Her Return, His Regret

Celeste Anderson Kingsley hid a smirk as cameras flashed before her taking pictures and videos of her.

It was the myelodysplastic syndromes world awareness day and she volunteered to be interviewed as a parent whose son was suffering from the rare disease.

The host glanced at her and remarked, "Mrs Kingsley, I must applaud you for doing this. I'm sure it's not easy."

Celeste wiped a fake tear from the corner of her eyes and sniffed before saying, "It's not easy to come out in the open and talk about this. However, today, I want to use my family's story to encourage someone who's going through the same situation."

The host nodded. She glanced down at her script and asked, "So, you mentioned your son has cancer and has only a few months left to live, which one among your two sons has this illness and how are you coping as a family?"

Celeste glanced at the camera, the look on her face sad as she announced, "It's with deep sadness that I announce that Ryan Kingsley, the current CEO of the Kingsley group, has a rare blood cancer. We've tried all we can as a family, but sadly, nothing worked. His time is now limited and we might lose him at any time."

She clamped a hand over her mouth and let out a few sobs. "I'm sorry, I promised myself not to cry, but I can't help myself. My heart breaks for Ryan, he's still so young and his children still need him."

The host's eyes widened. She took some tissue and passed it to Celeste as she uttered, "I'm so sorry to hear that. This is so sad for Ryan Kingsley."

Celeste nodded as she wiped her non-existent tears, saying, "It's really sad for us as a family. But we are going to be there for Ryan in his last days. Family should stick together in these trying times."

"That's right," the host remarked. "It's good to know that despite being wealthy, your family sticks together and supports each other during difficult times."

Celeste glanced at the cameras and said, "Ryan, if you're watching this, know that me and the rest of our family will stand by you until the very end. You're not alone in this."

As the interview continued, Celeste wore an internal smug smile. She knew that the interview had already gone viral and the Kingsley Group's stock price had already started plummeting.

Celeste had been waiting for this moment when she could push Ryan into a corner. When she married Miles, she wanted to get rid of his two children, however, Charles was always watching her moves like a hawk, so she couldn't do anything to them.

When she gave birth to twins, she sent Jason away while she pretended to be nice to gain Miles' trust. Even though Charles never accepted her, he had let down his guard against her. Thus, she was able to sneak away frequently and plan her next move.

Her plan was to make Jason the CEO of the Kingsley Group and to get rid of Ryan and Diane. However, it was hard to find an opportunity until one day, she followed Ryan to see if she could find some dirt on him, and that was when she saw him visit another hospital instead of the one affiliated with the Kingsley Group.

She became suspicious and after bribing someone at the hospital, Celeste discovered Ryan's secret.

With this vital information, Celeste

waitely until it was the right

time to bring it out to the public. In his condition, Ryan wouldn't have the strength to fight back and the shareholders would force him to step down once the stocks drop.

Celeste was determined to kick Ryan out once and for all.

...

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Miles' face darkened when he watched the interview on Diane's phone.

"Why would Celeste do this?" He asked, anger flaring through him. "She knows the impact that this news will have on the company-"

"Miles, come on! When are you going to wake up?" Charles exclaimed. "She's clearly exploiting our pain for her own gain. She must be up to something since she went as far as causing a scandal that will drop the company's stock price."

Diane clenched her hands into fists as she said, "I knew she was a snake. But how dare she lie to the world, making it look like she's been there for him? We all just found out last night! She's stooped too low this time."

"I'll handle it," Miles remarked, looking at Ryan and Lora apologetically. "I'm sorry, son. I think giving Jason my shares made Celeste grow bigheaded."

Ryan shook his head and replied,

"It's not your fault, Dad. That woman

is twisted. And Jason is your son, too. I understand how you would want to give him your all. I would do the same. But something about this is fishy. If Celeste just wants to use this opportunity to make Jason the CEO, why would she do something that would make the company vulnerable?"

"That's because she's a selfish woman who can do anything to get her claws on the company. It doesn't matter to her what state the company is in as long as her goal is reached," Diane spat.

Ryan shook his head again, saying, "That's not it. We need to stay vigilant and be prepared for the worst. I have a feeling Celeste is going to give us another surprise soon."

"Whatever the case, don't worry about it," Charles remarked. "Your job is to relax and rest as we wait for the results. Your father and I will deal with this situation."

Looking at Miles, he instructed, "Call an emergency board meeting. We need to reassure the shareholders and stabilize the company."

"I'll help too. I've been away for too long, it's time I took my position as the managing director back," Diane stated. "We need to make sure Ryan is not stressed during this period."

Ryan glanced at his family as they

discussed how to handle the situation and a small smile crossed his lips. He turned to look at Lora and said, "I never thought this was possible... seeing Grandpa, Dad and Diane getting along brings peace to my soul."

Lora squeezed his hand and responded, "That's what love can do."