Chapter 7

Cameron's

 “What will happen to us now?” I said with a defeated voice. Lena gave me glass of orange juice, she seated next to me in their old bamboo sofa, they just put an thin layer of foam to make it comfortable to seat.

 “Uncle Logan is looking for Antonio right now. So, let’s wait here. Maybe, god have mercy on us he will find Antonio, and we can file a case and somehow get our money back. I’m still hoping, Cammy. Now that I badly need that money for mom’s medication, not to mention that I work hard for that money.” Lena said sadness is evident in her eyes. It saddens me cause’ this is the first time I saw her being like this. Lena is a bubbly girl and full of positivity and always had a bright smile ready for everyone. 

“I can’t believe that we fall for that scumbag words.” Lena can’t help but clinched her fist.

 “Yeah, me either. Antonio’s too good with words,” I said. I felt disappointed with myself because of wrong judgment and mishandling of money. I lose everything that I work hard for since I was in Spain working at a television company. It’s my savings money. I planned to use that when I give birth but, now I think I’ll give birth in a dumpster. I can’t afford the hospital bill. My baby is seven months old now, and in two more months, he or she will come out, and I don’t have enough time to save for the money that I’ll need to pay the bills. “I wished I could freeze time so my baby won’t come out, and I still have time to save even a couple of bucks.” 

I heaved a deep sigh. “Because I’m afraid we won’t get our money back.” Upon saying that, a tear escaped my eyes. I never felt this petty and helpless situation before. In the past, I can buy everything that I want working at the station with a considerable salary. I could tell that I’m financially free even if I’m pregnant. I could still buy things that I and my baby need. But everything is in the past now. This is my reality I’m pregnant and broke.

 “Hey, don’t say that, okay? I’m still here. I’ll work double even triple, so you’ll deliver your baby safe and sound. I want you to be safe, Cammy,” Lena said with reassurance in her voice. “After what you did to my family before, it’s the least I could do. Remember you paid my mother’s bill when she suffered from a heart attack. We awe everything to you.”

 “No. I won’t let you do that. You need to save for your mother’s medication. After all, this is my fault, and I’ll be fine.” Lena’s words moved me. But she needs money more than me. “Besides, your mother needs help that time, and you're my only friend.”

 “I insist. This scheme won’t happen if I ignore Antonio. I’m so sorry, Cameron, If I drag you into this situation. But, please, let me help you. Cause’ this time, you’re the one who needs our help. And don’t I abandon a friend who’s in need.” Lena said it with a smile on her face, and her eyes burned with determination.

 “If you keep on saying no, I won’t drink my medicine, Cammy. And I blame you for that. Let us help you, child.” Lena’s mother said with a sincere voice, and I guess she’s not joking.

 Cameron nodded repeatedly, and a tear escaped her eyes. 

 “Blame the hormones,” I said, laughing when I feel my emotion wanted to explode and my tears won’t stop from falling. “T-thank you,” I looked at Aunt Maria. She gently patted my shoulder and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.

 “You’re my second daughter Cameron, and I already treat your baby as my grandchild. So, don’t push us away, okay? Especially now, you needed help, and that scoundrel Antonio will pay. Ah, my guts didn’t fail me. I already had a feeling that he's not a good man. I’m sorry I didn’t say it out loud and didn’t give the both of you a warning.”

 “It’s okay, mom. It’s our fault. Also, we can’t undo what is already done. So, what we will do now is wait for the result and whatever that may be. Let's move forward, and pray that better things will happen now. And save for our new baby.” Lena said happily.

 “Yeah, I’ll start to work double now.” Lena hit me on my shoulder, not that hard enough to kick some sense on me.

 “Hey, I’m the one who will work double, not you. We want your baby to be safe, Cammy. Working too much may lead to complications. We don’t want that. Look at you. You’re so thin. Are you taking your vitamins or not?”

 “Oh, god. I’m supposed to buy one. How can I always forget that one? I’m so damned. I also forgot to visit my OB. I need to work, you know that, and now everything is piling up. So, I don’t know what to do next, and may I add that the douchebag visits me.” I can’t help to gritted my teeth, and I remember how Alejandro and his words. 

 His words won’t affect me, but still, the old wound inside my heart bleeds again.

 “What? Who is douche-douche… What’s the name?” Aunt Maria said, and her forehead knot. I noticed that the Tv switches off, she was watching her afternoon drama on the Television when I arrived. And now her full attention was with me, and I bet my life would be her next favorite drama.

 “It’s not even a name, mom. And this douchebag has a friend. His name is Jerk. Argh, he's so irritating he deserves that punch.” While saying that, Lena’s hand goes up as if she was doing a reenactment.

 “You, punch who?” I do have a gut on who is she was talking to, but I need to hear it.

 “Who’s that?” Aunt Maria’s curiosity grows wider she knows what her daughter and her capabilities. 

 “That Jerk? The guy with the wicked blue eyes, and with a flirtatious smile, he's a self-righteous man I could tell,mom. And a full pledge jerk!”

 “Then you punch him?”

 “Yes! No one dares to touch me.” Lena said as if she is proud. “I don’t care if he is handsome! No one cares.”

 “Did he touch you? Where? Call your Uncle Rolly and your father. We will avenge you. No one dares to touch my daughter and go with it easily.” Aunt Maria said proudly, and now she is angry. Lena is their only child and the only female in the family. All of her cousins are male, so they treat Lena as a princess and me cause’ they also declare that I’m now part of the family.

 “Ahm, okay, let’s calm down—” Lena cut me. She even goes to her mother’s side and clings to her shoulder.

 “Yes, mom. Avenge me he stole something from me.” I tried to stop Lena, but she’s so determined that I wonder what Matias did that drove Lena to madness.

 “Okay, stop now, people,” I said halfway, shouting. “His name is Matias Roman. He is a billionaire, a hotel magnate, and a shipping magnet, and also, he is quite a mad man and so hard to deal with. He will drive you crazy with his nonsensical remarks. And as much that I wanted to help you people, I’m sorry. But I can’t. I’m running away from the douchebag, right?” I sigh. I was hoping that my words would make sense to them.

 “Yeah, right. I remember now.” Lena agreed and nodded her head. “I’ll deal with him later on,”

 “Yeah, we will deal with him later. So, how did you know these kinds of people, Cammy?” Aunt Maria asks. “Seems like they’re rich and came from prominent family? How is your world entangled with them?”

 “Wait... wait, let me guess. The man with gold eyes is the one who falls in love with you and the one and only father of your child?” Lena said unsure. Her eyes grow wider when I nod abruptly.

 “Mom, you should see the man. He's damn gorgeous and somewhat dangerous. He has this aura that you’ll need to obey him. I never meet that kind of person before. I felt like he's a king or something. I notice a weird symbol inside their car, a head of a lion with two swords, and they even have their own flag, and it’s all over the car. I have the guts that he is a president or something, and the security is insanely outrageous.”

 “Really?” Aunt Maria looked at me confused as if Lena is overacting.

 “He is part of the royal family in Spain,” I saw how their jaw drops and surprise look written all over their face. “He is a Count. A distant grandchild of Queen Elizabeth.”

 “So… you’re saying that your child has royal blood?”  Lena still can’t believe everything she just heard.

 “Yes,”

 “And you are running away from him?”

 “Yes. And Alejandro doesn’t have any idea that my baby is his child.”

 “W-what? Why? How?”

 I sigh. This is the first time that I tell everything to them, since I came here in the Philippines, and I meet Lena when I’m looking for a house to rent, and then the rest is what we called a history. We became friends and I’m glad that they didn’t ask me anything before.

 “He pushed me away before I could tell him that I have a feeling that I’m pregnant. He already believes that I slept with his brother. That accusation is not true, Alexander, his brother needs me that time, Alexander is one of my friend, and I don’t abandon a friend. And Alejandro is the only man that I loved. Clearly, he didn’t trust me at all. He calls our engagement off-.”

 “Wait, what? Are you supposed to marry him?”

 I nodded. “Yeah, I regret that I say ‘yes’ to him.”

 “Having an angel is not a regret, child. It’s a blessing.” Aunt Maria said, tapping my hand that was resting on my lap.

 I smiled. I gently rob my belly when I feel my baby moved inside my womb. “The only choice that I regretted was loving Alejandro. My baby is a blessing to me even I’m having trouble right now I’ll get through all of this. I always believe in a happy ending.”

 “But, Cammy, he is the father of your child. He has the right to now even he did something wrong in the past he still and always be the father.”

 I shook my head. “I don’t know Aunt Maria. I don’t know. Maybe, I’ll tell everything to him when he proved to me that he is worthy.”

 After all the pain that I get through. I hope Alejandro is worthy for me and my baby. Scratch that even without me just for my baby.