Entangled With My Rival CEO

Chapter 22

Isabel gestured towards Camilla and Alexander as they entered the packed hall where an art auction was about to commence.

"Over here." She said, beckoning them to her reserved seat near the podium with a wave.

Isabel beamed with joy as Camilla and Alexander approached.

She rose from her seat, walked over and embraced them both with a warm hug. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"I'm thrilled you could make it," Isabel said, turning to Camilla.

"You look stunning, by the way. That floral dress is beautiful on you." She complimented her.

Camilla gracefully accepted Isabel's compliment with a blush and a sincere smile. "I couldn't miss this after promising your grandmother. It would have been impolite," she replied.

Isabel nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

Turning her attention to the crowd, Camilla asked, "Speaking of which, where is she?"

Isabel also scanned the room, searching for her grandmother. "I think she'll be a bit late," she said uncertainly.

Camilla expressed her disappointment with a simple "Oh." But she quickly tried to turn it around. "I hope she arrives before the auction begins."

Isabel continued her conversation with Camilla, while Alexander kept his gaze fixed on two women navigating through the packed hall towards them.

"Hello!" The first girl greeted the trio with a friendly smile, interrupting Camilla and Isabel's conversation.

Alexander acknowledged her with a slight frown, "Celine." He seemed surprised, adding, "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

He shot a glance at the dark haired woman standing beside her, who had a smirk on her face.

The second woman chuckled, speaking for Celine. "What do you mean you weren't expecting her? It's an art auction, and Celine is a huge art enthusiast, Alexander. You know that."

"Violet, why are you here? Grandma is going to see you and--" Isabel started to voice her concerns, but she was swiftly interrupted.

"Nothing to worry about," Violet responded with confidence. She glanced at Camilla, who was locked in a staring contest with Celine, and added, "I'm mostly here to apologize to Miss Kings for my behavior during our last encounter."

'So, that's Celine.' Camilla thought to herself as mind flashed back to the morning when she woke up in bed with Alexander and the name he called her.

"Miss Kings," Violet addressed Camilla, interrupting her thoughts.

"My sister, Clara, informed me that you were invited here by my grandmother, and I saw it as a great opportunity to apologize and hopefully start over with a clean slate." She spoke with a genuine and contrite tone.

Camilla nodded, offering a small smile. "Of course. That would be nice."

"Allow me to introduce Celine Dunbar, my business partner." Violet indicated towards Celine, who was now fixated on Alexander with a seductive gaze.

Causing Violet to give her a subtle nudge in order to redirect her attention to Camilla.

Celine snapped out of her trance and put on a polite smile. "Sorry about that. I tend to get a bit caught up sometimes. I'm Alexander's ex. It's nice to meet you." She offered her hand to Camilla for a handshake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," Camilla responded, her smile appearing forced. Isabel seemed to pick up on this.

"I have to say, the photos of you that I've seen online simply don't do you justice," Celine complimented, her smirk widening.

However, before Camilla could respond, Alexander intervened with a loud clearing of his throat, breaking the connection between their hands.

"Thank you," he simply said.

"Excuse us for a moment, we'd like to find our seats before the auction begins." Alexander spoke brusquely, shooting a scathing look at Violet who merely smirked in return.

As they made their way through the crowd, Camilla couldn't resist asking Alexander, "I know I shouldn't bring it up, but is the hotel thing between us the reason for your breakup with Celine?" she whispered, trailing closely behind him.

"No," Alexander replied promptly, though in a voice low enough that Camilla almost had trouble hearing it.

"Then what happened?" Camilla asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"We never broke up because we were never actually in a relationship," Alexander stated matter-of-factly.

Camilla looked puzzled. "But I thought...what about that morning at the hotel...you thought I was her."

"It was just a casual arrangement, nothing more," Alexander stated firmly.

"You mean a fling?" Camilla asked, seeking clarity.

Alexander hesitated briefly before responding, "Yes." taking his seat.

Camilla was taken aback. "Wow," she exhaled, just as she was about to sit down beside him. Suddenly, a black-haired girl gently nudged her aside and took it.

"Excuse me," Camilla said, her tone tinged with annoyance as she noticed that the black-haired girl was none other than Violet, who was smirking at her.

"Don't worry about me," Violet said, sounding cheerful. "I usually sit here. You can take the other seat next to Alexander though," she added, gesturing towards the empty seat next to him.

Camilla shot a hard look at Violet before she made her way to the empty seat next to Alexander, but it was swiftly taken by Celine.

Alexander gave her a stern look, "Why are you sitting here?"

"Just waiting for the auction to start," Celine replied in a saccharine tone.

"Why don't you sit elsewhere?" Alexander asked, appearing irritated.

"Do I make you uncomfortable by sitting here?" Celine fluttered her eyelashes.

"Where do you expect Camilla to sit if you take this seat?" Alexander replied tersely.

"Alexander, you know I have poor eyesight," Celine pouted.

"No, I don't," Alexander retorted coolly.

"Alright, now you do," Celine replied with a hint of playfulness.

Before Alexander could retort, Violet interjected, "Okay, everyone. That's enough." She spoke firmly.

"Why don't Camilla take a seat in the back row so that Celine, who's short-sighted, can have the seat here? Does that work for you, Camilla?" She asked, glancing up at Camilla, who was observing the scene silently.

Alexander's voice was tinged with offense as he responded, "Excuse me?"

"Alexander, it's all right," Camilla interjected, aware that their argument was starting to draw attention from others in the room.

Alexander reluctantly relented, "Fine."

"But we'll sit together," he stated, rising to his feet, but Camilla gently placed her hand on his shoulder to stop him.

She shook her head and gestured for him to remain seated.

"You won't be sitting alone at the back," Alexander insisted.

"Don't worry, I won't be sitting at the back." Camilla said calmly, eliciting a look of confusion from Alexander.

"So where will you be sitting?" The trio asked in perfect harmony, their voices merging together.

"Here," Camilla answered simply before gracefully perching herself on top of Alexander's lap, crossing her legs.