Well, it looked like Sunny had underestimated The Serpents, after all.
Cameron was a little shocked to see how thorough Nollace‘s analysis was. Her time with Nollace had
been short so far, and yet it was enough for her to realize that he was observant, shrewd, perceptive,
and incredibly intelligent. He never put all his cards on the table, and he never left traces that could
incriminate him. He was mysterious.
The more mysterious a man was, the more unsettling he was. Had he appeared to her as an enemy–
Cameron doubted she could escape him at all.
She traced the rim of her teacup and smiled briskly. “I‘m not too worried about Joaqin‘s scheme. It‘s his
daughter who‘s the biggest thorn in the flesh.”
Nollace narrowed his eyes in silence.
Cameron propped the side of her face with her hand and leaned onto the armrest lazily. “I bumped into
two foreigners in a restaurant the other day,” she intoned, surveying his reaction. “Brother and sister, I
think. They don‘t look like your garden–variety commoners.” Nollace stiffened, and his eyes lit up.
“Brother and sister?”
Cameron crossed her legs. There was something implicative about her smile. “They‘re here to do
business... or so they said. The man was pretty pleasant to the eyes. The woman? She looked like she
was hiding her real features, but you can almost see through it if you pay attention. She looked like a
big–name celebrity from Zlokova.”
Nollace was quiet. He chewed over her words, wondering about how true it was. He suspected that this
could be a test. A while later, he finally spoke noncommittally. “Why are you telling me this?”
Cameron removed the old, soaked teabag from the pot. “Because I think you know them. I think you
people are more than mere acquaintances. And... I do read the news.”
Nollace said nothing. Daisie had publicized their marriage to the world since he was reported missing in
the hopes that those who rescued him would know who he was or who to turn him to. It would have
been an unquestionable move to make if she remained in Bassburgh. However, Cameron saw her in
the East Islands and even recognized her. That meant Donald would catch on sooner or later.
‘God! That brave, stupid girl came to look for me, didn‘t she?‘
Cameron brewed a new pot and poured it into his glass cup. “Looks like I scored a 10. They are from
Zlokova, and they are here for you.” Nollace raised the cup, but he did not drink it. “Congrats on having
good eyes.” Cameron‘s smile was too faint to reach her eyes. “What? Not going to meet them?”
“Right now, that will only put them in jeopardy.” “Oh yeah?” Cameron replied imploringly, “I think they
are way past that.” Nollace froze. His eyelids perked, but his expression was unreadable.
Cameron chuckled flippantly. “They rubbed Florence the wrong way despite having just arrived, which
is not a good thing. She isn‘t someone to be trifled with... at all. Any guy who looks pretty enough to
catch her eyes will always end up in her lap. By force, if she has to. As for the women who happened to
accompany her target? She usually just feeds them to her not –at–all–gentle dogs.”
Nollace‘s grip around the cup tightened. A layer of frost seemed to have formed in his eyes. “I see. But
isn‘t Ms. Serrano your betrothed? Unless... You can‘t marry her but don‘t want your family trapped in a
nasty dilemma. So now, you‘re hoping that I‘ll do the dirty work of cleaning up for you by telling me
this.” Cameron could not contain her laughter. “We‘re partners, aren‘t we?” she said, showing no sign
of denial.
“We‘re working together, all right.” Nollace set the cup down. “Don‘t worry. I won‘t walk back on my
promise to your father, but you need to help me too.” Cameron shrugged. “You have my attention.” “I
want those two foreigners to be granted protection by your family,” Nollace said matter of – factly
Cameron frowned. “I didn‘t take you as the type to milk charity and goodwill from your benefactors.”
“You know who I really am, and I know your secret, too,” Nollace stated placidly. “We are partners, and
a partnership is predicated on mutual sincerity. I‘m not the only one who has to pull their weight on this
department, ‘Mr.‘ Cameron.”
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