The Miracle of You

Camille’s mind began to wander to thoughts that she had refused to think too deeply about out of guilt.

What had she ever done for Michael, anyway? She was like a virus in his life. It would only do him good to stay away from her.

But she was a selfish woman. She wanted him close to her.

She wanted him by her side, but she already had a man “in her heart”… which was actually a lie.

Camille felt her heart twist at the thought. If Michael found out eventually, he would be crushed. He might never trust her again.

And rightfully so, because she didn’t deserve any sympathy from him. Although she had gotten into this situation in the first place for the safety of her family, there might have been other ways to ensure that without getting involved in Christian’s little schemes.

Christian’s world was different from hers. So was Michael’s.

She had once lived in luxury and contentment, so she knew what it felt like to be in such an environment, but the Callahans and the McGregors were so high on the ladder that right now.

In her current position, she was like a child trying to climb up there but failing.

“Something on your mind?” a voice suddenly drifted into her ears.

Startled, Camille turned to see Grady holding a cup of coffee for her. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed the familiar scent of caffeine.

“Sorry. I’ve been a little absent-minded lately,” she apologized as she gratefully took the cup.

“Nothing to be sorry for.” Grady sat down and stirred his cup slowly.

The room fell silent, the only sound now being the steady hum of the air conditioner. The temperature was low enough to make Camille’s bare skin shiver.

She set down her steaming cup and reached for her vest, which she had draped over the chair.

“I didn’t have much of an opinion of you at first,” Grady said suddenly, not even looking at her as he continued to stir his coffee. “But now that we’ve been working together for a while, your quality and effort on this project is quite impressive.”

Camille put on her vest, raising an eyebrow. “Is that your way of giving me a compliment, Mr. Thompson?”

Grady chuckled and met her eyes. “Of course. I mean no offense by this, but now I know that there is more to you than meets the eye.”

“What does that mean?”

“Well, for starters… I was the one that Mr. McGregor ordered to find you at all costs.”

Camille’s expression turned into surprise. “What?”

To be honest, it wasn’t that big of a shock. She knew that Michael had been trying to find her all these years out of concern.

She knew that he never stopped trying, which warmed her heart but intensified her guilt.

But hearing it from Grady’s mouth felt a little different. It was like hearing a new side of her unique relationship with Michael from another person’s perspective.

Grady nodded. “I’m sure he has told you about this. The moment he took over as CEO of the company, he called me into his office and asked me for a favor. He gave me your name, your picture, and your family background. Then he quietly asked me if I could help him locate you.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

“I was hesitant at first. I have been working at Haynes-McGregor Industries for a long time, and my only job description is to assist my boss with work-related matters. I had never been asked to do anything so personal, and certainly not on the first day of working together.”

Grady’s eyes softened slightly.

“Despite his indifferent expression, he looked at me with such sincerity in his eyes and asked me politely to help him, that he needed all the help he could get. How could I refuse when he asked me like that?”

Camille felt her throat tighten, and it became difficult to swallow.

When they worked overtime and made small talk now and then, it never got this deep. Grady never once mentioned Michael, and he kept things professional between them.

Michael himself rarely came by to check on things, much like Christian. Both men were busy with their own things, and Camille suspected that they were swamped with work during this busy time. Christian, in particular, seemed to be working on several projects at once.

This particular detail puzzled her a bit, because Christian seemed to rely more on his own men than on her, his own assistant.

Or maybe it was out of consideration on his part, because she was already working too hard on the joint project between the two big companies.

Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that he didn’t rely on her as much as he used to.

It wasn’t that she wanted to work with him and do his bidding. Rather, she was just a perfectionist by nature, and she felt bad when she felt like she wasn’t doing her job to the best of her ability.

But thanks to Christian’s busyness, she now had more time to think about Michael, which nearly drove her crazy.

“I-Is that so?” she stammered, taking a quick sip of her coffee to hide her embarrassment.

This didn’t escape Grady’s attention, and he gave her a fatherly smile. “He was very dedicated to finding you. It took me by surprise, to be honest,” he confessed. “I never expected him to have a side like that. Whenever he was with his father or brother, he was always impassive and distant, never showing any emotion, like he was just operating on autopilot. So, that was the first time I got a glimpse of what you might call as Mr. McGregor’s vulnerable side.”

Camille didn’t know what to say.

What else was there to say? She didn’t even know how to respond to something like this. It felt both touching and embarrassing at the same time.

Grady was only an observer and not directly involved in the matter, which made it even more awkward for her.

“Thank you,” she finally said, choosing to show her sincerity instead. “For telling me, I mean.”