BOOKSDRAMA Chapter 371
Camilla was caught off guard by Kieran's sudden question, and for a moment, she didn't know how to respond.
To love someone so deeply that you can't help it. It had always been him from the very beginning. And... he should have known, shouldn't he? She
had confessed her feelings once. But he never took it to heart. Back then, she was young and naive, not understanding whether they were a good
match or not, and in her youthful recklessness, she had spoken her heart. He, however, had taken it as a mere joke, hadn't he?
Stunned for a long while, she suddenly curved her lips into a smile, looking into his deep eyes, and quipped back at him, "What if I said it was you?"
Kieran's gaze was intense as he looked at Camilla, with depths in his eyes that she couldn't fathom. It took him a while before he said, "I took it as a
joke."
A chill ran through Camilla, but her lips maintained a flawless smile, "Well, you do have Joyce now, after all."
"Yeah." With that single word, the music room fell into an eerie silence, so quiet that the drop of a pin could be heard.
Camilla closed the piano and stood up, saying to Kieran, "It's getting late. I should go to bed."
"Camilla." Kieran stopped her. With her back to Kieran, Camilla's eyes were steely.
"I'm honored to know that I once saved your life and I'm grateful for all the care you've given to Phoebe over the years. But you need to live your own
life, you can't sacrifice your youth and love because of Phoebe."
Camilla clenched her fists, clearly hearing the subtext in Kieran's words. She turned around, her gaze fiery, and confronted Kieran, "Kieran, what are
you trying to say?"
Kieran stood up, walked over to Camilla, and took her hand.
This was the first time he had ever taken the initiative to hold her hand like this, with the warmth she so admired and longed for.
This unexpected intimacy left Camilla momentarily forgetting to show the anger in her eyes. Instead, she looked at Kieran in confusion, not knowing
what he would do next.
To her surprise, he pressed two cold plane tickets into her palm, squeezed tightly, and then let go, saying, "You're not married yet, and it's not proper
to always be with a child. We'll do everything we can to find Phoebe."
After speaking, he pulled out a letter and handed it to her, "This is an internship offer from abroad. Take a couple more days of rest, and you should
be ready to start. Your life shouldn't be held back because of Phoebe."
Kieran... was he trying to send her away? To drive her away openly?
Camilla looked at the invitation from the translation agency, knowing she had indeed sent her internship application there but had also ensured that
they would reject her, so she could legitimately stay in the country. Then she could play the sympathy card with Amanda, using Phoebe Hernandez as
leverage, and once Amanda softened, she would surely agree to let Camilla join Simpo Co., staying by Kieran's side.
Her plan seemed to be coming to fruition, but no one expected Phoebe, that little bastard, to go missing, and that the translation agency would
Phoebe's disappearance was undoubtedly related to Lucian Hernandez, but this internship offer...
Camilla looked up at Kieran, wondering if he knew something.
In a fit of emotion, she tore the invitation and the plane tickets in half, confronting Kieran, "I've been taking care of Phoebe since he was little, I can't
just leave for my home country without finding him. I can't do that, Kieran, Phoebe is like my own child to me, I can't abandon the search for an
internship opportunity. I refuse!"
Her gaze was resolute as she told Kieran, "I will wait until we find Phoebe before I leave!"
After saying this, she threw the torn pieces of the plane ticket at Kieran and turned to leave.
Kieran reached out to grab her, but unexpectedly her T-shirt was so fragile that it tore, exposing her shoulder. Kieran frowned and turned away, "You
can go! We'll talk more tomorrow."
Camilla, holding her shoulder, pulled open the door of the music room and walked out!
Kieran looked down at the pieces on the ground, his expression growing even darker.
His phone beeped with a new message, it was from Hayden, "You were right, someone pressured the translation agency to reject Camilla."
"Yeah."
"Do you suspect Camilla arranged it herself?" Hayden asked.
Kieran replied curtly, "She’ll eventually show her true color, won’t she?"
"Why are you only now looking for her fox's tail when you didn't before?" Julien questioned Hayden.
Hayden nodded, acknowledging he knew Camilla had feelings for Kieran, but Kieran had never taken it seriously and treated her like a child. Then,
due to Sansa Abraham's plotting, Kieran conveniently married Julie Abraham, and too much happened in between.
Ironically, no one had anticipated that Camilla and Bertha Stewart were long-lost sisters. Hayden had thought that after finding out about Kieran's
connection to Bertha, Camilla would put her feelings aside.
Indeed, thereafter, Camilla respectfully referred to Kieran as her brother-in-law until it was revealed that Phoebe was not his biological child. She
continued with the respectful title, but who could have known she still harbored those feelings.
Kieran messaged back, "I once thought she was a harmless fox, but now I see she has the potential to bite. So, it's time to check if we need to pull
her teeth."
As Julian snatched Kieran's phone with a swift motion, she punched in a short message and hit send, "Pull them!"
Kieran, recognizing the tone, knew it was Julian without a doubt...
He pocketed the phone, deciding not to respond any further.
Camilla stormed back to her room, slammed the door shut, her face turning a sickly shade of green, her expression grotesquely twisted.
She never imagined that before she could make a move against Julie, Kieran was already fiercely protective, contemplating kicking her out! And it
was all because of Julie! All her doing!
That night, Julie had a restless sleep, maybe because she was sharing the bed with Ivan, she was cautious not to roll over and squish him. She woke
up feeling like she'd been through a wringer.
Surprisingly, the little boy seemed even more agitated than she was, waking up with a haggard look on his face.
"What's up? Did Mom kick you in her sleep?" Julie asked with a tinge of guilt.
Ivan Hernandez shook his head, "Mom, you slept like a log. I was afraid to wake you when I got up for water, but you didn't even stir!"
"...I was faking it, so you wouldn't feel bad," Julie admitted sheepishly.
"Oh..." Ivan nodded, playing along, "Mom, you're so good to me."
Julie felt a pang of guilt. She hugged him tight and planted a kiss on his forehead, "Get washed up, breakfast is ready downstairs. I'll take you to
school myself today!"
"Mom, Kerry said Noah's taking me, and that you should spend more time at home with great-grandma," Ivan said thoughtfully.
Julie's smile crooked, appreciating Kieran's arrangements, as Great-Grandma Amanda had indeed been restless over Phoebe's situation.
After freshening up, Julie took Ivan downstairs, only to find Camilla with her luggage ready to go, and even Charles was there. It looked like they were
leaving.
Descending the stairs, Julie approached Camilla, "What's going on?"
"Charles found us a place. With no leads on Phoebe, me staying here is inconvenient for you and Kieran, so we're moving out. Once I find Phoebe,
we'll return to Switzerland," Camilla explained.
Amanda joined them, frowning at the sudden departure, "Why leave out of the blue?"
Kieran spoke up, addressing Amanda, "Camilla has her own life to live. You love her, Grandma, but we can't keep her here forever."
Amanda took Camilla's hand, reassuring her, "The moment there's news of Phoebe, I'll have Kieran notify you. You're welcome back anytime, dear.
Charles, take good care of her."
Camilla, who had hoped for Amanda's support against Kieran, was taken aback by his pre-emptive move, leaving her with no counter.
Nevertheless, regardless of Kieran's antics, she had planned to leave that day.
After sending off Camilla and Charles, Julie turned to Kieran, puzzled, "Why now? She was settled in just fine."
"Maybe she couldn't find the right place before," Kieran said nonchalantly.
Julie shrugged it off, "Anyway, I need to call Daphne back. She's nearing her due date and is on the verge of prenatal depression."
As Julie stepped out to the balcony to return Daphne Flores' call, Ivan, since breakfast, had been giving his dad such a direct stare that Kieran
couldn't help but notice.
After eating, Kieran finally asked, "Can you explain what that look is supposed to mean?"
Ivan hesitated, glanced at Julie, then decided to speak privately, tugging at Kieran, "Come on, to the study!"
Ivan practically dragged Kieran to the study, and Julie, curious about their secret antics, tiptoed to the study door and pressed her ear against it.
Ivan's serious voice came through, "Kerry, are you thinking of cheating?"
"...What nonsense are you talking about? I'm devoted to your mother," Kieran assured, lifting Ivan up.
"I don't know what devoted means, but Uncle QuadDylan said that married men who spend the night alone with pretty ladies are cheating!" Ivan
pouted, "Last night, I saw you and Camilla coming out of the music room, and she was undressing!!"