Thorns Grow After Betrayal (Celeste and Chester) novel Chapter 52

Vernon hurried out of the Watersedge Grillhouse, finally able to breathe easy.

Leaking the young master's secret? That would have been a death sentence—especially with Quentin, the king of gossip among the upper crust. If Quentin got wind of it, you could bet the entire family group chat would be buzzing by tomorrow with rumors that the young master was getting married.

Vernon was thankful he'd kept his mouth shut.

When he'd spotted Miss Selwyn while handling business negotiations outside, he immediately notified Gideon. Before he could even do anything, Quentin had already steamrolled those arrogant hangers-on. Vernon only stopped by the kitchen to ask Quentin to prepare a few special dishes for the evening—nothing more.

But even that had caught Quentin's attention. The man had a nose for this sort of thing.

Vernon had carefully compiled a list of Celestine's favorite dishes, formatted it into a document, and sent it over to Gideon. Then, he called to report on Zeke's recent underhanded moves.

Gideon's voice was lazy, almost amused.

"Take care of it. And slow down the Sterlings' shipping line for now."

He opened the file Vernon had sent. For a moment, he thought he'd misread it. Only after confirming the title did he drawl, "You deserve a raise."

On the other end of the line, Vernon silently pumped his fist and stomped his foot in triumph.

Yes! Yes!

He'd made the right call.

…

Meanwhile, Celestine and Crystal Lennox enjoyed a cheerful dinner together, agreeing that Celestine would start at the company the following Monday.

Crystal offered, "Want me to pick you up?"

Propping her chin on her hand, Celestine smiled. "Don't worry, I still remember the way to Kismet Collective."

Just as she had on her first day—though, back then, she'd sacrificed so much for Chester and the kids. She'd given up too many chances, missed too many things. Everything she offered was never quite what they wanted. She wouldn't make the same mistake again.

Crystal chuckled, "It's not that I think you'll forget—it's that I'm worried you'll run away."

A moment later, Crystal took a call, her smile fading. "Celly, my mother-in-law just arrived in Oceanview City. I have to go pick her up."

Celestine nodded. "Go ahead—drive safe."

When they went to pay, the hostess informed them that their bill had already been settled.

Celestine asked tentatively, "Was it your boss?"

The hostess shook her head. "Oh, no. Trust me, our boss isn't that generous."

Celestine smiled, amused. Saying it so bluntly—was that even appropriate? Then again, knowing that quirky chef, he didn't seem like the type to do a good deed and stay anonymous.

As she left the restaurant, she noticed that the "No Idiots or Dogs Allowed" sign had finally been hung up by the door. She snapped a photo, finding it so odd and funny that she posted it to her social feed—something she rarely did.

Her notifications immediately lit up:

[X: Like]

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify