Chapter 66
The restaurant was filled with the soft hum of conversation, the clinking of glasses, and the quiet laughter of the wealthy patrons who occupied its candle-lit tables. But for the four people caught in an invisible battle of emotions, the rest of the world faded into a blur.
Rosalie sat across from Maverick, a practiced smile on her lips as she took a slow sip of wine. She could feel Cameron's eyes on her, burning with something unreadable-something that wasn't quite anger but was far from indifference.
Good.
She wanted him to feel what she had felt. The sting of betrayal, the suffocating weight of heartbreak. If seeing her with Maverick made him suffer, then it was working.
Besides Cameron, Olivia was doing her best to pull his attention back to her, leaning in closer, her perfectly manicured fingers brushing against his sleeve. She laughed at something he hadn't even said, tossing her hair in a way that screamed look at me.
But Cameron wasn't looking at her.
His dark eyes stayed locked on Rosalie.
And that made something dangerous flicker in Maverick's gaze.
---
Cameron's POV
I knew, when Rosalie was leaving, that she'd come back to me, but seeing her with Maverick right now is surprising me, even though I knew that Maverick had something bad mind in mind and this was part of it, I have seen how he was looking at her back in my mansion and I only thought, he took his step too fast and was already deceiving Rosalie after she left my house.
Watching her smile at Maverick, watching his hand rest casually on the table beside hers-it made my blood simmer with something I didn't want to name.
Because this wasn't real.
Rosalie wasn't in love with Maverick. I knew that much.
But the way she was looking at him now like he was the only person in the room like he had some kind of hold on her-it made my chest tighten in a way that felt dangerously close to jealousy.
I clenched my jaw, gripping the edge of the table as Olivia's voice pulled me back.
"Cameron," she said sweetly, leaning in closer. "I was saying we should take a trip this weekend. Somewhere nice, just the two of us."
I barely looked at her.
Rosalie was laughing now-laughing at something Maverick had said.
My fingers curled into fists.
Olivia's lips pressed into a thin line. "Cameron."
"What?" I snapped, my patience hanging by a thread.
She blinked, clearly taken aback. "You're staring at them."
I exhaled sharply, dragging my eyes away from Rosalie. "And why not, she's my woman."
Olivia huffed, crossing her arms. "I thought she left you and also thought badly of you; you should obviously be angry at her right now."
I looked at her then, my expression hard. "If you have a problem, staring at my woman, you can leave and why I'm angry at her or not is none of your business, stay out of it, you're just best friend nothing else."
She let out a sharp and hurtful scoff. "you're really talking to me like this; it's me, Olivia; you can't be angry at me because of her; you have known me for years."
I didn't respond because I was too concentrated on Rosalie, and maybe I should have just said I had known all her plans all along, even before Rosalie was telling me, I knew she wanted me, but I acted blindly to Rosalie's words because it was part of my plan and I need to find something out of Olivia behavior and I can't afford to ruin my pli, that's...
I let Rosalie go because if she stays, it'll only complicate the matter, and I don't want her to find out about my plan yet. When the time is right, I'll tell her and bring her back to myself, and at that time, I will already put an end to Maverick and Olivia's game. I know and am aware that both of my friends are evil.
I could hear Olivia sniffing, but I didn't turn to her again; my gaze was fixed on Rosalie only. I missed that smile of hers.
---
Rosalie's POV
I could feel Cameron's stare.
It was burning into me, making my skin prickle. But I refused to look at him.
Instead, I turned my attention to Maverick, who was playing his role well-too well. He was leaning in slightly, his voice low and smooth as he spoke.
But there was something different now.
Something in his expression that hadn't been there before.
A tension in his jaw. A flicker of something dark in his eyes.
And when I reached for my glass, brushing against his hand, his fingers curled slightly as if restraining himself.
He's not just playing anymore.
The realization sent a strange shiver down my spine.
Maverick wasn't supposed to care.
This was supposed to be a game-a way to make Cameron suffer. But the way Maverick was looking at me now… it was something else entirely.
Something real.
---
Maverick's POV
This was supposed to be simple.
I was supposed to help Rosalie make Cameron jealous, supposed to enjoy the satisfaction of seeing the arrogant bastard squirm.
But I had expected this.
I had expected the way it would feel to sit here, watching Rosalie play her part so convincingly.
Watching her smile at me.
Even if it wasn't real.
Even if she still saw me as nothing more than a means to an end.
I clenched my fist under the table, my jaw tightening.
Because I had always wanted it to be real.
And that was dangerous, but I'm surprisingly not scared.
Rosalie wasn't mine, but she would be now because I had always eyed her when I saw her in a picture of her and Cameron, and that's why I came to Cameron's house.
I can't hide it anymore. I like Rosalie, and I want her, and this is my only chance.