Thorns Grow After Betrayal (Celeste and Chester) novel Chapter 221

Gideon: ?

Is this right?

...

The next day, Celestine slept straight through until noon.

After she woke up, she gave the entire apartment a thorough cleaning.

Later, she made plans to meet up with Crystal Lennox and Mirabelle at eight for dinner at Watersedge Grillhouse.

She’d been so busy lately that she hadn’t set foot in that little bistro for ages. The last time she was there, the owner had stormed out to defend her—she could still picture the scene in vivid detail.

A little after seven, the three of them arranged to meet outside the restaurant.

But as soon as they arrived, they found the doors shut tight and the “Closed” sign hanging in the window. The three women exchanged helpless glances.

Crystal grinned and joked, “Celly, I guess the universe is trying to save your wallet tonight.”

Celestine gave a sheepish laugh.

“It’s just dinner—why don’t we do something a little more exciting?” Mirabelle’s eyes flicked across the street to a lively bar.

She looked at the others, clearly hoping they’d agree. “What do you think? Are you up for it?”

“Sure, I’m good with anything,” Crystal said.

Celestine hesitated. “Do you think we’ll get followed by paparazzi?”

Ever since the Magnolia Awards, Mirabelle had been a regular in the tabloids. Even the smallest details of her daily life were splashed across headlines. They’d tried getting together a few times before, only to cancel at the last minute because of paparazzi lurking around every corner.

But this dinner was special—Celestine’s way of celebrating a new chapter—and Mirabelle had worked Denton hard before finally managing to sneak out tonight.

Mirabelle just shrugged, putting on her sunglasses and a face mask. “If trouble comes, we’ll deal with it. As long as I don’t fall asleep on the table, I refuse to believe they’ll get anything juicy.”

Celestine snorted with laughter.

In the end, the three of them caved and headed into the bar, snagging a booth in the back corner.

The bar was dimly lit, but the music was low and mellow—a far cry from the rowdy scene Celestine had imagined.

They pored over the menu for a while, finally settling on a spread of five appetizers and a hearty soup.

“Oh, and let’s get an order of beef noodles—I’ve heard they’re amazing here,” Mirabelle said, unable to hide her excitement.

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