Chapter 98
Justin Swaras stared at him. He knew what he wanted and that explains why he was the one who held the door for him to walk in. But with Camilla there, he doesn’t want to say anything before her.
“Can we talk privately?” Justin Swaras asked, his voice full of pleas. Rodrigo sat down and crossed his legs. His white skin exposed, capable of causing a storm in a lustful heart.
“I don’t trust having private talk with the likes of you. If you really don’t have a business here, just leave. I am too busy to grant your impossible request.
Justin got closer to Camilla and Said “Rodrigo wants revenge on me and it’s simply because of what I said the other day. He thought you and I have been having affairs and he discovered a secret that even I didn’t know before today.
Would you tell him that nothing ever happens between us? I can’t afford to let that secret get to the public. My parents reputation would be ruined beyond repair and I won’t let it happen”
Camilla squinted. This act of Justin Swaras talking with her privately before Rodrigo would only worsen the whole issue. She should have just kept a distance and rather say what he wanted to say from where he stood.
“I’d rather I excused you both then” Camilla suggested and without waiting for Justin to agree, she turned around and walked towards the kitchen.
Justin turned and glanced at Rodrigo whose cold stare was filled with disdain for him. “Why are you doing this, because of Camilla right?” He asked, staring back at the fellow seated.
“Why I am doing this doesn’t matter, what matters is that I will so much drag you and your entire family in the mire. Then who sees who is more capable of causing a scandal…” Rodrigo replied.
Did Justin think that he didn’t know that he was the one who sponsored that scandal about him being impotent. He also knows that Jared brought it down at Camilla’s instruction.
“It is I who crossed you, not my parents. My father is a public figure and if this gets out, what do you think will happen to his political career? You want to ruin him?” Justin demanded.
“If I want to destroy you, that’s where I need to begin from. You knew your father was a public figure when you fucked my woman and went ahead to scandalise me. Why weren’t you thinking that before?” Rodrigo inquired.
” First I Never had anything to do with Camilla. She’s pure for you alone last that I know. Truly I tried to win her heart but she loved only you and told me she can never love another man except you.
Secondly, I am sorry that I sponsored that scandal. I wanted to hurt you and nothing more. It wasn’t because I wanted to win Camilla’s heart, no.
Tell me what you want me to do to keep my family’s deepest secret. Anything. You have no idea how we’ve kept it all these years. Tell me what you want?” Justin asked.
Rodrigo chuckled. The only part of his words that interested him the most was the part where he lied, telling him he had nothing with Camilla. The other parts, he doesn’t care.
“You càme all the way here to ask me what I want you to do? Can you really do it if I name it?” Rodrigo asked.
Justin Swaras didn’t answer that question. He can’t really predict what Rodrigo would say next. He just stared at him calmly.
“Find your real mother and go viral with her. She’s in the psychiatric home and completely lost her mind. Everyone is just waiting for her to die” Rodrigo declared.
Only when he received Rodrigo’s mockery video with a mad woman in it did he suddenly feel interested in the woman. The only statement attached to the video is that the truth lies with your parents.
Hence he went to ask them. Dinner time he let them see the video and his parents both shivered at the sight of the video. Seeing their actions he asked them to tell him the truth otherwise he would pull down the roof.
That woman was his mother. She was his father’s mistress. His father’s wife was barren and he couldn’t marry a second nor divorce based on her inability to conceive.
His mother was pregnant with him and his step mother pretended all along to be pregnant. When he was born, his father took the baby and brought him to his wife while he told his mother that her baby was dead.
Not convinced, his mother decided to take action against him. He had no other than to get her abducted, injected and let her become mentally unstable.
She ended up in a psychiatric home and had been there all her life. She soon lost her mind and went completely crazy.
His father often makes donations to that home and sometimes goes there to check on the patients. He never knew his mother was the real person his father was going to check on.
“I can’t do it Rodrigo? It doesn’t make my mother who she is supposed to be. And my parents life would never be Normal again. What good will it bring any one of us?” Justin Swaras responded.
“Fine. You may leave when you are ready to”Rodrigo declared and stood up, stared at Justin with a grin.
Justin knew if he didn’t get Rodrigo to compromise, the worst would happen. He would go ahead with his plans, he would be the one to bite his fingers later on.
“If I’ve not done anything good to you before, I remembered I did one. I saved your Camilla from prison when she almost died of poisoning.
I invariably saved your twin. If anything had happened to Camilla that night, you wouldn’t be a father now. I was soaked in Camilla’s blood when we arrived at the hospital.
She may not know because she was already in a coma, but Eduardo told her. If for that singular favour, pay me back, I am begging you” Justin pleaded, went down on a kneel.
“You want me to be considerate after you had your way with Camilla and got acquainted with my kids while I had a situation more complex than a restraining order?
That alone boils in my blood and now you want me to consider that? No Justin, I can’t be easily fooled again in this life. So please use the door when you are ready to leave”
“What exactly do you intend to do with those findings Rodrigo?” Justin asked, raising himself and standing upright.
His question made Rodrigo pause and turn back, he Chuckled and said “sell it to your father’s political opponent” . That statement made Rodrigo feel happy.
“It appears you’re enjoying inflicting pain on my family. It is I you have issues with not my parents nor family. Deal with me as a person however you can Rodrigo. Keep my family out of this”Justin pleaded.
Still staring at Rodrigo’s back view he added “if you think I had anything to do with your woman, why don’t you ask her. I swear on my life Rodrigo, Camilla still remains yours alone…” Justin declared.
If he still doesn’t believe him, there’s obviously nothing that he can do about it. He only has to plead with him using his kids.
He also knew that he was doing to him because of Camilla. He was silent back then and he guessed that he would strike back. But now, he came harder on him than he thought.
Meanwhile, Camilla was just seated, waiting for Rodrigo and Justin to settle their score before she showed up again.
While she was still waiting, her phone beeped with a message. She opened it and read what was written “don’t leave, until you own your man back”
She smiled. Mirabel is a darling, and to think she was Rodrigo’s sister before becoming her sister in-law. She made up her mind to convince Rodrigo that they can still make their lives work together.
“Leave my house!” Rodrigo ordered. He wasn’t interested in having him around him. He doesn’t know why but all that Justin said sounded like blatant lies in his ears.
And the thought of Camilla and Justin Swaras together kept making him feel furious whenever he mentions it.
“I swear on the lives of your kids that…” Justin was using the last option he had to plead with Rodrigo when the latter interrupted him with a fierce anger in his voice.
“Enough!” Rodrigo thundered. His voice reverberated in the entire Mansion. Camilla shivered at his tone and her heart beat fast.
She stood up quickly and walked back to the sitting room. She was shocked to see Rodrigo’s eyes spitting fire. Justin on the other hand looked pitiful like a child who was going to be spanked by his parents.
“How dare you mention my kids here. Are you crazy or something? I may not have gotten any closer to those kids, but they are mine. They are Rodrigo Campbell’s kids!
The next time you dare something like this, it will be a fight to the death between the both of us. Okay? Now get out!” Rodrigo thundered.
Camilla immediately understood that Justin dragged her kids into his discussion with Rodrigo. She looked at Justin and said “please Justin, leave.
Whatever it is, talk to Rodrigo about it another time. As he is now, don’t try saying anything else”
Justin nodded and turned, walking out of the door. When he left, she was going to shut the door when Rodrigo pulled her back “you always chose him over me right?”
“No, I wasn’t going to follow him out, I need to shut the door” Camilla replied, pulling herself from his grip.
When she came back to stand before Rodrigo, she saw his eyes were filled with grievance, his face was frowned and she knew he was madly furious with her.
“You took my kids and gave them to Justin. You deprive me of my right as a father simply because you had a cross with me.
For whatever you have with Justin, it doesn’t hurt me as much as separating me from my own kids and getting them another father, I don’t know if I can ever forgive you Camilla” Rodrigo declared.
Camilla’s eyes welled up with tears. She wanted to defend herself but no words seemed to come out of her mouth. She ended up placing her hand on her mouth, sobbing quietly.
Rodrigo looked at her and turned, returning upstairs. He went to his study and sitting behind his desk, He sighed. Camilla, why? He thought aloud.
He had gotten into his study not quite twenty minutes, the door knob was turned and he knew it was Camilla. She came in and sat on the sofa.
“Will you just listen to me please Rodrigo? All I want is for you to hear me out first” Camilla said softly.
“And like I said before, I am not interested in listening to you. Is that too hard for you to understand?” Rodrigo responded, giving her that irritated look.
“That is where it all started from. You never think I have something reasonable to say right? You’d rather listen to others and your mind than hear me out.
If you had cared to listen to me, perhaps I would never have been an ex convict. Maybe you and I might have been living our lives happily now, but you concluded that a low life like mine would not have any sense in my words.
What are you upset about? That I hurt you back in City B or that I said those humiliating words at you, tell me, which one are you upset about?
If you knew what I went through to protect my love for you, you probably wouldn’t say or feel the way you are now. I am living”Camilla declared, cleaned her tears and dashed out of Rodrigo’s study.
Each of her words were like needles pricking Rodrigo’s heart and conscience. He couldn’t stay relaxed when Camilla walked out of his study so he stood up and went after her.
“Camilla, Camilla” he called but the latter just ignored him. She came downstairs, picked up her bag and wanted to walk out when Rodrigo gripped her by her waist but quickly he let her go again.
“Ok, let’s sit down,” he requested. Reluctantly, Camilla sat down and started sobbing. Rodrigo was just staring elsewhere.
He said she should sit. Rather than going ahead with her words, she started sobbing. He hates to tears let alone the tears of someone he loves.
“I’ll be upstairs, when you are ready, you let me know”Rodrigo declared and stood up. He can’t stand it seeing her tears and perceiving her sniffling. He would rather leave her alone.
“If you really want to listen Rodrigo, then sit down” Camilla instructed and like magic, he did so.
Camilla took a deep breath and started by telling him that they don’t need to talk or think about the past. They should just pretend that the past was a nightmare, it was not really true.
While she talked, Rodrigo just sat down and listened. Then she asked him if he thought what she said was realistic?
Rodrigo chuckled and said he agrees now that the past was gone and they should sweep it below their feet, but while doing that, they should also pretend that they never dated.
“Why?” Camilla asked. Why is Rodrigo dragging the whole thing in another direction? He really doesn’t love her anymore.
“A lot has happened and the only thing I really need from you right now is my kids. But if you don’t give them to me, fine, I still won’t bother you but they would never come first before me again” Rodrigo replied.
“A lot has really happened Rodrigo, but from your side. I should be thinking of how hard it is for me to put that behind me. You need me around to get acquainted with the kids okay?” Camilla declared.
Camilla knew it’s because he was getting married that he wanted to get the kids if he could and integrated them into his home as his kids.
“I’m sorry Camilla, but I am getting married any moment soon. I don’t want you anywhere around me to avoid unnecessary distraction…”Rodrigo blurted.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.
“Getting married?” Camilla repeated as if she hadn’t heard those words before.