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
[Present Time]-When he was young, Michael tended to joke around most of the time. His humor was a little different, but that was probably because he expressed it in a strange, somewhat dark way.Camille had thought he was just joking back then, since it was so dramatic and all…And Michael even agreed with her afterwards. “Just kidding” was what he said after saying those words. He didn’t say anything more and just let her chuckle it away.But even then, Camille had sharp eyes. She hadn’t missed the way the dark look had never left his eyes that day.She knew that he had been serious.But she forced herself to forget. To think it was just her own wild imagination.But as the days passed, she couldn’t help but notice the signs. It was as if this small incident had opened the door to a startling revelation.He had been subtle about it. But he was indeed protective of her and especially observant. Whenever he heard people gossiping about her and murmuring complaints during class, he wo
It wasn’t difficult to do an investigation on Hailey at that time. With the power and wealth of the Callahan family, it was relatively easy to get everything he needed to know.Not only that, but his father even helped him with some crucial events.-[Thirteen years ago…]-“You were… what now?” Christian said blankly.Gregory Callahan sat in his leather chair in front of a majestic mahogany desk strategically placed before a floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the gardens below. Warm afternoon sunlight filtered through the silk curtains, casting a soft glow on the room’s polished oak floor.He leaned back in his chair and took a long drag from the smoldering cigar tucked between his fingers. “I was one of the major investors for their hotel business a long time ago. That girl hadn’t been born during that time. I should know.” He gave a lopsided smile. “After all, both their wives were still pregnant before things got awry.”That caught Christian’s interest. “What do you mean ‘bef
They arrived home a few hours later after the party ended.Camille was stiff the whole time while Christian gloated over the pained expressions he had seen tonight. First it was Michael McGregor’s and then Camille’s.They were both so pathetic it was amusing.For Christian Callahan, love was an unnecessary emotion. It was one of the ruins of mankind. It could make someone do foolish things. He did not want that kind of emotion to affect him personally.He had been living in this world for more than thirty years now. He was confident that he had never felt anything resembling a romantic emotion and that he never would. He believed that imprinting in his brain that love was an unnecessary emotion would prevent him from falling into such foolish traps like the rest of the idiots in this world.Needless to say, Christian had grown up not believing in love. His parents had been in an arranged marriage. They had no feelings for each other.His father, Gregory, was more focused on his busine
It didn’t take long for Michael to contact her after the party.He had been mulling over this decision for weeks. He was taking a risk, he knew. But the risks were worth it as long as he could help Camille to the best of his ability.He had never really considered the company as the most precious thing in his heart. His father, John, was the one who cared more about it.Michael, on the other hand, simply used the position to his advantage, just to search for his first love. There was no strong attachment whatsoever.He hadn’t told his family this, but he planned to pass the position on to his brother William after the recent major construction project was completed. If all went well, Michael would be able to pass the baton, per se.“Perhaps you should learn to rely on your family more,” Grady remarked one day as they were working on the documents for a recent deal.Michael lifted his head to look at his assistant in the eye. “Are you prying into my personal affairs right now?”Grady r