Page 8 of Grumpy Bossy Billionaire Enemy

Camille and I didn't have time to gossip about her date with Troy before her pager went off and she had to leave. Troy had made her work directly under him when he found out that Camille and I were best friends. His excuse was that he didn’t want two best friends on the same surgical team. Or maybe he just wanted to spend more time with Camille.

I walked back to the office I shared with the other junior surgeons. My mind trailed to Henry’s house. I decided to dig more to find about who this woman was to Henry. I hired Mother's private investigator, instructing him that I wanted to know everything about Julia. I'd rather walk into a marriage with my eyes open than stride in mindlessly.

At home, I was greeted by Mother's beaming eyes. She took my hand and led me to the dining table. She only did that whenever she wanted to tell me something important or to tell me something that could annoy me. She knew I had a soft spot for her gentle eyes, and she had gotten whatever she wanted with those eyes. Mother's golden blond hair shone under the accent lighting from the dining room's crystal chandelier. Her wrinkles were invisible under the light; it felt like I was speaking to a younger version of her.

She smelled of freshly made lasagna, my favorite meal. “What’s going on, Mom,”

Mom kissed the back of my hand. “I have something to tell you,” she said and paused. “The families think your marriage should be finalized next month.”

I raised my brows at her. “This is a joke, right?”

Mom shook her head. “No, it is not. You will marry Henry, anyway, so it doesn't matter when."

I stand up from my chair. Mother was right; marrying Henry was only a matter of time. A week ago, marrying Henry wouldn’t mean anything to me, but things were different now. I wanted to know Henry better and get into his head. I wanted to know who my husband really was,

“Everything will be okay. Your father and I didn't even get to date before we married.”

“I know, Mom,” I replied, “I need some time to think about it.”

I never thought I’d have a second thought about Henry. Here I was, second-guessing the lifetime decision I was about to make.

Chapter four

The Trouble

Henry

“So, you went to the masked party with Camille,” I teased Troy. “I heard she was your date.”

Troy smiled, realizing I’d known about his date with Camille.

He didn’t try to deny it. He only tried to make it less important.

“Camille is my subordinate at work; it's nothing important.”

“That’s why you shouldn’t go out with her any longer,” I told him. “You will end up hurting her.”

“I know that,” Troy said dismissively. “Don’t you have something to do?”

Overseeing the rest of the Robinsons' enterprise meant I had a lot of spare time at hand. The managers at the hospital and restaurants do a great job of putting the whole place together. I often hung out with my brother in his house or his hospital.

“I don’t think you do.”

Troy knew better than to get involved with someone Mother doesn't endorse. People from influential families like ours didn’t get to make decisions alone. We were destined to do everything for the continuous influence of the family, which included marrying someone from an influential background.

While I had been matched with Amelia, Troy had various matches he had to pick from. Mother wouldn’t let Troy do many things his way because he headed the biggest hospital in Richmond and was also the family's firstborn.

“There is just something about Camille that draws me to her.” Troy paused. “I just can’t explain it.”

I understand Troy's feelings about Camille because it was how I felt about Amelia. She was like the sunshine of my rainy life; losing her could mean losing my meaning in life.

“How are you getting along with Amelia?” Troy tried to take the discussion off himself. Fortunately for him. It worked. “Do you think you guys will make a great couple?”

I nodded in response. “We will be alright.”

“Do you like her already?” Troy seemed more surprised than I was. “You sound like you may be falling for Amelia already.”

“No, I-” I stuttered, and Troy’s smile grew wider. “We’ve just spent a few times together, and she is an interesting lady.”

---