Chapter 420
When Celeste saw Howard, there wasn’t a trace of surprise on her face.
The city’s smart traffic project was crucial to the Locket family’s tech company, and yet she had swooped in at the last moment and taken it. How could they possibly sit still and do nothing?
Besides, this wasn’t going to be the last time she made a move like this..
She would strike again when the time was right. 4
Now that the bidding had ended and the project was in YodaVision’s hands, there was no way the Locket family could snatch it
back.
So, if she guessed correctly, Howard had come to see her to prevent similar things from happening again in the future.
And how would he try to persuade her?
By appealing to emotion, of course. Because that would cost nothing. 1
But Celeste had no interest in playing along with such false sentimentality.
She turned around and cut Howard off when he was about to speak
“I remember what happened the last time. Madam Locket said in front of everyone that I’m not her granddaughter. You’ve been living in Baumond for over half a year now, and I’ve run into you more than a few times.
“But not once have you ever taken the initiative, in public, to call me your daughter.”
She paused here, her tone cold and distant as she looked him straight in the eye. “So, Mr. Locket, what exactly do you think you can say to me now?”
Celeste laid bare the reality–there was no affection left between them as father and daughter.
Howard froze. Before he could respond, a chuckle sounded from behind him.
Matthias’s voice followed. “Exactly. Things have already come to this–Mr. Locket, what do you really think you can say to Cel?
Howard frowned. “Mr. Yoder, this is between me and Cel-”
“‘‘Cel‘?” Matthias laughed. “You call her that so intimately, yet I don’t recall you ever addressing her that way in front of others
Everything that needed to be said had already been made clear.
Celeste didn’t want to continue the conversation. She turned to Matthias and said, “Let’s go.”
Seeing the coldness and detachment in her eyes, Howard suddenly realized that she truly no longer saw him as her father.
Without looking back, Celeste headed upstairs.
Howard barely got a word in the entire time.
But with Matthias present, it wasn’t the right time to try to persuade her anyway.
All he could do was watch helplessly as she walked away.
Once they were in the elevator, Matthias said with a sneer, “After all they’ve done, he still has the audacity to come groveling and talk about father–daughter bonds. Shameless.”
Celeste simply smiled and said, “I’m used to it.”
When Howard returned home, the Lockets and the Shaws immediately asked him about how it went with Celeste.
Chapter 420
+25 BONUS
How could he not understand what Celeste’s words had meant?
He shook his head. “She wouldn’t listen.”
Erin frowned deeply.
Celeste had been right. Howard had approached her this time to prevent her from targeting them again and causing them to lose
another key project.
Linda scoffed, “This time was just a fluke. So what if she managed to steal the project from us once? It’s not like she has the ability to do that every time. Isn’t this giving her too much credit?” 2
She was right. But it was not the likely case that hurt one. It was the unlikely one that caught one off guard.
With Celeste now at Matthias‘ side, if something like this happened again, it would be them who suffered. So, it was still best to avoid it from happening again.
So, even though Linda was often reckless, this particular point was something everyone agreed with, including Lilian and Wynn. Celeste might seem capable now, but there was no way Matthias would back her on everything. And even if he did, they didn’t believe she had the power to sabotage them every single time. 3
So, Wynn added, “We don’t need to overreact. Just be a bit more cautious and keep an eye on her when we’re working on projects.” 1
Howard nodded. “That’s all we can do now.”
