Chapter 3

Andres did not return home all night. Camellia ended up sitting alone in the empty living room, waiting from early morning until noon.

Her phone buzzed with a social media notification. [Renowned artist Andres Gardner stands in support of his junior. What a deep camaraderie between peers!]

Camellia let out a bitter laugh. Of course he did.

She stopped waiting and went alone to visit her mother's grave. She bought a bouquet of lisianthus on her way over.

At the cemetery, she carefully cleaned her mother's tombstone, placed the flowers in front of it, and leaned gently against the stone. It was as if she was trying to feel the warmth of her mother's embrace.

Andres returned home late at night. Just as he was about to ask why Camellia had not gone to bed yet, he noticed a bundle of lisianthus peeking out of her bag.

It suddenly hit him that today was her mother's death anniversary. Panic flashed across his face.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. I've been so busy today that I completely forgot. It's all my fault," he stammered, cupping her face and instinctively stroking the beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

Camellia noticed the faint trace of a lipstick mark on his hairline just behind his ear.

She gently pushed him away, her voice calm as she said, "It's fine."

Trying to ease the tension, Andres suggested, "How about we have an artist paint a portrait of us tomorrow? Once it's done, we can take a photo with it and place it at your mother's grave to give her peace of mind."

Camellia wanted to refuse, but Andres was insistent, so she reluctantly agreed.

The next morning at ten, the artist he had arranged for arrived. "Nice to meet you, Cam. I'm Valentina Dawson, Andres'… junior."

Seeing Valentina, Andres' face betrayed a flicker of unease. Clearly, she was not the artist he had called.

"Mr. Wilson had something come up, so I'm filling in for him," Valentina explained, her gaze sweeping over Camellia with a faint, inscrutable smile.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like my sister, Cam?" she asked.

"My sister had a beauty mark in the exact same spot as yours. The only difference is that hers was real, while yours… is drawn on."

The room fell silent. Andres' expression darkened as he snapped, "Val, that's enough.

"No one is more important to me than Camellia," he said firmly.

Valentina blinked in surprise, then playfully stuck out her tongue at him. "Alright. I was just joking."

She hooked one arm around Camellia's and led her toward the studio. With her other hand, she reached behind, tracing lazy circles on Andres' palm. Her gaze was sultry and inviting.

"Andres, you're standing all wrong," she complained moments after starting the painting.

Setting her brush down, she stood up and walked over to him.

She caressed his face with one hand while the other trailed down his chest. Her fingers brushed over his Adam's apple, then came to rest on his shoulder.

Leaning in close, she breathed warm air into his ear. "Why so tense, Andres?"

His eyes darkened instantly.

Camellia caught a glimpse of their interaction from the corner of her eye. Pain stabbed through her chest, and she forced herself to look away.

Barely a few minutes later, Valentina suggested that Camellia's pose was not intimate enough.

"Let me show you how it's done, Cam," she said with a sly smile.

She pushed Camellia aside and tugged Andres forward by his tie. Her full figure pressed against his chest as her thumb brushed deliberately over the corner of his lips. Finally, she left a bold kiss on his mouth.

Turning to Camellia, she tilted her head with a brazen expression. "Do you get it now, Cam?"

When he saw Camellia's reaction, Andres quickly explained, "In the art world, we're a bit more… uninhibited."

Camellia said nothing, merely clenching her trembling hands to keep herself composed. She excused herself to the bathroom, needing to escape.

When she returned, muffled sounds from inside the room made her stop in her tracks.

"Andres, no… You're going to ruin me," a woman's voice purred breathlessly.

As she peeked inside, Camellia saw Valentina with one leg wrapped around Andres' lean waist. Her back was pressed against the windowsill, and she was moving in rhythm with him.

Andres' eyes burned with passion as he kissed her fiercely.

"You came all the way to my house! Wasn't this what you wanted?" he growled.