"Dad, you miss Sister too, don't you?" Celeste said. "It's weird. When I saw Rachel that day, she didn't even look guilty about Sister's death."
"Enough, don't mention that woman," Darian replied.
Just then, footsteps echoed down the staircase. Father and daughter looked up to see Jeffrey coming down.
"You wanted to see me? What's the matter?" Jeffrey asked coldly, his eyes sweeping over the both of them.
Under Jeffrey's icy stare, Celeste's whole body tensed up. This was the man her sister had fallen for!
Celeste suddenly remembered how her sister, Camila, had once told her dreamily, "Celeste, a guy like Jeffrey… I thought someone like me would never stand a chance with him. He's too cold, too logical. Even if you hug him, you won't feel any warmth. He's like some flawless porcelain doll, perfect on the outside, but you'll never see what's inside."
Yeah… Celeste felt the same way.
Every time she saw Jeffrey, she felt like she couldn't figure him out at all.
Even though he had those perfect looks and the insane power of the Gray Family behind him, Celeste had never once thought of trying to get close to him.
This man was just… too scary. Too cold.
Even though Camila had loved Jeffrey to death and had somehow convinced him to marry her, Celeste always believed he never really loved her sister.
At Camila's funeral, Jeffrey hadn't even shed a tear. He didn't look the least bit sad.
"Jeffrey, it was Celeste's fault for stirring up trouble recently. I've already scolded her about it. We're really hoping you'll still come to the engagement party between her and Ralph. Celeste is Camila's only sister. I'm sure Camila would've wanted you to be there," Darian said seriously.
Jeffrey looked at him with a faint smile, and Darian's throat suddenly felt dry. He choked a little on his own words.
Darian, who had always been one of the most powerful people in the business world, now felt totally overpowered by the man who was almost his son-in-law.
It was like Jeffrey could see through every single thing he was thinking.
"Yes, quite the trouble indeed. Even if the ring wasn't real, or even if it was just a cheap one, causing such a huge scene like that is really something. Mr. Darian," Jeffrey said with a light chuckle, "you've really raised an impressive daughter."
Darian gave a forced, awkward smile.
Celeste's face turned bright red, then pale white.
As the precious daughter of the Howard Family and a famous star, she was used to being worshipped wherever she went.
No one had ever dared to mock her like this. And the person mocking her now was none other than Jeffrey. But no matter what, she had to hold it in!
"If you want me to attend the engagement party, it's not impossible," Jeffrey said as he slowly stood up. "Since Miss Howard seems to enjoy looking for things, why not help me find something too?"
What did he mean?
Darian and Celeste looked at him, totally confused.
Jeffrey walked to the side of the living room, opened a sliding glass door, and pointed toward an artificial pond outside.
Casually, he tossed the ring he'd been playing with into the water.
Then he turned around and said calmly, "When Miss Howard finds the ring, I'll come to the party."
The father and daughter stood there in total shock.
Find a tiny ring in that pond?
What kind of joke was this?
Jeffrey looked to a nearby servant. "Keep an eye on them. Miss Howard has to find the ring herself. When she finds it, they can leave. Of course, if they decide to leave without finding it…"
He paused, and his eyes swept coldly over both of them. "Then they're never welcome in this house again."
The Howard father and daughter both shivered.
Jeffrey had made it clear: if they gave up and left, that would be the end of any relationship with the Gray Family.
As Jeffrey walked off, Darian and Celeste exchanged helpless looks.
The pond in front of them wasn't deep or huge, maybe a thousand square feet. But the bottom was full of thick mud. Finding a small ring in that mess wasn't gonna be easy.
Celeste was almost crying. "Dad, what do I do? Do I really have to go down there and search for it? It's freezing! How am I supposed to find a ring in there all by myself?"
"You caused this mess, so you need to fix it. If the Gray Family really cuts ties with us, you know what that means for the Howard Family," Darian said seriously.
Even though he loved his daughter,
Darian couldn't ignore the future of the Howard Family.
A lot of their major business deals depended on their relationship with the Gray Family. If Jeffrey decided to cut them off, it would be a complete disaster.
Celeste went quiet. She knew exactly how much the Howard Family relied on the Grays.
If Jeffrey turned his back on them, everything would fall apart.
With no other option, Celeste slowly stepped into the cold pool, shivering as she started searching for the tiny ring.
She didn't realize this was Jeffrey's way of getting back at her for what she did to Rachel.
The humiliation she once made Rachel suffer through was now coming back at her, ten times worse.
---
When Jeffrey got back to the apartment, he saw Rachel washing clothes. Her hands were deep in the freezing water, already red from the cold.
"Why aren't you using hot water?" he asked, frowning.
"Hot water needs to be heated, and that uses electricity. Besides, after a bit, my hands get used to the cold," Rachel replied, rinsing the clothes one last time before wringing them out and hanging them up.
He took her hands gently, feeling how cold and numb they were.
"Next time, use hot water. I don't care about the electricity bill. I'll make the money," he said firmly.
She laughed softly and flicked his forehead. "Save where you can. There'll be a lot of expenses in the future. Did you have a good time at the dinner with your colleagues tonight?"
"It was alright," Jeffrey answered. The dinner with his colleagues was just an excuse.
If his guess was right, Celeste should still be in the Gray Family's pool right now, looking for the ring.
He wondered how long it would take her to find it.
"It seems like it's grown longer," Rachel's soft voice pulled Jeffrey out of his thoughts.
She was touching his bangs, which were definitely too long now.
"Jeffrey, how about I trim your bangs a little? They're so long, it's probably hard for you to see," she said.
He looked at her, eyes soft and calm. After a second, he nodded. "Okay."
Rachel only had a comb, a pair of scissors, and a cloth. She carefully draped the cloth around his shoulders and got ready to trim his hair.