Chapter Forty

Seth had barely settled down behind his desk when a soft knock sounded on his door. It's been a few days since he's been at the office since that incident and he decided to attend one meeting before taking the day off once again.

Dante peeps into the office, his face giving away who the guest was before he could even open his mouth. Seth sighs, he had told her he would get back to her but if there's one thing he's learned about Celine, she wasn’t one to back down.

Not in a situation like this.

"Mr. Blackwood, Ms. Celine is here to see you. She insisted it was urgent."

Seth massages his temple, he already knew what it was about. He had expected her to call, not to appear in person.

"Send her in," Seth instructed, getting out of his chair, his expression unreadable.

Celine entered, her grip on her handbag seemed to tighten with each step to took towards his table.

“Good morning Celine. You didn’t tell me you were coming.”

Celine drops her bag in one of the seats, her expression weary. Seth knew she was up all night, thinking. Knowing Celine, she was very disturbed by the incident with Thea. “I didn't tell you because I knew you woud turn me away and dismiss my concerns.”

Seth was quiet, that much was true. He wouldn’t have given her the answers she needed if she had informed him prior.

"I saw the video about Thea.” Celine continued, her voice caught in her throat. “ and the articles about her cheating on her previous finacee..Runes Sterling..”

Her gaze met Seth’s, a look of concern on her face. “Are you doing this out of pity ? did you marry Thea because of this?”

Seth’s jaw clenched at her words but his face retained neutral. The last thing he wanted was for Celine to think his relationship with Thea is some arrangement.

He gestured to the chair opposite his desk. "Please, have a seat."

Celine sat, gripping her purse in her lap. "I wanted to go see Thea. I figured she'd still be in too much shock to talk about it properly."

She looked directly at him, her brow furrowed with concern. "Did you know about this before getting married to Thea? She cheated on her fiancee on her enagement night and now there's a video of her doing what she was accused of!"

“The man in the video…it was me.”

Celine stared at him in silence, trying to register what he was saying and maake sense out of the articles she had read about Thea.

“What? But..but that doesn’t make any sense. Are you telling me….the man the articles are saying she cheated on her fiancee with…is you?”

Seth’s silence only made Celine feel even worse!

Her gaze met Seth, he was telling the truth. She gasped, her eyes went wide in horror. Her grip on her purse tightened until her knuckles were white. She stared at him as if he had just spoken a foreign language.

"You?" she whispered, the word barely audible. "That was... that was you in the video"

“Yes. It was me. And technically speaking, she didn’t cheat on her fiancee either. It's all a huge misunderstanding. You’ve met Thea, Celine. You’re a great judge of character. Tell me what you think.”

Celine leans back on heer seat, mouth slightly agape as she stares at Seth still in shock. Her eyes glanced at the wall of glass and back at Seth as though she was recalling something she’d forgotten.

“ Thea…she seems like…she's lost. Hurt…desperatee to be seen as…something else. I can tell she wants to detach herself from a part of her that's like a second skin to her.”

Seth leans back on his seat, he diddnt need to inform her of the details, it was only going to ruin his arrangement with Thea and honestly, he didn’t want that. Not yet.

“She was engaged to Runes Sterling at some point but she's married to me now. And all of that is in her past. That video of us was taken out of context but I took care of it. You don’t have to worry.”

Celine sighs, it was a lot to process but just had to trust her grandson was very much aware of what he's doing and he knew his wife better than anyone.

“And she was disowned by her family? I read it was because she cheated on him.”

Seth shook his head gently. “ If there's anyone who's been cheating, it's Runes Sterling. Long before their enagement ended, he's been seeing someone else,” he said.

He knew his grandmother knew Yumi's family quite well and knowing Celine, she would confront her and blow it up in everyones faces. He didn’t want her to do that, he needed to use this weakness of Runes to his advantage.

“ About her being disowned, trust me Celine. She's better off alone than with that family. She's better off with me”

Celine rubs her hands as her mind processes all the information she had just been given. “So what you're trying to tell me is, this is all a misunderstanding. Thea didn’t cheat on her fiancee but it was her fiancee who was cheating on her. And this video was a giant misunderstanding?”

Seth nods. “Why did you think I had all of them sued and their websites shut down permanently?”

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them, a deep sadness in their depths. "The poor girl. That explains so much. No wonder her family weren’t at the wedding! She's been through so much.."

Celine pushed herself out of the chair. "I need to see her, Seth. Is she... is she okay now? You said you cleared everything, but..."

"She's still recovering," Seth admitted, his face suddenly clouded with feelings hee was trying hard to keep buried inside. "But she's getting there. I managed to get her out of bed and her friend came over. She's getting better."

Celine nodded, her concern deepening. "Good. But I want to see her too. Could I stop by the house to see Thea then?"

Seth considered it for a moment. Thea needed space, to let her process everything that has happened.

"Maybe in a few days. I promise to send a driver to pick you up once she's better." Seth offered. "You can come by then."

Celine exhaled slowly, a heavy weight seemingly lifting from her shoulders. "Thank you, Seth. For telling me. And for handling everything. I can't imagine what Thea would have done without you."

Seth simply gave a curt nod. He didn't need thanks. He had done what was necessary. What he would always do for what was his.

“Make sure to keep me posted okay?” Celine said as she got out of her seat slowly.

“ I will. Take care.” Seth said, wrapping his arms around her in a hug before watching her leave his office.

An exhale escaped his lips as soon as she was gone, thht went better than he had envisioned. His phone beeped, a call from Marcus.

“What do you have for me?’’