Chapter 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 incoming call, she turned her head away and refused to answer.

Celeste became more concerned and quickly called the landline at the villa.

Hannah answered promptly. After hearing Celeste's concerns, she reassured her, "Ms. Fleming should be fine. She went to bed late last night and woke up late 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."

When Hannah went upstairs, Jordyn was already in the bathroom brushing her teeth.

After Hannah relayed Celeste being worried about her, Jordyn lowered her head and lied, "I accidentally 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 too. 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 was completely forgotten by Trevor after the phone call with Wynn.

On the day they returned to the country, Trevor packed the last 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 villa 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 villa. 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 up late. After freshening up, she opened the curtains to a sunny day. She stretched lazily, watered her plants, 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 hurt 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 AI 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-year 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 her laptop and hesitated briefly before driving to Trellis College.

It was already late in the evening when she arrived. Many of the high-profile attendees had already left, but the campus was still bustling.

Celeste wandered aimlessly and eventually found herself near the familiar lab building.

A familiar voice called out to her. "Cel?"

…

20 minutes later, at a cafe outside Trellis College, Matthias Yoder poured her a cup of coffee.

"How have you been lately?" 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 planning to return to the company?"

"I am, but…"

Matthias couldn't understand why she was hesitating. He said earnestly. "Cel, the company needs you. You're a part of it, so I hope you'll come back to take charge."

"But I… I…" Celeste felt conflicted when she saw his serious expression.

It wasn't that she didn't want to return. The AI 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 the company and be at the forefront of the industry as she once had.