The Miracle of You

“Leave him out of this,” Camille managed to say.

However, she forgot to even out her tone, so the anger in her voice was quite clear.

“Oh? Quite sensitive now, are we?” Christian said, having picked up on the change of note.

“…”

“Is he going to be a nuisance to our cooperation?” he asked.

“We have no such cooperation between us, Mr. Callahan,” Camille growled. “And I would appreciate it if you cease meddling in my life and attempting to control it the way you want.”

“I have many ways to threaten you, Miss van Gowen. I’m sure you know that quite well.” Christian’s smile widened. “Your mother, your father, your brothers… even Michael McGregor’s notoriety in the past, seeing how much you seem to care about him.”

“You-”

“But as much as it’s entertaining to keep teasing you, I’m afraid you have no other choice.” He shrugged casually. “I’ve already told my father about how madly in love I am with you.”

“What?” Camille was dumbfounded.

“I’m quite a good actor, you know. I managed to convince him that I think you’re my soulmate, that I won’t date or marry anybody else if it isn’t you.” Christian laughed. “Do you know what he told me next? He said he likes the idea of you becoming his daughter-in-law! Isn’t that hilarious?”

Camille was feeling more and more uncomfortable by the minute. Her heart was racing with anxiety, and cold sweat started dripping down her brow. She resisted the urge to wipe it off with the back of her hand and met gazes with Christian.

“I am not going to marry you, and I will never give you an heir,” she snapped.

“Father said that he’s satisfied with my choice, but he will only consider letting me inherit the company if I get married to you,” he said, pointedly ignoring her remark. “However, he also said that he would only allow the marriage if you feel the same way.”

Camille clenched her hands into fists. “You can’t keep doing this to me, Mr. Callahan. I am not going to marry you. Ever,” she spat out venomously.

How many times did she need to say it in order for him to get the hint?

She was not interested in his stupid offer!

Christian arched an eyebrow. “Why the hostility? Or do you really not care about what happens to your family? Ah, excuse me. Your former family, I mean.”

“Don’t you dare-”

“I know their secrets. I know what they did,” Christian continued on. “My, they’re quite cruel, aren’t they? I wonder what the media will think about this.”

Camille’s face went as white as a sheet. “You can’t be saying…”

Christian turned to her fully, the playful look in his eyes gone and replaced with an icy, ruthless gaze. “Be my wife, or else your family suffers. Take your pick.”

Camille bristled.

“I have all the papers ready here, if you’re curious.” Christian slid a folder across the desk. “You can see the thorough investigation I made on you, and you will realize how much detailed information will ruin your family as well as Michael McGregor’s.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “What does Michael have to do with this?” she demanded. “Why are you involving him?”

“I know you two were quite close when you were young.” A wry smile curved Christian’s lips. “As for me wanting to ruin him? No reason, really. He’s my competitor, but I’m not so petty as to use things like this to bring him down. However, none of that matters if I won’t be able to inherit the company. I no longer care if it’s petty or not.”

Camille was at a loss for words.

“Well?” Christian said smoothly. “What’s your answer, Hailey?”

“That is not my name.”

“Well, it will be once this information goes public.”

“You’re an asshole.”

Christian shrugged. “Women have always called me that. It’s nothing new.” He smiled then, and it wasn’t a kind smile. It was a cunning smile that sent slight chills down her spine.

“Don’t forget,” he added. “You became who you are right now because of my father. You’re indebted to him.”

Camille felt her heart sink to her stomach. With trembling fingers, she reached out for the folder and opened it.

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Christian was right. He did have her investigated so thoroughly that it was like she was seeing the important parts of her life printed on these papers. The reason why she changed her identity, the reason why she was estranged from her family, the reason why she wanted to stay hidden, and even the discovery that her father made that never went to light…

Her relationship with Michael McGregor was also highlighted here, like a ridiculous gossip column.

Ridiculous, but she knew that people would pay attention to it. It involved one of the most eligible wealthy bachelors in the country, after all.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

No matter what kind of grudges she held against her family, she didn’t want their reputation to get affected. Not only were they going to be under the spotlight, but her brothers would be as well.

She still had some love left for them. What happened already happened, and there was nothing she or they could do about it. The only thing they could do was live on as peacefully as possible, without getting involved in each other’s lives again.

In Michael’s case, she figured that his family must’ve covered up his misbehavior in the past, judging by all the details printed here on the papers.

From the pieces of news that she picked up over the years, he was doing quite well. There weren’t any big scandals or anything negative. In fact, his family’s company was prospering after he had taken charge.

He was both handsome and intelligent. He was rising towards the top of the ladder and was indeed a direct competition against Christian.

In Camille’s memory, he had been a kid who strayed from his path, but he wasn’t a bad person. He was a little rough around the edges and practiced some bad habits, but that was only because he felt angry and lonely.

The public here loved gossip of any kind; they would definitely eat this up. If their handsome CEO turned out to be a troublemaker in the past, the women would definitely be in an uproar.

Camille swallowed heavily. It wasn’t only her family whose reputation and career were at stake.

Michael’s was, too.

She basically had two choices: she would either keep her pride and refuse Christian, or she would just sign the contract and throw her life away just to protect them.

It was a no-brainer.

Camille expelled a heavy sigh, defeated. What worth was her life in comparison to several others? She didn’t have a goal, she didn’t have a lover or a husband or children. She was alone.

It was better to live life as peacefully as she could and not involve other people in this mess.

“All right,” she finally said. “I’ll marry you.”