His Virgin Asisstant

Episode 5:

Caleb didn’t say much, but his meaning was clear.

Mrs. Victoria Ravenswood, caught between being struck speechless by his sharp remark or rendered silent by her mounting fury, could only point a trembling finger at him for a long moment.

Finally, she coldly waved her hand, her voice sharp with anger. “Fine, remember what you’ve done today.”

“But let me make this clear: the Ravenswood family will never allow her to set foot here. And if you dare divorce Seraphina, the inheritance your grandfather left for you will be gone as well. Think carefully about your actions.”

With that, she turned and left. As she walked out, her eyes landed briefly on Celeste, who stood cowering beside her son. The visible unease on Celeste’s face made her smirk with disdain, a knowing look that made Celeste shrink back even further.

Celeste thought Mrs. Ravenswood would say more, but instead, she sneered, lifted her chin with contempt, and walked away.

“Caleb, maybe I…” Celeste began, her tone faltering.

She turned toward Caleb, who seemed lost in thought, his expression dark and unreadable after his mother’s parting words. Seeing him like this, Celeste began to wonder if what Mrs. Ravenswood had said was true. Doubts swirled in her mind, and she carefully tried to gauge the situation.

Caleb seemed to snap out of his thoughts and pulled her into a reassuring embrace. “Don’t worry. Even without the Ravenswood family, without anything, I won’t let you starve.”

His demeanor remained dignified, but a flicker of doubt crept into Celeste’s heart.

Forcing a smile, she said nothing more, though internally, she was calculating her next move.

---

At 8:30 p.m., Seraphina finished tidying up and grabbed her bag to leave.

“Seraphina, take care on your way home,” the manager called out kindly.

The news of Seraphina’s pregnancy had spread shortly after she started working, and everyone had become extra protective of her, especially when she worked late shifts. Though her shift technically ended at 9:00 p.m., the manager had adjusted her schedule to let her leave earlier, balancing the workload among staff to avoid resentment while ensuring Seraphina was cared for.

“I will. Goodbye, everyone,” Seraphina replied with a nod, warmed by their small gestures of concern.

Her apartment was close, just a ten-minute walk away.

At this hour, it wasn’t too late, so Seraphina had never worried about her safety. She walked leisurely, her shadow stretching long under the streetlights. As she passed quieter sections of the road, her silhouette seemed lonely and melancholic, difficult to put into words.

Clack, clack…

She had walked for some time, nearing her building, when she heard steady footsteps behind her.

To be honest, she was walking along a main road with occasional cars passing by and a few pedestrians here and there. It shouldn’t have been the kind of place where someone could follow her unnoticed. She told herself it was probably just another passerby and didn’t think much of it, though her pace quickened slightly.

As she crossed an intersection, the sound stopped. Breathing a sigh of relief, she chided herself for being paranoid and continued home, her heart settling.

Unbeknownst to her, a stalker lurking in a nearby alley had been beaten to a pulp by someone else, left bewildered as to why he had been attacked.

When the lights in her small apartment came on, a figure standing in the courtyard below gazed up at her window for a long moment before quietly leaving.

---

Later that night, in a bustling bar filled with pounding music, Celeste, who had been clinging to Caleb for days, now sat alone at the counter, drinking.

It wasn’t that she had suddenly panicked or decided to leave Caleb. Rather, Caleb, still as composed as ever, had abruptly told her he had urgent matters to attend to and couldn’t be with her that evening. Usually, their time together consisted of visiting her mother in the hospital rather than any romantic escapades.

This wasn’t because Celeste didn’t want more, but because Caleb’s demeanor was cold and distant, completely lacking the warmth or charm she had hoped for. Even after three years of marriage to Seraphina, Celeste never doubted his disinterest. After all, wasn’t that the reason she had so readily taken the money from Mrs. Victoria Ravenswood and left him years ago?

Granted, part of it was the sheer amount of money she had been offered.

Celeste loved to spend but was careful not to openly drain Caleb’s finances, fearing it would ruin the image she had cultivated in his eyes. When she accepted Victoria’s money and left Caleb, she had always planned to return one day. Though her current comeback wasn’t entirely motivated by love or money, seeing Caleb discard his wife for her without hesitation made her willing to stay.

But now this issue of losing his inheritance…

As she sat at the bar, someone took the seat beside her.

“What’s going on?” Issac Sherwood asked with a frown, surprised to see Celeste. “Why aren’t you with Caleb?”

“He’s busy. It’s not because of me,” Celeste snapped irritably, her mood sour.

Issac paused, studying her, then asked, “What happened?”

Frustrated, Celeste recounted the day’s events. After finishing, she took a large sip of her drink, oblivious to the disdain in Issac’s eyes.

“So, you’re planning to stay by his side after stabbing him in the back like that? Aren’t you afraid he’ll find out and turn the tables on you?” he asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

What a foolish and greedy woman. A little bit of success, and she had already lost sight of reality.

But that was precisely what Celeste thought.

In truth, she was considering whether Caleb was worth further manipulation. If he proved valuable enough, she would find a way to exploit him without making him resent her betrayal.

Now, with the possibility of Caleb losing everything, Celeste was already plotting her escape. Once she had used him up, she would take the money and disappear.

Issac, understanding her better than she realized, felt nothing but contempt. He said nothing more, though he couldn’t help marveling at how someone like Caleb had fallen for her. Still, as long as everything went according to plan, it didn’t matter.

“Just be careful,” Issac warned. “Don’t get too comfortable and let Caleb catch onto your schemes.”

Celeste, overly confident in her progress, brushed off his caution. “I’m already in the CEO’s office. It won’t be long before everything is settled.”

Though her words were measured, the smugness on her face was unmistakable.

Issac said nothing further and stood to leave.

“Wait!”

Just as he took a step, he paused and leaned closer to her, clearly uncomfortable but still asking, “Has he… touched you yet?”

Celeste froze for a second, then her face flushed with embarrassment and disdain as she replied, “He’s always been… restrained.”

“So, that’s a no.”