Chapter 2
In the photo, Joseph was rocking sunglasses, sitting in a helicopter with a parachute strapped to his back, his hand tightly clasped around someone else's.
Camila, who was never into extreme sports, had a subtle smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
She wasn't watching the camera. Her eyes were fixed on Joseph.
The caption read: [They say in thrilling moments, hearts get closer. So, right now, does the one who lights up my world feel the same spark for me?]
I replied to Conor: [Joseph just posted an update. If you look at the photo, you can probably guess where he is.]
Conor said: [Huh? Mr. Compton... No, I haven't seen it.]
"What?" I froze for a moment.
Conor shot me a screenshot. Joseph's last update was from three days ago.
I quickly reached out to our other friends.
Just as I thought, I was the only one who could see it.
Joseph had set the post to 'Only Me.'
Camila couldn't possibly be clueless about what that photo meant. She knew exactly what Joseph was trying to say with it.
Yet she just smiled at him, letting him do it, almost as if she was giving her silent approval.
This was their way of sending me a message, a clear provocation.
Back then, I could've just frozen Joseph's allowance card and cut him off.
But now he was earning his own keep, and I switched from giving him money to hooking him up with connections and opportunities ages ago. None of that means anything now.
My assistant, Robert Hopkins, asked me cautiously, "Mr. Compton, are you alright?"
"Of course," I scoffed.
Losing money and betrayal are both common in business.
If I couldn't take a hit, I wouldn't have made it this far.
Conor was still venting, and I just frowned.
I said, "Alright, that's enough! This is just the start. I'll come over myself with the new actor this afternoon."
Camila finally came back after a week out having fun, barely willing to return.
But instead of walking into a chaotic set and me losing it, she found everything running smoothly.
The shoot was already underway, and I was being fussed over by a group of girls.
Conor strolled over, grinning from ear to ear.
"Mr. Compton, if you hadn't found me the exact actor I needed, this whole show would've crashed and burned."
As soon as Camila saw Amber Jordan, the new female lead, about to light my cigarette, she snatched it from my hand and tossed it away. "Cory."
I looked up at her, and Joseph was trailing right behind.
The second Joseph spotted a new girl hanging around me, he couldn't hide the little spark of joy in his eyes.
"Is there a problem?" I said, not even bothering to look up, and casually told Amber to bring me another drink.
You could practically see the vein in Camila's temple start to throb.
"Are you serious right now? Don't you think you owe me an explanation?" she said.
"Explain what?" I shot back.
She said, "You two bailed on the production, so obviously I had to line up new actors.
"You really had to come here yourself just to babysit the new actress? Since when do you even have time for that?"
When Camila blew up and jabbed a finger at her, Amber shrank back a couple steps.
I stepped in front of her, shielding her.
I said, "Come on, don't freak her out. She's just getting started and still needs someone to show her the ropes."
Camila scoffed.
She couldn't believe her ears. "You seriously have to be the one showing her the ropes? Cory, do you even realize how this looks to everyone else?"
I was losing my patience.
I said, "She grew up with my support, so what if I'm the one teaching her?"
"Support her?" Camila stared at me, stunned.
She froze for a second, not quite believing what she'd just heard.
Seeing Amber shrinking behind me, Camila couldn't hold back her anger.
"Since when does supporting someone mean she has to wait on you hand and foot? Are you really that blind to what she wants?"
"Mr. Compton, I swear, that's not what I meant..." Amber stammered.
I just smiled and nodded at her, then shot Camila a frown.
"I helped her out, so of course she's good to me. Isn't that normal? Or do you want me to end up like the guy behind you, someone I pulled into a big show, and now he's out there showing off with my girl online?"
Camila and Joseph both froze, stunned into silence.
Camila looked at Joseph, her expression full of mixed emotions.
"You... supported him?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.
Amber piped up, a little nervously, "Mr. Compton's looked out for a lot of people, not just me and him."
"Just shut up!" Camila barked, her eyes blazing at Amber.
Camila glared daggers at her, and I stepped in, pulling Amber protectively behind me.
"I said, don't bully anyone under my wing!" I shot back, my voice cold.
Camila wasn't the type to start drama in public.
Even though she was right on the edge, she bit back her anger, grabbed Joseph, and left me standing there.
That night, when I walked in, Camila was there, and her eyes were red.
I frowned.
"Why are your eyes red?" I asked.
"Cory," she said, her voice a little hoarse.
"I was wrong... Can we just make up?" she pleaded softly.
I never thought Camila would change this much.
"Why are you saying this all of a sudden?" I asked.
"I saw you with Amber today, and... it just made me feel awful," Camila admitted.
"But there's really nothing between us," I said.
"Yeah, I know. I trust you," she replied softly.
She handed me her phone.