“No.”
Camryn faintly added. “I’m never included in whatever discussion they have.”
She picked up her cane. Her cane had been lying in her mother’s bedroom since the latter kicked it away the other night.
The following day, the maid returned the cane to Camryn.
Camryn was told that the cane was found in front of her mother’s bedroom door.
She assumed that her mother had thrown her cane out.
Camryn handed the cane to Callum. Thinking Camryn was going to hit him on the head with the cane, Callum reached out to grab the cane. However, Camryn loosened her grip.
It then hit Callum.
She was trying to pass the cane to him.
“The inside of my cane is hollow. A voice recorder is hidden inside,” said Camryn in an unfluctuating tone.
Callum’s dark eyes sparkled as his opinion of her began to change. He stopped the teasing.
He held the cane high for a look and flicked on the wood. He managed to pry open a hollow spot and shake it to deliver a voice recorder from inside.
“The villa is meant to be mine, but I still don’t have control of my house. It’s not a safe place despite it being my home. Although Spring Blossoms is my business, the incoming and outgoing human traffic makes it risky. I thought about it, and I believe the safest place is with you.”
That was the reason Camryn had no complaints and came here with her cane when Callum called her to make the floral delivery.
She chose to be truthful to Callum, displaying her taking the first step in trusting him.
No matter what, Callum had saved her life before.
She believed she could count on him.
Regardless of Callum’s reasons to approach her, he was one of the two she could trust.
The other person she had trust in was Serena.
“What did you capture on tape?
“How long did you have the voice recorder in the cane for?”
Camryn fell silent for a while before answering, “I secretly hid the voice recorder in the cane when she wanted to take me to the event. I don’t know what’s recorded on tape because I haven’t got the guts to take the recorder out at home and in the shop.”
Callum fixated his gaze on tier for a long time until a question popped out. “What do you know?”
“I just think my dad died under suspicious circumstances, but he passed when I was only two. I didn’t know anything until I overheard something. I wanted to collect evidence in the dark, but I fell ill before anything materialized. I was blind after that.”
Without a word, Callum turned on the voice recorder.
It started with a conversation between the mother and daughter.
Mrs. Newman was tearing into Camryn.
The talk between Mr. Newman and Mrs. Newman later came on. It was on the night after the event was over when Callum saved and drove Camryn home.
The couple had no scruples talking in the privacy of their room.
Mrs. Newman mentioned that the master bedroom was soundproof, so unless there was someone hiding in their bedroom, no one could listen to their conversation within the four walls.
The couple’s conversation was recorded merely because Mrs. Newman kicked Camryn’s cane in her bedroom.
After listening to what was caught on tape, Camryn turned pale.
Her suspicion from ten years ago was true.
They had something to do with her father’s death!
Mr. and Mrs. Newman wanted to wipe Camryn off the face of the earth because she was suspicious about her father’s death. Camryn was a nobody in the Newmans’ residence anyway. No one would bother investigating her cause of death even if Camryn had a terminal illness.
Camryn would have died in her mother’s hands ten years ago if her aunt did not drop in for a visit and taken Camryn to the hospital.
Of course, Callum and Camryn heard about Mr. and Mrs. Newman’s talks about getting Callum to marry Camryn.
Callum watched as Camryn sat in silence.
Camryn clasped her hands together without a word for a long time.
Although she had suspected her father’s death had to do with Mr. and Mrs. Newman, it was all speculation she made in her head as there was no proof.
Now that she got it from the horses’ mouths, her mind was blank, and her limbs felt cold.
Camryn could not wrap her head around why her father’s wife and brother would want him dead. Had the affair between Mr. and Mrs. Newman been going on from the start?
Her mother could have opted for a divorce if there was cheating involved.
“What do you plan on doing?” Callum suddenly asked.
Unable to bear the discoloration on her face, Callum went to pour her a glass of water.
Camryn downed the drink.
“Mr. Callum, do you think the voice recording is enough to nail them?”
Callum replied, “It’s hard because they can argue and say it was said out of rage. They can question the validity of your voice recording, but it will be the smoking gun when paired with other evidence. Do you have anything else on them?”
Camryn shook her head.
She was only two when her father died.
What would she know?
As far as she could remember, her childhood was filled with abuse from her mother and sister, as well as confusion. It was beyond Camryn why her mother could not love her even though she was her mother’s daughter too. Mrs. Newman never held her or spoke tenderly to her.
Camryn gradually grew numb, no longer pining for her mother’s love.
All she wanted to do was study and leave the home once she was able to.
Camryn would never have suspected a thing if it were not for the rumor that her father died an unnatural death.
It then dawned on her why her mother could not love her. It prompted Camryn to dig further and collect evidence. Alas, she was too hasty back then.
Camryn was only sixteen at the time, and her mother and stepfather had her in the palm of their hands. It was reckless to think she could go behind their backs.
They really put a hit on her.
Maybe it was a good thing Camryn lost her sight. It did not matter that the hospital saved her because she would not survive if her aunt did not take her away.
Her aunt wanted to, but her mom refused.
The wicked woman said the aunt was out of line to try and replace Mrs. Newman’s role as a mother.
Camryn had to be a blind nobody since she could not leave the house.
“I don’t have other proof.”
Camryn uttered in a soft voice, “I tried to collect evidence ten years ago, and it came at the cost of my sight. I found nothing in return. All I felt was their cruelty.
“Serena told me that my priority is getting my eyesight back. I can continue to find proof once I can see again. Serena is suggesting not to let my family know when I can see.”
The handicap of being blind was a convenience to collect evidence.
“Can you see again with a corneal transplant?”
“My blindness is caused by drugs. My aunt took me for an examination before, and the doctor mentioned that a corneal transplant wouldn’t show much effect. I had a lot of doctors examine me, but only one whose treatment was working. Nevertheless, the doctor passed away. I can only see a bit of light, but everything else is still a blur.”
Callum looked into Camryn’s eyes for a while before uttering, “Serena is right. You should get your eyes fixed first if you want to collect evidence. I’ll keep the voice recorder safe for you here so it doesn’t fall into their hands. It’ll only put you in danger.”
“Thank you, Mr. Callum.”
Camryn never thought about asking for the voice recorder back.
As Callum put it, Camryn might lose her life over the voice recorder.
“I’m going to play along if they plan on using me to save that sister of yours. Do you have a problem with that?”
Camryn looked confused.
“What do you mean by ‘play along”?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.