"Ms. Stanton? Apologize?" Willow mused as she couldn't believe what had unfolded before her. "Mr. Woodward, the manager of this establishment, wants me to apologize to Celia? How's that possible?"Lisa was the first among the two to voice how outraged she felt. Her jaw tightened with every shrieking word that left her mouth. "Are you mistaken, Mr. Woodward? Why are you apologizing to her? Willow's interested in that dress. Plus, you always known Willow, the most beloved granddaughter of Old Mr. Xanders! Offending Willow means you're offending Old Mr. Xanders himself! Are you aware of what becomes of those that cross the Xanders family? Are you even able to bear the consequences?"Walter didn't care to respond to Lisa. Instead, he wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief before resuming his apology to Celia. "Ms. Stanton, to prove how sincerely sorry we are, RD Luxuries has decided to gift this dress to you, free of charge. I hope this appeases you." Moments ago

Yardley only planned to punish Celia lightly, but he sank so deeply into her irresistibly soft, candy-flavored lips that he couldn't back out anymore. The usual weight on his shoulders vanished just then, replaced with a fluttery weightlessness like never before. He couldn't help but deepen the kiss.Shame and anger roared to life in Celia's chest. She was helpless as the former pried her lips open to explore deeper inside her mouth with his tongue. Her heart thrummed erratically, and she could barely breathe, so she tried to shove Yardley away. Unfortunately, it didn't work as he had firmly pinned her down.The temperatures inside the men's washroom continued rising rapidly with every second.By then, Celia had run out of ideas and could only rely on timing to break free. She waited for the perfect chance to bite down hard on Yardley's lip. A warm, metallic scent soon permeated the insides of her mouth, then she felt Yardley wincing in pain and instantly releasing her. "Oh, thank

Quinn whipped her head around upon hearing the door creak open, her face paling as if she had just seen a ghost. Celia's brows creased. "What do you think you're doing, Quinn?"Right away, Quinn's gaze flitted to the ground, but she steeled herself. "Yardley's too drunk to wash up. I wanted to clean his lips.""Oh? So, you decided to clean them with your own lips?" The corners of Celia's lips tilted into a mocking sneer. She peered at Yardley from beneath her lashes, mentally assessing the situation, "Judging from Yardley's shut eyes and steady breathing, he's likely fallen asleep out of drunkenness, which means he has no clue what Quinn is doing to him. So, do these two have a questionable relationship? No, I doubt it; Yardley kept calling out for someone named Candy, which shouldn't have anything to do with Quinn. Besides, he would never risk his position in this family and social status over an incestuous relationship. My guess? Quinn fancies Yardley to no end, but her love is u

"You're the one I'm dismissing, Willow." Yardley's voice was cold as stone, and it made Willow's veins run cold."But Yardley …" Willow bit her lower lip, her eyes large with disbelief. "I haven't briefed you on the proposal yet!"Annoyance crept across his brow as he glared at her. "Just leave it.""But Roland insisted that I explain everything in detail to you …" Her fists clenched hard while her heart pounded in full swing. She simultaneously thought, "How could Yardley kick me out of his office in front of Celia? There's no way I can live this down. And why would Yardley do this to me? Granted, he's always been a little cold, but he never would've told me to leave like he's doing now! It's Celia's fault. It has to be! Ever since she moved into the Hughes residence, things between me and Yardley had changed completely! What's worse? Yardley refuses to look at me and is even forcing me to leave! This is all Celia's doing!"Seeing Willow's mouth slam shut to hold back her raw rese

The week passed quickly. It was surprisingly peaceful.Willow no longer appeared in Hughes Inc, and curiously enough, Sabrina was leaving Celia alone.However, Celia knew that things were not as simple as they looked. This was the calm before the storm.This was the day that Bruce, the president of Lady Couture’s main company in Festras, came to visit Hughes Inc.As the person in charge of Lady Couture’s project, Celia was sent to the airport to pick him up. Before leaving, Celia checked the documents needed for the meeting with Lady Couture in the afternoon. Once she was sure that everything was there, she got up to leave for the airport.She went to the elevator, and its doors were sliding shut. She ran over at once and yelled, "Wait! Hold up!"Right when the doors were about to close, a tall figure appeared. He extended his foot toward the doors, blocking them."Thank you." Then, when she saw who it was, she was stunned. It was Yardley. Why was he here? And why had he helped