Camilla sat on the edge of the cheap mattress in her temporary apartment.
She scrolled through the endless sea of hateful comments on her phone. Her face was paper-white. Her fingers trembled so hard she almost dropped the device. But her eyes were turning colder by the second.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming call. It was her father, Donnie Mcneil.
"Camilla!" Donnie's voice was frantic. "What's going on? The news is saying... Is it true? Are you okay?"
Camilla took a deep breath. She forced her voice to stay steady.
"Dad, I'm fine. It's all lies. Carlisle is... manipulating the story. I need to handle this myself."
Donnie roared into the phone. "That bastard! I'll call him! I'll-"
"No, Dad. Please," Camilla interrupted firmly. "Let me deal with it. I'll explain everything later. I love you."
She hung up the phone. A fierce, burning resolve ignited in her chest.
She walked to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She applied a light layer of makeup to hide the dark circles under her eyes. She put on a sharp, tailored black blazer.
She walked out of the apartment and hailed a cab straight to the Stark Enterprises headquarters.
She walked through the revolving glass doors of Stark Tower. Her heels clicked loudly against the marble floor.
Tiffany Reed, the front desk receptionist, saw her coming. Tiffany's eyes darted nervously around the lobby. She stepped out from behind the desk to block Camilla's path.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Stark... I mean, Ms. Mcneil," Tiffany stammered. "Do you have an appointment?"
Camilla didn't even slow down. Her voice was sharp and commanding.
"No appointment. But Carlisle will see me. Now."
Tiffany reached for her radio to call security. Camilla ignored her. She walked straight to the private executive elevator. She didn't bother with her deactivated access card. Instead, she locked eyes with Tiffany. "Call the top floor," Camilla ordered, her tone leaving absolutely no room for argument. "Tell Carlisle I am here to sign the final asset transfer documents for the divorce. If he wants my signature on the remaining shares, he will let me up this second." Tiffany swallowed hard, her hands trembling as she picked up the phone. A moment later, the receptionist nodded nervously and pressed a button under the desk. The private elevator chimed, its doors sliding open.
The elevator shot up to the top floor. When the doors opened, Camilla stepped out. The entire floor went dead silent. Employees stared at her, whispering behind their hands.
Camilla ignored them. She walked straight to Carlisle's massive corner office.
The heavy wooden door was cracked open. A soft, whiny voice drifted out into the hallway.
"Carlisle, I'm so scared... What if she comes after me? She must hate me so much..."
Camilla's footsteps stopped. She recognized Celine's voice instantly. Her stomach violently contracted. A wave of pure, unadulterated rage washed over her.
She shoved the door open. It slammed against the wall with a loud bang.
Inside, Carlisle was sitting behind his massive mahogany desk. Celine was sitting in the chair right next to him. She was leaning forward, her delicate hand resting on Carlisle's forearm. She looked like a fragile, frightened bird.
The second Celine saw Camilla, she snatched her hand back. She gasped and pressed her hand to her chest, acting terrified.
Carlisle's face instantly darkened. He stood up abruptly.
"How did you get up here?" he demanded.
Camilla didn't even look at him. She locked her eyes onto Celine. Her voice was pure venom.
"So, this is the 'first love'? The homewrecker who couldn't wait to slither back?"
Celine's eyes instantly filled with tears. A single tear rolled down her perfectly powdered cheek. Her voice shook.
"Camilla, please... I never meant to hurt you. Carlisle and I... we just couldn't deny our feelings..."
Carlisle immediately stepped around the desk. He stood directly in front of Celine, shielding her with his body. He glared at Camilla.
"That's enough, Camilla! Don't you dare speak to Celine like that!"
Camilla let out a harsh, bitter laugh. Seeing him protect another woman right in front of her face felt like a knife twisting in her gut. But it also felt completely ridiculous.
"Protecting her? In my face?" Camilla sneered. "You really have no shame, Carlisle."
Carlisle's eyes were cold and hard. "You're the one with no shame, coming here after what you did. Security is on their way. Leave now, before I have you removed."
Camilla took a step closer to him. She refused to back down.
"I'm not leaving until I get the truth out! You lied to everyone! You emotionally cheated on me for years, and now you're painting me as the villain?"
Celine suddenly buried her face in her hands. She let out a loud, pathetic sob.
"It's all my fault... I should just disappear... Carlisle, maybe I should go..."
Carlisle immediately turned and placed a comforting hand on Celine's shoulder. Then he turned back to Camilla. He looked at her like she was a piece of trash on his shoe.
"You see what you're doing? You're upsetting her. Celine is innocent in all this. She doesn't deserve your harassment."
Camilla stared at Celine's fake tears. A sudden, overwhelming wave of exhaustion hit her. Her shoulders dropped slightly. She realized in that exact moment that fighting with these two was completely pointless. Carlisle was blind, and Celine was a master manipulator.
She took a step back. The burning anger in her eyes died out. It was replaced by a dead, hollow emptiness.
"Innocent," Camilla whispered flatly. "Right."
Two large security guards rushed into the office.
"Escort Ms. Mcneil out of the building," Carlisle ordered coldly. "She's not allowed on the premises again."
The guards stepped toward her. Camilla didn't fight them. She didn't scream. She just looked at Carlisle one last time. There was no anger left. No sadness. Just absolute, chilling disappointment.
She turned around and walked out of the office. The guards followed closely behind her. She kept her spine perfectly straight. She walked into the elevator and pressed the lobby button.
The second the metal doors slid shut, a single tear escaped her eye. She wiped it away viciously. Her eyes hardened into steel.
Up in the office, Carlisle stood by the floor-to-ceiling window. He watched Camilla's tiny figure walk out of the building and onto the busy street. A strange, hollow feeling opened up in his chest.
But Celine quickly walked up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Carlisle, thank you for protecting me," she whispered softly. "But I'm worried... what if she tries to hurt you?"
