Chapter 253
The bar was a blur of neon and noise, lights spinning across the room and making everything look almost unreal.
Pamela rushed in, not bothering to hide her frustration as she searched for Barnard. She found him slumped in a booth, clearly wasted, empty glasses scattered on the table. She called his name. No reaction. She tried again, louder. Still nothing. Rolling her eyes, she signaled to a staff member and, without hesitation, had a bucket of ice-cold water dumped right over his head.
Barnard snapped upright, gasping for air, dripping wet. When he made out Pamela’s glare through the haze of alcohol, his face twisted in annoyance. “What the hell, Pamela? Are you out of your mind p>
She scoffed. “Out of my mind? Oh, please. That’s rich coming from you. Care to explain why you never told me Camilla’s with Lance? Or does conveniently leaving out major details just come naturally to you p>
Barnard just looked confused, so exasperated he almost seemed to sober up. “What are you even talking about? Camilla with Lance? She’s with Abelard. And no matter what kind of tricks the Lane family thinks they can pull, it’s not enough to challenge us. Seriously, stop overthinking p>
“My god, are you even listening to yourself?” Pamela glared, then thrust her phone in his face. “Here. Look. See that? Lance admitted it himself. He called her Mrs. Charles, right there on camera. And you want to talk about Abelard? Please, he’s just Lance’s sidekick. This is a total disaster, and you got me into it p>
Her voice cut through the crowded bar, sharper than the music thumping in the background.
Barnard’s gaze dropped to the phone. He stared, silent, as the footage played. Even with the volume low, there was no mistaking Lance’s lips forming the words “Mrs. Charles.” The realization hit him hard, all the illusions crumbling away.
As soon as the video ended, Pamela’s voice picked up again, almost frantic. “Neal and the others have already been arrested. The police are working fast. It’s only a matter of time before they come after us. We need to do something—now p>
She grabbed his wrist and shook him, desperate to snap him out of his drunken stupor.
Barnard struggled to focus, shoving her hand away. “Calm down. This probably just a fling for Lance. He’s not going to defy his whole family for her. Here’s what we do. You need to get in touch with the Charles family, fast. Tell Darwin what’s going on. If Lance steps aside, we’ll be fine. No matter what the police dig up, our two families have enough power to make this blow over p>
Pamela’s eyes widened as she realized he was right. She nodded, almost breathless. “Yeah. As long as the Charles family doesn’t get involved, my dad will have my back. Families like theirs don’t let their heirs marry divorced women with kids. Not a chance p>
If anything, the Charles family would put even more pressure on Camilla, not less. The thought calmed Pamela down immediately. She didn’t waste another moment, practically running out of the bar with renewed confidence.
For a moment, the flashing lights caught Barnard’s face and made the tension in his features even sharper.
Camilla… Lance…
He never saw this coming. All those times he’d run into them, he thought it was all just coincidence—Abelard’s doing. Looking back now, it was painfully obvious just how wrong he’d been. The so-called coincidences didn’t revolve around Abelard at all. Lance had always been the real connection.
Meanwhile, Barnard had actually hoped he could use Camilla to get closer to Lance. What a joke. Thinking about it now, the whole plan reeked of desperation. Maybe it started with that brooch. Maybe it started when Lance outbid everyone for Camilla’s designs at the auction. Either way, it had all gone off track a long time ago.
And here he was, played like a clown for ages without realizing it.
Camilla hid it so well—kept everyone in the dark, just waiting for the perfect moment to take him down.
Unbelievable.
Barnard’s eyes grew cold. He couldn’t even tell if he was angrier about how ruthless Camilla had been, or if it just stung that much to be so thoroughly outplayed.
He steadied himself against the wall, stumbling toward the exit. The moment he set foot outside, several police officers moved in, blocking his path.
Dahlia wasn’t doing well.
Camilla had been sitting by her bedside the whole time, listening to Dahlia mumble and whimper restlessly in her sleep. It wasn’t until nearly two hours after they’d arrived at the hospital that Dahlia finally stirred. Her eyes flew open, wild with fear. It took a second for her to process the sterile hospital room and Camilla’s concerned face leaning over her.
Slowly, her panic faded. She reached out, her hand searching for Camilla’s, gripping it tightly. “Camilla, are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay… They didn’t hurt you, did they? This is all my fault. I dragged you into this… If anything happened to you, I…I wouldn’t know how to keep going p>
Camilla leaned in, wrapping her in a comforting hug. “It’s okay, Dahlia. It’s over now. The police have already arrested them. You’re safe p>
Once Dahlia calmed down, Camilla gently asked, “Can you tell me what happened? I need to know, Dahlia. Why did you go with them in the first place p>