Page 10 of Dr. Billionaire's Fake Marriage

She smiles at me warmly. "Hi!" she giggles. "You again."

I nod. “Yes, me again,” I reply. “I want to see Camile, please?”

She shakes her head. “Camile is out with her friend,” she lies to me.

“Mrs. Howard…,” I start to say.

“Jesse,” she corrects me.

I swallow. “I know she is inside,” I mutter. “I saw her when looking out her window.”

Jesse sighs, looks behind her, and then back at me. "She doesn't want to speak with you, Troy. She has been moody since she got back from the party."

I nod in understanding. “I may have something to do with that.” I blink and say. “That is why I am here to make things right.”

Jesse looks behind her again before opening the door wider. “I will try to get her to come out of her room,” she says. “No promises. Camile can be so stubborn!”

I watch her walk into the hallway; I am tapping my leg nervously for the next few minutes.

I stare at the orchids I am still holding. They are beautiful, and I hope they are enough to make Camile's heart soften.

Jesse walks back to the living room and smiles at me. "I will give you two a moment," she says as she walks to the kitchen. Camile comes out of the hallway, her hands on her hips; she is leaning on the wall by the hallway.

“Hi, Camile,” I say, holding up the bouquet up for her to see.

“What do you want?” she asks with a frown.

I stand up, holding out the array. “I came here to apologize for what happened at the party last night. I don’t know what came over me.”

She finally looks at the flowers, and I motion for her to take the bouquet. “They are for you.”

She smells the orchid as she takes it. “I hope you will forgive me for being so irrational.”

She looks at me, surprised that I can apologize. "You don't owe me an apology," she says. "You didn't punch me; you punched Josh, so you owe him an apology."

I let out a scoff, and she arches her eyebrows. Then, it hits me that Jesse doesn't know the history of Joshua and me. She thinks Josh is probably a random person at the party.

“Joshua is not who you think he is.” I start to dissuade her from whatever she may have learned about Joshua.

"I don't care," she replies. "You punched him in the face because he was keeping me company while you wandered off to god-knows-where."

Her words hit me in the heart. I know she has a bad mouth when she is angry.

"Will apologizing to Joshua make you forgive me?" I ask her, keeping my eyes on her.

She nods as she bends her head to smell the fragrant orchids. She loves them; I can tell from the way she smells them and brings a few to touch her cheek.

“I will see you tomorrow,” I say as I start to leave, but Camile has a surprise for me.

“Tomorrow?” She frowns at me.

“I think we will see each other tonight. Your mother invited me over for a family dinner.”

My eyes widen. Dinner? Mother is inviting Camile to dinner, and I am not aware of it.

I think Mother doesn't understand what family means if she always invites someone - who isn't family – to a family dinner.

“Oh!” I forgot,” I say, trying to prevent Camile from seeing the shock on my face. “I will see you at dinner.”

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