The reporter seemed caught off guard for a moment, so Camilla flashed another easy smile. “Everyone, I’m really not the petty type. If you don’t believe me, just wait for Barnard’s wedding. The gift I’ll send him will speak for itself.”
One of the more savvy reporters immediately picked up on her meaning and jumped at the scoop. “Mrs. Carter, are you saying Barnard is going to marry the nanny?”
“They’re truly in love. After everything they went through to be together, of course they’ll get married,” Camilla replied, sounding perfectly sincere.
“Shut up! You...” The words had barely left Camilla’s mouth before someone in the crowd shouted in fury.
The onlookers instinctively stepped back, creating a path. Calvin came stalking through, his face like thunder, having rushed over as soon as the cruise ship made its emergency stop.
He’d overheard all sorts of gossip on his way, and it felt like his head could burst at any second. Now, after hearing Camilla’s latest comments, he was livid.
Just minutes earlier, he and Laura had been plotting how to quietly send Davina away, but Camilla, always direct in front of the press, kept emphasizing true love and marriage. She was making it impossible for them to handle things discreetly.
Because of her, they’d lost any chance of getting Davina out of the picture without causing a scene.
Calvin’s glare was icy. He wanted nothing more than to strangle Camilla right there.
She called it an amicable split, but what she was really doing was throwing a grenade right into their lives, tying that troublemaker, Davina, to the Carter family for good.
The reporters, sensing fresh drama, couldn’t help themselves. Calvin’s outburst was like blood in the water. One journalist pushed a microphone his way. “Calvin, you seem furious. Are you disagreeing with Camilla? Was Barnard’s thing with the nanny just a fling? Has he decided not to marry her, then?”
That was a loaded question.
If Calvin admitted it was just a fling, he’d be openly admitting the Carter family covered for Barnard’s infidelity and had no intention of owning up to his mess.
But if he denied it, he’d be publicly acknowledging Davina as the next Carter daughter-in-law.
She didn’t flinch. “Barnard and Davina created this mess, not me. The reporters wanted my thoughts, so I gave them. Why is it okay for Barnard to be angry, but I’m supposed to stay silent?”
As the words hung in the air, the door to the lounge opened.
Barnard stood there, glaring at Camilla like she was the root of all his problems. “Stop acting innocent. Davina showed up last night because you told her to, right? Camilla, don’t pretend. This whole thing, it was your plan. You want to ruin me, tear this family apart, destroy Davina. You’re vicious.”
Camilla was genuinely shocked. “I told her to come? Do you even remember what you did last night? Barnard, there’s shameless, and then there’s this. You hooked up with her. You’re the reason she lost the baby. Don’t drag me into your mess just because you can’t handle what you’ve done. Or do you want me to call the reporters back and give them every detail?”
Barnard’s face had drained of all color. He stared at the floor, avoiding her gaze completely.
Laura, still piecing things together, went to her son and held his arm. “Barnard, what’s going on? Did... did something happen between you two?”
The faint smell of blood still lingered in the air, mixing with the tension. Whatever Laura wanted to say, the words just wouldn’t come. She stood there, lips trembling, unable to finish her sentence.

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