Divorced the Cheat Married the Fleet (Camilla and Lance) novel Chapter 98

Barnard figured there was no way Camilla could ignore him after he’d shown up with all those gifts. She must have realized his birthday was coming and secretly started planning a surprise. His unexpected visit must have nearly ruined it, which would explain why she was acting so out of character.

He was convinced now. That brooch had to be for him. After all, it’s not like Camilla had any other men in her life.

Once Barnard left, Camilla got a message from Lance. The design draft was perfect, so she immediately arranged for the actual piece to be made. As for all those presents Barnard had dragged in, she didn’t even bother looking through them. She simply told Ada to hand them out to the staff as overtime bonuses.

It wasn’t until the end of the workday that Camilla finally understood what Barnard meant when he said he’d see her later.

At six thirty, Susan called to let her know Barnard had gone to Brookfield Manor to pick up Jasper.

Head pounding, Camilla rubbed at her temples and called Barnard. He replied almost immediately with an address.

A fancy restaurant.

There were roses on the table, candles burning beside them, the air thick with the scent of steak, red wine, and something floral—all coming together in a scene so obviously romantic it was almost cliché. Barnard was sitting there with Jasper, who was dressed in a little suit Camilla had never seen before. She hadn’t bought it. Barnard must have.

From across the room, Camilla could see Barnard leaning down, murmuring something to Jasper, who just looked bored and unwilling to engage.

But as soon as he spotted his mom, Jasper’s whole face lit up. He waved, practically bouncing in his seat. “Mom, over here!”

Camilla looked at Barnard, bitterness tightening in her chest. Her own husband, Jasper’s father, and here he was—plotting against them from the very beginning.

She leveled a stare at him. “Barnard, I’ve heard your excuses already. Jasper is clever, sure, but sending him to that fancy kindergarten isn’t really about his education. The teachers care more about where families come from than actual teaching. Kids mostly just play all day. And you know as well as I do the real draw is the networking. But Jasper is the Carter heir. He’ll never have to worry about making connections. I care about him enjoying his childhood, not collecting social contacts.”

She gave him a humorless laugh. “Honestly, you went along with Davina when she tried to tie Daisy’s future to Jasper’s, and now you’re after Jasper’s kindergarten spot. All so Daisy can get some ‘advantage’ for marrying well in the future? Daisy’s five. Isn’t all this plotting a little much?”

Barnard tried to recover, his face flushed. “Camilla, Daisy has no one. If she can find a good husband one day, it’d give her a future. Jasper isn’t the same. He has the Carter family behind him. It’s just a kindergarten spot. Jasper won’t miss it. The international school is set. He’ll have the best teachers, the best class. There’s no reason to hesitate.”

Camilla just shook her head, realizing she was seeing Barnard more clearly now than she ever had before. No matter how nice the words sounded, nothing could hide the truth about his intentions.