Camille jerked forward from the impact, her forehead knocking against the headrest. She winced, holding her head.
"What happened?" she asked, feeling disoriented.
"It appears that we may have accidentally had a collision with another car," John replied and he unbuckled his seatbelt to check on it.
Camille frowned and stepped out with him. Her eyes widened the moment she saw the front of the car as the damage was worse than expected.
"Darn it," she muttered, then turned toward the other vehicle, silently hoping it had fared better.
No such luck. The other car was just as bad, maybe worse. It was a miracle no one was hurt.
She approached it cautiously, lifting her hand to knock, but froze as the door opened on its own.
Her breath hitched when the man stepped out.
"He's gorgeous," she whispered. He was a full head taller, dressed in a sharp suit and he moved with effortless authority.
She stared, feeling entranced.
"Miss, you might want to close your mouth. I won't be held responsible if an insect flies in," he said coolly.
Snapping out of it, Camille shut her mouth, cheeks burning. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
The man raised an eyebrow. "Well? What do you have to say about this? How do you plan to settle it?"
Camille blurted, "How about you make the decision?"
He looked at her, surprised, but said nothing.
John, standing behind her, shook his head, sensing trouble.
The man's gaze lingered on Camille. There was something familiar about her, but he chose not to ask. After all, this would likely be their only meeting.
"I'll take full responsibility for both cars," he said at last. "My driver was at fault, we weren't supposed to be in this lane."
Camille blinked, stunned. She knew he wasn't to blame, but if he was offering, she wasn't going to argue.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, sir," she replied politely.
His driver was surprised as he didn't expect him to make a decision. He knew how Shane was. He would normally not make such a decision, but he did, and for a woman nonetheless.
The driver looked at Camille who was still dressed in her uniform, and he sighed. If this was the type of girl his boss liked, then he could do nothing about him.
Letting out an exaggerated sigh, he vowed to inform Shane's mom about the latest development. He was sure the old lady would be happy about it, and he would be able to get some goodies.
Just thinking about it brought an excited smile to his face, and he hoped Shane would make a move immediately.
Camille, on the other hand, stared at Shane as though he had gone crazy. It was obvious who was at fault. But since he was willing to take responsibility for both cars, she didn't comment about it.
"Then I'll have to trouble you sir," Camille vowed politely, thanking him indirectly.
"Leave the car here, my assistant will take it to the workshop," Shane paused as though he wanted to recall something.
"And yes, drop your contact info so I can inform you when the car is fixed," Shane said, while texting someone on his phone.
Camille figured it would be his assistant. She turned to look at John, and gestured for him to give Shane his number.
John frowned, wondering what she was trying to do. Nevertheless, he didn't complain. Instead, he did as told.
Shane's brows furrowed seeing that it was the driver's contact that was passed to him, regardless, he gestured for his driver to take it.
After exchanging contact information, Camille booked a ride home. They would not be able to find a taxi on the path they were on, so it was better they booked one.
A few minutes later, the car arrived.
"Good bye Mr.." Camille paused as she didn't know what his name was. She looked at him, while she blinked her eyes innocently. It was clear that she wanted to know what his name was.
"Shane," Shane replied after realising what she wanted to know.
Camille smiled, waving her hands at him before entering into the car.
Shane's driver was stunned by his actions. This was the first time his boss would willingly give out his name to a girl.
He made sure he would not forget about it so he could inform the Old Madam.
Soon after, Camille and John arrived home, and Cleo had surprisingly gotten home before them.
She sat on Camille's favourite sofa with a mocking smile on her face, and Camille frowned.
Not because of the smile, but because she was seated on the sofa.
"Get up!" Camille commanded with a firm tone.
"And what if I don't? What would you do about it?" Cleo responded arrogantly.
Camille scoffed, baffled by her audacity. She could only chuckle due to amazement.
"I think you are forgetting your place in this house. Even if my brothers have a soft spot for you, you are still a maid's daughter, you are beneath me, that is a fact." Camille made sure to remind her of her place.
She knew that Cleo was insecure of one thing. And that was being addressed as a maid's daughter.
It prickled her a lot, and even when she received the two brothers' love, it didn't change the fact that she was insecure about her identity.
"What did you just say?" Cleo asked with a dangerously low voice.
Camille raised her brows due to the authority being exercised in that question. But nevertheless, she aimed to put Cleo in her place, and she wasn't terrified of her.
She left all of her fears in her past life, now, she was a new person who wasn't bothered to say what was on her mind.
"I said you are nothing more than a maid's daughter, what are you planning to do to me? Isn't it the truth?" Camille repeated with a smug expression.
She had to admit that she was having fun messing with Cleo's mental health.
"You!!" All of a sudden, tears fell from her eyes, as she said, "I understand that you hate me, but you do not have to constantly remind me that I am a maid's daughter."
Camille was taken aback by her change in attitude. It was only when she saw the faintest smirk at the corner of her lips did she finally understand what was going on.