Chapter 7

The two colleagues beside Celeste stole glances 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 designer labels—what 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 accurate after some changes took place.

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's company 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 becoming a disappointment. In fact, she'd excelled.

The once-illegitimate 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 her completely.

"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.

Celeste wrapped up her work, grabbed her car keys, and left the office.

20 minutes later, 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 access to confidential company 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 have come 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, accompanied 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 plant and the chair's backrest to remain out of sight.

"Oh my! I didn't know you were back in the country too," Wynn exclaimed.

"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 necklace Dad and I made for you. Happy birthday, Wynn!" Jordyn replied jubilantly.

"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 have lasted 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 aloof composure as though nothing could ever rattle him. At least, that was what she had once believed—until 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."

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 her later in private. Let's not get involved."

The others laughed 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 group laughed 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 blank. Her chest ached like it was pricked by a thousand needles. Still, she eventually composed 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.

As Celeste helped Lottie into the elevator, one of Trevor's friends, Miles Quinton, stopped in his tracks.