Entangled With My Rival CEO

Chapter 29

As Camilla relaxed in her office chair, she leisurely spun it back and forth while absentmindedly twirling a pen between her teeth.

A sheepish smile lingered on her lips, reflecting her mixed emotions of embarrassment and disbelief about the events with Alexander the previous night.

Despite replaying every moment in her head, she was still trying to understand everything.

She had long suspected his feelings for her, but his direct confession had taken her by surprise.

Suddenly, the door to her office swung open, the click-clack of her PA's shoes interrupting her thoughts.

Lauren approached Camilla's desk with a broad smile, "Someone's in a good mood today?" she remarked.

Camilla smiled back, "I'm always in a good mood. What are you talking about?" She chuckled as Lauren rolled her eyes.

"Not since the thing between you and Mr Cena," Lauren said, shaking her head while setting down files on the desk.

"But you came to the office practically bouncing off the walls this morning. I have a feeling he is also the reason for your happy mood," she continued, grinning broadly and trying to catch Camilla's gaze as she leaned across the desk.

Camilla bit her lip, attempting to hide her blush. "I assure you, Lauren. He's not the reason. I'm just happy. Does someone have to be the cause?" she replied, shrugging and feigning nonchalance.

Lauren's grin grew wider, and she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Camilla groaned, "Lauren, please be serious!"

Lauren giggled, relishing the opportunity for gossip and knowing Camilla was the recipient of her glee. "Okay ma'am. But honestly, you two looked like a real couple in that picture of you sitting on Mr. Cena's lap at the auction last night," she said.

"And you still haven't told me what made Mr. Cena hit Fraser in such a way. His face was as swollen as a football," Lauren continued, eagerly pressing for more information.

Camilla was about to give her a response when her phone rang, interrupting the conversation.

Lauren pointed at the screen excitedly, "Is that him?"

Rolling her eyes, Camilla accepted the call and held the phone up to her ear.

"Bambina (Baby)... are you okay? You're not answering your cell or the messages I sent you," her mother said, sounding concerned.

Camilla furrowed her brows and checked her phone, realizing she had missed three calls and two messages from her mother.

"Sorry Mamma (Mom), I didn't realize you were trying to reach me," she replied, trying to alleviate her mother's worries.

"That's alright," Alessia replied, her voice sounding more relieved. "Anyway, Nonna has decided to celebrate her seventy-fifth at ours and I would really love it if you invite Alexander over," Alessia spoke quickly, almost breathlessly.

The mention of Alexander's name caused a light dusting of pink to appear across Camilla's cheeks and ears, making a subtle grin cross Lauren's face as she watched the blonde girl attempt to hide her reaction.

Camilla sighed heavily, "Mamma..."

Alessia cut her off immediately, "Come on baby, it's just going to be the usual get-together with other family members."

"Mamma, I can't just bring Alexander over to Nonna's seventy-fifth birthday celebration," Camilla protested, her voice softening slightly.

Alessia seemed to deflate at Camilla's words, but her tone remained upbeat as she asked, "But why? He's your boyfriend. Don't you think the rest of the family should get to meet him too?"

"Mamma, non è il mio ragazzo. Sai che la relazione è falsa,(Mom, he is not my boyfriend. You know the relationship is fake,)" Camilla sighed, running her hand through her hair

"Bringing him will not be possible," Camilla reiterated firmly.

"Please baby, everyone is going to be there. Edwardo, Esmeralda, Mira, Carlos, Riza... everybody," Alessia begged, desperation evident in her voice.

"No. It's not happening," Camilla said with finality.

Alessia huffed in frustration. "Fine. Come alone then. It's seven by the way."

"Okay, bye," Camilla said, ending the call abruptly and turning off her phone.

Looking up at Lauren, who was intently staring at her, Camilla raised an eyebrow. "You had dinner with his family, so what's wrong with him having dinner with yours?"

"You're not avoiding him, are you?" Lauren asked with a smirk.

"Of course not. Why would I?" Camilla lied smoothly, trying to cover up the blush creeping onto her face with a poker face.

Lauren gave a disbelieving laugh. "Oh, sure. Well, anyway, I'll leave those files here for you to sign later."

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

As James walked into Alexander's glass office with a steaming mug of coffee, the warm aroma filled the room. Alexander's face lit up with a smile as James approached his desk.

"Thank you, James," Alexander said, as he eagerly grabbed the mug and took a long sip, feeling the hot liquid spread through his body.

"Mmm, this is really good," he moaned, savoring the rich flavor before taking another sip.

James stood before him, his blue eyes fixed inquiringly on Alexander's face. "Is there anything else you need me to do, sir?" he asked politely.

Alexander shook his head. "No, that's all for now. You can go. I'll call you if I need anything," he said, dismissing him as he placed the mug back on the desk.

James nodded once in response and turned on his heel to head towards the door.

Almost immediately, Alexander's phone rang. Looking at the screen, he discovered it was an unknown number.

"Hello?" he answered after hitting the green button to pick up, leaning back casually in his chair and placing one arm across the backrest.

"Hello dear! It's Camilla's mom," her cheery voice said through the phone, the sound of her Italian accent making Alexander smile to himself.

"Good morning, ma'am. How are you?" Alexander responded.

"I'm doing fine, darling," A replied enthusiastically.

"That's great. And what about Mr. Kings?" Alexander asked.

"Oh, he's doing just fine! I actually don't have much time as I have to go and prepare," she said.

Alexander furrowed his brow slightly in confusion. "Prepare for what?" he asked curiously.

Alessia's voice was filled with disbelief as she responded to Alexander's confusion, "To prepare for my mother-in-law's birthday of course. Didn't Camilla tell you?"

Shaking his head, Alexander replied with a hint of surprise in his tone, "Uh no."

Alessia's excitement was evident as she responded, "Ahh... well, I suppose she forgot. She told me that she was going to tell you about it so you two can come together."

Realizing the miscommunication, Alexander acknowledged, "Oh, I guess she forgot then."

Alessia chuckled, "Yes, she does tend to forget things sometimes. Thank God I called you. My intuition just told me to check if she had informed you about it and look...I was right. So you will come then?"

"Why not? Of course, I will be there. And at what time and venue?" Alexander asked politely.

"It starts at around seven o'clock, so you'll need to pick up Camilla around six. She knows the venue and will direct you there," Alessia replied with excitement in her voice.

"Alright, thank you for letting me know," Alexander responded before ending the call.

At the other side of the line, as Alessia ended the call with Alexander, a smile spreading across her face, while Fernando watched her with curious and amused eyes.

"What?! Stop staring at me like that," Alessia snapped, narrowing her eyes at Fernando's smirking face.

"Me? How am I staring at you, Amore mio?(My Love)" Fernando asked innocently, pretending to be clueless.

"Like I'm some kind of cunning criminal," Alessia huffed with a frown, crossing her arms.

Fernando chuckled quietly, "Well, no offense, but you are kind of close to that," he pointed out, laughing again when Alessia glared at him, making him burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"I hate you," Alessia said simply with an eye roll, and Fernando grinned widely, pulling her onto his lap and kissing her softly.

"I love you too," he replied, his voice still full of amusement.