Chapter 141: Chapter 141

Camille sat down at her desk, turned on her laptop, and pulled out all of her hard drives.

If she was going to do this, then might as well reveal everything she had in this room.

Christian watched her intently as she did so, the amusement never fading from his face.

The bastard. He probably already knew where she had put everything.

But when did he find out?

Did he pay a maid to search her room?

It wasn’t impossible. After all, the servants were afraid of him. She couldn’t blame them. He was their boss.

With a heavy heart, she deleted everything. All her hard work, her backups… until Christian was finally satisfied.

“Good girl,” he said. “Now you can no longer escape my clutches.”

“Fuck you.”

“Oh dear. The dainty little bird has a foul mouth.” His eyes flashed with malice, and his arm suddenly shot out to grab her chin and squeeze it. “I suggest you don’t use such words in front of me from now on. It’s unbecoming of the woman who will soon be my official wife.”

“Fuck you, and I hope you rot in hell,” she spat.

Christian chuckled. “Exactly. That’s what I like about you. You fight back. You never back down. What a good, strong girl you are.”

He let go of her and smiled.

“Now, I hope this will allow you to continue your mission smoothly. You should consider yourself lucky that you are the only woman Michael McGregor will allow to get close to him. Otherwise, I would have already sent another woman, a more capable one, to do the job for me.”

At his words, Camille stiffened slightly.

The thought of another woman trying to get close to Michael… it bothered her.

“The woman I sent to snoop into Harold Huckington’s private files was certainly capable,” Christian continued in an almost mocking tone. “But I don’t think anyone else can move Michael McGregor’s heart except for you. So don’t disappoint me anymore, Miss Parker. Or should I say… the future Mrs. Callahan?”

He laughed, and it seemed to echo in her bedroom even after he left.

Camille stood there, clenching her fists, feeling both angry and humiliated.

‘It’s over,’ she thought bitterly.

She walked over to the door and then sank to the floor, the weight of the evening bearing down on her.

Tears welled up in her eyes as Christian’s words played over and over in her mind.

The realization that she was caught up in his cruel plans, unable to escape without endangering herself and those she loved most… It was crushing.

‘Have I been doing the wrong thing all along…?’

Camille pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged herself tightly.

Right now, she would give anything to go back to that night when she and Michael had impulsively gotten together and eaten fast food like they were back in high school.

Right now, she just felt trapped, like a pawn in a chess game that she never wanted to be a part of.

The memory of Christian’s threats and his cold, calculating smile filled her with dread. She had a feeling that there was something more to his plans that he had no intention of telling her. How was she going to prepare for something like that?

‘Should I tell—’

At that moment, her phone suddenly buzzed in her pocket, snapping her out of her worried thoughts.

She pulled it out wearily and read a message from Michael.

-

Michael: Can we meet privately? Maybe at the same place that night again?

Michael: I need to talk to you, Vanilla. Please.

-

Camille’s heart began to ache with guilt and swell with gratitude at the same time.

Really, it was as if he could read her mind even from a distance.

But the thought of seeing him made her chest hurt. She wanted to tell him everything, but she knew it was too dangerous.

-

Camille: I’m sorry, Noah. I can’t meet with you privately right now, but we can talk at the industry gala later this month.

-

She sent the message with trembling fingers. She knew that Michael would be frustrated, but she hoped that he would understand.

Camille slowly got up, put the phone on the nightstand, and lay down on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Her mind drifted back to Christian’s instructions. He had made it clear that getting close to Michael was still a priority.

She felt a wave of hopelessness wash over her. How could she betray Michael, especially if he trusted her?

Especially when she knew his true feelings towards her?

Especially when she, too…

Camille shook her head.

Now was not the time to dwell on those kind of thoughts.

‘What more could Christian want?’ she wondered.

He had already ruined Michael and his family’s lives with the attempt on Joanna’s life. Joanna McGregor had a family of her own, too. She had kids and a loving husband. She could only imagine the suffering that they were experiencing right now.

Camille eventually found herself thinking of her adoptive father, Luther van Gowen. The man who had raised her since she was a baby. The man who was currently undergoing treatment for his disease.

Christian had saved him and made sure that he had the best medical care possible. Camille knew that if she defied Christian any longer, her father’s life would be in danger.

The thought tore her apart, but she couldn’t ignore the reality.

A surge of anger and frustration welled up within her. She wanted to fight back and find a way out of this nightmare, but the fear of what Christian might do paralyzed her. She felt like a prisoner in her own life with no clear path to freedom.

She continued to lie in bed without sleeping, tears silently rolling down her cheeks.

‘There are no such miracles in life,’ she thought bitterly. ‘Even I can’t make my own miracle.’

***

Meanwhile, Christian Callahan stepped into his study, his hand reaching for the private telephone resting on the desk. Casually, he dialed a number.

“Mr. Callahan,” a distorted voice greeted from the other end.

“Do it tomorrow night,” Christian’s velvety voice ordered. “Leave no trace.”

“Understood, sir,” came the quick reply.

The line abruptly went dead.

Christian’s lips curved into a cold smile.