His Lethal Love
Chapter 23

Present.

Camille POV.

"Are you sure you don't want to do it?" Conan asked a sixth time as he slammed the newspaper on the kitchen counter. "Well, you're gorgeous, Cami. I'm the director of this movie, so you can play the lead role. You have a better chance of earning a good reputation and getting rid of Maura. I don't like seeing you working under her."

"I think you should leave since Maura and her friends could show up anytime," I said as I rushed to the microwave.

He scoffed while leaning against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest. "So you think I'm afraid of that homewrecker?"

"No, you're not, but I'm afraid." I snapped while taking the meat out of the microwave and putting it on the counter. Maura had ordered me to prepare dinner for her friends as she was planning to invite them for a celebration on the occasion of her another successful movie.

"Will Scott also be attending the dinner party?" As soon as I heard his name after two weeks, my heart started thudding. I hadn't seen him since my mother's death anniversary because he flew back to Norway the very next day to resume his movie shooting. What touched me was that he paid a visit to my mother's grave before I had and placed fresh lilies on her tombstone. I felt terribly disappointed with myself as I forgot my mother's anniversary.

"I don't know where he is." I lied and grabbed some fresh produce and chopped them up.

"Please, I want to date you, Cami," Conan begged like he was a fifteen-year-old teen boy.

"Unfortunately, it'll never happen." I drawled. "Now you may leave."

"I'll stay for dinner," he said, and I stared at him in surprise. A mischievous smile spread across his lips after catching my surprised look.

"No, you can't..." I gritted my teeth. "You're not invited."

"Is this a problem then?" he fished out his phone from his pocket and dialed the number. After a moment. "Hey Laura, this is Conan Arthur..."

"Conan!" I frowned when a girl on the other line blurted out in excitement. "How... how can you?" For a moment, she seemed like she forgot breathing.

Conan rolled his boringly. "I heard you're attending Maura's dinner party tonight. Are you willing to take me with you?"

"Of course, I'm..." she said eagerly. "I can't believe you're asking me."

"By the way, you looked tempting in that award show."

"Mmm... thanks..."

"Okay, meet you at the party. Bye."

He hung up before she could say anything and slid his phone into his pocket before giving me a cheeky smile. "So I'm invited now."

"Who is invited?" Archie asked, stepping into the kitchen and glancing between both of us before he fixed his eyes on Conan with a scowl. "What are you doing here?"

"It's none of your business." Conan straightened himself and grabbed his leather jacket before turning to me. "See you at the party, babe." He gave me a wink before leaving from the back door of the kitchen.

Archie stared at his back until he vanished from the kitchen before looking at me with a puzzled expression. "Does he like you, Cami?"

"You should ask this him," I said with annoyance and walked to the sink and washed the chicken before rinsing it again with lukewarm water.

"I mean, he seems interested in you," he said with a hint of amusement.

"Don't make me laugh, Archie. I know what men always want."

"He's not after your pussy, is he?" His words made me wince as I threw my frosty glare at him. "I'm sorry. I mean, he doesn't seem to lust after you. He appears genuinely happy with you." "Well, I'm not interested." I marinated the chicken with spices and lemon and refrigerated it.

"Well, that's fine." He shrugged before grabbing an apple and walking away.

I received Maura's list of items that would be served at the party; fruit smoothies, grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken pot pie, baked chicken, and chocolate pie. I prepared a couple of items, but there were still two more items that needed to be prepared before seven p.m. As I glanced at the clock, it was already five in the evening. I had two hours to sort everything out as soon as possible.

"What are you doing, sweetie?" Kat asked as he entered the kitchen. His light pink leggings with a tight tank top made him look bizarrely beautiful against his ivory skin. Kat was a handsome guy with a lot of moles on his face and arms. He was tall and lean, but slightly muscular.

"Preparing for dinner." I sighed heavily before giving him a faint smile. At least he didn't force me to date and pretended to be his girlfriend. I adored him the most, though I liked Archie and Conan. They put me under pressure over the last few weeks.

"Poor Camille..." He quickly approached me and snatched the bowl of chopped vegetables from my hand. "Let me help you, girl."

"Do you know how to cook?"

"Perhaps a bit." He grinned with a hint of nervousness.

"Okay, you follow me. Do as I say. Maybe this will work out."

"That's great. Thank you for letting me help you."

*****

I scowled when Maura's friends burst into loud laughter. Grabbing a tray, I headed out and winced at the combination of cloying perfume, salt, sweat, and alcohol. "Hey, buddy!" I jumped back when the red-headed man smacked my butt and broke into a chuckle. My jaw flexed in fury, but I didn't react and moved ahead.

I looked around, but Conan was nowhere to be seen, nor was his red leather-dressed date. Kat was in bed with Archie as they were enjoying their time alone.

I really envied them as they always had their backs, no matter what. I wished I had someone who was always by my side, like Rika. I could pick Conan, but he seemed not trustworthy as he had slept with half the population of women in the world.

"Hey, server!" A blonde girl said with taunt as she motioned me to serve her drink. Swallowing my pride down, I approached her and lowered myself, and let her grab her drink from the tray. "Bring me ice cubes." She barked, and my jaw clenched in agitation. I wanted to snap her neck to order me like this. "Like what you're seeing?" She scoffed while bringing the glass to her lip without breaking eye contact. "Fuck off, bitch!"

I would have slapped her right in the face if she was not high on drugs. My teeth gritted and my grip tightened on the tray as I straightened myself to get ice cubes. As soon as I entered the kitchen, I cringed at the sight of a couple making out on the kitchen counter. Ignoring them, I took out ice cubes from the refrigerator and delivered them to her.

"Hey, Camille," Maura called out and I let out an uneasy sigh. I walked over to her as she was sitting next to her friends, smirking. "Could you please wipe the floor as Kyra has just thrown up?"

I looked at the teen girl lying on the couch, gasping for air and shivering. I could smell a pungent smell rising in the air as her vomit-covered the floor. "Do you mean to clean her shit?" "Yes." Her smirk widened as she was staring at me. "That's why you are here."

"Okay." I spun around to get a mop and bucket. After a brief pause, everyone turned to me when I started to clean the floor. Some laughed, some murmured and some of them made videos. I hated to see myself in this situation, but I couldn't back off as I knew the consequences.

"What's happening here?" Archie roared while approaching me. "What the fuck is this?" Grabbing me by my arm, he snatched the mop away from me. "Are you crazy, Maura? How could you humiliate her like that? Can't you see people making videos of her and posting them on social media? Are you out of your mind, huh? You did this purposely, didn't you?" He charged at Maura, glaring at her as if he was about to hit her. "Only one thing is stopping me from killing you!!" Maura looked dazed by the sudden outburst of her brother, but she kept her cool and glanced at me. "Is dinner ready?"

I exchanged a look with Archie as he looked extremely angry at his sister. "She won't serve you!" he grunted.

"Well, she will, otherwise she'll be sorry," Maura said firmly while rising to her feet. "Let's go guys."

"I and Kat will also serve if that's what you want." Archie hissed out, causing Maura to pause in shock. Before she could react, he grabbed my hand and dragged me away from the crowd.

"How the fuck could you put up with her shit?" Archie demanded once we arrived in the kitchen. His voice startled the couple who were making out as they quickly got off the counter and rushed out.

"I don't have a choice."

Archie rubbed his temple in annoyance. "How the fuck Scott could let her use you, Cami? He was well aware of how bitchy my sister is, but still he..." He released a sharp breath. "Where the fuck is Conan Arthur?"

"His father suffered a heart attack, so he took him to hospital." I got his text just a few moments earlier than Maura's drama. "Let's serve our guests first."

"Seriously, Cami? Do you still want to go there and provide your hospitality?"

"If I don't, Maura will replace another way to put me in trouble." I forced a smile and got ready for dinner.

I stepped into the dining room and stopped breathing once my eyes landed on him. Scott was sitting in the head chair of the dining table, scrolling down his phone. A stern look on his face as he focused his eyes on the screen. He was alone and seemed busy. I didn't know when he arrived there, but it seemed like recently as his hair was messy and his clothes were disheveled. He was unaware of my presence until I placed dishes on the table and his eyes snapped at me. Ignoring his hot stares, I wheeled the food trolley to the other side, I placed dishes one by one. His presence alone tingled my skin and gave me butterflies in my tummy. There was a menacing atmosphere in the room because of his presence, but I could still feel his warmth.

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"Can you take your eyes off me? You're making me feel uncomfortable!" I hissed when I couldn't bear his eyes any longer. It was not like I didn't like his eyes on me, but I was feeling self-conscious under his intense gaze as I was just wearing a t-shirt and denim shorts. I was looking terrible.

"Well, I can't because no one is as beautiful as you are," he said, and I paused in surprise. I looked at him, but his eyes were on someone else. It took me a while to understand that people were gathered in the dining room. My heart burned when Scott sat Maura in his lap and kissed her lips. "Do you like my surprise?"

"I thought you were in Norway." Maura chirped out.

"You're celebrating without me?" Scott frowned.

"I'm sorry, baby." Maura sat beside him. Scott glanced at me before ordering me a glass of wine.

"I'll fetch it," Kat shouted from the other corner before fetching a glass of red wine for him.

After serving, I headed into the kitchen to get some food I hadn't eaten since the morning. Placing the griddle on the stove, I made pancakes. My mouth watered at its smell.

"Why can't you have your dinner with us?" It startled me when I heard his deep and rough voice. Scott walked towards me, getting closer. My breath caught when he covered my back while placing his hands on either side of the counter. His front body pressed against my back, making me feel how firm his body was.

"Get off me!" I hissed out, shoving him away, but he didn't budge from his place. He was three times stronger than me.

"No!" He whispered in my ear, giving me a tingly feeling in my tummy. "Someday I would like to have you on this counter from behind."

My jaw dropped at his word as I watched him in awe, catching him smirking. "Ahh!" The next moment, I found myself gasping when my hand accidentally rubbed against the griddle, causing me to burn my finger.

Scott spun me around and grabbed my hand. His expression was worried as he quickly put my burnt finger in his mouth to relieve me of pain. He sucked my finger without taking his eyes off me. I swallowed hard when desire flickered in his eyes. Slowly, his mouth ran to my hand, my wrist, and then my arm.

"Scott..." I tried to snatch my hand, but he didn't let it go.

"Is it hurting you?" He asked firmly while putting my hand under cold water.

"I don't need your concern?"

He let go of my hand before heading out of the kitchen without a word. My finger was darkened from burning.

"Come here..." It startled me when Scott appeared again with ointment in his hand.

"I don't need it!" I snapped and went to the stove to shut it off.

"You really need it, sweetheart!" He hissed out before grabbing my arm and turning me around. He forced me to sit on the stool as he put lotion on my burnt area. Once he was done, I raised my other hand to show him a couple of burns I had gained while preparing for his girlfriend's dinner party.

Sympathy washed over him as he sighed heavily before touching my wound with care. I cringed when his calloused finger brushed against my wound. Scott snapped his eyes at me, looking pained for a moment. His jaw clenched painfully harder as he squeezed the ointment in his hand and said nothing.