“Van Gowen… Van Gowen…” Joanna murmured the name as though trying to recall something. “The name is familiar.”“Her family owns a chain of hotels all over the country,” Michael supplied.“Ah, the hotel entrepreneur. Luther van Gowen.” There was clear recognition in her eyes. “I had a meeting with him a few years ago. I also encountered him on special occasions at galas. I remember that I had to do some research on him and his family to know his background and his tastes. That way, we could have a fruitful and productive discussion.”“What did you find?”“I remember reading that he has two sons. But as for his daughter…” The realization flashed in her expression the next moment. “There was a news article years ago about his daughter running away from home. Could she be…?”Michael nodded. “Camille.”“Oh my.” Joanna put her hand on her knee, looking pensive. “So the girl you liked all those years ago abandoned her family and disappeared without a trace. Is that why you looked so desponde
As Michael left the residence, he suddenly felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. He took it out, raised it to his face, and saw that it was a text message.From Camille.He couldn’t quite describe what he felt at that second. For a few minutes, he just stared at his phone, at the first part of the message, reading it over and over, like he was in a trance.When he finally snapped out of it, he opened the phone and started reading the message in full.It seemed that she wanted to meet him at a coffee shop later tonight. The same café where they had reunited after fourteen years.Liezel’s café.He just stood there, his fingers stiff. He didn’t know how to react.To be honest, he had never expected Camille to send him a message like this, and especially not to take the initiative to invite him. It felt uncanny, especially the timing.Michael’s mind began to race.What kind of reply should he give her? Should he tell her that he couldn’t make it, that his schedule was too full?He had dec
Her answer made Michael’s heart drop to his stomach.Yes, she did seem uncomfortable for a moment, but that could easily be explained by the fact that Camille wasn’t really an affectionate type of person. She wasn’t the kind of woman who said sweet words and liked to talk about feelings and emotions and things like that. Basically, it could be waved away as an expression of embarrassment.So… that was it.She loved Christian.Was this her answer to Michael’s confession?All this time, she was in love with another man?A man who wasn’t him…?“I’m sorry, Noah. I really am,” Camille said, looking a little distressed. She must have noticed the way he froze after her answer. Or maybe… she had already prepared to say these words. “I didn’t want to tell you like this. I… feel like I’ve hurt you a lot, to be honest. Ever since we met after all these years, I feel like I’ve only ever made you upset. But even so, you’re still kind to me. You still treat me well, and I… I feel so bad.”She looke
Michael fell silent, and his expression became pensive.Had Joanna really felt the same way?He had never really thought about it before. After all, the Joanna that he knew was always cold and merciless. He hardly ever saw her show emotion.He couldn’t even remember seeing her cry or laugh. Maybe once, or maybe a few times, and that was it.He didn’t know if he wanted to dwell on the subject. It felt too strange at the moment.“I’ll keep trying,” he finally said. “I don’t want to keep being like this forever, either.”She smiled at him. “That’s good to hear. How about the rest of your family? Your parents and Will? I remember you used to tell me about your brother and how kind he was to you.”“Yeah. Will was great, and he still is.” He nodded. “But as for my parents… I’m still not on good terms with them, unfortunately.”“Oh…” Camille’s expression turned awkward, and she didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry.”He shook his head. “There’s no reason for you to apologize for bringing it up
After taking a sip of their coffee and ordering dessert, the two of them talked for a while while eating, enjoying each other’s company. The atmosphere between them became peaceful and comfortable, something that suited both of their moods at the moment.“You had friends?” Camille said in surprise.Michael gave her an unimpressed look. “What kind of person do you think I am? I’m not a complete loner, you know.”“Oh. Sorry, I just thought that you wouldn’t have enough time to… mingle,” she explained awkwardly.She decided not to admit that she thought Michael was too closed off to have friends, especially considering his top position.“Well, looks like you’re in for a surprise,” Michael said with a smile. “I’m friends with Lennon Meiner, the fashion designer. Colin Nellis, the owner of one of the top five jewelry stores in the country. Also Leanne Kinsley, the model on the Lipstick magazine.”“Really?” Her eyes went wide. “I was expecting only one!”Michael’s expression was flat. “You
The Callahan family mansion was massive, built with a modern design of smooth white stone with dark steel accents. The garden was also huge, with different kinds of flowers growing everywhere.In front of the entrance, after entering through the gates, there was a large fountain and several paths leading to various places, such as the greenhouse, the driveway, and the swimming pool area.It had been a while since Christian had last visited this place. After he and Camille got their own place, he hardly had a reason to come here.It wasn’t that he hated his father’s company. Rather, he was too busy to visit and just have tea and small talk with his aging father.Gregory Callahan was no longer the almighty and intimidating presence he once was. As the years passed, age had taken its toll on his features, making him look weaker than before. Though his vitality and intelligence still shone as brightly as ever, Christian was clearly the more domineering and intimidating one in the family.
The office was classic and elegant, much like Gregory’s taste in furnishings. The walls were lined with mahogany bookshelves that were filled with a vast collection of books on everything from business and finance to history and literature.Christian wondered if his father read every one of them. The number seemed a little too large for his tastes.To one side of the office, a large floor-to-ceiling window overlooked the back garden, providing a breathtaking view of the place.Christian sat in one of the leather chairs in front of the desk. Gregory, on the other hand, was sitting in his own office chair with his arms crossed over his chest. There was this unreadable emotion in his eyes, and he seemed to be considering what to say and what to leave out.Gregory looked at his son. Christian was so much like him at times. Even as a child, he didn’t like to get along with people just for the sake of it. Rather, he preferred to get something out of it.So Christian was more like his father
Barely a day later, Pamela was forcibly returned to the Callahan mansion. The police already had another important case on their hands and did not have time to deal with a case that was apparently already “proven” to be a suicide.The media knew nothing about it. Pamela, on the other hand, knew that Gregory had something to do with all of this. With his power and influence, he could do anything that he wanted. Money could buy anything, and he wasn’t stingy with the price.She also knew that Gregory had Winston killed out of revenge and as payback for the betrayal, for the affair they had and for running away together.Pamela was horrified by this revelation. Gregory obviously had blood on his hands, especially when she learned what Winston had discovered, something that she hadn’t been able to tell the investigators.Once she was brought back to this house, and she had had enough. This had gone too far!She pulled her hand away from his grip and stopped in the middle of the second flo
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