Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
Cameron’s face didn’t show much, leaving Levi and Jacqueline unsure of what she was really thinking.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. The waiter came in and began placing the dishes on the table individually.
As soon as everything was set, Leyi and Jacqueline warmly helped fill Cameron’s plate, piling it high with food.
Cameron said, “That’s way too much. I can’t eat all this, and it’ll just go to waste.”
Levi said, “It’s alright, don’t worry about it.”
Jacqueline smiled warmly. “Cam, is there anything else you want to eat?”
Cameron replied, “This is enough.”
Lance jumped in, glancing at their parents. “Mom, Dad, we’ve got time. I know you want to make it up to Cameron, but let’s take it slow.”
Jacqueline laughed. “Alright, we’ll take it slow.”
By the end of the meal, Cameron could truly feel how much Levi and Jacqueline cared about her.
After lunch, Lance got right to the point. “Cameron, is your decision still the same? Why don’t you come home with us? Yates Manor is your home.”
As soon as he spoke, Levi and Jacqueline looked at her, nervous and wondering, ‘Would Cam say yes?’
They’d wanted to ask her for a long time, but were afraid she’d be put off, so they never brought it up. They didn’t expect Lance to be so in tune with them and asked the question on their behalf.
Cameron looked up at Lance, then glanced at Levi and Jacqueline. Both were watching her closely, full of hope.
Cameron was quiet for a moment, then said, “Can you give me a day to think about it?”
“All right, all right,” Jacqueline said quickly. “Cam, I really want you to come back with me, but I’m not in a rush. We’ll respect your choice.”
Levi said, “Cam, don’t stress yourself out over this.”
Lance said, “Cameron, we’ll be waiting for your answer,”
After the meal, Levi and Jacqueline hoped to spend more time with Cameron, but Lance stepped in and ended the meet-up. With that, Cameron said her goodbyes and left.
Levi and Jacqueline watched as Cameron got into the taxi. Jacqueline’s eyes were teary, and she almost ran after Cameron for a moment, but she held back.
Lance repeated, “Mom, Dad, Cameron said she needs a day to think about it. Don’t worry, a day will fly by.”
So, Levi and Jacqueline stayed at the hotel. That way, if Cameron agreed to return with them, they could take her home immediately.
Cameron sat in the back of the taxi, watching the city streets slide by in reverse as her mind raced. She honestly didn’t even know how to put her feelings into words right now.
There was something warm and familiar about her parents; she could feel how much they cared about her too. Maybe going back wouldn’t be so bad after all.
‘But how long could a relationship last without a real emotional foundation?’ she wondered.
Just as she was wavering, a WhatsApp message from Elijah popped up. [Cameron, you didn’t come to work today?]
He’d waited in the company lobby again that morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bradley dropping her off.
But when it got close to clock in time and there was still no sign of either of them, he figured maybe she’d come in early.
But even at lunch, Elijah kept scanning the cafeteria, but Cameron was nowhere to be found. At this point, he couldn’t hold back anymore and finally sent her a message.
Cameron replied: [Yeah, something came up, so I didn’t go to work. I probably won’t be in for the next few days too.]
Elijah: [You’re not coming in for the next few days? Is something up? Need any help?]
Cameron looked at Elijah’s message and smiled. He was still the same-quiet on the surface, but always kind underneath.
Cameron: [Elijah, I don’t think this is something you can
Elijah: [Cameron, would you mind telling me about it?] help with.]
Back then, Elijah would’ve never asked so directly. But after seeing Bradley pick Cameron up from work yesterday, something about it had unsettled him.
He’d always known she was closest to Bradley, and he didn’t dare dream to be her best friend. But it was enough for him if he could be someone she turned to when things got hard.
Cameron: [It’s hard to talk about this over text.]
Elijah: [Where are you? I’ll come find you.]
Cameron thought about it and figured there was no harm in telling him.
Cameron: [Noble Vista.]
Elijah: [I’ll be there soon.]
Half an hour later, Elijah knocked on Cameron’s door. When Camern went to open the door, she was surprised to find him already there. “That was fast.”
“You okay?” he asked, slightly out of breath, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead as he looked her over with concern.
Cameron smiled. “I’m fine. Want to wash your face first?”
“I’m good-” he started, then paused, remembering that Cameron was a bit of a clean freak. He quickly corrected himself. “Actually, yeah. I’ll go wash up.”
Cameron handed Elijah a clean towel, then brewed him a cup of coffee.
Elijah sat down across from her. “So… are you ready to talk about it?”
Cameron said, “Elijah, I found my birth parents. I skipped work today to meet them at lunch.”
Technically, they were the ones who found her.
Elijah looked genuinely surprised. “You found your family? That’s amazing. Congrats.”
“Thanks,” Cameron said. “Now I’m just not sure if I should go back to them.”
“You’re not sure?” Elijah raised a brow. “You don’t want to?”
“I didn’t before. But after seeing them today… I’m not so sure anymore. They’re actually really kind people,” she said.
A small smile tugged at Elijah’s lips. “So now you’re leaning toward going back?”
Cameron nodded honestly. “Yeah.”
She had to admit that Levi and Jacqueline gave her a real sense of warmth. She could feel how sincere they were and felt the fates household probably had a great atmosphere.
Maybe just like how it was at Bradley’s place.
Elijah took a sip of coffee and said, “Then go back to them, Cameron. Maybe you’ll find what you’ve been missing all these years.”
Cameron asked, “You think I should go back to the Yates family too?”
“Too?” Elijah immediately caught that word.
“Brad said the same thing. He thinks I should go home to them,” she explained.
Elijah nodded, thinking, ‘So, Cameron had already told Brad. Am I the last one to know?’
Without thinking, he asked, “What about Austin and Xander? Did they say the same?”
Cameron shook her head. “They don’t know about this.”
Hearing that, Elijah finally felt relieved. If Austin and Xander didn’t know about this, that had to mean something, right?
Elijah wondered if that meant he was more important than the two. He knew there was no point in comparing them this way, but he couldn’t help but dive deeper into it.
With a small smile, Elijah said, “Cameron, I really think you should go back to your family. Family is something you just can’t do without.”
Even though Elijah’s parents were hardly ever around, he still loved them.
“I’ll think about it,” Cameron said. “Thanks for coming all the way here just to talk.”
“It’s nothing. Honestly, the reason I even took that job at your company was so I could-” Elijah stopped himself halfway through. He couldn’t let Cameron know he wanted to see her daily.
He couldn’t say that out loud. She’d probably start avoiding him if she found out how he felt.
Cameron finished his sentence for him, “I know, you’re just here to get some experience.”
Elijah didn’t deny that. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. “Oh, right. How did your family find you? Are you sure they’re really your parents?”
Cameron was, after all, the top scorer in this year’s college entrance exam. The school had awarded her three million dollars and a luxury property worth the same amount.
It wouldn’t be surprising if someone tried to scam her.
