Chapter 95
“He? Who?” Celeste was puzzled.
Eulalie wasn’t ready to reveal her identity yet, so she quickly clammed up.
Celeste went to prepare coffee for her, “feel free to look around.
Eulalie didn’t casually roam around. Her upbringing told her it’s impolite to
walk around randomly in others‘ homes. So, when Celeste turned around, she
found Eulalie sitting upright on the sofa.
The sofa’s cushions was slightly worn from use, and had faded from frequent washing. Eulalie was wearing a white cashmere coat, exuding an aura of grace and nobility. She looked out of place here.
Celeste handed her the coffee. “Eula… you can relax a bit. This is my home, don’t be too tensed.”
Eulalie took a sip of the coffee. She still had her back straight. “I am relaxed.”
Okay, most of the time Celeste would just slouch on the sofa. That’s the most relaxed posture she liked.
The coffee was slightly overdone, with a very ordinary taste. Eulalie took one sip and set it aside. She turned to Celeste, who slouched on the sofa, “this posture isn’t good for your spine.”
Celeste sat up, “have you always been like this?”
“Like what?”
“Like this,” she mimicked Eulalie’s posture.
Chapteros
“Yes, I’ve been like this since I was very young.”
“Oh, you have lost so much pleasure! Now let me teach you how to
completely relax.”
Eulalie looked puzzled. “How?”
“First step, take off your coat and shoes.”
Though uncertain of Celeste’s intentions, Eulalie still complied.
Then, Celeste flopped onto the sofa. “Now lie down, like this.”
“No, no,” she instinctively resisted, “I’m not gonna do this. This is weird.”
Celeste tugged at her woolen skirt. “Just give it a try. C’mon!”
“Just for a moment.”
Eulalie lay down on it stiffly, her hands and feet neatly arranged. The sofa was incredibly soft. The moment she reclined, it embraced her entirely.
Eulalie felt as if she was sinking into a cloud. Every joint in her body was gently cradled, and the worries that weighed on her heart were soothed away, slowly fading.
Celeste lay beside her. “I didn’t deceive you, right?”
Eulalie murmured, “right.”
She closed her eyes, savoring this rare moment of relaxation and tranquility.
“Celeste, why did you come abroad to study?”
wasted my youth
something more meaningful, so I came here.”
“What about you, Eula?”
“To avoid getting married.”
“Huh? Is someone pressuring you into marriage?”
“Yes, they want me to marry a man I don’t even meet before.”
Celeste found it hard to believe. “Is it like in the novels–marrying a stranger for family interests?”
Eulalie nodded. There’s a touch of self–mockery in her voice. “It sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? But I had no choice.”
Celeste felt profound sympathy for Eulalie. She was deprived of the right to marry someone she loved.
“I knew a long time ago that I couldn’t choose my future husband. As long as my last name is McCartney, it’s a destiny I can’t escape.”
“So… you agreed?”
Eulalie gave a nod, “when I go back… I’ll have to marry him.”
Celeste couldn’t fathom how someone so proud could agree to such a sorrowful fate.
As they chatted, Eulalie gradually fell asleep. Celeste fetched a blanket from the bedroom and covered on her.
In just a week, it would be Christmas. Celeste’s part–time job employer had taken on a project. There’s an exhibition held in a hotel. Celeste was assigned to
Chapters
complete a painting. The payment was considerable, so Celeste readily declined. Eulalie’s
invitation to tour Europe.
Time was tight. She had been working on the painting in the hotel for these
past few days. She had never been this exhausted, as if she could collapse and fall asleep at any moment.
Kendric and his group had arrived at the hotel around ten o’clock at night. Their car parked in front of the hotel’s fountain.
The moment Ezra stepped out of the car, he yawned. He looked at Kendric, who seemed in a great spirit. “How come you’re not tired at all?”
Kendric’s gaze kept scanning the passers–by.
“C’mon, Kendric! This city is so big, how could you two possibly meet
here?”
Ezra added, “why don’t you just go find her?”
“It’s not the right time.”
Ezra teased him, “then when is the right time? When she finds a new boyfriend?”
Kendric gritted his teeth. “She’s here to study, not to date!”
Ezra rolled his eyes.
Celeste took off her coat stained with pigment, neatly stowed the plates in
her bag, and pulled her rolling suitcase towards the elevator.
She was bone–tired, so much so that she could barely discern tha
floor indicator. She mistakenly pressed11 but her room was at 17th floor.
As the elevator reached the 11th floor, Kendric walked out of the exclusive
elevator. Simultaneously, the regular elevator Celeste stopped.
Somehow, the sound made Kendric pause. He instinctively glanced into that
elevator.
Celeste wore a hat and a mask. She was leaning against the elevator wall,
eyes closed. As the elevator stopped, she opened her eyes and found she was on
the 11th floor. She pressed 17.
In that split second when her eyes opened, Kendric recognized her.
He swiftly maneuvered through the crowd, and approached.
The elevator doors closed slowly. He watched the numbers change, and finally it stopped at number 17.
He stepped into another elevator and pressed 17 without hesitation.
He was certain it was Celeste.
Celeste returned to the hotel room, she opened the door and, dragging her exhausted body, collapsed onto the bed.
Kendric followed her and watched her enter the room. His fervent heart
gradually cooled. He stood outside the door for a moment.
He never believed in destiny. He always believed in shaping his own fate. Yet, in this moment, he felt gratitude for god to bring them together.