Celeste gave a soft hum in response to Jordyn’s question.
Jordyn blinked, surprised. “Wow, so many people are sending you wishes, Mom.”
Before Celeste could reply, she had already run over to the table, curiosity taking over. “This one’s from Kieran… and this one doesn’t have a name.”
Just as she reached for the third bouquet, something occurred to her. She turned back to Celeste. “Mom, who’s Kieran? Is he your friend? It sounds like a man’s name.”
Celeste’s expression didn’t change. She gave a quiet nod. “A friend.”
Then she smoothly redirected the conversation. “Jo, do you want to go out today?”
Jordyn’s attention shifted instantly. She ran back, took Celeste’s hand, and said eagerly, “Dad and I came to spend the day with you. We’ll go wherever you want. Today’s all about you.”
Then she turned to Trevor. “Right, Dad?”
Trevor smiled, his gaze settling on Celeste. “Where do you want to go?”
Celeste paused briefly. “Let’s go watch a movie.”
It had been a while since she’d been to the theater.
“Alright,” Trevor agreed.
They started discussing what to watch.
Off to the side, Jamie watched quietly. Her gaze eventually settled on the three bouquets.
Kieran. Caleb. And the unnamed sender.
All red roses.
It was obvious what they meant.
She was certain Trevor understood that too.
And yet…
Even knowing multiple men were pursuing Celeste, he hadn’t shown the slightest reaction.
—
Once they made their decision, Celeste, Trevor, and Jordyn went out for dinner, then headed to the movies.
Afterward, Trevor and Jordyn drove Celeste back to the Rodriguez residence.
Not once did Trevor bring up the flowers.
—
Soon, the project Celeste was working on with Trevor and Quincy entered a new phase.
That day, several business partners flew in from Andostan to discuss the next stage of collaboration.
The meeting went smoothly. During dinner, they opened a few bottles of wine they had brought with them.
Celeste had a little to drink.
Trevor glanced at her. “This wine tastes sweet, but it’s strong.”
A quiet reminder.
Celeste paused. Kieran did too, clearly not expecting Trevor to say it out loud.
“Thanks for the reminder,” Celeste replied calmly.
One of the partners, someone with a background in AI, clearly admired Celeste and pulled her into an animated discussion about recent developments—while continuously urging her to drink.
Celeste didn’t want to drink much, but the man was persistent.
Kieran tried to step in and take the drinks for her, but unfortunately, one of the Andostan partners knew him well—and even had ties to his family.
Kieran ended up being pulled into drinking as well.
Eventually, the others managed to distract the overly enthusiastic partner, and Celeste was spared from further toasts.
But Trevor had been right.
The wine was deceptively smooth—and hit hard afterward.
Celeste hadn’t drunk much, but her tolerance was low. By the time the dinner wrapped up, she was already tipsy.
Kieran and a few of the Andostan partners were drunk as well.
Quincy and Trevor, on the other hand, remained clear-headed.
Seeing Celeste in that state, Quincy turned to Trevor.
“Are you taking her back,” he asked, “or should we call someone to pick her up?”
