Chapter 5 Question
Before heading home, Celeste decided to pick up some
essentials.
She drove to a nearby mall, intent on updating her wardrobe.
Most of her clothes from four years ago were now too outdated or no longer fit.
With her belly showing, she needed to start shopping for maternity wear.
As she walked into the mall, Celeste made a beeline for her store.
Briar Vance, the store manager, was there and nearly had a heart attack upon seeing her.
“B… boss?” Briar stammered, blinking in disbelief.
Celeste smiled lazily, “Long time no see, Briar.”
Briar’s eyes widened with shock. “Holy shot! It’s been four years! I thought you’d left us for good!”
She threw her arms around Celeste, tears welling up in her
Chapter 5 Question
eyes.
2/8
Celeste chuckled, patting her on the back. “Don’t be sad. Your boss was off on a little sabbatical. But now I’m back.”
Briar beamed, her eyes glistening with tears. “So you’re not leaving again, right? You’re really coming back to stay?”
Celeste gave her a reassuring nod. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be officially back at the company in a couple of days!”
“Fantastic!” Briar’s face lit up. “I’ll pack up the new collections for you right away.“”
Briar’s smile was radiant as she busily prepared the items. “It’s
about time you came back. This place was getting way too small for me to show off my talents.””
Celeste smiled as she watched Briar bustle around, her spirits
lifted by the warm welcome. Celeste had anticipated Briar’s
excitement. “In three days, come pick me up. From now on, you and Finnegan will be by my side, while Everly and Landry
will serve as my covert guards.”
Briar nodded eagerly, thrilled to finally have a chance to be genuinely useful.
At that moment, Celeste’s phone rang.
Chapter 5 Question
Nathaniel?
3/8
“Hello?” Celeste frowned. Why was he still calling her?
Nathaniel’s voice came through, dripping with disdain. “Celeste, I never thought you’d be this kind of person. You
actually stole confidential files from the Rowe Group’s new product line? Is this how you retaliate just because I dismissed you? Really?”
Celeste’s eyes narrowed as a surge of fury coursed through
her. “Nathaniel, what’s got you worked up? I wouldn’t even look twice at your pathetic new product. I suggest you stop throwing baseless accusations.”
“Nathaniel, Candy has already admitted it. She said you asked her to fetch the files over the phone, and the new product information was in that batch of documents. She even
confessed you paid her a million dollars. I’m giving you one hour to return the files, or else.”
Nathaniel’s anger was palpable.
Celeste’s face flushed with anger. She was about to snap back when he hung up abruptly.
Everly, noticing Celeste’s furious expression, approached her anxiously. “Ms. Hartley…”
Chapter 5 Question
Celeste stood up, her entire demeanor radiating cold rage. “Call Landry immediately. I need to know everything about
Candy from the Rowe Group within ten minutes. Also, have Briar come pick me up. I’ll head to Rowe Group.”
Her eyes were ablaze with fury.
4/8
Everly quickly made the calls and got everything sorted out.
“Boss, if I’m not mistaken, you were undercover at the Rowe Group before, right?” Briar asked while driving.
Celeste’s usually lively eyes darkened with a shadow of past pain. “I worked there for a year.”
Her marriage to Nathaniel was a secret only she knew.
The thought of the past four years made her breath hitch, and she had no desire to revisit it.
Briar, catching onto the situation, cursed vehemently, “That bastard. The Rowe Group isn’t even worth a damn. They’re just new money, one step away from bankruptcy. How dare they accuse you of stealing their precious product plans? What gall!”
Briar continued to vent her frustration as they reached the Rowe Group’s building.
Chapter 5 Question
Landry had already sent over the documents Cele
requested.
5/8
As she reviewed them, her eyes grew colder, and she dialed Nathaniel’s number.
Nathaniel’s indifferent voice came. “Hello?”
Celeste said coldly, “I’m not stepping foot into your company. Have your people meet me at the entrance.”
Nathaniel’s voice took on a mocking tone. “So you want to make this a public spectacle?”
Celeste shot back, “Is that a problem? You think you can bully me, but I’m not afraid to let everyone see how you’re trying to pull this off.”
There was silence on Nathaniel’s end before he hung up.
Celeste and Briar waited at the building entrance.
Moments later, Nathaniel and Madelynn, surrounded by a group of people, emerged.
Nathaniel was impeccably dressed in a black suit, his. imposing figure adding to his already formidable presence.
Celeste avoided looking at him, feeling deeply unsettled by his
Chapter 5 Question
cold stare.
6/8
Her heart ached–only a month had passed since her divorce, and Madelynn was already freely moving about the company.
Madelynn looked at Celeste with a mix of sorrow and reproach. “Ms. Hartley, I understand you’re hurting, but you can’t resort to this. Do you have any idea how crucial this new product is for Nathaniel? It’s a game–changer for the Rowe Group, and you’ve resorted to theft. This is beyond despicable.”
“Thief?” Briar laughed through her irritation. “Miss, who
exactly are you accusing of theft? Your company’s new product is so insignificant that my boss wouldn’t even glance
at it.”
Madelynn stared at Briar, taken aback by how this woman
seemed to be even more striking than herself. “Who are you?”
Briar’s smile was audacious, her posture radiating a victorious
air that made Madelynn narrow her eyes.
“Who I am is irrelevant. You dare accuse my boss? I can make you beg for mercy if I want to.”
Madelynn was taken aback by Briar’s bluntness.
Nathaniel had become the most authoritative figure in Kinston
Chapter 5 Question
7/8
in just a few years, dominating both the underworld and the legitimate world.
Many trembled at the mere mention of his name.
As his partner, she found it hard to tolerate such disrespect.
Madelynn couldn’t help but sneer, “Celeste, are you really bringing in some petty crooks from the streets? Calling them. ‘bosses‘ really makes them sound like wild kids from the
towns.”
Briar and Celeste were indeed considered ‘wild kids.
They had grown up alongside Quentin and were orphans.
But they were fortunate to have received a lot of love and
support.
“You’re truly clueless,” Briar retorted with a mocking gaze.
“Enough.” Nathaniel’s voice cut through the tension.
His sharp eyes focused on Celeste. “Celeste, the surveillance
footage shows that the information Candy gave you included our new product details. Do you still want to deny it?”
He thought, “Not only has she betrayed me, but now she’s trying to make o with the company’s new product.
Chapter 5 Question
8/8
How much does she look down on me to dare to toy with me like this?”
The accusation hit Celeste hard. The betrayal was more than she could bear, especially coming from someone like Nathaniel. “So, you really think I took it?”
Nathaniel’s voice was cold and unfeeling. “No. You stole it.”
His words were like a knife twisting in Celeste’s heart…
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