To Remarry The Billionaire

Eight

Camila’s POV

The smile I had started my day with was long gone by now because I had just heard the news I wasn't expecting. I stared at Dylan with the cup of coffee in front of me, and a frown on my face, wondering what she was talking about.

“Are you saying that she told you she would be getting another caterer?” I asked again, unsure I had heard correctly the first time.

I mean, anyone in my shoes would be surprised too, and would think of any reason why Dorothy would have done that. She had called Dylan this morning to tell her she wasn’t comfortable anymore with us catering for her wedding and her reason for that was because Dylan was family, and no one should really use family for something serious.

How dare she?

I wasn’t even sure why I was fuming! Was this because she had stopped us from working for her after we had come this far, or was it because she dared blame her insecurity on Dylan?

And to think I had thought that she had changed, because why else had she shown this kind of claws after we had both pretended big to know each other when we met yesterday?

"Yeah, that's what she said," Dylan confirmed, her expression as baffled as mine. "But Cam, you know this isn't about us, right? It's just Dory being Dory. She's always been a bit unpredictable." She said and I grunted. This wasn’t about being unpredictable.

In fact, this was a move I should have predicted, I should have expected she would do something like this, but then again, I had thought she had changed, but now, it seemed like a pipe dream.

I sighed, pushing the coffee that was in front of me away. "I know, I just... it doesn't sit right with me. After our conversation yesterday with putting the menu together and everything, I thought everything was settled. And now this sudden change? It feels off."

Dylan reached across the table, placing a reassuring hand over mine. "Look, we'll find other clients, I don’t care she’s not willing to work with us anymore. We're just starting out, and setbacks are part of the job. Don't let her get to you."

Get to me? Was that what this was about? Trying to move first to shun me into silence because she thought I might make a move? Maybe it was better to let Dylan know the kind of woman she was.

I hesitated for a moment, the weight of what I knew about her heavy on my shoulders, but I knew I had to tell Dylan the truth about Dorothy, especially after this move she had made. She had just shown her hand in the game of cards she was playing, so now, I was ready to play too.

"Dylan," I started, my voice coming out a bit shaky, "there's something I need to tell you about Dory… about who she is to me." She was actually no one important to me, but she had played a big role as well.

Dylan's brow furrowed, her face a picture of concern. "What is it, Cam?" she asked me as she concentrated on my face.

I took a deep breath, the words feeling like stones in my mouth. Really, this wasn’t something I should say, and trust me, I was ready to never say them. I had promised myself it was not something I would talk about at all, but then she had gone and done this. "Dorothy, or Dory as she calls herself now, she's... she was involved with my ex-husband, Zion. She was the other woman, the one I told you about." I explained.

The color drained from Dylan's face as she processed what I had just told her, and her eyes bulged in her face as she looked at me. "What? Are you serious?" she asked me.

Well, it wasn’t as if I was going to lie about something like that or make that up. She knew me better than that, plus I had no reason to say something that hideous about someone if it didn’t happen.

I nodded at her question, feeling the old pain flare up within me again as I spoke about it, but I swallowed and pushed it down. "Yes. She's part of the reason my marriage fell apart.” I said as I rubbed the back of my hand. “Or maybe she was the main reason." I added, lifting my shoulder in a shrug.

It was the truth anyway. I remembered she had been the one to tell me Zion was planning to divorce me first. She had said she had seen the reason why Zion wanted to divorce me and she was hoping it was a short process.

I could tell that Dylan was shocked, it was written all over her face, then the shock turned to anger, and I could tell she was fuming about it, her protective instincts kicking in. "I can't believe this. And she's marrying Tommy?” she asked as she squeezed her face in disbelief.

At first, I thought the disbelief was meant for me because I hadn’t told her this earlier and was letting it off, but then she said. “My brother needs to know about this. He can't marry someone like her." She frowned, her brows creasing.

I raised my hand, signaling her to slow down. "Dylan, I appreciate your support, I do, and I know you are trying to look out for your brother, but I don't think that's a good idea.” It wasn’t at all. I might have wanted to hurt Dorothy as well as she had tried to hurt us, but then again, I would be hurting Tommy as well. “It's not our place to interfere in their affair or anything." I explained.

"But Camila, this isn’t just about my brother," Dylan protested, "you can't just let her…” she started but trailed off when I gestured at her again.

I interrupted her without even talking, then I said. "It doesn't really matter anymore. What's done is done. I've moved on, and so has she, from the look of things. I shouldn't have expected anything different from her, but I was the one who should have been wary, not her. That’s what me telling you is about.” I said.

Dylan studied me for a long moment, and I could see the clash in her eyes. She wanted to fight for me, to defend me, but she also respected my wishes.

"I'm sorry, Cam," she finally said. "I just hate the thought of her hurting you all over again." She rubbed my hands once again.

I managed a small, sad smile. "I know, but right now, my focus is on Zion and our business. We'll get through this, like we always do." I told her, because I believed it.

Dylan nodded, though I could tell she was still troubled. "Fine then, all right. But if you ever change your mind, you know I've got your back." She offered and I smiled.

"Thank you, Dylan." I said as I stood up, feeling the need to get moving, to leave the heavy atmosphere behind. "We should go pick up Zion together when it is time. That boy misses his favorite aunty and Godmother." I said, abs Dylan laughed.

“He only has me, so I couldn’t agree more.” She said.

“We should go to the office now.” I said and Dylan nodded.

As I sat there, watching Dylan's face go from shock to anger and then settling into a kind of resigned concern, I couldn't help but feel a bit of relief having shared my burden. It was a strange feeling, like letting go of a weight I'd been carrying around for so long without even realizing how heavy it was.

We got up from the table, leaving the untouched cups of coffee behind. The café around us buzzed with the chatter of other customers, but their conversations seemed distant, muffled by the thoughts swirling in my head. I could tell Dylan was in a similar state, her mind racing with the implications of what I had just revealed.

As we walked out onto the street, I took a deep breath, trying to enjoy the cool, crisp air. We were quiet for a while, each of us lost in our own thoughts as we made our way to the car. I could feel the tension between us, not the kind that comes from an argument, but the kind that comes from knowing there's a big problem hanging over us that we can't immediately solve.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Dylan finally asked, breaking the silence as she started the car. She was trying to shift the focus back to our work, to the immediate tasks at hand. She was always good at that, bringing us back to the moment and to what we could control.

I shrugged a little, trying to embrace her change in direction. "Well, we've got that tasting with the Johnsons this afternoon. And then there's the paperwork for the new supplier..." I trailed off, trying to muster enthusiasm for the to-do list that awaited us at the office. It felt trivial now, after the emotional bombshell I'd dropped, but I knew we had to keep pushing forward with our business no matter what.

Dylan nodded, her eyes focused on the road. "Yeah, and we need to sort out the p*****t issue with the florist. I'll call them when we get back." She said.

As we drove, I couldn't help but glance over at Dylan from time to time. She was a good friend and an excellent business partner, and I hated that Dorothy's actions were causing her stress.

Dylan had always been there for me, from the early days when we were just two friends with a passion for food and a dream of starting our own business, to now, when that dream was finally becoming a reality.

When we arrived at the office, I decided to work from Dylan’s office to make things a little more efficient, and things ran smoothly for a while, but I could tell that Dylan was thinking about something.

"I've been thinking," Dylan said, her voice hesitant. "Are you sure you don't want to say anything to Tommy? I mean, he should know who he's marrying."

I shook my head, feeling that there was no need for that.

“No, Dylan. I don’t want to have to be the cause for a split, and neither do you.” Because if she was to tell Tommy, that was most likely what was going to happen.

Uh-uh! That wouldn’t be on my conscience.