Chapter 96
Andy widened his eyes, as if he’d just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.
At first glance, William seemed like a man with both looks and charisma, but it turned out he was working more than & fod with a warped sense of logic,
Without even bothering to understand what had happened, he jumped straight to ordering Camila to apologue. “Who does he think he is?‘ Andy had never met a man so utterly lacking in decency,
Before Camila could respond, Andy planted his hands on his hips and snapped, “Didn’t you see? She was just parking, Camila’s hair, almost tearing her scalp off! And now you’re defending her without even knowing the truth, dematheq Camila apologize? You’re absolutely unreasonable!”
William turned his gaze to Andy, his expression full of disdain for what he saw as Andy’s effemince demerez “Tááá’s between Camila and me. It’s none of your business.”
Then, his eyes shifted back to Camila, locking onto her with an intensity that felt almost predatory. His cold, tarp gaze seemed to claim her as his possession.
His words were harsh. “Camila, this isn’t the first time you’ve bullied Agnes. Don’t bother pretending to be innocent in front of me. I know exactly what kind of person you are.
“If you apologize to Agnes, I’ll let today’s incident slide. But if you refuse, I have plenty of ways to make you pay for it
Camila merely looked at him with a calm, detached expression, showing no sign of being hurt or upset by his accusations and threats.
After years of enduring the Jackson family’s and William’s misunderstandings and insults, she’d become unbreakable. She didn’t even care about William’s opinion anymore.
Five years ago, William had once chased after her, competed alongside her, and repeatedly vowed to surpass her. Now he had turned into someone she found utterly repulsive.
But it didn’t matter. She had stopped caring about him a long time ago.
What Camila had grown used to, however, was something Andy simply couldn’t tolerate. “What are you even saying? If you can’t talk properly, then shut your filthy mouth.
“Are your eyes just for decoration? When did you see Camila bullying her? And when did you see Camila pretending?”
Fuming, Andy rolled up his sleeves, ready to go after William, but Camila stopped him.
“Andy, Grandma Lindsey’s birthday banquet is about to start. Let’s go,” Camila said. “There’s no need to waste energy on irrelevant people.”
William felt a surge of frustration. The words “irrelevant people stuck in his throat like a thorn. He couldn’t believe that he was nothing more than someone irrelevant to Camila.
Her indifferent demeanor irritated him to no end. He wanted to shatter it, to provoke any reaction—anger, tears, pain- anything but her cold disregard.
Camila turned to leave, but William grabbed her arm tightly with his strong hand. With a sharp pull, she stumbled and slammed into the wall.
The pain made her let out a muffled groan as the gift box she was holding fell to the ground, the needle work inside rolling
out.
William pinned her against the wall, his voice icy. “Apologize to Agnes.”
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Chapter 96
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Camila hated his closeness. She pushed at him with all her strength, but his body was like an immovable wall, refusing to budge.
Andy couldn’t take it anymore. He rushed over and shoved William away from Camila, shouting, “Apologize? Screw that, you bastard!”
William frowned, and he delivered a swift kick to Andy’s stomach. Andy collapsed to the ground, clutching his abdomen in pain, unable to get up.
Camila was both shocked and furious. She was about to help Andy when she saw Agnes pick up the needle work from the floor.
Camila’s eyes narrowed sharply. Ignoring everything else, she lunged forward to grab it, but Agnes dodged her with ease.
Camila’s anger erupted in full force. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and slapped Agnes hard across the face.
The sudden slap left Agnes stunned. A bright red handprint appeared on her cheek, and a thin line of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.
Agnes stared at Camila in disbelief. She had assumed that with William present, Camila wouldn’t dare lay a hand on her.
Inside, Agnes was seething, wanting nothing more than to tear Camila apart. But she forced herself to keep up her innocent act, unwilling to show her true colors in front of William.
Tears streamed down her face as she cried pitifully, “Camila, I was just trying to help you pick up your things. Why would you hit me?”
William’s face turned terrifyingly dark, his glare sharp enough to cut. He gritted his teeth and said coldly, “Camila, you’ve gone too far.”
But Camila acted as though she hadn’t heard him. Her eyes were locked on the needle work in Agnes’s hand. She stepped forward, her voice cold and firm. “Give it back.”
Agnes quickly realized how much Camila cared about the item in her hand. She guessed it was likely a gift for Lindsey, which only made her more determined not to return it.
Out of William’s sight, Agnes dug her nails into the delicate fabric, her gaze taunting Camila with pure provocation.
Seeing the needle work being nearly ruined by Agnes’s nails, Camila’s fury reached its peak. She couldn’t hold back anymore and lunged at Agnes, starting to wrestle with her.
Agnes screamed, her voice trembling with sobs. “William, help me!”
William felt Camila had completely lost it. He grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her away.
“William, you bastard! Let me go!” Camila struggled with all her might, but it was useless. He dragged her into a nearby private room despite her resistance.
The door slammed shut with a loud bang, and William pinned Camila against it.
“Camila, have you lost your mind?” His voice was low and oppressive, his face so close to hers that she could feel his breath. Camila was trembling with rage, her chest heaving as she glared at him with fiery eyes. “Let me go!” she demanded.
But William didn’t loosen his grip. He held her wrist tightly, his gaze sharp and warning. “What exactly are you trying to do?”
Camila’s breathing gradually steadied, and her eyes turned cold and resolute. She lifted her head and met his gaze directly. “William, I should be the one asking you that–what exactly are you trying to do?
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“I was wrongly imprisoned for five years. You ruined my education, my health, and my future. The reason I’ve become a shadow of who I used to be is all because of you and the Jackson family.
“And now you have the audacity to question me? All I want is to stay away from you people. Is that really so much to ask?”
For a moment, William’s eyes flickered with something–was it guilt? Pain? Camila caught the fleeting emotion and let out a mocking laugh.
“You broke my wings, kept me grounded, and left me to claw my way through the dirt,” she went on, “I’ve spent years wondering why–what could I have possibly done to deserve this kind of torment from you and your family?
“I couldn’t figure it out before, but now I finally understand. My only crime was being better than you.”
William’s eyes widened, and his face turned pale. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes before his usual icy demeanor returned. “Camila, stop spouting nonsense.”
“Oh, so you had the guts to do it, but not to own up to it?” she shot back, her tone dripping with disdain.
“I’m better than you, and you couldn’t stand it. That’s why you were so desperate to crush me, to belittle me, to manipulate me into thinking I was worthless, a complete failure from head to toe,” she continued.
“Enough!” William roared, his voice echoing in the room.
But Camila had already reached her breaking point. “If you had the nerve to do something so despicable, why can’t I call you out on it?”
She didn’t stop. “You’re selfish and narrow–minded, William. You destroyed my life just because you couldn’t handle my talent.” Her words echoed in the room, each one cutting deep into William.
William listened to her words, each one cutting straight to his heart, leaving his face alternating between pale and flushed. As he stared at Camila, whose face was red with anger, the last of his defenses crumbled completely.
She was right. He wanted to clip her wings, to dim her brilliance. She had to be ordinary–only then could she truly belong to him, and only him.
Only if she became an ordinary person would he feel worthy of her. Only then could he keep her by his side, ensure she stayed home after marriage, raising their children, confined to the boundaries of his world for the rest of her life.
He couldn’t bear the thought of her becoming the exceptional talent her teachers had said.
Her words cut deep, exposing the shadows he tried to hide. All William wanted now was to silence her, to stop the truth from unraveling him. He suddenly lowered his head and crushed his lips against hers.
In an instant, all of Camila’s words were swallowed by his kiss. It was fierce and unrelenting, as if he was pouring years of guilt, longing, and frustration into this one act.
Everything he had done–it was all for her.
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