Chapter 45

Celeste watched David drop Alice off at school, her face twisted with jealousy. She gripped the steering wheel so hard her manicured nails dug into her palms, but she didn't feel a thing. All she felt was a sharp pain in her heart, so intense it made her vision blur and her breath catch.

Once David left, Celeste pulled out her phone and dialed Juniper, her eyes locked on the school gate. Alice walked in with another girl, looking all buddy-buddy.

Celeste sneered. 'Just wait till everyone at school finds out Alice is just an illegitimate kid. Let's see who still wants to be her friend then!'

"Mom," Celeste's voice cracked as she spoke, her eyes reddening, "I saw David drop Alice off at school himself. Do you think they're getting too close? If this keeps up, David's gonna fall for Alice! Especially since they're living together!"

Even if it was because of the engagement, David was being way too nice to Alice. Otherwise, he wouldn't be dropping her off at school himself. And from the way they interacted, it was clear their relationship was progressing. If she didn't act soon, David would definitely marry Alice!

No way! Absolutely not!

Alice had already taken Lucas away; she couldn't let her take David too! Whether it was Lucas or David, they should belong to her! They should rightfully belong to the eldest daughter of the Bailey Family. They shouldn't be taken by an illegitimate child born to a mistress!

Celeste had known since she was a kid that Lucas had the final say in the family. No matter how much Marcus and Juniper spoiled her like a princess, it was useless. Whatever Lucas decided, Marcus and Juniper never opposed; they could only go along with it, just like when Lucas decided to take Alice in and raise her himself instead of leaving her to a nanny.

Lucas treated Alice like his own granddaughter, raising her like a princess, while she, who was supposed to be the princess, lived a life not as good as Alice's. The real princess of the Bailey Family was Alice! The Alice who monopolized all of Lucas's love!

"You're at Ivywood University!" Juniper was very surprised, "Have you forgotten what Marcus said? David has already warned us once through Marcus. What do you still want to do to Alice? Celeste, can you calm down? Whatever you do now, if David finds out, you'll be the one to suffer!"

"But I can't stand it!" Celeste growled, "Mom, did you endure it when Dad cheated? If you had, maybe dad would even have a son by now!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Marcus's affair had always been a thorn in Juniper's heart. Now that Celeste suddenly brought it up, that thorn dug deeper into her flesh, making Juniper furious, "Are you trying to drive me crazy!"

"Mom, I didn't mean it." Celeste was also driven mad by anger and spoke without thinking, "Mom, what should I do? Am I just supposed to watch Alice and David's relationship get better day by day?"

"I'll find a way out," Juniper said and then hung up the phone.

Celeste's face was full of unwillingness, the scene of David dropping Alice off at school replaying in her mind, blinding her. She had liked David for a long time, ever since Marcus took her to a business banquet for the first time and she was harassed by a CEO. From the moment David stepped in to help her, she had given her whole heart to him.

Celeste glanced at the school gate, squinting her eyes, and murmured, "Alice, I won't let you take anything that belongs to me... Grandpa Lucas, David, they are all mine!"

After morning classes wrapped up, Esme was all set to grab lunch with Alice. But then Simon showed up at school, saying he wanted to make up for his past screw-ups. So, Esme ended up watching Alice drag Simon by the ear upstairs, probably to the rooftop for a private smackdown.

Esme knew Simon, but not that well. She was tight with Dylan, though, and knew Dylan actually cared a lot about Simon. And Dylan really hoped Simon didn't encounter the darker sides of society; it was fine if he remained naïve.

Esme walked down the road, kicking a small stone with each step, her face full of frustration and sadness. "Alice has David. Simon has Dylan. Why do I have nothing? Who can understand the pain of being an only child!"

Just as she finished her little rant, she heard two honks behind her.

Startled, Esme turned around to see a red Ferrari parked by the roadside. The window rolled down, revealing Celeste's heavily made-up face.

In the restaurant, Esme ordered a ton of food, then looked up at Celeste and asked, "Miss, aren't you eating?"

Celeste smiled and waved her hand. "I'm good. Not really hungry. Go ahead, and order whatever you want, this meal's on me."

'Yeah, like I was planning to pay anyway,' Esme thought to herself.

Esme stopped thinking and picked up a slice of pizza. "Miss, what do you want from me? We don't even know each other."

Celeste said, "That's not important, but you know Alice, right? She's my sister."

Esme looked surprised. "So Alice is your sister! I didn't recognize you; you two don't look alike at all!"

Celeste's smile froze, and she dug her nails into her palm under the table to keep her cool. "Yeah, that's because we have different mothers."

Seeing Esme's shocked expression, Celeste felt a twisted sense of satisfaction.

Once Esme knew Alice was actually an illegitimate child, how could she still want to be friends with her? Someone like her should be isolated! A life without friends, without support, without anything, was the life Alice deserved!

She should be stuck with her mom in that dark, damp apartment, worrying about living expenses, tuition fees, and not being able to afford food every day! She shouldn't come to the Bailey Family, steal her spotlight, steal her Lucas, steal her lover!

Esme licked her fingers, her expression complicated. "Miss, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to tell me that Alice is an illegitimate child so I shouldn't hang out with her?"

Before Celeste could respond, Esme slapped the table and burst out laughing, so hard that tears came out.

The surrounding customers were drawn by the commotion and started whispering.

"Oh my God! Miss, who doesn't have a few illegitimate kids in their families nowadays? It's not your place to tell me whom I can be friends with.“

Celeste's face turned sour. She never expected Esme to be such a pain.

Esme said firmly, "Even if she were an illegitimate child, or just an ordinary person, I like her, and I want to be friends with her. It's not up to you to come here with bad intentions and treat me to a meal!"

Esme threw down her fork and stood up. She gave Celeste a sidelong glance, slung her bag over her shoulder, and snorted, "You even made me lose my appetite, how ridiculous."