Thorns Grow After Betrayal (Celeste and Chester) novel Chapter 284

Chester’s eyes flickered in shock as he stared at the video playing on her phone.

“Joanna, enough! This is going too far—you’re making us both look ridiculous!”

Joanna shoved her phone right up to Chester’s face. “Look! Take a good look! That’s Celestine making out with another man! Chester, why are you lying to yourself? Just because you love her, you’re willing to throw away your self-respect?”

Chester’s voice dropped, heavy with disappointment. He took the phone from Joanna’s hand and angled the screen toward her. “I never realized you could be so childish.”

A cold jolt ran through Joanna. It was only then that she saw what was actually playing. The first few seconds showed a hotel corridor, but suddenly the footage cut to Peppa Pig dancing across the screen.

Who did this?

Who tampered with the video?!

Joanna’s chest tightened with fury. “Chester, you have to believe me! The video—it was Celestine and another guy, I swear! I don’t know how it changed! I really don’t know!”

“That’s enough. Celestine is my wife.” Chester’s tone was final. “If you care at all about the years we’ve known each other, stop slandering her.”

He gave her a long, searching look, then turned and walked away before Joanna could muster a response.

She stood rooted to the spot, all the fight drained from her limbs.

Why? Everything had been set up perfectly. Where did it go wrong?

Her face twisted with rage as she pulled out her phone and dialed the thugs she’d hired.

“Where the hell are you? I went to the room and you were gone! Where’s Celestine?”

She fired off question after question.

“Miss Sinclair, you want this job, you pay extra. We’re all in the hospital now! You owe us for the trauma, ten times what we agreed, or everyone’s going to hear what you’ve been up to!”

The man’s voice was full of venom.

Celestine let out a cold laugh. If she hadn’t been prepared, she’d be the one losing her mind in that hallway right now.

“All taken care of?”

A man’s lazy, familiar voice sounded behind her.

“Celly?”

When she didn’t answer right away, he called her name again, more firmly.

Celestine felt her knees go weak at the sound. She managed a soft reply. “Yes… I think so. Thank you, Mr. Prescott.”

She hadn’t known what else to do; there was no way she could have gotten those sleazy creeps out of there by herself.

Gideon had been lightning-fast. Not only did he get them out, but he even sent someone to tidy up the room afterward.