Page 92 of All the Drama from New York

Ryan might well had warned her off from playing Cupid, but when it came to the laws of attraction, who was she to stand in the way?

Camille’s phone pinged. She glanced down at it.

You were right about Neil.

I’ve moved to Miami

And filed for divorce

She stared at the screen for a long minute. Hope had finally reached out to her. Camille wasn’t sure how she felt about the demise of her former PA’s short-lived marriage. Being right still left a sour taste in her mouth.

What should she say in response to Hope’s news?

Sorry about your failed marriage, but hey I’ve found a wonderful guy. And now we’re having a baby.

Hope might have burned her, but Camille would never wish her pain. Love had made her former friend temporarily blind to the truth. But everyone deserved to find someone who made them happy.

“Yes, they do,” she whispered.

Camille typed back her reply.

I hope you find love and happiness.

She went to put her phone back into her bag, then stopped. This shouldn’t be how things ended between them.

Let me know when U R next in NYC

I still owe you a farewell lunch love C

If Hope kept up with news on Camille, she’d know the rest soon enough.

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

Camille tugged open the stage curtains an inch, peeked out, then quickly closed them again. Ryan hadn’t been joking when he’d said that her runway show was a sellout.

From what she could see there wasn’t an empty seat in the house. A small group of people stood standing against the far wall, held back by a mix of event and Royal security personnel.

Julia Spence had initially protested about Ryan’s insistence on them having Royal protection personnel at the show. She might be unpleasant, but she wasn’t a fool. She’d quickly realized the social gravitas which having suited bodyguards standing at the door added to the show’s already sizzling appeal, and had relented.

“Did you see who is sitting in the prime positions for the cameras?” asked Bryce. Her cousin and his fiancée Vivian had come backstage to give Camille their best wishes.

Ryan was off somewhere no doubt making certain that everything was perfect and ready for the show. While Camille was busy hyperventilating with nerves, her baby daddy was in his element. The man loved to be busy.

“No, who is in the prime seats?” replied Camille.

“Chloe and Jordan are here of course.” The mega popstar and her husband, had flown in from the west coast this morning. “But get this, Derick Stad and Kaylee, from the tv show, are seated next to them.”

“Really? What a surprise.” She’d known exactly who had been allocated the VIP seats. Social media was already running hot with the news.

Thank heavens for Chloe’s management and the Royal Resorts legal team. As soon as they had been able to establish that the show’s producers had been behind the public shaming of Camille Royal, they’d threatened to sue. The prospect of a multi-million dollar legal claim for defamation and gross invasion of Camille Royal’s privacy had made them see reason.

The various lawyers had quickly thrashed out a settlement to release Ryan from his contract. As part of that agreement, they’d come up with a deal which saw Kaylee wearing some of Camille’s new outfits on the show.

Bryce grinned at her. “Putting Derick and Kaylee up the front was a clever move. You’ve just handed them millions of dollars’ worth of free promotion for their upcoming reality series. And everyone is going to be talking about your runway show.”

“That was all Ryan’s idea,” replied Camille.

The man in question now appeared at her shoulder. Ryan bent and whispered in her ear. “Your parents are in the audience. They are seated a little further along the runway. I did offer for them to come closer to the front, but they didn’t want to steal your limelight.”

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