Love's Cunning Ruse novel Chapter 347

The voice on the other end of the phone was quick to deny any wrongdoing. "Look, when I told you I was heading back to deal with some family stuff, I meant it. There's no way I'd lie to you. You know there are lots of people have same names out there. You’re the only one for me, babe. I’m not thinking of marriage yet, but if I were, you'd be the one. You're overthinking this..."

Before he could finish his words, a sultry and all-too-alluring voice cut through the call, "Honey, why aren't you coming over? Don't you like the lingerie I picked out?"

Even from a meter away, Julie could hear it clear as day.

Camilla's grip on her phone tightened, and without warning, the call ended abruptly.

After a few seconds of stunned silence...

"That no-good son of a gun!" It was Amanda who blurted out the curse, her voice laced with disbelief and anger.

It was obvious. The seductive voice on the phone was undoubtedly that of Christine, the woman splashed across the newspaper pages, the one who had apparently tied the knot with Simonson, his long-time sweetheart.

And what did that make Camilla?

"That jerk! What does he take Camilla for?" Amanda was fuming, her emotions even more charged than Camilla's.

But Camilla was silent. Perhaps she was too shocked to react, or maybe she was holding onto a sliver of hope, unwilling to believe the truth. She stood motionless, her voice lost somewhere amidst the chaos.

It wasn't until Julie approached her with concern, her voice gentle, "Camilla, are you okay?"

"No!" Camilla shook her head vehemently, clutching the phone like a lifeline. "It can't be Simonson. He wouldn't betray me!"

Her other hand had crumpled the newspaper into a ball, veins standing out on her wrist in defiance of the reality she was refusing to accept.

"Simonson said he would never let me down..." In a flurry, she handed the phone to Julie and darted upstairs.

"Camilla! Where are you off to in such a rush?" called out Amanda, her voice laced with worry.

"I'm going to Britain. I'm going to find Simonson. I need to hear it from him, that the man in the papers isn't him!" Camilla was dead serious, grabbing her passport and heading for the door.

Amanda quickly motioned to Basil to stop Camilla. "Camilla, calm down. Rushing off alone, do you even know where Simonson lives? What will you do if he refuses to see you?"

Amanda's words seemed to anchor Camilla for a moment, leaving her standing there, lost, like a ghost. But she didn't let go of her passport, as if she hadn't abandoned the idea of confronting Simonson.

Looking at Amanda with resolute eyes, Camilla insisted, "Amanda, Simonson wouldn't lie to me... I have to meet him!"

"How will you find him if you don't even know where he is?" Julie's heart went out to Camilla. Only those who have been betrayed by the person they least expected know the depth of that pain.

It was as if Julie was reliving her own past suspicions about Bertha and Kieran. First came denial, refusing to believe the truth, followed by an overwhelming desire to confront the traitors.

Julie tried to reason with Camilla, "Even if you want to hear the truth from him, you need to know where he is, right? Has he never mentioned anything about his family over the years?"

Camilla shook her head, "He only mentioned his prestigious family occasionally. I wasn't with him for his status, so I never pressed for details..."

Julie sighed, "Well, we need to find out where he's likely to be before you go rushing off."

She wanted to say more, to tell Camilla that chasing after Simonson could lead to more heartache if he refused to see her, but her kind heart couldn't bear to spell it out.

Amanda, agreeing with Julie, took Camilla's hand and said soothingly, "Let's have Basil check out this guy's background before you go. It won't hurt to wait."

Turning to Basil, Amanda urged, "Basil, do some digging. We need to know who this guy really is."

"Nonsense! How wouldn't you be of help?" Amanda glared at Kieran. "If you're with Camilla, at least you can have her back! We need to show Simonson that Camilla is not to be trifled with!"

Dylan, an outsider in this family drama, could only watch as Julie stood by silently, seemingly unable to voice any objection.

Everyone knew Amanda's temper. If Julie suggested now that Kieran shouldn't accompany Camilla to Britain, it would likely only infuriate Amanda further, possibly earning her a reputation for being petty or nitpicky. Thus, Julie's silence seemed the wisest choice.

But Dylan couldn't hold his tongue any longer. He blurted out, "Amanda, honestly, you're making it sound like Camilla can't stand up for herself without Kerry tagging along. She's a grown woman. She doesn't need us fussing over her like this, right?"

Julie and Kieran turned to look at Dylan in surprise. It was quite something for him to stand up to Amanda at such a critical moment.

However, Dylan's brave intervention fell on deaf ears, as Amanda simply said, "Dylan, you've never been in love. You don't understand the heartbreak."

She pulled Dylan aside and whispered, "I'm just worried Camilla might not be able to get her head straight after all this."

Dylan wanted to say that Camilla's state of mind had nothing to do with Kieran, but given that Camilla was a benefactor to the Hernandez family, he was powerless to argue. He turned to Kieran with a look that said, "Bro, I've done all I can."

Camilla, ever the sensible one, stepped in, "Don't trouble yourself, Kieran. I'm not going off the deep end. I just want to know why Simonson..."

Her voice trailed off as her eyes began to well with tears.

Amanda laid down the law, "That settles it. If Camilla's going to Britain, Kieran is going with her, no ifs or buts!"

Kieran had to admit, grandma was getting more muddled with age! He was about to speak up when Amanda suddenly turned to Julie, "Joyce, you should go with Kieran."

Then she called over to Basil, "Get the plane ready. If they're going, they should go now. Have Eric take them to Britain."