Chapter 77: Hard to deal with.
A month after, Rodrigo Campbell arrived back at City A. He returned back to the office and continued his usual work. A branch Company has opened in Mexico and he had appointed one of the managers to go over and preside over it.
He will stay back and oversee all the branches. He is just getting to put his mind together after the incident with Camilla.
He had decided that if Camilla never returned, he would remain single for the rest of his life while he continued searching for her.
He would forever search for Camilla and his baby till his last breath. If that is the last thing he does.
He went to find Mirabel a few hours later and discovered she was gone. He didn’t need to ask where she’d been. She can only have gone to a particular place: Jared’s place.
Rodrigo has been trying to fall into the good side of Jared’s book hence, he has been conceiving a means to get closer to him.
Maybe organising a party or inviting him for a dinner will do. He wants to know if he knows anything about Eduardo Anderson. That man is a trillionaire.
But no matter how hard Rodrigo tries, Jared will not be interested. He wondered what kind of a man Jared was. He’s so hard to deal with.
Gradually, a year came and passed. Mirabel has been feeling very uncomfortable with Jared’s unconcerned attitude about them getting engaged.
She had thought he would be eager to get engaged to her. Everyone knew about their love story and this time, Lola did not interfere with her daughter’s happiness.
What she did about Camilla and Rodrigo’s relationship had taught her a lesson she wouldn’t stop remembering for the rest of her life.
They went for dinner after the day’s work, Mirabel and Jared. She was looking unhappy, she didn’t know what she should expect.
Perhaps he doesn’t love her or wants to use her to get back at her brother. It’s been months, a year and a few months and he didn’t feel they should be engaged?
But to keep a cheerful mood while at dinner, she put that thought off her mind and was happy when Jared came to pick her.
Mirabel settled for chicken rice and Jared went for a coconut curry Salmon. They had dinner and Jared stood up and visited the restroom.
He had hardly left when his phone started ringing. Usually Jared operates two phones. One was for business purposes and the other contained his private contacts of which his family was part of.
Mirabel with instincts checked who the caller ID was and was dazed when she saw Camilla picture and the ID is Sister!
She froze. Camilla calling? Her fingers were trembling as if she suddenly developed a hand tremor. She was staring at the phone and Camilla’s smiling face was being displayed.
The phone stopped ringing and it started again. She wanted to be sure the fellow was really Camilla then she answered the phone.
“Jared, are you busy now?” Camilla’s voice came through and Mirabel shivered. She didn’t respond because she’s not Jared.
“Jared, are you there?… can you hear me?”Camilla asked, surprised that Jared didn’t answer her and she hung up.
Mirabel still held the phone and started on its screen despite Camilla having hung up from her end. It took some seconds before she came back to her senses.
She kept the phone down and her mind was in a complete state of turmoil and confusion. Camilla is still alive and Jared knew about it?
Because of Camilla, Jared disliked her brother to the bone. And she’s fine and he knew her whereabouts but kept mute about it.
She would have copied her cell phone number but she doesn’t know the password to unlock the phone. Her heart beat seemed to have increased.
How many more secrets was he hiding from her? Rodrigo had become a different person and he suffers silently even if he thinks no one knows what he was going through and yet her boyfriend knew about Camilla’s disappearance?
Each time he talked about his sister, his facial expression became pitiful. She silently has the guilt of her mother’s involvement in sending her to jail and her brother’s behaviour clouded her heart. So, was it all a pretence?
Her eyes suddenly went gloomy and her excited mood changed. No wonder he never said anything about getting engaged to her. He has his reasons.
She was lost in her thoughts when Jared returned and sat down. Mirabel was still seated and yet didn’t see him arrive. Her eyes had gone red already and her mood changed.
Only when she menstruates does she have mood changes at intervals. He had longed observe it and whenever he observed she was uneasy, changing mood, he already would guess what was wrong with her.
But last week he felt she had her flow. This sudden mood swing and eyes going red was something he cannot fathom. He just stared at her and waved two fingers before her eyes.
That was when Mirabel shivered and looked at him. Jared squinted, this is not normal. Mirabel looked away, avoiding his gaze.
“Mira love” Jared called and held her hand. But the latter pulled her hand off, looked around and asked if they could leave?
Jared said okay and stood up, paying their bills with his credit card. Before he turned, Mirabel had walked out leaving him behind.
That action appeared embarrassing but he said nothing. He came to join her in the car as the chauffeur started the car.
She sat on the extreme end and deliberately looked away from Jared’s side and kept her gaze outside. At intervals, Jared would glance at her and sighed.
That was how the drive to her brother’s Mansion was done in silence. Just then Camilla’s call came in but Jared saw it was his sister, he didn’t answer the phone.
He possibly can call her his sweetie pie as he is fond of calling her with Mira by his side. He looked at his phone and turned away.
When they arrived at Rodrigo’s Mansion, he took Mira’s hand again and the latter flinged his hand off and hissed. Jared was unhappy.
” If there’s anything, then let’s talk about it. You were alright a while ago and suddenly your mood Changed, talk to me if you think I caused it” Jared coaxed.
“Do you deserve it?” Mirabel snapped at him and without another word, stepped out of the car and walked away. Jared just watched her from the car as she walked into the Mansion.
He ordered his chauffeur to drive off and at the same time, he called Camilla back. As soon as she answered the phone, Jared’s voice came through “my first love” he teased.
Camilla smiled. This is Jared. She had expected him to call her my first love, sweetie pie, heartbeat and many more teasing adjectives he uses for her.
But a while ago, he just answered the phone and said nothing. She almost mistook it to be someone else who answered his phone.
“Brother, was wondering why you didn’t talk earlier” Camilla responded. Jared said he hasn’t answered his phone because he was with someone who shouldn’t know they were talking.
Camilla insisted that he answered and Jared said she should give him two minutes and hung up. He checked his phone and discovered that he had answered Camilla’s call for about thirty seven seconds and he became alarmed.
He checked the time and discovered that it fell by the time he went to the restroom. Mirabel had answered his phone and discovered he had been in contact with Camilla.
No wonder the dinner ended in an unfriendly manner. She learnt a secret he had been keeping all these months they’ve been together.
They’ve been dating for over a year now and she never discovered this secret. But a few minutes after he went to the restroom, everything got blown up.
Camilla’s call came in again. He sighed softly before answering his phone. “Yes, your call was answered but…” Jared trailed off.
Camilla squinted, she didn’t want to assume what was going on in her mind. “But what?” Camilla asked, fully expecting that Jared would complete his statement.
“I didn’t answer the phone. Someone else did, my girlfriend to be precise” Jared answered and wished that Camilla didn’t ask him any difficult question further.
But he knew that one day, what he’s been keeping away from Camilla will definitely come to limelight. No matter how hard he made it hidden, he will eventually tell Camilla except he wants to break up with Mirabel.
“Your girlfriend? Well tell me who is your girlfriend, do I know her hahahaha” Camilla asked feeling excited about her brother getting so intimate with a woman that she could answer his call.
She never answered Rodrigo’s call. All the while they dated, she never had an interest in answering his phone. But Jared’s girlfriend might be a jealous type and only heaven knows if he saved her contact as Sweetie pie.
But suddenly, Jared went off again. He became quiet and Camilla felt something was not right. Why is he suddenly quiet? Are they together or was she interrupting something.
“Yes, she’s someone you know very well… she’s… I mean her name is… Mirabel” Jared replied Omitting the surname.
Camilla squinted, Mirabel. She doesn’t know anyone by that name except that Rodrigo once told her his sister Mirabel would graduate and return home someday.
But it couldn’t be Mirabel Campbell. Rodrigo wouldn’t dare get entangled with Rodrigo’s sister. The same man who hurt her the most in this whole world?
“I hope she’s not Mirabel Campbell?” Camilla asked, this time that amusing and friendly tone was replaced with a tint of seriousness.
Jared was quiet again. This is the most difficult question he was ever faced with in his entire life. All through his childhood life from elementary to college and to the University.
He had never been faced with a hard question like this. A question he knows the answer to but is afraid to give the right answer. A question he wished he didn’t know the answer but alas, he knows.
“Is she Rodrigo’s sister?” Camilla bellowed from the other end and this time, Jared knew his sister was already feeling furious.
“Yes, she’s Mirabel Campbell” Jared couldn’t refute answering the question. There was a long silence that followed.
“How could you betray me as well? I trusted you and thought you would be my family back there but you chose to dine with one of my arch enemies?Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
The woman who testified against me in court and slapped my face several times? The same woman who pulled my hair from the scalp and has the hairs in her hands leaving me with an aching scalp is the same person you’ve been sleeping with?
How can you do this to me Jared? Why Jared? I never expected you to do this to me even in death. You were with that bitch even when you came to City B.
I will severe every tie with you this minute. Since you chose her above me, you stay with her and I will cease to be your sister. We are not siblings anymore!” Camilla declared with a broken voice.
Camilla hung up and started sobbing. Why is she experiencing disappointment from those she least expected it from? Jared too?
She immediately called her mother Sara Dickson. Now she’s going to confirm something important. Quickly Sara answered her phone “Camilla dear”.
Too disappointed to pass greetings and pleasantries, Camilla went straight to her question “Tell me mother, are you also aware that Jared has been dating Mirabel Campbell, that bitch who hurt me as much as her brother?”
Sara felt her hands shivering. This is it, the thing she had been envisaging would cause a rift between Camilla and them.
How did she know? Jared has told her or she discovered it herself? She can’t lie to her own daughter, she loves Camilla that she can never tell her anything different from the truth.
“Yes, I knew all along…” Sara answered and was going to explain when Camilla interrupted her.
“You also failed me mother? I never thought a day would come when you would collaborate with my enemies. You knew Jared was dating Rodrigo’s sister of all the women in City A, Jared chose that bitch?
And you supported me by keeping it a secret? That’s fine then. I just severed my ties with him and that’s exactly what I will do is you too mother.
Go and make Mirabel your daughter. She’s going to be your daughter in-law after all. Fine, I mean nothing to you and all I went through sounds like a joke to you and Jared. That’s fine…”Camilla declared and hung up.
She threw herself on her bed and sobbed. How come everyone turned their backs on her?
Jared felt her head heavy. What he feared finally came upon him. Now the result of it is breaking ties with him.
He ordered his chauffeur to drive back to Rodrigo’s Mansion. He needed to talk to Mirabel. He had no idea that she did something so terrible to his sister.
He had only seen her through the superficial perspective that she was Rodrigo’s sister. The man who made her sister miserable. But didn’t know she also added to her misery back then.
His chauffeur did as he was told. Immediately his mother’s call came in. He knew Camilla had called her. “Hello,” he said with a heavy tone.
“Happy now? You are in love with Mirabel and that cost you to lose your sister. I tried to warn you but your head was filled with love.
I hope you find a way to explain to Camilla how much love has drifted you from a simple reasoning. But I beg you not to separate my daughter and I” Sara requested and hissed between gritted teeth.
Meanwhile, Rodrigo was coaxing Mirabel to stop sobbing. Has Jared hurt her or done something to bruise her feelings for him?
Mirabel calmed herself finally and was going to talk when she heard a car horn and knew Jared did come back.