Kieran's appearance there didn't seem to indicate that he intended to join in or deliberately stir up trouble.
Looking at Celeste, he spoke in a familiar tone, "Going out for a meal with Mr. Harper?"
Celeste replied, "Mm."
"You'll be coming back later, right?"
"Yes."
She still had some things to take care of and needed to return to handle them.
Kieran nodded. "Alright, I'll come find you later then."
With that, he didn't say anything more. After glancing at Beck, he turned and walked away.
Beck knew that Kieran was actually provoking him.
He was showing him that while Beck had to go through a lot just to get Celeste to agree to meet, Kieran was already very familiar with many aspects of her life and had plenty of chances to be around her.
He had no need to play any petty tricks to get in the way of whatever was happening between them.
But faced with Kieran's provocation, Beck wasn't angry or anxious.
As it stood now, Celeste didn't seem to have romantic feelings for either of them. So, at most, he and Kieran were just the pot calling the kettle black.
In fact, if he had a choice, Beck would rather that Celeste show some affection, whether it was for him or even Kieran. At least that would mean she felt something…
He had already mentioned to Celeste that Shanice had recently been taken back by her grandmother.
It had been a while since they'd last heard anything about Shanice, so once they arrived at the restaurant, Celeste couldn't help but ask, "How's Shanice doing?"
Hearing her ask about Shanice warmed Beck's heart. He said, "She's doing well. She called a few days ago and said she misses you. She said she wants to come back and see you."
Celeste smiled. "That'd be great."
Then Beck, after a brief hesitation, added, "I heard that Jo's training went really well this time too. She'll probably win something in the next competition."
Patricia smiled and said, "Sorry, Beck. It's Linda's fault for interrupting your dinner."
Since they were elders, Beck still showed them respect.
He said, "It's alright."
But toward Linda, he showed no mercy this time. "Ms. Shaw, I don't think we're that familiar with each other. I hope something like this won't happen again. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
He wasn't just saying there shouldn't be a next time—he was clearly rejecting her.
Linda truly liked Beck. Hearing his firm rejection, and in front of Celeste no less, she instantly felt wronged, and tears started to fall. She couldn't help but choke out, "I—I didn't mean to—"
But Beck showed no sign of softening.
Since it had already come to this, he decided to be completely clear about his rejection.
"If I'm not mistaken, Ms. Shaw, you seem to be interested in me. But I can tell you very clearly—there is no possibility of a relationship between us. So, I hope you'll learn to respect boundaries moving forward."

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Breaking Point of Love (Celeste and Trevor)
I’m not liking where this is headed.. I’m getting the sense that the author is following the revenging husband storyline and Trevor did all this just to avenge his wife...
Isn't this a company that Celeste and Matthias work for? This will be a fatal blow to those scoundrels....
I'm so excited for tomorrow! I wonder what happened to Jo... What is the story behind that court summons?...
A court summons? Oh my God, what happened?...
Here we go again…drip-drop. One page a day instead of the promised 5 Chapters and even that stops suddenly so we never know if the story will advance. I swear this author is writing the new page on their lunch break and laughing at us when we get frustrated....
I feel like reading the novel from everyone else's perspective, but the main characters. There has never been a glimpse on Trevor's side of thoughts or intentions. He feels like a ghost in this whole storyline. Although i am glad that Mathias revealed the truth about Celeste, but it still feels empty without main character's thoughts or feelings or voices being shared....
Wynn's reputation is over. I read all these chapters for this moment... I'm really glad that Matthias finally said everything at once. All thanks to the fool Quinton...
So we're going to keep going in circles atp,nothing was revealed that we didn't already know,I mean I would've at least liked to see Trevor's reaction to finding out his wife is the co-owner and coder to CUAP,find out who drugged them.Whats happening with the military blacksite,how come Celeste is so quiet she never stands up for herself. All we're getting is reaction's from side character's who don't matter...
Yes.. I'm looking forward to the upcoming chapters......
I don't really understand the writer. Why are Trevor and Celeste silent now? Isn't it about them?...