. I have to say that I¡¯ve underestimated her.¡± Trevor had already taken their side a long time ago, and he had made a ton more sacrifices for the Locket and Shaw families than Celeste ever did. Initially, they all thought that Celeste would be powerless to fight back against them. However, she managed to deal a critical blow to them when they least expected it. At any rate, avoiding the legal battle and termination of coboration would prove to be the most beneficial solution for them. At the thought of it, Lilian looked at Wynn and said, ¡°You have to talk to Trevor about this.¡± Chapter 346 The Scent of 346 Chapter 346 Wynn had the same idea, but the thing was that they started the whole mess to begin with. She had maintained a gentle demeanor around Trevor to this point. If he learned about this incident, she wasn¡¯t sure if he would think that she and her family had been picking on Celeste. That, in turn, would affect her image in his heart. Needless to say, Lilian understood Wynn¡¯s concerns. She knew better than anyone how important it was to maintain one¡¯s image. After all, that was the key to making a man love a woman forever. Erin also understood it. Trevor loved Wynn deeply because she was very special to him. If they handled it carefully, it might not have asting effect on Wynn. However, it was still not a good move for her. She nced at Linda and said nonchntly, ¡°Linda, you¡¯re a grown¨Cup. You really have to mind what you do and say in the future.¡± If they failed to handle this incident with finesse, it might prove to be a fatal blow to their families. ¡°But, I¡­¡± Linda trailed off. At first, she thought it was just an insignificant incident. Now, however, the whole thing had spun out of control and be much bigger than it was. In fact, she was already shaking in her boots. It had been a long time since she had been lectured this sternly. Although she felt sorry for herself, she had no choice but to own up to her mistake. ¡°Understood. I will be mindful of how I present myself.¡± Erin fell silent andmented no further. The fact that Linda was lectured didn¡¯t sit well with Patricia at all. However, the fact remained that Linda was the one who kick¨Cstarted the whole mess. If this kerfuffle actually affected InnovaTech¡¯s future in the autonomous vehicle industry, the loss would be too great to bear. Compared to losing that amount of money, Linda¡¯s feelings were rtively minor. That was also why Patricia didn¡¯t defend Linda, despite her personal feelings. In any case, they couldn¡¯t have hidden this incident if they wanted to. After all, if YodaVision Co. insisted on terminating the coboration, Trevor would still find out about it. It was just a matter of time. Wynn was aware of that. Needless to say, Lilian and Erin understood as well. Later, the dishes were served on the table, but none of them touched their cutlery. They were in a rtively good mood a while ago, but that was no longer the case now. Wynn tightened her grip on her phone. After a brief moment of contemtion, she took a deep breath and left the private room. Then, she gave Trevor a phone call. He answered her call rather quickly. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Trevor,¡± she said, ¡°something unpleasant happened over here.¡± Wynn proceeded to recount the whole incident. Then, she added, ¡°Celeste was being a little aggressive earlier. I couldn¡¯t stand it when my mom was being belittled, and I let the moment get to me. That¡¯s how the whole thing came to this.¡± Trevor waited until she was done talking before he spoke. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. If they take InnovaTech to court, they won¡¯t stop at asking for termination of coboration andpensation for damage of reputation. They¡¯ll also ask forpensation for breach of contract. ¡°After all, the entire coboration could no longer go on because of your ostensible mistake. Terminating the contract would cause YodaVision Co. to suffer loss as well, and he would definitely make you pay the price.¡± Wynn was dumbfounded. ¡°Matthias didn¡¯t say anything about this when we were on the phone.¡± ¡°He omitted it on purpose. He downyed the situation because he wanted you to think that you could still turn the whole thing around, and he did that because he wanted to catch you off guard. ¡°What he wanted was for you to call him back, admit your mistake, and apologize to him. In fact, he was biding his time to have dirt on you.¡± Then, Trevor added, ¡°If my assumptions are correct, Matths probably has a recording of your phone conversation with him.¡± Wynn was shocked. Only now did she understand what had happened. ¡°Are you telling me that Celeste deliberately wanted me to give Matthias a call? And she did it because she wanted me to hand them a piece of evidence on a silver tter?¡± Trevor responded, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Wynn pursed her lips. It had never urred to her that Celeste had nned this far ahead. Now, she finally saw how big of a mess she was actually in. After a brief moment of deep contemtion, she snapped out of it and asked, ¡°I need your¡­¡± Trevor cut her off and said honestly, ¡°I can¡¯t promise that I can solve it. YodaVision Co. is protected by the government. So, I can¡¯t do anything to Matthias.¡± What about the Rodriguez family, then? Wynn thought about it, but she didn¡¯t say it out loud. She knew that she couldn¡¯t say something like this unless Trevor took the initiative to screw over the Rodriguezes. She couldn¡¯t be sure if he would consider this option if she didn¡¯t bring it up, though. They chatted for a while longer before ending the call. Once Wynn returned to the private room, Patricia immediately asked, ¡°What did Trevor say?¡± ¡°He said he¡¯ll mediate the situation from his side, but he wasn¡¯t certain if he could make Matthias give up on terminating the contract.¡± Compared to this, Lilian actually cared more about something else. ¡°Did he make anyment about this incident?¡± After all, the autonomous vehicle project wasn¡¯t as important as Trevor. The only thing that mattered was that he still loved Wynn. Lilian didn¡¯t have to spell it out for Wynn, though. At this point, a warm, fuzzy feeling rose in Wynn¡¯s chest. She said, ¡°Trevor calmed me down and told me that he will help solve this for me. He didn¡¯t reprimand me at all.¡± Lilian heard what Wynn said and instantly felt relieved. Erin and Patricia also let out a sigh of relief. Linda¡¯s mood also improved. ¡°I knew it. Trev loves you deeply. He would never have stopped having feelings for you or lecture you over something this trivial.¡± Naturally, Wynn was happy that Trevor loved her this much. However, she had lost both dignity and money today. +25 8047 She responded nonchntly, ¡°Let¡¯s put the thing between Trevor and me aside. Linda, I don¡¯t want something like this to happen again in the future. Got it?¡± Wynn had never been this solemn before. Linda felt the hair on the back of her neck stand, and she shrank back. ¡°U -Understood. I promise I will think before I speak.¡± The Scent of 347 On the same afternoon, Celeste received a phone call from Trevor not long after she arrived at YodaVision Co. InnovaTech would suffer a huge loss if they were to terminate the coboration. When she saw his name on her phone screen, she knew why he had called. So, she didn¡¯t answer. He gave her two more calls, but she didn¡¯t answer any of them. Then, he dialed Matthias¡® number instead. Needless to say, Matthias also knew why Trevor was calling him, but he answered it. He went straight to the point and said, ¡°Is this about InnovaTech?¡± Trevor responded, ¡°Yeah. Mr. Yoder, name your terms.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Fleming. Ms. Locket crossed a line, and I¡¯m not going to waver this time.¡± Then, Matthias added coldly, ¡°Is there anything else you want to talk about?¡± Trevor asked, ¡°Is there no way we can turn this around?¡± ¡°No,¡± Matthias said. ¡°Mywyer and I will follow up with this matter closely. I don¡¯t want you to pester mypany staff. Otherwise, it just tells me that you¡¯re the same way as Ms. Locket, not knowing what is right from wrong and disrespecting your coborative partner. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t think I can trust you anymore, let alone continue to coborate with you in the future.¡± If Trevor couldn¡¯t get anywhere with Matthias, he would surely take the matter to Celeste. For what it was worth, it wouldn¡¯t have made a difference either. After all, there was nothing he could do to her. With that said, Trevor still could target the Rodriguez family for Wynn¡¯s sake. Matthias and Celeste could protect her family, but it would still be unexpected and undeserving on the Rodriguezes¡® part. It would be best if they could avoid it. It might have sounded as if Matthias said what he said to Trevor because he wanted to discourage thetter from pestering Celeste. However, the fact was that he threatened Trevor with theirtest coboration, stopping thetter fromying a finger on the Rodriguez family. Then, Matthias continued, ¡°I would imagine that things won¡¯t end well for you if some unfavorable changes happen to our coboration and the whole thing bes bigger than it needs to be. ¡°Mr. Fleming, I believe you know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± This particr project by Fleming Tech was meant for them topete with a foreignpany that had a simr project. News about it went public a long time ago. Everyone in the country was hyped up for it and ced incredibly high hopes on Fleming Tech in this showdown. YodaVision Co. was the best coborative partner Trevor could hope for. If word got out that the coboration between Fleming Tech and YodaVision Co. fell through because he wanted to defend Wynn, then it would paint hispany and the research project in a bad light, especially if it made the news. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine the kind of ramifications he would face. If Fleming Tech¡¯s reputation fell into deep waters because of his private matter, he would undoubtedly step on the other shareholders¡® toes. If Trevor had to fend off both internal and external crises, the losses and stress he would have to face would be unimaginable. Matthias didn¡¯t have to tell Trevor about the excruciating details for thetter to know the subtext in his words. Trevor chuckled and said, ¡°Loud and clear, Mr. Yoder.¡± As expected, Matthias knew that Trevor would also be able to see the same things as he did. He asked coldly, ¡°So, is there anything else you¡¯d like to ask?¡± Trevor responded, ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± Then, Matthias hung up and called Celeste, who answered promptly. ¡°Trevor just gave me a call. I¡¯ve just hung up on him. Did he call you?¡± Chapter 348. Chapter 348 The Scent of 348 Chapter 348 ¡°He called me several minutes ago.¡± Celeste said. Matthias snickered. ¡°I knew it. You were the first person he called.¡± Both of them had predicted that Wynn would seek Trevor¡¯s help and that he might want to screw with the Rodriguez family for her sake. Meanwhile, Trevor also predicted that they might threaten him to back off with thetest coboration between Fleming Tech and YodaVision Co. That was why he got in touch with Celeste first. He wanted to see if he could work things out with her. However, she didn¡¯t give him a chance to do it. So, he contacted Matthias instead. Matthias dealt with Trevor because he was the official person in charge of YodaVision Co. It was more appropriate for him to have the conversation with thetter. This also led Matthias to see that Trevor intended to set Celeste up for Wynn¡¯s sake because Trevor mistakenly thought that she was meek and gullible. The notion filled his heart with rage. At the same time, he was concerned about Celeste as well. He asked, ¡°How are you holding up?¡± She was perfectly calm and responded, ¡°I¡¯m fine. How did things go with your business trip? Did the coboration go through?¡± ¡°Everything went without a hitch.¡± They proceeded to chat for a while before ending the call. InnovaTech¡¯s legal team actually answered to Miles. He also received news about the termination of coboration between YodaVision Co. and InnovaTech on the same afternoon. That night, he went to a restaurant¡¯s private room to meet with his friends. He learned that Trevor had talked to Matthias and that there was no changing Matthias¡® mind in terminating the coboration. Miles cursed and said something simr to what Patricia had uttered. ¡°Celeste has always been quiet and modest most of the time. She never struck me as the scheming type¡± Then, he added, ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. She drugged you and pretended to be innocent in the aftermath. I should¡¯ve known that she¡¯s not pure¨Chearted or decent in any sense of the word.¡± Beck¡¯s lips parted when he heard what Miles said. Before he could say anything, however, thetter asked again, Is there nothing else that can be done?¡± Trevor responded, ¡°Not for the time being.¡± Miles fell silent for a brief moment. Then, he sighed and said, ¡°If Beck and I hadn¡¯t given up our shares of InnovaTech, we would have been able to step in and negotiate with Matthias. That might have swung things in our favor.¡± s. They were no longer the shareholders, which meant they weren¡¯t in a position to intervene in this debacle between YodaVision Co. and InnovaTech. Wynn sat next to them, listening to their exchange and casting asional nces at Beck. She noticed that Miles had been the one who defended her and brainstormed ideas the whole time while Beck didn¡¯t utter a single word. TE Chapter 348. Beck had no intention to help her at all. At the thought of it she pursed her rosy lips. Now that the whole incident hade to this, it seemed like there was no other way about it. The coboration between YodaVision Co. and InnovaTech would be terminated. Naturally, Harvey and Lennox also caught wind of something this huge. When they learned that Trevor and Beck couldn¡¯t resolve the crisis, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to herter.¡± Needless to say, he was talking about Celeste. Erin had a nonchnt expression on her face. She chimed in, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Lennox was about to say something, but Wynn spoke up, ¡°There¡¯s no point. Trevor said that Matthias and Celeste would see it as harassment if you guys talked to her about it. That will just muddle up the court case.¡± The Lockets¡® and the Shaws¡® expressions darkened when they heard what she said. The Scent of 349 +25 BORUS Linda waspletely dumbfounded. She hadn¡¯t expected that even Trevor couldn¡¯t resolve the incident. She said frantically, ¡°I still don¡¯t get it. T¨CThis was obviously a trivial matter. Can Celeste and Matthias take us to court and terminate the coboration just because they couldn¡¯t let go of a jibe? S¨CSurely, something like that is not feasible.¡± Wynn responded, ¡°I got mywyer to go through and confirm the uses in the coboration agreement between InnovaTech and YodaVision Co. The stiptions clearly stated that either party has the right to terminate the coboration if the other party damages its reputation.¡± ¡°B¨CBut, it doesn¡¯t matter if this incident damages their reputation. It¡¯s not going to have a big impact on them.¡± Wynn said, ¡°It would barely scratch their reputation. Ordinarily, if something like this happens, we just have to eliminate the impact this matter brought to YodaVision Co., apologize, and give them some gifts aspensation. That would¡¯ve been enough normally, but¡­¡± Harvey cut her off and said, ¡°Things would¡¯ve ended differently if Wynn had immediately made you apologize when she learned what you said. Matthias wouldn¡¯t have had a solid reason to terminate the coboration. ¡°However, she didn¡¯t adhere to the truth, defend YodaVision Co., and make you apologize after she learned what happened. What¡¯s worse, she criticized Celeste for blowing things out of proportion when Celeste defended her colleagues. ¡°This whole thing gave Matthias a solid reason to im that we¡¯ve stepped over the line. We have given him the perfect excuse to stop trusting us and insist on ending the contract. ¡°That¡¯s the world of business for you. A lot of the time, if an entity or a person wants to achieve a certain agenda, all they need is to zone in on a single conflict and make it bigger than it actually is. That is enough for them to get what they want.¡± Linda protested, ¡°But Wynn immediately apologized to Celeste the moment she figured out what happened.¡± ¡°Well, they can im that we didn¡¯t apologize until it was clear how devastating the termination of the coboration would be for us. It would seem like our apology wasn¡¯t sincere.¡± Linda gulped in response. Harvey asked, ¡°Is Matthias holding fast to his grounds? Is there absolutely no way to turn this around?¡± The whole thing would be solved if they could persuade Celeste or Matthias. They might not be able to talk to her, but what about him? Wynn responded, ¡°Matthias was pretty adamant about it on the phone.¡± As a matter of fact, everyone in the private room knew that Matthias insisted on terminating the coboration for Celeste¡¯s sake. If only they could persuade him to change his mind, but that was simply impossible. How were they supposed to do that? They didn¡¯t have anything he wanted. Matthias didn¡¯t even want to do Trevor a favor when thetter gave him a call. The termination of the coboration was just too devastating for InnovaTech. Matthias might have made himself clear, but Wynn still wanted to give it a shot. She gave him a call on the same night, but he didn¡¯t pick up. So, she decided to go to YodaVision Co. and wait for Matthias the next morning. When Celeste arrived at thepany in the morning, she happened to see Wynn on the ground floor. Their gazes met, and Wynn clenched her fists, her expression turning cold. She might have underestimated Celeste this time, but she wouldn¡¯t repeat the mistake next time. Celeste ignored Wynn, turned around, and stepped into the elevator. Kieran also arrived at YodaVision Co. not long after, and he saw Wynn as well. He had also heard about what happened at InnovaTech yesterday. However, news about the termination of coboration wasn¡¯t spread among the staff of YodaVision Co. Celeste and Matthias were the only people who knew about it. So, Kieran wasn¡¯t aware of it at all. He quickly turned his gaze away from Wynn and walked past her to get to the elevator. However, she called out to him. ¡°Kieran.¡± He stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at her.¡± Yeah?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to meet Mr. Yoder. Will he being in the morning?¡± Kieran responded, ¡°Mr. Yoder is on a business trip. He won¡¯te in today.¡± The Scent of 350 Chapter 350 It turned out that Matthias was away on business. Wynn was lost in thought when Kieran asked nonchntly, ¡°Anything else?¡± She shook her head and asked, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you started working at YodaVision Co. Is everything going well for you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been good,¡± he responded. ¡°If that¡¯s all, I¡¯ll be heading up then.¡± Then, Kieran turned and left. Wynn frowned slightly as she watched his retreating figure. There was no hesitation in his footsteps. Kieran was upset at her for revealing his whereabouts to the Gibsons. So, he hadn¡¯t answered any of her recent phone calls. Then, she ran into him today. When he finally responded to her, she thought he was done being upset at her. However, he was still much colder to her than before. Wynn grinned. He probably just needed more time to calm down. A phone call interrupted her thoughts. It was a number she didn¡¯t recognize, and the person said that he was an attorney representing YodaVision Co. He was acting on Matthias¡® order to talk about the details regarding the termination of the coboration. 1 Wynn¡¯s expression darkened. Matthias refused to answer her call, and yet he sent an attorney to her. It looked like there was no longer any chance to turn the whole thing around. At the thought of it, she turned and walked out of the lobby. Not long after Wynn left YodaVision Co., Beck stepped through its doors. He came here on official business. Celeste immediately left her office and headed to the guest room when she learned that he was there. She had barely left when Kieran went looking for her in her office. When he couldn¡¯t find her in there, he asked someone and got to know that she had a meeting with a coborative partner in the guest room. At first, Kieran thought it was just the average business partner, but he stopped in his tracks when he learned that it was actually Beck. Two secondster, he turned and made his way to the guest room. Celeste and Beck were in the middle of a discussion when they heard someone knocking on the door. She thought it was Candice, but she was stunned when the door swung open and Kieran stepped in. ¡°Kieran? What are you¡­¡± ¡°I need to talk to you about something.¡± Kieran might¡¯ve been talking to Celeste, but his gaze was fixed on Beck. She responded, ¡°I¡¯m busy now. Maybeter.¡± Kieran noticed that there was a considerable distance between their seats. On top of that, there were other people present too. He nodded and said, ¡°Alright.¡± Then, he turned and regarded Beck politely. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the intrusion, everyone.¡± Beck looked at Kieran but said nothing. He knew exactly why thetter had shown up in the guest room. Kieran turned and left quickly. Then, Celeste and Beck returned to their discussion. A whileter, she got to talking about technical topics with James. Beck¡¯s eyes were glued onto her, and he didn¡¯t turn them away at all. Beck didn¡¯t think Celeste and Matthias were wrong to defend their rights after what went down at InnovaTech yesterday. All in all, however, it was but a trivial matter. It was undeniable that the Lockets and the Shaws were in the wrong first, but there was simply no need to take it so far and terminate the coboration. The thing was, Celeste and Matthias were aiming for just that, which was evident by the way they handled the incident. It almost felt like the higher the price Wynn had to pay for the termination of coboration, the happier they would be. That begged a question; why would that be the case? Was it because of Trevor? Was Celeste still holding a grudge against Wynn for snatching him away from her? If that was the case, did it mean that Celeste was still hung up on Trevor to this very day? Beck stared at her for so long that even she noticed his gaze. Turning sideways, she asked, ¡°Mr. Harper? Is something wrong?¡± The Scent of 351 Chapter 351 Beck came back to his senses, looked at Celeste with a smile, and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± After finishing the business discussion with Beck that afternoon, Matthias called Celeste. Matthias said, ¡°I just got word from thewyer¨CWynn still refuses to terminate the contract. She¡¯s willing to pay a substantialpensation fee for damage to our reputation, but I didn¡¯t agree. ¡°Since negotiations failed, I¡¯ve asked thewyer to proceed with legal action.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Alright, got it.¡± After that, Matthias added, ¡°Trevor ising to thepany tomorrow to discuss some matters. Joseph can handle the first part of the meeting, but there¡¯s one document that needs your confirmation, so In other words, she would have to meet with Trevor tomorrow. Celeste understood what he meant and said, ¡°Alright, understood.¡± 11 The next day, Trevor and Jacob arrived at YodaVision in the afternoon. As Matthias had said, Joseph was the one who received them initially. Midway through the meeting, Celeste got a message from Joseph and went over to the conference room Perhaps Joseph had already exined that she was stepping in on behalf of Matthias to review and sign the contract. So, when Celeste entered, neither Trevor nor Jacob looked surprised. She entered the conference room and greeted him formally, ¡°Hello, Mr. Fleming.¡± Trevor shook her hand and sat down without saying much. Celeste flipped through the documents and confirmed some terms of the contract with him. Once everything checked out, she signed her name immediately and said, ¡°Looking forward to working together.¡± Trevor replied, ¡°Looking forward to it.¡± Since her part of the meeting was done, Celeste got ready to leave. She turned to Joseph and said, ¡°I have other matters to handle. Mr. Lockridge, could you please handle the rest with Mr. Fleming?¡± Just as she stood up to leave, Trevor nced at his watch, looked up, and said, ¡°Join me for dinner tonight?¡± Before Celeste could respond, he added, ¡°I¡¯ll have someone bring Jo over too.¡± Joseph initially thought Trevor was simply being courteous by inviting her to dinner now that their deal was finalized. But that second sentence made him pause. Suddenly, he realized¨CTrevor¡¯s tone with Celeste was a little too familiar, too casual, like they¡¯d known each other for a long time. And also, who was Jo? Celeste thought that Trevor was trying to talk to her about Wynn. And he was worried that Celeste would decline, so he tried to bring Jo into this? If it had been before, Celeste might have felt a wave of bitterness. But now, her expression remained calm, and she replied lightly, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have time.¡± With that, she turned and walked out without looking back Her attitude was unusually cold. Joseph just watched and felt that something was off. He nced at Trevor, just as he was about to speak¨Conly to see Trevor simply lower his head and smile a little, as if he didn¡¯t mind Celeste¡¯s somewhat impolite behavior at all. Jacob was already aware of the situation with InnovaTech. He believed that Celeste was intentionally escting things to retaliate against Wynn because of Trevor. He had never thought highly of Celeste before, and now, he seeming inability to separate personal matters from work made him look down on her even more. After several interactions, Joseph kept feeling like there was something odd about the way both Celeste and Matthias treated Trevor. It was just too casual. Yet Trevor didn¡¯t seem to care in the slightest. Joseph couldn¡¯t make sense of it, but seeing Trevor about to leave, he escorted him downstairs. Not interesting at all Net interesting at Very interesting Very interest The Scent of 352 Chapter 352 As soon as Celeste returned to her office, her phone rang. It was a call from Jordyn. Thinking back to what Trevor had said in the conference room¨Cabout having dinner and bringing Jordyn along- she looked at the call and didn¡¯t answer it. Jordyn called her three times in a row. When none of the calls were answered, she sent a message a momentter. ¡°Mom, I have a fencingpetition next month. Can youe with me to training tomorrow?¡± When Celeste saw the message, her hand holding the phone suddenly froze. Ever since Trevor had taken Jordyn to Andostan over two years ago, she had missed out on many aspects of Jordyn¡¯s life. For instance, she didn¡¯t really know what sses Trevor had arranged for Jordyn, or what extracurricr activities she¡¯d been enrolled in during those two years. Before she had brought up the idea of divorce, Celeste had tried to ask Jordyn about these things, but Jordyn didn¡¯t want to talk to her. If Jordyn hadn¡¯t mentioned it just now, she wouldn¡¯t even have known that her daughter was learning fencing. And the fact that she was preparing for apetition¨Cthat was something she had absolutely no idea about. She had already missed out on so much of Jordyn¡¯s growth. Staring at the message, Celeste remained dazed for quite a while. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Celeste came back to herself. ¡°Come in.¡± It was Kieran. He hade to discuss work. When it came to work, Kieran was always serious. Tomorrow was the weekend. After finishing their discussion, he remembered he¡¯d been wanting to ask her out but hadn¡¯t had the chance. So after wrapping up, he didn¡¯t leave right away and instead asked, ¡°I saw a y a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. ¡°There¡¯s another performance this weekend. I was nning to go again¨Cwant toe?¡± Thinking of the message from Jordyn just moments ago, Celeste shook her head and said, ¡°I already have ns on Saturday. I¡¯ll have to pass.¡® Kieran¡¯s eyes showed a flicker of disappointment. ¡°I see¡­¡± At that moment, still having not received a reply, Jordyn sent another message. ¡°Mom, please let me know.¡± Celeste saw it and picked up her phone to reply, ¡°Got it. I will go with you to training tomorrow morning.¡± Kieran saw she had something to deal with and didn¡¯t disturb her further. He turned and left. When Jordyn saw her mother¡¯s reply, she was overjoyed and immediately called her, As soon as Celeste picked up, Jordyn asked excitedly, ¡°Mom, you finally have time tomorrow!¡± Celeste hummed a response. Jordyn then happily continued, ¡°So, what time are youing home tonight?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be home tonight,¡± Celeste said while staring at herputer screen. ¡°Send me the time and location for training tomorrow. I will meet you at the training venue.¡± Jordyn had just gotten home from school. She stood in therge vi¡¯s entry hall, looking at the few housekeepers bustling about. Then, she realized she hadn¡¯t seen her mom at home in a very long time. In fact, she couldn¡¯t even remember thest time her mom hade home. Hearing Celeste say that, she felt a little down. But then she remembered her mom would be with her at training tomorrow, and she perked up again. ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll have Dad send you the time and address in a bit!¡± Celeste paused for a second, then responded, ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± Then she asked, ¡°Are you home now?¡± ¡°Just got home.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Celeste paused again. ¡°I still have work to do, so I¡¯ll hang up now. Take care of yourself, okay?¡± ¡°I will! Mom, you have to take care of yourself too!¡± ¡°Mm.¡± The Scent of 353 After finishing the call with Jordyn, Celeste hung up. About ten minutester, Trevor sent her the time and location for Jordyn¡¯s fencing training the next day. But that was all he sent¨Cjust the time and address. Nothing else. Not a single extra word. The next day, Celeste was the first to arrive at the fencing gym. Around three to four minutester, Jordyn arrived too. She was only apanied by the driver. Trevor wasn¡¯t there. As soon as she got out of the car, Jordyn happily grabbed Celeste¡¯s hand and led her inside. Just as they entered the gym, Celeste¡¯s phone rang¨Cit was a call from Matthias. She turned to Jordyn and said, ¡°I need to take a call.¡± Jordyn replied, ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go find my coach first.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Matthias was just asking her a few work¨Crted things. After chatting briefly, they ended the call. Jordyn hadn¡¯t gone far. Her coach greeted her with a smile, ¡°Hey, Jordyn, you¡¯re here?¡± Then he looked around and asked, ¡°Ms. Locket and Mr. Fleming didn¡¯te with you today?¡± ¡°Nope! My mom brought me today!¡± Hearing their conversation, Celeste stood at the doorway for a few seconds before finally walking in. The coach caught sight of her and was briefly stunned by her beauty. ¡°Miss, you are-?¡± ¡°Mom!¡± Jordyn called out. The coach paused, then smiled. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re Jordyn¡¯s mom?¡± Celeste nodded and shook hands with him. Over the past six months, whenever Jordyn came to the fencing gym, it had always been Trevor or Wynn¨Cor both -apanying her. The coach knew Wynn was Trevor¡¯s girlfriend, but not Jordyn¡¯s mother. Since it was always the father or his girlfriend apanying the child, and never the biological mother, he had assumed Jordyn¡¯s mother was either divorced from Trevor or possibly even deceased. Now that Celeste had appeared, it was clear she wasn¡¯t. So, that meant she and Trevor were divorced. Why they divorced, he didn¡¯t know¨Cit wasn¡¯t his ce. But based on the way Trevor, Wynn, and Jordyn interacted, it was clear that Trevor and his current girlfriend were very close, and Jordyn was fond of her as well. He didn¡¯t know whether Jordyn¡¯s closeness to Wynn had been approved by Celeste. Since he wasn¡¯t sure, he didn¡¯t bring it up. Instead, he turned to praising Jordyn, ¡°Jordyn is really interested in fencing. She¡¯s talented, too, and doing very well. She has a good chance of cing in the top three at next month¡¯spetition.¡± Celeste nodded and was about to respond when Jordyn ran over and grabbed her hand. ¡°Mom, Chapter 354 Although the coach didn¡¯t say it outright, Celeste could guess what he meant. In fact, even if he didn¡¯t mention it, she could already tell that the reason Jordyn took up fencing was likely due to the influence of either Trevor or Wynn. But she didn¡¯t dwell on it too much. Although she had given up custody of Jordyn and wouldn¡¯t involve herself much in her future, Jordyn was still her daughter¨Cher flesh and blood. Even if they grew further and further apart over time, she still hoped Jordyn would have a bright future. As long as fencing was good for her, that was enough. As for who inspired her to take it up, it didn¡¯t matter. Celeste didn¡¯t keep her eyes on Jordyn the whole time during training. As Jordyn¡¯s training was about to wrap up, Celeste was looking something up on her phone when someone suddenly appeared beside her. She paused, then looked up¨Csure enough, it was Trevor, his deep eyes fixed on her. She only nced at him briefly before looking away. Trevor asked, ¡°What kind of model data is that?¡± Celeste put her phone away and didn¡¯t answer. Trevor seemed like he wanted to say more, but just then, Jordyn¡¯s training ended. She removed her fencing mask and ran over excitedly. ¡°Dad!¡± Trevor smiled and ruffled her hair. ¡°All done?¡± ¡°Mm!¡± Jordyn nodded, then handed her towel to Celeste. ¡°Mom, help me wipe my sweat.¡± Afterward, she looked up at both of them and said, ¡°I¡¯m hungry¨Clet¡¯s go eat, okay?¡± Trevor said, ¡°Alright.¡± Jordyn turned to Celeste and asked, ¡°Mom, what do you want to eat?¡± Celeste had just finished wiping her down. She pulled her hand back and said, ¡°I have things to do, so I won¡¯t be joining you two for lunch.¡± Jordyn froze, her expression faltering. She didn¡¯t say anything right away. Actually, she wasn¡¯t surprised by that answer. There had been plenty of times just like this before¨Cwhen she and Dad had asked Mom to eat with them, Mom would always say she was too busy. She thought maybe today would be different. After all, her mom had spent the whole morning with her and didn¡¯t seem that busy. Maybe, just maybe, they could all have lunch together. But¡­ She pouted and lowered her head, murmuring a soft, disappointed ¡°Okay.¡± At that moment, Trevor spoke up. ¡°Join us for a meal. If you don¡¯t want me to ask about the things you¡¯re avoiding, I won¡¯t.¡± The real reason Celeste didn¡¯t want to have lunch with them was indeed because she didn¡¯t want to hear him bring up anything about InnovaTech. But that wasn¡¯t the only reason. She only said, ¡°No, you two go ahead.¡± Her tone was calm, but firm. She could eat with Jordyn, sure¨Cbut with both father and daughter? There was no need. Trevor looked at her, smiled faintly, and didn¡¯t push it further. ¡°Alright, then.¡± Jordyn, of course, wasn¡¯t happy. Her lips pressed into a tight line, her eyes tearing up. Celeste clenched her fist, then, after a moment of hesitation, reached out and gently patted Jordyn¡¯s head. ¡°Next time, when I¡¯m free, we¡¯ll go out to eat together.¡± Hearing her mom¡¯s reassurance, Jordyn still couldn¡¯t quite cheer up. But at least she wasn¡¯t as disappointed or upset as before. She nodded slightly and let out another soft ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste felt she¡¯d said everything she needed to. So, she picked up her bag and got ready to leave. But as soon as Jordyn saw that her mom was about to go, she grew anxious. She hurried over and grabbed Celeste¡¯s hand, looking up at her and asking, ¡°Mom, will youe to mypetition next month?¡± Chap The Scent of 355 ter 355 In Jordyn¡¯s world, there was no room for her, Trevor, and Wynn to coexist. She had asked Celeste to go to herpetition without the intention of inviting Wynn, which made it clear that she understood the reality of the situation. On a day that mattered to her, Jordyn chose her. But Celeste didn¡¯t feel much joy about that. Thepetition was scheduled for next weekend. Normally, Celeste was free on weekends. Besides, when a child participated in apetition, that was considered a big deal in any family. As a parent, it¡¯d only be natural to prioritize the child. In the past, Celeste would have done just that¨Cput Jordyn first. Everything else would¡¯ve had to take a backseat. But now¡­ It wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t notice the hope in Jordyn¡¯s eyes. Even so, she replied vaguely, ¡°I¡¯ll see when the time.es. If nothing urgentes up, I¡¯ll attend.¡± In the past six months, Jordyn had made so many calls to Celeste and voiced so many wishes that she had already figured out a pattern. Whenever Celeste used uncertain phrases like ¡°when the timees¡± or ¡°if¡°, then it almost certainly meant she wasn¡¯t going. Hearing this, Jordyn¡¯s nose started to sting, and her eyes turned red. She let go of Celeste¡¯s hand, sniffled softly, and just said ¡°Okay,¡± without another word. Celeste noticed all of it. She wasn¡¯tpletely unaffected of course not. But even so, she didn¡¯t n to change her mind. She reached out, intending to ruffle Jordyn¡¯s hair before leaving. But the moment her hand moved closer, Jordyn turned her head away with a pout. Celeste paused, retracted her hand, and didn¡¯t try tofort her. She simply turned and walked away. Trevor watched the whole thing happen. He didn¡¯t try to stop Celeste, nor did he say anything to persuade her. Jordyn kept her little face turned away from Celeste, refusing to look at her, but she was still listening. When she heard the sound of high heels getting farther and farther away, and realized Celeste had really left- without even trying to coax her¨Cshe finally couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. She turned and threw her arms around Trevor¡¯s leg, wailing in tears. Her fencing coach was stunned. Jordyn was a lot more mature and intelligent than most kids her age. She was lively and had her own opinions. Over the past six months, many of the kids at the fencing academy had cried countless times. But this was the first time he¡¯d ever seen her cry. That morning, Celeste had agreed to every one of Jordyn¡¯s requests, speaking to her so gently and attentively. He never expected that, even knowing how hurt and disappointed the child was, Celeste could still walk away without even looking back. The feeling he got from Celeste was as if she didn¡¯t want her daughter anymore. That kind of heartlessness really shocked him. If it were any other man, he would¡¯ve probably already gotten angry and confronted the ex¨Cwife for treating their daughter like this. But Trevor¡¯s face showed none of that¨Cno me, no argument, nothing. He just quietly watched Celeste walk away. Then he bent down, picked up Jordyn, and gently wiped her tears with his fingertips. ¡°Feeling that upset?¡± Jordyn clung to his neck and cried even harder, sobbing, ¡°I¡¯m sad and Mom doesn¡¯t care¡­ She just¡­ just left¡­¡± Trevor said softly, ¡°Mm, I saw.¡± Jordyn let out a louder wail and cried even harder. ¡°Mom¡­ Does Mom not love me anymore¡­?¡± Trevor chuckled, ¡°Of course not.¡± Jordyn looked at him through her tears. ¡°R¨CReally?¡± Trevor took out a handkerchief and wiped her nose. ¡°I promise.¡± * Thatforted her a bit, but when she remembered that Celeste had left withoutforting her at all, she started crying again. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t Mom try to make me feel better¡­?¡± Trevor pinched her soft, chubby cheek and smiled without answering. Jordyn pointed at him angrily. ¡°I¨CI¡¯m this upset and y¨Cyou¡¯re stillughing¡­¡± Trevor took the backpack her coach handed over. He carried her while holding her bag and started walking out. ¡°Then how about I take you out for a meal to make it up to you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want that. I just want Mom.¡± ¡°That¡¯s out of my control. You saw it yourself¨Cwhen ites to your mom, I have no say.¡± Jordyn couldn¡¯t say anything. Chapter 356 The Scent of 356 Chapter 356 Last week, Matthias¡®wyer went to InnovaTech to negotiate the contract termination, but the talks fell through. That same day, they filed awsuit with the court. When Celeste had that confrontation at InnovaTech with Wynn and the others, Matthias was away on a business trip. Maybe because she couldn¡¯t meet Matthias, Wynn hadn¡¯t given up on the matter yet. On Monday, when Celeste arrived at work, she saw Wynn again. As before, when the two women saw each other, neither acknowledged the other. When Celeste got to the office, she found that Matthias was already there. ¡°You¡¯re here early.¡± Matthias shrugged. ¡°I came in over half an hour early just in case someone tried to intercept me.¡± Celeste smiled at that. Jorge happened to be in YodaVision that day to discuss something with Matthias. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he spotted Wynn. He had already heard about what happened between YodaVision and InnovaTechst week. So the moment he saw her, he immediately understood why she was there so early! He walked over and asked with concern, ¡°When did you arrive? Haven¡¯t seen Mr. Yoder yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been here for about half an hour. Mr. Yoder probably hasn¡¯t arrived at the office yet, so I haven¡¯t seen him.¡± Then she added, ¡°Are you here for Mr. Yoder, Mr. Robinson?¡± Jorge nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if Matthias had arrived. Hearing she¡¯d been waiting for so long, he frowned slightly. But before he could say anything, Matthias¡® assistant came out to greet him and his secretary. ¡°Mr. Robinson, pleasee in.¡± Jorge paused. ¡°Mr. Yoder is inside?¡± Candice smiled. ¡°Yes.¡± Jorge nced at Wynn. Wynn stepped forward and said to Candice, ¡°Ms. Arden, I¡¯m Wynn Locket from InnovaTech. I have something important to discuss with Mr. Yoder. Could you please¡ª¡± ¡°Apologies, Ms. Locket,¡± Candice interrupted before she could finish, ¡°but I don¡¯t see an appointment for you.¡± Then she turned back to Jorge. ¡°Mr. Robinson, pleasee in.¡± Jorge¡¯s lips pressed into a tight, displeased line. Just as he was about to speak, Wynn said, ¡°I really do have something urgent to discuss with Mr. Yoder. I¡¯m willing to wait here. I won¡¯t take up much of his time¨Cten minutes, that¡¯s all.¡± Candice nodded with a polite smile, then looked back at Jorge. Since Wynn had already said that, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for him to push further. He gave her a brief nod and followed Candice into YodaVision. Candice brought them straight to Matthias¡® office. But once there, she didn¡¯t mention Wynn at all. Jorge noticed this and frowned deeper. When it came to business matters, Matthias still treated him with a certain degree of courtesy. Seeing him arrive, Matthias stood and said, ¡°Mr. Robinson, you¡¯re here. Please, have a seat.¡± Jorge sat down. Just as Matthias was instructing Candice to bring them coffee, Jorge said, ¡°Ms. Locket from InnovaTech has been waiting outside for a while. Perhaps you should invite her in?¡± Matthias chuckled when he heard that. ¡°Is that so? But I already have my own arrangements. Mr. Robinson, why don¡¯t we focus on our business?¡± From that, Jorge immediately understood¨CMatthias knew Wynn was outside. But clearly, he had no intention of seeing her. Jorge frowned and said, ¡°Mr. Yoder, I¡¯ve heard about the situation. While InnovaTech is indeed at fault, it doesn¡¯t seem serious enough to justify terminating the contract. ¡°Is it really necessary to make things difficult for Ms. Locket over a personal grudge?¡± Matthiasughed, a cold edge in his voice. ¡°Whether it¡¯s serious enough to terminate the contract is up to me to decide. If I think the contract should be terminated, then I must have my reasons. ¡°Mr. Robinson, I believe this is an internal matter of mypany. It has nothing to do with you, does it?¡± Jorge had long suspected that Matthias¡® actions were influenced by Celeste, and that was why he was targeting Wynn. Previously, Matthias had already done several things against Wynn that didn¡¯t match his usual standards¨Call seemingly for Celeste¡¯s sake. Despite their long¨Cstanding coboration, and even though he thought Matthias could be a bit arrogant, he had generally found him to be a decent person. He had assumed that after thest incident, Matthias would realize he had gone too far, and wouldn¡¯t let Celeste influence him again. But to his disappointment, the same situation had arisen¨Cand Matthias was once again choosing to bulldoze his way through without reason. Jorge¡¯s face darkened. He couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Mr. Yoder aren¡¯t you worried that once Mr. Newman finds out about this, he¡¯ll be disappointed in you?¡± Matthias raised an eyebrow andughed. ¡°Mr. Robinson, are you threatening me?¡± Jorge said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m not threatening you. I¡¯m just stating facts. I believe Mr. Newman wouldn¡¯t want his most valued student to be someone so- ¨C 11 t The Scent of 357 Matthias crossed his legs. ¡°Be what exactly? Blinded by lust? Or unable to tell right from wrong?¡± Both. Of course, Jorge didn¡¯t say that out loud. Matthias saw right through him and smiled. ¡°But why do I feel like the one who¡¯s blinded and can¡¯t tell right from wrong isn¡¯t me, but someone else?¡± Before Jorge could respond, Matthias added, ¡°Also, the student my mentor values most isn¡¯t me. It¡¯s someone else entirely. Mr. Robinson, you¡¯re giving me far too much credit.¡± Jorge didn¡¯t expect that, even after bringing up Zachary, Matthias still showed no sign of remorse. But Matthias wasn¡¯t about to indulge him. He said directly, ¡®If you can¡¯t bear to watch and want to seek justice on behalf of Ms. Locket, then you¡¯re free to terminate our contract. ¡°Of course, the condition is that you¡¯ll have topensate YodaVision for the corresponding losses.¡± Jorge thought he had approached Matthias politely and reasonably. But Matthias had been hostile from the beginning, and now in a fit of anger, he was even bringing up the possibility of canceling their partnership. It was outrageous. Jorge pressed his lips together and said seriously, ¡°Mr. Yoder, please don¡¯t act on impulse-¡± Matthias stared directly at him. ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m dead serious. Jorge was stunned. Matthias¡® gaze was cold and distant, but his expression was firm. At that moment, Jorge realized Matthias really was serious. And all of this just because he¡¯d spoken a few words on Wynn¡¯s behalf? Was that really necessary? The more serious Matthias became, the more childish and petty Jorge felt he was being. He tightened his lips, wanting to say something more, but Matthias had already lost interest in continuing. He stood up and said coldly, ¡°Since you have no interest in discussing business today, I won¡¯t keep you any longer. Candice, please show him out.¡± Jorge called out, ¡°Mr. Yoder!¡± Matth¨ªas gave a half¨Csmile. ¡°Mr. Robinson, you really do care about someone else¡¯s girlfriend. I wonder if Mr. Fleming knows how concerned you are about Ms. Locket?¡± Jorge froze. His gaze dropped, and his voice softened. ¡°Ms. Locket and I have a working rtionship. She seemed genuinely willing to resolve the conflict between you two, so I couldn¡¯t help but try to talk you around, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡± Since Jorge wasn¡¯t admitting to any personal feelings, Matthias wasn¡¯t interested in digging deeper. He said, ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood to discuss business anymore. Mr. Robinson, please leave.¡± ¡°Mr. Yoder!¡± ¡°Candice, see him out.¡± Matthias¡® attitude was resolute. Jorge realized that forcing the issue would be pointless. After giving Matthias a final nce, he turned and left. Outside YodaVision, Jorge saw Wynn still waiting nearby. He paused. Wynn looked up at him and said, ¡°Mr. Robinson, done with your meeting so soon?¡± He hesitated before replying, ¡°Yeah.¡± Then he added, ¡°I just spoke with Mr. Yoder. He knows you¡¯re out here waiting for him, but he doesn¡¯t seem interested in seeing you. Ms. Locket, maybe you should go back for now.¡± Wynn shook her head. ¡°This matter is extremely important to me. I still want to try and see Mr. Yoder. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Seeing how persistently she waited, a flicker of unspoken heartache passed through Jorge¡¯s eyes. But he truly had no sway over Matthias. Just then, a thought struck him¨CZachary. If he knew about this, he probably wouldn¡¯t let Matthias act so recklessly, would he? Jorge and Wynn had nothing beyond a professional rtionship. No matter how much he sympathized with her, he had no grounds to say anything personal. So, all he could say was, ¡°I¡¯ll head off first. See you next time.¡± Wynn smiled and nodded. Then, Jorge turned and left. After getting into his car, he paused and then decided to call Theodore. A few hourster, Theodore returned his call. ¡°What is it?¡± Jorge hesitated and then finally said, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, really, just that maybe Matthias¡® gotten a little too sessful. The way he¡¯s handling things now¨Che¡¯s getting more and more willful and reckless¡­¡± The Scent of 358 Before Jorge could finish his sentence, Theodore cut him off. ¡°You¡¯re trying to say that he¡¯s siding with Celeste again and bullying Ms. Locket, aren¡¯t you?¡± Jorge was surprised that Theodore hit the nail on the head. Old man, how¡¯d you know? Don¡¯t tell me you already know what happened?¡± Theodore replied, ¡°I don¡¯t. I guessed.¡± Back when Celeste and Matthias agreed to work with his foolish son for his sake, it was clear they wouldn¡¯t deliberately make things difficult for him in the workce His son also wasn¡¯t the kind to stir up trouble at work for no reason. So, even if they couldn¡¯t be friends, their professional rtionship should have stayed smooth. If Jorge didn¡¯t sh with Matthias or Celeste personally, then the conflict likely involved someone he cared about -probably Wynn. Earlier that year, when he¡¯d met with Kael, Celeste, and the others for dinner, they¡¯d happened to run into Wynn at the restaurant entrance. At the time, seeing how attentive his son was to her¨Cand considering her looks, demeanor, and manners¨Che had been quite pleased. But after dinner, Harold informed him that Wynn was Trevor¡¯s girlfriend. Theodore didn¡¯t know the full story between Celeste and Trevor, but that day, when Celeste and Matthias saw Wynn and her father, their expressions were¡­ telling. They clearly didn¡¯t like Wynn or her father. Celeste wasn¡¯t the type to sh with people without reason. If his son ended up in conflict with Celeste, it was likely because- Suspecting that Wynn was involved, Theodore had called Jorge that very day to confirm. And sure enough, it was because of Wynn. Then, when he heard that Jorge believed Celeste was targeting Wynn out of jealousy¨Cafraid that Matthias might fall for her and that Matthias was ¡°blinded by lust¡± and siding with Celeste unfairly, he nearlyughed from sheer exasperation. Thinking of all that, Theodore chuckled angrily and asked, ¡°So what? You want me to contact Zachary, tell him everything that¡¯s happened, and get him to rein in Matthias?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Jorge replied. ¡°Matthias has gone way overboard this time. If this continues, I really think-¡± Theodore cut him off again. He didn¡¯t n on telling him the full truth, so he simply said, ¡°That¡¯s not a conversation I can start. If you want to help Ms. Locket, you contact Zachary yourself.¡± Jorge frowned. ¡°Old man, it¡¯s not just about helping her. I actually like Matthias and respect him¨CI don¡¯t want to see him keep acting so recklessly-¡± So, he still thought the problemy with Celeste? Hearing that, Theodore¡¯s temple twitched. ¡°Matthias is being reckless? Why do I get the feeling it¡¯s not that at all? Maybe you¡¯re the one being irrational because you¡¯re biased toward that Wynn Locket-¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know what happened,¡± Jorge interrupted. How can you be so sure I¡¯m the one being irrational?¡± Theodore was stunned. ¡°Then tell me exactly what happened.¡± Jorge gave a rough rundown of the situation. After listening, Theodore said tly, ¡°This whole mess is clearly Ms. Locket¡¯s fault. As thepany leader, she didn¡¯t handle things properly from the start. ¡°Instead, she joined her employees and family in scolding and trying to protect them while undermining YodaVision¡¯s staff. If I were Matthias, I¡¯d be furious too. ¡°And besides, this incident shows that her familycks judgment and doesn¡¯t understand the stakes. They also don¡¯t show proper respect for their business partners. I imagine if they weren¡¯t afraid of the losses from breaking the contract with YodaVision, they probably wouldn¡¯t have even apologized. ¡°So, from Matthias¡¯s point of view, not wanting to work with them anymore ispletely reasonable.¡± Jorge tried to defend Wynn. ¡°That¡¯s not true. They apologized to the YodaVision employee very quickly, and afterward, she even personally called Matthias to apologize She was sincerely trying to make amends.¡± In his view, if it weren¡¯t for the grudge between Celeste and Wynn, Matthias wouldn¡¯t have wanted to terminate the contract with InnovaTech over something so minor. ¡°That¡¯s just surface¨Clevel,¡± Theodore said, clearly not wanting to argue further. ¡°Ms. Locket already has a boyfriend. When I mentioned this to you before, you said you knew. ¡°At first, I didn¡¯t know much about her. When I met her, I thought she seemed impressive. But now, it¡¯s clear her character isn¡¯t that great. The way she handles things¨Cshe¡¯ll never amount to much. ¡°Honestly, son, you and Trevor both have terrible taste in women.¡± Jorge didn¡¯t expect such harsh words from Theodore. A Just as he was about to speak up on Wynn¡¯s behalf, trying to make him see how excellent she really was, Theodore cut him off again. ¡°Alright, if you want to help her, I won¡¯t stop you. But if you want me to help¨Cforget it.¡± 1 With that, Theodore hung up. The Scent of 359 Theodore refused to help, so Jorge immediately decided to contact Zachary himself. However, he didn¡¯t have Zachary¡¯s contact information. He messaged Theodore asking for Zachary¡¯s number, and Theodore simply replied with a single word. ¡°Nope.¡± Before he could even react, Theodore sent another message ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken to Harold too. Don¡¯t waste your time.¡± Seeing that, Jorge was genuinely a little angry. But when he tried calling Theodore again, the call went unanswered. Since Theodore and Harold were both at a dead end, he thought of Caleb. He remembered Caleb had mentioned before that he had some work¨Crted interactions with Zachary. They¡¯d even had a meal together. With that in mind, Jorge reached out to Caleb. Caleb didn¡¯t return his call until the evening. After hearing that Jorge was looking for Zachary¡¯s contact info, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t have Mr. Newman¡¯s number.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t? Didn¡¯t you have dinner with him and my old man before? You guys didn¡¯t exchange contacts?¡± Caleb replied, ¡°No.¡± Jorge was skeptical and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you sure? Or did my old man tell you not to give it to me?¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t have it,¡± Caleb said, confused by the suspicion. He exined, ¡°Even though we had dinner together, I¡¯m not familiar with Mr. Newman. Honestly, I think in his eyes, I¡¯m no different from a stranger. He¡¯s not the type to take care of juniors¨Che¡¯s actually pretty distant.¡± Hearing that, Jorge was convinced Caleb truly didn¡¯t have Zachary¡¯s contact info. Caleb asked, ¡°Why do you want to contact him?¡± ¡°Just to talk about something.¡± From the way Jorge had spoken earlier, it sounded like he had already tried to get Zachary¡¯s contact info from Theodore, but Theodore not only refused¨Che¡¯d even told others not to share it. Then Caleb suddenly connected the dots. ¡°Did Ms. Locket and Matthias have some kind of falling out?¡± Jorge paused. ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± Caleb didn¡¯t respond right away. Previously, Jorge had mentioned that Celeste and Matthias seemed to be in a rtionship and that Celeste was targeting Wynn because she was too outstanding and worried Matthias might fall for her. But at a banquetst year, Caleb had observed that Celeste and Matthias didn¡¯t appear to be in a romantic rtionship. He didn¡¯t know what their rtionship actually was¨Cuntil recently, at the training base, when he found out Celeste was also a student of Zachary¡¯s. Only then did it make sense why Matthias was so protective of Celeste. Even before learning that Celeste was Zachary¡¯s student, Caleb had already felt that Celeste didn¡¯t seem like the type to target other women out of jealousy. Putting everything else aside, with just the assumption that Celeste and Matthias were romantically involved was already inurate. As for whether Celeste actually targeted Wynn? That seemed even less believable now. With that in mind, he asked, ¡°So, what exactly happened?¡± Jorge rubbed his temples and eventually gave a general rundown of the incident. ¡°I know Wynn was partly at fault here,¡± he said. ¡°But wanting to terminate the contract over something like this- don¡¯t you think that¡¯s just ridiculous?¡± Caleb responded, ¡°I¡¯m not going toment on that. But you want to contact Mr. Newman just because you think Matthias went too far?¡± The Scent of 360 Caleb was still thinking about it when Jorge asked him again, ¡°Caleb, besides your father and my old man, do you know anyone else who has Zachary¡¯s contact info?¡± Caleb replied, ¡°No one else.¡± Then, as if something urred to him, he added, ¡°But didnt you say Ms. Locket had met Zachary before? I imagine she should have his contact. ¡°If talking to Mr. Newman could resolve things, wouldn¡¯t she have already reached out to him herself?¡± Jorge said, ¡°I thought about that too. But since she¡¯s directly involved, unless absolutely necessary, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for her to contact Mr. Newman just toin about Matthias, right?¡± He was actually being pretty considerate. Seems like he liked Wynn more than he realized. Jorge said, ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll try asking some other people.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The fact that Celeste was also one of Zachary¡¯s students hadn¡¯t been made public meant that it was to remain confidential. Since that was the case, it wasn¡¯t his ce to share it with Jorge either. With that in mind, Caleb said, ¡°I¡¯ve interacted with Celeste a few times. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s the kind of person you¡¯re describing. ¡°Jorge, are you really sure all this happened because Celeste was worried Matthias might fall for Ms. Locket and kept targeting her? Couldn¡¯t there have been some kind of misunderstanding? ¡°Why don¡¯t you talk to Ms. Locket or someone else, find out what really happened between them?¡± Jorge frowned when he heard that. ¡°Caleb, are you taking her side?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just being honest.¡± But Jorge felt like Caleb had been fooled by Celeste. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any misunderstanding. I saw it all myself. How could I be wrong? You should be careful not to be fooled by appearances.¡± Then he said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s drop it. Once you¡¯re on break, let¡¯s meet up.¡± Caleb still had things to do, so he didn¡¯t push further. After finishing the call with Jorge, he hung up/ Wynn waited outside YodaVision, but Celeste and Matthias really didn¡¯t pay her any attention¡ªthey just let her stand there waiting. But Wynn was determined to wait. However, she had an important matter to attend to at noon that day, and seeing that Matthias still hadn¡¯te out, she had no choice but to leave. Over the next two days, she was busy with work and couldn¡¯t find time to go to YodaVision again. By Thursday, when she finally had some free time and was nning to visit YodaVision again, she received a court summons. Linda was furious when she found out. ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days, and they¡¯ve already sent a court summons? Looks like they¡¯re dead set on terminating the contract! ¡°And the court actually epted the case? All this over such a minor issue¨Cseriously? What kind of trashy court is this?¡± Now that the case had been filed, unless Matthias withdrew thewsuit, they¡¯d have no choice but to go to trial. Frustration aside, even Linda knew the situation had reached a nearly irreversible point. Suddenly, Lilian spoke up, ¡°What if we go to the Yoder family and tell them about this?¡± They had always believed that since Celeste had been married and had a child, there was no way the Yoder family would ept her being with Matthias. And the fact that Matthias had recently gone on a blind date with a proper, well¨Cmatched socialite seemed to confirm that theory. If they found out she was now using personal grudges to drive a wedge between Matthias and his business partners, they¡¯d probably be upset with her. And under that kind of family pressure, Matthias just might withdraw thewsuit. After hearing Lilian¡¯s suggestion, Wynn immediately understood her intention. It was a viable option. Besides Matthias, she didn¡¯t know any other members of the Yoder family. But Trevor did. With that in mind, she gave Trevor a call. After hearing what she had in mind, Trevor said, ¡°Alright, Ill try to contact someone from the Yoder family as soon as possible.¡± Linda also agreed it was a smart move. Just thinking about the possibility of the Yoder family getting angry and Matthias cutting ties with Celeste made her excited. But then she suddenly thought of something. ¡°Wait, why didn¡¯t Trevor think of going to the Yoder family before?¡± Wynn lowered her gaze and said, ¡°Well, he and Celeste are still legally married. The Yoder family probably knows about their situation to some extent. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for him to go talk to them about this himself. If anyone¡¯s going to do it, it should be someone else.¡± Linda curled her lip. ¡°Fair enough.¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! The Scent of 361 Wynn had thought she would have to wait a few more days for news. However, that afternoon, Trevor called her and said, ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Yoder will be attending an auction tomorrow. Would you like to go?¡± Wynn smiled and replied, ¡°Sure.¡± The next evening, not long after arriving at the auction, Trevor took Wynn over to greet Sebastian and Melissa. He introduced Wynn to them. Sebastian and Melissa knew about Trevor¡¯s rtionship with Celeste and were aware of all the conflicts between Celeste and Wynn. However, when they saw Trevor, they didn¡¯t let their feelings about Celeste show. They smiled and shook hands with Trevor, greeting him warmly. When Trevor introduced Wynn, Melissa also smiled and politely shook Wynn¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°Hello.¡± The auction was filled with the elites from high society. After some casual conversation, Trevor and Sebastian, along with others, began discussing business matters. At this moment, Wynn saw an opportunity and started chatting with Melissa alone. After a while, Wynn got to the point and said, ¡°Mrs. Yoder, came here today because I need a favor.¡± Melissa smiled and replied, ¡°Mr. Fleming is so young and aplished. Is there something he can¡¯t resolve? Why would you need my help? ¡°Ms. Locket, you¡¯re being too humble.¡± Wynn said, ¡°This matter concerns Mr. Matthias.¡± Melissa paused for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s about Matthias?¡± Wynn replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Just as Melissa was about to speak, she nced at her phone in her bag and said, ¡°I have a calling in, let me take it.¡± Wynn responded, ¡°Alright.¡± Melissa picked up her phone and walked a little further away to take the call. After a while, she returned and apologized, ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Locket.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Earlier, you mentioned that the matter you wanted to discuss with me was rted to Matthias. Could you tell me more about what happened?¡± Wynn said, ¡°Are you aware of the cooperation between InnovaTech and YodaVision?¡± Melissa replied, ¡°Matthias has mentioned it to me. So, does this mean there was an issue with your cooperation?¡± Wynn responded, ¡°Yes, we had a small conflict. To be honest, it was a mistake on our part, but it¡¯s not to the point where we should terminate the contract. ¡°I¡¯ve been actively trying to reach Mr. Matthias to resolve the issue, and I¡¯m willing topensate him for any losses. ¡°But some people are using this small misunderstanding to push Mr. Matthias to terminate the contract with InnovaTech. ¡°Now, Mr. Matthias is not answering my calls and refuses to meet with me. He seems determined to break the contract.¡± When Melissa heard this, her expression darkened, and she interrupted, asking, ¡°The person you¡¯re talking about is Celeste?¡± Seeing Melissa¡¯s change in expression, Wynn quickly replied, ¡°Yes.¡± 1 Melissa asked, ¡°Why would she do that?¡± Wynn replied, ¡°There are some personal grievances between her and me.¡± She continued, ¡°Terminating the contract is harmful to both sides. Even if we break the contract andpensate Mr. Matthias, it still wouldn¡¯t benefit him. ¡°InnovaTech sincerely wants to continue working with YodaVision, but no matter how much I try to show goodwill, Mr. Matthias refuses to listen and only wants to terminate the contract. That¡¯s why I came to ask for your help, Mrs. Yoder, to try to convince him.¡± Melissa lowered her eyes and said softly, ¡°I understand.¡± Wynn could tell Melissa was unhappy, so she politely said, ¡°Thank you. I really appreciate your help.¡± Melissa responded, ¡°You¡¯re too polite, Ms. Locket.¡± They exchanged a few more words, and when Sebastian came over to find his wife, their conversation ended. Chapter 362 The Scent of 362 Chapter 362 After Sebastian and Melissa left, Trevor asked, ¡°Did you finish talking to Mrs. Yoder?¡± Wynn smiled slightly and nodded. Looking at Melissa¡¯s expression earlier, it seemed that she was bing increasingly displeased with Celeste. ¤Ê Melissa had actually known about the issues between InnovaTech and YodaVision long before. Matthias had already informed her in advance. When Melissa was talking to Wynn, she didn¡¯t really get a phone call¨Cshe had recorded their conversation. She walked a little further away, nced at Trevor and Wynn, and then sent the recording to Matthias. Matthias and Celeste had not finished work yet. After listening to the recording, Matthias smiled and went to Celeste¡¯s office to inform her of the situation. After hearing the news, Celeste said, ¡°Now I can be sure that we¡¯ll definitely win thewsuit.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Their insistence on suing for contract termination was not only because they really wanted to break the contract with InnovaTech, but also because they wanted to pressure Wynn. They wanted to force her to try every way she could to prevent them from terminating the contract. As long as Wynn tried to contact the Rodriguez or the Yoder family in an attempt to stop the termination of the contract, they would certainly be able to trap her into saying something or create further conflicts. In any case, the more Wynn tried to reach out to them to negotiate the contract termination, the more opportunities they would have to manipte her and collect evidence to fight thewsuit. So, the more Wynn did, the more mistakes she would make. If she had simply stuck to expressing her apologies or showing her willingness to cooperate, even after the trial, they might not have seeded in terminating the contract. And even if they did seed, thepensation Wynn would have to pay wouldn¡¯t be that high. But now, things were different. The prior conflicts between them had been Wynn¡¯s fault, and now she was iming that their insistence on terminating the contract was all because of Celeste¡¯s personal grudges against her. It was important to note that Celeste was not only a core staff member of YodaVision but also the key person in charge of the cooperation with InnovaTech. Wynn first showed disrespect toward that fact and then, to avoid termination, indiscriminately ndered the staff of their coborative project. This provided strong evidence to justify their inability to continue working together. Moreover, Wynn imed that the reason Celeste wanted to terminate the contract was that she and Celeste had a personal grudge. However, in court, if the judge asked about their personal grudges, wasn¡¯t Wynn worried that Celeste would expose everything about their conflict? If it came to that, Wynn would likely be more worried about her personal issues with Celeste being made public rather than the contract dispute between InnovaTech and YodaVision. To avoid answering the question, Wynn might even end up agreeing to terminate the contract and pay the sky- high termination fee. Thinking about this, Matthias¡® smile grew brighter. As soon as Matthias left Celeste¡¯s office, Celeste¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from Jordyn. In fact, Jordyn had already called her that morning, but she didn¡¯t answer. Tomorrow was the day Jordyn would be participating in the fencingpetition. Jordyn¡¯s call was probably to confirm if she could apany her to thepetition.. But then again, maybe Jordyn had changed her mind and didn¡¯t want her to go, but would rather have Trevor and Wynn go with her. After all, this kind of thing had happened before. With that thought in mind, Celeste still didn¡¯t pick up Jordyn¡¯s call. She put her phone aside, nning to finish handling her data before heading home for the day. 2 Jordyn had called several times. Seeing that Celeste didn¡¯t answer, she felt disappointed and upset. That evening, when Trevor returned home, he saw Jordyn curled up on the sofa, holding a small toy and looking dejected. Trevor immediately guessed the problem. ¡°Your mom didn¡¯t answer the phone or didn¡¯t have time to go with you? Jordyn pouted and grumpily tugged at the toy¡¯s fuzzy ears. She didn¡¯t answer the phone.¡± She became silent for a moment. Then, seeing Trevor loosen his tie while watching her, as if waiting for her to make a decision, Jordyn hesitated before speaking, ¡°Since Mom doesn¡¯t have time, could you and Wynn go with me to thepetition tomorrow?¡± Trevor smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let Wynn know.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Good night, Dad.¡± After saying that, Jordyn hugged the toy and went upstairs. The Scent of 363 Chapter 363 The next morning, Trevor, Jordyn, and Wynn arrived early at the sports hall for Jordyn¡¯spetition. After they had been there for a while, Beck and Shanice arrived as well. Jordyn saw them and greeted, ¡°Mr. Harper, Shanice, you¡¯re here.¡± Shanice came over and shook Jordyn¡¯s hand. ¡°Thepetition is about to start. Are you nervous, Jo?¡± Jordyn was very calm and shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± Beck had some business to attend to, and he was just dropping Shanice off. Trevor knew Beck was in a hurry and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Shanice. You can go ahead with your things. Beck nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll join you all for lunchter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Their rtionship seemed to be as good as ever. However¡­ Wynn listened to their conversation, her gaze shifting between Trevor and Beck. If Trevor knew that Beck had developed feelings for Celeste, would their rtionship still be as good as it was now? Beck noticed her gaze and gave her a slight nod. But he didn¡¯t speak to her, just turned and left. Watching Beck leave without ever saying a word to her, Wynn showed a bitter smile. Since he fell for Celeste, Beck had been increasingly indifferent toward her. Meanwhile, Celeste, who was resting at home, received a call from Matthias. ¡°We¡¯re going out for lunch with my parents today. They haven¡¯t seen you in a while, and they¡¯ve been talking about you these past couple of days. They¡¯re eager to see you. Would you like to join us for lunch?¡± It had been quite a while since Celeste had seen Sebastian and Melissa, so she agreed. At around noon, she drove out. When she arrived at the restaurant, Matthias and his parents had just arrived. Seeing her, Melissa happily took her hand. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. You¡¯re still as beautiful as ever.¡± While Celeste was talking to Melissa, Miles got out of his car. Upon seeing Celeste and Matthias with Sebastian and Melissa, he was momentarily stunned. Celeste saw him, and her smile faded a little. She quickly looked away. After a moment of surprise, Miles greeted Sebastian and Melissa, ¡°Mr. Yoder, Mrs. Yoder.¡± Sebastian and Melissa just nodded. Miles nced at the four of them and then turned and entered the restaurant first. After walking a little further, he pulled out his phone and called Trevor. 1 Trevor answered the phone quickly. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Miles asked, ¡°Guess who I just saw?¡± Trevor didn¡¯t guess. Instead, he asked, ¡°Who did you see?¡± Miles was speechless. Hearing Trevor¡¯s tone, Miles knew he had already guessed. ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s Celeste. The thing is, she¡¯s with Matthias Sebastian, and Melissa. Are they at the point where they¡¯re meeting the parents? ¡°Melissa even held Celeste¡¯s hand and called her ¡®Cel¡® with such a warm and affectionate tone. It looked like Melissa really likes her. Damn, I¡¯m starting to think they¡¯re getting married soon!¡± Trevor listened and replied, ¡°Oh, really?¡± Trevor¡¯s indifferent tone made it clear he wasn¡¯t interested in the gossip. Given Trevor¡¯s past indifference toward Celeste, it made sense that he wasn¡¯t interested. Since he wasn¡¯t interested in gossip, Miles changed the topic. ¡°Has Jo finished her match? Any results yet?¡± ¡°The morning match is over, and she did well,¡± Trevor replied. ¡°Okay,¡± Miles said. Even after seeing that Trevor didn¡¯t react to the gossip, Miles¡® curiosity didn¡¯t fade. He thought that Wynn and Beck didn¡¯t know about this yet, so he shared the news in the group chat. At that moment, Trevor and Wynn had just arrived at the restaurant and were getting ready for lunch. Beck had also finished his tasks and joined them. When they saw Miles¡® message in the group, both Beck and Wynn opened their phones to check. Seeing that Miles had mentioned encountering Celeste, Matthias, and his parents together, Wynn thought that her conversation with Melissa the day before had worked. She gave a subtle smile. Matthias¡® parents meeting Celeste probably meant they were trying to warn her, right? Just as she thought this, Miles posted two more messages in the group. ¡°Just now, Melissa held Celeste¡¯s hand, smiling warmly as she called her ¡°Cel.¡± Her tone was so affectionate, like she was her own daughter. ¡°You can tell Melissa really likes her. Looks like they¡¯re getting engaged or something! ¡°On Mrs. Fleming Senior¡¯s birthday, Melissa said that as soon as Matthias and Celeste were ready, she could arrange their wedding. ¡°At that time, I thought she was just saying it casually, but it turns out she was serious! Damn!¡± When Wynn saw this, she froze for a moment. After realizing what it meant, her expression suddenly changed. The Scent of 364 Melissa likes Celeste? How is that pacelt? If what Miles said was true, then when she told Meesterday. Thinking about how Malices had left during their conversion renty, Wynn¡¯swart sank Perhaps noticing her change in expression, Trevor, converted, adhed, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling well?¡± Wynn snapped back to reality, forcing a smile. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine Later that day, she informed her family. Upon hearing that Melissa liked Celeste so much, even agreeing to let her be their daughter¨Cinw, both the Shaw family and the Locket family were in disbelief. ¡°Celeste is married with a child, and her family background is ordinary But Matthias¡® family is well¨Coff and sessful. How could the Yoder family possibly agree to them being together? Did Mr. Quinton misunderstand?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Linda hurriedly added, ¡°Or maybe that women hid her past? The Yoder family doesn¡¯t she was married, which is why they-¡± Wynn also couldn¡¯t understand why the Yoder family would agree to Matthias marrying Celeste 8 Perhaps it was true that Celeste had hidden her past and deprived the Yoder family, but who knew? She had originally thought that if she couldn¡¯t persuade Matthias to settle things privately, thewsuit wouldn¡¯t be a big deal. But if Melissa had recorded their conversation yesterday, then thiswsuit could no longer proceed. But if Celeste truly concealed the fact that she was married and had a child, there was still a chance to turn things around. With that thought, Wynn immediately contacted someone to investigate the matter with Melissa Because of Trevor, many people were eager to get on her good side, so finding someone to gather information was not difficult. The next afternoon, the person sent to gather information met Melissa and asked, ¡°Mrs. Yoder, I heard that Ms. Rodriguez, who is very close to your son, has already been married. Is that true?¡± Melissa smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s true, you¡¯re quite well¨Cinformed.¡± After getting the information from Melissa, the person immediately passed it on to Wynn. ¡°The Yoder family actually knows that Celeste is married.¡± That meant they probably also knew that the person she married was Trevor Linda¡¯s voice was a little sour. ¡°Even knowing that the woman is married, they still agreed for them to be together? The Yoder family must have lost their minds.¡± Wynn¡¯s face darkened, and she didn¡¯t respond Jordyn¡¯s fencingpetitionsted for two days. In the afternoon, while Celeste was reading, she received another call from Jordyn After a moment of thought, she picked up the phone. Since Jordyn had just finished herpetition, she had called to share the joy of her win. She had been worried that Celeste wouldn¡¯t pick up, but when she heard the call answered, she happily said, ¡± Mom, are you done with your work?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Mm, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I finished my fencingpetition, and I got second ce! Celeste sincerely praised her. ¡°Jo, you¡¯re amazing.¡± Hearing the praise, Jordyn became even happier: ¡°I¡¯ve only been practicing for a short time, so I only got second ce. But I¡¯ll practice more, so that the next time Ipete, I¡¯ll definitely get first ce!¡± Celeste was happy for her and said, ¡°Mm, keep going, but don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Jordyn responded, then, full of anticipation, asked, ¡°Mom, what are you doing? Do you have time toe home for dinner tonight?¡± Celeste lowered her gaze, her tone turned a little colder as she said, ¡°I still have things to take care of.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± The answer was expected, and Jordyn had grown used to it. Hearing Celeste say this, she didn¡¯t feel disappointed. She had answered the phone and praised her, which already made her very happy.. After chatting for a bit, they hung up the phone. A littleter, Jordyn sent her several photos, some from thepetition and others from when she was on the podium holding her trophy. In the photos, Jordyn, holding her fencing mask, had a graceful look. She was standing on the podium with a bright and radiant smile. The photos were really well taken. After sending the photos, Jordyn messaged. ¡°These photos were all taken by Dad. Mom, do you think they¡¯re nice? 11 Celeste replied, ¡°They¡¯re beautiful.¡± That meant Trevor had been with Jordyn the entire time during thepetition. Anyway, it was clear that Trevor was treating Jordyn very well and was quite invested in her. To be honest, as a father, Trevor was doing a decent job. Since he was so good to Jordyn, Celeste could rest assured. On Monday, when Celeste and Matthias returned to thepany, theirwyer informed them that he had received a message from Wynn¡¯swyer saying that W The Scent of 365 Chapter 365 After confirming the contract termination, Wynn called Trevor to inform him about the situation. ¡°On the day of the auction, I misspoke during my conversation with Melissa, and she caught it. Matthias¡¯ reluctance to work with InnovaTech has also be very obvious. ¡°Even if I win thewsuit, it would be difficult to guarantee that Matthias and his family won¡¯t cause trouble in the future. ¡°Since they have no intention of coborating with Innovalech, I think it¡¯s better to terminate the contract early and find new partners. It may not be a bad thing.¡± Trevor didn¡¯t ask what she had said that caused Melissa totch onto her words. He just said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve decided, let¡¯s go ahead with the termination. Do you need my help with the termination fees?¡± To be honest, Wynn was somewhat moved by his offer. However, ever since her family moved to Baumond, Trevor had already done so much for them. Moreover, if she continued to expect him to help with everything, even if she was talented and attracted to him, after a while, he might grow weary of it. She knew this was not a good approach. So she replied, ¡°No need. I can handle it myself.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Trevor responded, then asked, ¡°Once you¡¯ve terminated the contract with YodaVision, you¡¯ll need to find new partners quickly. Should I handle this for you?¡± Wynn had been upset recently due to the situation with Celeste and Matthias. But hearing Trevor¡¯s offer made her mood instantly lift, and a warm, sweet feeling filled her heart. Even her tone became softer. ¡°Okay, thank you, Trevor.¡± As for the termination with InnovaTech, Matthias and Celeste directly handed it over to theirwyers. When Wynn received the termination terms from YodaVision and saw the more than 300 million termination fee, she frowned. Compared to the contract they signed at the time, the termination fee of over 300 million was indeed too high. ¡°Over 300 million?¡± Seeing the termination fee, Linda also frowned. It wasn¡¯t that she thought the amount was toorge or that Celeste and Matthias were being unreasonable. Before Wynn got together with Trevor, given their families situations, 300 million was like taking their lives. But now, the amount didn¡¯t seem excessively high, although at first nce, it seemed like a lot. After all, Trevor had casually given Wynn jewelry worth millions, given Erin a birthday gift worth tens of millions, and gifted the vi worth over 600 million to Lilian. Trevor also gave InnovaTech to Wynn, which was worth billions. Besides these, he had also given their two families many expensive gifts. Compared to all these things, 300 million didn¡¯t seem thatrge. Wynn and Lilian shared the same thought. Therefore, when they saw the termination terms from Yoda Vision, they merely frowned lightly. Erin and Patricia, however, felt pain at the thought of it.. 300 million was arge sum, after all. Harvey also frowned. ¡°We don¡¯t have that much liquidity.¡± Wynn paused. Indeed, although Trevor had given them many valuable things, he only gave them gifts, not cash. Given their two families¡® situation, it was really unlikely that they coulde up with 300 million at once. So, Wynn said, ¡°Let¡¯s pool our resources.¡® 11 Ruby, feeling the pinch, couldn¡¯t help but suggest, ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask Trevor to help?¡± Before Wynn could speak, Lilian quietly said, ¡°Ruby, most of the time you can ept things from others, but you shouldn¡¯t directly ask for help. Asking for help in everything isn¡¯t wise. Do you understand?¡± If they asked too much, Trevor would get annoyed. Lilian and Wynn had already discussed the pros and cons of this before. Ruby understood, of course. But wasn¡¯t she feeling the sting herself? Still, this matter had been caused by her daughter. Moreover, although 300 million seemed like a lot at first nce, after Wynn married Trevor, even 3 billion or even 30 billion would be nothing if it were for Wynn. Furthermore, with InnovaTech¡¯s promising future, once InnovaTech¡¯s autonomous vehicles areunched, they could easily earn back the money. Thinking about this, Ruby stopped speaking. Although the others didn¡¯t speak, they were having simr thoughts. The Scent of 366 Chapter 366 Wynn quickly signed the termination agreement. As for thepensation, she promised to pay it within the specified time in the agreement. After receiving the news, Matthias snorted, ¡°She sure is quick to act.¡± The subsequent matters were handled by thewyers. After Wynn signed the termination agreement, neither Celeste nor Matthias paid much attention to it. Three dayster, Zachary had a break, and the three of them hadn¡¯t seen each other for a while, so they made ns to meet for a meal. At noon, Celeste and Matthias left the office. When they arrived at the restaurant, they ran into Wynn and Trevor at the entrance. With them was also Donald Johansen, the CEO of another local AIpany. Donald and Matthias were familiar with each other and had a decent rtionship. They would often sit down and chat when they met. Now, seeing Matthias, Donald greeted him first, ¡°Mr. Yoder.¡± Matthias didn¡¯t even nce at Trevor and Wynn, responding with a smile, ¡°Mr. Johansen.¡± Donald also knew that InnovaTech had approached him only after terminating the contract with YodaVision. Seeing Matthias¡® cold demeanor toward Trevor and Wynn, Donald assumed that they had had an unpleasant fallout over the contract termination, which was why Matthias was so indifferent. In the past, even when Matthias was cold, Trevor and Wynn would always make an effort to greet him. But this time, neither of them took the initiative to speak to Matthias. Wynn¡¯s gaze toward Matthias was noticeably colder than before. As for Celeste, she still didn¡¯t bother to look at her. Not wanting to linger on the matter, Matthias and Celeste immediately walked into the restaurant after greeting Donald. After taking the elevator up and entering the private room, Matthias finally said with a cold smile, ¡°They just terminated the contract with us, and now they¡¯re already working with DataWing. Trevor sure knows how to make big moves.¡± Donald¡¯spany, DataWing Inc., was also one of the leading AIpanies in the country. Working with DataWing, in terms of coboration fees, would likely be far higher than when they worked with YodaVision. Celeste sat down, poured a ss of water, and said, ¡°Theirnguage system was the best in the countryst year; one else evenes close. It¡¯s not surprising that they would turn to Donald. no ¡°Moreover, after terminating the contract with us, this is the best way for them to make up for the lost opportunity. ¡°They have no reason not to choose DataWing.¡± Matthias understood this reasoning, of course. But the more he understood, the more upset he felt. He became increasingly frustrated and said, ¡°So, I guess Trevor paid the termination fee for InnovaTech, right?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t answer. At that moment, Zachary arrived. When he entered the room, neither Celeste nor Matthias brought up the matter again. They didn¡¯t want to sully Zachary¡¯s ears with their messy issues. Whenever they met with Zachary, they usually talked about new developments in the Al field. Given that they rarely met, this mealsted quite a while. It was nearly two hours before they finished their meal. However, when they left the private room and headed toward the elevator, the door to the adjacent room opened as well. Trevor, Wynn, and Donald appeared before Celeste and Matthias. Before either of them could speak, Donald saw Zachary and greeted him first. ¡°Mr. Newman.¡± Donald was also from the AI field and had some level of recognition. Zachary nodded when he heard his name. Trevor also greeted Zachary, and Wynn followed suit, saying, ¡°Mr. Newman.¡± Zachary¡¯s expression was cold, and he didn¡¯t speak. At that moment, a group of people from the other side of the hallway turned the corner and saw them. They froze for a moment, especially when they noticed Zachary was also present. Celeste quickly withdrew her gaze when she saw it was Jorge. Jorge regained hisposure and, after ncing at Wynn, he was the first to greet Zachary, ¡°Mr. Newman.¡± Zachary lightly nodded, still not saying anything. Jorge then nced at Wynn, Trevor, and Celeste before speaking, ¡°Are you all here together?¡± He had already heard about the termination between YodaVision and InnovaTech. He also heard that Wynn felt that Matthiascked sincerity in continuing to cooperate with them. So, even if YodaVision hadn¡¯t terminated the contract, given Matthias¡® attitude, it was likely that they would cause trouble in the future. So, she agreed to YodaVision¡¯s request for termination for long¨Cterm consideration. However, it seemed a bit strange that they had just terminated their contract with InnovaTech and were now having a meal together. Wynn knew what he was thinking and quickly responded to his question, ¡°No, we just ran into each other.¡± Jorge smiled slightly, ¡°I see.¡± He knew it. Celeste and Matthias weren¡¯t interested in continuing the small talk with Jorge, Trevor, or Wynn. Celeste was about to speak, but Matthias beat her to it, say Zachary nodded and was about to turn to leave when Jorge) him, Trevor, and Wynn. His face turned cold before he suddenly stepped forward at We met not long ago. I¡¯m not sure if you remember me?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Zachary nced at him. ¡°So?¡± Celeste was about to speak, but Matthias beat her to it, saying to Zachary, ¡°Prof, let¡¯s go.¡± Zachary nodded and was about to turn to leave when Jorge, noticing their cold attitude and their disregard for him, Trevor, and Wynn. His face turned cold before he suddenly stepped forward and said, ¡°Mr. Newman, my father is Theodore Robinson. We met not long ago. I¡¯m not sure if you remember me?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Zachary nced at him. ¡°So?¡± 1 The Scent of 367 Chapter 367 ¡°Are you aware of the termination of the contract between VodaVision and InnovaTech? ¡°Your student, Matthias, has be increasingly arrogant and indulgent, unable to distinguish right from wrong because of his obsession with love. Have you noticed this?¡± Jorge had intended to say these things, but when his eyes caught sight of Trevor, the words suddenly got stuck in his throat. These were, after all, matters concerning Wynn. Now that both Wynn and Trevor were present, Jorge felt that he had no ce to speak on the subject. If he spoke out of turn in front of so many people, it would be equivalent to revealing his thoughts about Wynn to others. That would cause Wynn unnecessary trouble. Thinking of this, Jorge noticed Donald standing beside Trevor. He was aware of Donald¡¯s identity. Now that InnovaTech and YodaVision had signed the termination agreement, and then Wynn and Trevor were having a meal with Donald¡­ He immediately realized what this meant. DataWing was indeed the best option for InnovaTech after YodaVision. Trevor was clearly attentive to Wynn. Since Wynn had already found a new partner and Matthias¡® behavior was bing more erratic, it might be better for Wynn to distance herself from them. Given this, Jorge felt there was no need to bring up anything with Zachary. His thoughts turned quickly, and he decided to say, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, sorry to interrupt.¡± Matthias clearly knew what Jorge had wanted to say. With a hint of mockery, he smiled and said, ¡°I thought you were angry and were going toin to my mentor.¡± Matthias¡® sarcastic tone made Jorge feel that Matthias was overly smug and unrepentant. At that moment, Jorge thought that Matthias¡® situation was worse than he had imagined. He had once felt that Matthias was somewhat pitiable. Now, seeing that Matthias was eagerly descending into decadence with Celeste, Jorge thought, why should he stop him? With this thought in mind, Jorge didn¡¯t want to say any more to Matthias. He responded dismissively, ¡°Mr. Yoder, you¡¯re exaggerating.¡± Matthias, uninterested in Jorge, turned to Celeste and Zachary and said, ¡°Prof, let¡¯s go.¡± Celeste nodded and said to Zachary, ¡°Prof, this way.¡± When Jorge and Wynn heard Celeste address Zachary as ¡°Prof,¡± they assumed she was shamelessly following Matthias¡® lead. Even so, they were still a bit displeased, feeling that by calling Zachary ¡°Prof,¡± Celeste was tarnishing his reputation. Matthias and Celeste were heading back to the office. So, after Zachary left in his car, Matthias remarked, ¡°Jorge is such an idiot. I regret ever cooperating with him just because I wanted to show Theodore respect. The thought of continuing to work with him makes my head hurt.¡± Celeste rubbed her temples and said, ¡°Should we have Mr. Lockridge handle him in the future?¡± Matthias responded, ¡°Yes, please!¡± Celeste smiled, and they both headed back to the office. As they exited the elevator and were about to enter thepany, her phone rang. It was a call from Trevor. But Celeste didn¡¯t answer. Seeing her sudden change in expression, Matthias guessed who was on the other end of the line. After the phone stopped vibrating, Celeste was about to discuss tomorrow¡¯s work arrangements with Matthias when a new message notification popped up on her phone. It was from Trevor. ¡°I¡¯m going on a business trip tomorrow. Jo wants to stay with you. Can you take care of her during the May Day holiday?¡± After reading the message, Matthias scoffed and said, ¡°Just like during the Ember Festival, he can¡¯t go on a business trip without bringing Wynn along. But he wants you to look after Jordyn so he can spend time alone with Wynn?¡± The Scent of 368 Chapter 368 Celeste was thinking the same thing. So, she replied to Trevor. ¡°I¡¯m busy. Also, please keep your promise and make sure she doesn¡¯t go to my grandmother¡¯s house.¡± After a while, Trevor replied, ¡°Okay.¡± After that, Trevor didn¡¯t contact her again. On the third afternoon of the May Day holiday, while Celeste and her family were preparing to enjoy rafting at a scenic spot, Lottie sent her a photo. The person in the photo was Wynn. Lottie was currently in Galdovia, busy with a fashion show. Celeste looked at the photo and replied, ¡°Is she watching your show?¡± Lottie replied, ¡°Yes! Talk about bad vibes.¡® Then, she sent another message. ¡°She¡¯s alone, though. I didn¡¯t see Trevor.¡± Celeste responded with an ¡°Okay,¡± not particrly concerned about the situation, and asked, ¡°When are youing back?¡± ¡°Not sure yet.¡± Lottie had other things to attend to, so they chatted for a bit before she got busy. More than ten minutester, Lottie video¨Ccalled her.. Celeste hesitated, and just as she answered, Wynn and Trevor¡¯s figures appeared in front of her. Lottie snorted and lowered her voice to speak to her. ¡°He just arrived. The show has ended, and now he¡¯se to pick her up.¡± Wynn seemed to know people there and was chatting enthusiastically with someone, while Trevor patiently waited beside her, watching her interact with others. Matthias had predicted that Trevor would bring Wynn along on his business trip, and it turned out he was right. However, seeing only the two of them and not Jordyn made Celeste furrow her brows. Just as she was thinking about this, the camera suddenly shook, and Celeste thought something had happened to Lottie. Upon taking a closer look, she realized that it was Trevor who had nced directly at the camera. Clearly, he must have seen Lottie. Lottie was startled when their eyes met. Before she could react, Trevor casually shifted his gaze away. She and Lottie had been close friends for many years, and Trevor knew this. Yet, even though he encountered her foreign country, Trevor made no effort toe over and greet her. in However, Trevor was like this with her family too, so it was normal for him to ignore Lottie. After being seen by Trevor, Lottie was reluctant to point the camera at him again. As for how things were between Trevor and Wynn, Celeste didn¡¯t want to care. She thought about Jordyn and said to Lottle, ¡°I need to make a call, I¡¯ll hang up for now. When you to a meal.¡± Lottie quickly replied, ¡°Okay, go ahead then.¡± After hanging up the video call, Celeste dialed Jordyn¡¯s number. But the call didn¡¯t go through. Celeste thought for a moment and then switched to a video call. This time, it connected. Jordyn was overjoyed to see the video call and immediately answered, ¡°Mom!¡± Celeste saw that she was in a car. So, she asked, ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m abroad now,¡± Jordyn replied excitedly, ¡°I just took a helicopter to watch the wildebeest migration. There were tens of thousands of them, nonstop. It was so stunning to watch them up close from the helicopter!¡± Celeste was taken aback. Wildebeest migration in May? ¡°Are you in Tavora?¡± ¡°Yes, I-¡± But Trevor and Wynn were in Galdovia right now. ** Although she knew that ever since Trevor started taking care of Jordyn, he had arranged for bodyguards to apany her whenever he was unavable, allowing her to go wherever she wanted. Still, she was so young, and now Trevor and Wynn had gone to Galdovia, leaving Jordyn to travel so far with just bodyguards. What if something happened? Celeste tightened her grip on her phone, trying to control her emotions. She asked, ¡°Did you go with your dad?¡± ¡°No,¡± Jordyn replied, ¡°Dad said he was busy and didn¡¯t have time to apany me, so he told me to find something fun to do. ¡°I saw the animal migration on TV before and really wanted to see it in person, so I told Dad, and he arranged for someone to bring me here.¡± The Scent of 369 Chapter 369 Trevor didn¡¯t have time to apany Jordyn, but he could spend time with Wynn? Before Celeste could say anything, Jordyn spoke again, ¡°Men, I wish you had called earlier. If you had called earlier, I could have shown you a video from the helicopter Celeste could tell that Jordyn was very pleased with Trevor¡¯s arrangements this time. For a moment, Celeste didn¡¯t know what to say. But she couldn¡¯t shake the heavy feeling of frustration growing in her chest. Jordyn continued talking about her ns for the next day and mentioned that she would be returning to the country that evening. Celeste listened, and before she could respond, Jordyn suddenly asked eagerly, ¡°Mom, do you have time tomorrow? I want to call you again.¡± Celeste snapped back to reality, and after two seconds, she replied, ¡°I have time tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Knowing that Jordyn was already on her way back to the hotel, Celeste felt a lot more at ease. After chatting for a Hittle while longer, she ended the video call. At this point, it was time for her to meet with Jamie and the others to go rafting, so she put her phone away. She had originally been looking forward to the holiday outing. But now, she felt utterly drained. Still, she didn¡¯t want to ruin the fun for Jamie and the others, so she went with them. When they arrived at their destination and were in line, someone suddenly tapped her on the shoulder. Celeste turned around. It was Kieran. Kieran had asked her earlier if she was spending the holiday with her family, and when she mentioned rafting, he seemed very interested, so he had specificallye over. She had known he was keen on the idea of rafting. So, seeing him here now wasn¡¯t surprising. Celeste just asked, ¡® When did you get here?¡± ¡°This morning.¡± After officially joining YodaVision, Kieran had been trying to find an opportunity to ask her out, but had never been sessful. In the past, every time they met, it was only at thepany, except for that one time at the banquet. Celeste dressed formally when she went to work. But now, she was out without makeup, wearing a simple sleeveless top and casual pants, with flip¨Cflops on her feet The sun was just right today, shining on her face and arms, making her look even more radiant. Compared to her usual formal office look, she now had a softer, sweeter, and even more stunning presence. Around them, both men and women couldn¡¯t help but nce in her direction. Kieran couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her as well. Kieran himself was also very handsome. He was a few years younger than Celeste and dressed in a T¨Cshirt, shorts, and flip¨Cflops, looking fresh and clean, like a college student. Celeste¡¯s aunt, Adeline, saw Kieran and couldn¡¯t lo Celeste replied, ¡°He¡¯s a colleague at YodaVision.¡± but ask, ¡°Cel, who is this handsome guy?¡± Adeline smiled, noticing the way Kieran looked at Celeste. She felt there was more to it, but didn¡¯t press the matter. Besides, Celeste wasn¡¯t divorced yet, and it wouldn¡¯t be a good thing to get involved with someone at this time. Thinking this, she saw that Celeste didn¡¯t seem interested, so she didn¡¯t say anything further. It was soon their turn, and as Celeste waved goodbye to Kieran, he said, ¡°If you have time, let¡¯s hang outter?¡± Celeste nodded and replied, ¡°Okay.¡± After she left, Kieran¡¯s friend came over, ¡°I have to say, this Ms. Rodriguez is really beautiful. She looks even more stunning than she did at the banquet.¡°¡® Kieran¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Shut up.¡® ¡°1 His friend, now knowing that Kieran was seriously interested in Celeste, made an ¡°OK¡± gesture and zipped his lips with a ¡°zip¡± motion. The Scent of 370 Chapter 370 Kieran never managed to find a chance to go rafting with Celeste. However, during dinner, he once again ¡°ran into ¡°Celeste and her family. Ivan and Adeline warmly invited him and his friend to eat with them. After learning that he was from the Gibson family, Ivan curiously asked, ¡°What made you suddenly decide to back and develop your career here?¡± Thinking of the original reason he returned, Kieran paused slightly in his movements before replying, ¡°I¡¯ve always been very interested in YodaVision¡¯s programming nguage Cuap and theirtest project, Infinite¨CCM, so I came back to join thepany and learn.¡± Ivan, Adeline, and Betty were all aware of Celeste¡¯s involvement with YodaVision. Upon hearing this, they all smiled subtly and nced at Celeste. Meanwhile, Celeste just quietly lowered her head and continued eating. Kieran, however, didn¡¯t think too much of it. Celeste was indeed very capable professionally. But from what he had gathered, she had only joined YodaVisionst year. But Cuap had already existed for many years. Moreover, the outside world always credited Cuap¡¯s development to Zachary. To the industry, it made perfect sense that such a powerfulnguage was developed by Zachary. As for YodaVision¡¯stest project, Infinite¨CCM, Kieran genuinely believed it was being led by Matthias. Since joining YodaVision, Kieran had interacted with Matthias in a few meetings. From those limited interactions, he could tell Matthias was indeed highly skilled in his field. But since they hadn¡¯t interacted deeply, Kieran couldn¡¯t reallypare who was more capable¨CMatthias or Celeste. That said, from what he observed at work, it seemed Celeste was always assisting Matthias. So, he also assumed that Matthias was professionally stronger than Celeste. The Rodriguez family was gracious, warm, and engaging in conversation. After dinner, Kieran was left with a good impression of everyone. But once the meal ended, Celeste and her family left the scenic area and headed home. Seeing them go, Kieran and his friends didn¡¯t linger much longer either. The next day, Celeste received another call from Jordyn. She was getting ready to return to the country. She said, ¡°Mom, Dad won¡¯t be back for another two to three days. Do you have time? I want toe see you and Granny when I get back.¡± Celeste remembered how Betty had mentioned Jordyn a few times over the past few days. So, after two seconds of silence, she said, ¡°Come on over.¡± On thest day of the holiday, after returning to the country Jordyn went straight to the Rodriguez residence. She¡¯d even brought gifts for Celeste and the rest of the family. Betty, Ivan, and his family were delighted with the presents Celeste noticed that in Jordyn¡¯s suitcase, aside from the gifts for them, there were two that hadn¡¯t been given out. It was obvious they were prepared for Trevor and Wynn. Celeste calmly looked away. After distributing the gifts, the excitement from traveling wore off, and fatigue set in. Still reluctant to part from Celeste, Jordyn snuggled into her arms before falling asleep, hugging her tightly around the waist. She hadn¡¯t even showered. But seeing how tired she looked and how soundly she was sleeping, Celeste didn¡¯t wake her. After she fell asleep, Celeste gently moved her to the bed. The next morning, before work, Celeste dropped her off at school. She didn¡¯t ask when Trevor would be back. Three days after the May Day holiday ended, Trevor returned to the country. But he didn¡¯t contact Celeste. Instead, he reached out to Jordyn. After speaking with him on the phone, Jordyn said to Celeste, ¡°Mom, Dad said he¡¯sing to pick me up soon.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°Okay.¡± Jordyn was still a little reluctant to leave the Rodriguez family, but Trevor had said he missed her. So, even though she didn¡¯t want to leave Celeste, she had to go back with him. Half an hourter, Trevor arrived. Celeste walked to his car, holding Jordyn¡¯s hand. Trevor got out of the car, looked at her, and said, ¡°Thank you for taking care of her these past few days.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t respond. Instead, she turned to Jordyn and said, ¡°Jo, I need to talk to your dad for a moment. Get in the car first.¡± Jordyn nced at them and said, ¡°Okay.¡± Then, she obediently got into the car. Once Trevor shut the car door, Celeste finally spoke. ¡°Jo is only six years old. You really feltfortable letting her travel so far with just bodyguards?¡± Before he could respond, she continued coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you trust those bodyguards so much, but I don¡¯t want something like this to happen again.¡± When she finished, she expected him to argue. But he simply looked at her and replied, ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Celeste paused and didn¡¯t say anything else. Trevor then added, ¡°We¡¯ll head back now. You should get some rest.¡® Celeste said nothing and turned to go back into the house. 11 The Scent of 371 Chapter 371 Two dayster, Matthias traveled to Santerra to attend the International Artificial Intelligence Conference. Simr tost year¡¯s tech expo, this event was a prime opportunity for industry professionals to learn about thetest AI developments and exchange technical insights. Apanying him were Celeste, Kieran, and a few other newly hired engineers at YodaVision. The reason for bringing neers like Kieran was that they hadn¡¯t yet been exposed to thepany¡¯s proprietary information, so there was no risk of any sensitive information being leaked. By the time they arrived in Santerra and entered the conference venue, a sizable crowd had already gathered. It was said that several prominent international Al experts would also be attending the event. Atst year¡¯s tech expo, Matthias had already drawn significant attention solely by virtue of being Zachary¡¯s student. Now, with YodaVision¡¯s rising influence, his appearance at this event caused an even greater stir. As soon as he walked into the hall, most of the attendees turned their attention to him. Many people immediately came over to greet him, keeping him quite busy. Celeste and Kieran stood to the side, watching Matthias as he socialized, when suddenly a familiar voice reached Celeste¡¯s ears. ¡°You¡¯re here too?¡± Celeste turned around. It was Beck, and standing next to him was James. She nodded. ¡°Mr. Harper, you¡¯re here too?¡± Beck wasn¡¯t someone who needed to attend such conferences in person¨Csending senior executives or key tech personnel like James would¡¯ve been enough. However, it had been a while since he¡¯dst seen Celeste. Knowing that she would almost certainly attend a major event like this, he decided toe himself. As he exchanged a few polite words with Celeste, he noticed Kieran giving him a cold look. However, Beck ignored him. Just then, Trevor arrived as well. Wynn wasn¡¯t with him this time though. Celeste and Matthias noticed his arrival but didn¡¯t have time to react before the hosts of the event appeared, surrounding and politely escorting a man in his sixties into the venue. Both Celeste and Matthias were familiar with influential figures in the AI field, both domestic and international. At a nce, they recognized the man¨CCayden Sweeney. Cayden was a highly aplished figure in the AI world. Previously, Celeste and Matthias had been surprised that Wynn wasn¡¯t by Trevor¡¯s side. Now, upon seeing Cayden, they understood why. She was standing right next to Cayden. It was clear that she was well acquainted with him. Recalling some information about Cayden and linking it to the fact that Wynn was doing her PhD in Andostan, Celeste and Matthias immediately realized why Wynn was by his side. Most likely, Cayden was her PhD advisor. To be epted as Cayden¡¯s PhD student¨CWynn was, indeed, quite impressive. After all, Cayden had made substantial contributions to both deep learning and artificial intelligence. While he wasn¡¯t one of the original founders of deep learning, his contributions to the field and his influence in AI were beyond dispute. As a result, most people at the conference recognized him. The moment he appeared, the whole venue was abuzz. ¡°Cayden Sweeney? It¡¯s actually him! He came to our conference? My god, am I dreaming?¡± ¡°Well, if you are, your dreams are a lot better than mine. I wouldn¡¯t even dare to dream of something like this. And yet, here it is happening in real life?¡± At that moment, someone who seemed to be an old acquaintance of Cayden stepped forward to greet him. After exchanging pleasantries, that person nced at Wynn beside him and asked, ¡°This is?¡± The Scent of 372 Cayden said, ¡°This is my PhD student, Wynn Locket.¡± Besides Wynn, Cayden had brought along four or five other students. Among them, Wynn was the only one from Ceravelle. Once people realized that Wynn was Cayden¡¯s student, many at the venue couldn¡¯t help but feel envious. ¡°Oh my god, she¡¯s actually Professor Sweeney¡¯s PhD student? That¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡°Plus, she¡¯s also beautiful. It¡¯s like the universe gave her everything. So unfair!¡± ¡°Wait, there¡¯s more¨Cshe¡¯s also Trevor Fleming¡¯s girlfriend.¡± ¡°No way¨Cno, I can¡¯t take this anymore. Comparing people really will make you depressed!¡± At that moment, Wynn became not just one of the central figures of the event, but also the person of envy and jealousy for many young people in attendance. As word spread that Wynn was Cayden¡¯s student and Trevor¡¯s girlfriend, someone who had just greeted Cayden turned to Trevor and joked, ¡°Mr. Fleming, seems like you¡¯ve got it all, huh?¡± Trevor just smiled and was about to respond, when Cayden, having just learned his identity, pped him on the shoulder. Then, he said to Trevor, ¡°Not bad! But I heard you two have been together for two years. Why aren¡¯t you married yet? Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t won my student¡¯s heart? If that¡¯s the case, you¡¯d better work harder¨CI¡¯m rooting for you!¡± Hearing this, many in the crowd who understoodughed heartily. But not everyone was amused. Celeste, Matthias, and Beck remained silent, along with Jorge, who had just arrived. As soon as Jorge entered, he saw Cayden at the center of attention beside Wynn. After one of his assistants briefed him on who Cayden was an AI heavyweight who¡¯d made major contributions to the field for thest decade and was also Wynn¡¯s advisor he took the man¡¯s words a lot more seriously. But when he heard Cayden pushing Trevor to get married, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang of bitterness. There was no way he couldugh at that. Celeste and Matthias noticed his arrival but made no move to greet him. Jorge, for his part, had grown disillusioned with Matthias. Still, since they were business partners, he feltpelled and went over to greet Matthias anyway. But unlike before¡ªwhen he would eagerly try to make friendly conversation despite being snubbed¨Chis tone now was noticeably cold. But, Matthias didn¡¯t hold back. With a dry chuckle, he said, Mr. Robinson, if you don¡¯t want to greet me, I won¡¯t force you. From now on, outside of work, you can treat me like a stranger.¡± Hearing this, Jorge didn¡¯t bother pretending anymore. He responded coldly, ¡°As you wish, Mr. Yoder.¡± And with that, he threw a cold nce at Celeste as well. Matthias caught that and nearlyughed out of sheer irritation. Just then, Cayden noticed Matthias. Matthias had already gained some international recognition. In fact, he was one of the main reasons for Cayden¡¯s visit to Ceravelle. As a legend from the previous generation of AI pioneers, Cayden hade to meet the rising star of this generation¨CMatthias. He didn¡¯t put on any airs. Instead, he approached warmly and extended a hand. ¡°Mr. Yoder, hello. I¡¯ve been very interested in your team¡¯stest project and long hoped to have a deep conversation with you.¡± YodaVision¡¯s newest project, Infinite¨CCM, had broken through the long¨Cstanding monopoly Andostan held in AI technology¨Ceffectively leapfrogging thepetition and delivering a heavy blow to Andostan¡¯s AI industry. YodaVision¡¯s achievements had given foreign engineers and researchers countless headaches. But the more desperate they became, the more they wanted to understand how Matthias had pulled it off. Thus, it wasn¡¯t just Cayden but also many top international engineers who were eager to meet Matthias and exchange ideas with him. The only problem was, they¡¯d never had the chance to until now. And Cayden wasn¡¯t going to miss it. The Scent of 373 What Cayden wanted was really just an attempt to learn the core technology behind Infinite¨CCM. Matthias shook hands with him and responded smoothly. ¡°Professor Sweeney, you tter me. I¡¯ve read your two papers on recurrent neuralworks and attention mechanisms more than ten times¨Cthey¡¯ve been a huge source of inspiration for me. ¡°It¡¯s truly an honor to speak with you.¡°? Cayden was naturally eager to talk to Matthias longer. But the conference opening ceremony was about to begin. So, before they could continue the conversation, the staff came over to guide them to their seats. After the event¡¯s organizers gave their opening speeches, Cayden, Matthias, and other high¨Cprofile guests began giving keynote presentations. Everyone in attendance was eager to build connections with Cayden and Matthias. Once the first round of talks concluded, both of them were immediately surrounded by many parties, including corporate delegations. Celeste, Beck, Kieran, and Jorge didn¡¯t actually need to go up and crowd around them. So they simply stood on the sides and observed. Trevor, too, didn¡¯t need to join the crowd. But he was with Wynn. So, he naturally ended up in the center of the scene. After unscrewing a bottle cap, he handed the bottle of water to Wynn. That one small gesture instantly earned Wynn another wave of admiring stares from the women around her. Many of the attending experts and entrepreneurs who knew about Trevor and Wynn¡¯s rtionship had previously been puzzled. With his family background and personal achievements, why would he choose someone like Wynn as a girlfriend? Yes, she was beautiful and had decent academic credentials, but her family background was extremely modest byparison. But now, knowing she was Cayden¡¯s student, everything seemed to make sense. Before, people were polite to Wynn only out of respect for Trevor. Now, learning she was Cayden¡¯s student, they treated her with far more enthusiasm. Wynn saw all of it, of course¨Cthe envious nces from the women¨Cthe newfound respect from the business elite. She took the water from Trevor, took a light sip, and smiled silently. Then, she looked toward the people left out on the side¨CCeleste, Jorge, and the others. The fact that she was Cayden¡¯s student hade as a genuine surprise to Jorge. The look in his eyes ¡ªfull of amazement and admiration was impossible to hide. Diynn wohted, obviously but she wasn¡¯t surprised. Then the locked over a Celeste. Her expression was calm and indifferent, as if none of this concerned her. Wynn sneered inwardly. Was Celeste truly unaffected? Or was she just pretending to be above it all? After all, she was Cayden¡¯s student now¨Ca level Celeste could never reach. She could only look up at her from below. Celeste caught the trace of disdain in her eyes. She didn¡¯t know exactly what Wynn was thinking, but it wasn¡¯t hard to guess. She found it funny and shot her a cold, dismissive look in return. Wynn thought she was just forcing herself to act unfazed. She turned her gaze away from Celeste and looked at Beck and Kieran¨Conly to find that Kieran was looking at Celeste. It was as if Celeste was the only person in his eyes¨Che didn¡¯t even notice her. But Kieran was never someone who judged people by appearances. And having seen how capable she was, there was no way he¡¯d really fall for someone like Celeste. So, seeing Kieran¡¯s attention seemingly locked onto Celeste didn¡¯t worry her in the slightest. As for Beck, he was looking in her direction, visibly dazed. Wynn smiled. He had always known she was capable, but he probably hadn¡¯t realized she was this exceptional. Would he still like Celeste now? Cayden genuinely did want to have a serious discussion with Matthias. But Matthias and the event organizers simply didn¡¯t give him the opportunity. At lunch, Matthias excused himself, saying he had another engagement, and left with Celeste and the others. As Matthias and Celeste passed by Trevor and Wynn, Celeste kept her gaze straight ahead. And Trevor didn¡¯t so much as nce in her direction¨Che remained fully focused on his conversation. Cayden¡¯s visit to Ceravelle officially ended on the second day of the International Artificial Intelligence Conference. He left disappointed that he hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to dive deeper with Matthias. But his disappointment didn¡¯tst long. Eight before leaving Ceravelle, he said to Wynn with visible excitement, ¡°Thetest issue of NMI received a submission with exceptionally high quality and a truly innovative perspective. The reviewers were all blown away. Once the issue is published, I¡¯d love to have a chance to speak in depth with the author.¡± Cayden was also a reviewer for one of Af¡¯s top academic journals besides being a world¨Crenowned professor. As a reviewer, he was forbidden from disclosing any details or opinions about submitted manuscripts before official publication That included personal assessments. But given his standing in the field, he didn¡¯t think anyone would dare expose his minor breach of that confidentiality. Wynn was intrigued by his praise and couldn¡¯t help but feel curious and eager for the journal¡¯s release. Fortunately, the new issue of NMI was set to publish very soon. And she also knew Cayden wouldn¡¯t have told her this unless he held high hopes for her. So, she replied, ¡°I understand, Professor. Once the issue is out, I¡¯ll be sure to study that paper thoroughly.¡± Cayden nodded. ¡°Good.¡± After seeing him off at the airport, Wynn finally returned home. The Scent of 374 Chapter 374 A few days after attending the International Artificial Intelligence Conference, Celeste went to a hotel one evening after work to attend Adeline¡¯s nephew¡¯s wedding banquet. She entered the elevator and just as the doors were about to close, she suddenly heard someone say, ¡°Hold the door.¡± At the same time, a hand reached in to stop the elevator from closing. When she saw who it was, Celeste¡¯s eyes flickered slightly. Calvin was also surprised to see her in the elevator. Though they had only met a few times and theirst meeting was two or three months ago, he still remembered her. He gave her a polite nod. At that moment, Erin appeared at the elevator entrance as well. She looked slightly surprised when she saw Celeste. But she quickly averted her eyes, entering the elevator as if she didn¡¯t recognize her. Calvin was about to press the button for their floor, but noticed that the 18th floor had been selected. Since Celeste was technically an acquaintance, he smiled and turned back, intending to make small talk. But Celeste clearly saw his intentions, turned her face coldly, and looked away. Calvin froze for a moment. Seeing how clearly she didn¡¯t want to talk, he said nothing further. Calvin then affectionately put his arm around Erin¡¯s shoulders. She smiled and patted his hand lightly. Celeste stood beside them in silence, observing quietly. Soon, the elevator arrived at the 18th floor. As the doors opened, a wave of noise greeted them from outside. Following behind Erin and Calvin, Celeste stepped out of the elevator and realized the lobby on the 18th floor was packed with people. Harvey and Lilian were dressed to the nines, standing beside the reception table and greeting guests who hade to celebrate Erin¡¯s birthday. That¡¯s right¨Ctoday was Erin¡¯s 70th birthday. When Celeste had seen her earlier in the elevator, dressed so elegantly, she had almost immediately remembered. what day it was. As soon as Erin appeared, someone noticed and called out warmly, ¡°Look, herees the star of the day!¡± Then someone spotted Celeste behind her. Seeing her striking appearance and poised demeanor, they couldn¡¯t help but brighten up and say, ¡°Madam Locket, is this your granddaughter? No wonder she was able to charm the most outstanding young talent in Baumond. ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful, and she even looks a little like you did in your youth. You¡¯re truly blessed!¡± Celeste wanted to leave immediately, but the crowd was too dense¨Cshe couldn¡¯t make her way out just yet. Chapter 374 28 BONUS The Shaw family and Harvey were standing not far away. When they saw Celeste and Erin arrive together, they were visibly surprised. For a brief moment, they thought Erin had actually invited celeste to her birthday banquet. But, how could that be possible? They quickly figured out that Celeste must have been headed to the wedding banquet next door instead. There was a separate elevator for that venue, but first¨Ctime visitors to the hotel often didn¡¯t know theyout and sometimes took the wrong elevator. It had already happened a few times earlier that evening. The moment someone said Celeste resembled Erin in her youth, Celeste¡¯s face immediately turned cold, and she was about to respond. But before she could speak, Erin cut in with a t tone, ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong person. She¡¯s not my granddaughter. I don¡¯t know her.¡± Just as those words left her mouth, Trevor and Wynn happened to walk out of another elevator. Someone spotted Wynn and immediately said, ¡°Ohe on, what are you all looking at? This is the real granddaughter.¡± Everyone turned their attention to Wynn and Trevor. Both were exceptionally good¨Clooking, and they looked striking standing together. Given their respective identities, the surrounding guests quickly began offering praise with bright smiles. ¡°Wow, no wonder she¡¯s the student of a top scientist¨Cjust look at that presence! Ordinary people really can¡¯tpare.¡± The Scent of 375 ¡°Isn¡¯t that so?¡± Jorge, Miles, and the others were also present. They didn¡¯t know about the grudges between Celeste and the Lockets and Shaws, so when they heard Erin say the guests had mistaken someone for her granddaughter, they didn¡¯t react much. Neither Harvey nor Lennox said a word in defense of Celeste. Linda watched it all with a deep sense of satisfaction. J looked like she wanted to say something, but with so many people around, she didn¡¯t dare. She just lowered her head in silence. Just then, Betty, along with Jamie and Hector, walked out of the elevator. ¡°Celeste?¡± As soon as they stepped out and saw the crowd, Jamie and Hector hadn¡¯t even had time to react before they spotted Celeste, who was about to leave. Hearing Hector¡¯s voice, Celeste turned her head and saw her grandmother and younger siblings. Soon, Betty and the others also saw Trevor. But at the same time, Betty also spotted Harvey, Lilian, and the rest of the Locket family. Celeste pressed her lips together, then turned around and walked back toward Betty. She gently held her arm and said, ¡°Granny, the wedding banquet is over there.¡± For her 70th birthday, Erin had invited some of Youtopia¡¯s prominent families and elites. Among them were people who knew about the grudge between the Locket and Rodriguez families. Although it had been many years since they¡¯dst seen Betty, they recognized her the moment theyid eyes on her. And when they heard Celeste calling her and saw that she looked to be around 25 or 26, they quickly realized that this beautiful young woman must be Erin¡¯s other granddaughter. It was just that, ever since Harvey divorced his first wife, this granddaughter had never been seen at any Locket family events again. They had previously heard rumors that after her son married his second wife, Eric hadpletely cast aside the granddaughter from Harvey¡¯s first marriage. 1 They had thought it was just gossip. But judging by how cold and dismissive she had just been toward Celeste, they now realized it probably wasn¡¯t a rumor after all. Even more telling, Harvey, her biological father, was standing right there the entire time, yet he didn¡¯t say a single word. Clearly, he had no intention of acknowledging his daughter either. Back then, when Harvey insisted on divorcing the well¨Cmatched Rodriguez heiress to marry a girl from a poor background, many of these people thought he had lost his mind. Chapter 375 $26 BONUS Later, they heard that the Rodriguez family had been on the verge of bankruptcy, a far cry from their former glory. Meanwhile, the Locket family, thanks to the granddaughter born to that other woman, had risen to incredible heights¨Cexperiencing a true leap in social ss. 1 It was also said that Erin¡¯s grandson was exceptionally talented. Looking at the Locket family¡¯s current prosperity, and the at the Rodriguez¡¯s decline, everyone suddenly realized maybe Erin and Harvey had made the right choice after all. It was precisely because the Locket family was so prominent now that many of these people had traveled all the way from Youtopia to attend Erin¡¯s birthday banquet. In addition to them, a number of top¨Ctier elites from Youtopia¡¯s highest social circles had alsoe. These were people the Locket family would never have been able to associate with before. Yet, today, even those elites had made the effort to attend. Even if they had little personal connection to the Locket family, they still came after receiving the invitation. This had earned the Locket family some clout. The Scent of 376 Chapter 376 After the people from Youtopia recognized Betty, they noticed that the Lockets and the Shaws didn¡¯t say anything about her presence. It became clear to them that the Locket family didn¡¯t want the past between the Rodriguez and the Locket families to be widely discussed. Seeing this, even though some people recognized Betty, none of them stepped forward to greet her. Instead, some shifted their attention to Wynn and Calvin. One guest even smiled and said to Erin right in front of Celeste and Betty, ¡°Madam Locket, your grandchildren are so outstanding¨Cin both looks and demeanor. You are truly blessed.¡± Indeed, Wynn and Calvin were the pride of both Erin and the entire Locket family. Erin didn¡¯t spare Celeste another nce. Upon hearing thepliment, she looked lovingly at Calvin and Wynn and smiled, ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating.¡± Whatever she said next, Celeste didn¡¯t hear. She and her family had already moved past the crowd and walked away. As for Trevor, after the initial moment she saw him, she hadn¡¯t looked at him again. Jorge and Miles didn¡¯t expect to see Celeste here either, and certainly not to witness the awkward moment where she was mistaken for Wynn. They silently watched her leave. At that moment, Beck¡¯s secretary arrived with a gift box and handed it to Erin. When they found out that Beck couldn¡¯t attend the birthday banquet in person, both the Lockets and the Shaws were rather disappointed. The Shaw family, in particr, was more disappointed than the Locket family¨Cand also anxious. After all, Linda had caused a mess some time ago, and both Ruby and Patricia were desperately hoping that a marriage between Linda and Beck could turn things around. But now, Beck hadn¡¯te in person. Miles was genuinely surprised to hear that Beck wasn¡¯t attending. He hadn¡¯t heard of Beck having any special ns for today. Even Wynn didn¡¯t expect Beck to miss such an important event. She frowned unconsciously. 1 Trevor, on the other hand, showed no reaction. 2 Meanwhile, Celeste and her family arrived at the wedding banquet hall. After sitting for a short while, her phone rang. It was a call from Jordyn. Celeste didn¡¯t n to answer, but with Betty sitting beside her¨Cwho saw the name on the screen and, thinking about how Trevor and Wynn had appeared at Erin¡¯s birthday banquet while Jordyn was nowhere to be seen¨Cshe guessed that Trevor had left Jordyn at home. Feeling sorry for the girl, Betty urged Celeste to pick up the call. Celeste had also thought of what Betty had guessed. Not wanting to ignore Jordyn¡¯s call in front of Betty, she go up and found a quieter spot to answer. Jordyn was thrilled Celeste had actually picked up. She quickly said, ¡°Mom, this Sunday is Mother¡¯s Day! I got you a present! Can Ie see you on Sunday?¡± 1 Mother¡¯s Day¡­ It really was a special asion. Celeste paused for a few seconds before gently replying, ¡°Okay.¡± Then she asked, ¡°Are you home alone right now? 11 Jordyn responded cheerfully, ¡°Yeah! Dad hasn¡¯te back yet.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t say anything in reply. Technically speaking, Jordyn was Erin¡¯s great¨Cgranddaughter. Wynn imed to love Jordyn dearly, yet didn¡¯t even think of bringing her along to Erin¡¯s birthday celebration. Was that what genuine care and love looked like? (1) It was such a simple truth; did Trevor really not see it? Then again, given his feelings for Wynn, even a flimsy excuse from her would probably be enough to make him believe her without question. The Scent of 377 Sunday was Mother¡¯s Day. Jordyn was driven over to the Rodriguez residence on Saturday by Trevor¡¯s driver. Her Mother¡¯s Day gift for Celeste was a handmade card, on which she had written, ¡°Happy Mother¡¯s Day, Mom. Love you.¡± in six words. ¡°Pretty, right? The teacher said I could ask Dad to help, but he¡¯s been too busytely. I did everything myself- from theyout, drawing the patterns, to sticking on the little hearts.¡± It had been a while since Celestest saw Jordyn doing homework. Her handwriting had be noticeably more beautiful. Upon hearing this, Celeste looked at the card in her hands and suddenly remembered something fromst year. She had flown all the way to Andostan to spend her birthday with Jordyn and Trevor, only to find that Jordyn was busy polishing a bracelet for Wynn. And from what Jordyn said, that bracelet had been a coborative effort between her and Trevor. Celeste thought about all of this, but her expression didn¡¯t change. 2 She slowly closed the card and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s very pretty. Thank you.¡± The next day, Celeste received a call from Zachary, and that same evening, she went to the military base again. When Caleb walked into the data center, he paused as soon as he spotted Celeste hard at work. She didn¡¯t notice him right away. A whileter, when she picked up her cup and took a sip of water, she finally noticed Caleb standing not far away, facing her. She paused briefly, nodded at him, and then continued working. Caleb hade to the data center for something specific. After finishing his discussion with others, he noticed Celeste was still at her desk and walked over to her. ¡°It¡¯ste. Aren¡¯t you going to grab something to eat?¡± Celeste looked up and saw it was him. ¡°I will¨Cin a bit.¡± Caleb nodded and didn¡¯t bother her further. Later, when Celeste finally left the data center to get food, she saw Caleb waiting outside. It looked li¡® e had been waiting for someone. Upon hearing footsteps, Caleb turned and saw her. He smiled. ¡°All done? Heading to the cafeteria?¡± ¡°Yes. You?¡± ¡°Shall we go together?¡± Celeste paused, only then realizing¨Che¡¯d been waiting for her. He must¡¯ve been worried about interrupting her work, so he¡¯d waited outside instead. Looking at her, Caleb said, ¡°You probably already saw the footage from my missionst week. In a way, it was you who saved me.¡± Every pilot had their own unique flight patterns and habits, These habits were based on umted experience and instinct, but in today¡¯s age of highly advanced Al, such patterns could easily be digitized and targeted by the enemy Based on his previousbat behavior and collected enemy data, Celeste¡¯s system had gged his intended action as predictable and offered a counter¨Cstrategy. It urately predicted the enemy¡¯s position, movement path, and offered the optimal strike route. It was thanks to that system¡¯s guidance that Caleb had avoided danger. Celeste instantly understood what he meant. She replied, ¡°It was our duty to provide that support. Besides, you stayed calm and made the right call in the end. You saved yourself.¡± Maybe it was her duty, but ever since that mission, Caleb had heard plenty of praise around the base about her- especially about her data processing and analytical skills. She also had an incredibly sharp intuition for tactical situations. Just as Caleb was about to say something else, Zachary came walking over. ¡°Come with me,¡± he said to Celeste. The Scent of 378 Celeste quickly nodded to Zachary, then turned to Caleb and said, ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t go to the cafeteria with you.¡± Caleb responded gently, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± With that, Celeste left. Caleb watched as she and Zachary walked away and then went to the cafeteria by himself. He hadn¡¯t taken a break in a while, and two days after meeting Celeste, his official leave began. During those two days, he hadn¡¯t seen her again. When he returned home, no one in his family knew he was on leave¨Ceveryone was busy with their own things and not at home. When Jorge heard he was back, he asked him out for a meal While they were eating, Xavier couldn¡¯t help but gossip to Caleb. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect that Ms. Locket, the woman Jorge likes, turns out to be Cayden Sweeney¡¯s student. She¡¯s really something.¡± Caleb wasn¡¯t familiar with the AI development and didn¡¯t know who Cayden was. Xavier knew that Caleb wouldn¡¯t know. He himself hadn¡¯t known either, until recently¨Cthanks to Jorge, he¡¯d learned a little. Caleb normally had little interest in these kinds of topics. But after a moment, as if recalling something, he suddenly asked, ¡°Between Cayden Sweeney and our country¡¯s Mr. Zachary Newman, who has more influence in the AI field?¡± Xavier wasn¡¯t sure. But Jorge knew. ¡°Mr. Newman.¡± Zachary had once single¨Chandedly achieved multiple innovative breakthroughs in AI, and led a team that broke through various foreign technological blockades imposed on Ceravelle in the AI industry. He had paved the way for the country¡¯s current advancements. He had be someone the internationalmunity deeply respected and even feared. It could be said that Ceravelle¡¯s sess in AI today owed much to Zachary. Cayden might be impressive, but he still fell shortpared to Zachary. Even though Jorge wasn¡¯t fond of Matthias, he could separate that from his respect for Zachary- Zachary was Zachary, Matthias was Matthias. Caleb rarely asked about things that had nothing to do with him. So, it was a little unusual for him to ask something like this today. Still, considering Zachary¡¯s reputation and their familiarity with him, neither Jorge nor Xavier found the question odd. After that topic ended, Jorge suddenly chuckled and said, ¡°A while ago, when I had dinner with my mom and your mom. Your mom mentioned she was picking out a blind date for you. Now that you¡¯re back, I doubt you¡¯ll be able to avoid it this time.¡± Caleb was of marriageable age. His family had started bringing it up at the beginning ofst year. Back then, he didn¡¯t object and didn¡¯t really care either. 1 But now¡­ He lowered his gaze and didn¡¯t respond. That evening, after barely spending any time with his family, Caleb received a call. His leave was abruptly cut short, and he rushed back to the base. He didn¡¯t know if Celeste had already left the base, or was just off on some other task. Three dayster, afterpleting a mission, he returned to the data center but Celeste was not there. Two more days passed. He checked the data center again¨Cstill no sign of her. It wasn¡¯t until four or five dayster, aftering back from another mission, that he finally saw Celeste again- this time, in the cafeteria. He paused when he saw her sitting there, head down, quietly eating. A momentter, he walked over and sat across from her. Seeing him, Celeste smiled faintly. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Mm. Just got back.¡± Looking at her, Caleb added, ¡°I didn¡¯t see youst week¨Cthought maybe you¡¯d already left the base.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°No, I¡¯ve been here. I just haven¡¯t been spending all my time in the data center.¡± Caleb nodded and then asked a question that had been on his mind, ¡°When are you leaving the base?¡± Celeste thought it was just small talk and didn¡¯t think too much of it. ¡°Tomorrow.¡°. Caleb paused. ¡°That soon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not. I¡¯ve been here for over ten days already.¡± As she said this, she finished eating. She wiped the corners of her lips and said, ¡°I¡¯m done eating. Take your time. I¡¯ll just-¡± Before she could finish, Caleb suddenly asked, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, do you have a boyfriend?¡± Celeste was stunned¨Cshe hadn¡¯t expected that at all. 2 Before she could react, Caleb continued, ¡°If you¡¯re single, what do you think of me?¡± 2 He knew it was a bit abrupt of him to suddenly say that to her. But with how busy they both were, and how rarely she seemed toe to the base, opportunities to talk like this were few and far between. Who knew when they¡¯d even meet again? Besides, someone else might make a move before him. That¡¯s when Celeste finally realized¨Cthis was a confession Seeing her surprised expression, as if the thought had never even crossed her mind, Caleb said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer right away. I just wanted to let you know if you ever want a rtionship, or to get married and have a family, I hope you¡¯ll consider-¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Celeste came back to her senses. With a hint of awkwardness, she gently interrupted him. ¡°Thank you for your feelings, but I¡¯ve already been married¡± The Scent of 379 As soon as she finished speaking, before Caleb could responkl, Celeste¡¯smunicator rang. Seeing the message on the device, she quickly said, ¡°Something urgent came up at the data center, I have to go,¡± and hurried off. The next morning, Celeste left the military base. After taking a day off to rest at home, she returned to work at YodaVision. YodaVision had officially begun its coboration with Fleming Tech. The day she returned to YodaVision, Matthias happened to be heading there for a meeting. Previously, when negotiating the contract with Trevor, she could step aside and let Matthias or Joseph handle the discussions. But this new project between YodaVision and Fleming Tech required her direct involvement to move forward. This meeting was to discuss core technology cooperation between the twopanies. So, after returning to YodaVision, Celeste apanied Matthias to the Fleming Group. Along with them were Kieran and other technical staff. Just as they reached the meeting room entrance, Trevor, his two assistants, and Zeke were approaching from the other direction. Trevor greeted Matthias politely. Since Celeste had left Fleming Group, Zeke had barely seen her. However, Jacob had mentioned that she was now working at YodaVision. Matthias had already been to Fleming Group two or three times recently, but Celeste hadn¡¯te along on those visits. So, they had assumed she wouldn¡¯t be showing up at Fleming Group again¨Cyet here she was. Naturally, Trevor also noticed Celeste and Kieran. But whether it was toward Celeste or Kieran, he acted as though he didn¡¯t know them¨Cjust nced over and then looked away, walking into the meeting room with Matthias. Kieran had no interest in letting others know he was acquainted with Trevor either. So, Trevor¡¯s distant demeanor suited him perfectly. Celeste and Zeke had gotten along fairly well in the past. Seeing him again after so long, she gave a small nod and greeted him, ¡°Mr. Jackson, long time no se ¡°Long time no see.¡± Kieran noticed and asked, ¡°You two know each other?¡± ¡°I used to work here,¡± Celeste replied. Kieran didn¡¯t know about her rtionship with Trevor. Hearing that, he just assumed she had just been a regr engineer at Fleming Group and didn¡¯t think much of it. Besides, they had work to do, so it wasn¡¯t the right time to chat. So, he didn¡¯t press the matter. As soon as Celeste and Kieran sat down, someone else walked in. It was Rodney Miller, a professor from Yardley University. He was also involved in the Fleming Group¡¯s project. ¡°Apologies for keeping everyone waiting.¡± ¡°We just arrived too.¡± At this point, Rodney turned his gaze to Matthias. Just being known as Zachary¡¯s student was already enough to attract attention. Andtely, Matthias had been making waves in the AI field¨Cso much so that anyone working in AI would definitely know who he was. Seeing him, Rodney smiled and said, ¡°You must be Mr. Yoder. You¡¯re truly an outstanding young talent. I¡¯ve been wanting to meet you, but we kept missing each other. I¡¯m d to finally meet you today.¡± Matthias replied, ¡°You tter me, Professor Milford.¡± After a bit of polite small talk, the meeting formally began. Celeste focused entirely on the discussions. When the meeting touched on core coboration content and technical aspects, the conversation was led by Matthias, Fleming Group¡¯s technical leads, and Rodney. Celeste, Kieran, and the others sat off to the side, taking notes silently. The meeting started around 9:00 am andsted until nearly noon. After the meeting ended, Trevor treated everyone to lunch. As they exited the meeting room, Rodney turned to Trevor and said, ¡°Speaking of which, it¡¯s been a while since Ist saw Wynn. I heard she¡¯s staying in Baumond now, so there might be even fewer chances to meet in the future. ¡°I¡¯d like to invite her to join us¨Cwould that be okay with you and Mr. Yoder?¡± Hearing that Rodney was from Yardley University, Matthias already guessed he might know Wynn. He responded with a faint smile, ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Trevor asked, ¡°You two know each other?¡± ¡°I mentored her during university,¡± Rodney said with a smile. ¡°Even back then, she showed impressive talent in this field. Now that she¡¯s be Professor Sweeney¡¯s student, it¡¯s clear she¡¯s lived up to expectations.¡± Trevor then said, ¡°I¡¯ll get in touch with her.¡± Half an hourter, when Celeste, Trevor, and Matthias arrived at the restaurant, Wynn, Linda, and the others were just getting out of the car. Seeing Rodney, Wynn quickly approached and greeted him, ¡°Professor, long time no see.¡± After exchanging greetings, Rodney looked at Matthias and smiled, ¡°Mr. Yoder, you and Wynn must already know each other?¡± Matthias nced at Wynn and said, ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve met.¡± Rodney smiled again. ¡°You¡¯re both rising stars in the field. You should definitely exchange ideas more often.¡± Wynn had noticed the look Matthias had just given her. She frowned slightly. She had thought that, now that he knew she was Cayden¡¯s student, he would look at her differently¨Cwith more respect. After all, if they talked about their field, she and Matthias would have plenty ofmon ground. But that look he gave her just now was no different from how he used to look at her. (1) X The Scent of 380 Chapter 380 Exchange ideas? There was no way Matthias and Wynn could exchange anything meaningful. Of course, with so many people present, there was no need for him to say that out loud to Rodney. After all, he and Rodney were just casual acquaintances. Instead, he gave a perfunctory smile and said, ¡°You¡¯re right Professor.¡± Rodney was pretty well¨Cknown in the Al field in the country. The Lockets and the Shaws also assumed that Matthias would look more favorably on Wynn because she was a student under Cayden, a leading expert in the field. And now, hearing how much Rodney admired Wynn, Linda looked smugly at Celeste. Wynn was a student under someone as prestigious as Cayden Sweeney. But Celeste? What was she? In front of Wynn, Celeste was nothing. That was how Lilian, Harvey, and the others saw it too. 1 When Trevor called Wynn earlier, Lilian, Harvey, and the rest were all there. When they heard there would be a group lunch, they decided to drop by as well. But to be fair, they weren¡¯t trying to freeload. They had simply also nned to eat at the same ce. After finding out they were Wynn¡¯s family, Rodney invited them to join the meal. Then, turning to Matthias, he asked, ¡°Mr. Yoder, I wonder if-¡± Matthias looked at Celeste. She didn¡¯t mind. Since Rodney was an elder, Matthias decided not to embarrass him. Though inwardly amused, he kept a polite smile and said, ¡°Mr. Fleming is hosting today. If he doesn¡¯t mind, then I certainly don¡¯t.¡± The group then entered a private dining room. Celeste sat down next to Matthias while Kieran took the seat on Celeste¡¯s other side. Wynn sat between Trevor and Rodney. After some casual conversation, Rodney and Wynn began chatting about Cayden. They had only just started when Wynn¡¯s phone chimed with a message. Looking at it, she smiled and told Rodney, ¡°Thetest issue of NMI has just been published.¡± Indeed, thetest issue of NMI came out today. This wasn¡¯t exactly breaking news¨Caside from the Lockets and the Shaws, almost everyone at the table paid attention to top¨Ctier AI journal updates. So, even without Wynn¡¯s announcement, most people were already aware. But of course, Wynn had more to say. Chapter 380 She added, ¡°My advisor, Professor Sweeney, was a reviewer for this issue. He just messaged me to say there¡¯s one paper in particr that really stood out¨Che said it¡¯s worth all of us reading and learning from.¡± Her words immediately grabbed everyone¡¯s attention¨Cincluding Celeste and Matthias. Rodney was intrigued too. Given Cayden¡¯s stature in the Al field, for him to praise a paper so highly meant it had to be something special. Rodney asked, ¡°Which paper?¡± Wynn held up her phone and read the title of the paper Cayden had sent her. Everyone quietly memorized it. But as soon as Matthias heard the title, he raised an eyebrow and smiled, then turned to look at Celeste. She simply smiled and took a sip of her tea. The NMI journal¡ªboth print and digital versions¨Chad been released globally at the same time. And for a paper to earn such high praise from Cayden? Rodney was practically itching to go online and read it immediately. But since they were still socializing, he had to hold back. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Sounds like it must be a paper focused on attention mechanisms.¡± Wynn nodded. ¡°It is.¡± The Scent of 381 Chapter 381 As soon as the words were spoken, a knock sounded at the private dining room door. It was Miles and Beck. +25 BONUS Miles pushed the door open, and upon seeing how many people were already inside, he eximed in surprise, Whoa, so many people?¡± This restaurant was owned by his family. He and Beck had juste over for a meal. After hearing from the restaurant manager that Trevor was dining here, they decided to drop by and say hello¨Cthey didn¡¯t expect such arge gathering. And on top of that, it was full of familiar faces. Seeing so many people there, Miles instantly felt that just the two of them dining alone would be no fun, so he asked, ¡°Trevor, since there are already so many here, do you mind if Beck and I join as well?¡± Trevor turned and asked, ¡°Professor Milford, Mr. Yoder, I wonder if-¡± Since Rodney had just voluntarily invited the Lockets and the Shaws to join, Trevor couldn¡¯t very well refuse his own friends. Rodney replied graciously, ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mind. I wonder what Mr. Yoder thinks?¡± Matthias smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Harper and Mr. Quinton are old acquaintances of mine, I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± Originally, Matthias had been a bit displeased about the Lockets and the Shaws tagging along. But now? He almost wished the whole world would cram into the private room¨Chow could he possibly mind two more? Meanwhile, Linda, who had been wanting to see Beck for a while now, couldn¡¯t hold herself back once she finallyid eyes on him. She stood up and said, ¡°Beck, of people present, he looked slightly surprised. But what surprised him wasn¡¯t the presence of Celeste or Matthias¨Cafter all, Trevor partnering with YodaVision for the project was no longer a secret. What shocked him was seeing Wynn, along with the Lockets and the Shaws. After entering and briefly ncing at Wynn, Jorge said, ¡°Apologies, everyone, I¡¯mte.¡± Trevor replied, ¡°Not at all. We just arrived as well. Please, Mr. Robinson, have a seat.¡± Before sitting, Jorge greeted Rodney, ¡°You must be Professor Milford. It¡¯s an honor¨CI¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡® ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re Mr. Robinson. A pleasure indeed,¡± Rodney replied. Zeke had originally reserved arge private room with a big round table that could easily seat 20 to 30 people. Even with the addition of Wynn, Beck, Miles, and the others, it wasn¡¯t crowded. After sitting down, Jorge asked, ¡°What were you discussing¡± Rodney took over and briefly recapped the conversation. ¡°I see,¡± Jorge nodded, then turned to Wynn. ¡°For Professor Sweeney to personally message you about this¨Che must really hold you in high regard.¡± Wynn smiled modestly, saying, ¡°I¡¯m deeply honored by the professor¡¯s mentorship. I¡¯ll keep working hard, and I¡¯ll be sure to study the rmended paper thoroughly¨Cwon¡¯t let him down.¡± With both Rodney and Cayden showing her such recognition, Jorge was genuinely happy for her. At the same time, he felt even more admiration¨Cand fondness¨Cfor her. It was clear he was reluctant to take his eyes off her with the way he looked at her. But since Trevor was present, he eventually looked away. Wynn, of course, could sense Jorge¡¯s growing interest in her. She still hadn¡¯t forgotten that Beck didn¡¯t personally attend her grandmother¡¯s birthday, and she was a bit bothered by it. She nced over at him, only to find him sitting there quietly drinking tea, not even looking her way, nor reacting to all thepliments being showered on her. Her brows furrowed slightly before she turned away. 1 Once again, Wynn had be the center of attention, much to the delight of the Lockets and the Shaws. The Scent of 382 Chapter 382 Linda looked smugly at Celeste. Lilian also felt genuinely happy for her daughter. Celeste, as usual, couldn¡¯t even be bothered to look in their direction. She quietly lowered her head and sipped her tea, blending into the background, not participating in the discussion between Wynn and Rodney at all. Seeing Wynn receiving so much admiration from all these seasoned experts, Jorge finally felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart. Just then, Cayden sent another message to Wynn. ¡°YodaVision is a truly astonishing and innovativepany. Not only is its founder Matthias, but many of the engineers under him are highly creative. ¡°I¡¯ll likely visit again soon. I hope to have an in¨Cdepth conversation with Matthias and some of his engineers.¡± The NMI journal adopted a strict double¨Cblind review process, where reviewers couldn¡¯t see the identities of the authors. So until now, Cayden had no idea who had actually written the paper he was so impressed with. Wynn saw his message and assumed he was still regretting not having had a chance for a deeper conversation with Matthias thest time they met. She was just about to type a warm, consoling reply when Rodney turned to one of his students and said, ¡°You couldn¡¯t resist, huh? Had to go check out the paper already?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± the student replied excitedly. ¡°The core of this paper improvesrge model long¨Ctext processing efficiency by over tenfold! Tons of top engineers overseas are reading it overnight. ¡°It¡¯s already made huge waves internationally, and it¡¯s trending on the hot search here in Ceravelle too. What¡¯s more, this paper was published by the YodaVision team!¡± Wynn froze, her fingers pausing mid¨Creply. Slowly, she looked up toward Matthias. Everyone else in the room turned to look at him as well. Lilian and the others from the Shaw family all frowned at the news. Such an impressive research achievement, and it turned out to be from Matthias¡® team? But then again, with Matthias¡® capabilities, it wasn¡¯t exactly shocking that hispany could produce something like this. Still, knowing that he was now siding with Celeste and effectively standing on the opposite side of their family, it was hard to feel good about it. To make matters worse, the very paper Wynn¡¯s advisor had just praised turned out to be from Matthias¡® team. That made it even harder to swallow. Rodney, however, looked genuinely pleased. He turned to Matthias and said warmly, ¡°Mr. Yoder, leading another team to such results. Congrattions!¡± But Matthias simply smiled and said, ¡°You give me too much credit, Professor Milford. I wasn¡¯t the first author. Thistest breakthrough wasn¡¯t led by me. I just helped iron out a few minor technicalities.¡± ¡°You only helped with the details?¡± Rodney¡¯s student still had the author list open on his phone. He leaned over and nced at it. Sure enough, Matthias wasn¡¯t listed as the first author. Instead, it was someone named Celeste Rodriguez. Not just that¨Cthe corresponding author was also the same person. 3 Matthias was only the second author. The third, fourth, and following authors seemed to be YodaVision engineers too, as all affiliations were listed under YodaVision. Seeing this, Rodney squinted at the name and read it out slowly, ¡°First author is Rodriguez?¡± Hearing that, Wynn, Jorge, Miles, and the members of the Lockets and the Shaws all paused in stunned silence. It was already known that the paper had been published by the YodaVision team. And Celeste just so happened to be with YodaVision. Could it be- No way. How could it be her? But right then, Matthias spoke up calmly, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Celeste Rodriguez.¡± (4) The Scent of 383 It really was Celeste? Even though Jorge, Lilian, and Linda didn¡¯t specialize in Af and couldn¡¯t fully grasp how groundbreaking Celeste¡¯s paper was, they did know one thing¨CWynn¡¯s advisor, Cayden, was a major figure in the AI world. A world¨Crenowned expert like him paying this much attention to a paper¨Cpersonally messaging Wynn and urging her to study it thoroughly¨Cwas a huge deal. On top of that, Rodney¡¯s student had just said Celeste¡¯s paper had caused a massive stir both at home and abroad, with top engineers staying up all night to read it. All of this pointed to one thing: Celeste¡¯s paper had real weight. But how could such a powerful paper possibly havee from Celeste? Rodney, not knowing who Celeste was or her history with the Lockets and the Shaws, hadn¡¯t read the paper yet. Still, just hearing that it had increasedrgenguage model efficiency for long¨Ctext processing over tenfold was already enough to get him excited. He immediately turned to Matthias and asked, ¡°This engineer named Celeste Rodriguez¨Cis she here today?¡± ¡°She is,¡± Matthias said with a smile. He turned toward Celeste and added, ¡°This is Celeste Rodriguez.¡± Celeste had been extremely low¨Ckey the whole time¨Cwhether during the Fleming Group meeting earlier or now -quiet and unassuming. But her looks made her hard to ignore. Even those who didn¡¯t know her had taken notice of her just because she was so striking. What no one had imagined was that she was this capable. When it sank in that she was the one behind the paper causing such amotion in the AI world, Rodney stood up in surprise and walked over to her, offering a handshake and greeting her politely. ¡°Hello, Ms. Rodriguez. I¡¯m Rodney Milford from Yardley University. My research over the years has focused on fundamental AI theory and applied development. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± Celeste also stood and shook his hand, replying, ¡°Hello, Professor Milford. You¡¯re too kind. It¡¯s an honor to meet you.¡± Rodney¡¯s humility and courtesy were evident¨Cso much so that anyone watching might¡¯ve assumed he was the junior and Celeste the senior. Linda, watching this scene, felt a re of resentment. Wasn¡¯t it just one paper? Was all this really necessary? Lilian also frowned. At that moment, Matthias turned to Wynn with a smile and said, ¡°Ms. Locket, you mentioned earlier that you¡¯d be studying this paper closely. ¡°If you have any questions in the future, feel free toe to Cel for guidance.¡± Wynn pressed her lips tightly together. Rodney, a well¨Cknown professor at one of the top universities in the country, was already showing this much respect to Celeste, and now, Matthias was suggesting that Wynn should go to Celeste for help? Linda couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She mmed the table and stood up, shouting, ¡°You¡¯re being-¡± ¡°You¡¯re being ridiculous! Wynn graduated from one of the world¡¯s top universities with a PhD! Who the hell is Celeste? She¡¯s just an undergraduate! And you expect Wynn to go ask her for advice? Are you joking? ¡°It¡¯s just one paper! How does that prove she¡¯s better than Wynn?¡± That was what Linda had wanted to say. But before she could get all those words out, Wynn cut her off and calmly said, ¡°Mr. Yoder is right. If I have the opportunity, I¡¯d be d to consult Ms. Rodriguez.¡± She was nothing if not adaptable. Matthias, hearing this, gave a cold scoff inwardly. He knew about the long¨Cstanding tension between Celeste and Wynn. So, for him to say Wynn should seek out Celeste¡¯s help on technical matters was as good as publicly humiliating her. Jorge¡¯s face darkened. He didn¡¯t understand the technical significance of Celeste¡¯s paper, but hearing Matthias seemingly insult Wynn like that made him feel the same way Linda did. ¡°So what if Cayden himself praised the paper? It¡¯s still just one paper. Isn¡¯t this going too far?¡± Jorge thought to himself. Lilian¡¯s expression also turned frosty. Linda, though furious at being cut off, couldn¡¯t say more because Wynn herself had chosen not to escte things. Just then, Matthias¡¯s secretary, Candice, leaned in and said, ¡°Mr. Yoder, Professor Sweeney just called. He said he¡¯ll being to Ceravelle in the next couple of days. He hopes to speak with you and Ms. Rodriguez personally.¡± Matthias replied nonchntly, ¡°Tell him I won¡¯t have time for a meeting.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Candice nodded. Then she turned to Celeste and added, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, Professor Sweeney said if Mr. Yoder isn¡¯t avable, he¡¯s happy to fly here just to meet with you. ¡°He said your paper is full of brilliant insights, and he hopes to have a deep conversation with you.¡± Celeste replied, ¡°I won¡¯t have time either. Please help me decline on my behalf.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± At this Jorge and Linda¡¯s expressions shifted. Cayden wasn¡¯t just praising Celeste¡¯s paper¨Che was willing to fly over just to talk to her? Could the paper really be that impressive? Wynn understood better than any of them just how influential Cayden was in the AI world. So, when she heard that her advisor was eagerly requesting a meeting with Celeste, her face turned even darker than the others¡®. Miles, meanwhile, didn¡¯t know who Cayden was¨Cor what his name meant in the AI field. But he could check the trending topics online, Seeing how everyone in the private room was talking about the paper, he pulled out his phone and curiously looked it up. And what he found shocked him¨Cthe news about Celeste¡¯s topics. Thement section was full of endless praise. Netizens were saying Celeste and Matthias were breaking A into a new frontier, and fundamentally changing the game. He nced at Celeste, then leaned over to Trevor and whisp And what he found shocked him¨Cthe news about Celeste topics. Thement section was full of endless praise. Netizens were saying Celeste and Matthias were breaking into a new frontier, and fundamentally changing the gam He nced at Celeste, then leaned over to Trevor and whi And what he found shocked him¨Cthe news about Celeste¡¯s paper had already climbed near the top of the trending topics. Thement section was full of endless praise. Netizens were saying Celeste and Matthias were breaking Andostan¡¯s monopoly in the AI field, pushing Ceravelle into a new frontier, and fundamentally changing the game. He nced at Celeste, then leaned over to Trevor and whispered, ¡°Is Celeste that amazing?¡± 11 The Scent of 384 Before Trevor could respond, his phone rang. He stepped outside to take the call, and by the time he returned, the food was being served. Miles¡® question was left hanging¨Cbrushed aside just like that. Right now, the author of the paper that engineers in the country and abroad were scrambling to read was sitting right in front of them. As the meal progressed, Rodney and his students couldn¡¯t help but ask Celeste questions as they skimmed through the paper¡¯s core content and experimental data. Whether they asked about specific parts of the paper or about broader problems that had puzzled them in their own research, Celeste responded to everything fluently and confidently. Wynn watched in silence. Her heart was calm. Watching Celeste speak so assuredly with Rodney and the others actually seemed like she did know what she was talking about. But was that really possible? Given Matthias¡® capabilities, if he was willing to credit Celeste as first author, then he must have ensured she was thoroughly prepared. 1 At first, when she heard Matthias say Celeste was the lead author, she had been utterly shocked. But if this paper really was Celeste¡¯s independent research, as Matthias imed, then wouldn¡¯t that mean she was even more impressive than her advisor, Cayden? How could that be possible? She wasn¡¯t Matthias. There were countless geniuses in the world but not everyone could be like Matthias. So most likely, the paper was actually Matthias¡® work, and he was simply using it to boost Celeste. Once she¡¯d convinced herself of this, she cast a casual nce toward Celeste, watching her chat confidently with Rodney and the others, before looking away. 2 Lilian and Linda were thinking along the same lines as Wynn. Linda, who was more hot¨Ctempered, grew furious watching Celeste carry on like she was some real expert, even daring to give advice to Rodney. She nearly couldn¡¯t hold herself back from standing up and exposing ¡°the truth¡°. But since neither Lilian nor Wynn said anything, she didn¡¯t dare speak out either, no matter how angry she felt. Jorge had also inwardly questioned Celeste¡¯s abilities. But seeing Rodney¡¯s focused, genuinely excited expression while speaking to her, he started to waver. Could Celeste really be this capable? The mealsted longer than expected. Before everyone left, Celeste and Rodney exchanged contact information. Rodney, aware that he¡¯d taken up so much of Celeste¡¯s time during the meal, turned to Trevor and said apologetically, ¡°Sorry, Mr. Fleming. Once we started talking shop, I just couldn¡¯t stop¡­¡± Trevor replied, ¡°No problem. The reason I invited everyone to lunch today was to let everyone get to know each other. That way, future coborations will go more smoothly.¡± As the group began to disperse, Beck finally found a chance to say a few words to Celeste. ¡°Congrattions.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Celeste replied. Miles, seeing Beck go over just to congratte Celeste, didn¡¯t think much of it¨Cassuming he was just being polite. Trevor also noticed Beck approaching Celeste. He nced over, then looked away without any change in expression. But Wynn, watching all this, pressed her lips together tightly. Did Beck really believe Celeste was that professionally capable? Was that why he liked her? But then¡­ No, that couldn¡¯t be it. Beck had seemed to like Celeste even before Harper Corporation and YodaVision started cooperating. So clearly, his feelings for Celeste had nothing to do with her professional abilities. Just then, Trevor¡¯s voice sounded beside her, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Wynn snapped out of her thoughts. Seeing that Celeste had stolen all the attention today, and that Trevor hadn¡¯t spared her a single extra nce, she curved her lips into a light smile and said, ¡°Nothing.¡± Whether Celeste¡¯s abilities were real or not¨Cit didn¡¯t matter. In Trevor¡¯s eyes, she simply didn¡¯t exist. The Scent of 385 Celeste didn¡¯t care how Trevor thought of her or looked at her, nor was she interested. After leaving the restaurant, Celeste and Matthias¡® group headed back to Fleming, Tech for a meeting This time, Lilian and Linda didn¡¯t follow. But Wynn did. Seeing Wynne along again, Matthias secretly rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Mr. Fleming, about Ms. Locket-¡± Trevor seemed to know what he wanted to say. Before Matthias could finish, Trevor spoke up, ¡°If you¡¯re concerned about confidentiality, you don¡¯t have to worry. If anything does happen, I¡¯ll take full responsibility Matthias had expected him to say that. After all, when they first started working with InnovaTech, Trevor had said exactly the same thing. Even so, Matthias still needed clear assurance. Hearing Trevor¡¯s words, Matthias put on a half¨Chearted smile and said, ¡°I feel better with your assurance.¡± During the meeting in the morning, the seat at the center of the table was upied by Trevor alone. Now that Wynn was here, he had someone add a chair next to him, and she sat down by his side. Celeste noticed this but quickly withdrew her gaze. The meeting officially began. With Matthias present, there was no need for Celeste to speak. She and Kieran mostly just listened quietly. Midway through the meeting, Celeste got thirsty and reached for a bottle of water nearby. But Kieran was faster. ¡°Thirsty? Let me help you.¡± Without waiting for her response, he twisted the cap open for her. Celeste looked at him, took the bottle, and said, ¡°Thanks.¡± Kieran smiled and leaned in to quietly chat with her about some technical points that Matthias and Trevor had just discussed. Celeste lowered her voice and responded. The two of them actually had quite a lot to talk about. Wynn fad already noticed this earlier, during lunch at the restaurant. At that time, Kieran had also sat beside Celeste, seeming almost deliberately close to her. But, was it really what it looked like? Wynn knew exactly how much Kieran liked her. He had changed his major to AI because of her, and even returned to Ceravelle for Her How could he have fallen for someone else so quickly? Thinking of this, she nced at Trevor beside her. She noticed that Trevor had also seen Kieran being attentive toward Celeste. Yet after taking one look, he seemnedpletely uninterested and quickly looked away. Seeing this, a thought crossed her mind. Trevor clearly knew how much Kieran liked her. Now, seeing Kieran approach Celeste, he should easily guess that Kieran¡¯s intentions weren¡¯t pure. But he didn¡¯t seem to have warned Celeste about it. Which meant that even if other men tried to flirt with Celeste, even if Celeste were hurt or toyed with, Trevor wouldn¡¯t care at all. (4) Realizing this, Wynn smiled faintly. Meanwhile, Jorge wasn¡¯t paying much attention to Kieran. Instead, his focus was on Wynn and Trevor. There had been a time when Trevor and Celeste seemed close. Jorge had worried that Trevor might do something to betray Wynn. But recently, they didn¡¯t seem to be in contact much anymore. Maybe Trevor had once been briefly attracted to Celeste¡¯s looks, but ultimately, he hadn¡¯t been ¡°won over¡°. The one he loved was still Wynn. Today¨Cwhether at lunch or now at the meeting¨CTrevor truly hadn¡¯t paid any special attention to Celeste. Because of this, Jorge also felt much more at ease. The Scent of 386 Chapter 386 Although Celeste and Matthias had already asked Candice to politely decline Cayden¡¯s request for a meeting, he still showed up uninvited two dayster. Since he hade in person, Celeste and Matthias couldn¡¯tpletely refuse to see him. They gave him a brief, symbolic reception, but after chatting for just over ten minutes, they politely sent him off. After that, whenever Cayden tried to arrange another meeting, they simply ignored him. With Celeste and Matthias maintaining a firm stance, and unable to meet with them, Cayden invited Wynn out for a meal the next day instead. During the meal, Cayden chatted with her about the developments in the industry for a while before saying, ¡°If you had joined YodaVisionst year, you would¡¯ve grown so much by now. What a shame.¡± At theirst meeting, Cayden had asked about her current situation. After hearing she hadn¡¯t gotten into YodaVision, he didn¡¯tment much. But now, recalling the matter, he couldn¡¯t help expressing his regret. Wynn understood exactly what he meant. Celeste¡¯s paper had caused a huge stir both domestically and internationally. Many in the industry said that if YodaVision dared to openly publish such an important research achievement, it meant that they must have even more powerful core technologies internally that had yet to be revealed. And Wynn believed this. Last year, she had wanted to join YodaVision because of their unique programmingnguage. She had never expected that YodaVision would develop so rapidly in such a short time.? If she had known back then, she would have done everything she could to join YodaVision back then. Just like Cayden said, if she had really joined YodaVision, she would have achieved significant professional growth by now. And after two or three years there, when she left, she might have been capable enough to single¨Chandedly revitalize her own techpany. Thinking back on it now, she realized Celeste had not only caused her to miss out not just on a connection like Matthias, but also on a crucial opportunity for personal development! 3 Cayder then asked, ¡°Are you still thinking about joining YodaVision?¡± Of course, she was. But as long as Matthias¡® attitude toward Celeste didn¡¯t change, she had no chance. She wouldn¡¯t say that to Cayden, though. She simply replied, ¡°I have my own techpany now. I¡¯ve even coborated with YodaVision before. With all the security concerns, Mr. Yoder probably wouldn¡¯t consider letting me join YodaVision.¡± Hearing this, Cayden looked a little disappointed and said, I see.¡® 11 On Friday morning, when Celeste had juste back from her morning run, Martha called to invite her to dinner. They hadn¡¯t seen each other for quite a while. So, Celeste had no reason to decline. She was about to respond when Martha added, ¡°I¡¯ll invite Trevor and Jo too. Cel, do you mind?¡± Celeste¡¯s heart stayed calm as she answered, ¡°I don¡¯t mind And she truly meant it. Setting work aside, simply because of Jordyn, it would be almost impossible for her and Trevor to have no future interaction at all. Martha understood. Celeste¡¯s easy eptance only showed that she had truly let go of Trevor. She could just treat him purely as Jordyn¡¯s father. So, sitting down for a calm, peaceful meal together was nothing. Thinking of this, Martha didn¡¯t know whether she should feel happy or sad. After hanging up, Celeste went to the office. When she opened herputer, she saw an email from Cayden. He was asking if she had ever been to Andostan and said that if she ever wanted to visit, he could act as her tour guide, showing her the natural beauty of the country. He also offered to introduce her to some major industry leaders there, and even shared some information about the current research directions of major corporations in Andostan. Although Cayden framed it as a casual travel invitation, it was obvious he was trying to recruit her. Telling her about these top projects was his way of saying, ¡°If youe, you¡¯ll be highly valued.¡± Celeste saw through it easily. She replied politely, saying she had no ns to travel abroad in the near future, before closing her email app. That evening, after work, Celeste headed to the private dining room Martha had booked. When she arrived, Martha was already there. Just as Celeste sat down, the door swung open again as Jordyn ran in excitedly. ¡°Mom!¡± Celeste had no choice but to reach out and catch the little girl as she threw herself into her arms. Apanying Jordyn was Hannah, but Trevor was nowhere to be seen. Jordyn sat down next to Celeste, and as they were picking out dishes together, Martha said, ¡°I called Trevor this morning. He said he didn¡¯t have time and wouldn¡¯t being. ¡°Hmph! We¡¯ll just eat without him. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re desperate for him to join us anyway.¡± D Celeste smiled lightly and responded with a soft hum. The Scent of 387 After dinner, Jordyn followed Celeste back to the Rodriguez residence. That night, she received a call from Rowan, inviting her and Matthias to y golf the next morning. Celeste agreed. However, when she saw the address Rowan sent, she hesitated for a moment. The golf course happened to be a property owned by the Fleming family. She had been there before. Still, since she had already agreed, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to back out now. Early Saturday morning, she drove out as nned. When she and Matthias arrived at the golf course, Rowan, Theodore, and Harold were already there. Seeing them, Rowan and the others greeted them with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Celeste nodded. Rowan asked, ¡°Do you know how to y golf?¡± Celeste nodded again. ¡°I¡¯ve learned a bit.¡± After some polite small talk, they began ying golf while chatting casually. Not long after, just as Celeste was putting away her club, she saw two people walking toward them from a distance. It was Trevor and Wynn. Normally, when Trevor and Wynn did any leisure activities, they would invite Beck and Miles along. Today, though, it was just the two of them. Wynn and Trevor had heard from the staff at the golf club that Rowan was here, so they decided toe over and say hello. 2 Wynn didn¡¯t expect that Celeste and Matthias would also be present. Trevor, without paying much attention to anyone else, greeted Rowan, ¡°Mr. Haldran.¡± Rowan had a good rtionship with Lincoln as well. Although Lincoln had been based elsewhere for years and they didn¡¯t stay in close contact, thanks to their work connections, Rowan and Trevor were still fairly familiar with each other. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Trevor.¡± Rowan smiled, ¡°Out so early for a round of golf?¡± ¡°Yes, just getting some exercise.¡± Both Theodore and Harold knew that this golf course belonged to the Fleming family. They asionally yed here too, but rarely bumped into Trevor. Oddly enough, today, with Celeste present, they happened to run into him. They knew about the history between Celeste and Trevor, so seeing that Celeste didn¡¯t seem to mind Trevor¡¯s presence, they rxed. However, Matthias didn¡¯t look pleased. While Trevor chatted with Rowan and the others, Celeste and Matthias stayed silent. Trevor, however, took the initiative to greet Matthias. Matthias responded with clear reluctance. Seeing this, Rowan chuckled and asked, ¡°How¡¯s the coboration between YodaVision and Fleming Tech going?¡± Matthias curled his lips slightly, ¡°It¡¯s still in its early days. There are still a lot of adjustments to be made.¡± Hearing this, Trevor smiled and said, ¡°I thought things were going quite smoothly. If there¡¯s anything Fleming Tech is falling short on, I hope you¡¯ll point it out generously.¡± Matthias became speechless. Then he replied nonchntly ¡°There¡¯s no major issue with other people at Fleming Tech. It¡¯s just that you tend to blur personal and professional matters a bit too much, which has indeed caused some issues for our cooperation. 2) ¡°I think you know what I mean, right?¡± Trevor, of course, understood. Wynn understood too. Matthias clearly didn¡¯t want to discuss too much of the personal grievances between himself, Celeste, and Trevor in front of Rowan. So, he added, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk business right now. If there¡¯s anything, let¡¯s find time to discuss it tomorrow.¡± Trevor replied, ¡°Of course.¡± Seeing that the atmosphere between them wasn¡¯t exactly friendly, but since they didn¡¯t want to make a scene, Rowan didn¡¯t press further and quickly shifted the topic. The Scent of 388 Chapter 388 Rowan said to Trevor, ¡°Since you¡¯re here, why don¡¯t you stay and join us for a while?¡± Trevor replied, ¡°Sure.¡± After exchanging a few pleasantries with Trevor, Rowan tumed back to Harold, Matthias, and the others and asked, ¡°Where were we just now?¡± Matthias answered, ¡°We were discussing how we should appropriately handle the situation if we discover a foreign probe entering our controlled area.¡± Hearing this, Wynn couldn¡¯t help but start thinking about too. Rowan smiled and asked, ¡°What do you think? Cel, do you have any thoughts?¡± Earlier, Matthias and Celeste hadn¡¯t had time to really think about it before Trevor and Wynn showed up. Now that Rowan asked again, Celeste and Matthias both paused briefly. When Wynn heard Rowan call Celeste by her nickname, she suddenly got distracted. Cel? Rowan was addressing Celeste so intimately. Moreover, she noticed that whenever Rowan looked at Celeste, his demeanor was very warm and kind¨Che genuinely seemed to admire her. She frowned slightly at this thought. Just as this crossed her mind, Celeste suddenly spoke up, ¡°We can take control of the foreign probe and then return it to them?¡± As soon as Celeste said this, Rowan and Theodore bothughed out loud. Matthias had a look of sudden realization and gave Celeste a thumbs¨Cup. Rowan didn¡¯t immediatelyment on whether the idea was good or bad. Instead, he smiled warmly and asked, ¡± You¡¯re that confident in your technical skills?¡± Celeste paused, then said, ¡°It¡­ shouldn¡¯t be too hard?¡± At this, Harold alsoughed and said, ¡°Those who are truly capable always speak with such confidence. Rowan chuckled and agreed, ¡°Exactly.¡± Ceravelle has always advocated peace and maintained good rtions with its neighbors. # Whether the foreign probe entered intentionally or unintentionally, since it belonged to someone else, it must be returned. This would prevent unnecessary conflict between the two sides However, while this approach appeared gentle and courteous, in truth, it was a strong show of technical superiority. If they could take control of another country¡¯s probe without triggering its rm system, it would prove theypletely outssed the other side in technology. Once the other side found out how it happened, they would be furious but also much more wary of Ceravelle. At first, Wynn didn¡¯t understand what was so good about Celeste¡¯s answer. But as she listened to Rowan and the others discussing the technical implications, she finally realized that Celeste¡¯s solution subtly demonstrated the country¡¯s technological strength. This¡­ She honestly hadn¡¯t thought of it that way. Realizing this, Wynn¡¯s expression turned a little unpleasant. However¡­ Even if Celeste said it so confidently, could she really pull it off? Or had she simply been hyped up by all the praise from domestic and internationalizens for her paper, to the point that she even started believing she was capable of such a feat? Just as she was thinking about this, she caught a glimpse of Trevor¡¯s expression¨Cit looked like there was a faint smile on his face, as if he, too, appreciated Celeste¡¯s idea. Wynn was stunned. Could it be that he really thought Celeste- At that moment, Theodore suddenly spoke up, ¡°Trevor, it looks like your thinking aligns with Cel¡¯s?¡± Trevor said, ¡°Yes.¡± Before Wynn could even process this, Theodore continued, ¡°Tell us the advantages of doing it this way.¡± Trevor then exined the key points. Only after listening to his breakdown did Wynn fully realize how much careful thought went into it¨Cbeyond just technical aspects, there were strategic considerations as well. Meanwhile, Matthias, Rowan, and even Trevor seemed to immediately grasp all the benefits the moment Celeste had finished speaking. But she only understood after Trevor spelled it all out. As she was thinking this, she suddenly noticed Theodore smiling at her and asking, ¡°Ms. Locket, you¡¯ve been frowning the whole time. Is there something you still don¡¯t understand?¡± Theodore seemed to have noticed that she had only just caught up with their line of thinking and asked this on purpose. Even though he asked with a smile and probably meant well, Wynn couldn¡¯t help but feel her face burning. Still, she quicklyposed herself and humbly admitted, ¡°Yes, I only just caught up with everyone¡¯s line of thought.¡± The Scent of 389 Chapter 388 Rowan said to Trevor, ¡°Since you¡¯re here, why don¡¯t you stay and join us for a while?¡± Trevor replied, ¡°Sure.¡± After exchanging a few pleasantries with Trevor, Rowan tumed back to Harold, Matthias, and the others and asked, ¡°Where were we just now?¡± Matthias answered, ¡°We were discussing how we should appropriately handle the situation if we discover a foreign probe entering our controlled area.¡± Hearing this, Wynn couldn¡¯t help but start thinking about too. Rowan smiled and asked, ¡°What do you think? Cel, do you have any thoughts?¡± Earlier, Matthias and Celeste hadn¡¯t had time to really think about it before Trevor and Wynn showed up. Now that Rowan asked again, Celeste and Matthias both paused briefly. When Wynn heard Rowan call Celeste by her nickname, she suddenly got distracted. Cel? Rowan was addressing Celeste so intimately. Moreover, she noticed that whenever Rowan looked at Celeste, his demeanor was very warm and kind¨Che genuinely seemed to admire her. She frowned slightly at this thought. Just as this crossed her mind, Celeste suddenly spoke up, ¡°We can take control of the foreign probe and then return it to them?¡± As soon as Celeste said this, Rowan and Theodore bothughed out loud. Matthias had a look of sudden realization and gave Celeste a thumbs¨Cup. Rowan didn¡¯t immediatelyment on whether the idea was good or bad. Instead, he smiled warmly and asked, ¡± You¡¯re that confident in your technical skills?¡± Celeste paused, then said, ¡°It¡­ shouldn¡¯t be too hard?¡± At this, Harold alsoughed and said, ¡°Those who are truly capable always speak with such confidence. Rowan chuckled and agreed, ¡°Exactly.¡± Ceravelle has always advocated peace and maintained good rtions with its neighbors. # Whether the foreign probe entered intentionally or unintentionally, since it belonged to someone else, it must be returned. This would prevent unnecessary conflict between the two sides However, while this approach appeared gentle and courteous, in truth, it was a strong show of technical superiority. If they could take control of another country¡¯s probe without triggering its rm system, it would prove theypletely outssed the other side in technology. Once the other side found out how it happened, they would be furious but also much more wary of Ceravelle. At first, Wynn didn¡¯t understand what was so good about Celeste¡¯s answer. But as she listened to Rowan and the others discussing the technical implications, she finally realized that Celeste¡¯s solution subtly demonstrated the country¡¯s technological strength. This¡­ She honestly hadn¡¯t thought of it that way. Realizing this, Wynn¡¯s expression turned a little unpleasant. However¡­ Even if Celeste said it so confidently, could she really pull it off? Or had she simply been hyped up by all the praise from domestic and internationalizens for her paper, to the point that she even started believing she was capable of such a feat? Just as she was thinking about this, she caught a glimpse of Trevor¡¯s expression¨Cit looked like there was a faint smile on his face, as if he, too, appreciated Celeste¡¯s idea. Wynn was stunned. Could it be that he really thought Celeste- At that moment, Theodore suddenly spoke up, ¡°Trevor, it looks like your thinking aligns with Cel¡¯s?¡± Trevor said, ¡°Yes.¡± Before Wynn could even process this, Theodore continued, ¡°Tell us the advantages of doing it this way.¡± Trevor then exined the key points. Only after listening to his breakdown did Wynn fully realize how much careful thought went into it¨Cbeyond just technical aspects, there were strategic considerations as well. Meanwhile, Matthias, Rowan, and even Trevor seemed to immediately grasp all the benefits the moment Celeste had finished speaking. But she only understood after Trevor spelled it all out. As she was thinking this, she suddenly noticed Theodore smiling at her and asking, ¡°Ms. Locket, you¡¯ve been frowning the whole time. Is there something you still don¡¯t understand?¡± Theodore seemed to have noticed that she had only just caught up with their line of thinking and asked this on purpose. Even though he asked with a smile and probably meant well, Wynn couldn¡¯t help but feel her face burning. Still, she quicklyposed herself and humbly admitted, ¡°Yes, I only just caught up with everyone¡¯s line of thought.¡± The Scent of 390 Chapter 390 After they finished ying golf, Celeste and the others still had other ns. Trevor and Wynn had joined midway, and perhaps guessing that Celeste and the others had other arrangements that they might not be suited to join, Trevor took the initiative to say, ¡°We have some other nster, so we won¡¯t keep interrupting everyone¡¯s fun.¡± Hearing this, Rowan and Theodore didn¡¯t insist on keeping them and said, ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s meet up again next time when we¡¯re free.¡± Trevor smiled and nodded before leaving with Wynn. Matthias had actually been a bit worried that Trevor and Wynn might tag along for their meal afterwards. Seeing Trevor leave on his own initiative, he felt a little relieved and whispered to Celeste, ¡°At least he knows when to back off.¡± Celeste smiled and hummed a response. After they had walked a distance, Trevor finally asked, ¡°Upset?¡± 1 Having stumbled twice today, Wynn was indeed feeling down. Especially seeing how much Rowan and the others liked Celeste. Even though she knew they were being fooled by Celeste¡¯s outward appearance, it still left a sour taste in her mouth. But she didn¡¯t say any of that directly. She just forced a smile and said, ¡°I really made a fool of myself today. I do feel a bit discouraged. Looks like I still have a lot to learn.¡± Trevor said, ¡°You have your own strengths and advantages too. Don¡¯t take these small things too seriously.¡± Hearing that, Wynn felt a little better. It was clear from today that Celeste reacted very quickly and thought things through very thoroughly. Honestly, this had surprised her quite a bit. She could also tell that Trevor seemed a little surprised by Celeste¡¯s performance as well and seemed to think a bit more highly of her because of it. But that was all. She had noticed earlier that even though Trevor was impressed, he didn¡¯t seem particrly interested in Celeste. 1 And despite her poor performance today, Trevor clearly didn¡¯t care about it. In his eyes, she was still just as charming. In fact, they didn¡¯t even have any real ns after this. It was obvious Trevor had suggested leaving because he noticed she was in a bad mood and didn¡¯t want her to feel worse. Thinking of this, the gloom in her heartpletely cleared away. Charm 580 That day, around 3:00 pm, after having tea with Rowan the others, Celeste returned to the Rifrightes residence. As soon as Jordyn saw her, she ran over and hugged her tity. ¡°Mom, you¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When she had found out that Celeste was going out that morning without taking her along, Jordyn had actually been a little upset. But now she seemed to be in a pretty good mood/ It looked like even without Celeste around, she had still had a good time at home. Jordyn was about to say something when her phone suddenly rang It was a call from Trevor. Jordyn quickly answered, ¡°Dad?¡± Celeste didn¡¯t know what Trevor said on the other end, but Jordyn responded, ¡°Okay, I got it!¡± After hanging up, she turned to Celeste and said, ¡°Mom, Dad¡¯s taking me out to y. He¡¯s sending someone over to pick me up soon.¡± Celeste¡¯s expression remained calm. She didn¡¯t try to stop her and simply said, ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Jordyn actually felt a little reluctant to leave Celeste, but the ce Trevor was taking her to was somewhere she had always wanted to go. So, when the driver Trevor sent arrived, she still got in the car and left. After she left, Celeste went upstairs to deal with her own work. On Tuesday, Celeste went to Fleming Tech on behalf of Matthias. Upon hearing that she had arrived, Zeke personally came downstairs to greet her and Candice. Zeke was very polite, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, this way, please.¡± Celeste nodded. She thought that the meeting would be arranged in one of Fleming Tech¡¯s conference rooms. But instead, Zeke led her directly to Trevor¡¯s office. When she used to work as a secretary here, she had asionally been ¡°lucky¡± enough to enter Trevor¡¯s office. She was actually quite familiar with it It hadn¡¯t even been a year since she wasst here, but it already felt like a lifetime ago. Trevor was already inside. When he saw here in, he looked up from his documents, stood up, and said politely, ¡°You¡¯re here. Please have a seat.¡± 3 The Scent of 391 Celeste nodded and sat down on the sofa by the coffee table Trevor then instructed, ¡°Have someone bring us some coffee.¡± Zeke replied, ¡°Already taken care of.¡± Just as he finished speaking, Naomi came in carrying coffee When she saw Celeste, she froze for a moment. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez?¡± Naomi had been the one to take over Celeste¡¯s job after she left Fleming Group. Since then, they had basically had no contact. Celeste nodded with a smile, ¡°Long time no see.¡± ¡°Long time no see.¡± Naomi smiled too. But given the situation, it wasn¡¯t really appropriate for her to chat too much She ced the coffee carefully in front of both Celeste and Trevor, and was about to leave when she seemed to remember something and turned back to report on some work matters. After listening, Trevor said, ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll have time this afternoon. Tell him toe by before three.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Naomi answered, then smiled and nodded politely at Celeste before hurrying out. Celeste watched her leave, slowly stirring her coffee. As the head of the secretarial team, it waspletely normal for Naomi to personallye to Trevor¡¯s office to report work. But back when Celeste held the same position, she had been strictly required to liaise only with Trevor¡¯s two personal secretaries. In the two¨Cplus years she was team leader, the only times she was allowed into Trevor¡¯s office were when Jacob and Zeke were overwhelmingly busy¨Cand even then, just to deliver coffee. As for personally reporting work to him? Not once. Trevor had truly kept his guard up against her. Thinking of all that, she lifted her coffee cup and took a small sip. When she was about to leave thepany, Naomi had asked her to teach her how to brew coffee, and Celeste had taught her very carefully. But even before swallowing, she could tell that the coffee Naomi made didn¡¯t taste quite like how she had taught. She took another small sip¨Cthere was a difference, but it was still very good. When she put the cup down, she saw that Trevor had also taken a sip and looked very satisfied with Naomi¡¯s coffee. Back when she was still so naive, Celeste had been a little smug about the fact that Trevor only liked the coffee she made. But now¡­ It was just coffee. Lose one vor, find another. It wasn¡¯t anything important at all. 17/3 Thinking back, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that her past self had been both foolish andughable. While she was lost in thought, Trevor spoke, ¡°Did Mr. Yoder tell you where we left offst time?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Celeste pulled her mind back to the present and replied seriously, ¡°We can just pick up where you left off.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Trevor nodded. ¡°Regarding the mixed¨Cprecisionputing architecture we discussedst time, specifically the issue of reaching a certain parameter scale, I think the solution you proposed is excellent. I have some ideas myself and would like to go over them with you.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Celest¨¨ said. She then began discussing in detail the improvements in inference speed achieved by theirtest technology. The conversation involved many critical technical points. These were all confidential matters tied to their coboration. The technical jargon was so deep and specialized that Jacob and Zeke couldn¡¯t really understand any of it. They could only sit silently to the side, listening withoutprehending. Meanwhile, Trevor and Celeste were engaging in a smooth, dynamic back¨Cand¨Cforth. And as the conversation went on, Jacob noticed that Trevor¡¯s gaze toward Celeste had changed¨Cthere was not only surprise but also genuine appreciation. It was a look that had never appeared on his face when he looked at Celeste before. Moreover, Trevor wasn¡¯t just focused¨Cthere was even a faint smile on his lips, as if he was thoroughly enjoying this discussion with her. Seeing this, Jacob was stunned. Zeke noticed too, and was equally astonished. After more than an hour of discussion and idea exchange, Rodney and Bryson arrived. Celeste had already met Rodney once before. As for Bryson, she had been introduced to him by Matthias at a banquetst year after she officially returned to work at YodaVision. At that time, Bryson had already known that Celeste was a student of Zachary. Later, at a tech exhibition, they chatted at length. Bryson was very aware of Celeste¡¯s professional capabilities. He had also recently read her paper published in the academic journal. Now, seeing her again, he greeted her warmly, ¡°Cel, long time no see.¡± ¡°Long time no see, Professor Leonard.¡± Celeste shook hands with them, then they all sat down and got straight to business. Another hour passed, and just when they were deep in conversation, the door suddenly opened. It was Wynn. Seeing her, Celeste¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all. Noticing the room full of people, Wynn stopped at the door and said, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t know you were having a meeting. I thought no one was in here, so I didn¡¯t knock¡­¡± Both Bryson and Rodney knew about Wynn¡¯s rtionship with Trevor. As his girlfriend, it was natural that she was used toing and going from his office without knocking. So, they just smiled casually, not minding it at all. Before they could say anything, Wynn quickly said, ¡°Please go ahead and continue. I won¡¯t disturb you.¡± At this point, most of the work¨Crted topics had already been finalized. Therefore, Rodney smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, we¡¯re just chatting anyway.¡± X The Scent of 392 Chapter 392 Bryson, unaware of the grudge between Celeste and Wynn, followed up on Rodney¡¯s words and said, ¡°Yes, we were just discussing some new developments in the industry. ¡°Ms. Locket also studied Al¨Cmore minds mean more ideas It would be great if Ms. Locket joined the discussion.¡± Wynn responded, ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± As she spoke, she nced over at Col After finishing the serious work discussions, Celeste had nned to leave. But unable to resist Rodney and Bryson¡¯s enthusiasm, she stayed and chatted with them for while longer. Now with Wynn¡¯s arrival, she finally had an excuse to excuse herself. She stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, and I have something I need to attend to. Mr. Fleming, Professor Leonard, Professor Milford, let¡¯s chat again next time.¡± Besides Celeste¡¯s recently published paper, a few otherpanies in the AI field had also made significant technical breakthroughstely. When they were chatting earlier, Celeste had quickly grasped the core of those breakthroughs. It had been a very lively and insightful conversation¨CBryson and Rodney both had hoped to talk with her even longer. Now seeing her about to leave, they genuinely felt reluctant Bryson quickly said, ¡°Leaving already? I was just about to discuss some issues regarding engine integration with you.¡± Although they were all coborating with Fleming Group now, the work discussions had pretty much wrapped up. Opportunities to sit down and talk deeply about technology like this were likely to be rare in the future. So, Rodney also hurried to add, ¡°Yeah, why not stay a little longer?¡± Celeste smiled and said, ¡°I really do have something to take care of. Maybe next time.¡± Since Celeste insisted, no matter how disappointed they felt, Rodney and Bryson couldn¡¯t push her further. After bidding goodbye to them, Celeste turned to Trevor, reached out to shake his hand, and said, ¡°Mr. Fleming, see you next time.¡± It wasn¡¯t just Rodney and Bryson who had enjoyed talking with Celeste. Even Jacob and Zeke could tell that Trevor had been quite happy during the discussion. Seeing Celeste about to leave, they thought Trevor might be unable to resist asking her to stay a bit longer. However, Trevor said nothing. 2 He merely shook Celeste¡¯s hand politely and replied, ¡°See you next time.¡± Then he instructed Zeke, ¡°See Ms. Rodriguez out for me.¡± Seeing Wynn standing nearby, Zeke suddenly understood why Trevor hadn¡¯t tried to keep Celeste there. If Wynn weren¡¯t there, judging by Trevor¡¯s professional admiration for Celeste earlier, he might really have asked her to stay longer. But now that Wynn was there,pared to his appreciation for Celeste, Trevor probably cared more about Wynn¡¯s feelings. +25 BONUS After all, considering his past with Celeste, if he tried to keep her now, Wynn would undoubtedly overthink it. Realizing this, Zeke came back to himself and politely said to Celeste, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, this way please.¡± Celeste nodded, didn¡¯t spare Trevor or Wynn another nce, and left the office along with Zeke and Candice. Wynn watched Celeste¡¯s departing figure. Thinking back to how eager Rodney and Bryson had been to keep talking with Celeste, she smiled faintly and asked, ¡°What were you chatting about?¡± Rodney was the first to speak, sighing, ¡°Ms. Rodriguez has an incredibly broad and innovative knowledge base in the AI field. She¡¯s a truly rare all¨Caround Al talent¨Cvery impressive. 2 ¡°Just chatting with her opened up my thinking so much. That¡¯s why Bryson and I both wanted to talk to her more. It¡¯s really a pity¡­¡± The more he spoke, the more regretful Rodney became. He couldn¡¯t help but let out a heavy sigh. Wynn didn¡¯t expect that. The smile on her face noticeably faded a little. However, she kept her expression in check and simply said, ¡°I see.¡± Just as she finished speaking, Bryson chuckled and said, ¡°Cel really is a genius in AI. She¡¯s not only brilliant but also beautiful. Matthias is one lucky guy.¡± A genius in AI? Celeste? And Matthias was lucky to have her? Bryson¡¯s words practically ced Celeste on a pedestal. Although Wynn didn¡¯t know exactly how Celeste had managed to impress both Rodney and Bryson without slipping up, seeing how much they liked her, she couldn¡¯t help but think of Rowan and Theodore. They too had really liked Celeste. Just a single paper had won her so much favor from so many major figures. Wynn had to admit, Celeste¡¯s skills were indeed impressive. But still, without real substance, there woulde a day when the truth would be exposed. No matter how much Celeste had now, it was all just an illusion, not something she could truly rely on. Thinking about this, Wynn lowered her head and smiled faintly without saying anything further. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! The Scent of 393 Chapter 393 Bryson¡¯s assistant didn¡¯t know that both Celeste and Matthias were Zachary¡¯s students. So, when Brysonmented that Matthias was lucky to be with Celeste, the assistant added, ¡°Last night in an interview, Mr. Yoder said that as a student of Mr. Newman, he had always been held to very high standards. ¡°Mr. Newman constantly made him stay on top of thetest developments in the field and required him to thoroughly understand every technical breakthrough. ¡°Mr. Newman would also fill in any gaps in his knowledge based on his research. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez is already quite capable. After getting together with Mr. Yoder, she also has his guidance. That means she¡¯ll be able to grow even faster. ¡°So really, being with Mr. Yoder is a good thing for Ms. Rodriguez.¡± That much was true; However¡­ One of Rodney¡¯s students then said, ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¨Cthe insights Ms. Rodriguez just shared werergely a 393 It was just that these matters were confidential and couldnt be disclosed publicly. So, even though he knew that Trevor and the others had misunderstood Celeste, he couldn¡¯t say anything to defend her. Celeste didn¡¯t know what had happened in Trevor¡¯s office. After leaving Fleming Group, she returned directly to Yodavision. While she was eating lunch, Naomi messaged her with genuine congrattions. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, I didn¡¯t expect you to be doing so well after leaving thepany. Congrattions!¡± Naomi didn¡¯t really know what kind of coboration Celeste was discussing with Fleming Group, but the fact that Celeste couldain as a partner meant her current position had to be pretty high. Celeste replied, ¡°Thank you. You seem to be doing well too congrats to you.¡± Then she followed up with another message. ¡°Also, the coffee you made was really good. Thank you for that.¡± Naomi felt both happy and a little embarrassed when she read it. ¡°But I still think your coffee tastes better, Ms. Rodr¨ªguez. No matter how many times I try, I can¡¯t seem to match it. ¡°I use the exact same method and measurements, but Mr. Fleming still doesn¡¯t like mine. In the end, just to keep my job, I spent a long time learning from a barista friend before I could even achieve what I can now.¡± After chatting a bit more with Naomi, Celeste ended the conversation. Matthias returned from his business trip that afternoon. Thewyer informed them that regarding InnovaTech¡¯spensation to YodaVision, Wynn had already paid 200 million dors. There were still over 100 million left, which would take some more time.. Matthias curled his lip. ¡°Isn¡¯t Trevor always generous with Wynn? Buying her a house without hesitation, giving her apany as a gift, and all. ¡°After the contract termination, he even immediately helped her secure a partnership with DataWing Inc. ¡°Our totalpensation is just over 300 million, and yet it¡¯s taking this long to raise the money? Are they doing this on purpose?¡± Celeste guessed, ¡°Probably not. I think the Locket family doesn¡¯t want to trouble Trevor anymore¡ªthey intend to cover this amount themselves.¡± That did seem likely. Matthias clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Given the Locket family¡¯s strength, it¡¯s not easy for them toe up with two to three hundred million in a short time while still keeping all their projects running. ¡°Still, the fact that Wynn insists on paying us back herself. Well, those two really are devoted to each other.¡± Celeste thought so too. But honestly, she had already known this very clearly back when Wynn had risked her life to take a knife for Trevor and when Trevor insisted on divorcing her. The Scent of 394 Chapter 394 After finishing their discussion, Celeste and Matthias moved on to talking about work, A whileter, Bryson called her to ask if she would be avable next week to attend the Al symposium being held at his university. The invitation to Quendall University¡¯s Al symposium had actually been sent to YodaVision two weeks earlier. At the time, they had only invited Matthias. However, after Celeste¡¯s paper was published a few days ago and caused a sensation, her reputation skyrocketed. Given the paper¡¯s high quality and impact, the university now hoped that Celeste would attend the symposium as well. Celeste didn¡¯t originally n to participate in Quendall University¡¯s event. Though her paper caused a major stir, she herself had remained very low¨Ckey and hadn¡¯t epted any interviews. Bryson said, ¡°A lot of students are really hoping to talk with you and learn from your experience.¡± After some persuasion, Celeste agreed to attend the symposium. The Quendall¡¯s symposium had invited many experts, schrs, and representatives frompanies. On the day of the event, the university was bustling with activity. Wynn attended the symposium as the representative of InnovaTech. Due to Cayden¡¯s recent trip to Ceravelle, many in the industry had learned that Wynn was one of Cayden¡¯s PhD students. This had brought her a degree of recognition and status in the field. When Bryson saw her, he greeted her politely. There were also many student representatives present. When they found out Wynn was Cayden¡¯s PhD student, they were amazed. After all, just being one of Cayden¡¯s students was already a lifelong dream for many of them. Some bold students came up to Wynn and started asking her technical questions. For Wynn, answering ordinary students¡® technical questions was no big deal. After she responded, she was met with many admiring and impressed looks. Several experts also came up to introduce themselves to her. For a moment, there really was quite a crowd around Wynn Just then, Celeste and Matthias arrived. Cayden¡¯s name was certainly a prestigious one, But now, the news that someone of Cayden¡¯s calibre had flown in just to speak with Celeste and Matthias had already spread. So, the moment Celeste and Matthias appeared, the whole venue stirred with excitement. Everyone turned to look in their direction. Before this, Celeste wasn¡¯t well¨Cknown by appearance¨Cmany had read her paper, but didn¡¯t know what she looked like. Chapter 394 +25 BONUS Many people at the symposium, students and experts alike had heard she would attend, and were incredibly eager to meet her in person and ask questions face¨Cto¨Cface Now that Matthias had arrived, Bryson turned to Wynn and said, ¡°Sorry, Mr. Yoder and Ms. Rodriguez are here. The chancellor and I need to go greet them.¡± Wynn¡¯s smile faltered slightly. Earlier, while chatting with the university students, she had overheard them discussing Celeste constantly. That was how she found out that they were all very eager to meet Celeste and ask her questions. Realizing this, her smile faded even more. that After Bryson and the chancellor greeted Celeste and Matthias, many of the schrs and experts present finally realized that the stunningly beautiful woman next to Matthias was the author of the groundbreaking paper had recently taken the field by storm. ¡°Oh my god, she¡¯s gorgeous!¡± ¡°It¡¯s already unfair enough that she¡¯s that good professionally, but she looks like that too? I¡¯m so jealous.¡± ¡°She and Mr. Yoder are perfect together. They must be a couple, right? Both of them are the best in their field. They¡¯re both talented and lookpatible. Honestly, it¡¯s a match made in heaven.¡± The Scent of 395 Chapter 395 After Celeste and Matthias greeted Bryson and the others, the symposium officially began. Celeste and Matthias were seated in the front row, near the center. While Wynn sat in the second row. As representatives of the new generation, both Celeste and Matthias were invited on stage to share their approaches and experiences in learning and conducting research, as a reference for the students in the audience. Once the segment ended and the discussion session began, many of the prominent experts at the event were the first to approach Celeste and Matthias. These experts were all fairly well¨Cknown within the country, and each had their own specialized research focus. Whether the topic was convolutional neuralworks, embodied intelligence implementation, multimodal interaction, or something else entirely, Celeste handled them all with ease. She even offered insights and suggestions on issues troubling these experts¨Clike missing modalities andputational efficiency¨Cwhich made their eyes light up as they listened. Many of them wished they could keep talking to her forever There were quite a few prominent experts present, all deeply engaged in their respective fields. It didn¡¯t take long for them to tell whether someone truly had substance¨Cjust listening for a short while was enough. ¡°Come on, Drew, you¡¯ve had her ear for ages. Give the rest of us a turn, will you?¡± ¡°Exactly! At least let us take turns. You¡¯ve been monopolizing her this whole time!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the rush? I just have one more question, then I¡¯ll be done-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even bother. I already know you¡¯re going to ask about scaling issues in practical applications. That topic alone could go on forever! Who knows how long we¡¯ll have to wait if we let you start on that?¡± Meanwhile, Wynn was also chatting with someone not far behind Celeste. ¡°Wynn,¡± called out Lilian, who hade with her, ¡°Mr. Thatcher just asked you something.¡± Wynn had been paying close attention to everything happening around Celeste. She was almostpletely aware of what was going on in that group. So much so that she was somewhat absent¨Cminded about her own interactions¨Cin fact, when people spoke to her, she didn¡¯t react immediately. Hearing Lilian¡¯s voice snapped her out of it. She gave a quick smile and said, ¡°Sorry, Mr. Thatcher, I was a little absorbed in Mr. Hale and the others¡® discussion Wynn was also in the AI field, so it was only natural that she¡¯d be interested in the technical conversations happening around her. Kevin understood and smiled, saying, ¡°No problem at all.¡± After that, Wynn refocused and began chatting with him. But no one knew her better than her mother. Lilian could already tell that Wynn had been acting off for more than half an hour now. Chapter 395 And it seemed rted to whatever was going on with Celeste, w 26 BONUS She had caught bits and pieces of what was happening how those experts were all eager to talk with Celeste and the way they surrounded her with admiration. After Kevin left, Lilian nced in Celeste¡¯s direction, then found a chance to ask Wynn, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wynn withdrew her gaze and said, ¡°I think I finally understand why Rodney and Bryson spoke so highly of Celeste the other day. It seems she really does have some knowledge.¡± She knew several of the experts who hade to consult with Celeste and knew they were no ordinary figures. If these people all had significant research achievements of their own, their standards would naturally be quite high. Yet not only did they take the initiative to speak with Celeste, they also treated her advice like it was gold. That alone showed she had real capability. Wynn had also been carefully listening in on Celeste¡¯s conversations. Her breadth of knowledge was genuinely wide, and there were many parts that Wynn herself simply couldn¡¯t .understand. No wonder Rodney had described her as an ¡°all¨Crounder¡± in the AI field. If, the other day at Fleming Group, when Celeste was discussing technical breakthroughs with Bryson and others, she¡¯d merely been parroting Matthias or Zachary, what about now? Now, Celeste was speaking with Professor McKee and others about topics that were both broad and deeply technical. As someone also in AI, Wynn knew that if all Celeste was doing was repeating others¡® ideas, there was no way she ¡®could manage this level of engagement. Lilian was slightly stunned. Seeing how the top experts were all flocking to Celeste, it did seem like she had real capability. However, she said calmly, ¡°She¡¯s been by Matthias¡® side for so long, and regrly joins him in meetings with Zachary. With two of the country¡¯s top AI minds teaching her, it¡¯s only natural she¡¯d develop that breadth and skill. ¡°Otherwise, why do you think she worked so hard to keep you from getting close to Matthias in the first ce? ¡°Besides, if you had been the one close to Matthias and Zachary, I believe you¡¯d be doing even better than she is.¡± ? The Scent of 396 +25 BONOS Some time ago, when Cayden found out that a paper he had highly praised during peer review was actually written by someone from YodaVision, he made a special trip to Ceravelle just to meet Celeste and Matthias. During that visit, he told her that if she had joined YodaVision when she returned to Ceravellest year, she would have made significant progress. At that time, she wholeheartedly agreed and felt that Celeste had deliberately blocked her from entering YodaVision, causing her to miss a crucial opportunity for personal development. But now, seeing so clearly how much Celeste had grown in less than a year by staying at Matthias¡® side, she realized she may have lost far more than she originally thought. After all, it wasn¡¯t just Matthias¨Cthere was also Zachary. Zachary¡¯s formidable strength, along with his ess to the most up¨Cto¨Cdate and critical information in the field, yed a huge role in the growth of both Matthias and Celeste. Just as her mother had said, if she had sessfully joined YodaVision back then, with her intelligence and capabilities, her progress would¡¯ve undoubtedly been even faster than Celeste¡¯s. 2 But there was no if. All of that was just wishful thinking now. As these thoughts ran through her mind, she looked at Celeste with cold eyes. ¡°No wonder she was willing to leave the Fleming Group back then. So, that was her n all along.¡± Thinking back to how Celeste had left Fleming Group, gotten close to Matthias, and blocked her daughter¡¯s path into YodaVision¨Call part of a calcted chain of moves¨Cand looking at everything Celeste had now, Lilian finally realized Celeste was anything but simple. She said coldly, ¡°I never imagined she could be this maniptive.¡± 4 Celeste was still speaking with others. But when she turned her head and caught the mother and daughter looking at her, she also sensed the coldness in their eyes. In the past, whenever those two saw her, their expressions had been full of disdain or disregard. Today¡¯s expression was quite the change. But she had no interest in digging deeper. She didn¡¯t care to waste time figuring out what had shifted in their attitude¨Cshe simply turned her gaze away indifferently. +25 BONOS To Wynn and Lilian, however, this reaction only confirmed what they were already thinking- Celeste was smug and arrogant. It was as if she had already trampled them underfoot. And today, Celeste was indeed basking in the spotlight. Her pride seemed understandable. Considering the value of her research paper, Celeste had, in terms of expertise, already surpassed Wynn. But¡­ Celeste had Matthias. She had technical prowess. But Wynn had Trevor. Lilian regained herposure and said calmly, ¡°She won¡¯t stay on top forever.¡± She didn¡¯t believe that things between Celeste and Matthias would remain stable forever. When Wynn thought about Trevor¡¯s feelings for her and the fact that Jordyn liked her more than Celeste, who had raised her, Wynn, like Lilian, calmed down. When she looked at Celeste again, her gaze once more filled with contempt. But she added, ¡°I have to admit, I¡¯ve been cking off in my researchtely. It¡¯s time for me to refocus and return to my studies.¡± Even if those around her couldn¡¯t help her professionally the way Matthias and Zachary could, as long as she kept at it, kept learning and growing, it was still too soon to say who would have the greater achievements in the future. Lilian, naturally, supported this mindset. She said, ¡°You can let Trevor help you.¡± 2 Wynn curled her lips into a confident smile and said, ¡°I know. As long as I ask, Trevor will absolutely help me.¡± With that, she stopped paying attention to Celeste entirely and rejoined the crowd to continueworking. But unlike earlier, when she was mostly speaking withpany representatives, this time, she found herself engaging with the symposium¡¯s leading experts. (2) The Scent of 397 Although Celeste and Wynn both attended the symposium at Quendall University, they had absolutely no interaction the entire day. By around three in the afternoon, Celeste and Matthias were preparing to leave the university. As Bryson and the chancellor walked them out, Bryson extended another invitation, ¡°There¡¯s another seminar this Saturday. I wonder if the two of you¡­¡± Celeste paused in her steps as her gaze happened to fall on Lilian, who was standing not far away. She quickly looked away, pressed her lips together, then replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have something important to attend to on Saturday. I won¡¯t be able to make it.¡± After saying their goodbyes to Bryson and the chancellor, Matthias finally asked once their car had pulled away from Quendall University, ¡°Something was off with your mood just now. What happened?¡± He had noticed her subtle emotional shift the moment Bryson mentioned Saturday¡¯s event, especially when her gazended on Lilian. Since there were others around, he hadn¡¯t brought it up until now. Celeste lowered her eyes slightly and said calmly, ¡°Saturday is my mother¡¯s birthday.¡± Matthias fell silent for a moment. It was the Shaw and the Locket families that caused her mother to spend years confined to a nursing home. No wonder Celeste had shown such emotion when facing Lilian and Wynn earlier. After a long pause, he asked, ¡°What are your thoughts on the Shaw and the Locket families?¡± Celeste¡¯s hand curled into a fist. ¡°I don¡¯t want to let them off easily. But-¡± G But with Trevor protecting them now, even though YodaVision had developed well in recent years, going after them would still be incredibly difficult. Even if she didn¡¯t say it aloud, Matthias understood. He offered quietly, ¡°Karma has its way. I believe the chance wille eventually. Don¡¯t lose hope.¡± (6 Celeste nodded and hummed in agreement. 1/3 +25 BONOS On Saturday, after Celeste and Ivan personally made a birthday cake, they drove to the nursing home. It had only been a while since theirst visit, but Isabelle looked even thinner than before. Isabelle seemedpletely detached, oblivious to theughter and the heartfelt blessings around her despite being the center of attention. Watching the staff cheerfully celebrate Isabelle¡¯s birthday, Celeste and Betty felt like a knife was twisting in their hearts. Just then, the director of the nursing home walked over. Seeing their pain, her expression softened with sympathy. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she spoke, ¡°This morning, we ran a health check on Isabelle and found significant deterioration. Multiple organs are showing signs of failure¡ª¡± Everyone¡¯s faces went pale. ¡°W¨CWhat? How could this be?¡± The director exined, ¡°She¡¯s been emotionally repressed for years, with little to no appetite. Over time, it¡¯s severely impacted her health. Her immune system has weakened considerably, So- ¡°Then¨Cwhat now-?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need to run further tests to confirm the full picture, but¡­ if the deterioration continues like this, I¡¯m afraid¡ª¡± Everyone understood what she meant. Betty staggered, nearly fainting. After returning home from the nursing home, she locked herself in her room, dazed and despondent. But no matter how heavy or painful life felt, it had to go on. G It was gettingte. Though none of them had an appetite, they still had to eat. Celeste took her phone, got in the car, and drove to the nearby supermarket. She picked out a few groceries in a daze. While checking out, someone called her from behind, ¡°Celeste.¡± She turned her head and saw that it was J. Celeste gave her a faint nod in acknowledgment. +25 BONOS J smiled at first, but paused when she noticed Celeste didn¡¯t look well. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Celeste shook her head, not wanting to talk. After paying, she picked up her grocery bags and was about to leave when J said hesitatingly, ¡°Um¡­ Mr. Fleming is at the Locket residence right now. Having dinner with the family¡­¡± She was referring to Trevor dining with Wynn¡¯s family. Celeste¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but her grip on the grocery bags tightened slightly. She simply gave a quiet hum and turned to leave without saying another word. That night, the Rodriguez residence was heavy with gloom. Later, Celeste locked herself in her room to read. It wasn¡¯t until nearly 11:00 pm that she looked up from her book. Picking up her phone, she realized at some point it had run out of power. After plugging it in, she went to take a shower. When she came out and checked her phone again, she saw several missed calls. Seeing that one of them was from Jason, she paused briefly, then called him back first. Jason picked up quickly. ¡°Ms. Rodriguez, I just got a call from Mr. Fleming¡¯swyer. They¡¯vepleted all the paperwork regarding the assets. You can officially begin the divorce process now.¡± 3/3 The Scent of 398 +25 BONOS On Isabelle¡¯s birthday, Celeste received a reminder from Trevor about their divorce. How fitting. Just then, Jason continued, ¡° Mr. Fleming said if you¡¯re free on Monday, he¡¯d like to meet at the courthouse at nine in the morning to handle the paperwork. Ms. Rodriguez, does that work for you?¡± Celeste replied, ¡°I¡¯m free Monday morning.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll let hiswyer know.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Aside from Jason¡¯s call, there were also several missed calls from Trevor. He was likely calling for the same reason. So, she didn¡¯t bother calling him back. She spent the weekend at the Rodriguez residence. On Monday morning, Celeste drove out a little after eight. When she arrived at the entrance of the courthouse, Trevor was already there. She hadn¡¯t taken their marriage certificate with her when she moved out. So today, he¡¯d brought both the marriage certificate and the divorce agreement with him. Back when they registered their marriage, he hadn¡¯t even waited for her afterward¨Che¡¯d left coldly, without a nce at their certificate. So, naturally, Celeste had been the one keeping it. She had nearly forgotten where she put it. Yet now, for the divorce, he hadn¡¯t had to ask her at all¨Che¡¯d managed to retrieve it on his own. When she arrived, Trevor got out of the car and handed her the divorce agreement. want to go over it one more time?¡± ¡°Do you The marriage certificate in his other hand was open. Their wedding photo was clearly visible. It seemed he had been looking at it just before she arrived. Celeste nced away without a word. She took the agreement, turned, and returned to her car to read through it. +25 BONOS By the time she finished reviewing it, it was just about nine. Celeste got out of the car and headed straight into the court. Trevor followed behind and entered with her. They had brought all the necessary documents. There were no disputes, so the process went smoothly and quickly. As they stepped out of the building, Trevor spoke, ¡°Once the mandatory waiting period is over, we¡¯lle back to finalize the divorce.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Without looking at him, Celeste walked past his car and got into her own. Trevor said nothing more and got into his own car. Both vehicles started almost simultaneously and disappeared from the entrance in opposite directions. After leaving the courthouse, Celeste headed back to YodaVision. She and Matthias still had a meeting at the Fleming Groupter. When she arrived at the office, Matthias looked at the time and remarked, ¡°You¡¯rete today. I thought you weren¡¯ting in.¡± ¡°I went to the court to file for divorce.¡± Her tone was calm. Matthias paused, then said, ¡°You finally divorced officially?¡± ¡°Not quite. We still have to wait for the mandatory waiting period before it¡¯s finalized.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After a beat, he asked, ¡°Are you still going to the Fleming Group?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing the determination in her eyes, Matthias smiled. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡­ 20 minutester, Celeste and Matthias arrived at Fleming Group. By the time they entered the conference room, Trevor and the others were already there waiting. 2 When he saw them, Trevor greeted them politely. ¡°Mr. Yoder, Ms. Rodriguez, you¡¯re here.¡± Celeste and Matthias responded with quiet nods and took their seats. The meeting started promptly. Celeste was professional and focused throughout, and Trevor also spoke with a pleasant demeanor as he interacted with Matthias and the others. +25 BONOS There were quite a few people in the conference room, but apart from Matthias, no one knew that Celeste and Trevor¨Cwho appeared to have little to no personal connection¨Chad, just that morning, been to the courthouse together to file for divorce. 1 The Scent of 399 +25 BONOS At noon, Celeste and Trevor¡¯s group arrived at the restaurant for lunch after their meeting. Just as they walked up to their private dining room, the door of the room next to them suddenly opened. As if afraid people wouldn¡¯t hear, Linda called out¨Cloudly, ¡°Trev!¡± Seeing Wynn was there as well, Bryson smiled and said, ¡°So, Ms. Locket is dining here too- what a coincidence.¡± Wynn smiled. ¡°Quite the coincidence indeed.¡± & Though she said that, the truth was that this encounter wasn¡¯t coincidental at all. The news that Trevor and Celeste had officially gone to the courthouse that morning to file for divorce had already reached their entire family. When Linda learned that Trevor would be dining in the area at noon¨Cand that Celeste would be there too¨Cshe deliberately had their own private room arranged directly opposite theirs. That was how this ¡°coincidental¡± meeting happened. The thought that Trevor had immediately called Celeste to file the divorce paperwork right after settling the agreement delighted Linda. What made her even happier, even more excited, was the fact that in just 30 days, Trevor could finalize his divorce from Celeste. After that, Wynn and Trevor would surely get married right away! Then there¡¯d be no ce left for Celeste. With that thought, Linda nced at Celeste, full of smug satisfaction. Although Wynn had never openly pushed for Trevor to divorce Celeste, it would be a lie to say she wasn¡¯t anxious about it. Even if she had absolute confidence in her rtionship with Trevor, as long as he remained legally married to Celeste, no matter how deep their bond, her positioncked legitimacy. 2 So, when she heard on Saturday that Trevor had already finalized the terms of the divorce agreement and had arranged to go to the courthouse on Monday, how could she not feel pleased? And it wasn¡¯t just the two of them; the entire Shaw and Locket families were thrilled as well. +25 BONOS Erin gave Celeste a single nce before withdrawing her gaze as if she were invisible, while Patricia couldn¡¯t stop smiling. Wynn said to Trevor, ¡°You go ahead. We won¡¯t keep you.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle to see you in a bit,¡± he replied. Wynn smiled. ¡°Alright.¡± The way they spoke made them look like a couple deeply in love. 1 Bryson and the others chuckled teasingly. As for Celeste and Matthias, the moment they saw the Shaw and Locket families, they didn¡¯t linger¨Cthey went straight into their private room. Matthias sneered, ¡°They¡¯re just here to show off.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Celeste said. It was obvious. ¡°What a bunch of trash. They¡¯re really ridiculous.¡± After the greetings, Trevor and his party entered their private room, and the Shaw and Locket families returned to theirs. Patricia truly was pleased. But not entirely. Leaning over to whisper in Lilian¡¯s ear, she said, ¡°Now that she¡¯s left Trevor, ending up with Matthias is a bit too lucky for that little tramp.¡± After all, it was Matthias. Not to mention, Matthias had Zachary behind him. Every time she thought about that, it was like a bone stuck in her throat¨Cimpossible to ignore. She wasn¡¯t alone in that. Ever since hearing that Celeste had genuinely learned some skills under Matthias, both Lilian and Wynn had been uneasy. Patricia gritted her teeth and continued, ¡°Once she¡¯s divorced, she¡¯ll be a divorc¨¦e. What gives her the right?¡± The thought of Celeste being a divorc¨¦e made Lilian feel slightly better. ¡°As long as they¡¯re not married, nothing¡¯s final. No need to rush.¡± Patricia knew that too. But she still wasn¡¯t happy. As long as there was a chance Celeste might marry Matthias, she couldn¡¯t be at ease. 1 +25 BONOS In the next room, Celeste had no idea what the Shaw family was plotting. Once everyone in Trevor¡¯s party was seated, conversation flowed, and the atmosphere was quite rxed. A short whileter, Trevor stood up. ¡°Please continue. I¡¯m stepping out for a bit. I won¡¯t be long.¡± He had told Wynn earlier he¡¯d stop by her room again. So, his sudden departure now could only mean one thing¨Che was going next door to see Wynn. Bryson and the othersughed, ¡°Go ahead, Mr. Fleming. No need to hurry¨Cwe¡¯re in no rush.¡± Rodney echoed with augh, ¡°Exactly, take your time.¡® Trevor smiled and left. Celeste and Matthias quietly watched the scene unfold, not even bothering to give him another look. Celeste didn¡¯t pay much attention to how long he was gone, but Matthias had had enough. ¡± He¡¯s been gone for nearly ten minutes. The nerve of him.¡± Celeste was just about to respond when Trevor pushed the door open and returned. So, she said nothing. Matthias rolled his eyes. Trevor sat back down and rejoined the conversation as if nothing had happened. At that moment, Celeste¡¯s phone suddenly rang. She paused when she saw the caller ID. Matthias noticed the strange look on her face, leaned over to take a nce, and asked in surprise, ¡°Caleb? Why¡¯s he calling you?¡± He hadn¡¯t spoken loudly, but Bryson and those seated nearby, including Trevor, all heard it. Thinking of Caleb¡¯s previous confession, Celeste was at a loss for how to respond. The Scent of 400 +25 BONOS Celeste thought for a moment, then stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter. I¡¯m going to take this call.¡± After greeting Bryson and the others, she turned and stepped out of the private room with her phone. Watching her leave, Matthias suddenly processed what was happening. His eyes widened in disbelief. Though he had wondered once whether there might be something between them at a banquetst year, when he saw Celeste dancing with Caleb. But that idea had faded since they¡¯d had no further contact afterward. So, how could this be happening now? Hearing Matthias questioning Celeste, Kieran instinctively looked over at her. He didn¡¯t know Caleb, had never heard of him. But when he saw the hint of difort on Celeste¡¯s face, he immediately sensed something unusual. And Matthias¡® reaction only confirmed his suspicion. So, this Caleb¡­ Could he and Celeste really-? Trevor knew Caleb. So, after hearing Matthias speak, he casually nced toward Celeste. At first, he only meant to give her a quick look before shifting his gaze away. 2 But when he caught that unfamiliar expression on her face, he halted, and his eyes lingered thoughtfully on her retreating figure. Once Celeste stepped out of the room, she answered the call. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Caleb beat her to it, ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t going to pick up.¡± Because of her striking appearance, Celeste had been receiving confessions from admirers since she was young. She wasn¡¯t a stranger to it. But ever since she¡¯d gotten married and had a child, her social circle had changed. She¡¯d never tried to hide her marital status at work either, so in recent years, such confessions had grown rare. +25 BONOS She and Caleb were somewhat friends. And since her divorce from Trevor wasn¡¯t finalized, his earlier confession had left her feeling uneasy. Now that he was contacting her again, that unease only deepened. Just as she was about to speak, Caleb continued, ¡°After we saw each otherst time, I gave it a lot of thought. At first, I thought what I said that day was just a moment of impulse. ¡°But after thinking it through, I realized it wasn¡¯t impulsive at all. Somewhere along the way, I¡¯d already developed feelings for you without realizing it. ¡°What I saidst time¨Cthat was actually the truest reflection of what I felt deep down. So yes, I really do like you.¡± 4 When Celeste received his call, she¡¯d more or less guessed why he was calling. But she didn¡¯t expect him to say so much. Caleb spoke in a steady, calm voice¨Cearnest and thoughtful¨Cas he expressed the conclusion he hade to after reflection. Before she could respond, he added, ¡°Last time you said you¡¯d been married. ¡®Been married,¡® not ¡®am married.¡® Can I take that to mean your marriage is already in trouble, or maybe even over? So, could you tell me your current marital status?¡± His tone held no pressure. When he asked thatst question, it was even gentler. Celeste had always had a good impression of Caleb. He was respectful and polite, and all he wanted was rity. Celeste was never a ruthless person. Faced with someone like him, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to respond harshly. She answered truthfully, ¡°I went to file the divorce paperwork today, but it¡¯s not finalized yet. ¡°You have to wait for the mandatory waiting period to be over before it¡¯s official?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Caleb chuckled. ¡°Seems like I have good timing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡± Celeste felt more and more ufortable. She hesitated, then said softly, ¡°Thank you for liking me, but I-¡± ¡°I know.¡± Caleb cut her off gently. Even his interruptions were tender. ¡°I know what you¡¯re going to say¨Cyou weren¡¯t nning to start a new rtionship so soon. Maybe you never even considered being with me. In other words, you don¡¯t like me right now.¡± Celeste was momentarily speechless¨Che¡¯d hit the nail right on the head. +25 BONOS Then his voice came again through the phone, ¡°I know all that. But I don¡¯t mind. I can wait.¡± Celeste came back to herself and was just about to tell him that she had a daughter when Caleb once again preempted her. ¡°You said you¡¯d been married. I figured you might already have a child. I¡¯ve thought about that too. But even so, my answer remains the same. ¡°So, I hope I can be the first in line to pursue you. And if you do consider starting a new rtionship after your divorce, I hope I¡¯ll be the first person you think of.¡± ? Celeste had been confessed to many times before. But never like this. 1 Before she could say anything, Caleb¡¯s warm voice came again, ¡°Where are you now? Have you eaten? I just got back. Can I treat you to lunch?¡± 6 The Scent of 401 Chapter 401 ¡°No need, I¡¯ve already eaten. But thank you,¡± Celeste answered. To be honest, Caleb¡¯s confession was actually quite moving But¡­ The reason she had taken Caleb¡¯s call in the first ce was to clear things up once and for all. So, she spoke seriously, with calm conviction; ¡°I really appreciate your feelings for me. But just as you said, I really don¡¯t have any ns to start a new rtionship right now. So, I¡¯m sorry. And please don¡¯t wait for me.¡± She noticed Caleb was about to respond again, hesitated briefly, and then decisively hung up the call. With her phone still in hand, she stood still, emotions tangled and heavy. After a long moment, a bitter smile tugged at her lips. She turned and went back to the private room. She had been gone quite a while. Once Matthias had figured out the reason for Caleb¡¯s call, he was dying to know what exactly was going on between them. Seeing how long their phone callsted only made him more curious. As soon as Celeste returned, he leaned in and asked in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯s going on between you and Caleb?¡± Celeste took a sip of her lemon water and replied lightly, ¡°Nothing much.¡± Matthias got the hint. ¡°Not convenient to talk now, huh? I¡¯ll ask youter.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t answer. Kieran was even more restless than Matthias. He¡¯d been waiting for Celeste toe back from the call, and while waiting, he messaged a friend to ask about Caleb. They were all from the same social circles, so his friend naturally knew Caleb. As soon as Kieran asked, the friend gave him a quick background rundown. Just as Celeste walked back in, his friend asked with curiosity, ¡°Why the sudden interest in Caleb?¡± Not hearing what Celeste and Matthias were saying, Kieran pulled his gaze away and typed a reply, ¡°Nothing.¡± Trevor also looked over at Celeste when she came back. But after a brief nce, he smiled and continued chatting with the others. Celeste didn¡¯t pay much attention to Trevor or Kieran. After exchanging a few words with Matthias, she turned her attention back to Bryson and the conversation. A little whileter, Bryson, who was sitting next to Trevor, had a professional question and asked for Celeste¡¯s opinion. So, she walked over.. Just then, Trevor was typing on his phone. When Bryson stood up to make space for Celeste, he identally bumped Trevor¡¯s arm, and his phone fell to the ground. Not realizing whose phone it was, Celeste instinctively bent down to pick it up and turned to hand it to Bryson. Only then did she notice¨Cthe screen disyed the text messages with Wynn. It was Trevor¡¯s phone. Realizing that, she quickly averted her eyes and moved to ce the phone down on the table. But Trevor had already reached out his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s mine. Thanks.¡± She handed it back to him and, without saying a word, took the seat next to Bryson. About 20 minutester, lunch finally wrapped up. Celeste stood up, ready to leave with the others. Just as they stepped out of the private room, the door to the room across the hall opened. Unable to help himself, Matthias leaned toward Celeste and murmured, ¡°Such a coincidence? I¡¯m guessing this was nned.¡± 3 He meant Trevor and Wynn had coordinated their timing. Celeste had caught a glimpse of the chat screen on Trevor¡¯s phone earlier. Just as Matthias said, it was arranged. Kieran quickly stepped up to walk beside her. Celeste thought he had something to say, so she asked, ¡°What is it?¡± Realizing she had never truly noticed his feelings, Kieran had originally nned to take it slow. But seeing the situation now, he realized he couldn¡¯t wait any longer. Still, this wasn¡¯t the right time or ce. So, he only said, ¡°Nothing.¡± Trevor noticed Kieran moving toward Celeste, nced at them briefly, then looked away and turned to Wynn, who had just stepped out of the opposite room. 1 Celeste and Matthias didn¡¯t bother making eye contact with the Shaw or Locket family members. They also had no interest in witnessing how close Trevor and Wynn might appear. So, they walked off without a pause. 1 Downstairs, after a brief conversation rted to work, Trevor and Wynn got into the car and left. Thinking of how Celeste had left earlier with Matthias and Kieran, Patricia remarked as they drove, ¡°That girl- wasn¡¯t she with Matthias just now? The heir of the Gibson family was also next to her, right? ¡°If something really does happen between them, it¡¯s bound to affect her rtionship with Matthias, don¡¯t you think?¡± The Locket family was well aware of Wynn and Kieran¡¯s past. And they had fully supported Wynn¡¯s choice to be with Trevor instead. After all,pared to Kieran, Trevor was undoubtedly more aplished, and he had indeed shown that he was willing to sacrifice more for Wynn. (5 The Scent of 402 Kieran had all the makings of a perfect partner, which made Linda nearly jump out of the car in protest. ¡°No way! What if Mr. Gibson really falls for that bitch? Then we¡¯ll lose a friend and add an enemy!¡± Ruby just chuckled, unconcerned. She lightly tapped her daughter¡¯s head and said, ¡°Silly girl. With Wynn shining like a gem, how could Mr. Gibson really fall for Celeste?¡± Over the years, she had seen firsthand just how irresistible Wynn was to men. Wynn said nothing. She wasn¡¯t about toment on whether Patricia¡¯s strategy would work¨Cbut like Ruby, she was confident Kieran wouldn¡¯t be swayed by Celeste. She knew exactly how deeply Kieran loved her. She had absolute confidence in that. 4 Lilian, though silent, shared the same view that Kieran wouldn¡¯t truly fall for Celeste. With that point firmly settled, she finally said, ¡°Because of the missed opportunity with YodaVision, Wynn has lost so much in recent months. Meanwhile, Celeste used that very opportunity tounch herself¨Cand now, she¡¯s clearly on the rise. ¡°If we let her keep going and allow her to stay with Matthias, she really might carve out a name for herself in the AI industry. 2 ¡°So, disrupting her rtionship with Matthias and reiming the connections with Matthias and Zachary that Wynn lost is something we must do now. 3 ¡°Otherwise, we may lose even more in the future!¡± That hit home. Recalling how Celeste had cost them a 300¨Cmillion¨Cdor breach of contract, and then seeing her bask in glory these past few weeks because of the paper she released, Linda burned with jealousy and resentment. After hearing Lilian¡¯s analysis, she no longer objected. Instead, she eagerly asked, ¡°Then what do we do? Mr. Gibson is so into Wynn, he definitely won¡¯t go along with it, right?¡± Bncing Wynn¡¯s image and getting Kieran to y along would take some careful maneuvering. But it was not impossible. (1 Celeste, Matthias, and Kieran returned to YodaVision¡¯s office building after lunch. When the elevator reached their floor and the doors slid open, they stepped out. Just as they were about to head for the entrance, they saw a tall, well¨Cbuilt figure standing by the front desk. As if hearing their footsteps, the man turned around. Celeste halted in her tracks. She had already exined her situation with Caleb to Matthias during the car ride back. 2 Matthias, ever the gossip fiend, had been gleefully soaking it all in. 1 Chapter 402 Now seeing the other party involved waiting at theirpany lobby, he let out a delighted ¡°Wow¡± and raised an eyebrow, utterly entertained. Kieran had never met Caleb before, but the moment he saw him, he instantly figured out who he was. There was no denying it¨CCaleb was handsome. In fact, his looks were just as superior as his name suggested. Kieran¡¯s expression darkened noticeably. Caleb turned back, caught sight of Celeste and Matthias, and said, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Celeste truly didn¡¯t expect him to show up at her workce She pressed her lips together. ¡°You-¡± ¡°Guessed you might be here, so I came over.¡± He looked straight at her, then added politely to Matthias, Mr. Yoder, long time no see.¡± Matthias grinned and shook hands with him. ¡°Long time indeed. This must be your first visit to YodaVision, right? Since you¡¯re here, why note in for a little tour?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Caleb replied with a smile¨Ccasting another nce at Celeste, but also catching the icy stare from Kieran nearby. Though they had never met, Caleb could immediately sense Kieran¡¯s hostility. The way Kieran stood close to Celeste, his posture and expression practically screamed possessiveness- displeased by Caleb¡¯s appearance and protective over Celeste. Caleb immediately understood. He paused, then looked over at Kieran and asked, ¡°This is¡­¡± Matthias wanted Celeste to introduce them. But she said nothing. So, he had no choice but to speak up. ¡°This is Kieran Gibson, an engineer here at YodaVision.¡± The Scent of 403 Chapter 403 Caleb extended his hand with a polite smile. ¡°Caleb Jennings.¡± Kieran shook it firmly. As their eyes locked, it was as if an unspoken message passed between them: ¡°We¡¯ll each rely on our own skills to win her over.¡± After the handshake, Caleb turned back to Celeste¡­ ¡°Mying here made you ufortable, didn¡¯t it?¡± It did. But she responded tactfully, ¡°A little.¡± ¡°I figured as much. knew you¡¯d feel ufortable, but I still came.¡± His tone was calm, even apologetic. ¡°Because I felt that if I didn¡¯t try, I¡¯d never know if you might change your mind. But now I¡¯ve tried, and I know the answer. I¡¯ll be more mindful from now on.¡± So, he was nning to keep pursuing her? Before Celeste could respond, Caleb turned to Matthias. ¡°Let¡¯s save the YodaVision tour for next time. I won¡¯t disturb you further.¡± Matthias had a good impression of Caleb. If Celeste were to start a new rtionship after her divorce, he genuinely thought Caleb could be a decent choice. But since Celeste herself didn¡¯t seem interested at the moment, he wasn¡¯t about to meddle. So, he replied courteously, ¡°If you have time, you¡¯re always wee to visit us again, Caleb.¡± Caleb nodded. Before turning to leave, he nced onest time at Celeste. She stood in silence, seemingly deep in thought. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but in the end, he simply said, ¡°See you next time.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± Then, Caleb left. Earlier, Kieran had thought Caleb and Celeste were already together. But now, he realized it had only ever been a one¨Csided pursuit. Celeste had rejected him¨Copenly and decisively. That realization lifted Kieran¡¯s mood significantly. Not long after Caleb left, word had already spread around thepany¨Ca super handsome guy hade looking for Celeste. ¡°Was that hunk her husband?¡± someone asked curiously. At that moment, Kieran was sitting in front of hisputer. The hand on his mouse suddenly froze. Her husband? Had he heard that right? Before he could speak up, another colleague chimed in, ¡°At first, Gianna from reception thought so too. But judging by their conversation, it seemed like the guy was just chasing after her. Doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s her husband at all!¡± ¡°Damn, some pretty boy chased her all the way to the office? Do you think her husband knows about this? If¡ª¡± Kieran couldn¡¯t take it anymore and cut in, ¡°Hold on. You said Celeste is already married?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± A colleague blinked at him. ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± At first, he¡¯d assumed Celeste and Matthias were dating. But after spending time in thepany, he noticed that despite their close working rtionship, they didn¡¯t act like a couple. They never came or left together, and there was a distinctck of romantic behavior. He¡¯d even confirmed it directly with Celeste¨Cshe told him¡¯they weren¡¯t dating. The colleague thought for a moment and added, ¡°Ah, right. You only joined this year. Most of the older folks in the department know about it, but since you cameter and we¡¯ve stopped bringing up her personal life as much, it¡¯s understandable you didn¡¯t know.¡°. Kieran didn¡¯t reply. The fact that Celeste was married hade as aplete shock. After a moment, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s her husband like? Have any of you met him? Do they have a good rtionship?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve only ever seen his silhouette during a video call¨Cnever his face. No idea who he is.¡± Then, another colleague added, ¡°As for how their rtionship is¡­ It¡¯s hard to say, honestly. Celeste¡¯s been with YodaVision for a while now, but aside from that one unexpected video appearancest year, her husband¡¯s never shown up again. She¡¯s also never mentioned him.¡± a The Scent of 404 Chapter 404 ¡°He¡¯s never shown up?¡± Kieran asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Another colleague chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s why a lot of us think Ms. Rodriguez is probably already divorced. I mean, it¡¯s been more than half a year, and she hasn¡¯t even mentioned him once.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± That actually made sense. If Celeste weren¡¯t divorced, would Caleb dare to pursue her so publicly? Still, Kieran couldn¡¯t calm down. It had never crossed his mind that Celeste had already been married. As he sat there in a daze, Celeste walked over and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He wanted to ask, ¡°Is it true that you¡¯re married?¡± But this was the workce, and asking personal questions like that¨Cespecially of a superior¨Cwasn¡¯t appropriate. It might be alright once in a while, but any more would be crossing a line. Snapping back to reality, he just said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± That afternoon, Celeste received a phone call. After hanging up, before the end of the workday, she told Matthias. ¡°I might onlye in tomorrow afternoon. Can you attend the morning meeting in my ce?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Then he asked, ¡°Did somethinge up?¡± ¡°My mother¡¯s going to the hospital for some health checks. I want to go with her.¡± Matthias wasn¡¯t aware of Isabelle¡¯s worsening condition. He thought it was just a routine check¨Cup. So, he said, ¡°Alright. Go ahead. I¡¯ll take care of things here.¡± Celeste nodded and left the . The next day, Celeste, Betty, and Adeline all arrived early at the hospital. Even at the hospital, they had to keep a distance, afraid Isabelle might spot them. During the checkups, Isabelle would be inexplicably agitated struggling wildly like a madwoman. It often took multiple medical staff to hold her down to get through each procedure. She had over ten tests in total. Once they were done, Isabelle left the hospital with the nursing home staff. Betty, due to her own frailty, also left. Celeste stayed behind with the doctor from the nursing home to wait for the results. Most of the reports wouldn¡¯t be ready until the afternoon. Some could only be out the next day. But the few that were already out didn¡¯t look promising. After the doctor exined, Celeste felt her heart sink. She thanked the doctor and prepared to leave the hospital. But just as she stepped into the hospital¡¯s main lobby, a young girl¡¯s voice called out, ¡°Mom!¡± Celeste froze. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag. She didn¡¯t turn her head and was about to pretend she hadn¡¯t heard it and leave when Jordyn ran over from the side and hugged +25 BONUS her around the waist. ¡°Mom!¡± Celeste turned slightly. She was just about to speak when she caught sight of Trevor standing not far away, watching from the crowd. She averted her gaze, looked down at Jordyn, and, hearing her cough, asked quietly, ¡°Are you sick?¡± ¡°Mm!¡± Jordyn nodded, coughing a few more, times before looking up. ¡°Mom, why are you at the hospital too? Are you sick?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not sick.¡± Celeste touched her forehead. ¡°Do you have a fever?¡± ¡°I had a feverst night, but it¡¯s gone now.¡± Then, without waiting for Celeste to respond, Jordyn hugged her even tighter and nced toward the approaching Trevor. She pouted. ¡°Last night I wanted to call you and ask you to apany me, but Dad said you were busy.¡± Celeste didn¡¯t look at Trevor. ¡°I¡¯m indeed busy. But I¡¯m d your fever¡¯s gone.¡± She paused, then asked, ¡°Whye to the hospital, though? What about the family doctor?¡± For minor illnesses, there was usually no need to bring Jordyn to the hospital. At that moment, Trevor spoke up, ¡°We came for a full health check¨Cup.¡± Celeste heard this but didn¡¯t ask why they needed it. Jordyn clung to her and said excitedly, ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t have to go to school today. Can I go with you to visit Granny?¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!