Camille stared at the rows of jewelry before her, scowling.What in the world was that just now?Such a close-minded person. It was as though Christian Callahan really believed that all the women he had dated were the same as the rest.He sounded so sure of himself, too.Of course, being materialistic wasn’t always a bad thing. But there was such a thing as a limit and a boundary. The world wasn’t all black and white. There were layers to everything.The population was made up of several billion people. Of course not everyone was the same.Just as the way Christian Callahan was also different from the other male population.‘Like Noah…’ Camille couldn’t help but think, and she could feel her spirits dampening somewhat.It was no use. No matter how much she tried to forget about Michael and not think about him anymore, it didn’t work. Eventually, she would find her thoughts drifting back towards him.It was pitiful in a way. Why did she, a grown woman, keep thinking about a man and wis
As the days approached, nearing the date of the masquerade event, Camille was getting increasingly anxious. The text that she received from Michael a few nights ago didn’t help, either.First off, what did he mean by ‘see you soon’?Was he implying that he knew she was going to attend the masquerade event?Or maybe he was gonna pay her a surprise visit somewhere?It was too vague. She needed answers.She had an internal debate with herself that night whether she should reply to him or not.In the end, she decided not to and abided by her decision.If she was ever going to face him at the social event, then she had to prepare for all possibilities beforehand.‘As long as I avoid him at the party, I’ll be fine,’ Camille assured herself as she stood in front of the dresser mirror, drying off her hair.The days had flown by and now it was time. It was the day Christian planned to introduce her to his ‘friends’ and partners. Thanks to the mask, her identity would be hidden. Although it irr
To be honest, the moment she strode into the room, Christian felt this foreign feeling in his chest.She was beautiful.Not that he hadn’t found her pretty before, but right now, she was especially bewitching.Her eyelids were adorned with shimmering emerald eyeshadow that extended to create a subtle smoky effect, adding to the allure of her expression. Her long, dark lashes were lined with mascara, and a single emerald gem nestled in the corner of her right eye like a distant, shimmering star.With soft, arched eyebrows, she stared at him, her expression unusually vulnerable. She seemed a little nervous, and he couldn’t understand why that struck a chord in him.His eyes dropped to her lips, which were painted a velvety shade of rose-petal pink, a subtle yet seductive choice that balanced the boldness of her robes and mask. Delicate touches of rosy blush adorned her cheeks, complementing her flawlessly pale skin that tempted him to touch it.Before Christian could realize what he was
Camille sent him an unimpressed look.What kind of wording was that just now? Was he trying to make himself seem like an angelic gentleman?‘This devil incarnate is wearing sheep’s clothing but the disguise is just too lousy and obvious,’ she thought with a roll of her eyes.“I can handle myself,” she said coldly.For some reason, her response seemed to please Christian. “Ah, a fiercely independent woman, I see,” he remarked. “Just the way I like it.”Camille scowled.‘So infuriating!’When they finally arrived at the doors, Christian handed their invitations to the security guards. After a thorough check, they were allowed to pass.One of the butlers offered to take Camille’s hat and veil, so she agreed and handed them to him. The man also took both of their coats before gesturing for them to go inside.The moment Camille stepped into the hall, she felt her breath being taken away.The ballroom was huge. The walls were covered with silk tapestries depicting scenes from various eras,
‘What the hell is he doing?’ was the sole thought in Camille’s head at this very moment.Christian’s touch was surprisingly gentle. The pad of his thumb rubbed against the corner of her lips, as though wiping something away.“Are you even a lady?” he said with a tone of light disapproval. “You munched away so happily that you never even noticed these crumbs on your face. Have you not learned proper meal etiquette during your younger years?”The words processed inside Camille’s head for a moment before she, very slowly, grabbed his hand and put it down. It was fine when they were alone or at home, but they were at a public event now, so she couldn’t treat him with the same snark she usually did. She had to be careful with her actions from now on.“I apologize,” she gritted out, trying not to show the displeasure in her expression. “I will be more careful next time.”Christian smirked, knowing very well why she was suddenly being passive. “Good girl,” he praised, taking out a handkerchi
After those threatening words, Harold froze in his seat and stared at Christian with a look of disbelief. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, and not a sound escaped his lips.Camille, on the other hand, was clutching her elbow so tightly that her long sleeves were wrinkled excessively. She looked nervously back and forth between Christian’s cold gaze and Harold’s shocked, frightened expression.Perhaps the old man had forgotten, but Christian had more power and influence than he did. Even though they worked well together in business matters, there was a clear line that was not to be crossed.And that was never to offend Christian Callahan no matter what.“I would like to have a few more words with Mr. Huckington here, so please leave us for a while, Miss Parker,” Christian spoke up calmly.He didn’t even spare Camille a glance. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on Harold, who was currently trembling like a leaf.“U—Understood, sir,” Camille stammered before hurrying
Camille wanted to gag.‘Camie’? What the hell kind of nickname was that?She tried hard not to let anything show in her expression and maintained a calm, cool façade. But she did grip his arm tighter than usual, and she felt a twinge of satisfaction at him stiffening for a brief moment.“Your… fiancée?” one of the men repeated in disbelief. The others looked like they were doubting their ears just now.Christian nodded. “Yes. My fiancée. She’s very lovely, isn’t she?” He pulled Camille closer to him until there was no sideways gap between their bodies. “I especially planned on introducing her to you all since I value trust between us. Soon, the two of us will be married, and I would like to invite you all to the private wedding.”“O—Of course! Of course,” one of the men quickly agreed. “This calls for a grand celebration, Mr. Callahan! Are you planning on holding a formal engagement party?”While the others were excitedly discussing, two of the men seemed especially confused.Larry Do
After reluctantly taking his hand, the two of them walked to the dance floor.The grand ballroom shimmered with the soft glow of chandeliers, casting intricate patterns of light and shadow across the room. The guests, dressed in elaborate costumes and mysterious masks, swirled around the dance floor, gazing into their partners’ eyes as if they were the only people in the room.The hall was filled with a soft, beautiful melody that drew everyone into an alluring atmosphere.“Do you know how to dance?” Christian asked.“I do,” Camille said flatly. “I learned it when I was a teenager.”“That was years ago. What about now?”“I can still dance. Don’t patronize me.”“All right, fine. Just don’t embarrass me.”Camille really wanted to kick him at least once.Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they reached an area that wasn’t too crowded and started going into position.‘Let’s show him,’ she thought to herself.Their movements were tentative at first. He reached out and pressed his
At first, Christian hadn’t planned to kiss her.He wasn’t an impulsive man, but in this particular situation, he found that the urge to do something reckless was quite strong.Not exactly a reckless move, per se, but one that came along with his irritation.It was just that, as he watched Camille’s expression and heard the subtle change in tone in her voice when it came to Michael, Christian felt a growing urgency inside of him that he couldn’t bear to ignore.He could feel it, that her heart was drifting towards another man, that her feelings were growing until they became a big part of her.He felt that time was running out and that if he didn’t act now, she might belong to him physically, but not emotionally.And he would never be able to make her heart waver in the slightest.And oddly enough, despite his pride in the fact that he was not the kind of man who would be carried away by his emotions, the thought of Camille never being able to be completely his unsettled him greatly.S
Camille gritted her teeth. “Isn’t that a given?! No woman in the world would be able to put up with a snake like you!” she snapped.“Oh, but you’re still with me now even after all these years, aren’t you, Hailey?” he taunted.She bit her lower lip, trying to restrain her rage from overflowing like a dam. “I told you to stop calling me that!”She could never understand why he seemed to take such pleasure in calling her by her former name. He knew how painful it was for her to remember those memories, as well as the regret that lingered inside of her from her impulsive decision to leave the family that loved her.Yet he continued to torment and mock her at every opportunity that he had.Ignoring her words, Christian stepped forward and pinned her against the wall, his expression frosty and intimidating.She flinched slightly, but made sure not to show any fear or discomfort on her face.“But you’re okay with Michael McGregor calling you by that name,” he remarked icily.“Of course,” sh
Camille’s breathing quickened slightly, and she could feel her blood slowly turning to ice.To be honest, she already had an inkling in her mind, but she pushed it away, refusing to even acknowledge the possibility.She did not want to believe or accept that it was Christian who had made the effort to get her father on Dr. Colmen’s priority list.If she did, he would think that she owed him for it, and he would definitely hold it over her head for a long time.Camille felt a knot of anxiety tighten in her stomach. It was getting harder and harder to maintain her calm facade.“Hmm… you don’t look so good,” Christian remarked, drinking in her silent reaction. “If it were anyone else but you, I would be offended, but this kind of reaction is within my expectations. Believe it or not, Miss Parker, but I think I’ve grown fond of you.”She scowled at him, but her dark gaze must have been weak, because he only looked more amused.“I’m still waiting for your expression of gratitude, Miss Park
Camille felt the blood drain from her face, and her palms felt cold and clammy all of a sudden. For a brief moment, she felt lightheaded, as if the room was spinning and she was struggling to keep her balance.With Christian still being this close and still cupping her face, she couldn’t even move much.However, that wasn’t her problem right now.Right now, her mind was racing, analyzing his words in the span of a few seconds in her head.“…Excuse me?” she said in a hardened voice.What did he just say?‘He hasn’t yet died from his illness’?The… The nerve…!‘Calm down,’ she told herself. ‘Let’s think about this for a bit more.’For starters, how did he know about this?She had never mentioned her father’s condition to him before. No way in hell was she going to bring that up with him, of all people.Plus, the only times when they talked about her adoptive family was whenever he wanted to threaten her and blackmail her over their safety.Christian’s smile didn’t fade even as he slowly
‘Teach me a lesson?’ His words echoed in Camille’s head, and her irritation flared. ‘Who the hell does he think he is?’But despite her anger, she couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.There was something different about his words this time.Was he planning something?When she didn’t answer, Christian’s tone became dangerous. “I think I need to keep you locked as tight as possible in this little birdcage that you’re trapped in,” he said in a low voice. “Perhaps I have left the gate a little loose for a while.”His words made no sense. “Stop calling me a caged bird, you psycho,” she snapped. “You may have successfully entangled me in your life for your own selfish benefit, but I’m free to say and do whatever I want, especially if it’s in response to injustice. Who are you to punish me and teach me a lesson? I have done nothing wrong to you!”That last part was said on impulse, out of the anger and defensiveness in her heart, and it increased her hesitation even as the words left her
It was one of those moments when Camille was glad for Christian’s cold, authoritative nature, because at least with the strict rules he enforced, she didn’t feel too stressed about working at the company, and no one would dare bother her or make her feel alienated.Then again, she never really had any friends here, even though she desperately wanted to. Everyone here seemed to have at least one friend they could count on, while she had none.Michael didn’t count because one, he was the CEO of his own company, which was a competitor of Christian’s, and two, she wasn’t motivated enough to rely on him and get closer to him for obvious reasons, since Christian would only take advantage of it.Due to the busy season, she even forgot that she needed to gather more information about Michael and learn more about his other connections so that she could report back to Christian. The industry gala was going to be held next month anyway, and Christian had made sure to give her the opportunity.Ca
Camille could detect a hint of teasing in his newest message. Knowing that Grady talked about her that way made her heart swell, too.It was always nice to get compliments on her hard work. She was always diligent and did her best at everything, so when someone acknowledged that and did not take her for granted, it made her feel appreciated.Christian rarely did that. Whenever he did, it was just a perfunctory compliment, nothing of substance. It meant more coming from Grady because he was experienced and capable in his own right. He was also known to be quick and resourceful in his work.No wonder Christian either wanted him gone or wanted him to work for him. The latter would not be a good decision however, because there was a good chance that Grady would betray him.If there was one word that best described Grady, it was “loyal”. He was very loyal to the McGregor family and had worked faithfully under them for several years.Needless to say, for him to work for another family would
Christian Callahan shook his head as he looked at her sorry state. This was why he always thought that emotions were a waste. They simply brought you down and distracted you from your goals.‘Such a waste of time,’ he thought.But he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders with a gentleness that was unlike him.The air conditioning was on, and it was raining heavily outside. If she caught a cold or got sick from overwork, she would be useless at her job, and he couldn’t let that happen.He reached out and brushed his fingers lightly across her skin. She was indeed cold to the touch.When he looked at her face again, she looked even more tired than before. He could also tell that she had been crying earlier.‘Indeed, what a waste of emotions.’He sighed internally.She was going to hate him for this, but he had to do it. It was getting more and more annoying to have to deal with her constant irritation towards him, but he supposed that he couldn’t blame her.With all t
Camille snatched her wrist away from his grasp and stormed into the elevator, not even waiting for him to enter.Christian watched blankly as the doors closed, and then she was out of his sight.The sound of the dinging elevator rang in his ears for a few seconds until he realized that he was just standing there like a fool.When he returned to their home later on, Camille had already locked herself inside her bedroom and refused to come out, not even to eat dinner. Even Harrietta tried to deliver a tray to her room, but Camille did not even acknowledge her or open the door.Christian went to his room and thought about what had happened. Of course, there had been times before when her patience had finally reached its limit and she had lashed out at him. Things like that weren’t new to him.Usually, he would correct her behavior and either threaten her not to do it again or tease her and make her even angrier.But this time, it seemed different. That pained look in her eyes kept naggin