Chapter 80 Pretend To Be In a Coma
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.
She knew that Edward placed a high value upon relationships. As long as she said something sorrowful, her victory was almost set in stone. Celine was certain her wishful thinking would come true. However, Celine failed to consider that Edward wouldn't pay attention to a person who schemed and took advantage of people's emotions like she did.
After all, most people liked to keep a scheming person by their side for their own selfish benefit. Emotions and feelings were simply tools used to further their wicked plans. Edward had to pretend for a while before he could see Celine's tricks.
"I grew up in a single-parent family, so I'm rather glad I could spend many years by your side. I will be taking my leave after this meal, and I'm not sure if we'll ever meet again in the future. Would you have this last meal with me?" Celine asked pathetically.
Edward's eyes were sharp like an eagle, and he noticed the evil grin that flashed across her face when she mentioned the meal.
"Fine," Edward replied briefly. He wanted to see if Celine would actually be as crafty as he had thought.
"Edward, let us share a toast. This toast symbolises my apology towards you and Irene. You must drink it, otherwise I won't be able to forget the mistakes I have made here."
Celine gulped down the wine in her glass confidently as soon as she finished speaking. However, she still despised wine, for she had accidentally slept with Eric because she was drunk.
"Okay, you'll be leaving to start a new life elsewhere. How can I be so petty? I'll accept your apology," Edward said before downing the wine to show his sincerity.
"This second glass represents a farewell to our friendship of many years. I've drank it, so you should too. After all, it's rare for our fates to be intertwined in such a way."
Celine seemed to be telling the truth, but she was the only one who knew whether it was truth or lies. Edward felt a twinge in his heart when he heard her talk about their fates. Why didn't she cherish it properly then?
Edward wanted to ask her, however, he knew that things had changed and she was no longer the sweet childhood friend he once knew.
"Finally, this last glass of wine symbolises my well-wishes for you and Irene. I hope you can both spend your days and grow old together. This glass is the most important one, so you have to drink it," Celine saw that Edward had already consumed two glasses of wine.
She was sure that no matter how strong Edward's willpower was, he would be knocked out after the third glass of wine. The reason for that was because both Eric and herself had gotten the waiter to slip some drugs into his wine.
Moreover, they had mixed in double the amount of drugs. There was no way he would still be fine after downing all three glasses.
However, they weren't aware that Edward had placed his men within the restaurant and the waiter hadn't added the drugs into the wine.
"Hmm, I'm quite fond of this last wish of yours, Celine. I'll drink to it first. You can down yours whenever you'd like," Edward deliberately pretended to be a little dizzy as he spoke, so that Celine would assume he was about to pass out.
"Okay, I'm drinking it now," Celine said. She saw how he drank the last glass of wine and felt elated, so she quickly finished her own glass.
"Oh no, Edward, what's wrong with you? Are you okay? C'mon, sober up a little. Are you drunk?" Celine asked tentatively as she poked him.
"Hey, Eric! Where are you? Come here, I've already knocked him out. Unless you expect me to carry him into the room myself?!" Celine yelled angrily into the phone.
"Listen up, Celine. Get that waiter to send him into the room. I don't want to touch him. Hmmph!" Eric huffed. Unbeknownst to everyone, Edward had turned on the recording app on his phone when he arrived. Everything they said had been recorded.
"You-! Fine!" Celine wanted to say something in retaliation, but Eric had hung up the phone. She threw the phone on the table in a fit of anger.
"Waiter! Help me bring this man to his room," Celine ordered. She needed to vent her rage, so her tone of voice wasn't gentle as she spoke to the waiter standing some distance away.
"You may leave. Remember to close the door on your way out," Celine dismissed the waiter after he helped her to bring Edward into the room.
Celine looked at Edward, who was pretending to be unconscious, and stripped him of his clothes happily.☐☐
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