Chapter 144: Chapter 144
The four women, including Camille, turned to see a man approaching them with a smile. He had a smug expression on his face, and he looked a little drunk, judging by the slight flush in his cheeks.
Camille recognized him immediately.
Marvin Huckington. Harold Huckington’s son.
Like his father, Marvin didn’t have a good reputation, which wasn’t all that surprising since he seemed to have inherited most of his father’s genes. He was known as a womanizer who changed women like he was changing clothes.
To act like this during a public formal setting… it left a bad taste in Camille’s mouth, not to mention a sense of foreboding.
“My father always spoke highly of Mr. Callahan’s secretary,” Marvin said in a cocky, knowing tone that made her briefly want to punch the smirk off his face. “He also mentioned how dedicated, resourceful, and… skilled you are, especially at personal negotiations. You are truly quite talented at hooking plenty of fish, Miss Parker.”
The implications of Marvin’s comment hung in the air, clear as day. Whispers broke out among those nearby, making Camille’s smile a bit strained.
Given the recent news regarding Harold Huckington, hearing his name naturally brought about interest. Not only that, but Marvin and his father were known to be on bad terms with each other. That family was a mess, to be honest.
“Skilled at personal negotiations?” Miranda Candlebury repeated, trying and failing to hide her giggle. She was clearly enjoying this. “That is an interesting way of putting it. I can imagine how that turned out.”
Betty Collins laughed. “Ah, yes. Resourceful women can get very far in life, especially with the right connections.”
“Miss Parker, do teach us how you manage to hook the big fish in this city!” another woman interjected, causing them all to laugh mockingly.
Camille was about to respond in return when a low, feminine voice suddenly rang out.
“My apologies. I seem to have forgotten to offer my congratulations to the lovely couple.”
Everyone instantly turned to see a tall, striking woman sauntering over, her stride elegant and her presence commanding.
She was gorgeous. Her long red hair fell down her shoulders in waves, and the red lipstick she wore gave her appearance a mysterious, enthralling vibe. The men, including Marvin, couldn’t take their eyes off of her.
Camille recognized this woman right away.
She was Christian’s model ex-girlfriend, the one who had argued with him that day which led to Camille being forced to wear her noise-canceling headphones to block out their loud argument.
“It’s her!” someone exclaimed, gasping aloud. “It’s Veronice Charlemagne!”
Whispers of awe rippled through the crowd as they watched Veronica, entranced.
“She looks absolutely stunning in person!”
“I heard she landed some exclusive photo shoots abroad!”
“I wonder what the secret is to her beautiful skin!”
Miranda Candlebury was staring in amazement. “It’s a pleasure to meet top model Veronica Charlemagne in person at this party,” she greeted with a practiced smile.
“I heard you were once Christian Callahan’s girlfriend,” Betty Collins chimed in. “It’s true, right? How do you feel about his engagement to this woman?”
Everyone then turned their attention back to Camille, who was feeling even more uncomfortable than before.
She sneaked a glance at Christian, who was still deep in conversation with potential investors. The man didn’t even seem to care about the current situation she was in right now!
“Hmph,” Veronica said, her words dripping with contempt. “Christian never marries for love. It’s always due to business and convenience. And I’m sure Miss Parker here would agree.”
She smiled at Camille, but it was a thin, icy smile, devoid of any sincerity.
“Christian and I have a mutual respect and understanding for each other, and I think that’s the most important thing,” Camille said calmly.
She couldn’t believe that she had to defend her ‘relationship’ with Christian in front of all these people. She was ashamed to showcase how low her standards were to everyone, but she had no choice.
They might think that Christian Callahan was a man of high standards. Yes, he was the apple of everyone’s eye, but that was only because they didn’t know him for who he really was!
“Mutual respect and understanding? So there’s no love in the equation?” Veronica said mockingly, and everyone in the crowd began to giggle.
‘Oh brother,’ Camille thought to herself, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. If only they knew how much she hated this, too.
“Of course there’s love involved, too. It naturally comes with respect and understanding in a relationship,” Camille said patiently.
Honestly, why was she even bothering to explain this to them?
Veronica laughed. “Oh, Miss Parker, you try too hard.”
Camille’s smile became a little stiff. “Pardon?”
Veronica approached her closely, her aura becoming intimidating. “Pretty little secretaries have a short relationship lifespan when it comes to hooking up with their bosses. Don’t you feel any shame? Or perhaps some pride as a woman?”
Geez.
What a typical mean girl.
Camille met her gaze squarely, no trace of fear in her eyes. “I’m not sure what you mean,” she said easily. “All I can tell you is that Christian and I are not engaged out of business or convenience, as you mentioned. Maybe you shouldn’t stereotype relationships the way you like, Miss Charlemagne.”
Veronica’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
Camille didn’t know why, but she suddenly thought of Michael at that moment.
If she thought of him instead of Christian, maybe she could handle this situation better. Maybe if she could just pretend he was her fiancé instead…
“I don’t appreciate you making assumptions about my relationship, that’s all,” Camille said simply. “Yes, he’s a man with power and influence, and he can get any woman he wants, but he still chose me.”
She thought back to Michael’s heartfelt confession that day.
-
“I’m in love with you,” Michael had said sincerely, making her heart skip a beat.
-
“He told me sincerely that he loved me and cared about me, that he didn’t want me to get hurt, and that he would listen to me whenever I needed him.”
-
“The next time you’re feeling down, just call me and I’ll be there,” Michael had promised.
-
Camille smiled. “And I feel the same way. I love him and I care for him. If he needs me, I’ll be there. I’ll support him and listen to him and understand every part of him. Just as he always shows me how much I mean to him, I will show him how much he means to me. So yes, our relationship is not the superficial kind. It’s a mutual one.”
At that moment, Camille felt as if her heart was slowly breaking free of its bonds.
She didn’t know. She really did not know if her words were the truth or if they were just said in the heat of the moment to sound convincing. She did not know if these were her true feelings.
But they felt warm to say out loud. They didn’t feel fake, and they didn’t make her want to puke her guts out like she always felt when she tried to say something nice about Christian. It felt warm and real.
But whether it was romantic love, she couldn’t decide at the moment. Right now, she had no time to think about such things. Maybe it was the truth or maybe it was a lie.
Either way, it just made her feel warm and comfortable, and that was more than enough.
Or maybe she was just afraid to admit it…
Meanwhile, Veronica’s eyes were blazing with anger. The crowd fell silent, and even Christian seemed to turn his head slightly towards them.
His expression was unreadable, but then he turned back to the other executives and continued their discussion. Although there was a small smile on his face now, it was unclear whether he was pleased or not.
“Oh my,” Miranda Candlebury whispered.
“Well, that’s certainly not what I expected,” Marvin commented casually, taking a sip of his wine. He didn’t seem to care about anything but getting more drunk at this party, whether it was appropriate or not.
Veronica opened her mouth to speak, and Camille braced herself.
Then, a familiar voice broke the silence.
“Congratulations on your engagement, Miss Parker.”
Everyone turned in surprise, and even Veronica instinctively stepped back.
Camille’s eyes widened when she saw who it was.