Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
Cameron raised an eyebrow. “You’d be dead. How would you know what he’d dare to do?”
David had no response to that.
“If I were you,” Cameron continued, “I’d work my ass off to make money and fight for custody of my daughter. You say there’ s nothing worth living for? What about her? Don’t you care if she lives or dies?”
“Of course I care!” David shouted. “I’ve been trying my hardest to get custody. But she’s barely two years old, and my ex- wife has more money than I do. The law favors her. What am I supposed to do?”
“Kill yourself, apparently,” Cameron said dryly.
David’s mouth snapped shut.
“So your ex cheated because you don’t make enough money?” Cameron asked casually.
David’s shoulders slumped. “I’m just a senior physician. I make about 10 thousand to 20 thousand dollars a month. She wanted a luxury lifestyle I couldn’t provide.”
Cameron smiled slightly, “Sounds like you’re an honest man
Successfully unlocked!
Hospitals were among the most profitable places theen willing to bend the rules-taking bribes from patients, cutting deals with pharmaceutical companies-he could have easily made a fortune.
But David never did any of that. He gave a bitter smile.
Cameron smirked. “Mr. Tucker, I have an opportunity that could make you very rich. Want to give it a shot?”
David stared at Cameron’s young face, then glanced at the school uniform she was wearing. He just shook his head, his expression bitter.
“You don’t trust me?” Cameron raised an eyebrow.
“Look, kid,” David said, “I’m grateful you saved me. You’re right. I shouldn’t die. For my daughter’s sake, I need to stay alive, make good money, and fight for custody.” There was a new fire in his eyes.
“Is that all the thanks I get?” Cameron asked.
“No, I really am thankful. What do you want from me?”
“Work for me,” Cameron stated. She needed someone desperate, with no way out, but with strong moral character to help her start a pharmaceutical company. Someone who would be completely dedicated.
And as luck would have it, David was a doctor. He was already in the field. The timing couldn’t be more perfect.
David shook his head. “Kid, don’t mess with me.”
“I’m not joking,” Cameron said firmly. “Let’s talk.”
Cameron laid out her plans for starting a pharmaceutical company with complete seriousness. She wasn’t really just 18 years old. If counted properly, she was over a thousand years old. Starting companies was something she knew inside and out.
Cameron talked with David for half an hour.
At first, David thought Cameron was just joking around. But as they talked more, his expression changed, and respect filled his eyes.
Suddenly, Cameron sneezed. The wind by the river was strong, and they were both soaking wet. If they didn’t get back to change clothes soon, they’d catch colds.
“So, Mr. Tucker,” Cameron asked finally, “what do you think? Want to join my company?”
David looked eron with excitement. “How would that work?”
“You’d be the public face of the pharmaceutical company,” Cameron explained. “You’d handle all the official business. I’m still in high school, so I’ll pull the strings from behind the scenes.
“You contribute your expertise, and I’ll provide all the funding. I won’t shortchange you. We’ll split it seventy-thirty, with me taking seventy. What do you say?”
“You trust me that much?” David stared at Cameron in disbelief.
Cameron shrugged. “Let call it fate.”
“Alright then. Since you’re putting so much faith in me, I won’t let you down,” David said, his voice unexpectedly catching in his throat.
He just lost everything, and express. his emotions were raw and vulnerable. Cameron’s confidence in him meant more than he could
Cameron nodded with satisfaction.
“By the way,” David asked, “what should I call you?”
“I’m Cameron Wallace. You can call me Cam.”
David stood up and gave Cameron a formal bow. “Mr. Wallace, it’s an honor to work with you.”
“Let’s exchange number,” Cameron said. “You focus on your job for now, and I’ll be in touch later.”
Now that she’d found a staff, the next step was making money. Cameron needed capital to start a company.
The hundred thousand or so she had on hand wouldn’t cut it. The minimum registered capital requirement was two million dollars.
Cameron could technically take out a mortgage on the Noble Vista, but that would make her feel like she owed Bradley even more. It wasn’t a good idea.
Thankfully, Cameron’s phone still worked perfectly despite its dip in the water. She saved David’s number, gave him a quick wave, and disappeared before he could say another went
David stood there speechless. Cameron had va
Successfully unlocked! felt like he’d dreamed the whole thing.
But he knew better. This was real. And he was going to get his daughter back.
*****
Cameron rushed home and immediately peeled off her soaking wet uniform. She soaked in a hot bath to chase away the chill 1 probably won’t catch a cold, she thought.
Thanks to her good physical condition, Cameron woke up the next morning feeling completely refreshed. At eight dclock, the doorbell rang
Subsorbed
Cameron didn’t even need to check the video intercom to know who was at the door. When she pulled it open, sure enough, there stood Bradley.
He wore a white tracksuit that highlighted his tall frame in all the right ways. And of course, there was that impossibly handsome face of his.
Bradley pushed a cart loaded with breakfast for two. “Morning,” he said, his eyes takling behind gold-rimmed glasses.
“Morning, Brad,” Cameron smiled back.
Bradley wheeled the cart into her room. “Breakfast time. Let’s eat together.”
“Thanks,” Cameron replied.
“No need to be so formal with me,” Bradley replied as he arranged the food on the dining table.
Cameron stood behind him, sighing quietly. ‘How am I supposed to turn down Bradley’s kindness? she thought.
Cameron couldn’t repay Bradley for his kindness, so all she could do was refuse. Bradley wouldn’t even let her pay him back.
Cameron hated this feeling. Any relationship should be give and take, not just one person constantly giving or receiving.
“Why are you just standing there? Aren’t you hungry?” Bradley asked.
Cameron sat down across from him, picking up a glass of milk and sipping it slowly. “Brad, aren’t you heading back to Steerfall today?”
“Nope.” Bradley held his own glass of milk. “The SATs are coming up soon. Things are getting tight, so I’ll just go back once a month from now on.”
Cameron’s mind went blank. ‘The SATs are coming up?’ She wondered. She hadn’t seen Bradley doing any SAT prep at all.
Bradley’s grades were good. He consistently ranked in the top ten of their year. But all she ever saw him reading were books outside the curriculum, and whenever he wasn’t at school, he was at the law firm.
Cameron didn’t challenge him on it though, just lowered her head and continued eating breakfast.
Bradley noticed something was off. “What’s wrong? Didn’t sleep well last night?” he asked. She was barely talking.
Cameron shook her head. “I slept fine.”
Bradley nodded. “Got any plans this morning? Do you want to-“
“I have plans,” Cameron cut him off.
Bradley fell silent for a beat before asking, “What plans?”
“I’m meeting a friend.”
Behind Bradley’s gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes flashed with disappointment. He didn’t say anything, though. He didn’t awkwardly ask Cameron who this friend was, either. That was the restraint one’d expect from an adult.
After breakfast, Bradley politely excused himself and left.
Cameron didn’t go out. Instead, she flopped down on the couch at home and opened her laptop, wondering how to scrape together some startup money.
