Chapter 41 Family Tensions
Chapter 41 Family Tensions
Celeste noticed Amara observing her with a warm smile.
As she was about to choose a dress, Brigitte spoke up, “Ma’am, don’t you usually let Miss Isolde select first whenever the new season’s collection arrives?
“How do you think Miss Isolde Huxley will feel if she finds out Celeste got the first pick this time?”
Amara glanced at Brigitte with a calm, confident expression.
‘It made sense to let Isolde go first when she was the only one here, she thought. ‘But now, with my real daughter back, of course, Celeste gets the first choice. Besides, there’s plenty left for Isolde
Amara stared at Brigitte, replying, “Isolde’s a thoughtful girl. I’m sure she won’t be upset over something so trivial.”
Turning back to Celeste, she encouraged her, “Choose whatever you like, dear,”
Celeste selected a few dresses, including the limited–edition ‘Nebula Sheen‘ gown. With her picks set aside to be sent to her room, she sat back down beside Amara.
Amara looked pleased. “Celeste, have you completed everything for Crestwood College tomorrow?”
Celeste nodded. “Yes, I finished all the paperwork before I came back.”
“Good,” Amara said with a satisfied nod.
She then pulled out a set of keys from her bag and handed them to Celeste. “I thought it might be tiring for you to commute every day, so I got you an apartment right across from campus.
“You can stay there during the week and come home on weekends. This way, you won’t have to worry about getting up early or running late.”
Celeste accepted the keys, touched by Amara’s thoughtfulness. “Thank you, Mom,” she said softly.
Amara’s face softened even further. “No need to thank me, Celeste. I’m your mother. You don’t have to be so formal. If you ever need anything, just tell me or buy it yourself.”
She handed Celeste a card. “This is my primary account. There’s no limit, so buy yourself whatever you want. There’s no need to save–I want you to enjoy yourself.”
Celeste took the card, giving Amara a grateful smile. “Alright, Mom. I’ll make sure to use it.”
Seeing Celeste accept the card so readily filled Amara with joy. ‘She is willing to use the money. She sees me as her true mother in her heart, Amara thought.
She gently held Celeste’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Are you hungry, Celeste? If you are, I can have Brigitte bring us some fruit to hold us over until dinner.”
Celeste nodded, and Amara turned to Brigitte. “Bring out the fresh lychees we bought today for Celeste.” Brigitte gave Celeste a glance before heading to the kitchen, returning shortly with a small plate of lychees. Amara frowned, noticing the modest portion. “Brigitte, didn’t we get a whole bag? Why bring so few?”
‘I was saving the rest for Miss Isolde. She always gets a large plate of lychees when she’s here, Brigitte thought. Hiding her disdain, she replied, “Dinner’s soon, ma’am. I didn’t want Celeste to lose her appetite.”
Amara nodded, accepting the reasoning, and began peeling a lychee for Celeste. “Here, try one. They’re very sweet.” “Thanks, Mom,” Celeste said, accepting the fruit. “I can do it myself, though–you don’t need to peel them for me. You should have some too.”
“Okay,” Amara replied with a smile.
Just as they were enjoying the fruit, Declan came downstairs, yawning.
He made a beeline for Celeste, peering over her shoulder at her phone. “Hey, let’s do a game round! I want to see how you ⚫ play.”
‘If she plays as poorly as I think, I’ll call her out on it right here. Pretending to like my idol just to get on my good side. My idol doesn’t need a fake fan, he thought, smirking.
Amara shook her head and tapped Declan lightly on the head. “Declan, you have classes starting tomorrow at Crestwood College. Don’t you think you should be studying instead of playing games? Aren’t you afraid of being expelled from school?” Declan shrugged with a dismissive grin. “Mom, you think I’m like Celeste, always bottom of the class? I don’t even need to study. I’ll score in the 90th percentile on my finals without any trouble. Can Celeste manage that?”
Amara frowned. “Celeste may not be hitting the top scores, but-”
“There’s no ‘but, Mom,” Declan interrupted, waving a hand. “Face it–Celeste is brainless. Tomorrow, when we’re at
Chapter 41 Family Tensions
Crestwood College, she better use her last name, Sinclair, and not embarrass our family,”
At that, Amara reached for the broom in Brigitte’s hand and swatted Declan’s shoulder. “Watch your mouth, Declan! You’re not to insult Celeste. Apologize to her this instant!”
Declan yelped, dodging his mother’s swings, and fled up the stairs. Watching him disappear, Celeste fought back a smirk.‘ He really deserved it, she thought.
She wouldn’t have hesitated to slap him herself if Amara hadn’t stepped in first.
Amara, still fuming, called out, “If you have the nerve, stay up there! I’ll deal with you if you come down again!”
She tossed the broom aside, muttering, “I don’t know how I ended up with such an insufferable son.”
She then turned to Celeste, ready to console her, but Celeste’s phone rang just then. Sliding a finger across the screen, she answered, “Hello?”
On the other end, Chloe’s voice was tense. “Celeste, I transferred the 30 million you asked for. Why haven’t you told your lawyer to drop the case yet?”
Celeste sighed. She’d been too busy to follow up.
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