Never Forgive Never Forget (Celeste and Philip) novel Chapter 95

At the turn of the staircase—

Viola clutched her chest, struggling for breath, tears brimming in her eyes as she desperately grabbed Philip's shirt collar.

"I didn't realize there was pollen here at Celeste's place. I wasn't careful and—" She broke off, coughing violently.

"Viola, don't talk!" Philip interrupted, scooping her up in his arms without hesitation.

Celeste stood a few steps above, watching as Philip shot her a furious glare and barreled right past, nearly knocking her off balance. Over his shoulder, he spat out just one line:

"Celeste! I'm so disappointed in you!"

"If anything happens to Viola, I swear I'll never forgive you!"

His hands shook as he jabbed the elevator button, sweat breaking out on his forehead as Viola gasped for air in his arms—a haunting echo of memories he wished he could forget. He didn't care about the startled looks from the office staff in the elevator; he just buried his face into Viola's shoulder and whispered in a choked voice, "Don't die… please…"

The employees, seeing how dire the situation was, hastily fled the elevator, not wanting to get in the way.

Celeste emerged from the stairwell, rubbing her sore shoulder, only to find several staff members staring at her with confusion.

"Get back to work," she said coldly.

"Yes, ma'am." Startled, they scurried back to their desks.

Still, rumors travel fast. It wasn't long before whispers swept through the office: Philip had rushed Viola straight to the hospital.

In the break room, a cluster of staff recounted the story with dramatic flair.

"You didn't see it—Mr. Robertson's girlfriend looked half-dead! Her dress was filthy, like she'd taken a nasty fall."

"What do you mean fell? She has asthma. I heard she had an attack because she's allergic to some pollen in the hallway—put there by the boss's sister, no less."

"Tell me, Beverly—are you the Duncan family's bright young star, or Viola's lapdog?"

Beverly was momentarily speechless. She'd been so focused on stirring up trouble for Celeste, she hadn't even checked on Viola's condition.

Celeste returned to her papers. "If there's a real problem, Philip and Viola can come to me themselves. I don't need a turncoat like you airing our dirty laundry in front of outsiders."

"You!" Beverly trembled with anger. Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed behind her. She brightened instantly and turned.

The project team parted to make way as Herbert strode in.

Beverly immediately softened, clinging to her father's arm.

"Dad, look at her! She doesn't care at all if our client lives or dies!"

"I heard everything," Herbert said, his face stormy. He dismissed the project team with a wave of his hand. "You may ignore Beverly, but as your father, and the head of the Duncan Group, you'd better listen to me."