005

SIX MONTHS AGO… HOW EVERYTHING BEGAN

Camilla's POV:

The sound of my phone ringing and the relentless beeping of messages jolted me awake. Annoyed, I reached for my bedside table and switched off my phone. One of the things I despised most was being disturbed while sleeping. I sat up in bed, cradling my aching head.

It had to be a result of last night. I had gone out partying with Lily, my best friend, and my boyfriend, Dandy, in celebration of our pre-graduation high school party, with the actual graduation happening the next day. Speaking of graduation, why was I still in bed on my big day? My eyes darted to the clock on the wall, and I gasped at the time: 11 a.m.

"What the hell?" I screamed. 

Why hadn’t anyone woken me up? What happened to my alarm clock? My gaze swept across the room, landing on my alarm clock, which lay broken on the floor. 

Then I remembered smashing it earlier that morning at 7 a.m. when it had been ringing incessantly and disrupting my sleep. Frustrated, I scratched my head and rushed into the bathroom. I didn’t have time to waste. I was already late for graduation, but better late than never.

After a quick shower, I rushed back to my room and slipped into the dress I had chosen for graduation. It was a stunning black gown with slits adorned with pearls, designed by a famous Chinese designer. 

I smiled at how good it looked on me. I couldn't help but wonder where my stylists were. Had they come and gone while I was sleeping? Hissing in frustration, I grabbed my phone from the table and switched it on. As it loaded, I saw I had 10 missed calls from Lily, 20 from Dandy, and numerous from unknown numbers. Was this really about my graduation, or was something else going on?

I clicked on Dandy's message, only to find a concern I hadn’t expected. He was asking if I was alright.

 "I’m fine," I replied, then clicked on Lily's message. 

To my shock, instead of scolding me for being late, she too was asking if I was okay. A wave of unease washed over me. Was everything alright with everyone?

"I'm fine," I texted back. "Are you alright too?"

"Thanks to the moon goddess, I’ve been trying to reach you. I’m on my way to your house right now. Wait for me," she replied almost instantly.

"Aren't you supposed to be at school? Isn’t the graduation happening? What’s up with all those calls from you and Dandy?" I asked.

"Haven’t you seen the news?" she texted back.

"No, I haven’t. Did something happen?" I replied.

"Oh, Camilla, watch the news right now. I’m on my way," she urged.

I grabbed the remote and switched on the television immediately. What I saw left me in shock. I froze, tears welling in my eyes.

"Smith Company has gone bankrupt after it was discovered that CEO Mr. John Smith was involved in illegal trades, including drug and human trafficking. Business tycoon Mr. Johnson Smith died in a car crash while trying to escape the police. His wife fainted from shock and is currently in the hospital. No news about the daughter is available at this time."

"This can't be true," I cried. "Father is on a business trip with my mother. Nothing is wrong with them. This can’t be true," I murmured in disbelief, walking out of my room. 

The house was unnaturally quiet, and I noticed my nanny approaching with a pained expression. From her look, I knew something was wrong.

"Tell me it’s not true. Nothing has happened to my parents, right?" I asked.

"You should go back to your room, Camilla. It’s not safe for you to be out here. The press is outside, trying to break in. The security is managing the situation," she explained, and it dawned on me that the news about my parents was true, but I couldn't accept it.

"I want to see my parents, please. This isn’t true," I insisted, trying to push past her, but she blocked my way.

"I can’t let you leave," she said, tears forming in her eyes.

 I could see her pity, and I didn’t want to see that. Without another word, I ran back to my room, closed the door, and buried my face in my knees, crying.

I didn’t see Lily, who said she was on her way, nor did she call or text me. Even when I tried to reach her, she didn’t answer. The same was true for Dandy. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were ignoring me or if something was wrong with them. I was in so much pain, and there was no one to comfort me.

My nanny later reported that my mother had gone into a coma, and it was even more frustrating that I couldn't visit her in the hospital due to the press. Instead, I spent the day in my room, shedding tears. I felt like a shadow of my former self, unable to remember the last time I washed my hair.

One week later, the door to my room clicked open, and Aunt Patricia along with Lily stepped inside. I was shocked but relieved to see them. I had so many questions for Lily. 

Before I could say anything, Aunt Patricia spoke. "My family will be your legal guardian until your mother wakes up."

I felt a flicker of hope at the thought of leaving my room and being with my second family. 

"Okay, Aunt Patricia. Give me time to pack my things," I said.

"From today onwards, don’t call me aunt. Associating with the daughter of a criminal by taking you in is enough damage for my family. You have three minutes," she replied before leaving with Lily, who remained silent.

 I was taken aback by her behavior but chose not to say anything. "Maybe she’s just stressed," I thought.

After packing the essentials, I hugged my nanny goodbye, heartbroken that she wouldn’t be with me. I had begged Aunt Patricia to let her come along, but she refused, citing that she didn’t want to add another mouth to feed.