Entangled With My Rival CEO

Chapter 43

Camilla sat on the operating table, her hands tightly gripping the edges as she felt a wave of anxiety wash over her.

The sterile walls and bright lights of the room intensified her nervousness. She pondered if she was making the right decision by terminating her pregnancy.

The doctor entered the room and approached Camilla with a gentle and reassuring tone. "How are you feeling, Miss Kings?" he asked.

Camilla hesitated, uncertain of how to respond. After taking a deep breath, she finally spoke up. "I'm feeling nervous, but I know this is the right decision for me."

The doctor nodded with empathy. "Are you ready to proceed with the procedure?" he asked.

Camilla's hesitation returned as she felt a sense of doubt creeping in. However, after a brief moment, she let out a sigh and nodded. "Yes," she whispered softly.

The doctor smiled reassuringly and nodded. "Excellent," he said. "One of our nurses will come and sedate you now. Please don't worry; you won't feel any pain."

After a few moments, a nurse came into the room and started to prepare Camilla for the sedation. She gently placed a mask over her face and instructed her to take slow, deep breaths.

Camilla complied, taking in slow deep breaths, inhaling the sweet, floral scent of the gas. Gradually, she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, and her eyes grew heavy from the sedation.

As she drifted away, her gaze fixated on the doctor holding a syringe with an abnormally large needle, filling her with a sense of dread. She longed to scream, but her voice was caught in her throat, leaving her powerless.

"No!" Camilla's body jolted upright as a deafening, guttural scream erupted from her lips, her heart racing and breaths coming in ragged gasps.

She was momentarily disoriented and perplexed, struggling to grasp her surroundings and make sense of what had just happened.

Gradually, her mind cleared and she recognized her surroundings. It had all been a vivid nightmare, but the fear and uncertainty lingered.

Her piercing scream had startled Alessia, who rushed towards her room with trepidation, afraid to find out what had caused such a disturbance.

However, when she arrived, she found the door locked from the inside and tried to open it to no avail. Frustrated and worried, she began pounding on the door with increasing force.

The pounding on the door only served to intensify Camilla's palpitations, causing her to jump at the sudden noise.

"Cami, it's Mom. Are you okay?" Alessia's voice sounded worried from the other side of the door, seeking confirmation of her daughter's well-being.

Camilla struggled to catch her breath, her eyes still wide with fear as she gazed at the door.

Growing increasingly impatient and anxious, Alessia hit the door again, her voice raising as she yelled out, "Camilla, baby, are you okay? Please open the door!"

Lily, having also heard Camilla's scream and Alessia's frantic banging, rushed out of her room to see what was happening.

Breathless and concerned, she arrived at Camilla's door and addressed Alessia, "Ma'am, what's going on? Is everything alright?"

Alessia expressed her uncertainty, "I'm not sure what's happening. I heard her scream, and I rushed to her room, but it's locked, and she's not responding." She banged on the door once again, frustrated.

Lily intervened, "Excuse me, ma'am, we have spare keys for all the rooms. Let me go and find the one for her room." She inspected the lock while speaking.

Alessia was amazed, "Really? Thank you so much, Lily! I appreciate it."

"Of course, ma'am," Lily responded kindly. She turned to leave, but before she could take a step, Camilla opened the door swiftly and brushed past them on her way downstairs, moving quickly and efficiently.

The two women looked at Camilla with bewilderment as she hurried away, prompting Alessia to chase after her. "Cami, what's going on? Where are you going?" she asked, panting as she ran.

"I have to be somewhere," Camilla replied, still not stopping or turning around.

"At this hour? It's 2am!" Alessia exclaimed, astonished by her daughter's behavior.

Camilla came to an abrupt halt at the foot of the stairs and turned around to face Alessia. "It's important!" she insisted, her agitation evident.

Lily observed the exchange from the top of the stairs, her curiosity piqued by the intense exchange between mother and daughter. They exchanged worried glances, as if they were trying to convey something without speaking.

Alessia let out a sigh, her understanding of the situation now apparent. She turned to face Lily and said, "Thank you so much, my dear. You can go back to bed now. I'll take it from here."

Lily appeared hesitant, her concern for Camilla's behavior still present. "Are you sure, Ma'am?" she asked, still sounding uncertain.

"Of course," Alessia assured with a reassuring nod.

Lily descended the stairs with reluctance and a slow pace, acknowledging Camilla with a nod when she reached the bottom before heading back to her bedroom.

Once Lily was out of sight, Alessia redirected her attention to her daughter and extended her hand. "Let's head back to your room," she suggested.

Camilla furrowed her brow and took a step back, starting to protest. "But..."

"It's alright. You can explain whatever it is once we're in your room," Alessia said with a gentle smile, still holding her hand out to Camilla who was hesitant at first but eventually took it.

"Okay, let's go," Camilla acquiesced.

As they ascended the stairs, Alessia noticed Camilla's hand trembling slightly. She instinctively gave her daughter's hand a gentle squeeze, guessing that Camilla must still be shaken from what she believed to have been a nightmare.

Once they reached Camilla's bedroom, Alessia gestured for her to lay down on the bed. Camilla complied, sliding under the covers as Alessia tucked her in.

Alessia settled beside Camilla, slipping under the covers and began stroking her hair gently. "Now, what did you dream about?" she whispered in a soothing tone.

"Nothing," Camilla initially replied, but she knew it was an unbelievable lie. "I don't think I want to talk about it," she finally admitted, closing her eyes and seeking comfort in her mother's touch.

"It's okay, my love. I understand," Alessia replied, brushing strands of hair off of Camilla's face and placing a tender kiss on her temple.

Camilla hummed contently, feeling safe and comforted in her mother's embrace. Soon, she drifted off to sleep, her breathing deepening as she entered a peaceful slumber.

•~•~•~•~•~•~

Having spent the night in Camilla's bed, trying to comfort her from the nightmare that had her screaming, Alessia woke up to find her daughter's absence in the bed.

Stretching and yawning, she pushed herself off the bed and took a look at the clock on the nightstand, which read 7:17 in the morning.

"Camilla?" She called out, but there was no response. "She must be already downstairs," Alessia assumed, and decided to make her way down too.

She descended the stairs slowly and tiredly, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

As she entered the living room, she noticed Lily humming a song while straightening up the couch cushions.

"Lily," She called out to the housekeeper, who immediately stopped what she was doing and looked up with a smile. "Good morning, ma'am," Lily greeted.

"Good morning, dear," Alessia responded warmly.

Lily politely inquired, "Did you sleep well?" Alessia chuckled and shook her head with amusement, making her way down the stairs.

"Sleep well?" she repeated, "Impossible when sharing a bed with my daughter. Her restless sleeping habits usually result in a barrage of punches to the face and other body parts. It's quite the experience," she laughed and groaned simultaneously, to which Lily chuckled in response.

"I must admit, just one night of sleeping with her has left me feeling quite sore. But I guess it runs in the family, she is her father's daughter after all," she explained with a chuckle.

"If you don't mind, I could give you a massage." Lily kindly offered.

However, Alessia declined the offer, shaking her head. "Thank you, darling, but it's not necessary. It's not that big of a deal, and besides, you already do so much around the house," she said with a smile and Lily nodded gently in response.

She then walked towards the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water, but then stopped and turned around,

"Lily, dear," she called out, and the young lady responded with a respectful "Yes, ma'am."

"Have you seen my daughter this morning?" She asked curiously, to which Lily nodded a confirmation, "Yes, ma'am."

"Oh... that's great. So where is she?" Alessia asked with a smile.

Lily blinked a little unsure about how Alessia would react but answered anyway, "Ummm...she left about an hour ago." She said, and Alessia's smile faded as she raised her eyebrows in surprise and an upsurge of fear as to where Camilla might have gone.

"What do you mean? She's on bed rest. The doctor clearly advised her not to go out for now," Alessia gasped, her voice rising in panic.

"I know, Ma'am," Lily said softly. "But she seemed determined to go out. I tried to remind her about the doctor's advice, but she said it was important and that she wouldn't be long."

Alessia held her palm on her forehead like someone suffering from a headache and began pacing up and down. "Oh...God..." She kept mumbling.

Then suddenly she turned back to Lily, "Did she say where she was going?... Maybe to the office or something?" She said anxiously.

But upon seeing Lily shake her head in denial, Alessia's worried expression morphed into a frustrated one.

"She didn't look like someone who was going to the office," She explained, and Alessia closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

"Damn it... Damn it! Why...why...why is this girl so stubborn. How could she still go through with it after all that was said yesterday," she ranted and ran a hand through her hair.

Lily tilted her head in confusion, "Ma'am, are you okay?" she asked carefully. And when there was no response from her, Lily called out again, "Ma'am..."

Instead of responding to Lily's call, Alessia rushed up the stairs in a state of fear and uncertainty, her heart pounding hard.

Despite reassuring Camilla that she would support her decision regarding the baby, she secretly hoped that she would change her mind, especially after Harriet's visit.

However, the fact that her daughter had gone missing that morning indicated that she was still resolute in her decision to terminate the pregnancy.

A surge of frustration and defeat washed over her as she realized that despite her best efforts to persuade and monitor Camilla, she had failed to anticipate this decision.

She had been watching her like a hawk to prevent any tricks or surprises, but it seemed like all her efforts had been for naught.

As she ran up the stairs, Lily called after her in concern but eventually had to follow her into the bedroom where she found Alessia lying unconscious on the floor.

"Ma'am!" Lily exclaimed in alarm as she ran towards her. She shook the older woman lightly, pleading for her to wake up, but there was no response. In a panic, she pulled out her phone and dialed 911.

"Hello!" she breathed out frantically as the call was answered.