Meanwhile, Edward went to meet Eric at the address he had given him. However, Eric wasn't there.
"What are you doing here, Celine? I'm supposed to meet Eric, not you," Edward said, feigning his surprise as though he wasn't aware they had schemed together.
Edward knew that he needed to put on an act. He pretended to be angry and wanted to take his leave as soon as he finished speaking.
"Edward, I know you must hate me right now. I lied to you because I had no choice—you'll never agree to meet up if you knew it was me. That's why I asked Eric to contact you."
Celine continued to behave pitifully as she reached out for his sleeve, trying to stop him from leaving.
Edward moved away to avoid her grasp in disgust. "I might've considered giving you a few minutes of my time if you had asked me nicely, Celine. However, with you behaving like this, I don't think I will."
He watched as Celine paused and retracted her hand awkwardly. "What a great actress you are, Celine," Edward sneered silently.
"Tell me, what do you want? My time is precious and I don't want to waste it on you," Edward huffed impatiently.
Just this once, he would play along with their devious plan. He was sure that Eric was keeping an eye on them nearby, watching their every move.
"Um, I've suddenly came to the realisation that love isn't something that can be forced. Edward, I want to apologise for hurting both you and Irene with my ignorant actions."
When Celine saw Edward's impatient expression morph into a serious one, she praised her acting skills. She felt that she should be nominated as the best leading actress.
Celine was sure that her acting skills were far superior to the other actresses who had won the awards.
"Okay, anything else? Or was that all you wanted to tell me? Am I free to leave now?"
Though Celine's eyes were filled with tears, Edward noticed the faint smile on her lips as she apologised. How could that detail escape his sharp gaze?
If he wasn't able to notice it, how could he have survived in the business world as long as he did? Moreover, his business dealings were often successful. It seemed that Celine had underestimated him and placed too much faith in her acting skills.
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave, Edward. Of course, I'm not here to give you a mere apology. No, that would be letting both of you off the hook too easily," Celine thought.
"Edward, I'll be leaving soon. Perhaps we'll never get another chance to see each other in the future. The entertainment circle is very chaotic, and I can't bear the harsh comments other people make about me. Their words stab me like a knife."
Celine burst into tears as she spoke, her snot covering her face and her voice choked with sobs.
"Hmmph! Edward, I don't believe you'll still be able to leave without giving me a chance to speak!" Celine thought. She poured out all her sorrow as best as she could to make it look real. Perhaps this was the most serious she had ever been throughout her acting career.
"I am well aware of what I did in the past. If I were to continue acting, I may receive another backlash from the public opinion some day," Celine spoke each sentence with great difficulty, for she had to cry with all her might in order to appear more pitiful.
"Hmm, I've come to the sudden realisation how difficult it must be to act—especially if you aspire to be an excellent actress," Edward said abruptly with the intention of frightening her. At the same time, he picked up a piece of tissue and handed it to Celine.
Celine looked up at him in shock when she heard him. However, she saw how he handed her the tissue to dry her tears, as though he sympathised with her sorrow.
She assumed she was simply being too jittery and thinking too much about it. After all, he was still considerate towards her, so how would he know she was currently putting on a show? Sure, he was a smart man, but Celine had faith in her acting skills.
"Thanks, Edward. For being so understanding, and for the tissue. I hope we can enjoy one last meal together before I leave for good, because we may never see each other again in the future," Celine said sadly.
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