“Do you know the man who tried to hurt you back there?”
“I don’t know him; he’s a complete stranger. He smelled strongly of cigarettes—probably hasn’t stopped smoking a day in his life.”
The only detail she could recall about the man was the repugnant odor of cigarettes.
“I couldn’t get a good look at his face when I confronted him either. By the time I tried to see him more clearly, his face was already so swollen that it was unrecognizable. But I did manage to take a picture of him. I’ll send it to Josh first thing tomorrow and ask him to investigate further for me.”
“He must be someone of importance if your mother was willing to hand you over to him. He looks like he’s in his forties or fifties, so it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out who he is.”
Camryn paused briefly before stating, “My mother wants to get Carrie out and have Serenity drop her charges. She’s a ruthless woman and will do anything to achieve her goals. You need to warn Serenity about this once you get back.”
“Make sure to tell her to be cautious. My mother is extremely volatile, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she resorts to drastic measures. She’d rather drag everyone down with her than see her enemies succeed.”
Callum glanced at her before returning his gaze to the road, hands gripping the steering wheel. “Are you sure you’re her daughter? Could you possibly be adopted? I’ve never seen a mother so cruel to her own child.”
Camryn fell silent.
After a long pause, she murmured softly, “I wish I weren’t her daughter.”
Callum responded sympathetically, “Why don’t you consider moving out? If you don’t have anywhere to go, I own several properties and wouldn’t mind letting you rent one. I could charge you less than the market rate since my…”
“Sister-in-law is particularly fond of you.” He mentioned that he would charge her rent to avoid raising her suspicions. He was concerned she might think he had ulterior motives for helping her. Fortunately, he could use Serenity as their mutual connection to foster a shared understanding. Camryn fell silent once more. Callum recognized that she had a lot of history and was kind enough to allow her the space to share her story at her own pace. When they arrived back at the Newmans’ villa, they found Mr. and Mrs. Newman anxiously pacing outside the house, seemingly waiting for someone.
“Mr. York?” Mr. Newman looked visibly surprised to see Callum. His voice was filled with shock as he asked, “Mr. York, why are you the one bringing Camryn back? Didn’t we assign a bodyguard at the venue to escort her home? What happened? Where is our bodyguard?”