Chapter 0012

•CAMILLA•

“Camilla, what are you doing in my room?”

I looked at the pictures on the floor and felt my blood boiling. Yes, I invaded his privacy by coming into his room, but he had been stalking me for years!

One picture was taken after a year I had been in Brooklyn, and during that time, I was already married to Lucius.

My mind was all over the place, and my heart was racing. I was angry. I was fuming and knew that I wouldn’t be able to say the right words, so I walked out the door and said nothing to him.

When I got to the third floor, I got inside my room and locked the door behind me. I kept pacing up and down, asking myself what the pictures meant.

Santino and I shared only one night of pleasure, then we were strangers until he arrived home with my stepmother, and my stepmother told me he was my arranged husband.

I remembered the day perfectly when he walked into the living room, and when he saw me, he scowled.

It was clear he didn’t agree with the whole thing as well. He didn’t want to see me any longer than I wanted to see him.

“Is this... Her?” The hesitation in his voice and disbelief were enough to send daggers into my heart.

“What’s this, Mom?” I asked Cecilia.

“This is Arya’s son, and the one that your father and I have arranged for you to marry. Through your union, we are going to build an empire that’s going to last for generations to come.”

“How was this arranged without my knowledge?” I was angry as I looked at my father.

“I don’t want to be part of this, Cecilia,” Santino chimed in as well. “I can’t be married to someone I do not know, and who is not even my type.”

“Type?!” I snapped as I looked at him. “You could never be my type, either. I really hope this is a joke, because I can’t imagine myself in the same room as you longer than a minute.”

“There are prettier and well-mannered girls out there than you,” he hissed as he looked at me. “I wouldn’t even pick you out of them to settle down with, even if the marriage were to be nothing but a business arrangement.”

“You disgust me already,” I snarled. “What makes you think I would want a thing like you as a husband? You’re an idiot if you think every girl would fall for your pathetic face. Gosh, you’re awful to look at.”

“Cecilia, may I take my leave, please?” He looked at my stepmother.

“Guys,” she scoffed. “This was a brilliant idea to bring you together in marriage as a business arrangement. You don’t have to like each other to agree to it. You can live your separate lives while married. I don’t understand why you are insulting each other when you just met.”

I looked at Santino, scowling. “I don’t want to see you again. When you leave our house, never set foot here for the rest of your life. I hope you understand.”

“With pleasure, Princess.” He turned his back and walked to the front door, slamming it on his way out.

“Camilla,” my father turned to me. “What was that? Do you realize how much money the business was worth? This was good for both families, for you, and for your future children. Why did you have to toss everything out of the window?” He sneered.

“You’re such a disappointment!” Cecilia hissed. “I can’t believe that you humiliated Santino in such a manner. Your behavior shames your dead mother’s memory, as you’ve become a useless member of this family. I, myself, am disappointed to call you my stepdaughter.”

She looked at me and then walked out of the room. She headed upstairs, and when the sounds of her heels clinking on the tiles disappeared, my father leaned toward me.

“I did not raise you to humiliate our guests in such a manner. You might not realize what you just did today, but that was shameful, Camilla. I raised you better than that.”

“Very well, Father,” I breathed. “If my disapproval of this arranged marriage has caused you to be disappointed in me, I will leave this house so that you and your wife will be happy. You know I wouldn’t have agreed to this from the beginning. I won’t marry someone I don’t love all because of money. I have my business, so what more do I want? Aren’t you and your wife already satisfied with the money that you have now? You’re the richest man in the world, isn’t that enough?”

My father just looked at me and said nothing. So, I turned my back on him and went to my bedroom.

Francesca walked into my room and found me getting ready to leave, with my bags packed. She closed the door behind her and furrowed her brow.

“Cammy, what’s going on?” She asked as she looked at the bags.

“I have to go, Francesca, but you have to tell no one about this. I want you to promise me that this will be our secret.”

“What do you mean?” She looked more confused.

“My father and stepmother arranged my marriage to Santino Banks, and I can’t do it. I don’t love the guy, and besides, he’s arrogant, and if I had known that he was an idiot, I wouldn’t have spent that night with him. So, I want to find love in my own way and terms.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“I’ll leave all my credit cards and ID with you so that I can experience the world as a normal person without my title as Camilla Ross. I want to take on a fake identity to achieve what I want.”

Francesca scoffed. “What? You can’t do that, Cammy. This is insane. Your father would be angry with me if he finds out that you left the house without even telling me where you went.”

“Please, you must promise me you won’t tell anyone,” I grabbed her hands. “If I go out there as Camilla Ross, I won’t find true love. I want to find a gentle, kind, and humble man to call my husband one day. Not someone as proud and arrogant as Santino.”

“What if your plan fails?”

I let go of her hands and sighed. “Then I’ll come back home and agree to the arranged marriage if Santino is single.”

She sighed. “I don’t know, Cam, this is dangerous.”

“I want to be happy. Even if I have to be with someone who’s not as rich as I am. I don’t care about money, just as long as that man will love and cherish me with all his heart.”

Francesca wrapped her arms around me. “Very well, then. I’ll keep your secret, and I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“Thank you, Francesca.”

“You can use the back exit; I’ll be on the lookout for you if anyone approaches while you’re sneaking out of the house.”

I smiled at her as I took my bags and went to the back exit. When I was finally out of the house and in my car, I drove straight to New York.

I was heading to a motel when my car broke down just when I passed the Brooklyn Bridge.

It was getting dark, and I was getting scared, thinking that I was going to get robbed on my first night away from home.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” A man asked as he approached me.

“Oh, thank you, sir, but I think I’ll be okay. I’ve called for help.”

“Please, I can’t leave you here all alone. At least allow me to look at the problem for you until the people you’ve called arrive.”

“That’s very kind of you; thank you.” I smiled as he took off his jacket and opened the trunk.

He looked at me and smiled. “My name is Lucius.”

“Alisha.”