Chapter 3

"Camila, darling, you're so beautiful and have such a wonderful personality. Why should you have to go through the matchmaking market and let people pick and choose?" Amy said warmly.

I sighed, "Amy, I wish you were my real grandma..."

I really did feel comforted.

Feeling grateful, I made a special trip out and bought Amy some desserts from Yum Yum.

But the next morning, the hospital called me, saying Amy wasn't feeling well and asking her to get there as soon as possible.

I rushed to the hospital in a panic.

But when I arrived, it wasn't the chaotic scene I'd pictured.

Amy, who was supposedly sick and miserable according to the phone call, was sitting up in bed, chatting away with a man I had never seen before.

From the back, the man looked tall and imposing, with a commanding presence.

I walked in, still wondering what was going on. As soon as Amy saw me, she beamed and waved me over.

She smiled. "Camila, you're finally here! This is my grandson, James. And this is Camila, the one I've mentioned to you so many times."

The man turned around.

I felt my breath hitch.

The man standing there was handsome, but there was a chill about him. His brown hair was slicked back, and he had that vibe of a business tycoon who was born to be in charge.

I guessed this was Amy's grandson, the one working in Alexinburg.

I nodded, barely glancing at the man before hurrying over to Amy and asking with concern, "Are you feeling sick? Was it the desserts from yesterday? Let me take you for a full check-up, just to be safe."

"No, no, I'm really fine now. Nothing to worry about..." Amy insisted, waving her hand.

She looked so energetic and lively that it was hard to believe she'd been ill at all.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but still checked Amy's blood pressure, just in case.

Amy said, "I'm really fine, Camila. She's just so thoughtful. She's been taking care of me these days. James, you should really thank her!

"If it weren't for Camila, what would this poor lonely old lady do?"

Amy let out a series of exaggerated sighs.

I couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and helplessness. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a crack in the man's icy demeanor.

After a long pause, he finally spoke up, "Grandma, work has been pretty busy lately.

"So you're not busy anymore?" Amy asked, her eyes sparkling as she zeroed in on the real issue.

She didn't miss a beat. "Then you should stick around for a while and spend some time with Camila... I mean, with me."

My hand froze mid-motion as I unfastened the blood pressure cuff, feeling the pressure suddenly crank up over my head.

I gave Amy a weird look.

No way. Was she actually trying to play matchmaker?

After Amy insisted, James ended up taking me home.

Sitting in the car, we were like two disconnected robots. He stared straight ahead, and I zoned out, looking out the window.

After a long silence, James finally asked, "You worked in Alexinburg?"

I snapped back and answered politely, "Yes."

He asked again, "Did you go to college in Alexinburg, too?"

"Yeah," I replied, sounding a bit reserved.

He nodded. "Oh."

And just like that, the conversation fizzled out. The silence in the car was almost deafening.

Awkward silence fell over us again.

I fiddled with the edge of my seatbelt, and suddenly, I realized why Amy's ridiculously handsome grandson was still single.

Not a word was spoken the whole way.

Just as I was wondering if I should make conversation to be polite, James suddenly stepped on the accelerator without warning.

"Sit tight," he said, his tone cool and distant.

I gave him a puzzled look, but his expression turned frosty as he stared into the rearview mirror. "Someone's following us," he said coldly.

I froze.

It took me a moment to realize. I instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror and spotted a black Bugatti tailing us, closing in fast.

My heart started pounding. I gripped my seatbelt, caught the wary look in his eyes, and opened my mouth, then thought better of it.

"Mr. Larson, um, if something happens now, does this count as a workplace accident?" I blurted out, trying to joke her way out of the tension.

For a split second, I was pretty sure I saw James crack a smile.

But it vanished just as quickly.

Suddenly, the whole car shook violently, and the crash was so loud that it felt like my eardrums were about to burst.

Right then, I got a good look at the driver in the Bugatti chasing us through the rearview mirror.

A face that shouldn't even be there.

I knew Danny was a little crazy, but I never expected him to be this unhinged.

He actually rear-ended us on purpose, right in front of everyone.

When the cops showed up, they went from shocked to furious, but after pulling up his psych report online, all they could do was sigh and try to get us to settle things quietly.

James's face was dark as thunder, his eyes glued to the massive dent in the back of the car. He was radiating ice-cold vibes that made my skin crawl.

I couldn't help but feel kinda guilty.

Honestly, I knew this whole random mess was my fault.