Entangled With My Rival CEO

Chapter 16

"No." Camilla shook her head slowly as she took a sip of water from the glass cup in her hand. "That's not going to happen," she said firmly.

"Oh come on, Bambina,(Baby) it's just a pretense, nothing more," Alessia said, sounding excited over the phone as Camilla sat back on her sofa.

"Mamma, you made me have a meeting with him and his attorney. How did that turn out?" Camilla asked, her brow furrowing as she waited for her mother's response.

There was a pause for a few seconds before Alessia spoke again, "Well..." Camilla detected the hesitation in her mother's voice and raised her eyebrow slightly.

"Exactly. And then you persuaded me to meet with him again, and this time what happened? He asked me to pretend to be in a relationship with him so the public wouldn't see me as a woman who sleeps with rich men," she said with disgust.

There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line, and Camilla bit her lip.

"Bambina,(Baby) I don't think that's what he meant when he said that. And there's no way people see you that way. The public is just shocked and... couldn't believe that you finally hooked up with someone." Her mother said, uncertainly.

Camilla let out a small huff before responding, "I was drunk, I didn't 'hook up' with anyone and you know it."

"I don't know why I'm even having this conversation with you. I already said I wasn't going to talk to you or Papá about this situation," she said sharply, her voice clipped.

There was a brief silence as her mother tried to gather her thoughts.

"I understand you're upset right now, but consider the bigger picture. If you agree to this plan, it will protect your reputation, and the scandal will die down quickly," her mother said, trying to reason with her.

Camilla knew her mother had good intentions, but it only served to frustrate her further.

After a few moments of silence, Alessia sighed and spoke again, "You know what, I'm going to let you calm down for a while."

"I trust that you'll make the right decision in this situation. Ti amo,(My love)" she said, expressing her love before the call ended.

As soon as the call ended, Camilla leaned back against the couch and rubbed her face. She was exhausted from the long week, both from work and the stress of the situation with Alexander.

With a deep sigh, she stood up and walked towards her bedroom, hoping to get some rest.

As she reached for the doorknob, a sudden image popped up in her mind of herself, drunk and stumbling, being half-carried into a room by her parents.

"Could they have..." She trailed off, considering the possibility that her parents had something to do with what happened between her and Alexander that night.

But she quickly dismissed the thought, convinced that her parents loved her too much to go to such an extent.

"Crazy thinking," she chuckled to herself, then pushed the door open, walked straight to her bed, pulled the covers up and climbed under them.

She closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep, but sleep eluded her.

Her mind kept buzzing with thoughts about what Alexander had told her that afternoon.

"Oh God, what do I do?" She whispered to herself, her voice filling the otherwise silent room.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Emerging from the sleek Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, Alexander and Camilla were greeted by a flurry of camera flashes and reporters thrusting microphones towards them.

Shielding their eyes from the intense brightness, the couple walked arm in arm onto the stage.

As they approached the podium, they lowered their hands and confidently smiled for the cameras.

As the press quieted, Alexander stepped forward and leaned into the microphone.

His gaze swept over the gathered reporters as he began to speak, his deep, smooth voice filling the stage.

"Good evening, members of the press," he said, pausing to offer a small, genuine smile.

"I would like to express my gratitude for your attendance here today. We truly appreciate it." He concluded with a nod.

"We have called this press conference today to address the recent incident that has been circulating on the internet," Alexander began, his voice steady and neutral.

"As many of you are aware, a photo of me and Camilla in a compromising position was leaked online."

"We understand that this has led to much speculation and caused embarrassment for both of us. We want to clarify the situation." He stepped back and Camilla leaned forward, her voice quiet but clear as she added her thoughts on the matter.

"Alexander and I have been in a relationship for some time now," Camilla began, her voice clear and firm.

"Due to personal reasons, we had chosen to keep it private."

"However, the recent incident has compelled us to be open about our relationship." Her expression was composed and neutral as she spoke, giving no indication of discomfort or embarrassment.

The news came as a surprise to the reporters assembled at the podium, their interest now fully piqued by the revelation.

The revelation that Alexander and Camilla were dating came as a surprise to the reporters gathered at the press conference.

This information sparked a flurry of questions and interest. The reporters present were eager to gain more insight and did not want to miss their chance to ask.

"In light of this..." Alexander paused, taking over from Camilla, and started a few seconds later.

"...we want to make it clear that we will not be answering any personal questions about our relationship or private life."

"We understand the public's interest, but we also value our privacy and hope that it will be respected."

"We came forward to share our love and commitment, and that is all we will be discussing at this time. Thank you for understanding."

At that, the reporters erupted into renewed chatter once more with a particular reporter's voice standing out more than the others, shouting at the top of his lungs,

"Miss Kings!... Miss Kings! Is it true that you at first wanted to sue Mr. Cena for sexual assault?! Miss Kings!" He yelled with the kind of intensity that had a chill run down Camilla's spine.

The journalist's question caused a flush of embarrassment to rise in her cheeks, but she remained composed and avoided eye contact, feeling increasingly uncomfortable as the moment stretched on.

Alexander, noticing Camilla's unease, gently placed his arms around her waist, protecting her from the flashing cameras.

Together with some security personnels, they walked back to the car, deftly navigating through the crowd and ignoring the journalists' calls.

As they got in and Alexander started the car and began driving, Camilla turned to him with a stern expression. "If you grab me like that again, I'll break your arm," She said in a threatening tone before focusing on the road ahead.