Intimidated

The emcee is wearing an earpiece which is why he immediately got the cue for the guests to come inside the mansion and prepare for Celestine's entrance at the grand staircase.

"Ladies and gentlemen, a fine evening to all of us. Let us all gather inside and witness the luxurious interior of this lavish estate." The emcee spoke which instantly caught the attention of the guests.

Meanwhile, Celestine stares at her beautiful and fierce reflection on the mirror one last time before she exits her room and walks outside.

The guests turned slack-jawed and roamed around their eyes inside. Inside the mansion truly lives up to its beauty outside.

There is a large chandelier made out of pure gold and white crystals hanging aesthetically on the ceiling. There are numerous paintings by notable artists and other artifact pieces that contributed to the beauty of the entire mansion.

Amira was not able to notice that her mouth has been wide open since the moment they entered the mansion, "The owner of this estate must be filthy rich! Probably richer than all of us here!" she exclaims which caught the attention of some guests close to them but they chose to ignore and roll their eyes secretly, afraid that Arthur may see them do so.

While holding a glass of sparkling and prestigious champagne, Ingrid gives Amira a side glance, "Watch your mouth, Amira. If I were you, I would make sure that I look my best in case the owner is a bachelor. Wouldn't it be so nice to marry him and live in this beautiful home?" She tries her manipulative antics on her daughter.

All the guests are very much in awe of the grand and ravishing mansion, most of them are sure that no house stood as beautiful as this.

"I am ready," Celestine tells Ava and in return, Ava hurriedly speaks to the emcee via her earpiece.

The emcee put the microphone close to his mouth and spoke, "Good evening everyone. It is such an honor to have you all here, the most influential and powerful men and women in the country. Therefore, let us please give a round of applause to the person behind this splendid palazzo. Please welcome, Celestine!" he energetically jolted which resulted to a loud applause from everyone except Amira, Ingrid, and Arthur.

Their respective faces turned whiter than a paper the moment they saw Celestine ascend from the grand staircase like some sort of a queen. Amira and Ingrid exchanged nervous and questioning gazes.

As for Arthur, he clenched his jaw so tight while shooting sharp stares at Celestine who intentionally gazed at them and wore an ominous smile that was somehow effective in sending a hint of bother in him.

"How is that even possible?" Ingrid gasps and places her trembling hand over her mouth while Amira freezes and stares with wide eyes at Celestine who bravely stares right back at her.

Ingrid's entire body started to tremble so bad to the point that she had to hold on to Arthur for support. As much as the three of them wanted to leave the gathering immediately, they could not because they are situated at the front part and it would take them a long walk in the middle of the surprised crowd before leaving.

For the past ten years, they did not know anything about Ryan and Celestine nor were they interested to know at all. Arthur failed to secure himself a seat in the senate after he got on the mass public's bad side after someone spread the news about his negligence towards his legitimate children.

He attributed all of those mishaps to Celestine who, by then, already ran away from home.

Of course, they do not want to be dubbed as a killjoy but it is absolutely horrible now that they know that Celestine is the owner of this grand mansion.

Celestine confidently takes the microphone handed by the emcee after she was asked to say a few words to her guests, "I know you are all busy but I want to thank everyone for making time and coming here to welcome me in the country. As the President and CEO of the Medical City as well as some companies, I look forward to meeting you all and creating strong ties within our community. Cheers for this wonderful evening and for many to come!" She raises her champagne flute glass and takes a small sip.

The entire mansion is filled with continuous chatterings from the guests who are busy introducing themselves to one another and thus doing the expansion of their networks.

A few minutes later, Arthur, Ingrid, and Amira were about to leave but Celestine took huge strides forward to stop them from doing so.

"Are you enjoying the party?" She asks in a sardonic tone which makes Amira look like she is about to throw a tantrum at 25 years old.

With throbbing veins on her neck, Ingrid gave Celestine a tight-lipped smile. Ignoring this Celestine lifts her head and pushes her chest out.

Arthur clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes, "What are your plans, Celestine? Revenge?" he asks in a straightforward manner while he fixes his authoritarian posture.

'I am glad that you got an idea.' Celestine thought to herself. She lightly throws her head back and shakes her head as she laughs.

"Why would you think I would do that? Did you do something bad or unpleasant to me, us?" Celestine satirically asks which made Amira and Ingrid look away because they know so well they did something so horrible that even the adjective 'bad' would not suffice.

Arthur was too stunned to speak and left without a word while Ingrid and Amira hastily followed him behind. Celestine let out a satisfied chuckle and sashayed her way to entertain the other guests during the entire night.

Tonight is a successful event to introduce herself to society and intimidate the highly-respected Lim Family.

The next day, Celestine arrives in the hospital to attend a few important meetings and to oversee how certain projects are going on. Afterward, as she was in the parking lot, she heard a faint cry of a puppy.