Chapter 2
Before Sophie arrived, Julian, Lucas and Camila weren't so hostile toward each other.
She had rheumatism and arthritis, and with all the rain in Southvale, her legs would start hurting badly every time the weather turned wet.
So when she turned ten, she followed her grandfather, Liam Carter, and moved out of the damp Southvale to the dry, sunny Chaparal.
That was when Camila first met Julian and Lucas, the boys who lived next door.
The three of them were childhood friends who went to school together and grew up side by side.
Back in elementary school, they used to ask her to play bride and groom.
By the time they hit middle school, they'd rip up any love letter she got and wouldn't let a single man get close to her.
As they got older, Julian became a superstar surgeon, and Lucas turned into a national A-lister everyone recognized.
Even with their hectic careers, they never changed. Any chance they got, they'd be hanging out at Camila's place like old times.
After Camila graduated from high school and her family pushed her to study overseas, Julian and Lucas didn't think twice and followed her abroad.
They loved to say that wherever Camila went, they would be right behind her.
It was because of them that when Camila finished studying overseas and came back, she never returned to Southvale.
But once Sophie entered the picture, everything changed.
Sophie was the nanny Camila hired.
Liam hadn't been in the best of health these years, so he hardly stayed at home anymore and spent most of his time at the nursing home.
Out of concern for Liam, Camila sent all the staff who used to take care of him over to the nursing home, and hired a new housekeeper and cleaning staff from an agency for herself.
When Lucas heard about it, he mentioned that a patient's family member from his hospital could handle the job.
Camila was expecting some middle-aged lady down on her luck, but to her shock, it turned out to be a girl who was younger than her.
The girl started right in with how strapped for cash she was, so Camila couldn't bring herself to turn her away.
After that, Julian got to know Sophie as well, and things started getting interesting.
Julian had always been prickly, but whenever he was around Sophie, his tone mellowed out. If she smiled at him, he'd turn into the most obedient puppy you've ever seen.
Lucas was famous for his stubbornness, spending countless nights obsessing over impossible medical cases, and no one could talk him out of it. But all it took was Sophie pulling a cute act or whining a little, and he'd listen to her.
Their friends had lost count of how many times this exact scene had played out since Sophie joined the group.
Camila had once given them plain silver bands, and for fifteen years, they treasured those rings like priceless heirlooms.
But after Sophie showed up, they took off those rings and swapped them for the soda can tabs Sophie had gifted instead.
It was like their affection for Camila was a memory from another lifetime.
Luckily, when the brothers pushed her to choose between them after graduation, Camila refused to pick either one.
Her eyes, once brilliant like the stars, now lowered, veiled in gloom.
She opened her phone and set a countdown for her wedding day on the calendar.
As the silence settled around her, Camila lowered her head and murmured that this farce ended here.
Now that Camila had decided to leave, she started prepping the handover at work.
She called HR into her office and sat down with her management team for a meeting.
When she walked out, transfer request in hand, the whole office went into an uproar.
"Ms. Johnson, are you getting called back to headquarters?"
"Why are you leaving so suddenly? Did they already line up a new boss for us?"
"Wait, Camila, are you heading to headquarters to take over as the new big boss?"
Even her all-business secretary couldn't help but ask, "Ms. Johnson, are you going back to Chaparal to take over the family business this time?"
Camila opened her laptop and smiled.
"And I'm getting married, by the way," she replied.
The secretary nodded in sudden realization and quickly offered some good wishes.
By the time Camila finished her work, the office was already empty.
The city lights were coming on when she massaged her brow and unlocked her phone. Sophie's message popped up right away.
She tapped on it without a second thought.
The message said: [Why haven't you come home yet?]
Right after that, another message popped up.
[Ms. Johnson, I sent that to the wrong person. It's my birthday today. Lucas and Julian gave me presents, and I was so moved that I made dinner myself. Would you like to have dinner with us?]
Camila let out a cold laugh as she closed the chat window, barely interested in whatever those three were doing.
But when she drove home, she found the villa blazing with lights, like a celebration was underway.
They came all the way here to throw a birthday party for the nanny?
Sure enough, when she pushed open the door, the living room was packed with gifts.
From the decorations to the flowers and cake, everything was done up in rosy tones. Even the three of them looked like they'd dressed up for a wedding. For a split second, Camila almost wondered if she'd walked straight into someone's bridal suite.
Just then, Lucas walked out of the kitchen with the cake, and Julian came over to stick the candles on top.
Sophie stood between the two of them, her smile blooming like springtime.
She pressed her palms together to make a wish and looped her arms through both Lucas's and Julian's, holding onto them tight.
"It's my very first birthday, and I hope you both will be by my side every year from now on," Sophie declared.
After saying this, she turned and flashed Camila the sweetest smile, her whole face aglow with happiness.