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
Camille held her breath as she waited for him to respond. She continued to glare at him from behind her mask, gripping his shoulder so tightly as though giving him a warning.She knew that she was being reckless by challenging him and possibly provoking him, but it was either that or become his lifeless little doll for the rest of her life. As a matter of fact, she was still going to be his contract wife. She wasn’t going to break their agreement.All she wanted was for that little bit of freedom not to be taken away from her. It was hard enough to be around him all the time. She didn’t want to have to pretend that he was pleasant enough to be her ‘friend’. It was ridiculous.“…” Christian gripped her waist and continued to dance, his brown eyes studying her face intently. Camille followed his steps, but continued to stare back at him stubbornly.“Hmm,” he said softly. “You have a point.”That was all he said. He continued to dance with her, paying attention to the beats of the melody
Michael knew that it was Hailey the moment she went into his arms.How could he not? She was the woman that he loved. It would be impossible for him not to know that it was her.She looked so beautiful that his heart skipped a beat. It was the first time he had seen her so radiant. When she was a teenager, she never cared about makeup and beautiful clothes. She was so simple in her tastes that it was endearing.He could still remember the day she went to the prom barefaced and wearing the most gaudy, obnoxious dress he had ever seen.At that time, he wished that he could erase the horrifying sight from his memory, but it was perfect to use that time to tease her about it. Sometimes she would get annoyed with him, and sometimes she would laugh along with him. It was so refreshing to be around someone like her. There was no pretense, no unnecessary drama, and no prejudice.Now, that same young girl was now a mature woman. A woman so beautiful that it took his breath away.He thought abo
Both of them didn’t know what to say at first.They just stood there, gazes averted, with an awkward tension hovering in the air. Neither of them were inclined to speak first. They simply distracted themselves with the endless chatter of the other guests in the background, trying to rack their brains for something to say.Camille felt as if she had been hypnotized by this man for the last few minutes. It was as if she had been transported to another world the moment she walked into his arms. His scent was intoxicating to her now, and their proximity made her nervous.She had never felt this way about him before. She had always considered him only as a friend. There was attraction, sure, but only slight in physical appearance. Never anything remotely romantic.But now she was starting to wonder…Was she the only one who felt this way? What did Michael really feel about her in the past and also in the present?He had never stated it explicitly, so she was a little confused.“How have yo
Camille was lost.Not exactly, since this was not a city or even a theme park. But the hall was large enough to hold a large number of people, and it was hard to distinguish faces in this room. The lavish costumes confused her eyes, and the sparkles from their masks blinded her for a moment when the lights shone on them.The band was still playing romantic music, but it took on a more seductive tone, an instrumental that sang temptation in the air. The couples on the dance floor were dancing much closer and more intimately, and the atmosphere was charged with a different kind of energy than before.Camille supposed that this kind of thing was inevitable. It was a party, after all.She stared at her phone screen, waiting for Christian to message her back. When a minute passed by and there was none, she placed it back inside her pocket, feeling frustrated.At that moment, a new song began to play. The sound was soft and gentle, a seductive lullaby that enticed everyone to sway to the be
A stunned silence filled the small space between them.The words that came out of her mouth the next second were automatic. She didn’t think twice. She just spat them out before she could think any further.“You’re joking,” she said in disbelief.Christian raised an eyebrow. “Do I look like I’m joking to you?”“Do you think you’re even a trustworthy individual in the first place?” she snapped. “You’ve been manipulating people half your life. What makes you think that I can even trust that this ‘truth’ isn’t a deception on your part?”He expelled a long-suffering sigh, as though she was the one who was being unreasonable. The nerve. “I can’t do anything about it if you don’t believe me,” he stated. “However, you must know. Deep inside your heart… you already had an inkling, didn’t you?”“What?” She stared at him in shock. “What are you talking about? No, I—”“Why such a hasty denial? Think about it thoroughly, Miss Parker.” His smile grew wider. He looked like he was enjoying this. “Ho
As expected, he blushed, as he usually did when he was caught unintentionally complimenting her.Maybe it was his male ego, but he usually liked to play it cool, never telling her outright how he felt about her. He rarely praised her and only did so by accident, but maybe that was because she hadn’t managed to get him to open his heart to her yet.Hailey had to admit that Michael was a fascinating character. Usually, when she scolded the male students at school, they would get offended and avoid her at all costs. None of them approached her or wanted to be friends with her. They probably all thought she was like a nosy mother.Hailey had no doubt that many students at this school would gossip about her from time to time, but she never really let it affect her. After all, it was just words, and mostly false rumors. She couldn’t bring herself to care about something that was obviously false.Unless they confronted her with it directly, or if the situation got out of hand somehow, she wo