Thorns Grow After Betrayal (Celeste and Chester) novel Chapter 13

Joanna's expression was warm and gentle as she deliberately took the blame. "It was my fault—I forgot to knock when I came in. I'm sorry, Ray. How about I make it up to you with the latest limited-edition superhero pajamas?"

Raymond's eyes lit up in surprise. "Really?!"

Back in his old class, nearly every boy owned superhero pajamas. But his mom always insisted they were full of dangerous dyes and germs—she wouldn't buy them, let alone let him wear them! Now he realized that was probably just an excuse.

See? Miss Joanna was an adult too, and she said he could have them!

Joanna laughed, giving Raymond's nose a playful pinch. "Of course. Have I ever lied to you? Now go on, take off those dirty clothes and toss them in the trash before you catch a cold."

Grinning from ear to ear, Raymond dashed off to change into his pajamas. He hesitated for a moment, wondering what to do with the dirty ones. Remembering what Joanna said, he finally tossed the pajamas into the trash. Honestly, he didn't care for such childish pajamas anyway.

In the study, Chester finally retrieved his old repaired phone. There was a confidential company document on it he'd forgotten to transfer—a good thing he'd sent it for repairs. He swapped in his SIM card, but some messages were missing.

His conversation with Celestine was frozen at that day in Portside City.

[Celestine]: Arriving in Portside City today, landing at ten.

That day, Joanna had secured a luxury endorsement deal for Lucas, and his company had just struck a ten-year partnership with the same brand. They'd all met at the gala dinner. He'd missed Celestine's message entirely.

Chester pressed his lips together and yanked off his tie. Was that really what all the fuss was about?

He refreshed the screen. Three missed calls flashed up from the last hour—all from Celestine.

Gritting his teeth, he called her back. The call had barely connected when two panicked voices shrieked from the hallway.

—

Meanwhile, at Oceanview Medical Center:

"Hello? Hi, is this Miss Selwyn's husband? This is Oceanview General Hospital. You're listed as her emergency contact. Your wife's condition is very serious, sir, she—"

The young nurse spoke for a while, but there was only silence on the other end. Glancing down, she realized the phone had died—the battery had finally given out.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify