Back in the car, Cade would sporadically fiddle for the pack of cigarettes in the glove box next to him but retract his hand each time."You should lessen contact with Mirabelle."Cameron shot him a cold glance. She turned to face the window and paid him no mind at all."Don't mess with the Ackerman family or Mirabelle."Cameron remained silent, but her body language conveyed her resistance to his words. The sight of her stubborn defiance made him lose his temper."Don't come crying when things go wrong."The Ackerman family had gotten to where they were today through their endless array of tactics. They were not an entity that Cameron could contend with. After all, she had no background and had only just started her career.Throughout the journey home, Cameron ignored him no matter what he said. Upon returning to the Carter Mansion, she immediately got out of the car the moment it pulled to a stop. Then, she hurried into the home.When Diane noticed Cameron was back, she quick
Cade's heart clenched as he stared at Cameron's lips to take a better look. But with the constant ripples in the water, he couldn't be certain if she had actually spoken or if he was seeing things.The pressure of Cameron's hands tightened around his throat further. The coldness in her eyes was unmistakable, which gave Cade a suspicion that she truly wanted him dead.As her fingers squeezed tighter, the pressure sent a sharp pain through his throat, followed by the onset of suffocation. Cade grabbed Cameron's hand, flipped her over, and easily took control by pinning her down with one leg."Do you want me dead so badly?"He was breathing heavily. His wet hair hung down due to his towering stance as water dripped down continuously.A drop of water fell into Cameron's eye, making her blink instinctively. Cade's fingertips brushed behind her ear, lightly caressing it with flirtatious touches.With that, the air seemed to have become charged with tension. Cameron suddenly opened he
Only the haughty Ackerman family would use such a nonchalant tone while using the person whom their daughter had killed as a bargaining chip.Cameron let out a cold, mocking laugh. "You seem to miss her a lot. Aren't you afraid that she'll come visit you at night?"There was silence on the other end of the line. The woman was likely enraged. Even her breathing had grown heavier."Where do you want to meet?"Cameron didn't expect any conscience from the Ackerman family since they could disregard human life. Melissa was dead because of her. She didn't want Melissa's peace to be disturbed even in death."Since it's New Year's Eve, let's discuss it at home. Give me your address, and I'll send a driver to pick you up…"Cade looked up and gave Cameron a casual once-over. She was still on the phone, which meant that her attention was not on him. The feeling of being ignored irritated him. "Focus on your food. We still have to go shopping before we head back to the Opheros Manor. It's
Meeting someone during such a family-oriented holiday meant they were important to Cameron. The restlessness in Cade's heart was mollified, and the corners of his lips curled up imperceptibly. Even his voice carried a hint of joy."Okay." The garden, though not large, was carefully arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way, complete with rock formations, water features, and pavilions.Cameron leaned against the nearby pillar. "Do you have a cigarette?"Cade's expression turned cold in an instant. "No," he said stiffly.Cameron didn't have an addiction to smoking. She had just asked casually since the thought happened to cross her mind. Since he didn't have any on him, she didn't say anything more."Who are you meeting the day after tomorrow? I'll prepare a gift.""It's fine."Cade clenched his fists. Sometimes, he wanted nothing more than to strangle her.That was when the housekeeper came over to notify him that his father, Tyrone Carter, wanted to see him."It's almost ti
Cade studied the gifts tucked in Cameron's arms and had a rough idea of who she was going to meet.She attended a university in Apthon, and the gifts she picked out were the kind that elders would appreciate. It was highly likely that she was going to meet a professor from university.When the plane landed at Apthon Airport, the car that Cade had arranged for was already waiting outside. They headed straight to their destination as soon as they exited the airport.Cameron stared dazedly out the window, lost in thought. Neither spoke in the car, leaving a disconcerting silence.That was the norm when it came to the way they interacted with one another. Yet, Cade felt restless. He found everything irritating. He glanced at an eye-catching building outside and tried to get a conversation going."Where's that?"Cameron looked up and followed his gaze. "I don't know."Speaking a few more words would've made her sound less dismissive.Cade tried to rein in his anger as he said discon
The amount of information that Clara had been saddled with was so overwhelming that she couldn't process it all at once. She was so shocked that she forgot about the vegetables in her hand. She looked at Cameron, who was calmly rinsing the vegetables, before glancing in the direction of the living room."Did you bring him here on purpose to get him to listen to what Ben has to say?""I already planned to visit you and Mr. Peterson before the New Year. He's just tagging along."Outside the kitchen, Benjamin was still lamenting Cameron's wasted potential. Cade didn't make a sound. There was no telling if he felt sorry for Cameron or was tired of listening to an old man's ramblings to respond."Are you trying to make him feel sorry for you?"Clara was old enough that she couldn't keep up with the thought process of those younger than her. She seemed to understand why Cameron was doing this but was no less confused. "Why didn't you just tell him? As the person involved, you can de
Cameron, for once, didn't retort. She was in a pleasant mood today. Having to go behind her mentor's back and drop out of school was one of her regrets. She couldn't bring herself to contact Benjamin or meet up with him in the past two years for fear of seeing the disappointment cross his eyes. Now, this burden had finally been lifted.It was already past 9:00 p.m. when she and Cade returned to Capeton. Cameron, who had woken up early and experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, felt exhausted and dizzy when she got into the car. Her head throbbed with every slight movement. However, she didn't sleep very well and was also particular about her sleeping environment. It took her a long time to fall asleep despite the familiarity of the Carter Mansion, let alone in a car.So, despite her closing her eyes and pretending to sleep throughout the journey, the discomfort didn't subside.As the car pulled into the Carter Mansion, the headlights illuminated a figure. The driver took a clo
Just as Cade was about to speak, Cameron stubbed out her cigarette and slammed the window shut with a resounding bang. He pulled his arm out of Mirabelle's grasp with a blank expression. "Stop being so superstitious. Whether your year goes well or not has nothing to do with birthday wishes. Let's go. I'll have the driver take you home."Mirabelle clutched the ribbon wrapped around the cake box in frustration as she watched his retreating figure."You won't even spend time with me on my birthday, Cade?"She knew it was best to say nothing and simply look at him with a pitiful look in her eyes. That would better highlight the contrast between her and Cameron. No man of sound mind would be attracted to such a bossy and unreasonable woman like her.However, Mirabelle was overeager. She remembered what she had done and knew Cameron wouldn't let her off the hook. Back then, it was Cameron who backed her into a corner by leveraging what little affection the Yorkswork family had for he