Chapter 311
Camilla slept in late, waking up to find it was already noon and still no reply from Sarah.
But she didn’t let it bother her. Instead, she headed straight to the hospital, checked in with the caregiver, and was relieved to hear that Elise had finally calmed down a bit. Only once her mind was at ease did she make her way to the office.
She had barely stepped inside when she spotted Sarah sitting in the reception area.
Sarah wasn’t alone—Shirley was by her side. The front desk had set out a pretty impressive spread, glasses of fruit tea arranged in front of them.
When the receptionist noticed Camilla, she greeted her politely, “Camilla, you’re here. These two ladies said they were waiting for you. They’ve been here all morning p>
Sarah looked up at Camilla, obviously nervous, her eyes darting away almost immediately. Anyone could tell from her posture that she felt totally lost.
It was just after lunch, so people were trickling back in. The lobby stayed busy, employees coming and going, more than a few casting curious glances at Sarah and Shirley.
After yesterday, Camilla wasn’t feeling patient. “Sarah, I don’t think we have anything left to talk about. You don’t have to come looking for me anymore,” she said, her voice cool.
Sarah’s eyes filled with hurt—that kind of injured look that begged for sympathy. “Camilla, I knew you misunderstood me,” she said softly. “That’s why I came. I just want to explain… I p>
“Whether this is a misunderstanding or not, only you really know,” Camilla cut her off, her tone hard.
If it had been just one thing, maybe Camilla could have brushed it off as coincidence. But things kept piling up. Even Tessa showing up at the hospital to pressure her about Lance had happened when Lance was away, unreachable. There were just too many things that didn’t add up, and Camilla couldn’t convince herself this was some big accident.
She looked Sarah over, taking in the way the girl seemed so delicate and wronged, like she couldn’t possibly be pretending. But Camilla couldn’t bring herself to trust her anymore.
Sarah just looked even more flustered, fingers clamped tight around the hem of her skirt, turning her knuckles white.
Shirley jumped in, her voice defensive. “Camilla, you don’t have to be so harsh. Sarah never did anything to you. You’ve misunderstood her—she’s upset, but she still came here to apologize. The least you can do is let her explain p>
Sarah reached over and gently grabbed Shirley’s wrist. “Shirley, don’t say that. If Camilla misunderstood me, that’s on me. It’s only right that I apologize. Camilla, I swear I didn’t lie to you. My boyfriend isn’t Lance. I wanted to clear things up. I actually invited my boyfriend to lunch. Why don’t you come too? You can see for yourself and you’ll know I’m telling the truth p>
“Why bother?” Camilla asked quietly, looking Sarah in the eyes. “We’re barely even friends. Why does it matter so much to you what I think? Why come here just to explain and say sorry? If you have nothing going on with Lance, you really don’t owe me any explanation p>
Sarah shook her head again and again. “That’s not it at all. I’m living with the Charles family now, basically as Lance’s adopted sister. If you end up with Lance, technically we’ll be family. I don’t want us to dislike each other over some tiny thing. Besides, I really have considered you a friend. I don’t want some ridiculous misunderstanding to ruin that. Camilla, just come with me. Please p>
She spoke with her head lowered, voice barely above a whisper.
But deep inside, hidden behind downcast eyes, something sharp flickered.
All these years, she had never managed to get close to Lance.
She knew better than anyone that being nice to Lance didn’t help at all.
From the very start, she’d decided who her target should be: win Camilla over, then take things slow.
She couldn’t afford for Camilla to cut her off.
Shirley chimed in again. “Camilla, come on. Sarah’s laid everything out. Don’t keep saying no. You probably don’t realize—even if Tessa treats Sarah well, living under someone else’s roof in the Charles family isn’t easy. She works so hard to make everyone happy. That includes you. As her friend, I just hope you can give her a break and agree to this. Please p>
Sarah didn’t say another word. She just twisted her hands in front of her, biting her lip until a row of teeth marks showed. When she looked back at Camilla, her whole expression was pleading.
She looked so fragile, it was almost as if turning her down would count as bullying her.
Shirley spoke up one more time. “Sarah knows your schedule’s tight, so she booked a restaurant next door. It’ll only take about half an hour p>