Third person's POV
The air smelled stale and full of undisguised confusion and hurt.
Camille couldn't focus on anything after Lila stormed out, heart pounding, eyes stinging, she decided to go home for the day even if the day was just starting. If she stayed, she wasn't gonna get things done with her state, anyways.
As she made her way to the door, whispers floated around;
"Did you hear?"
"What??!."
"Big bad mafia quit today, someone said she had a falling out with 'you-know-who'."
"Who's you-know-who??."
"Camille!!."
"Wow, do you know what caused it??."
"How would I know that?."
Camille blocked the whispers out and focused on breathing and not falling to the floor, as she stared intently through blurry eyes.
Thirty strenuous minutes later,
Camille walked through her house doors, heart in throat. The smell of coffee and toasted bread clung to the air when she walked in.
Sunlight spilled through the wide glass windows, bathing the marble dining in gold.
Bastien sat at the head of the breakfast table as usual, in his pressed shirt, sleeves rolled up like he was just another business man with nothing to hide.
A big fat lie.
Theo sat beside him, cheeks flushed and pouring coffee with lazy elegance.
Elodie sat on a high stool, scrolling through her phone, humming softly.
Camille held her breath, A family. . . That was what they looked like, any normal family. .
That was a lie. . . A big fat one.
She stopped just past the doorway.
"Uncle." She called out.
Bastien looked up, a warm smile settling on his lips, eyes curving. "Camille, you're back early. Sit, eat something."
Her hands curled into fists beside her. "We need to talk."
Theo's eyes flicked to her face, catching the tremor in her voice. "Maybe later—" he tried, eyes darting.
"No," Camille said sharply, eyes locked on Bastien. "Now."
Bastien studied her for a long second as if trying to figure out what went wrong with her before gesturing toward the chair opposite him. "Alright. What's wrong?"
Camille didn't sit. "What did you do with Lila Rousseau?"
The air shifted lightly, turning stale and charged with unspoken secrets.
Elodie looked up. "Who?"
Theo paused mid-pour.
Bastien's smile didn't even twitch. "A friend of yours, isn't she? You've mentioned her before."
" You sent me to her," Camille snapped. "You got me that job. You knew exactly who she was, I didn't know that and you made use of me."
Bastien sighed lightly, as if she were talking about a missed appointment. " "Sit down, Camille."
"No and stop talking to me like I'm a goddamn kid."
His eyes hardened just a fraction.
Theo quietly set the coffee pot down and stood up, moving towards Elodie already sensing the storm.
"Did you investigate her?"Camille demanded.
" I didn't have to, you told me all I need to know about her, didn't you?"
Camille gasped, hurt flashing through her eyes. " You're a monster."
Bastien folded his hands. "You're being dramatic."
"My life just got ripped apart, the only person I trusted and leaned on is gone, " she said, voice cracking. "So tell me the truth."
A pause.
Then Bastien leaned back in his chair, voice dry as if discussing the weather.
" I had an interest in her."
Camille's heart dropped. " Interest in her?. " She scoffed. "More like you had in interest in her family fortune."
"She comes from a complicated bloodline, " he said calmly. " Complicated bloodlines create complicated problems."
Theo stared at him. " Bastien—"
" I protected my interests, it was necessary. That's the law of the jungle dear. " Bastien cut in.
The words were soft and deadly.
Camille's breath hitched. " By using me?"
" I placed you near her," he admitted. " You were close to each other, she trusted you—her fault, but that was useful."
Tears burned her eyes. "You turned me into a spy. A pawn, all for your twisted game of revenge."
Bastien tuts, shaking his head," I turned you into an asset, I'm quite optimistic."
Elodie stood up slowly, confusion coloring her bright brown orbs. "What are you talking about?"
Camille looked at her sister, throat tight. "He used me, lied to us about his damn job. He sent me to befriend someone so he could watch her. He's a killer, a criminal."
"Camille!." Theo's voice hardens, " you don't talk to your uncle like that."
Elodie's face went pale. " Why?"
Camille turned back to Bastien. "Exactly, why?"
Bastien met her gaze. " Because her family ruined mine."
Camille felt like the floor disappeared underneath her feet, " You knew her parents were murdered," she whispered. "Hell, you even made sure of it yourself, seeing as you killed them. Am I right?."
" I knew she was a threat."
Theo slammed his hand on the table. "That's enough, Camille. I told you not to talk to your uncle that way. "
Bastien didn't flinch. " Stay out of it."
Camille shook her head in disbelief. " You destroyed her life… and you let me walk into hers smiling while destroying her."
"Collateral happens," he replied coldly. "That girl was always going to bleed. Even if I never sent you. "
Something inside Camille broke.
"You're disgusting, a monster," she whispered. " You made me hurt the one person I hoped I wouldn't."
Bastien's eyes narrowed. " You loved her too much. That was your mistake."
Camille backed away like he was poisonous. "She's my best friend, am I supposed to hate her?."
"She's not your best friend, you're my niece."
"I'm not going to be your asset," she said. "I'm not your tool. I'm not part of this."
She turned and ran.
" Camille,"Bastien called. She didn't stop, speeding up even faster.
The front door slammed so hard it rattled the windows.
Elodie stared at Bastien, horrified. "What did you do?"
He picked up his coffee again, unbothered. " Business."
Meanwhile. . .
The city blurred past the windshield, lights smearing into streaks of gold and white as she sped along the road.
Lila's hands were tight around the steering wheel, knuckles pale, jaw clenched so hard it ached.
Silence filled the car.
Matthieu sat in the passenger seat, one arm resting against the door. He kept glancing at her profile, measuring every breath she took.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
"Am I okay?," Lila let out a humorless laugh. "No."
That was it.
That was all she gave him.
A few more seconds passed. Then she spoke again.
"I feel stupid."
Matthieu frowned. "For what?"
"For believing anyone could stand next to me without wanting something." Her fingers curled tighter around the wheel. "First, it was Jace. Now Camille. It's almost funny. It's like I let myself be used several times."
"Camille didn't know," Matthieu said carefully. "From what we know, she was a pawn. Which you confirmed when you saw her."
"Pawns still block the queen's path," Lila replied coldly, eyes glinting.
Matthieu's jaw tightened but he didn't argue.
"I let her touch my life," Lila continued. "I let her see me when I wasn't pretending. And Bastien used that. He put her there. Like a fucking gift, waiting to be unwrapped."
She finally turned her head, eyes blazing.
"Do you know what that means?"
Matthieu met her gaze. " It means he was watching you."
" No. It means he was measuring me." Her lips twisted. " Testing my weaknesses. He wanted to see what I'd protect."
Matthieu shifted in his seat. " Then he just showed us exactly where to hit him."
Lila smiled but it wasn't the pretty kind.
"Good," she murmured. "Because I'm done being kind. I'm done pretending I can have a normal life, a normal job, a normal friend." She leaned back slightly, still driving. " They want a monster?"
Her eyes flicked to him, dark and steady. "I'll give them a fucking legend."
Matthieu swallowed. That was the look he recognized—the one her father used to wear before blood spilt.
" You're not alone," he said softly.
" I know." Lila exhaled slowly. " That's why this is going to hurt them."
The road opened up ahead.
And somewhere behind them, a war was quietly beginning.
On another side. . .
Camille didn't know how long she'd been walking, she'd stop running hours ago.
Her legs just kept moving, carrying her through empty streets until the crooked gate of the old amusement park appeared in front of her like a ghost from a fuzzy childhood.
She slipped inside through a gap in the fence and kept going until the noise of the city faded.
Everything was quiet, exactly what she needed.
The Ferris wheel stood frozen. The carousel horses were chipped and dull, their painted smiles cracked.
A place once meant for laughter now felt like a graveyard for sadness and hollowness.
Camille sank onto a bench, staring at nothing.
Her uncle is a disgusting breed of a monster.
I hurt my best friend.
The words kept replaying in her head like a curse.
She pressed her palms into her eyes, trying not to cry again, she'd cried enough for today.
"Camille?" She flinched.
Zoe stood a few steps away, holding her jacket around herself, eyes wide with surprise. "I was on my way home…then I saw you come in here. Are you okay?"
Camille swallowed, eyes darting around. "I'm fine."
That was a lie but Zoe didn't call her out. She just walked closer and sat beside her.
"You don't look fine to me."
Camille stared at the ground. "My uncle lied to me. About everything."
Zoe waited.
"I trusted him. I believed him." Her voice shook. "And because of that, I hurt someone who didn't deserve it."
Zoe's fingers curled on her lap. "Lila?"
Camille nodded slowly. "She looked at me like I was a stranger, Zoe. Like I was nobody. Like I'd never meant anything to her at all."
Zoe's chest tightened, but she kept her voice gentle. "You didn't mean to hurt her."
"I know." Camille laughed bitterly. "But that doesn't stop it from hurting."
A long silence fell between them, filled only by the distant occasional creak of metal.
Zoe finally spoke, voice soft. " Do you want me to stay?"
Camille nodded without looking at her.
And Zoe did.
She always did.
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A/N
Hi guys, it's me again 😌.
I hope y'all have been fine.
Elodie is Camille's younger sister btw 🌚
Enjoy! 😜