Chapter 334: Chapter 332: Opening the Door to a New World (Part 1)
At the thought, Celeste Grant looked up at Nana Warren. With a small smile, she said playfully, "Leo, any interest in working for me for a few thousand years?"
’Work for a few thousand years... The real question is whether I’ll even make it to ninety-nine.’
’Heheh, but does that really matter? Hahaha.’ Without a second thought, Nana Warren replied, "Of course, Miss. As long as you need me, I’ll forever be your most loyal servant. A few thousand years? I can do that."
Celeste Grant reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "You said it... As of now, your employment contract is extended for the next three thousand years."
Nana Warren paused for a second, held up three fingers, and then burst out laughing. "Three thousand years? Hahahaha, fine by me! I won’t be physically around by then, but my soul can keep following you and working for you, Miss. As long as I don’t scare you, that is. A worker’s spirit never rests."
Hearing this, Celeste Grant said faintly, "I don’t think you could scare me. In fact, if some spirit were to actually come after me, it’s more likely its own soul would be scared out of existence."
Eight or nine out of every ten Cultivators in The Demonic Sects are obsessed with Soul Refining. Some Cultivators even travel to remote places like desolate mountains and abandoned wells to find spirits. The more vicious and malevolent, the better.
Celeste Grant wasn’t a Demon Cultivator herself, so she didn’t practice Soul Refining. Still, she knew a thing or two. After seeing so much of it, she had grown desensitized, so these non-corporeal entities no longer fazed her.
The two of them descended the stairs, one after the other.
Her living room was massive. On one side was the dining area; on the other, a sofa and several televisions.
A platter of spicy and fragrant crayfish sat on the dining table. Celeste Grant glanced at it and walked over.
Leo was a step ahead of her, pulling out a chair. "Please, have a seat, Miss," she said.
Celeste was about to put on a pair of gloves and dig in when Leo handed her a pair of chopsticks. "Miss, peeling crayfish is rough on the hands," she said. "Allow me." With that, Leo sat down, slipped on a pair of gloves, and began peeling the crayfish, placing the shelled meat into Celeste’s bowl.
"Go on, Miss. Try it. How is it?"
Celeste Grant chuckled.
She waved her hand.
"You eat your own. What’s the point of eating crayfish if you don’t get your hands dirty?"
"Alright, then. But make sure you wear your gloves, Miss. Otherwise, your hands will be burning by the time you’re done."
She gave a faint smile. "I know."
As they spoke, Celeste Grant started peeling her own crayfish and eating. She glanced up, studying Nana Warren for a moment, then made a soft sound of surprise.
’Leo’s features indicate her family bonds are still intact. She shouldn’t be an orphan. And yet, she grew up in one. It seems there’s more to her story than meets the eye.’
With that in mind, she asked, "Leo, did you grow up entirely in an orphanage?"
At the question, she nodded again and again. "I’ve lived at the orphanage for as long as I can remember. The director, our ’Orphanage Mom,’ told me I was left at the front gate when I was only a few months old."
In the orphanage where Leo grew up, countless younger children were adopted. Quite a few people had wanted to adopt her as well, but she had always refused, dead set against leaving. Nana Warren was raised by the director, which is why she took the director’s surname, Warren. She was also the orphanage’s most driven child, not only getting into a top university but excelling as a law student. She pushed herself hard through school, working part-time jobs to support her studies.
After graduation, she got a job at a law firm and still took on part-time work after hours. To put it simply, money was Leo’s life. As long as the price was right, she’d juggle multiple jobs and grind herself into the ground.
Celeste Grant admired that relentless drive in her.
Now, Nana Warren was her private lawyer, her accounting consultant for rent collection, and occasionally her chauffeur. In short, she was a jack-of-all-trades, presentable in public and capable behind the scenes, always on call. The money she earned was a true testament to her abilities.
But despite how she worked herself to the bone for money, the truth was she donated most of it back to her orphanage to support the children there. She was a good person, which was why Celeste Grant had trusted her so completely all these years.
「After feasting on the crayfish.」
Celeste Grant washed her hands and curled up on the sofa, while Leo went to the fridge to get some fruit to wash.
Celeste Grant lay on the sofa, her thoughts already drifting far away.
’I wonder what Elder Lawson and the others are doing right now.’
’And Nerida... I kind of miss her.’
’And my dear son.’
’And The Archfiend Sinclair... I wonder if he’s okay.’
’So many things to think about.’
She couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
When Leo came over with a plate of fruit, she found Celeste Grant leaning back against the sofa, looking dispirited.
"What’s wrong, Miss? You seem to have something on your mind."
Celeste Grant answered without hesitation, "I just miss my son. And my husband."
Hearing this, Leo’s jaw nearly hit the floor. "Son... Husband? You... you..." Nana Warren set the fruit platter on the coffee table and leaned in close. She stared at Celeste Grant, waving a hand in front of her face. "Miss, are you feeling alright? Could it be... after a month in the hospital, your memories have gotten mixed up?"
’I’ve been with her for years. How could I not know if she had a son and a husband? Is she dreaming this up?’
Celeste Grant looked her right in the eye and said with utter seriousness, "Leo, I’m not kidding. I’m telling you, I really do have a son. He’s fifteen this year. He is unbelievably handsome with a tall, slender figure. Tsk, tsk... that face of his, he looks like a beautiful young man who stepped right out of a painting."
"And his father is even more incredible. Tall, long-legged, and devilishly handsome. Just looking at his abs is a feast for the eyes."
Leo: "..."
’She says it like it’s the gospel truth!’
"No... Miss, my dear Miss, you were in the hospital for a month! Have your memories gotten scrambled since you woke up? Are you mixing up novels you’ve read with your own life?"
Celeste Grant grabbed her hand.
"Leo, what I’m saying is true. Do I look like I’m lying?"
Leo was a lawyer herself. Because of that, when she met Celeste Grant’s gaze, her expression slowly shifted to one of worry. Her boss truly didn’t seem to be joking. Her look was one of absolute conviction, as if everything she’d said was real.
’Oh, no!’
’This is terrifying!’
She grabbed Celeste Grant’s arm. "Miss, snap out of it! Never mind a son, you’ve been single your whole life! You’ve never even held a cute guy’s hand! You’re only twenty-three years old! You’ve never been in a relationship, let alone had a fifteen-year-old son!"
Celeste Grant: "..."
’Leo, are you asking to be sent to the mines for three hundred years?’
"If I say I have one, then I have one." Celeste Grant lightly tapped her on the head. "I’ll introduce you when there’s a chance."
’She’s going to introduce me?’ Leo shook her head again and again, her expression one of utter heartbreak.
’It’s all my fault,’ she thought. ’How could I not have noticed that something was wrong with my boss?’
