Chapter 3 - The Masquerade
The Emerald Hotel ballroom was a blinding display of unimaginable wealth. Crystal chandeliers hung from vaulted ceilings, casting a warm, golden glow over hundreds of Seattle’s elite. Everyone was dressed in bespoke tuxedos and flowing gowns, their faces hidden behind ornate, feathered masks.
I adjusted the simple black domino mask over my eyes. I felt entirely out of place in my rented suit, but my focus was razor-sharp. I moved through the crowd like a ghost, declining champagne from passing waiters, my eyes scanning the sea of silk and velvet for her.
And then, I saw her.
Camila.
She was standing near a towering ice sculpture, wearing a breathtaking midnight-blue dress that swept the floor. A silver, filigree mask covered the upper half of her face, but I would know her anywhere. The slope of her shoulders. The way she nervously twisted the silver ring on her right hand.
Beside her stood Vance Sterling. Even behind a mask, his arrogance was palpable. He had his hand clamped tightly around her waist, not in an embrace of affection, but of ownership. He was speaking to a group of investors, and Camila looked like a beautiful, hollow porcelain doll beside him.
I waited until Vance stepped away to take a phone call. The moment she was alone, I crossed the room.
"You look beautiful," I said quietly, stepping up behind her.
Camila froze. She didn't turn around immediately. I saw the breath catch in her throat, the delicate muscles in her back tensing. Slowly, she turned to face me.
Through the eyeholes of her silver mask, her dark eyes widened in absolute shock.
"Liam?" she breathed, the name tumbling from her lips like a prayer.
"The compass finally worked," I whispered, holding out my hand.
Without a word, she took it. I led her away from the crowded ballroom, down a dimly lit, velvet-lined hallway, and into an empty private viewing room overlooking the city skyline.
The moment the heavy oak doors clicked shut, Camila tore off her mask. Tears were already spilling down her cheeks. She practically threw herself into my arms. I buried my face in her hair, inhaling the scent of vanilla and rain that had haunted my dreams for eight years. For a few agonizingly beautiful seconds, the world completely stopped.
Then, she pulled away, panic replacing the relief in her eyes.
"Liam, you have to leave. Right now," she said, her hands trembling as she pressed them against my chest. "If my father finds out you’re here... if Vance sees you..."
"I'm not going anywhere," I said firmly, catching her hands in mine. "I saw them, Camila. I saw the girls in the park. Regina, Lucy, Valerie."
A sob tore from her throat. She covered her mouth, leaning against the heavy wooden desk in the center of the room. "I never meant to hide them from you, Liam. I swear to God, I never meant for this to happen."
"Then tell me what did happen," I pleaded, stepping closer. "Why didn't you come to the diner? Why did you vanish?"
Camila took a shuddering breath. "The night after we got the tattoos, I went home to pack my bags. I was going to leave it all behind. But my father found out. He had his security team lock me in the estate. A month later, I found out I was pregnant. When I told my father I was leaving to find you, he... he destroyed me, Liam."
"What did he do?" I asked, a cold fury building in my stomach.
"He showed me photos," Camila wept. "Photos of you at your apartment. Photos of your mother at her bakery. He told me that if I ever tried to contact you, he would plant drugs in your car, ruin your mother’s business, and have you locked away in a federal prison for the rest of your life. He told me the only way to keep you safe was to stay."
I felt the blood roar in my ears. Arthur Montgomery hadn't just stolen the woman I loved; he had stolen eight years of my daughters’ lives using my own mother as collateral.
"And Vance?" I asked, my voice dangerously quiet.
"Vance is a business arrangement," she whispered, wiping her eyes. "My father is forcing me to marry him to secure a merger. Vance doesn't care about me, and he hates the girls. He calls them 'bastards.' He told me that after the wedding next month, he’s sending them to a boarding school in Switzerland. I'll never see them."
"Over my dead body," I snarled, pulling her into my arms again. "They are my daughters. You are my family. I let you go once, Camila. I am never letting you go again."
The door to the private room suddenly rattled.
"Camila?" Vance’s sharp, irritated voice echoed through the heavy wood. "Are you in there? The press wants photos."
Camila’s eyes widened in sheer terror. She pushed me toward the heavy velvet curtains lining the windows. "Hide. Please, Liam. For the girls."
I stepped behind the thick fabric just as the door swung open. I watched through a tiny gap as Vance stormed into the room. He grabbed Camila roughly by the arm, his fingers digging into her skin.
"What are you doing hiding in here?" Vance hissed. "You are embarrassing me, Camila. Put your mask on and smile. You belong to me now."
May you like
As Vance dragged her out of the room, my hands balled into fists so tight my fingernails cut into my palms. Arthur Montgomery and Vance Sterling thought they were untouchable. They thought wealth gave them the right to own people.
They were about to find out exactly what a father was willing to do to protect his children.
