Never Forgive Never Forget (Celeste and Philip) novel Chapter 121

What an absurd farce.

Celeste couldn't stand this ridiculous damsel-in-distress scene. She strode straight over to Alfred.

"Busy?"

"There's a problem with my speech draft."

As soon as Celeste approached, the icy look in Alfred's eyes melted away.

He stepped back, broad-shouldered, instinctively shielding her from the evening chill. His hand hovered protectively over her shoulder.

"Break's almost over."

"Mm. I'm looking forward to your speech in the second half," Celeste replied.

Out of the corner of her eye, Celeste caught sight of Philip, who was fussing over Viola while throwing worried glances her way.

Men who want it all—disgusting.

With that thought, Celeste deliberately leaned a little closer into Alfred's arms.

Alfred's body tensed for a brief moment.

But he quickly regained his composure, guiding Celeste back inside to the event hall.

They sat down together.

Alfred exchanged a glance with the distinguished man seated next to him, who chuckled quietly.

"You really did marry a force to be reckoned with."

Alfred shot him a subtle glare.

The man shut up immediately.

Celeste didn't hear what they said. In her mind, it seemed natural that two men of similar standing would know each other.

The second half of the event began.

As CEO of the Hopkins Group, Alfred took the stage.

The audience fell silent as he stood under the spotlight, calm and collected.

"This is our Hopkins Group's latest innovation: smart glasses," he announced.

"These will help the visually impaired identify roads and vehicles. Others with disabilities can also use the simplified computing system to determine whether a path is accessible..."

Alfred introduced the features one by one, his delivery smooth and assured.

From supporting people with disabilities to enhancing information access for everyone, the list of applications was impressive.

What had it all meant, following Philip back then?

Her memories, tangled with old emotions, surfaced, but she couldn't quite recall what that love had once tasted like.

"What are you thinking about?"

The voice from the stage suddenly sounded close by.

Celeste snapped out of her reverie and looked up—straight into Alfred's deep-set eyes.

When had he come down from the stage?

Celeste stared, momentarily dumbfounded, and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I was just thinking... how naïve I was, not realizing how good I could have had it when I was younger."

A faint crack appeared in Alfred's usual stoic expression.

Not realizing how good she had it? Was that supposed to be about him?

But seeing Celeste's dazed look, he let it go, settling down beside her and effortlessly steering the conversation toward other new projects in development.

By the time Celeste realized what she'd just said, the presentation was already over.