Chapter 112
Lance didn’t act the way Barnard had predicted. “Barnard should be punished, but let’s give Camilla a break.” He glanced at Abelard. “Bring a chair over for Camilla. Please, take a seat p>
Abelard read the cue right away and pulled out the chair nearest to Lance, nodding at Camilla to sit.
Camilla told herself there was nothing going on with Lance, nothing she needed to feel guilty about. Still, the tension in the room made her uneasy, like she was doing something wrong just by being there. Especially now, seated so close beside Lance, while Barnard stood at Lance’s other side, throwing back drinks like he was trying to drown out the room. From the outside, anyone would assume she and Lance were together.
Camilla shifted, itching to move to another chair, but Lance noticed and stopped her. “Sit here, Camilla. It’ll be easier for us to talk. That’s alright by you, isn’t it, Barnard p>
“Of course,” Barnard replied smoothly. “I already spoke to Camilla. You two should swap numbers. If you ever need any custom jewelry, you can talk to her directly p>
“Looks like I’ll be troubling you, Camilla,” Lance said, his tone cool and formal, almost like a polite stranger.
Barnard, finishing another drink, finally found his chance to speak to Lance. But leaping into business right away felt too pushy to him. He kept tossing Camilla nervous glances, hoping she’d steer the conversation that way for him.
Camilla ignored those looks completely, keeping her eyes on the table. She wasn’t about to bail him out.
So the tension dragged on for another half hour, nobody bringing up what they really wanted to say. Barnard was getting impatient when a hotel server came in with more drinks.
Seeing who it was, Barnard nearly choked on air. His stiff expression froze.
It was Davina. She had dressed herself as one of the hotel staff.
The second she entered, Barnard’s panic was obvious. He looked all around, like someone might catch him in the middle of something shameful. He shot Davina panicked signals, urging her to leave right away.
He thought he was being subtle. He didn’t realize that Lance recognized Davina instantly, having come across her a few times before, and now watched the scene with an amused look. “I thought this hotel had an age limit for the staff,” Lance said, half-joking, half-provocative. “When did they start hiring people this age? Hope it’s not some random person sneaking in under false pretenses p>
“I—” Davina stammered, looking stricken. She’d only come because she heard Barnard and Camilla were meeting someone important and wanted to check in on things. She hadn’t thought she’d get called out as soon as she stepped through the door. Now she stood there, helpless, feeling painfully out of place.
Even in the mess of the moment, she noticed Camilla sitting by Lance, calm and elegant. Davina couldn’t have looked more different in her oversized server’s uniform.
Abelard jumped in, “I come here a lot, and I don’t think I’ve seen a server that old before. Barnard, since you organized this, maybe you should call the manager. You wouldn’t want anyone suspicious causing trouble p>
Barnard’s face went pale and tight, a wave of humiliation creeping in, all thanks to Davina.
This wasn’t even the first time she’d interfered, either. No matter how many times he asked her not to, Davina kept showing up at his job like she just couldn’t rest until she made him look like a fool.
She was so distraught now that Barnard had no choice but to cover for her. “Lance, Abelard, you’re mistaken. She’s not random. She’s, um, she’s our family’s housekeeper. She just came here to…” He trailed off. He really didn’t know how to explain it.
This was a private dining suite, with plenty of staff. His housekeeper pretending to be a server made no sense, no matter how he spun it.
Camilla saved him. She looked at Davina and said, “Really, Davina, if you think your pay isn’t enough, you can talk to Barnard. There’s no need for a side job here, is there? Anyone hearing about this might think we’re terrible employers. It’s embarrassing, honestly p>
The moment Camilla spoke up, Barnard snapped out of his daze and latched onto her story. He scolded, “Exactly. Davina, you work for the Carter family. If you have any issues, you talk to me, not go hunting for other jobs. Come with me now. You’re disturbing our guests p>
Davina was trembling. She’d just wanted to peek in, make sure Barnard and Camilla were okay. She never thought Barnard’s guest would be so sharp that they’d spot her in an instant. Afraid to make things worse, she hurried out, following Barnard.
The door shut behind them and the room felt a little lighter. Lance let out a soft, mocking laugh. “So careful, keeping tabs like that. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were his secret lover p>