Chapter 22 CAMERON PRICE APPEARS
POV: Selena
Adrian opened the door with one hand already curled into a fist.
I stood just behind him, my heart slamming so hard it felt like it might shake my ribs loose. Every part of me screamed that whoever stood on the other side of that door was not here by accident.
The man in the hallway raised both hands slowly.
“Relax,” he said. “I’m not armed. I’m just stubborn.”
Adrian did not lower his guard. “You have ten seconds to tell me who you are and why you tracked us here.”
The man met his stare without flinching. He was tall, lean, with tired eyes that looked like they had not slept in days. He held a worn leather bag against his chest like a shield.
“My name is Cameron Price,” he said. “And I wrote the story that blew your life apart.”
The words hit like a slap.
I sucked in a sharp breath before I could stop myself.
Adrian stepped fully into the doorway, blocking Cameron’s view of me. “You have nerve showing up here.”
“Yes,” Cameron replied. “I do. And that’s why I’m still alive.”
That sentence made my skin prickle.
“Get out,” Adrian said coldly.
“Not until you hear me,” Cameron said. “Because I didn’t just come to apologize. I came because I was used.”
Adrian laughed once, harsh and humorless. “So were we.”
“I know,” Cameron said. “That’s why I followed the trail. And it led me here.”
Silence stretched between them, tight and heavy.
I stepped forward before Adrian could shut the door.
“Adrian,” I said quietly. “Let him talk.”
He glanced back at me. “Selena, no.”
“I want to hear what he has to say,” I replied. “If he’s lying, we will know.”
Cameron’s eyes flicked to me. Recognition sparked there.
“You’re the intern,” he said. “The mysterious one.”
I stiffened.
Adrian moved instantly. “Watch your words.”
“Easy,” Cameron said. “I’m not your enemy. Not anymore.”
Adrian hesitated, then stepped aside just enough to let Cameron enter. The door closed behind him with a heavy click that sounded final.
Cameron looked around the penthouse once, then dropped his bag on the floor and exhaled deeply.
“I didn’t expect you to let me in,” he admitted.
“We haven’t,” Adrian replied. “You are standing in my living room. That’s not trust.”
“That’s fair,” Cameron said. “I wouldn’t trust me either.”
I crossed my arms, forcing myself to stay steady. “Start talking.”
He nodded. “I was fed documents. Clean. Convincing. They came from a source I believed was reliable.”
“Who?” Adrian demanded.
“Senator James Thornton,” Cameron said.
The name landed like a bomb.
“He positioned himself as a whistleblower,” Cameron continued. “Concerned. Careful. He painted your family as reckless criminals who thought they were untouchable.”
My stomach turned.
“And you believed him,” I said.
“Yes,” Cameron replied without hesitation. “Because he knew too much. He anticipated questions before I asked them.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened. “He used you.”
“Yes,” Cameron said. “And when I realized it, it was already published.”
I felt a strange mix of anger and fear. “So why come here now?”
“Because I found the cracks,” Cameron replied. “And because Thornton underestimated how obsessive I can be when something doesn’t add up.”
He opened his bag and pulled out a slim folder.
“I rechecked the metadata,” he said. “The documents were altered recently. Not years ago like he claimed. And the edits were sloppy if you knew where to look.”
My pulse spiked. “That’s what I saw.”
Cameron looked at me sharply. “You noticed it too.”
“Yes,” I said. “Which is why this blew up in my face.”
Adrian turned to me. “You never told me how you spotted it.”
“I didn’t have time,” I replied. “Everything happened too fast.”
Cameron leaned forward. “That’s exactly what Thornton counts on. Speed. Panic. No second chances.”
Adrian’s voice dropped. “Why destroy us?”
Cameron’s expression hardened. “Because your father blocked his legislation three years ago. Quietly. Effectively.”
I froze.
“Three years,” Adrian repeated.
“Yes,” Cameron said. “This wasn’t revenge in the heat of the moment. This was planned. Layer by layer.”
A chill crawled up my spine.
“He planted shell companies,” Cameron continued. “Built fake paper trails. Then waited for the right moment.”
“And the right fall guy,” I said.
Cameron nodded. “Which is where you come in.”
The room felt smaller suddenly.
“Me?” I asked.
“You were visible,” Cameron said gently. “Young. New. Smart enough to notice problems. Easy to frame as ambitious.”
My throat went dry.
“You’re saying he chose me,” I whispered.
“Yes,” Cameron said. “But you were not the first.”
Adrian straightened. “What do you mean?”
Cameron hesitated. “There was another intern. Two years ago. Different department. Different firm connected to Thornton.”
My heart pounded. “What happened to her?”
“She tried to expose him,” Cameron said quietly. “She gathered evidence. She contacted a journalist.”
“Not you,” Adrian said.
“No,” Cameron replied. “Someone smaller. Someone easier to scare.”
I felt dizzy.
“And?” I pressed.
“She disappeared,” Cameron said.
The word echoed in my head.
Disappeared.
Adrian’s hand found my arm, steadying me before I even realized I was swaying.
“Disappeared how?” Adrian demanded.
“No body,” Cameron replied. “No official case. Her family was paid off. Quietly.”
Cold fear wrapped around my chest.
“That’s not possible,” I said. “Someone would notice.”
“They did,” Cameron replied. “They just couldn’t prove anything.”
The room went silent.
I suddenly understood the threat call in a new way. Not as intimidation. As a warning.
“You should’ve taken the money and left.”
My voice shook. “Why tell us this now?”
“Because I almost ruined my career over this story,” Cameron said. “And because when I realized what I had helped cover up, I couldn’t walk away.”
Adrian stared at him. “You expect us to trust you.”
“I expect you to verify everything,” Cameron said. “Which is why I brought this.”
He slid a flash drive across the table.
“Everything I found,” he said. “Emails. Timelines. Proof that Thornton fed false leads to multiple reporters.”
Adrian did not touch it.
I did.
My fingers closed around the drive, my hands trembling.
“If this is real,” Adrian said slowly, “you’ve put yourself in danger.”
Cameron gave a tired smile. “I’ve been in danger since the moment I questioned him.”
I swallowed hard. “Why target interns?”
“Because interns see everything,” Cameron replied. “And no one believes them.”
The truth of that cut deep.
Adrian turned to me. “We need Marcus.”
“Yes,” I said. “And protection.”
Cameron nodded. “You will not outrun this alone.”
Adrian’s phone buzzed on the table.
He checked it and cursed under his breath.
“What?” I asked.
“The press is circling the building,” he said. “Someone leaked our location.”
Cameron stiffened. “That wasn’t me.”
“I believe you,” Adrian said. “Which means we are out of time.”
My chest tightened. “What do we do?”
Adrian met my gaze, fierce and focused. “We expose Thornton before he silences anyone else.”
Cameron nodded. “And we do it carefully.”
I looked between them, fear and resolve colliding inside me.
Another intern had disappeared.
I was not going to be the next.
Cameron’s voice dropped, grave and final.
“Thornton didn’t just plan to destroy your family,” he said. “He’s been perfecting this method for years. And Selena, now that you know the truth, you are no longer just collateral.”
I swallowed.
“What am I?” I asked.
His eyes locked onto mine.
“You’re a threat,” he said.
And for the first time since this nightmare began, I realized how close the danger truly was.