Substitute Bride: Utterly Pampered by Her Billionaire Husband-Chapter 1293: Ethan Barnes’s Father Has His Eye on Her
The AIGA Design Competition is the most renowned global design contest, and Celeste Linden entered the competition with this black butterfly piece.
Celeste has a unique talent for design, especially clothing design. Four years ago, if it weren’t for Ethan Barnes, she would have accepted Milan’s invitation and studied abroad.
She hadn’t picked up a pen in four years. She thought some skills might have faded over time, but she realized they had long been ingrained in her bones.
Previously, she lived to draw; now, the drawings exist because of her.
Celeste not only emerged but broke free, experiencing a rebirth.
Seeing the smile and brightness in his sister’s eyes, Miles Linden smirked as well. The gloomy days are over, and sunny days lie ahead. "Sis, I’ll help you sign up."
Celeste shook her head, "No need, I’ve already signed up. Miles, you should head to school. Your sister is fine now; she doesn’t need you anymore."
She has planned to go forward, alone.
Without Miles, truly on her own.
She knows Miles doesn’t need her, whether in one year, two years, five years, or ten years. She believes that anywhere in the world she will hear the name "Miles Linden."
In the future, she will take pride in that.
Miles still doesn’t understand his sister’s thoughts, but he is simply joyful, filled with joy. "It’s time for lunch. I’ll go to school after you have your meal, sister."
Celeste put down her pen and paper, rubbing her stomach, "Perfect timing, I’m hungry."
Celeste has a hearty appetite, eating two bowls of rice and filling her stomach until it was round. Seeing his sister truly recover, Miles felt relieved enough to leave.
...
Celeste entered the competition, keeping it secret from Ethan Barnes. She had decided that she needed a foundation to stand on, and design has always been her passion. She wanted to turn this passion into a profession.
In the afternoon, Celeste walked into the corridor to get some fresh air. The feeling of surviving a catastrophe was wonderfully exhilarating.
At this moment, someone approached quickly without watching the path and bumped into Celeste.
She almost stumbled, and the person who bumped into her was a middle-aged man in a suit, clearly a successful upper-class figure.
"Hey, do you have eyes? How do you walk? Do you know whom you’ve bumped into?" The underling behind the middle-aged man arrogantly shouted.
Celeste furrowed her brows. She was the victim here, and the arrogance of this brown-nosing underling was utterly baffling.
The middle-aged man was already in a bad mood, but when he looked up and saw Celeste’s pure and clean little face, his eyes immediately lit up.
"Let me tell you, this is Walter Barnes, President Barnes, have you heard of the Barnes family? He is the head of the Barnes family," the underling boasted proudly.
Walter Barnes?
Celeste hadn’t planned to argue with these two, but upon hearing the name "Walter Barnes," she trembled slightly.
Walter Barnes, Ethan Barnes’ father!
She didn’t expect the world to be so small, running into Ethan’s father here. Judging by the arrogance of this underling, it was indeed typical of the Barnes family’s demeanor.
Celeste’s gaze fell on Walter’s face, noticing that Ethan didn’t resemble this father. It seemed the handsome appearance was inherited from his mother.
Walter looked at Celeste with fascination. In her twenty-second year, Celeste was pure and clean, with extremely favorable bone structure, large glistening eyes paired with a delicate frailty reminiscent of a fair beauty, stirring deep pity. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
After years of indulging in extravagance, Walter was quickly drawn to this simple yet charming flower.
In fact, Ethan’s mother hailed from The Riverlands, a graceful and simple beauty, similar to the aura Celeste carried. In Walter’s younger days, he was utterly captivated by this type, and now in middle age, encountering Celeste promptly brought him back to those romantic times.
"Shut up!" Walter scolded his underling.
The underling quickly clammed up.
"Young lady, are you okay? It was my mistake earlier; did it hurt when I bumped into you?" Walter extended his hand.
Celeste swiftly stepped back, avoiding his piggish hand.
Walter felt a bit embarrassed; he coughed, then offered a business card to Celeste. "Young lady, this card has my phone number. If you need anything, feel free to call me anytime."
Walter was full of confidence. With his status here, the butterflies usually flocked to him eagerly.
Celeste’s heart raced; she realized Walter was attracted to her.
It seemed both father and son had a penchant for her type.
Walter, with his portly figure, exuded an oily sleaze bolstered by his status and his unabashed desire for her, a mixture of loathing in Celeste’s heart.
If it were before, she would have surely ignored him, but things were different now.
Walter’s presence was an excellent opportunity.
In a flash of ideas, Celeste conceived a brilliant plan and stretched out her hand, slapping away the business card from Walter’s hand.
This was clearly unexpected for Walter, and his expression changed.
The underling quickly uttered, "Hey, what do you mean? Our president only offered you a card because he saw your worth. Are you bold enough to defy him... Hey, come back!"
The underling was astonished that Celeste turned around and walked away. How bold could she be!
Celeste didn’t utter a single word; she directly entered the ward. After a brief moment of stun, Walter found himself intrigued; this little beauty was indeed interesting.
"President, I’m here~" At that moment, a flamboyantly dressed secretary walked over, intimately linking her arm with Walter’s.
Walter immediately asked nervously, "How’s the situation? You’re not pregnant, right?"
Walter was accompanying the secretary for a check-up because it was suspected she might be pregnant.
The secretary shook her head, "Not pregnant, just a poor appetite. President, why are you so anxious about whether I’m pregnant? Do you want me to give you another son?"
The secretary smiled charmingly, "That can work. Since you haven’t married, if I give birth to a son, by my son’s merit, you can make me the formal Mrs. Barnes."
The secretary started dreaming.
Walter, however, was frightened out of his wits and immediately pushed the secretary away. "Better dismiss that thought. My family has a troublemaker; if you want to die, I’m not stopping you, as long as you don’t drag me down."
At the mention of Ethan Barnes, the secretary’s smile froze; many had lost their lives because of him.
Walter, having tired of her, lost interest in the secretary and whispered to his underling, "Quickly, go find out more about that little beauty."
