Over the years, Matthias and Celeste had rarely seen each other. Yet, even from just a few encounters, Matthias could tell that she was no longer the confident and spirited person she had once been.

Matthias thought back to the Celeste he knew from the past. He could never have associated the word "insecure" with that individual. He didn't know much about Celeste's marriage to Trevor, but he was completely clueless about her sorry state which was essentially an open secret.

He had his suspicions but didn't voice them. Instead, he sincerely encouraged, "Falling behind for a time doesn't matter. Your ability and talent surpass that of most geniuses. As long as you're still passionate about this field, it's never too late to start again.

"Don't forget that you were our teacher's favorite student throughout his entire career."

Celeste smiled as she listened to him. "If he heard that, he'd probably scoff and say that he didn't have much of a choice and could only settle on the least bad one."

As she thought of her wise but sharp-tongued mentor, Celeste's smile faltered. "I saw on the news earlier that he also came back for the celebration. How has he been?"

"He's doing well, though he's often annoyed by us—his ever-disappointing students—popping up in front of him from time to time," Matthias replied.

Celeste chuckled, her mind wandering back to the days when she toiled away working on thesis papers under her mentor every day.

"Come back, Cel," Matthias urged.

Celeste gripped her cup tightly. After taking a deep breath, she nodded and said, "Alright."

She had been passionate about artificial intelligence since she was a child, and she loved anything related to this field. But because of her love for Trevor, she had put her dream on hold for seven years.

It would take time to catch up after such a long absence. But she believed that with hard work, it wasn't too late for her.

Matthias asked, "When do you think you'll return?"

"I still need to transition out of my current job. It might take a while," Celeste explained.

"That's fine. There's no rush."

As long as she was coming back, a little more time wouldn't matter.

They talked for a while longer before Matthias checked the time. "I'm meeting someone who's supposedly a genius in algorithms. They just returned to the country recently. Since we bumped into each other, why don't you come along and meet them?"

Celeste shook her head. "I don't know your team well. Maybe next time."

"Alright."

As Matthias left, Celeste saw Trevor's sister, Teagan Fleming, walking toward her. She had seen Teagen in the news but hadn't expected to run into her here.

Celeste greeted, "Hello, Teagan."

Teagan didn't respond to her polite greeting. She frowned hard instead. "What are you doing here?"

"It's Trellis College's 100th anniversary today. So, I came to visit."

If Celeste hadn't brought this up, Teagan would have forgotten that she graduated from Trellis College too. But aside from current students and staff, the attendees today were mostly honorary alumni invited by the school.

What was an unknown nobody like Celeste doing here?

Still, as long as she didn't embarrass the Fleming family, Teagan couldn't be bothered to say much.

Getting straight to the point, she said, "Nicholas says he misses your cooking. I'll have someone send him over to you and Trevor later."

Nicholas was Teagan's son, and he was a year or two older than Jordyn. With her strained marriage and demanding career, Teagan had rarely been involved in her son's life. Over the years, his rebelliousness had only grown, making it even harder for her to manage him now.

Upon learning that Nicholas liked Celeste's cooking, Teagan had frequently sent him over to Celeste and Trevor's place over the past two years.

Aside from Martha, the Fleming family didn't take Celeste seriously. Even Nicholas looked down on her and treated her like a maid despite liking her cooking.

In the past, Celeste had tolerated this for Trevor's sake. She did her best to care for Nicholas and didn't chastise or correct him whenever he was disrespectful.

But now, as she and Trevor were preparing for divorce, she no longer felt the need to endure it. She rejected Teagan without hesitation. "I'm sorry, Teagan. I'm not available tomorrow."

As she planned to return to the AI field, she intended to dedicate her time to meaningful pursuits. After the divorce, she would have no ties to Trevor or his family. She wouldn't waste her time on them anymore.

Teagan hadn't expected Celeste to refuse her. After all, Celeste had often humbled herself to please the Fleming family for Trevor's sake.

Nevertheless, Teagan didn't dwell on it. She assumed Celeste must have something important going on. Otherwise, she wouldn't have passed up the chance to curry favor.

Even so, she felt annoyed. "What could possibly be so important? Trevor and Jordyn aren't even with you now."

Upon hearing this, Celeste couldn't help but smile bitterly to herself. For years, she had abandoned her own identity and centered her life around them. And now, this was how Teagan viewed her.

It wasn't undeserved, but Celeste wouldn't live that way anymore.

Just as she was about to respond, a group of people approached them. "Ms. Fleming!"

They were clearly there for Teagan.

When they saw Celeste standing beside her, they looked her over before asking, "Ms. Fleming, who is this?"

Teagan, of course, didn't tell them that Celeste was her sister-in-law. She replied indifferently, "A friend."

"Oh, a friend…" These people, all prominent figures attending Trellis College's celebration, had assumed Celeste must be someone important upon seeing her with Teagan.

But Teagan's dismissive attitude dispelled that impression. Aside from one or two people admiring Celeste's striking looks and slender legs, the rest paid her no attention. They quickly resumed their focus on Teagan and moved on.

In the past, Teagan's refusal to acknowledge her would have hurt Celeste deeply. But now, she didn't care anymore.

After Teagan left, Celeste picked up her bag and walked away.

…

That night, at around 10:00 pm, the plane carrying Trevor and Jordyn landed on time. By the time they got home, it was nearly midnight.

Jordyn had fallen asleep before they arrived. When Trevor carried her upstairs, he passed the master bedroom and noticed the door was open, but the room was pitch black.

After putting Jordyn on her bed and tucking her in, he returned to the master bedroom and turned on the light. Then, he glanced at the bed and found that it was empty—Celeste wasn't there.

Just then, the butler, Peter Hawk, came upstairs with his luggage.

Loosening his tie, Trevor asked, "Where is she?"

Peter replied, "Mrs. Fleming is on a business trip."

Half a month ago, Peter hadn't been around when Celeste had left with her suitcase. The other maids told him that Celeste left with a suitcase, so he had assumed she was traveling for work.

Now that he thought about it, this was unusual. Celeste rarely went on business trips. Even when she did, they typically lasted only two or three days.

This time, she had been gone for over two weeks.

"Alright," Trevor responded indifferently, asking no further questions.

The next day, Celeste unexpectedly ran into Trevor at the company. She hadn't known that Trevor and Jordyn had returned to the country. Caught off guard by their sudden encounter, Celeste froze mid-step.

Trevor also seemed slightly surprised to see her, but he assumed she had just returned from the business trip and didn't think much of it.

He passed by her coldly, his face expressionless. As usual, he treated her like she was a stranger and turned to enter the building.

In the past, if Celeste had found out that he'd suddenly come back, she would have been overjoyed. Even if she couldn't throw herself into his arms in such a scenario, she would have been very happy and excited. Her eyes would light up as she greeted him.

Even if Trevor remained indifferent, she would have smiled and wished him good morning enthusiastically.

But now, Celeste merely glanced at his handsome face before lowering her eyes. There was no longer any trace of the joy and excitement she once felt.

Trevor didn't notice any of this and was already walking away.

Watching his tall and composed figure disappear into the building, Celeste wondered when he had returned. Since he was back, perhaps the matter of their divorce could soon be addressed.

Having resolved to go through with the divorce, Celeste didn't dwell on him further. After she returned to her workstation, she quickly immersed herself in her work.

Half an hour later, Zeke called her and instructed her to do something. "Prepare two cups of coffee and take them to Mr. Fleming's office."

In the early days of her marriage, Celeste had learned that Trevor enjoyed coffee. In hopes of winning his favor, she had spent a great deal of effort studying how to brew it perfectly. Her efforts had paid off. After tasting her coffee, Trevor began to specifically request it, both at home and at the office.

When she first realized he genuinely liked the coffee she made, Celeste had been thrilled. She naively believed it was the first step toward gaining his approval.

But she had underestimated his dislike and wariness of her. While he liked her coffee, that was all he liked. His attitude toward her remained cold and distant.

Even when he wanted her coffee, he would have Zeke reach out to her. Once the coffee was prepared, someone else would pick it up for him. He never gave her the opportunity to approach him herself.

Only on rare occasions when no one else was available did she get the chance to deliver it to his office personally.

This time, it seemed she was to take the coffee directly to Trevor herself from Zeke's tone. After brewing the coffee, Celeste placed the cups on a tray and carried them to his office.

The door to his office was ajar.

As she approached and was about to knock on the door politely, she saw Wynn sitting on Trevor's lap. The two of them seemed to be locked in a passionate kiss.

Celeste stopped in her tracks, her face turning pale.

Upon seeing her, Wynn shot up from Trevor's lap, looking flustered.

Trevor's expression darkened, and he questioned in an icy tone, "Who allowed you to come in?"

Celeste tightened her grip on the tray. "I came to bring you your coffee—"

"That's enough, Ms. Rodriguez." Just then, another one of Trevor's personal secretaries, Jacob Collins, came in. He was aware of Celeste's relationship with Trevor.

"What's the point of doing this?" Jacob remarked coldly.

Though Jacob didn't say it outright, Celeste immediately understood the underlying implication of his words. He thought she had learned about Wynn's presence at the office and had deliberately used the coffee delivery as an excuse to disrupt them.

Judging by Trevor's expression, he seemed to think the same.

In the past, Celeste might have done such a thing. But now, she was preparing to divorce Trevor. There was no way she would stoop to such behavior.

Still, they didn't give her any chance to explain.

"Please leave immediately," Jacob ordered coldly.

Celeste's eyes reddened. Her hands, which were holding the tray, trembled slightly. Some coffee spilled from the cups, scalding her fingers. She winced but said nothing and turned to leave.

After Celeste took only a few steps, Trevor's voice rang out from the office. "If this happens again, you will be dismissed."

But she had already resigned. Even without this incident, she would be leaving as soon as her replacement was found. Still, she knew no one cared about her departure. Hence, there was no point in explaining anything.

Keeping mum, Celeste walked away with the tray.

As she left, she heard Wynn soothing Trevor with a gentle voice. "It's alright, Trevor. I don't think she meant to upset you. Don't be angry."

Celeste poured the coffee down the drain and rinsed her scalded fingers under the cold tap water. Then, she took out some ointment from her bag and carefully treated the burn.

Although her cooking and coffee-making skills were now exceptional, she didn't really know how to do any of these things before marrying Trevor. She hadn't even tasted coffee before their marriage.

For the sake of Trevor and Jordyn, she had learned everything later on. The process had been grueling, and it took countless hours to achieve the perfection she now displayed. Only she knew the hardships she had endured.

As for the ointment in her bag—any mother who cared for her child personally would instinctively carry such items. Since Jordyn had gone to Andostan with Trevor, the ointment had rarely been used. Fortunately, it hadn't expired yet.

After treating her wound, Celeste suppressed the stabbing pain in her heart and returned to her desk to continue working.

Just as she finished organizing some files, she overheard two colleagues chatting.

"Did you hear? Mr. Fleming's girlfriend came to the office!"

"Girlfriend? Does Mr. Fleming have a girlfriend? Who is she? Is she pretty?"

"I have no idea about her family background, but reception said she's from a wealthy family. On top of that, she's super gorgeous and very elegant."

Upon noticing Celeste getting up, the gossiping colleagues remembered they had to attend a meeting with her and stopped their idle chatting.

"Let's focus on work. We can chat later."

Celeste knew the girlfriend they mentioned was Wynn, but her expression remained unchanged. She followed them into the elevator and headed to the meeting room.

Just as they exited the elevator, they saw Wynn approaching with four senior managers. They surrounded Wynn with ingratiating and deferential expressions.

Wynn smiled. "Thank you all for showing me around the company. I'm sorry for the trouble."

Dressed in designer clothes, Wynn exuded the elegance of a wealthy heiress. Her tone was polite but carried a hint of aloofness, as though she already considered herself the wife of the company's CEO.

The managers laughed obsequiously. "It's our duty, Ms. Locket, given your relationship with Mr. Fleming."

"Exactly! That is absolutely right."

Spotting Celeste and her colleagues exiting the elevator, the managers frowned with displeasure even though they had already stepped aside to make way.

"Watch where you're going! Be careful not to bump into Ms. Locket. Have you got no manners?"

The two colleagues beside Celeste stole glances at Wynn and hurriedly stepped back, pressing themselves against the wall.

Wynn noticed Celeste too but quickly looked away. Her expression was indifferent, and she acted as if Celeste didn't exist. She stepped into the elevator with the managers surrounding her.

As the elevator doors closed, Celeste's two colleagues breathed a sigh of relief before resuming their excited gossip.

"That must've been Mr. Fleming's girlfriend, right? Wow, she's stunning! Look at all those designer labels—what she's wearing must cost a fortune! As expected of someone from an affluent family. She's so confident and poised. Compared to us ordinary people, she's on a different level!"

"Exactly!"

They turned to Celeste and asked quietly, "What do you think, Celeste?"

Lowering her eyes, Celeste answered lightly, "Yeah, you're right."

Wynn was, in fact, the illegitimate daughter of Harvey Locket, Celeste's birth father.

Well, the term "illegitimate" wasn't entirely accurate after some changes took place.

When Celeste was eight, Harvey was unwilling to let Wynn and her mother suffer any longer. He had insisted on divorcing Celeste's mother, Isabelle Rodriguez, to marry Wynn's mother.

After the divorce, Celeste lived with the mentally unstable Isabelle. They stayed with her grandmother, Betty Klein, and her uncle, Ivan Rodriguez.

Over the years, Ivan's company declined while the Locket family's business flourished.

It was said that to make up for Wynn's childhood hardships, Harvey spared no expense in ensuring she had the best of everything. Thus, he invested heavily in her upbringing.

And Wynn didn't end up becoming a disappointment. In fact, she'd excelled.

The once-illegitimate Wynn became a legitimate heiress. She radiated an air of wealth and sophistication that surpassed even Celeste's when she was the rightful heiress.

Celeste had thought that this would be her only encounter with Wynn, and they wouldn't cross paths again. Yet, fate seemed to favor Wynn.

Celeste and Trevor had grown up together. But no matter how hard she tried, he never saw her. From the moment he met Wynn, he had fallen for her completely.

"Are you okay, Celeste?"

Her colleagues noticed her pale face and felt worried.

Snapping back to reality, Celeste replied, "I'm fine."

She and Trevor would soon be divorced. Whom he loved was no longer her concern.

That day, Celeste didn't dwell on Trevor or Wynn.

She worked overtime until it was nearly 9:00 pm. Just as she was finishing up her tasks, her phone rang. Her best friend, Lottie Cruz, called to say she was drunk and needed Celeste to pick her up from a restaurant.

Celeste wrapped up her work, grabbed her car keys, and left the office.

20 minutes later, she arrived at the restaurant.

As she walked toward the entrance, she saw a little girl emerge from the parking lot. The child's side profile made her stop in her tracks—it was Jordyn!

Celeste thought, "Why is she back here? She should be attending school in Andostan. Could it be that she had returned to the country with Trevor?"

Although she didn't have access to confidential company documents, she knew Trevor's work in Andostan was still ongoing and would take time to conclude. She had assumed his return was a brief trip to handle some matters.

So, she hadn't expected Jordyn to have come back as well.

Judging from the fact that she had seen Trevor earlier that day, they must have returned at least a day ago. However, Jordyn hadn't called to tell her that they were back.

Clutching her bag tightly, Celeste watched Jordyn's cheerful, skipping figure and followed her quietly.

As they reached a corner in the lobby, Wynn appeared at the end of the hallway, accompanied by a few of Trevor's friends. Celeste quickly stepped aside to avoid being seen.

From her hiding spot, she heard Jordyn cry out Wynn's name happily and ran toward her. She threw herself into Wynn's arms excitedly.

Celeste sat down on a nearby couch, positioning herself behind a plant and the chair's backrest to remain out of sight.

"Oh my! I didn't know you were back in the country too," Wynn exclaimed.

"Of course! Dad and I missed you so much, Wynn. Dad finished his work early just to bring me back. We came back the day before your birthday, so we wouldn't miss it. This is the necklace Dad and I made for you. Happy birthday, Wynn!" Jordyn replied jubilantly.

"Wow, you and Trevor made this? It must have been so much work. You're amazing, Jo. I love it so much. Thank you!" Wynn responded appreciatively.

"What's important is that you like it." Jo snuggled against Wynn, her tone affectionate. "It's been a whole week since I saw you, Wynn. I missed you so much. If I hadn't called you every day, I wouldn't have lasted in Andostan…"

"I missed you too, Jo."

Just then, footsteps approached from the side.

Celeste froze because she knew it was Trevor. Even without seeing him, she could tell from the sound of his measured steps.

After close to seven years of being married to him, during which she had waited for him daily, she could recognize his footsteps anywhere. They were steady and unhurried, much like his demeanor.

Even with close family, Trevor maintained his calm and aloof composure as though nothing could ever rattle him. At least, that was what she had once believed—until Wynn came into the picture.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Celeste heard Jordyn call out, "Dad!"

Trevor's friends greeted him as well.

He acknowledged them briefly before turning to Wynn and saying, "Happy birthday."

Wynn smiled and replied, "Thank you."

"Dad, didn't you prepare another birthday gift for Wynn? Give it to her already!" Jordyn urged.

The group fell silent before one of Trevor's friends chuckled and pinched Jordyn's cheek. "That's your dad's special gift for Wynn. He'll probably give it to her later in private. Let's not get involved."

The others laughed knowingly.

Trevor said, "I already gave it to her."

"Huh? When?" Jordyn asked, then she pouted. "You went to see Wynn without me again, didn't you? Hmph!"

The group laughed again, while Celeste recalled Wynn's visit to Fleming Group earlier that day. That must have been when he gave her the gift.

Wynn smiled bashfully and said, "Let's stop standing around and head upstairs."

As their footsteps faded, Celeste sat frozen, her mind blank. Her chest ached like it was pricked by a thousand needles. Still, she eventually composed herself and silently entered the elevator to pick up Lottie.

The private room Lottie was in happened to be on the same floor as the private room where Wynn and Trevor gathered with his friends.

As Celeste helped Lottie into the elevator, one of Trevor's friends, Miles Quinton, stopped in his tracks.