Chapter 31 Pick Me
\-Celeste-
Morning came like a breeze, and when I woke up, Lucien was gone.
I was alone in his bed for the first time and this room too. The room was neat, too neat, like he barely even existed, like he didn't live here.
The sheets still smelled like him though, clinging to my nose like a memory I couldn’t shake.
I stared there for a while, staring at the ceiling, trying to decide if what we did was something that shouldn’t have happened.
Just then, he walked in quietly, immaculately dressed in a black suit and a tray in his hands. Steam rose from the cup of tea beside a small plate of toast.
“You’re awake,” he said, voice nearly warm.
Breakfast in bed, an almost smile? This was certainly out of character.
I pushed myself up, unsure what to say. The events of the last 24 hours hung in the air like a thick blanket.
I murmured a thank you as I collected the toast and began to eat. Surprisingly, it had been made to perfection.
“It’s delicious,” I commented in a bid to break the ice.
He didn’t respond. Instead, he walked over to the mirror at the side of the room, wearing his tie.
“Are you off to somewhere?” The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
“I got my job back,” he replied flatly.
Why was he being like this again? My mind reeled, just yesterday, he had agreed not to annul the marriage, and now he was acting like we were complete strangers.
How did you get your job back? I was practically dying to ask, but the words wouldn’t come out.
He turned to face me, his tie perfectly knotted. “Meanwhile, I’ve decided to rewrite the rules of our contract. It seemed rather unfair that I didn’t give you the chance to make your own rules. Now you have the chance.”
I watched him walk over to a table, then returned with a pen and paper. He handed them over to me with an unreadable expression.
I collected it and read through it, and the first words immediately sent shivers down my spine.
“No kids?” My heart raced, “Why not?”
He scoffed. “Why not? As I recall, you weren’t very enthusiastic about that clause the first time,” He reminded me.
He was right, but how was I supposed to tell him that I was starting to feel different? That a part of me somehow wanted this to work.
“What if I said no?”
“Then I’ll walk away.” He bluntly said, like none of this really meant anything.
“But earlier today—”
“Yes, earlier on I said I didn’t want to annul the marriage, and I meant it. So this is me trying to do this in a way that will work for both of us. After the contract period, we both walk away free. Having kids would forever tie us to each other… And I’m sure you wouldn’t want that.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, he pulled something out of his pocket and dropped it on the bed.
My breath caught. It was a contraceptive pill.
“You should take this,” he said without warmth.
Yes, it was true that our relationship was transactional, but seeing him act like I was nothing more than a pleasure tool hurt even more.
With that, he took his keys, and left me alone with my spiraling thoughts.
\---
Later that day, we were in David’s car headed to Fae’s fashion house. She suddenly wanted to be a part of the planning, but all I could think of was Lucien's coldness.
“Hey, are you alright?” Denise turned to the backseat, voice soft with concern. “You’ve been gloomy all morning.”
“I’m fine.” I replied with a forced smile. The truth was, I just wanted to be left alone.
When we got to Fae’s place, her assistant led us through the glass doors and array of clothing and into a studio that looked like color had exploded everywhere, fabrics hanging, sketches pinned on the wall, and half-dressed mannequins.
And there she was, Fae. Bright orange kimono, talking to a potted plant near the window as if it was answering back.
“You’ve been growing beautifully,” she told it, adjusting one of the leaves with care.
Her assistant chuckled awkwardly, motioning for us to sit, “She, uh…does that sometimes.” She whispered.
We exchanged looks among ourselves, so this was Fae.
When she was done, she practically glided up to us. Without a thought, she smiled at me.
“You must be Celeste and Denise,” she said, bracelets clinking as she reached out to shake our hands. “Thank you for agreeing to do this.”
Agreeing? It’s an honor.
I smiled and nodded as she took a seat in front of us. “I’m sorry I had to pull you all out on such short notice, but I have a habit of getting involved in every aspect of planning.”
“It’s totally fine.”
She grinned, “Good, so I really want us to discuss the desserts again.”
“Yes,” I said with a polite smile, “I brought some sketches of the display set up.”
Denise handed the tab over to her and as she swiped through, she nodded in approval.
Half an hour later, we were done, but we had a few corrections to make here and there.
“Thank you for having me, Ms. Winters.”
“The pleasure’s all—”
“Oh my God, Celeste?”
My chest tightened at the sound of that voice. I turned and saw Bianca standing near the doorway, phone in hand, sunglasses on her head like a crown.
“Wow, small world,” she said, walking in like she hadn’t nearly ruined my life yesterday. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Bianca,” I played along, forcing a smile. I couldn’t let her ruin things, especially not in front of a client. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, just dropping by,” she said with a shrug. “A friend told me Fae’s designs were perfect for my upcoming shoot, so I thought, why not check it out?”
Before I could respond, Fae lit up. “A shoot? Are you a model?”
“Influencer,” Bianca corrected with a grin. “I work with a few luxury brands. Meanwhile, I overheard something in the store about an event, though.”
God, she was getting on my nerves with her "pick me" attitude, and was she stalking?
“Yes,” Fae replied, interest piqued, “it’s a fundraiser gala.”
“That sounds amazing,” Bianca’s smile widened. “Oh, I’d love to be involved. I could help promote it online, get people talking before the event.”
Fae clapped her hands together. “That’s wonderful! We could use that kind of reach, right?” She turned to us.
I nodded and stayed quiet while my stomach twisted. Bianca wasn’t just being friendly, she was purposely inserting herself in the middle of my work.
And just when I thought the day couldn’t get any worse, my phone beeped with a notification. It was a message from the same number that had been messing with me for the last couple of days.
A shiver ran through me as I read the message;
“Dear Celeste Ashford, you will hear some good and bad news soon enough.”