Chapter 19
Celeste swallowed instinctively. Every time she faced Adrian, that same weighty pressure made her tense up, without fail. He was just sitting there, doing nothing at all.
“Mr. Wrenford, my friend told me everything. They said you were the one who saved me at the scene. Otherwise…” Celeste paused before adding “I might not have survived.”
A brief shadow crossed Adrian’s eyes.
So, she already knew?
“You should consider yourself lucky it was me you ran into,” Adrian said, his tone cool. “I’ve had professional rescue training. I know CPR and rescue breathing inside and out.”
Celeste’s lashes fluttered slightly when Adrian mentioned rescue breathing. Without thinking, she raised a hand and brushed her fingertips over her lips.
Rescue breathing wasn’t the same as a kiss, but both involved lips touching, and both felt intimate in their own way.
Adrian noticed her reaction and said quietly, “Don’t read too much into it. I was just keeping you alive.”
“I wasn’t,” Celeste replied, quickly lowering her hand. “Thank you.
Although their first formal meeting was at the family dinner, Celeste had already heard a few things about Adrian. For example, he was a clean freak and seemed completely uninterested in
women.
Just then, the door opened from outside. “Celeste, I’m back.”
At the sound of the voice, Celeste looked up and saw Annie walking in with dinner.
The moment Annie saw Adrian, her bright smile faded. She stepped forward and greeted him politely. “Mr. Wrenford.”
Adrian responded with a quiet hum. Sensing her discomfort, he didn’t stay long and soon
excused himself from the ward.
As soon as the door closed, Annie rushed over, her face glowing with excitement. “I can’t
believe Adrian actually came to see you on his own!”
“He’s here for the orphanage. Grotto Corporation must be one of their donors. He said the director was too busy to visit, so he came instead.”
“Rich, powerful, handsome, and a philanthropist? Seriously, he’s way better than that guy you’re stuck with.”
Annie gave her a thumbs–up, her grin widening.
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Celeste’s expression turned serious. “He’s not my guy anymore.”
“Oops, sorry.” Annie tapped her lips playfully and laughed. “But you and Adrian would look way better together than you ever did with Damien.”
The moment the words left Annie’s mouth, Celeste’s eyes instinctively flicked her lashes
up, fluttering slightly. “Stop that. Damien hasn’t signed the divorce papers yet, so we’re still legally married.”
“Not for long.” Annie started gossiping. “Word is Adrian’s still single. Why let a guy like that slip away? You should go for it. Just imagine. Damien would have to call you ‘aunt.‘ Now, that would be satisfying.”
Celeste patted her back. “I’m hungry.”
“Nice subject change,” Annie said dryly as she picked up the takeout container. “You’ve got a real talent for that.”
In the days that followed, Celeste stayed in the hospital to recover.
Somehow, Alaric had found out about her hospitalization and insisted on visiting. The recent family dinner must have taken a toll on him, as rumors suggested his heart wasn’t in the best
condition.
After Margot talked him out of it several times, he finally agreed not to come. To ease his mind, Celeste called him and promised to visit the Wrenford residence as soon as she was discharged. That seemed to calm his worries.
During Celeste’s three–day hospital stay, Annie spent her days working and helping to track down Eloise. At night, she stayed with Celeste to keep her company.
Meanwhile, Damien and Lucian never returned.
Chapter 20
