Chapter 9 8

After breakfast, Camilla decided to relax for a moment on the balcony. She reflected on the events of the past few hours. Were she and Danieru truly friends now? Thinking back to their first meeting, it was certainly impossible.

Danieru was initially so arrogant, with a blank face, a cold gaze, and an annoying demeanor. He took away her freedom, and she was simply used as a commodity to repay a debt. And then... there were so many other things that made it all impossible.

Camilla still didn't understand how she could have sex with a man she hadn't thought about at all? Was she never going to break free from that bad habit? She'd always known that this bad habit was destroying her. But... sex was also a necessity for her.

"You're thinking too much, Kitty."

Camilla quickly averted her gaze and saw Danieru standing with a white towel around his waist.

"What's wrong?" Danieru asked.

"I was just thinking about a few things..." Camilla averted her gaze, a small smile on her face. "...And unfortunately, it was about you."

"Don't fall in love, because we're just friends. Do you understand?" asked Danieru.

Camilla, hearing the man's words, suddenly became irritated. She grabbed the paring knife on the table and threw it at Danieru.

Danieru nimbly dodged, and luckily, he survived Camilla's attack.

"Y-you want to kill me?" Danieru asked, staring at the knife that had fallen to the floor.

"You're too confident. Listen to this, I... WILL NOT... FALL... IN... LOVE... WITH YOU!" Camilla said, emphasizing several words very clearly.

"Really?" Danieru smiled again. He hadn't expected Camilla's emotional state to be so bad. Was she still thinking about their contractual marriage, and that it was all due to someone else's debt? Maybe Camilla was thinking that.

Camilla leaned back in her chair and looked at Danieru, who was still standing not far from the door. "Why would I lie to you? I won't fall in love with anyone."

“Okay, let’s get back to this. First, why do you get so emotional so easily?” Danieru approached Camilla.

Camilla let out a ragged breath. “That’s none of your business.”

“Are you still angry about being used as collateral to pay off the debt?” Danieru asked again.

Camilla didn’t answer, just remained silent and stared at the wall.

“Are you annoyed with me, or with your mother?” Danieru asked.

Hearing that question, Camilla immediately looked at Danieru. “I’m still annoyed with that old woman, and I’m also annoyed about how we first met.”

“You don’t even acknowledge that she’s your mother,” Danieru retorted.

Camilla glared at him, her annoyance with her mother still soaring, and Danieru deliberately provoked her by talking about her.

“Okay, I apologize about how we first met. And well… you’d better find a way to resolve your annoyance with Mrs. Alistair.”

“Her death isn’t enough for me,” Camilla said with a bitter smile. She remembered some past events, and unfortunately, she still couldn’t forgive that crazy woman.

“It seems like your relationship is really bad,” Danieru said.

“Huh... just some trivial family matter.” Camilla immediately stood up, walked to the balcony railing, and gazed thoughtfully at the tall buildings.

Danieru, watching this, couldn't respond. He had no right to know more about Alistair's family. Feeling things growing awkward, Danieru tried to remember a few things.

“Get ready, we have to go somewhere soon and pick out a wedding dress.” Danieru moved away from Camilla again, not wanting to bother her with his attitude any longer. He could tell she was starting to feel uneasy, and to avoid any unnecessary distractions, he decided to leave and change the subject.

Camilla, hearing Danieru's words, immediately shifted her attention. She stepped forward and chased after him. She grabbed his hand, successfully stopping him in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" Danieru asked. He looked at Camilla, who was still holding his hand. Her skin was indeed very soft. To be honest, Danieru still clearly remembered Camilla's fair and smooth body.

"Let's make another pact, just think of this as a game." Camilla desperately hoped Danieru would agree. She didn't care about the risks this game would bring later.

"A pact?" Danieru echoed.

Camilla immediately nodded her head.

"Say it." Danieru began to feel interested, raising an eyebrow.

Camilla immediately took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "If either of us falls in love first, never say it. Leave immediately, and don't come back."

Danieru smiled. "Are you so sure I'll fall in love with you?"

Camilla grinned. "Are you so sure you won't fall in love with me?"

"Does this show you can fall in love with me?" Danieru asked.

“I wouldn't fall in love with you either. If we were both so sure about this, why didn't you just agree?”

Danieru brought his face closer to Camilla's, smiled, and then touched her lips with his thumb.

Camilla stared, and the woman returned his smile.

"I'll make sure you fall for me, Kitty." He glared at her, completely locking eyes with her.

"We'll see who wins." Camilla pushed away Danieru's hand that was touching her lips. She quickly stepped away, not having much time to talk now.

She would try to make Danieru fall in love with her, and then he would leave. Soon... soon he would fall for her.

Danieru immediately pulled Camilla's hand away, and he wrapped his arms around her and immediately crushed her lips.

Camilla, caught off guard, easily fell into Danieru's embrace. Her eyes widened as he crushed hers. For a few seconds, Camilla didn't react. She didn't even know what to do. All she had in mind were thousands of questions.

‘Why is Danieru doing something so pointless?’

Or...

‘Is Danieru trying to make her fall in love with him now?’

There were still so many questions she couldn’t answer, and Camilla felt uneasy. He had already made his move, he had already rolled the dice, and he had launched his attack first.

Danieru quickly broke their lips, drying Camilla’s slightly damp lips with his thumb.

“Don’t ever regret this bet, Kitty. I’m not one to break my promises. Even if I fall in love with you, I’ll never tell you, and I’ll disappear without you ever seeing me again.”

“You’re very confident,” Camilla replied.

Danieru quickly left the woman. He needed to change his clothes, and they could leave quickly. After this, he would discuss the marriage with his family, and he was very confident that both of them would agree.

Unlike Danieru, Camilla hoped that the man would fall in love first. She wouldn't take the risk, because she knew... love never existed; it was just a lie. And worse than all that, human feelings can change. Even if she fell in love, she would do the same.

"Kitty, are you going to keep standing there? The clothes you ordered have arrived. Go take a shower and get ready." Danieru's voice sounded a little loud from inside the room.

Camilla quickly snapped out of her reverie, looked up at the sky once more, and felt a little calmer. She was back to reality; everything had to go on.

"Hey... Kitty, did you hear me?" asked Danieru, who was already at the door.

"Idiot, I heard you, and don't warn me too much."

"Hah... this pervert," Danieru said, as he went back into his room.

Camilla chose to ignore it; she just had to live with it for now.

"A mother's love isn't always sincere, let alone love from someone who isn't related by blood." Camilla muttered under her breath, quickly walking into Danieru's room. Camilla hadn't expected Danieru to be so talkative.