Bella’s POV
"Have you lost your mind? What exactly are you trying to pull here?"
Camilla’s sharp voice cut through the café’s ambient noise as she glared at .
But the instant her eyes landed on Derek standing behind , her entire deanor transford. Her shoulders relaxed, her spine straightened, and she cleared her throat delicately.
"Oh, sister! What brings you here?" she asked, rising gracefully from her chair.
Her voice had shifted to that sickeningly sweet tone she reserved for public performances. She moved as if to embrace across the small table, but I stepped backward, raising my hand to maintain distance.
"Is everything alright? You seem upset about sothing," she continued, her gaze sliding past to focus on Derek. "Alpha Derek, what a pleasant surprise to see you here."
The false warmth in her greeting confird my suspicions entirely.
All those years I’d questioned myself for feeling envious of her, wondering if I was being petty and unreasonable. Now the truth stood crystal clear before . She remained exactly the sa manipulative person she’d always been.
"Beth." I turned away from my sister completely, crossing my arms as I addressed the reporter directly.
Beth’s hand crept toward her coffee cup in a futile attempt to take a casual sip, but I snatched the beverage away and placed it on the far side of the table. Her arm fell limply to her side.
"Well, hello there. Look who it is, our local heroes," she said with forced brightness, acting as though she’d only just noticed our presence. Then, dropping her voice to match Camilla’s artificial sweetness, she added awkwardly, "What brings you two here today?"
"Enough with the charade."
Derek’s authoritative voice silenced both won as he stepped forward and took charge of the situation. Their faces imdiately fell when they realized he wasn’t going to tolerate their performance.
"That conveniently tid interruption at the cabin was orchestrated, wasn’t it?" he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.
His expression radiated authority and barely contained anger. The deep lines etched across his brow made him appear genuinely intimidating.
"I’m sorry, what are you implying?" Camilla responded, maintaining her facade of innocent confusion.
"I’m certain Beth has the answers we’re looking for. What are the odds that she just happened to appear at the exact sa location where Derek and I were staying, at the precise mont we were there, and coincidentally happens to be your personal friend?" I challenged them, making it clear we’d already seen through their sche.
Camilla’s practiced smile wavered montarily before she turned back to Derek, forcing another innocent expression across her features.
"The truth is, I’m planning to announce my engagent to your closest friend, and I needed dia coverage for the story. That’s why I contacted Beth. We actually t when she interviewed you previously," Camilla explained smoothly.
Her explanation felt hollow and rehearsed, regardless of how confidently she delivered it.
Derek’s arms gradually lowered from their defensive position, whether due to the ntion of Hugo’s na or because he was considering her story.
"What other reason would I have for such behavior? Besides, how could I possibly have known you were spending ti at that cabin with my sister?" she continued in that soft, persuasive tone she’d perfected over the years.
"Are you claiming you have no connections to Hugo’s royal beta, his managent team, or anyone else who might have inford you of our whereabouts?" I pressed, noting how Derek’s arms crossed defensively once again.
"I was simply trying to—" she began, but Derek raised his palm, cutting her off mid-sentence.
"Camilla, I may not have concrete evidence at this mont, but if I discover you’re manipulating situations behind the scenes, understand this clearly: I am not Hugo. I won’t overlook your destructive behavior or ignore how much you despise Bella just to maintain harmony. Consider this your only warning. Stay away from her affairs and leave her alone," he stated with unwavering firmness.
His tone made it abundantly clear that he tolerated her presence solely because of his friendship with Hugo. Otherwise, he rembered perfectly well how cruelly she’d treated in the past.
Camilla’s discomfort was palpable. She glanced around nervously, assessing whether other patrons had overheard the confrontation.
I understood how desperately she needed to protect her carefully crafted public image. She’d built her entire identity around appearing innocent after committing the most calculated acts of cruelty.
"We’re leaving, Bella," Derek announced, gesturing for to move ahead of him.
I followed without protest, and within minutes we’d exited the café and were walking back toward our hotel.
"What exactly did you an earlier? You ntioned the reporter was planted to spread rumors about our relationship so that..." I began, pausing just as he had done before.
The mont we entered the hotel lobby and approached the elevator bank, the unfinished thought returned to haunt .
He pressed the call button and pretended he hadn’t heard my question.
"Derek, I asked you sothing," I repeated, allowing my frustration to show.
My patience had reached its limit.
"So that your reputation would be destroyed," he finally answered, looking down at with obvious reluctance.
His voice carried exhaustion, but I knew that wasn’t the complete truth he’d intended to share earlier.
"Don’t give half-answers, Derek. What were you really going to say? Do you know sothing I should be aware of? I’d genuinely appreciate so honesty here." My annoyance was unmistakable now.
I was beyond tired of everyone keeping secrets from .
"Alright," he conceded with a heavy sigh. The elevator doors chose that exact mont to open, interrupting him once again.
"Tell now," I demanded, planting myself firmly in place as we stepped out onto our floor.
I knew that once we entered the suite, the others and the children would be there with questions and distractions, giving him another excuse to avoid the conversation.
"You’re incredibly stubborn," he said with a slight laugh. When I remained motionless and kept staring at him expectantly, he realized I wouldn’t be deterred.
"Fine," he said again. "I believe she orchestrated this to ensure Hugo doesn’t get an opportunity with you."
"What?" Confusion clouded my thoughts as my eyebrows drew together. "Why would she even consider that a possibility?"
He hesitated, studying my face intently as though every word caused him physical pain.
"Because he used to have feelings for you," he finally confessed after rolling his shoulders tensely.
Those words struck like a physical blow. They weren’t casual or insignificant. They crashed into and dragged back to that ti when I’d harbored feelings for him too.
"That’s completely false," I responded quickly. "Who fed you such nonsense?" I dismissed the notion imdiately.
The reason was straightforward: he’d had his opportunity in the past and destroyed it completely.
"Do you want it to be false?" Derek asked quietly, his eyes searching my face as if seeking so hidden answer.
"What I want is irrelevant. What matters is the truth," I replied firmly.
His jaw tightened, and his expression hardened.
"He told us himself," Derek stated simply.
His revelation sent chills across my skin and filled my mind with racing questions.
If Hugo had genuinely cared for back then, why did he abandon after that night? Why had he reacted so badly to news of my pregnancy? And why had he been the one suggesting I terminate it?
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