Never Forgive Never Forget (Celeste and Philip) novel Chapter 83

Celeste lowered her eyes, gazing at the bandaged wound on her arm—Alfred had wrapped it himself. She drifted off for a moment, lost in thought.

Her phone rang. It was a call from Moonwater Grove's property management.

"At Mr. Hopkins' request, we've installed full-coverage security cameras in the hallway, and extra guards are on duty to ensure your safety."

The staff at an upscale community like this always sounded polite and unflappable, but the man's voice wavered halfway through, as if he were stumbling over the words.

At the end, he danced around the point, politely asking that she and Mr. Hopkins not make things too difficult for them.

Celeste turned her head. From where she sat, she could see Alfred's tall figure as he spoke quietly with Mack by the window.

"Don't let that lunatic set foot on the penthouse floor again," she replied. With that, she ended the call.

Just what had Alfred said or done, in the short time he'd stepped away to bandage her wound, to make the property staff so nervous?

A few minutes passed.

Alfred returned. Celeste was about to ask him, but he sat down beside her with a furrowed brow, the faint scent of antiseptic mingling with his cologne.

"There's a dinner party tomorrow night," he said. "The Hopkins family has been invited. Most of our relatives and friends will be there. I want you to come with me—as Mrs. Hopkins."

They hadn't held a wedding ceremony yet, but bringing a legitimate wife to an event like this was as good as publicly announcing that Alfred Hopkins' wife now held her place. It was a not-so-subtle message to the social circle: there's no point in scheming, the position is taken.

Celeste understood these unwritten rules of high society all too well. Besides, she owed him a favor—she'd said as much before.

"I'll be there," she replied.

"Good. Rest at home until then. Mack will deliver the dress you'll need for the evening."

What he didn't say aloud: I don't want you running around with that injury.

Before Abelard could summon Philip for an explanation, more news broke—this time from the Robertson Group.

"The deal with the Robertson Group has been snatched out from under us. Rumor is, the Hopkins family was behind it."

"Our bid was rejected too. It was deliberate—someone heard the Hopkins family called half an hour ago with instructions."

"All these projects are tied to Mr. Philip."

One message after another flashed across their screens.

It wasn't just Abelard, the family's patriarch, who saw them. Even the shareholders and relatives got wind of what was happening.

In the blink of an eye, everyone knew the truth: Philip had provoked the Hopkins family.