Chapter 1
Chapter 1
When Celeste arrived at Millbrook Airport, it was already after 8 pm and she was exhausted. She had just returned from a one month away top exclusive program at Bridgerton, when she had been getting her newest degree under her false alias, Lya Smith.
Not just that, it also happened to be her birthday then; both her real birthday and her fake alias, so she got a lot of messages and birthday wishes from her colleagues and friends when she turned on her phone, However, there was nothing from her husband and kids at all.
Her smile faded.
By the time, she had almost reached the villa, it was already past 10 pm. The house keeper Hannah Sanders was startled when she opened the door and saw her.
"Mrs KIngston.....you are here?" it was more of a confused statement than a greeting as she immediately bowed her head and greeted properly.
Celeste nodded her head and stepped inside the mansion, seeing the room seemed to have a little bit of renovation since she was gone.
'Where is my husband and the kids?" Celeste asked.
"They are out with Miss Amber, ma. Today was her birthday and she insisted that they come to celebrate with her, and she had been staying here for a month now as well."
Celeste's eyes shot up at that. A month? Odette and Prince hadn't mentioned that at all to her, but then again, they were always much closer to Amber and their dad than they were to her.
"I see.... prepare the guest room for me then." celeste said no skipping a beat as it was Hannah's turn for her brows to rise.
"Ma....why? Your room with the Master is still there and has remained untouched since you left. Miss Amber is in the guest room." she explained as Celeste was stunned by this.
She had been gone a month, Lucian had a whole month with his first love, and he had not moved her into their room, this was odd behaviour. She refused to think much about it and said instead.
"Alright i'll drop my bag inside and get some things then leave. Do not tell Lucian that i am back." she said as she made her way to the stairs,leaving Hannah confused, but soon bowed and returned back to her station.
Celeste opened the door and switched on the light, only to see that the place seemed to have just her things and Lucian, not even a bra that wasn't hers was spotted, and the room was used frequently, she could see the towel, Lucian always used when he bath, lying on her vanity table, his worn and discarded pajamas on thr floor, and some scattered documents on the table.
She dropped her things, putting them away and moving out of the room, when to her children's rooms, Odette and Prince, only to see the same similar mess in their rooms. NOt only did they look like Lucian, they also took all his bad habits as well and none of hers. She didn't want to arrange, because she didn't want to leave any signs that she was back, because aside from the general state of the house, all maids and cleaners, were forbidden from cleaning the rooms of the couple or the children, it was off limits, only the family members had the right to clean, or the owners of the room.
It was one of the rules that celeste had implemented when she was newly married and Lucian had allowed it, after making a big fuss but she refused to budge on it, and then it became an unspoken rule.
She left the rooms and went into the guest room, but found out it was empty. Celeste frowned. This was the only guestroom on this floor and it was close to the masters bedroom and the kids and definitely the room that Amber should be occupying but it was empty?
Hannah came by to tell her that dinner was ready, if she was going to eat as Celeste asked her where Amber was staying.
" She is staying on the ground floor, in the guest room for visitors, the ones near to the garden behind the maids quarters." Hannah replied as Celeste nodded her head.
Of course, Lucian was a man of integrity, he was going to keep her far away to maintain appropriate distance but sneak off to her room, later in the night to have fun, before returning back to his room. Lucian really thought this out. To outsiders, it would show Lucian as a man of integrity, deeply devoted to his wife, that he doesn't let any female guest room on the same floor as him and the kids.
Only she knew what kind of man, he really was. She decided not to bother checking out her room, but followed Celeste to the dining room to eat.
She was starving since the flight and hadn't had a chance to eat at all, and was running on fumes.
Hannah served her meal as Celeste focused on eating it, grateful that Hannah had managed to cook something for her, or had cooked in advance and it happened to be one of her favourite meals.
"Mrs Kingston.... I don't know if this is acceptable but I bought this for you, but I didn't know you would come back today, please accept this." Hannah said as she handed Celeste a box tied with a ribbon on top.
"Oh Hannah, you shouldn't have." Celeste said as she accepted the box from her as Hannah wrung her hands together and said.
"I know this is not much, but I hope you like it." She said as she bowed her head and left her alone.
Just as Celeste was about to open the box, her phone buzzed as she reached for it instead and saw it was a message from her sister
In it was a picture of her with the kids besides her standing in front of a birthday cake as she pressed a kiss to Lucian's cheek before saying.
"Your husband and children are all mine."
Attached to it was a video clip. The background seemed noisy but Odette's voice was loud and clear as she said,
"Aunt Amber would make a good mum someday. She is more cuddly than our mum."
Another text attached to it read;
Even your kids don't want you as their mum.
