Chapter 31
Celeste pushed the door open. Upon seeing who was inside, she realized she
had been tricked.
Kendric was sitting alone in the study, lost in thought. His eyes gazed
downward. A floor lamp beside him cast a soft glow on his shoulders.
Just one glimpse was enough for Celeste to make the decision. She turned
the doorknob without hesitation, but then she realized the door was locked.
The noise caught the attention of Kendric. He was holding something in his
hand, and upon spotting Celeste, he quickly stashed it back in a drawer.
He cleared his throat. “Why are you here?”
Celeste thought herself so stupid to walk into this trap just because of food.
In the darkness, the smell of food was especially prominent. She took two steps forward, approaching the dining cart.
The lifestyle of tycoons was mere luxurious. Celeste had been offered plain food in the hospital, but here was Kendric, sitting in front of a lavish meal with a furrowed brow…
His finicky eating habits made Celeste think he should be shipped off to a
barren island to experience a survival in wilderness.
She pointed at the dining cart, “there’s food here.”
Kendric thought Celeste had come to apologize. He put on his usual high–and–mighty attitude.
But she didn’t give him a second glance, going straight for the dinning cart, leaving him looking baffled.
Celeste didn’t wanna make herself look like ‘robbing‘ food from Kendric. She put on a sincere look, “you wanna have some?”
In Kendric’s eyes, this meant she was bowing her head and offering an
apology. But he couldn’t be pacified so easily. His stern face showed no signs of
softening, “I’m not hungry.”
Celeste nodded her head, “okay, then I’ll just wheel it out.”
“Hold on!” Kendric grumbled through clenched teeth.
He was such a fool to think she was coming over to offer apologies!
Celeste was quite puzzled. “I thought you said you were not hungry?”
Kendric suppressed his annoyance, “yep, I’m not hungry, but you can’t
wheel it out.”
Celeste narrowed her eyes, and she asked herself inside her heart, ‘Why didn’t I notice before how–irritating Kendric Melville could be?”
Love had a way of blinding her to his flaws. It’s only now she truly saw him
clear.
Kendric had always been a bit overbearing.
Once, on Sienna’s birthday, Celeste and Sienna had planned to hold a party with their classmates and stay out all night. Celeste had only called the maid and hadn’t bothered to inform Kendric that she wouldn’t be coming home that night.
The next day, when she returned home, she found herself locked out of the villa. Kendric was sitting in the garden on the second floor, and looking down at her through the glass window.
Redeemed From Caged Love
He left her standing outside the gate for a whole hour before leisurely
coming down to unlock it.
Then he interrogated her, “where were you last night?”
Celeste honestly told him everything.
Kendric got ticked off and immediately laid down a rule for her, “You gotta
be back by nine at the latest every night.”
Back then, the naive Celeste thought that he was out of concerns.
Later, she realized throughout all those years, she lived under his watchful eye. Even when he was on business trips, Kendric always had someone reported every detail about her life to him.
Celeste pushed the dining cart back and stood not too far from him. “Kendric, you’re so childish.”
Kendric raised his head, and Celeste knew he was about to blow a fuse.
She casually plopped down in a nearby chair. “I know you’re pissed at me.”
He clenched his lips and stayed quiet, sending her a clear message–he’s truly pissed at her.
Celeste propped her head on her hand, “let me tell you the truth. Even if you’re angry, I won’t be offering you comforts or apologies again.”
She mustered the courage, “I said I wouldn’t love you anymore. I meant it.”
His calm façade finally cracked. Even though her words had clearly stung him, he still insisted, “I don’t believe that.”
Celeste took a deep breath. It’s not worth to argue with this self–absorbed
16.07
guy who thought he was the center of the universe.
He urged her in a stiff tone, “come join me for dinner.”
The two of them ate in awkward silence, keeping their distance.
This dinner was quite a spread. There were salmon sashimi, prosciutto,
grilled veal cutlet, stewed chicken and so on. It was a far cry from the bland-
hospital meals she’d been having.
As she was lost in thought, a plate of shrimp was pushed in front of her.
Kendric glanced at the shrimp and then at her.
Celeste rolled her eyes, “shell them yourself.”
Kendric was bewildered by her sudden outburst. He got up from the dining table and made a phone call.
“Bring me some gloves.”
When Cade entered the room, he sensed the awkward atmosphere at the dining table. He found Kendric sitting upright in his chair, arms crossed
As for Celeste… she had quite an appetite.
Cade grinned and handed Celeste the gloves, “Miss Alinsky, you’re so thoughtful, shelling shrimp for Mr. Melville.”
Celeste sneered, “Give the gloves to him.”
Cade hesitated for a moment, then looked at Kendric.
“Pass them over,” Kendric took off his wristwatch, unbuttoned his shirt cuffs, and rolled them up.
Each of his actions had Cade’s nerves on edge.
Celeste, on the contrary, didn’t bother to spare even a glance at him.
Kendric stood beside, watching this scene with shock, nervousness and
confusion.
Kendric grew impatient with Cade’s staring. “Anything else?”
Cade finally got the hint, “nah, nothing.” Then he walked straight out the
room.
Kendric finished shelling a plate of shrimps and put it in front of Celeste, “have some.”
Celeste raised an eyebrow but didn’t make a move.
“I thought shrimps are your favorite food,” he took off his gloves, “every time we have a meal together, you always shell a plate of shrimps.”
It clicked for Celeste then. Kendric couldn’t stand shell–on seafood, but he liked shrimp. So, every time they dined together, she’d shell some shrimps. And if he couldn’t finish them, she’d take care of the leftovers.
Her smile was stained with a hint of bitterness. “No, it’s your favorite food.”
