Chapter 372
hapter 372
Camille’s sudden cardiac arrest was no small matter, so Arnold rushed her to the hospital and informed Evadne.
He understood his sister’s temper; if he kept this from her any longer, their sibling relationship would likely crumble.
The next morning. Evadne hurriedly returned from Skyrim to Elmsworth and went to the hospital where Camille was staying, accompanied by Jason.
“What the hell happened? How did Camille have a cardiac arrest?” Evadne asked anxiously, tears welling in her eyes.
“The doctors said that Camille has always been frail with a heart condition, but it isn’t too severe.”
A heart disease?
Evadne shuddered, and Jason quickly stepped forward to steady her.
She felt awful.
Not only was Camille her student, but she was also her best friend. Yet she knew nothing about her physical condition.
She felt like a failure as a mentor.
Remembering the phone call Camille had with her family the night before, Arnold clenched his fists silently, his voice husky, “She was overly emotional, which led to her cardiac arrest. Thank God I was there, otherwise the consequences would have been unthinkable.”
The night he took Camille to the hospital, he called Evadne and briefly explained how they ran into each other. But he didn’t tell Evadne about the conflict between Camille and her family.
“Why was she emotional? Why?” Evadne always liked to dig deep into the issues of those around her.
In her memory, Camille was always carefree and cheerful, as if nothing bothered her.
How could she?
“Evadne, let’s wait until Camille wakes up. She’ll tell you everything herself.” Arnold recalled the lengthy kiss they shared, his cheeks heating up and his mind slightly dazed. “Mr. Ashbourne, were you with Ms. Evert all last night? Did you take her to your home?” Jason asked curiously.
Evadne’s curiosity was piqued.
After all, it was the first time her brother, who had been single for thirty years, brought a woman home!
Wasn’t he always averse to women?
“Yes,” Arnold admitted honestly, “It was an emergency last night. I was afraid she would be harassed again, so I had to take her to my place.”
“And then what? What else happened, Arnold?” Evadne shook Arnold’s arm anxiously, asking, “What else did you guys do, huh?”
“You are such a curious kitten, with so many questions!” Arnold gave her a playful tap on her forehead, but his heart was racing strangely fast.
He didn’t know if Camille remembered the kiss that left him in turmoil the night before.
Just then, the door to the hospital room opened, and a nurse stepped out.
“The patient is awake.”
Without another word, Evadne pushed the door open and entered, full of worry.
Jason stayed outside the door, looking at Arnold’s increasingly–flushed face, and asked in surprise, “Mr. Ashbourne, are you running a fever?”
“Huh?” Arnold was snapped back to reality.
“Your face is so red. Are you okay?”
Arnold’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly tried to laugh it off, “I’m fine, I’m fine.”
Jason coughed lightly and arched the corners of his lips upwards silently.
Inside the hospital room, Camille was weakly propped against the head of the bed, with an IV drip in her arm. The morning sun shone on her pale face, giving her a heartbreaking beauty.
“Camille..” Evadne softly called her name, her eyes reddening.
She could hardly recognize the woman in front of her who had lost so much weight as her carefree, sunny friend.
“Evadne?!” Camille was stunned immediately and pulled her hand with the IV back under the blanket.
“What the hell happened?!”
Evadne sat down by the bed, gently holding her hand and asked with concern, “How did you end up like this? Who bullied you?!”
Camille bit her lip.
“Tell me, and I’ll stand up for you!”
“It was just a low blood sugar fainting spell, no big deal.”
“You’re still not telling the truth? Don’t you know you have a heart disease? How long were you planning to keep this from me?!”
Evadne’s face turned red with anger, squeezing Camille’s hand, “My brother said that you received a phone call last night, and you passed out after the call due to emotional agitation. Who called you? What did they say? What happened at the nightclub last night?”
Evadne was sharp, hitting the nail on the head with every question.
Camille’s eyelashes fluttered, and her fingers slightly flinched in Evadne’s palm, “Evadne, I didn’t mean to hide it from you. But I hope you can give me some personal space, let me keep some secrets”
“No! No! No!”
Evadne was infuriated, her eyes bloodshot, “What the hell kind of secret? You’re obviously being bullied and don’t want me to know, don’t want me to stand up for you! One of my life rules is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Whoever hurts the people around me, I will take revenge a thousand times over! You’ve been bullied to this extent, can as your mentor, just sit by and do nothing?!”
“You can’t manage it!”
Camille’s chest rose and fell rapidly. This was the first time she spoke so fiercely to her, “Please, stop meddling in my affairs, okay? I beg you!”
Evadne was taken aback, the light in her eyes slowly dimmed.
When Evadne came out of the hospital room, she was visibly upset.
But she was naturally stubborn. The more Camille hid, the more she wanted to find out everything and get justice for her!
Evadne asked Jason to stay and look after Camille while she and Arnold went to the coffee shop across the hospital.
“Evadne, I think there’s something wrong with Camille’s family. I don’t know if she’s ever mentioned it to you.” Arnold said, his long eyelashes lowered. He knew his sister didn’t like her coffee too bitter, so he gently put a sugar cube in her cup.
“No, she only told me she has a mother back in her hometown who’s not in good health. She’s never mentioned anything else to me.”
Evadne took a deep breath, “She’s my most trusted friend, and I’ve never thought about looking into her.”
“It’s not to look into. It’s to know better. Only when you fully get the information can you truly help her.”
As he finished, Arnold’s gaze flickered, finding a document from his phone and showing it to Evadne, “I’m sorry Evadne. I did some digging on Camille by myself. Please, don’t be angry with me.”
How could Evadne be angry? In fact, she was secretly delighted.
Her brother, who usually only cared about his cases and her affairs, was now showing such dedication towards Camille. It was deeply touching.
Did this mean she was about to have a sister–in–law?!
“Camille is the daughter of Spencer Evert, the CEO of the Evert Group.”
“The Evert Group? Heard of them. Not a major corporation, they’re just a real estate company with a bit of fame in Elmsworth.”
Evadne, always ready to take over the family business, had a clear understanding of the big players in the domestic market, especially the bosses in Elmsworth, “But I remember Spencer has a son and a daughter who are quite high–profile. How did Camille become his daughter?”
Arnold’s gaze darkened, “She’s his illegitimate daughter. It’s just never been publicized.”
“What?!”
Evadne shot up from her chair, staring at Arnold in disbelief, “An illegitimate daughter? From the Evert family?!”
“So we can understand why she’s keeping this from you.” Arnold didn’t know why, but seeing Camille’s past, he felt sour inside.
Compared to those who openly show their sorrow and misfortune, Camille, who hid everything in her heart, made him feel even more distressed.
“Camille’s really silly.” Evadne’s heart felt like it was being sliced, the pain making it hard for her to breathe.
“The two men who were drinking with Camille last night are senior executives of an overseas construction company, and they have business dealings with the Evert Group. Combined with Camille’s conversation with her dad last night, it should be a setup by the Evert family.”
“Unbelievable! They’re using their own daughter for business? Spencer, that heartless beast, has he lost his mind?!”
Evadne slammed the table hard, her coffee spilling over, her eyes burning with fury, “Arnold, I will handle this. You promise me one thing. Stay with Camille until she
recovers.”
Arnold was taken aback, but he didn’t immediately answer..
“Can you do it or not?!” Evadne glared at him.”
“Of course, I can. Whatever you ask me to do, I’ll do it.” Arnold quickly agreed.
“What? Now that you know Camille is an illegitimate daughter, you find her distasteful?”
“Do you think I’m that shallow?!” Arnold’s handsome face turned red, slightly frustrated.
At that moment, Cassius called Evadne.
“Evadne, Thaddeus will be attending a business cocktail party tonight. You will have the opportunity to meet him there.”
“Got it.” Evadne answered softly.
“Evadne, you can actually arrange a private meeting with him.”
Cassius paused, speaking with a heavy heart, “Even though you two can’t be a couple, or even friends, it doesn’t mean you should completely cut ties.”
“Til just meet him in public. I don’t want to see him privately.”
Evadne didn’t know why, but she was somehow afraid to see Thaddeus. She said in a low voice, “Cassius, I actually want Chasel to see Thaddeus. If possible, we can start the treatment. Once he’s fully recovered, we can then cut ties completely.”
When Arnold returned to the hospital room, Camille was standing by the window, talking on the phone with her back to him.
“I’ve done enough for the Evert family over the years. What more do you want from me? Do you want me to sell my blood, my body to satisfy you?!”
Camille tried to suppress the shaking in her voice due to anger, large beads of sweat rolling down her cheeks.
Suddenly, her phone was taken away.
Arnold had snatched her phone and was now holding it to his ear.
Camille looked up, her tear streaked face in shock as she stared at Arnold’s superior profile. His handsome features, like a perfectly crafted sculpture, and the clear integrity in his eyes gave her an unprecedented sense of security
“Hello Arnold’s gaze was icy
“Who are you?” Spencer asked in surprise
“With your status, you don’t deserve to know who I am”
Amold sneered, “But I want to remind you, what you’re doing now is crossing the legal line, going against a woman’s will. I can sue you
at any
time.”
“Sue me?! Ha, who do you think you are? Do you know who I am!” Spencer found it both irritating and amusing.
He thought this was some greenhorn trying to stick up for Camille, he didn’t take him seriously.
If he knew that the person he was talking to was Emeric’s son, Evadne’s brother, he would probably regret his actions.
15.05
“You don’t need to snarl at me here. If you dare to bother Camille again, you’ll see if I don’t teach you a lesson.” Arnold raised his chin slightly, smiling coldly., Who could outdo the arrogance of the Ashbourne family?
Spencer was fuming, bellowing, “Who the hell are you?!”
Arnold’s Adam apple bobbed, and with a sudden burst of courage, he pulled Camille into his arms.
Camille was crushed into his chest. She didn’t dare move, her heart in turmoil.
“I’m Camille’s boyfriend.”
After saying that, Arnold just hung up the phone, not giving Spencer a chance to retaliate.
The room fell silent.
“Don’t take it wrong. At that time, I had to say that.” Arnold quickly tried to save face for his impulsive declaration.
“I didn’t. No matter how you see it, I’m the one who’s benefited,” Camille chuckled bitterly in self–deprecation.
She knew that Arnold was only defending her out of respect for Evadne.
She was not deluded enough to think that Mr. Ashbourne would genuinely care for her..
She didn’t have delusions of grandeur, especially now that her being the illegitimate daughter of the Evert family could no longer be hidden. The illustrious Ashbourne family would never look twice at the likes of the Evert family, let alone a lowly illegitimate daughter like her.
Arnold licked his dry lips, gazing deeply at her, hesitating before he asked in a low voice, “Last night.”
“Thank you for last night. If it weren’t for you rescuing me in time, I would’ve been long gone,” Camille expressed her gratitude genuinely.
“No, I mean you really don’t remember anything?” Arnold asked tentatively with a hint of anxiety.
“What do you mean?” Camille looked at him, utterly confused.
Apparently, she really didn’t remember.
A strong feeling of being taken advantage of welled up in him.
“Ahem, can you let go of me now?” Camille mumbled, squirming a little in his arms.
Arnold’s heart pounded, and he hastily released his hold on her.
Camille clutched her chest, slowly walking back to sit on the bed.
Arnold watched her slender, gaunt silhouette, his heart aching. He walked over to her and asked softly. “What do you feel like eating?”
“I want pasta,” Camille looked up, meeting his clear eyes.
When she was feeling down, she always liked to comfort herself with a hot bowl of pasta.
“Alright, I’ll make it for you.”
Arnold rolled up his sleeves, thinking to himself that this girl was easy to please–a bowl of pasta was all it took.
“Also, add a soft–boiled–egg please!” Camille grabbed his hand.
Arnold’s eyes crinkled in a smile, his gaze warm and tender, “Alright, I’ll add two for you.“.
At the stroke of seven in the evening.