Chapter 258
The divorce papers were finalized quickly, mostly because everyone just wanted it over with. No one played games, and before Camilla knew it, they were just waiting on the official documents. Lance’s phone rang, so he stepped outside to answer and, for once, left her alone with Barnard.
Barnard finally turned to look at her. “You’re good at hiding, you know that? All those things you went through, you handled them by yourself. No one ever found out about you and him. You’re just scared, aren’t you? Too afraid to let him see your past. Tell me, Camilla, if he did find out, do you think he’d hate you for keeping him in the dark p>
Camilla pressed her hands into the table, her face turning cold. Through the blurry glass of the courthouse entrance, she watched Lance outside on his call. He stood tall, sunlight falling behind him, his features soft and a little careless, as if nothing ever fazed him. It was hard to look away from someone like that.
She still hadn’t fully registered the fact she’d agreed to Lance earlier. The whole thing felt unreal, but Barnard’s words stuck with her, making her heart race with anxiety. Was she really this afraid? Would Lance be disappointed if he ever found out about the kind of past Barnard hinted at?
Her lips tightened, and even when someone handed her the divorce certificate, she barely noticed. Barnard took his own copy, glanced at her one last time, and left without another word.
A moment later, Lance walked back in. Seeing Camilla lost in thought, clutching the certificate, he smiled and tapped her shoulder. “What’s going on, Miss Hedgehog? Are you so happy you’ve gone blank p>
He grinned. “I just booked a table at that new place. How about we celebrate p>
Camilla blinked. “I p>
The things Barnard said still weighed on her. She felt like she needed to deal with them now or she’d never be able to relax. “Sorry, I just remembered something at work. I need to head back to the office for a bit, I p>
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Lance said. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I’ll drop you off, then I’ll go pick up Jasper. Once you’re done, call me and I’ll come get you p>
It hadn’t been long since she’d agreed to give him a chance, but he was already fitting into the boyfriend role so smoothly. He made plans for everything, took care of every detail without making a big deal about it.
That made her heart pound even harder.
With Barnard, things were always different. He’d talk about standing side by side, then turn around and shove her into solving every problem. She was always left to clean things up, and no one even thanked her. It was like he thought she was supposed to do it all. Every single time.
But with Lance, it was nothing like that. He didn’t get involved in her work, but quietly took care of things from the sidelines, and he always included Jasper—like their little family already made sense to him.
It was only when she put the two men side by side that she saw it clearly. Barnard had always been self-serving and fake, while Lance was honest in what he did and how he cared.
But her own feelings… she wasn’t sure what to do with them.
The office, when she returned, was silent. Camilla dropped the divorce certificate onto her desk as if it weighed nothing. Ada walked in and caught sight of it, her whole face lighting up. “Camilla, congratulations! You’re finally free p>
It should have been a happy moment. Camilla tried to smile, but nothing came out.
“Did you finish that investigation I asked for?” she asked quietly.
Ada nodded, instantly serious. “I looked into everyone from your list. They all have families and jobs. Nothing seemed off, and there’s no sign any of them are connected to the Carter Group or Barnard.” She offered a stack of documents.
Camilla flipped through page after page, but found nothing. She’d even snapped photos of everything in Barnard’s ‘10.10’ file, thinking there’d be some hidden connection, but so far each person was clean. Even the students with the worst backgrounds hadn’t received help from the Carter Group. No matter how she checked, there was just… nothing. No ties, no clues.
Maybe Barnard had only listed possible candidates, not the real person she was looking for. The more Camilla thought about it, the more overwhelmed she felt. Trying to find someone who left no trail at all felt hopeless, like searching for one drop in an ocean.
Barnard’s words came back to her, and she knew he had no intention of letting her go easily. That awful, prickly fear just wouldn’t leave her.
Ada spoke up again. “Want me to look into students who got Carter Group scholarships these last few years p>
That suggestion gave Camilla something to hang onto. “Check the scholarship recipients from five years ago, May to November. Focus on the men. Give me information on anyone who had direct contact with Carter Group or Barnard p>
At first, all she’d wanted was to figure out who Jasper’s father was. It hadn’t felt too urgent. But now p>
Camilla’s hands curled into fists on the edge of her desk. She didn’t want Lance learning about the mess she’d been through.
She thought back to the day she met Barnard—around May, five years ago. That was probably when all his schemes had started, too.