Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Kicked Out

Celia stopped eating for a moment and pain flashed in her eyes, then she shook her head. “Not for now.”

Affection brimmed in Bryce’s eyes. “Celia, I—”

Celia looked at him. “Mr. Zamora, finish your lunch.” She knew Bryce liked her, but she wouldn’t waste his time, for she knew she would never marry again, even if the man was as gentle as Bryce.

When they walked out of the restaurant, Celia’s phone rang. She looked at Bryce and said, “Take her home. I need to go home for a bit.”

Bryce looked at her and said a reluctant goodbye. “Talk to you later.”

“Sure.” Celia waved at Nelly. “See you, Nelly.”

“See you, Miss Celia,” said the girl cutely.

The sight of the girl reminded Celia of her pain. If my boy was still alive, he’d be one year older than Nelly. Celia went away to take a call. She had texted her father in the morning, telling him about her return. “Hello, Dad,” said Celia.

“Come have dinner at home tonight,” said the man.

There was a chasm that could not be bridged between her and her father. “Dad, I…”

Her father sighed. “Do you still hate me?” Callum Stuart asked.

“No.” Celia bit her lip.

“Then come home.”

Celia couldn’t say no to that.” Okay.”

Callum leaned back on his couch. When he saw his wife coming downstairs, he said, “Celia’s back. Cook a bit more for dinner.”

Pansy Coffman put on a look of surprise. “Oh, she’s coming back? And I thought something happened to her.”

Callum turned to look at her. “She’s still my daughter. Let the past stay in the past, alright?”

Pansy sneered silently. She means nothing to the family. Even if everyone says she’s the young miss. Just then, her phone rang. After she saw the caller ID, she went to the garden and took the call. “Did you find it?”

“Yes. I have found the name for Varoque’s perfumer, Ms. Coffman.”

“Who is she?” hissed Pansy. The sales of her company dipped for the year because Pinesnow No. 5 took all its customers away. She tried to find out who the perfumer was, but Varoque had it under wraps. She had had to go through hoops just to get a name. She hated Varoque and that perfumer for what they did.

“She’s a newbie, and a young one at that too. Her name is Celia Stuart,” the man said quickly.

Pansy shivered, and she exclaimed, “What? Celia? Are you sure that’s right?”

“Yes, I’m sure. My sources say she has come back to the nation.”

Pansy’s chest heaved. She couldn’t believe Celia was the creator of Pinesnow No. 5. But she was exiled five years ago. This is impossible. She became a perfumer? How? However, Pansy was reminded of Celia’s mother, and everything made sense. Celia’s mother was a top perfumer, so it made sense that Celia had her mother’s talents.

Damn it. Yet a second later, Pansy’s eyes shone. Now that she’s a perfumer, I can try to make her work for me. I’m sure she can come up with something else that’ll take the world by storm. Pinesnow No. 5 had become a legend, and its sales numbers were still on top.

A girl behind her said, “Mom?”

Pansy turned around. There was love in her eyes. “Yana. Come. Tell me about your new show.”

“I’m definitely going to snag the best actress award.” Yana Stuart was an elegant woman. She was only twenty-three years old, but already she was a top actress.

Pansy was more than willing to invest in her daughter, making her a household name. “Celia’s coming home tonight,” she said.

“What? That woman is coming back?” Yana scoffed.

“Don’t underestimate her. She’s Varoque’s top perfumer, and she’s the creator of Pinesnow No. 5.” There was hatred in Pansy’s eyes.

“She created Pinesnow No. 5?” Yana looked at her mother in disbelief. That trash did? Impossible.

“I’ll ask her tonight and find out,” said Pansy. Then she said, “And be nice to her. I’m going to see if I can have her work for us.”

“Fine, I’ll try.” A hint of mischief flashed in Yana’s eyes. I’m an A-list actress while she’s nothing but a perfumer. That woman is nothing.

Pansy came back to the living room and heard Callum telling the servant to prepare Celia’s favorite food for dinner. She didn’t like it, so once the servant was gone, she sat down and said, “You still remember her favorite food? I think she doesn’t even think of you as her father anymore.”

Callum heaved a sigh. “She is still my daughter. It’s just dinner, so why are you getting jealous?”

“Don’t forget, her mother betrayed and embarrassed you.” Pansy crossed her arms, bringing that past up on purpose.

Callum’s face fell. Of course, he wouldn’t forget the humiliation. His wife’s infidelity turned him into upper society’s biggest joke.

At six-thirty, Celia arrived. She stood outside the villa, holding her bag. It had been so long since her last return. She used to live with her grandmother. Aside from the dame, no one cared about her nor showed her any love. After that, Hugo married her as an act of vengeance, killing her child and almost taking her life, but she managed to escape in the end.

Now that she had gained a modicum of success, she wondered if her father would like her more. Every child would love to have their parents’ approval, and Celia was no exception even if life had been most unfair to her. She rang the doorbell, and someone opened the door.

Celia walked through the garden and entered the living room. She thought her father would be waiting inside, but he wasn’t there. She stood around, and a woman on the second floor mocked, “Oh, if it isn’t Celia. It’s been a while.” Pansy slowly came downstairs while holding the handrail.