Later that night, Camille received an unexpected text message from Michael.‘Hey Vanilla,’ the text simply read.She stared at the words on the screen, feeling a small piece of her heart break.She could still remember the words he told her just yesterday, about them remaining friends and secretly meeting, messaging, and calling each other. He had seemed really eager to connect with her after so long.She wasn’t dense. She knew that she had been Michael’s close and only friend back then, which was probably the reason why he grew attached to her.But she wasn’t foolish enough to assume that he’d been waiting for her for years now. Of course, they had been close, but not that close…Right?Camille sighed. There was no use overthinking things now. If she didn’t reply to him right now, she would never get the courage to do so.She had to at least give him some kind of warning. Or a sign.‘Hello,’ she texted back.And then the series of messages began, with them talking back and forth. It
“Madam, dinner is ready,” one of the maids called out as she knocked politely on Camille’s bedroom door. “Mr. Callahan says that he wants to dine together with you.”Camille felt an instant wave of irritation. “Tell him that I’m not hungry and that I’ll be going straight to sleep,” she snapped.“Oh, but Madam!” the maid exclaimed, sounding startled. “You can’t just… I mean, forgive my rudeness, but you cannot skip meals—”“Then please bring me a tray here, Harrietta,” Camille said, making her voice softer this time. After all, the maid did nothing wrong, and she wasn’t the one provoking her ire. “I’ll eat here in my bedroom instead of the dining room.”“I… Understood, Madam. I will bring it up for you right away.”Camille listened to the sound of footsteps fade away before letting out a heavy groan. That stuck-up creep was really getting on her nerves!He even dared to ask her to have dinner with him when he hardly ever did that before. He only did something like that after ordering h
The morning after, Camille woke up feeling like she just had a nightmare.‘If you could call Christian Callahan a living nightmare, that is,’ she thought venomously.‘That snake is planning something. I just know it!’The rest of the day went on as usual. She went to the company, did her secretarial work, ignored Christian’s unnecessarily flirtatious and obnoxious remarks, and left work in the late afternoon.‘Good thing that he has an important meeting later,’ Camille thought gleefully as she started packing her things. ‘I hope it finishes at midnight so that when he comes home, I’ll already be fast asleep.”The only reason they were able to live together all this time was because of their busy schedules. Sometimes Camille had to work overtime while Christian left early. Sometimes Christian had late-night meetings and extended business trips, leaving Camille alone in the apartment.It was the perfect arrangement for her because she could not bear to see Christian’s infuriating mug ev
As Camille entered the shop, the air was immediately filled with the delicate and soothing scent of flowers. The place was bathed in a soft, warm glow from the sunlight filtering through the windows.Wooden shelves adorned with potted plants lined the walls. The countertops displayed an array of bouquets and arrangements, each a carefully curated mix of colors and textures.The sound of trickling water echoed softly from a corner where a quaint tabletop fountain sat. There was also a hand-painted chalkboard on the wall that listed the daily specials.Overall, the interior was homey and quite comfortable.The clerk, a pretty young girl with honey-brown eyes, greeted Camille with a smile.“Hello, ma’am,” she said politely. “What kind of flowers would you like?”Camille smiled back. “I’d like to take a look around first if you don’t mind.”“Of course not. Feel free to do so.”‘Where is he?’ she thought as she went further into the shop.When she rounded the corner to go to the next aisle
They arrived at their old high school within fifteen minutes. The walking distance from the company wasn’t that long, so they decided that it was best to enjoy the scenery instead of taking a cab.Along the way, Camille worried about a few things. Even though she was in disguise and there was no way anyone could possibly recognize her, she still felt a little embarrassed when she noticed people sending her curious glances from time to time.There was no doubt that it was because of the flowers she was holding.‘Why did he have to give me such bright flowers in the first place?’ Camille complained internally.Though she had an inkling why he did.It wasn’t like she didn’t appreciate the gesture. She did, and it warmed her heart.It had been a long time since she was treated like a real woman. It wasn’t like Christian gave her flowers like this that often. In fact, he only ever did on rare occasions whenever he needed something from her, or when he felt the need to use her for situation
Camille stared at him, feeling another surge of conflict in her heart.How was it that he always knew the right words to say?More importantly, how could he say something like that despite his busy lifestyle?“Is that even possible?” she whispered. “Realistically, you can’t always be there for me, Noah. You have such an important career and a bright future ahead of you. I’m just someone from your past, an ordinary woman who’s not of any use to you whatsoever.”Michael frowned. “That’s not true.”‘I haven’t stopped searching for you for years,’ was what he wanted to say.‘You’re the only one who kept me going even when there had been so many times when I just wanted to give up.’‘You’re the woman that I—’Michael’s thoughts stopped right there.She was…The only woman that he had ever loved.And the only one that he would ever love in the future.He knew that he should just say this to her. To make her realize the depth of his feelings for her.But something held him back. Maybe it was
“I am not,” she answered firmly. “You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Callahan. I assure you that I am just having a very bad week.”She tried hard not to let the sarcasm show in her tone.Christian smirked in satisfaction. “That’s good to know, my cute little secretary.”“Don’t call me that,” she snarled before finally storming off towards her room. She was practically fuming.That man was insufferable!But terrifying at the same time, she had to admit.She could never really know what was going on inside of Christian’s crazy mind. He could be psychotic the next moment, and then mischievous the next.But she knew that behind that arrogant, playful demeanor was a cold, calculative man. He was not someone to be trifled with. He was a demon who loved to play with people and make them feel like idiots.She knew that she had to be extra careful now. Christian was bound to find more ammunition to blackmail her with.She really had no idea why he would go through such lengths to keep her,
One week later, it was the beginning of a new season. Everyone in Callahan Group was busy with the upcoming major project, including Camille. Being a diligent worker, Camille liked to stay organized and make sure that things were going in order so far.Since her boss, Christian, was also meticulous, they worked well together.But that was the only harmony that they had. They had good teamwork at the company whenever it was about their career. Otherwise, Christian liked to play around while Camille just wanted to live a peaceful life.Today was one of those days where Camille needed to work overtime. Christian’s schedule was packed for the entire month, so she needed to double-check everything on her list. Things had to be perfectly carried out, otherwise the company’s reputation would be at risk. It was Camille’s job to ensure that her boss’ tasks ran smoothly.As she typed away on her keyboard, her eyes glued to the monitor screen, she failed to hear the sound of Christian’s office d