Thorns Grow After Betrayal (Celeste and Chester) novel Chapter 394

"Gideon, thank..." Before she could finish the word, Celestine instinctively glanced at the man. "You look a lot like an old acquaintance of mine."

A smile spread across Gideon's lips. "Then I'm truly honored. I've been looking forward to collaborating with Celestine for a long time."

Lisa observed the conversation between the two, feeling that something wasn't quite right.

What was especially off was Gideon, the king of the scowl, who was actually beaming so brightly today.

She watched them discreetly.

The more she watched, the more alarmed she became.

Could Gideon be trying to use a work opportunity to hit on a woman?

She remembered that Celestine's marital status was listed as 'married'!

In the end, the entire negotiation was spent with Lisa in a state of sheer panic.

As soon as it was over, Gideon extended a dinner invitation. "Celestine, would you do me the honor of having dinner together tonight?"

"Thank you, but no. I have someone at home waiting for me to cook. Next time for sure," Celestine replied with a faint smile.

Just yesterday, she had promised to cook dinner for Gideon for a week as a way of repaying him.

She really didn't know if he was doing this on purpose or just pretending.

Seeing Celestine refuse, Lisa's suspended heart finally settled.

Good. She knew she hadn't misjudged her.

Taking shortcuts to the top was definitely not Celestine's style.

"Oh? Is that so?" Gideon gave her a meaningful look. "Then the person at home is quite lucky."

Lisa silently nodded.

Go ahead and be passive-aggressive. You still won't get her.

The tips of Celestine's ears turned red. "Yes. Well, Gideon, until next time."

With that, she fled the conference room as if escaping.

She felt that the man was very strange today.

During the investment talks, he had put on a show of haggling for a bit, only to end up offering three times the intended amount.

"Alright, let's go have a look then."

But after looking at several more commercial spaces, they were either in too noisy a location or the building's condition was so hazardous it was a constant worry.

Celestine decided to ditch the agent's guidance and go check out listings on her own.

But she soon discovered something interesting.

Before she revealed her last name was Selwyn, all the landlords were welcoming.

But as soon as she told them her name, they all gave the same story: the property had already been reserved.

When talking to the last property owner, she deliberately didn't reveal her real last name.

The landlord was enthusiastic throughout, showing her around the property.

Signing the contract was practically a done deal on the spot.

Celestine was absolutely certain that this space, which wasn't particularly new and wasn't in the best location, had no other buyers besides her.

Just as the landlord was about to pull out the contract for her to sign, Celestine said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Davis. I was a bit hesitant earlier, so I used my husband's last name. That won't affect our contract, will it?"