Chapter 69
Elise hadn’t gone far.
Camilla found her sitting alone in a little diner near the hospital.
When she saw Elise, who didn’t look too pale or frail, Camilla felt herself relax just a little. She rushed over and slid into the booth across from her.
“Mom, what happened? Why did you leave the hospital? You…” She trailed off, worry written all over her face.
Elise shot her a hard look, her eyes sharp with something close to contempt. “Camilla, if you’re not going to listen to me, why even bother coming after me? Just go, do whatever you want, and leave me to figure things out on my own p>
That glare really stung. Camilla’s chest tightened with a dull ache. She tried to keep her voice steady. “Mom, can you please just tell me what’s really going on p>
Elise let out a breath, exasperated. “How many times have I told you, you need to listen to Barnard. He’s done so much for our family. How can you be so ungrateful? Do you really want me to lose face like this p>
So it was about this again. Camilla’s expression changed, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Did someone say something to you p>
“Does anyone have to? Everybody at the hospital knows Barnard’s been coming almost every day to see you, but instead of appreciating it, all you do is pick fights. Camilla, why are you acting like this? You know what kind of situation our family is in. When Barnard decided to marry you, that was the luckiest thing that ever happened to us. How can you not see that? We owe the Carter family. You can’t just keep being selfish and ungrateful p>
“Ungrateful? Elise, aren’t you being a little harsh?” Another voice cut in. Lance pulled out a chair and sat down right next to Elise, cool and confident, like he had every right to be there. “Sure, maybe Camilla doesn’t match the Carter family’s status on paper, but she’s spent years running their household, making sure everything works. Half the big projects the Carters brag about wouldn’t have happened without her. If you ask me, the Carter family owes her, not the other way around p>
He looked straight at Elise, his words clear and firm.
Every word hit home for Camilla. These last few years, she’d worked through the night on projects, gone on countless business trips, and did everything Barnard did—sometimes even more. She took BLC from a nobody company to one of the top names in the business. So many of the Carter Group’s big wins were built on her ideas. Even the board already saw her as essential. She stopped owing the Carters a long time ago. If anything, she’d repaid what they’d “invested” in her a hundred times over.
But none of that mattered to Elise. In her mind, just because the Carter family helped them at the start, Camilla had to keep paying it back forever.
Camilla never argued about it. She always worried about Elise’s health, so she’d let things slide.
Now she just looked at Lance. “Lance, this is a family matter. I’ll handle it p>
Lance didn’t look away. “Camilla, keeping secrets isn’t going to help. Sometimes your mom needs to hear the truth p>
Elise shot him another hard look. “What truth? What are you two talking about? Even if Camilla’s doing well now, would she have any of this without the Carter family giving her a chance? And she and Barnard are married. If he’s good to her, shouldn’t she be putting in a little extra, too?” There was an awkward edge to her voice, but she wouldn’t back down.
She narrowed her eyes at Lance. “And who are you again? Since when did my family’s business have anything to do with you p>
“My name doesn’t matter,” Lance replied. “Just think of me as someone who cares enough to speak up. But do you really know Barnard as well as you think? All that ‘being good to Camilla’ is just for show. If he really cared, would he leave his own son to fend for himself? He left Jasper at the school, let him fall down the stairs, all because he was busy with someone else’s kid. Sure, Barnard’s been to the hospital every day, but is he really here for Camilla, or is he just trying to look good for everyone else? You don’t have to take my word for it. If you calm down and look at things straight, you’ll figure it out. Your grandson is still in the hospital. Instead of blaming Camilla based on rumors, why not ask Jasper what Barnard’s actually like as a father and a husband? Of course, if you think showing gratitude is more important than Camilla’s happiness, just ignore everything I’ve said p>
Lance’s words came one after another, calm and steady, not too fast, but confident enough that nobody else could get a word in.
“Jasper’s in the hospital?” Elise repeated, her eyes unfocused, still trying to catch up.
Back when Elise first woke up, Camilla had kept things quiet, worrying the truth would be too much for her. But now, there was no point in hiding it.
“Mom, Barnard doesn’t care about Jasper,” Camilla said softly. “Jasper really did fall down the stairs because of him. I’m done keeping secrets. I’m going to file for divorce p>