Never Forgive Never Forget (Celeste and Philip) novel Chapter 122

Alfred probably wouldn't care about her minor slip of the tongue just now, would he?

Celeste turned her head; seeing Alfred's expression was unchanged, she finally relaxed a little.

Guests began to leave their seats.

Alfred bent down and spoke quietly to her.

"We'll head back to the manor in a bit."

"Alright."

Celeste nodded—her entire day was free anyway, with nothing else planned.

The two of them left the hall, and as they walked down the corridor, Jasper abruptly stepped forward.

"Uncle Alfred, you got here and immediately had to give your speech. I barely had a chance to say hello," he said, a smile playing on his lips.

Celeste said nothing.

Seriously? They were seated right next to each other. If he wanted to say hello, what stopped him?

Alfred understood Jasper's little performance and replied coolly,

"There's no need for formalities among family."

Jasper arched a brow.

"Really? But Aunt Celeste made sure to greet me. Or is Aunt Celeste not considered family?"

His words lingered in the air as he fixed Celeste with a meaningful look.

Celeste returned a faint, polite smile.

"Family or not—it hardly matters."

Jasper's smile froze mid-expression.

Celeste couldn't be bothered. She might be married into the Hopkins family, but that didn't mean she needed to curry favor with everyone in it.

Standing beside Jasper, Beverly clearly didn't share the sentiment. With a saccharine voice, she chimed in,

"Jasper was just being polite. How could you be so rude, sis?"

"We're not close, so I don't see the point," Celeste replied, not even sparing Beverly a glance.

No sooner had they stepped inside than Derek launched into enthusiastic praise of Alfred's speech on stage.

The grandfather and grandson delved into business talk, leaving Celeste to herself. She happily sampled the tiny desserts laid out nearby.

After a while, Magda arrived with Jasper in tow.

The moment they entered, Magda tossed her coat onto a servant's arms and spun around, furious, to berate Jasper.

"I told you to bring a respectable date to the function, and this is the woman you found?"

"In front of everyone, your date couldn't even keep her dress on properly. What kind of impression do you think that makes?"

As she stormed into the living room and spotted Derek, she slapped a stack of photographs down on the table.

The photos showed Jasper sitting side by side with Beverly, as well as a few unflattering shots of Beverly looking disheveled and improperly dressed.

Magda's voice trembled with outrage as she pleaded,

"Grandpa, look at this! This is the sort of date Jasper brings home—a nobody from a second-rate family, humiliating him in public!"

"You have to help Jasper find a proper fiancée!"