CHAPTER 8

DESMOND

“What did she say?”

Camellia’s voice drifted across the space as she stepped out of the pool, water glistening on her skin. Droplets slid slowly down her body from her back down to cleavage as she reached for the champagne glass resting at the pool’s edge.

For a moment, I didn’t answer. My eyes followed the thin trails of water running from her shoulders, down the curve of her chest, disappearing into the fabric of her bikini.

“Desmond!”

Her sharp call snapped me back to reality. I blinked quickly, then gave her an easy smile, making no effort to hide the fact that I had been staring.

“What?” I said lightly. “Am I not allowed to admire what’s mine?”

She rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed, and walked over to the lounge chair beside me. Sitting down, she crossed her legs and picked up her drink.

“I’m not yours,” she replied coolly. “Not while that woman is still wearing your ring.”

I let out a slow breath, setting my glass aside, then reached for her, pulling her gently off the chair and onto my lap.

“She won’t be wearing it for long,” I said, my tone more serious now. “I just need to handle things properly, figure out how to present it to the press and close an important business deal first.”

Camellia bit her lower lip, her expression softening slightly as she leaned closer. Her fingers slipped into my hair, running through it slowly.

“And how long is that supposed to take?”

“About a month,” I replied. “My PR team is already working on the situation. Once everything is settled…” I paused briefly before continuing, “I’ll sit down with her and start the divorce.”

She gave a small nod, then leaned forward and pressed her lips softly against mine before pulling back slightly.

“You still didn’t answer my earlier question,” she reminded me.

A slow smirk spread across my face as I shifted closer, resting my head lightly against her chest, breathing in her familiar scent.

“It’s hard to focus on anything you say,” I murmured, “when you walk out looking like a goddess.”

Her body shook gently with laughter. “I mean it, Desmond. How did she react when you told her I’d be moving in?”

I straightened, pulling away just enough to look at her. My fingers traced absent patterns along her waist as irritation crept into my voice.

“She doesn’t have the right to give a reaction,” I said flatly. “She doesn’t have a choice in this.”

Just mentioning Eudora was enough to sour my mood.

But instead of looking pleased, Camellia’s lips curved into a small pout, her brows drawing together slightly.

“And what about what I said?” she pressed. “I don’t want to run into her when I move in.”

I exhaled, already expecting that question.

“She’ll be staying in the basement.”

Her eyes widened immediately. “She’ll be what?”

“I can’t throw her out,” I replied, running a hand through my hair with a sigh. “If she starts talking or worse, the staff does, it’ll create unnecessary gossip. Moving her to the guest space downstairs keeps things quiet and controlled.”

There was a brief pause, then her expression slowly softened, satisfaction returning to her face.

“You do realize,” she said with a small smile, “that I have a lot of clothes, right?”

Pulling her even closer until there was barely any space left between us, I leaned in, my lips brushing lightly against her ear before I murmured, “Then I guess I’ll just have to buy you more clothes.”

A soft giggle escaped her, light and teasing as she tilted her head slightly. “As tempting as that sounds,” she said, tapping my shoulder, “that’s not even the point.”

I tried to distract her, leaning in again, but this time she caught on quickly. The moment I got too close, she pushed me back with a playful slap to my chest, her brows lifting in mock annoyance.

“Are you even listening to me?” she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly, though the smile tugging at her lips gave her away.

“Mhmm,” I hummed lazily, clearly not convincing.

She sighed, shaking her head as if I was a hopeless case, then continued anyway. “Your closet isn’t going to be enough for both of us. Not even close. So I’m going to need an entire room just for my clothes and accessories.”

“That’s not a problem. We have more than six guest rooms. Pick one and turn it into whatever you want.”

She went quiet for a second, and when I looked at her, I caught the subtle shift in her expression. Her fingers toyed with the edge of my shirt as she looked up at me through her lashes.

“I already have a room in mind,” she said softly.

My attention drifted to her lips, the way they curved slightly as she spoke. “Mmm…” I responded absentmindedly, barely hiding where my focus had gone.

She leaned in just a little, her voice dropping as she spoke.

“The room Eudora is moving out of,” she said carefully. “I want that one. I’ll turn it into my closet.”

For a brief second, I studied her face, but in the end, I simply shrugged.

“If that’s what you want, then take it.”

Her face lit up instantly, satisfaction clear in her expression. She leaned forward without hesitation and pressed a quick, pleased kiss to my lips.

“Good,” she said, smiling. “By the way… my parents want to meet you.”

That made me pause.

I frowned slightly, the ease in my expression fading just a bit. “Why?”

Letting out a long breath, she slipped off my lap and reached for her champagne glass again, taking a slow sip.

“I honestly don’t know why,” she admitted, glancing at me over the rim of her glass. “But don’t you think it’s about time? A dinner… or maybe even lunch with them? It feels long overdue.”

I leaned back slightly, considering it for a brief moment before nodding. “I’ll make out time.”

A small, satisfied smile curved her lips as she set her glass down. Without another word, she turned and walked back toward the pool, slipping into the water.

I, on the other hand, reached for my phone the moment it buzzed beside me, my attention already shifting.

***********

“How long is this EXCO deal supposed to take?”

My father asked as he settled into his seat at the dining table.

“You don’t need to stay tied to that woman,” he added, adjusting his posture as he looked directly at me.

“To that family,” my mother corrected quickly, letting out a quiet sigh as she placed a plate of fruit salad in front of him.

“You have absolutely no reason to go for her sister,” she continued, turning her gaze to me. “Not after finally freeing yourself from Eudora.”

“The deal will take about a month.” I chose to ignore her comment entirely, though I knew she wouldn’t let it slide. And just as expected, the silence only seemed to make things worse.

“You’re not going to say anything?” she demanded, her voice tightening. “You’re just going to sit there and let him walk right back into that situation?”

My father remained quiet for a moment, his expression unreadable.

“Talk him out of it,” she pressed, her tone rising slightly. “He has no business getting involved with Camellia or whatever her name is!”

Dad spared Mum a quick glance before letting out a low chuckle, the kind that carried more agreement than amusement.

“Your mother is right,” he said, nodding slowly as if he had carefully considered it himself, even though it was obvious he was simply siding with her. “You don’t have any reason to keep circling that family. We’ve already gotten everything we needed from them.”

I let out a quiet, disbelieving scoff, shaking my head slightly. “That’s funny, because the last time I checked, both of you actually liked Camellia.”

Mum rolled her eyes, dismissing the point with a wave of her hand. “That was before the accident.”

“She saved my life,” I gritted out, leaning forward slightly as I looked between them. “Have you both forgotten that? Without Camellia, you wouldn’t even have a son sitting here right now.”

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke, but it didn’t last.

Dad leaned back in his chair, his expression calm, almost indifferent. “And we can repay that,” he said . “Money exists for a reason. That family_” he paused, a faint hint of disdain creeping into his tone, “_they’ll accept it. They always do.”

I pushed my chair back, the sound scraping loudly against the floor as I stood up. The conversation had already gone further than it needed to.

“I’m done with this.”

Both of them looked at me, but I didn’t wait for another argument to begin.

“After my divorce from Eudora,” I continued, meeting their eyes one last time, “I’m marrying Camellia.”

I let the words settle before adding, more pointedly this time, “And I sincerely hope neither of you makes things difficult for her… or gives her a reason to rethink that decision.”

Certain I had made myself clear, I turned and walked out of the dining room.