Chapter 35 Refusal
Camilla barged into the house and dumped the bag of books on the floor.
After lining them up, she was sweating buckets.
She hit the shower, then wandered into the living room and spotted the ointment on the coffee table. She grabbed it, twisted off the lid, and dabbed it on her bruises with a cotton swab in front of the full-length mirror.
The cool, minty ointment worked its magic, easing the pain.
It was still early. She wanted to dive into a book, but her head was pounding from the long day. She crashed on the couch and was out like a light.
In the dead of night, Camilla had a nightmare.
Leopold came at her like a monster. No matter how hard she fought, she couldn't shake him. The fear was so real. She clutched her collar and jolted awake, gasping for air.
The night was still dark, but she was too scared to sleep again.
She grabbed her phone and called Juniper, but no answer.
Clutching her phone, she noticed the light on the balcony next door was still on. She hesitated but then texted Sebastian: [Are you sleeping?]
Sebastian took his sweet time replying. Just as her eyes were about to close, her phone buzzed: [Yep]
Camilla, a bit slow on the uptake, checked her phone. Another message popped up: [Look out the window]
She looked up. The night sky was full of twinkling stars, bright and brilliant.
Sebastian: [See that curved 'S'? That's Scorpius.]
Her phone buzzed again: [Scorpius is one of the hardest constellations to spot. Finding something so rare, feeling any better?]
Just like that, her uneasy heart felt a bit lighter.
She texted back: [Thanks, I feel much better.]
Sebastian saw her message and smiled.
As he was about to get back to his report, his phone buzzed again.
Camilla: [Under the same starry sky, I'm happy to be stargazing with you. Goodnight.]
Under the same starry sky, the light in the villa's study was still on.
Leopold stared at the empty bookshelf, remembering Camilla leaning into Sebastian's arms earlier. In a fit of rage, he smashed the cup in his hand.
Just then, a Facebook notification pinged. It was a message from Amara.
Amara: [Baby, done with work? Haven't seen you in days. Miss you~]
[Got lots of plans. How about a date next week?]
Leopold scrolled through and saw the last message.
Amara: [Can I come over now?]
Leopold paused. Since Camilla wanted a clean break, what was he holding on to? After all, Amara was his girlfriend.
Leopold replied: [Come over.]
On the other end, Amara almost jumped for joy when she saw the message.
Amara had tried to test Leopold before, even throwing in some seduction, but he never took the bait. She figured this time would be the same, but to her surprise, he agreed.
She jumped up, changed clothes, and headed out.
Her roommate, still up and gaming, saw her sneaking out and got curious, "Amara, where you headed this late?"
"Only one thing could make Amara this excited—her rich, hot boyfriend."
Her roommate teased, making Amara blush.
Leopold's past reluctance to sleep with her always made her feel like he could bail at any moment, leaving her with zero security.
This time, if they actually hooked up, she'd finally feel like Leopold's real woman.
So, she picked out some matching lingerie.
When she got to the villa, before she could knock, the door swung open, and strong hands yanked her inside.
Next thing she knew, Leopold had her pinned against the wall, kissing her like crazy.
Amara was stunned for a sec but then clumsily started kissing back.
Still kissing, Leopold led her to the living room, pushing her onto the sofa and then climbing on top of her.
His urgency made her tilt her head back, barely able to handle it.
Soon, his hot kisses trailed down her neck. His warm hands skillfully lifted her top, moving teasingly over her body.
Amara's heart raced, her breath quickened, and she eagerly awaited Leopold's next move.
But when he touched her black lingerie, he suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Amara asked, confused.
Leopold rolled off her and sat on the sofa, "Sorry, get up."
Amara, still in a daze, felt like she'd been doused with cold water, making her shiver.
"Leopold, did I do something wrong?"
She reached out, trying to reignite his desire, but before she could touch him, Leopold grabbed her wrist.
Leopold looked at her coldly, "I don't like repeating myself."
Amara bit her lip, feeling hurt, but eventually sat up, not daring to speak.
Leopold's expression softened. He gently helped her straighten her clothes and said with a hint of tenderness, "Be good. It's late. I'll have the driver take you home."
Soon, the driver arrived.
Amara watched Leopold's back. Since earlier, he had been facing away from her. Now that she was leaving, he still didn't speak.
She bit her lip and finally left under the driver's urging.
Leopold lit a cigarette, watching the smoke rise. He couldn't help but think of Camilla's face. He closed his eyes and called Simon, "Where are you?"
Simon, who had just met a beautiful woman and was about to make a move, saw Leopold's call and gestured for silence before answering.
"What's up in the middle of the night? Can't sleep?"
"Find me a clean woman."
Simon was puzzled.
He thought, 'Wasn't Leopold just reconciled with Camilla? And he still dares to play around?'
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