The Miracle of You

Camille wanted to gag.

‘Camie’? What the hell kind of nickname was that?

She tried hard not to let anything show in her expression and maintained a calm, cool façade. But she did grip his arm tighter than usual, and she felt a twinge of satisfaction at him stiffening for a brief moment.

“Your… fiancée?” one of the men repeated in disbelief. The others looked like they were doubting their ears just now.

Christian nodded. “Yes. My fiancée. She’s very lovely, isn’t she?” He pulled Camille closer to him until there was no sideways gap between their bodies. “I especially planned on introducing her to you all since I value trust between us. Soon, the two of us will be married, and I would like to invite you all to the private wedding.”

“O-Of course! Of course,” one of the men quickly agreed. “This calls for a grand celebration, Mr. Callahan! Are you planning on holding a formal engagement party?”

While the others were excitedly discussing, two of the men seemed especially confused.

Larry Doyle, one of the shareholders of the company, looked a little agitated. “Mr. Callahan,” he began. “If I may borrow a bit of your time…”

“There’s no need for that, Mr. Doyle,” Christian said, waving a dismissive hand. “I already know what you want to say to me.”

Larry froze, and there was now a trace of panic in his expression.

“While I appreciate the gesture of setting me up on several blind dates with your daughter Rosie, I’m afraid that I’ll have to decline further invitations. I have someone that I love now, and I will only love her in this lifetime,” Christian said coolly. “I’m sure Rosie, as considerate as she is, will understand.”

Larry’s face was slowly turning red, though it was unclear whether it was from anger or mortification. Perhaps a mixture of both.

“I – please excuse me, Mr. Callahan,” he said stiffly before hurriedly leaving the area, even forgetting to put his mask back on.

Camille watched him go, puzzled.

What happened just now?

If by ‘blind dates’, did that mean…

“That lad,” Harold Huckington suddenly said with a shake of his head. “He has been meeting up with Greg a lot often recently. No wonder. He must’ve been so convinced that he could have his daughter marry into your family. Greedy as always, that Doyle.”

Christian’s lips curled into a smile. “I will not make any assumptions, but I did not lie. I have my Camie with me now, and I will not look at another woman again.”

The men whistled in approval. “Ah, Mr. Callahan marrying his true love. It must be fate that you two met!”

“If I may ask, how did you two meet?” Harold asked, his gaze returning to Camille. “Miss Camie… Why do I feel like you look familiar?”

She stiffened in response. She didn’t know what to say in order to prevent his suspicions from rising. After all, what if he recognized her voice?

Thankfully, Christian came to the rescue.

“I will not entertain any personal questions tonight, and neither will Camie. Please understand,” Christian said pleasantly, though there was a chilly undertone in his voice now. “Now, gentlemen, please continue to enjoy the party. My fiancée and I will be dancing the night away.”

With that, Christian put his mask back on and turned away, leaving the area with Camille still holding onto his arm.

The tension never left her shoulders until they were far away from the group of men. Camille let out a breath she’d been holding for a while and let her hand slip from Christian’s arm.

“What the hell did you just call me back there?” she hissed in a low whisper, eyes darting around to make sure that nobody was paying attention to them.

“I called you by a cute nickname,” he responded casually. “Do you not like it?”

She scowled. “Why would I like such a gross name coming out of your lips?”

“Tsk, tsk. Language, madam,” he said with a pleasant smile. “Let’s just say that it’s water under the bridge now. The introductions are complete. Rumors should start spreading by tomorrow.”

“I still can’t believe that I’m getting married to you, of all people.”

“Why? Would you rather prefer that it would be Michael McGregor instead?”

The sound of Michael’s name coming out of Christian’s mouth felt like a bucket of cold water was splashed down on her. She stared at him, lips parted in surprise, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

“What does he have to do with any of this?” she demanded. It was ridiculous, especially since she and Michael had no romantic feelings for each other.

“No need to be so defensive. I merely threw it out as an example.”

“I don’t care about him. Not anymore,” she said, her voice almost like a whisper. “The two of us are different now. We can’t be friends like before.”

Christian raised an eyebrow. “Oh my. What are you saying, my dear?” Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her to him until their faces were only inches apart. “Didn’t I give you a little mission to do?”

She stared at him with gritted teeth. “Unfortunately, it’s hard to complete that mission, sir,” she said mockingly. “He and I no longer have anything left in common, so there’s nothing to talk about. I can’t hold a long conversation with him since it becomes awkward. I can keep trying, but he’s starting to distance himself from me, so things are difficult.”Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.

“He’s distancing himself from you?” Christian repeated, his brown eyes gazing into hers so intently that she felt like he was probing into her brain. “I don’t think that’s the case.”

“It is exactly the case. Now please let go of me or else people will stare.”

“I don’t care about their reactions or thoughts. You are my fiancée. Why should I be mindful of others?” He leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Besides, we still have to dance the night away.”

When he pulled away, she looked at him disbelievingly. “You were serious back there?”

“Of course I am. Now, shall we?”

It was as if fate was playing a funny trick on her. At that moment, the music changed to a slow, romantic melody, and the guests began to dance slowly in the middle of the room, holding their partners close.

Camille stared at Christian, who was holding out his hand to her with his other hand behind his back, looking very much like a gentleman inviting a lady to dance with him.

And despite her misgivings, her heart skipped a beat.