Chapter 100
“I already talked to him and told him from now on, he should always take Aaron with him when he goes out. No women. You see p>
“Mom, I wanted to believe all that, honestly. But then Barnard came to me yesterday with something else. He wants to pull Jasper out of school, so Daisy can take his place. He’s going way overboard for Daisy. Jasper keeps asking me what’s going on between them. I didn’t want to drag you into any of this, but with all the drama online, if Daisy does replace Jasper at that fancy preschool, people are really going to talk. It’ll be impossible to explain our way out of it.” Camilla’s voice was tight.
Whether Laura suspected anything between Barnard and Davina was still a mystery, but Camilla wasn’t above using Laura’s hand to solve her own problems.
Laura’s face changed in an instant. She looked genuinely worried. “Did Barnard really say that p>
“I’d never lie to you about something like this, Mom,” Camilla sighed. “If I hadn’t stopped him, Jasper would already be out of that school. I get that Davina raised him, but isn’t Barnard being a little too nice to that mother and daughter? Is it possible Daisy is actually Barnard’s kid p>
Laura froze, clearly thrown by the suspicion. “Absolutely not, Camilla. Trust me. Barnard has nothing to do with them. Don’t let your mind wander. That pair is just greedy and probably guilt-tripping Barnard, but I’ll go deal with this myself. And you—look at you, you don’t look well at all. You must be exhausted from work. I’ll transfer you some money in a bit. Go treat yourself to a spa day or something. The product launch is almost here, you need to be in great shape p>
Camilla watched Laura hurry off, and she couldn’t help but feel satisfied with her little victory. She didn’t have to fight the Carter Estate battle herself and Laura was sweetening the deal with money, too. Not bad.
Barnard didn’t come to see Camilla at all before the launch, but she heard through the grapevine that he’d been disciplined at The Carter Estate again, and was now recovering over at Saddlebrook Estates.
Not that she really cared. After the stunts Barnard had pulled, she’d lost every last feeling she ever had for him.
Lately, the custom brooch for Lance had finally been finished in a rush. Camilla brought it to him herself. In return, she managed to get her hands on the recent surveillance footage from Saddlebrook Estates. She watched the videos and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Barnard was barely around, probably because he was still healing. There was nothing useful there.
Before she knew it, the BLC product launch was here. That morning was the first time she’d seen Barnard in weeks. He looked paler than ever, even a little unsteady, but he’d picked out a deep blue suit to match the shade of her gown. He always made sure they looked like a power couple for the cameras—at launches, social events, everywhere. Camilla wasn’t surprised in the least.
The second their eyes met, Barnard reached his hand out to her. But Camilla just picked up her pace, ignoring him, putting space between their bodies.
Barnard hurried to keep up, making sure he stayed right by her side. He lowered his voice. “Camilla, are you still upset? About the preschool thing… I admit I messed up. Daisy’s at the international school now. I promise, I won’t let her have anything to do with Jasper’s stuff ever again. Don’t be mad, alright p>
Camilla kept her gaze ahead, silent.
Seeing this, Barnard changed tactics, trying to sound pitiful. “Come on, Camilla, this was just a misunderstanding—and you told my parents, and I got punished for it. I was thinking about making it up to you the whole time I was healing, but you didn’t come see me. And now, even while I’m still injured, I showed up because I thought you might need help with all of this. Can you really still be mad p>
Show up for her while injured? What a joke. The only thing he cared about was keeping up appearances. Ever since they launched BLC, the ‘couple goals’ image had gained them a ton of fans, and their brand only really thrived when they made joint appearances.
Barnard liked to say he loved her, but deep down it was always about his own advantage. His so-called love? It was all for show—she just hadn’t wanted to see it before.
“You didn’t have to come,” Camilla said, her voice calm.
“Of course I did. Camilla, I wouldn’t leave you to handle all this yourself.” Barnard’s smile seemed practiced, just like always. “Besides, tonight is my birthday party. I know you got me a gift, so of course I need to be there. I can’t let you down, right p>
Camilla blinked, a little lost all of a sudden. Was it really Barnard’s birthday today?
Now that she thought about it, yes. The only reason the launch landed on this date was so they could roll straight into his birthday party afterward and celebrate both. But she’d completely forgotten. After the launch, she’d only arranged a company dinner for the team’s hard work. No invitations had gone out to Barnard’s friends or family.