Entangled With My Rival CEO

Chapter 27

The car was filled with silence as Camilla drove down the familiar route. She glanced over at Alexander and noticed that his head was down, and his bloodstained knuckles were still clenched tightly.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her tone filled with concern.

Alexander didn't look up at her, simply responding in a cold tone, "I'm fine."

His curt answer caused Camilla's brow to furrow. He wasn't sounding like the playful and cocky Alexander she had become accustomed to over the past few weeks. She turned her gaze back to him again.

"You don't seem to be," she said, her words carrying a great deal of worry in her tone, despite her attempts to hide it with just a natural concern.

"I'm fine, honestly. Don't worry about me," he replied, finally lifting his head to look her in the eyes.

His blue eyes reflected an emotion she couldn't identify, an emotion she so badly wanted to question. But she felt like she shouldn't push him further and sighed softly, "Okay then," she whispered.

With conviction in her words, Alexander put on a small, forced smile before turning his attention back to the road.

His eyes narrowing at the sight in front of him, he questioned, "How can you offer to take me home when you haven't even been to my house before? This isn't the road to my house, it's the road to yours."

"Yeah, it's not the road to your house," Camilla explained, glancing sideways and meeting his inquisitive glance.

"We're going to your house? Why?" Alexander questioned, raising a single eyebrow.

"It's only because I want to help you tend to that," she replied, gesturing to his bruised hands.

"You can drive home yourself after I'm done," she added.

"But you told my grandmother that you would take us both home," Alexander retorted.

"That was because you didn't look capable enough to drive then, but now you're looking much calmer," she answered.

"In that case, you don't need to worry about me. I can take care of it myself," he insisted.

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm not worried. I'm just... concerned. That's all," Camilla finished with a small shrug.

For the first time throughout their ride, Alexander chuckled, "It's still means the same thing."

Camilla wanted to argue, but seeing the smile on his face made her feel somewhat happy, and she couldn't come up with a valid rebuttal. Instead of arguing with Alexander, she just continued to drive quietly on the quiet roads until the car eventually pulled over near a huge gate.

Camilla, pulling out her phone from her purse, dialed the security guy on duty.

"Yeah, hello," she said as he answered the call.

"Good evening, ma'am," he spoke.

"Good evening, Gary. Could you please open the gate?"

"Sure thing, ma'am," the man replied.

A few moments later, the gates parted, and Camilla drove forward to park next to a red sports car.

Turning off the engine, she looked to Alexander, who had his neutral look back on. "Do you want help getting out of the car?" she questioned, her voice holding an obvious hint of kindness and concern.

Alexander looked with slightly raised brows before speaking, "It's just slightly bruised. I didn't break my arm," he muttered, reaching for his door handle and getting out, which Camilla also did.

"You know, aside from the times I picked you up, which was always at the gate, this would be the first time I'll be entering your house," Alexander mentioned, eyeing the large house in front of him. He couldn't help but admire its impressive exterior.

"Are you coming?" she asked, looking at him.

"Uh, sure," Alexander replied, following after her.

As they walked up to the entrance of the mansion, Camilla opened the heavy glass door of the front entrance, pushing it open to reveal a beautiful foyer with high ceilings, beautiful lighting, and elegant furnishings.

"Come on in," she invited. Alexander followed her inside, glancing around and admiring the décor.

"This way," she motioned, leading him across the foyer towards a large door, which she opened to show a large living room complete with comfortable couches and chairs.

"Wow. You live here all by yourself?" Alexander inquired, his eyes taking in all his surroundings. "I mean... it's so...big" Alexander finished, finally finding the word to describe the impressive interior.

The silence that settled between them lasted a few seconds until Camilla broke it. "Well yeah," she stated.

"I suppose your house is also as big or perhaps bigger, but you still live alone in it, don't you?" Camilla asked rhetorically, turning around to look at Alexander with a quizzical expression.

"Have a seat, I'll be back," she said before leaving the room.

A few moments later, she returned carrying a first-aid box.

She sat down beside Alexander and placed the box beside her before opening it carefully.

She pulled out some cotton swabs and a small tube of antiseptic cream.

"Your hand," Camilla directed, and Alexander obediently

"Does it hurt?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the task at hand. When no answer came, she looked up to meet his gaze. She was met with intense blue eyes shining with a mysterious emotion she couldn't place. Blinking, she returned her focus to his wounds.

"No," he finally answered in a soft voice.

"I appreciate what you did at the art auction with John, but wasn't it a bit too much of a performance?" she asked, trying to gauge his thoughts.

As she tended to his cuts, she couldn't shake the feeling that his reaction to John's comment about her was more than just part of their fake relationship charade.

"What makes you think it was all an act?" he asked, his tone hinting at a hint of offense.

She raised her shoulders in a shrug, hoping he would understand the unspoken message.

"I mean... it was just like in the auction when I sat on your lap to spite your cousin and ex-fling when they didn't want me to sit next to you? That was all for show, wasn't it?" Camilla asked, a hint of amusement in her voice as she remembered Violet and Celine's reactions.

Alexander remained silent, allowing Camilla to tend to his bruises.

When she was finished, she expertly applied a bandage, securing it in place.

"All done," she announced, beaming with satisfaction.

"You should be able to drive yourself back home now, right?" Camilla asked as she lifted her head to meet Alexander's gaze, and for a moment, they were both captivated by each other's eyes, lost in thought.

The tension between them was palpable, causing Camilla's heart to race. They seemed to inch closer and closer to each other, until she was close enough to feel his breath against her face.

Her gaze shifted to his lips, and she nervously bit her own, feeling her breath catch in her throat. Despite her confusion, she couldn't deny that his lips looked incredibly enticing, and for a fleeting moment, she wondered if he might lean in for a kiss.

However, instead of kissing her, Alexander gently placed his hand on her cheek, his thumb tracing the outline of her jaw.

"Camilla," he whispered, his voice filled with emotion, "I know you've probably heard this from a lot of guys, but I've had feelings for you since the moment I first saw you five years ago."

She gazed into his blue eyes, which were now darkening with intensity, and felt a wave of unexpected emotions wash over her.

Not stopping at that, he continued to speak, revealing thoughts and feelings she never could have imagined. "I've never introduced any other woman to my family as my girlfriend, not even as a pretense," he said, his hand gently cupping her cheek.

Camilla felt her heart skip a beat at his touch, and she couldn't help but lean into it, a shiver running up her spine and warmth spreading across her cheeks.

"And I've never felt so strongly about someone that I would get into a physical fight for them, or have my knuckles bruised because of them," he added, his tone turning husky.

"I may have hit John, but that was never out of pretense or just to make him feel like what we have is real." He spoke in a low whisper, his gaze never leaving hers.

Camilla was at a loss for words. She wanted to speak, but her voice was caught in her throat, and all she could do was gaze at him in silence.

For several minutes, they stood there, their eyes locked in a powerful moment of connection. Finally, Alexander smiled and pulled away, breaking the spell.

"Goodnight, Miss Kings," he said, before rising from his seat and leaving the room for his car outside.

Camilla walked over to the window, watching as he drove away through the open gate. She let out a deep sigh, closed the window, and returned to the couch, lying down and reflecting on the events that had just transpired.