Chapter 7 Camilo De La Cruz - Part One

VERA Panicking, I looked around for a place to hide, and then I noticed what appeared to be an alley on my right between the wall fence and the building, and I ducked into it without thinking before he could see me. The thought of Laurent almost catching me sent me into a panic, and I tried to walk as fast as I could, which was not very fast given my condition. I came across a small gate that was not locked, so I opened it, taking care not to rattle the chain that hung loosely on it. The further down I went, the darker it became, but it was still warm because there was no wind. However, my moment of relief was cut short when I stumbled on something hard and nearly fell. A sharp, startled scream ripped through my throat, and I quickly turned back to see if they had heard me, but it didn't appear that they had. However, the energy drink slipped out of my grasp and fell. I tried feeling for it with my foot because I could not bend down with Noa for fear of falling, but I couldn't find it. Instead, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I took in my surroundings and realized how creepy it was. A part of me was unsure whether to proceed, but I couldn't take any chances. Who knew how many of my father's men were out there? What made them decide to come here in the first place? Did anyone see me? Were they already tracking my phone when I threw it out? Due to the darkness, I couldn't see anything in front of me, but I could tell there was filth everywhere. It was like a dump site, and there was a foul odor. "Where are you?" I whispered, still trying to feel my slipper, which had slipped out while I was looking for the can, but then heard something move to my right and froze. I turned back in the direction of the sound, and just then, it moved again, sounding as if it was approaching me, and I let out a whimper. I left the slipper and the can and stumbled forward, holding Noa tighter as I realized the urgency to get out of there. My arm rose in front of me to ensure I didn’t bump into anything since I couldn’t see where I was going. My skin crawled and my blood ran cold as I stepped on the most unimaginable things with my bare foot. With ragged breaths from my quiet sobs, I took careful steps and followed the alleyway, occasionally stumbling on something, until, after what seemed like an eternity, I finally saw some light, which brought some relief. As I neared the end, I approached another small gate, but unlike the first, this one was locked. "No, no, no," I whispered in horror, desperately pulling on the chain as despair overtook me. Seeing it wasn’t budging, I looked around for an alternative way out, but I didn’t see one. That exacerbated my anxiety and caused me to cry. But then I felt a sting as something cut my leg, prompting me to look down, and the pain quickly faded as I noticed a hole in the gate. I pulled on the wire to see if I could fit through the broken bottom, and my tears of sadness turned to tears of relief when I realized I could. Getting on my knees, I crawled out of it, ensuring my baby didn’t get hurt, and I found myself at the back of the building. But the moment I stood up, I staggered, feeling weak. My knees buckled, and I felt my strength dwindle as my vision blurred. Leaning on the building wall, I used it for support as black dots clouded my vision and a feeling of dread washed over me. "God, please help us," I begged, feeling my body slide down the wall as I clung to my baby, and darkness descended. ••• CAMILO DE LA CRUZ “Camila? Come on, put that thing away! You didn’t seriously drag my *ss across countries for this? I had to send Pops to Italy alone to be here with you," I scolded my sister, who was frowning at her cellphone. She sighed and looked at me with sadness in her eyes before placing the phone in her lap. "Come, give it here," I added, motioning for her to hand it over. “I’m sorry, okay? I’ll put it away, I promise. I miss him so much, Camilo." "I know, but you need to give him the space he asked for.” “You’re right,” she said, putting her phone inside her bag. “Please pour me a big glass. I came here to have a good time, and that is exactly what I intend to do. I’m sorry I made you watch me sulk the entire time. It stops now," she said, taking the glass of whiskey I held out to her and smiling at me. "Good. I do plenty of that at home. Tonight, you will follow your brother’s lead and let him show you how it’s done.” "To my brother's lead," she said, clinking our glasses; we drank to that. I didn’t want to leave the business and fly across the world. I had just flown back from Italy and needed to go back for an emergency board meeting, but she had asked me to go with her, and she hadn’t been interested in doing anything since she lost her baby, so I couldn’t say no. I ended up asking my grandfather to attend in my place and jumped on the plane with my sister to support her. But ever since we arrived, she had spent every second on her phone stalking Lorenzo, the same Lorenzo she was supposed to be taking a break from.