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 the company."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 to come back. I bet not long from now, she'll be back with help from Mrs. Fleming 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 the latter
After Lottie's fever had completely subsided, Celeste returned home. She hadn't yet prepared a dress for the upcoming banquet, so in the afternoon, she headed out to shop for one.At a high-end boutique, the store manager and several attendants were busy with a particular 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 course."Though Celeste had become 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-end 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 someth
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-sister."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 cool composure. She said, "I'm fine. I just don't agree with her joining our company."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 glanced at her. He replied with utmost sincerity, "She may be an algorithm genius, but compared to you, she's nothing."Celeste was stunned. She thought Matthias was exaggerating, but he stated, "I'm
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 newcomers, 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 sm
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 outcome 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.
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 gaze landed 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 relationship and were quite close. She was uncertain about the nature of their connection. However, given his comments, Wynn began to grasp the implications of what he meant.She asked coldly, "Mr. Yoder, a
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 relationships. She's truly remarkable."Initially, I was puzzled by Trevor's unexpected appearance at my dinner party. However, I later discovered that he had come 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 realiz
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 place 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 faded completely 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 rel
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 placed 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 to come by before three.""Okay." Naomi answered, then smiled and nodded politely at Celeste before hurrying out.Celeste watched her leave, slowly stirr
After they finished playing golf, Celeste and the others still had other plans.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 plans later, 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?"Having stumbled twice today, Wynn was indeed feeling down. Especially seeing how much Rowan and the others li
The group chatted while playing golf.However, it was obvious that Theodore and Rowan were far more interested in the topic they were discussing than in the game itself.At first, they talked about international affairs. As the conversation went on, Theodore and Rowan ended up simulating a battle arrangement right there on the spot.As they got more and more into it, Celeste and Matthias simply stood by and listened, along with Trevor and Wynn.Maybe not wanting the younger ones to just stand around, Rowan said, "Why don't you join in and share your thoughts?"After a moment, Celeste spoke up, "With strong enemies on all sides, it's not suitable to charge in alone. So for now, staying put would be a good choice."Hearing this, Wynn paused.She had to admit, it was a good idea. If Celeste hadn't said it first, she honestly wouldn't have thought of it herself.Just as that thought crossed her mind, she saw Rowan smiling and nodding in agreement.Matthias reacted quickly too. He
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 turned 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 it 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—he genuinely seemed to admire her.She frown
After dinner, Jordyn followed Celeste back to the Rodriguez residence.That night, she received a call from Rowan, inviting her and Matthias to play 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 planned.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 play golf?"Celeste nodded again. "I've learned a bit."After some polite small talk, they began playing 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 Wy
Although Celeste and Matthias had already asked Candice to politely decline Cayden's request for a meeting, he still showed up uninvited two days later.Since he had come in person, Celeste and Matthias couldn't completely 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 YodaVision last year, you would've grown so much by now. What a shame."At their last meeting, Cayden had asked about her current situation. After hearing she hadn't gotten into YodaVision, he didn't comment much.But now, recalling the matter, he couldn't help expressing his regr
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 Wynn come 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-hearted smile and said, "I feel better with your assurance."During the meeting in the morning, the seat at the center of the table was occupied by Trevor alone. Now that Wynn was here,
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—brushed 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
It really was Celeste?Even though Jorge, Lilian, and Linda didn't specialize in AI and couldn't fully grasp how groundbreaking Celeste's paper was, they did know one thing—Wynn's advisor, Cayden, was a major figure in the AI world.A world-renowned expert like him paying this much attention to a paper—personally messaging Wynn and urging her to study it thoroughly—was 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 have come 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 increased large language model efficiency for long-text processing over tenfold was already enough to get him excited.He immediately turned to Matthias and asked,