She Went to Prison They Went to Pieces novel Chapter 14

"It supposedly happened three summers ago," Joshua replied, glancing at Adrian in the backseat through the rearview mirror.

Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly. "Start with Shelley's last client. That might be the fastest way to find her."

"Understood, Mr. Wrenford."

When Celeste returned to Aviso Tower, she sent Alaric a message, making it clear she was the one who wanted the divorce, and that he shouldn't take it out on Damien and Lucian.

She wasn't defending them. She just wanted Damien to sign the divorce papers quickly so she could leave them behind for good.

Half an hour later, Alaric replied with a single sentence. "I only have one wish now—that you all will live well together."

Celeste stared at the message, her eyes fixed on the screen as her thoughts drifted.

There had been a time when she, too, had hoped to live peacefully with Damien and Lucian. But after they had worked together to send her to prison, any chance of that had disappeared.

The soft yellow light above her cast a warm glow across the room, making the words on her phone screen appear especially glaring.

A knock at the door snapped her out of it. She got up and opened it to find Annie standing outside.

"Eloise has been really hard to track down, probably because of her messy background."

Annie handed Celeste a file and walked inside. Celeste followed her in, opening the file as she went.

Inside were nothing but records of debt linked to Eloise's biological father—gambling debts, unpaid tabs at convenience stores, and overdue restaurant bills.

"So, you're telling me her father owed a ton of money and has been dragging her around all these years?"

"Exactly. Eloise's father is a real piece of work. Not only did he rack up debts everywhere, but I heard he used to beat her, too. That's why we need to find her as soon as possible."

Annie poured herself a glass of water and looked at Celeste solemnly.

"But I have a feeling Eloise might not even be with her father anymore. Do you think he could've dumped her at an orphanage again after taking her back?"

"That's definitely possible. A gambler wouldn't bother taking care of a kid. Dragging a kid around like dead weight just isn't practical."

Celeste's expression grew serious. "What was their last known address?"

"Hold on." Annie pulled out her phone, swiped through it quickly, and looked back at Celeste. "Bexford Street."

"Have you checked the nearest orphanage to that location?"

"You said Eloise was taken by her father earlier this afternoon, so I focused on tracking him. I didn't look into orphanages."

Celeste gave a slight nod. "I'll check tonight. If there's an orphanage nearby, I'll go there tomorrow."

"Sounds good."

After a brief silence, Annie glanced up at her. "When are you planning to go back to work?"

Celeste asked flatly, "You mean emerald crafting?"

"Yes." Annie smiled. "Many people have been coming to me recently, asking if I can fix their broken emeralds. I've already had to turn down six commissions."

"Emerald crafting is expensive to keep up. I don't have the money for it right now, so I'm planning to open a clinic first. I'll reopen the emerald workshop once that's stable. After the clinic is up and running, I might take on a few emerald crafting orders on the side."

"That's wonderful. You're finally getting back to work. Seeing you so motivated again makes me really happy. This is the Celeste I remember."

Celeste looked at her, her smile growing warmer.

…

The next evening, Celeste looked up the address Annie had given her and found an orphanage nearby.

When her cab pulled up, she noticed several identical black luxury cars parked at the entrance. After explaining the reason for her visit to the security staff, they let her in without hesitation.