Chapter 12 The drama starts here, Kitty
Danieru and Camilla had just arrived at the Malaike family home, and Camilla had already changed into more casual clothes. There was no conversation between the two of them; there was only silence.
Camilla glanced at Danieru, who immediately grabbed his hand as he prepared to open the car door. She stared at him intently, breathing heavily.
“What’s wrong?” Danieru asked.
“How are we supposed to answer your family’s questions? They won’t let me off the hook that easily.” Camilla looked away, uncomfortable with Danieru’s eyes scrutinizing her.
“Okay, let’s talk about this now,” Danieru said. The man started the car again, heading to one of the remaining spots within the family home’s sprawling grounds.
Camilla didn’t ask many questions; the situation didn’t allow for conversation. Soon, she would be facing the Malaike family. She really didn’t want to have to deal with such a complicated matter, one that was so confusing and made Camilla want to sink as deep as possible.
Danieru, sensing Camilla's unease, stopped the car. He then looked at her, unsurprisingly, feeling the same way. This was the first time he'd planned to tell such a big lie, and it certainly wouldn't be easy if everything was exposed.
"One thing's clear: if they ask how long we've been together, you have to say three years ago."
Those words stunned Camilla. Three years, why go back so far? Was Danieru crazy? Of course, they'd have to weave some compelling story to make people believe it. And Camilla would have to spin lie after lie to do so.
"You want to ask why it took so long?" Danieru asked.
Camilla didn't answer. Whatever her reason, it would sound wrong to him. The man was now controlling her, and perhaps even her family as well.
"Just to convince them. You know, I've never been seen close to a woman, and I've been constantly monitored for the past two years."
"Huh? Did you just admit you were being held back?" Camilla asked.
"I refused all the arranged marriages my family arranged. And I said I already had a girlfriend," Danieru added.
Camilla didn't want to bother, she immediately leaned against the car door and stared at Danieru.
"What?" Danieru asked.
"Then if people ask how we met, and how we've been dating, what should I answer?" Camilla asked.
"What if we say we met at a nightclub, and we accidentally slept together. Because we felt compatible, we continued our relationship."
Hearing Danieru's answer, Camilla's eyes widened. She hadn't expected him to say such a thing so easily. Was he trying to destroy her face? Her future in-laws would surely label her a madwoman.
"Y-you?" Camilla could only manage to say that, then quickly took a breath and wiped her face.
"You're crazy!" Camilla finally managed to form the sentence.
Danieru gave her a strange look. "What's wrong? Doesn't that seem very likely? You like nightclubs, and I often visit those places too."
"Don't you have a more interesting story?" Camilla asked.
Danieru didn't understand what she meant.
"Forget it! It's better to end this quickly, I can't stand it anymore." Camilla closed her eyes, signaling that she didn't want him to prolong it. There was enough commotion for today, and she wasn't going to add to it.
Danieru, having successfully convinced Camilla to agree to his lame drama, was pleased. He started the car again and headed for the parking lot reserved for immediate families.
It didn't take long. They were back in the parking lot, and Danieru quickly got out of the car. Camilla, seeing this, immediately prepared to get out, but was quite surprised when Danieru opened the door for her.
“The drama starts here, Kitty.”
Camilla quickly transformed her sour expression into a sweet one. And when Danieru reached out his hand, she gladly took it.
Danieru, watching all this, was almost embarrassed. Damn... he didn't know a woman like Camilla could smile so sweetly. The man took Camilla's hand, kissed it, and smiled.
CCTV cameras were installed all around them, and to smooth over this cheesy drama, Danieru had to do something rather boring for him.
Camilla immediately got out of the car, looked around, and saw numerous CCTV cameras. No wonder Danieru tried to get out first and open the door for her. The woman, understanding the situation, approached him and kissed him on the cheek.
"You're too romantic. If you keep this up, my blood sugar will explode."
Danieru laughed softly and then ruffled the top of Camilla's head. His movements looked so natural and didn't arouse suspicion.
"Naughty," Danieru said.
Just one word, but enough to show how close they were.
“Are you going to keep standing there, Danieru?” The voice sounded a little deep, and it came from not too far from where Camilla and Danieru were standing.
Danieru and Camilla immediately turned their attention, and at that moment, they were both shocked.
“Grandpa, this… this is the woman I told you about two years ago.” Danieru began introducing Camilla to one of the elders in his family. He hoped she could win his heart and elevate him to a higher position than Rachel.
“The lover who made you reject all arranged marriages?” the old man asked.
Camilla, feigning nervousness, slowly raised her head and smiled as she met the old man’s eyes. Alas… the man didn’t return her smile.
Danieru, seeing his grandfather’s reaction, glanced at Camilla, unable to express the feelings he felt in his heart. They were both dead, the atmosphere was starting to feel uncomfortable, even the air supply felt limited.
“What’s your name?” asked Grandpa Danieru.
Camilla, hearing and being asked the question, looked even more flustered. No… now she was truly nervous; she hadn’t expected that facing just one person would almost expose her.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“S-sorry, Grandpa.”
“Don’t call me ‘Grandpa!’ You haven’t even married my granddaughter yet.”
Danieru, hearing his grandfather's answer, held back his laughter, especially considering Camilla's disapproving expression.
"So, what's your name?" the old man asked again.
"Camilla Alistair," Camilla replied.
"Oh, so you're the only daughter of the Alistair family. It seems you're truly a perfect match," the old man said again.
Danieru looked at each other, clearly not understanding what the elderly man was saying.
"I'll explain later, but now you should go inside. There's something the immediate family needs to discuss, and it concerns your relationship."
Danieru's grandfather quickly entered, while Camilla and Danieru exchanged glances.
"It seems the paparazzi are moving faster." Danieru took Camilla's hand and led her into his family's large home.