Chapter 371
Chapter 371
Over here, Elvis had already dealt with the two foreigners, including the feeble bodyguards who were no match for him. He had beaten them till they ended up with bloody noses and swollen faces and locked them up in the compartment of the restroom, even hanging a ‘Do Not Disturb‘ sign outside the door.
They were all so weak, hardly enough to warm him. up.
However, he couldn’t make a big scene. He had to finish the job quickly. After all, they were in Elmsworth, not abroad. Considering his status, he couldn’t be too conspicuous.
As Elvis left the nightclub, he received a call from Arnold.
“All sorted out, Arnold. You can relax and enjoy your time with your girlfriend. They won’t be bothering you anymore.” He said, yawning out of boredom
“She’s not my girlfriend, so cut the crap!” Arnold’s tone suggested that his mood was far from good, sounding rather grumpy.
“What, you think I’m stupid or blind? The way you played the knight in shining armor tonight, and how the girl knew your name, even throwing herself into your arms. It’s pretty clear you two are more than just friends.”
Elvis whistled, “What’s there to be ashamed of? Dating isn’t something to be embarrassed about. Or are you planning to stay single till forty and be dubbed an old bachelor?” “Elvis, do me a favor.”
Arnold took a deep breath, “Look into that two guys who caused trouble for Camille tonight for me. We’ve only solved half of the problem. I’m afraid they’ll target her again in a few days.”
“I’ve thought of that too. I’ve checked, and those two don’t have much influence in Elmsworth. They’re just top brass of a foreign construction company.”
“Construction company?”
“Yeah, your girlfriend sure has a wide range of contacts.”
Elvis chuckled, “I’ll have some juicy gossip to share with Evadne tonight!”
“If you don’t want to upset Evadne, don’t mention anything about tonight to her.”
Arnold’s voice took on a somber tone, “Camille is Evadne’s best friend. If you tell her about this, it’ll only make her worry. She won’t even get a good night’s sleep.” Elvis was taken aback, “Well, well, well! What a small world!”
“Shut up! I’m hanging up!”
With that, Arnold really did hang up the phone.
Elvis chuckled, then took out a sleek, palm–sized ultra–thin notebook computer from his pocket, a device with a cutting–edge piece of technology every senior special agent had, which was almost impossible to come by domestically.
On this device, he could look up a lot of information.
So, he checked the license plate number of the luxury car.
The answer came quickly.
“A car under the Chambers Group? Interesting.”
Elvis looked at the results, thinking of that face that looked so much like Evadne’s, his eyes slightly narrowing, “Ms. Archer, whose side are you really on? Matthew? Byron? Or Avery?”
Arnold took Camille back to his house in Elmsworth.
The prestigious son of the Ashbourne family actually didn’t have his own villa in Elmsworth. He lived in a flat with simple decorations, which was quite unexpected for Camille.
“You can stay in this room.”
Arnold led Camille to the door of a spacious room, “It has a bathroom, and there are my pajamas in the closet. If you don’t mind, you can make do with them for one night.”
“Why are you so stubborn?” Camille sighed helplessly.
“Because you’re Evadne’s best friend, I can’t just ignore what happened.”
“About her.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t mention anything about tonight to Evadne. I don’t want her to worry more than you do.”
Camille felt a little relieved upon hearing this.
After many years of contacting, Evadne was no longer just the one who had offered her a ray of hope in the face of adversity. She was not only her friend but also her family. She didn’t want to worry her, let alone cause her any trouble.
Just then, Camille’s phone rang.
She glanced at the screen, her eyes suddenly dimming. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped her phone.
Arnold clearly sensed her mood plummeting. He tactfully exited the room and closed the door.
But he didn’t leave immediately, instead choosing to eavesdrop
He knew it wasn’t the best thing to do, but for some reason, he had an inexplicable desire to take care of her.
Moreover, he could sense that no matter how he asked, Camille hadn’t told his any truth along the way after they left the nightclub.
With years of experience as a procurator, he already had developed a keen mind, enabling him to detect her abnormalities.
Inside the room, Camille hesitated for a moment before finally picking up the call with a heavy sigh.
“Dad”
“What exactly happened tonight?”
Mr Evert’s voice came from the other end of the phone, devoid of warmth or emotion, only filled with interrogative anger.
“There was a bit of a situation, so the dinner party ended early.” Camille’s voice was low and raspy.
“What kind of situation? Can’t you prioritize?”
Another woman’s harsh voice came from the other end. It was Mrs. Evert, “I told you, she couldn’t possibly help you properly. It would be a miracle if she doesn’t squander all your money.”
Camille clenched her fists tightly, her face pale as a sheet.
One thing that others didn’t know, even Evadne was kept in the dark about.
She was the illegitimate daughter of the CEO of the Evert Group, her identity never acknowledged by the Evert family.
When Camille was sixteen, she was nearly raped by Mr. Evert’s brother. In a fit of rage, her mother stabbed the man to death. The Evert family, fearing public disgrace, hired top lawyers to fight the case for her mother, who was sent to a mental institution but managed to avoid prison.
For years, the Evert family had maintained a tight reign over Camille, even as she had carved out a niche for herself in the world of design. The Evert family held influence over her, and with one word, she would be forced to return to work for them.
Mrs. Evert had a son and a daughter. The son was the heir apparent, and the daughter was the apple of her eye.
Camille, however, had always been an appendage to the Evert family. She wasn’t even considered an appendage, merely someone to take advantage of.
To free herself from the Evert family, Camille had struck out on her own, never asking for a penny from them. Despite the enormous pressure, she had managed to make a name for herself in the design world, yet she was still unable to fully control her own life.
“Where are you right now?!” Mr. Evert asked, his voice stern.
“I’m at a friend’s place.”
“Tomorrow, you will bring two gifts and go to apologize to those two executives with me!”
The memory of being plied with drinks by the two lecherous men and their attempts to take advantage of her made Camille feel sick. Through gritted teeth, she responded, “I’m not going. If you want to apologize, you can do it yourself.”
“What did you say?!”
Mr. Evert was furious, “You caused a huge mess tonight and even had them injured! How can you not show up to fix this?!”
“That’s right!”
Mrs. Evert chimed in, “Camille, you need to understand. If this deal falls apart, the Evert Group will lose 30 million dollar project! How do you plan to make up for that? With your life?!”
“I will find a way to compensate any losses the Evert family incurs.”
“Compensate? With what, the money you make by selling clothes? By sewing?” Mrs. Evert mocked her openly.
Other laughter could be heard over the phone; she could tell it belonged to her half–sister, Eunice Evert.
That heartless girl, who never missed an opportunity to ridicule and belittle her.
“You come back here right now!” Mr. Evert roared.
“I won’t go back, and I won’t meet them tomorrow! Do you know I almost got raped.” Camille choked up a couple of times as she spoke.
The line went quiet.
After a while, Mr. Evert’s tone softened, but his words cut deeper, “Camille, I understand this is difficult for you. But the Evert family is in trouble, and as a daughter of this family, it’s only reasonable that you make some sacrifices. Your sister Eunice is also making sacrifices for this family by marrying Mr. Gellar of the Gellar family from the north district.”
Camille’s eyes turned red. She asked word by word, “Those two men tried to do something to me. Did you know this from the start?”
Hearing no response from the other end, Camille continued. “You knew it, and yet you still made me go see them. Is this how you push your own daughter into the fire? Camille was in tears, crying out in despair.
Arnold, standing outside the door, couldn’t catch other words she said, but he heard this last sentence quite clearly. From the fragments of the conversation he overheard, he managed to piece together the whole story.
Somehow, his heart churned in distress. Fists clenched, he was bristling with fury.
What kind of hellish family was this?
How could parents force their own daughter into such a situation?!
After a while, the room fell silent.
Worried, Arnold knocked lightly on the door.
But there was no response from Camille. Concerned, he pushed the door open.
“Camille?!”
Arnold’s pupils contracted, his body shook!
Camille lay on the floor, unconscious, her face as pale as sheet.
Arnold quickly checked on her, only to find that her heart had stopped. Fear coursed through his veins!
“Hang in there, Camille!”
He started chest compression, but there was no response from her!
“Camille!”
Looking at Camille’s lips, which had turned as gray as wilted rose petals, Arnold steeled himself and leaned down to perform mouth–to–mouth resuscitation. Their lips met, and he breathed life into her, his heart pounding in his chest.
After what felt like an eternity, Camille’s eyes fluttered open, and she instinctively reached out to him.
Arnold was taken aback, and lost his balance, falling towards her.
“Mmm”
Camille’s eyes were misty and tear–filled, her expression both pitiful and passionate
Without realizing it, she had touched a chord in Arnold’s heart.
Her lips, now flush with color, parted gently, slowly and tenderly tracing Arnold’s lips.
Finally, Arnold’s restraint snapped.
His eyes were red, his breath heavy. His warm tongue pried open her lips, tasting her sweet breath, mingled with a hint of alcohol. It invaded his senses, reaching deep into his soul.
He didn’t know how everything had come to this.
But one thing he knew for sure.
He didn’t want to leave her lips; he didn’t want to stop.