Chapter 23
Lance hadn’t been living in this villa for long, which was clear from the bare rooms and the sparse furniture. Everything felt a bit temporary, like he hadn’t quite put down roots yet.
Dane, the butler, brought Camilla a clean shirt and pants and handed Jasper a black shirt. He offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry, miss. We don’t really get visitors, and definitely not women. These are all Mr. Lance’s new clothes. Please just make do for now p>
He added, “I’ll send your clothes to be dried. They’ll be ready soon p>
Camilla’s clothes were totally soaked, so she didn’t hesitate. She followed Dane to a guest room to change.
Dane lingered in the hallway, then added, “Don’t mind what Mr. Lance said earlier. He’s just p>
He paused, probably searching for the right words, and then finished, “Lance can be a little blunt sometimes, but he means well p>
Camilla looked back. Lance had already taken off his jacket and headed into the kitchen. With his back toward her, she couldn’t see much, just the impressive breadth of his shoulders and the muscles flexing under his t-shirt as he reached up for something.
She told Dane, “It’s fine, really. I didn’t take it personally.” Then she took Jasper’s hand and closed the door.
The clothes Dane had given her were huge. Lance was almost six-foot-three with broad shoulders and a trim waist, so just standing next to him made Camilla’s five-foot-three frame look even tinier. Now, swimming in his shirt, she felt like a kid playing dress up. The shirt hung like a dress, the sleeves covered her hands, and she gave up on the pants after rolling the legs up several times and still watching them drag on the ground.
Jasper looked even more comical. The shirt practically swallowed him, the hem puddling at his feet.
When they came out, Lance was emerging from the kitchen carrying two mugs of ginger tea sweetened with brown sugar. His eyes paused for a second when he noticed Camilla in his shirt, something flickering there, but then he set the mugs down in front of them with a casual, “This will help you warm up. Don’t catch a cold p>
The gesture was a surprise. They barely knew each other, but as Camilla wrapped her hands around the steaming mug, the awkwardness started to melt away.
Jasper, meanwhile, had been eyeing every corner of the room since they arrived. He finally couldn’t hold it in. “Uncle, where’s Snow? Can I see him p>
Lance gave Dane a nod, and Dane quickly brought over a pet carrier with a heating pad inside. Snow was there, eyes bright, tail wagging, and barking happily as soon as he saw Jasper.
Dane smiled at them. “He got caught in the rain, poor guy. By the time we found him he was freezing, so we let him rest here to warm up. Looks like he’s feeling much better now p>
Jasper lit up, thanked Dane, and crouched to play with Snow.
Their own clothes were still tumbling in the dryer.
Watching Jasper’s smile return, Camilla finally started to relax. She took out her phone and tried to check the security cameras at home, just running through her routine. But the feed she pulled up was nothing but a black screen.
Weird. The cameras had always worked perfectly. Of all days, they had to break down today.
She frowned, tapping the screen, but nothing changed. Her unease started creeping back.
Lance, sitting nearby, noticed. “You look a little pale, Camilla. Something up p>
He glanced at Jasper, then back at her. “You’re out here with your kid on a stormy night, searching for a dog… things must be pretty tough for you right now p>
His honesty stung, even if he didn’t mean for it to.
Camilla didn’t say anything, but Lance caught a glance of her phone. “Trying to get your video footage? Maybe I can help p>
She shook her head. “It’s okay. Don’t trouble yourself. My company has people who can handle p>
“Come with me p>
He was already leading her up the stairs before she could finish. In his study, files and papers were scattered everywhere, like he didn’t care about keeping things tidy.
Lance fired up his laptop, brought up a screen, and set it in front of Camilla. A security video started to play. The camera was pointed at her house’s yard, probably shot from Lance’s second-floor balcony. The angle was perfect.
He told her, “You might find what you need here p>
They watched as the scene unfolded in slow motion on the screen. The yard was quiet until a Bentley pulled in. Barnard got out, holding Daisy, while Davina followed close behind, draping a blanket over Daisy’s shoulders. The three of them stood together for a moment, looking like some picture-perfect family.
Barnard went inside first. Davina hovered in the doorway, hesitated for a moment, and left the door open behind her.
A few seconds later, Snow appeared. The little dog paused in the open doorway, then ran out into the night. In a blink, he vanished into a blind spot outside the frame.
But Camilla caught it—a bit of a skirt flicked into view as Snow made his escape, black fabric just like the dress Davina wore that day. She was right there, close enough to stop him, but she hadn’t even tried.
The footage couldn’t prove Davina had done it on purpose, but it was clear she wasn’t as innocent as she seemed.