Chapter 15 Did She Think He Would Care?
The assistant dropped Camilla off at her place. She hopped out of the car, gave him a quick thanks, and instead of heading upstairs, she made a beeline for the nearby supermarket.
Twenty minutes later, she was lugging a bunch of grocery bags when she spotted Sebastian strolling her way, bathed in the orange-red glow of the setting sun.
The sky was getting dim, but the sunset made him look like he was straight out of a movie, his tall frame casting a long shadow.
He walked with purpose, not even glancing around.
"Well, look who it is! Fancy seeing you here," Camilla called out, grinning.
Sebastian looked up, adjusting his glasses. "Yeah, what a coincidence."
"Had dinner yet? I just grabbed some groceries. Wanna join me?"
Sebastian was about to say no, but then he remembered her cooking. Against his better judgment, he nodded.
It was Sebastian's first time at Camilla's place.
The balcony was a riot of blooming tulips. A couple of red koi swam lazily in a square fish tank. The white curtains fluttered in the breeze, and the cherry wood furniture gave the place a warm, cozy vibe.
Totally chill, super inviting.
On the glass coffee table, there were study materials and books for her grad school exams. A quick glance showed almost all the answers scribbled in black pen were spot on.
Camilla asked, "Want something to drink?"
"Water's good."
She poured him a glass.
"Thanks."
Out of nowhere, Sebastian said, "You got one of the multiple-choice questions wrong."
Camilla followed his gaze to the test paper she had finished that morning. She knew exactly which question he meant. "That one’s tricky. It mixes biology and physics, especially dynamics, which I’m still wrapping my head around."
"The choice of potential and its relationship with dynamic calculations is super close. Different potentials change the system's potential energy surface, and that messes with the trajectories of molecular motion," Sebastian explained.
Camilla was stunned for a sec, then her eyes lit up. "Oh, I get it now!"
Sebastian was a bit taken aback by how fast she caught on. "You do?"
"Mostly," Camilla admitted. "I’ve read your research notes in the library, so I know some basics of molecular dynamics."
"You can understand them?"
"Yeah."
Sebastian looked a bit embarrassed. "Those were my undergrad notes, full of typos."
Camilla couldn’t help but laugh. To be fair, there were quite a few.
"You're smart. The grad school exam should be a breeze for you."
Camilla beamed, "Really? I’ll hold you to that."
Meanwhile, Leopold and Oliver were leaving the mall as the sky darkened.
Oliver glanced at the paper bag in Leopold's hand, swinging around like it was nothing. Inside was jewelry worth over a million bucks.
Who was he trying to impress?
The store had offered to deliver it securely, but Leopold had turned them down.
Too bad they didn’t bump into Camilla on their way out.
Oliver suggested, "It's getting late. How about we grab some dinner?"
Leopold, not really into it, shrugged, "You pick."
Oliver went for a well-known private spot nearby.
They snagged a private room on the second floor, nice view, super chill.
The waiter handed over the menu, and Oliver took forever to decide, almost drowning in choices.
Noticing Leopold's silence, he tried to get him talking, "Heard this place is top-notch. Anything you wanna try?"
Leopold just shrugged again. "You decide."
Since leaving the jewelry store, he'd been messing with his lighter, totally zoned out.
Camilla walking past him like he was invisible had him all twisted up.
He thought, 'She’s really acting like I don’t exist? And why hasn’t she moved back after leaving Juniper’s place? How long is she gonna keep this up?'
Lost in thought, he lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.
Oliver finally picked the dishes.
As the food arrived, the smell was mouth-watering. Oliver, starving, just wanted to dive in.
He took a bite and it was amazing.
Looking at Leopold, who was eating like he was at a funeral, Oliver asked, "Still thinking about Camilla? She’s probably still mad. Give it some time, she might come around."
Oliver paused, then added, "Plus, you dumped her in front of everyone. Of course she’s pissed. Give her some time, then maybe you can patch things up."
Leopold’s face tightened. "Who said I was thinking about her? Just eat."
"Alright, alright." Stubborn as always!
Suddenly, his phone buzzed.
Leopold checked it, and a photo popped up.
A woman stood sideways, and a guy was reaching out, about to touch her face.
The pic was blurry, but he instantly recognized Camilla and the guy as Declan!
Leopold’s eyes went cold.
Oliver noticed and asked, "What’s up?"
Leopold tossed the phone on the table, face like ice. "This is what you call 'give it some time'? She’s got some nerve!"
She was messing with Declan again!
Oliver glanced at the photo and felt a headache coming on. 'Declan’s really pushing it, taking advantage of Camilla’s anger. He’s playing with fire.'
Leopold sneered. "Leaving me, her taste really tanked, going for someone like Declan."
Did she think he would care?
Meanwhile, Camilla was in her own world, focused on studying. It was boring but satisfying and stable.
Every day, she bounced between her rental and the library. In her free time, she cooked for herself and sometimes shared with Sebastian, who often worked late.
Her material life wasn’t as plush as before, but leaving that villa made her feel freer than ever.
"Camilla, studying?" Juniper’s daily call.
"Yeah." Camilla got up, moved to a corner, and lowered her voice to not bother anyone.
"It’s Friday. How about dinner out?"
"But..."
"No buts. You need a break. Studying needs balance. Don’t overdo it."
"Okay."
They set up to meet at a restaurant.
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