Camilla’s POV
Watching my sister walk up to the house with such an attractive man nearly knocked the breath out of my lungs.
I had been stationed by my bedroom window for the better part of the afternoon, monitoring her movents like a hawk. When she appeared with this devastatingly handso stranger, my jaw practically hit the floor.
Of course, I knew all about her husband. The family grapevine had been buzzing with that particular piece of gossip for weeks.
But witnessing him in the flesh, standing re yards away from , left completely speechless.
Still, he paled in comparison to Hugo. My man was superior in every conceivable way.
Though I had to admit, Vance was certainly easy on the eyes. The kind of man who probably knew exactly how to please a woman in every way that mattered.
When I attempted to make my grand entrance and offer my heartfelt apologies to dear sister, she blindsided by slamming the door in my face. The rejection stung more than I cared to admit.
I had fully expected her to welco back with open arms imdiately. After all, what other family did she have left in this world?
But sothing had changed in her since her return. She had transford into this insufferable version of herself, constantly trying to demonstrate her superiority over everyone around her.
First question: how had she managed to beco so incredibly popular?
Second question: why had her attitude beco so absolutely terrible?
Third question: how in the world had she secured a husband like Vance?
Despite her refusal to grant an audience, I decided to tail her anyway.
When I reached the front entrance and pressed my palm against the wooden door, I caught fragnts of conversation drifting from inside.
Their exchange made freeze in place, abandoning my plans to burst through the door.
Her husband’s voice carried an unsettling edge of fury when he inquired whether I had caused her any harm.
Fear never entered my mind. I knew Hugo would always have my back, no matter what.
There was absolutely no possibility she could have punished, and certainly no way he could lay a finger on .
But sothing about the way he phrased his question, asking who had dared to hurt her, radiated an unmistakable aura of authority.
Then I forced myself to rember that while he might wield considerable influence in the human realm, possibly even vast wealth, he ant absolutely nothing in our world.
Hugo held the title of alpha. Not rely any alpha, but the most formidable one I had ever encountered.
So I retreated from the door, reminding myself that I could always use Hugo as my personal shield. I spun around and marched directly back into the mansion, where I spotted Hugo descending the staircase to the main floor.
The others had vanished, most likely sequestered in their private quarters.
"Hugo!" I shouted, spreading my arms wide in welco.
I had been deprived of his company all day because I had spent the entire previous night binge-watching movies and only managed to drag myself out of bed an hour earlier.
After a refreshing shower, I had gotten dressed, positioned myself by the window, and that was precisely when I witnessed Bella’s hocoming.
"You appear to be in exceptionally high spirits," Hugo observed, declining to embrace but instead giving my cheek a gentle squeeze.
"Co here and hug properly," I demanded, jutting out my lower lip in an exaggerated pout.
He chuckled at my theatrical behavior and pulled into a tender embrace.
But his scent was absolutely intoxicating, flooding my senses completely.
"What kept you busy outside?" he asked in a conversational tone, harboring no suspicions whatsoever.
"I went to have a conversation with Bella and offer my apologies, but she simply rushed off with her husband. It was bizarre, the way she clung to his arm, as if I had interrupted so intimate mont between them. Perhaps my timing was completely wrong."
I attempted to sound nonchalant while deliberately weaving in specific details, and I noticed Hugo’s expression tighten almost imperceptibly.
"So you were unable to speak with her?" he inquired, and I responded with a shake of my head.
"Well, I genuinely do want to apologize to her. Could you possibly accompany ?" I begged.
"Absolutely. But allow to speak with her privately first. I want to ensure she feels comfortable seeing you at this particular mont," Hugo said, heading toward the kitchen.
I trailed behind him, and fortunately, since I was positioned behind him, he could not witness how my expression darkened.
I was genuinely irritated. I despised the fact that he was not telling that an apology was completely unnecessary.
Instead, he was suggesting that he would ask her if she, the supposed queen, desired to grace with her presence. That attitude really grated on my nerves.
But as always, when he turned to face directly, I plastered a bright smile across my lips, trying to appear perfectly reasonable and understanding.
"Yes, please do exactly that, but make it quick. I really want to apologize properly. I actually miss spending ti with the children, you know?" I said, pouting again.
I caught the way Hugo’s brow furrowed as he studied .
"Really? You enjoy being around kids?" he asked.
His tone carried deep confusion, which only served to irritate further.
"Yes, why are you asking like that? Do you not think I am capable of liking children?" I laughed awkwardly.
"You used to despise even accompanying to schools when I volunteered at the local orphanages. Rember how you complained that you could not tolerate the children running around everywhere?" he replied, reminding of sothing that made secretly clench my teeth.
Did he really need to bring up that particular mory? Apparently so.
"Hugo, that situation was completely different. Honestly, seeing these specific kids changed my entire perspective. There is sothing absolutely wonderful about them. They are adorable, are they not?" I said using the cheerful tone I always employed with him.
He smiled at with that soft, innocent expression soone displays when they find another person endearing.
So I assud my performance was successful.
"Alright then. Let us have so breakfast first, and then we can go speak with her," he finally agreed.
I had no desire to apologize. I simply wanted to remain involved, to observe what was developing between her and her husband.
And if I did not stay close to her, how else could I find opportunities to hurt her?
"Why breakfast? It is already well past lunchti. Let us go there and have lunch with them instead. What do you think?" I suggested, clapping my hands together enthusiastically.
"That would be presumptuous. We should not appear uninvited. But yes, we can certainly go and apologize to them. Let us just eat lunch here first," he replied.
As he spoke, my phone buzzed with a notification. It was a ssage from my mother:
Mom: Make sure you reconcile with Bella today. That day we made terrible mistakes. We should never have driven her away.
This ti, be kind to her. Rember, staying close to her remains important for our family.
I glanced briefly at Hugo before typing my response.
: Already working on the situation. Her husband seems very protective of her. But do not worry, everything will work out perfectly according to our plans.
I pressed send, flashing Hugo my most deceptively sweet smile.
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