Chapter 371: Chapter 371: You’d Better Come Back Soon
"You’re right. I’m just overthinking!" Chantelle said, feeling much lighter after sharing her worries. "Thanks, Thea. I’ll treat you to a meal when I get back!"
Now that she was calmer, she felt more in control. As long as she was ready for the worst, Daniel couldn’t hurt her again.
"Sounds good. You’d better come back soon. I’m getting bored here all alone," Thea said.
"Well, the deafening sounds of the party over there are telling me another story," Chantelle said, finally noticing the video game noise in the background.
It was obvious Thea wasn’t alone.
"Are you using Philip’s absence to flirt with more guys?" Chantelle guessed, covering her mouth in mock shock.
Thea quickly denied it. "No way! Do I look like someone who’d do that?"
"Thea, you once ditched eighteen boyfriends in one month."
The thought of it made her laugh.
"So what? Philip’s not my boyfriend. It’s not like I’m cheating."
"Should I remind him to confess to you?" Chantelle asked, amused.
"Please don’t. Philip and I are just friends. If you say anything, our friendship’s over," Thea warned quickly.
"Just friends?" Chantelle didn’t buy it. The way they acted around each other screamed an obvious truth.
"Why would I lie to you?" Thea said firmly, but Chantelle could hear the hesitation in her voice.
Was this one-sided? But Philip clearly liked her.
Maybe neither of them wanted to make the first move.
"So... who’s playing with you right now?" Chantelle asked curiously.
Thea lowered her voice and whispered, "Guess who? You won’t believe it."
Chantelle guessed everyone she could think of, but none of her answers were right.
"I told you, you wouldn’t believe it. It’s Camille," Thea said helplessly.
Chantelle was shocked. "Why is she at your place?"
"She went to help the poor in the countryside after you left but got sick in just a few days. She had no choice but to come back for treatment. Now people online are saying she was just pretending to do charity activities to boost her reputation."
Chantelle remembered seeing the news online. Camille was in simple farm clothes, planting wheat in the fields. She almost didn’t recognize her.
Camille had been through a lot.
She didn’t expect her to fall sick so quickly.
"Didn’t Rowan try to cover it up?" Chantelle asked.
Camille’s brothers still cared about her. No matter how troublesome she was, they always looked out for her.
"Rowan? Nice try. It was Old Mr. Nelsen who handled it himself. He took care of everything like a pro. Now that Mr. Wilson’s gone, he’s showing off all he wants." Thea said, clearly siding with Daniel now.
Chantelle didn’t agree. "Old Mr. Nelsen has a lot of influence in the global market. Of course, people pay attention to him. But what does that have to do with Camille playing games with you?"
"It has everything to do with it. Since Old Mr. Nelsen came back, he’s been strict with her. She just got back from struggling in the countryside, and now he’s dragging her to every event without giving her a break."
Thea couldn’t help but laugh, thinking about Camille’s sunburned face as she got dragged from one party to another.
The news only mentioned how well Camille looked, but people online were busy laughing at her sunburn.
"Everyone made fun of her sunburns, but when Old Mr. Nelsen was around, she had to act like the perfect little girl. It was driving her nuts. She started talking about going to Carcosa for Daniel, but that wasn’t going to happen. So, she convinced Rowan to drop her off at our store."
Thea was really doing the most for her favorite couple.
"Now she won’t leave after eating my food. She dropped her brother’s name to back herself up. Then she followed me home. Honestly, I think she’s gone crazy after her grandfather controls her every move."
Thea was lucky to have met Steve Nelsen a few times. When it came to his granddaughter, he acted like some old-school lord, keeping her locked up and trained in arts like it was the 1800s.
"I heard Camille say he even watches how she eats. One wrong move with her fingers and he blows up. The guy sounds scary."
She shivered, glad she didn’t have a grandfather like that.
A lot of people online actually envied Camille. With a powerful grandfather like him, her future was pretty much guaranteed. No matter what she did, the public would take her side.
Even with all the bad things people said about Camille, all Steve had to do was show up with her, and suddenly everyone saw her as the perfect young lady of the Nelsen family.
"If you really can’t stand her being around, just ask Rowan to meddle," Chantelle said, worried things might blow up between Thea and Camille. Both of them were hotheaded, and if they clashed, it wouldn’t end well.
"It’s not that bad. I actually benefit from her being here. Old Mr. Nelsen is more than happy to spend money on her. Ever since he heard she’s been eating my food, he’s been sending all kinds of fancy ingredients."
"So you’ve been bought off, huh?" Chantelle pretended to be mad.
Thea quickly interrupted her, "No way. I’ve still got my dignity. I’m just saying, Old Mr. Nelsen really goes all out for her. Anytime a big international brand releases something new, Camille’s the first to wear it. Then she tosses it out like it’s nothing. I’m the one winning here."
Chantelle knew Thea wouldn’t actually wear Camille’s cast-offs. She just loved fashion and saw it as an opportunity to examine big-name designs up close.
"You’re not mad, right?" Thea asked her cautiously.
Chantelle giggled. "Do I look that petty to you?"
"Oh, thank god," Thea sighed. "I know Camille’s been trying to get close to Mr. Wilson. I’ll keep an eye on her. She’s been obsessed with video games lately anyway. I doubt she has the energy to chase after him."
"You don’t need to do that. Whatever’s going on between her and Mr. Wilson has nothing to do with me."
"You’re the best, Chantie! But just a heads-up... Camille said Old Mr. Nelsen isn’t against the idea of her marrying Mr. Wilson. He’s actually supporting it."
Chantelle felt a knot in her stomach. "The Nelsen Corporation has high-profile people representing it. I don’t think they’d risk going after a married man. Besides, Mr. Wilson isn’t the kind of guy you can easily mess with."
"That’s what I’ve been saying. Who else but you can deal with that guy?" Thea joked.