Chapter 8 Unexpected Connections
Camellia: POV
Night deepened outside as Manhattan's lights reflected through the car windows, casting shifting patterns across our faces.
The silence stretched between us, broken only by passing vehicles.
Richard stared out at the glittering cityscape, his profile lit up by neon flashes.
He turned to me, his gaze lingering on my face. "I think I get it now. About your family situation. I totally understand why you want to keep your distance from them."
He paused, his eyes suddenly serious.
"Look, I know this isn't a love marriage, but I'll still protect you. That's what husbands do."
I put on my usual business smile—you know, the one I'd gotten really good at over the years. Polite but totally blank.
"Once NexaCore's mess is sorted out, we can live our separate lives. Don't worry about me," I said coldly.
After Richard saw me to my place, he left.
The silence was thick and suffocating.
I poured myself a glass of water, trying to make sense of the evening with the Blooms.
Their warmth felt like a foreign language I couldn't figure out.
At midnight, my phone rang and cut through the quiet.
The screen showed "Jennifer"—one of the few calls I'd always take, no matter what time it was.
"Hey Jen," I answered, my voice getting softer without meaning to.
Jennifer's warm voice came through like sunshine breaking through clouds.
"Darling, I hope I'm not waking you up."
She excitedly told me that Mia had gotten into Parsons School of Design, practically bursting with pride.
"She got a partial scholarship! She's coming to New York next week. Would you mind keeping an eye on her? You know she's always looked up to you."
I stared out at the city lights, memories flooding back.
Jennifer was my mom's younger sister by five years—a lawyer with an artist's heart and real guts.
That awful rainy night when I was twenty-two, I'd called her with shaking hands to tell her Mom had killed herself after finding out about Dad's affair with Amanda.
Jennifer got on the first flight to California without even thinking twice.
I still remember her standing in the middle of the Frost mansion foyer, staring down my father and that woman, her voice quiet but steel-hard: "My sister's death is on you."
In the end, she used her legal skills to get me a settlement that let me walk away from the family and start fresh.
When I decided to start NexaCore, Jennifer was one of the only people who had my back, saying, "Whenever you need help, I'm here for you."
"Of course Mia can stay with me," I said, feeling something warm spread through my chest for once.
"Tell her congrats. She's earned this."
"Thank you, sweetie. How are you holding up? Work going okay?"
I hesitated, not sure how much to say.
"The company's got some problems, but nothing I can't handle."
I wasn't about to tell her about being pregnant or this whole marriage thing.
"You know you can tell me anything, right? Don't try to handle everything by yourself."
"I know," I said quietly.
After hanging up, I stood at my window, staring out at the skyline.
My hand moved to my still-flat stomach without thinking.
God, how fast everything changes.
A few months ago, all I cared about was growing NexaCore.
‘Now I'm pregnant, almost broke, and engaged to Richard Bloom. Life really has a sick sense of humor.‘
The next week, I stood at Kennedy Airport's arrival gate, looking through the crowd for a familiar face.
A young woman with a designer backpack and vintage glasses came running toward me.
Mia Lawrence was even more full of life than in photos, her bouncy brown curls flying as she ran, bright eyes lit up with excitement.
"Camellia!" she yelled, throwing her arms around me like we hadn't seen each other in years.
I wasn't used to people being so huggy, but I didn't mind Mia's energy.
Her warmth was real, which was pretty rare in my world of calculated business relationships.
"Welcome to New York," I said, grabbing one of her bags.
"How was the flight?"
"Amazing! I drew the whole time," she said, pulling out a notebook packed with detailed UI designs.
"I've been thinking about how to make mobile apps better. Check out this navigation idea!"
I brought my energetic cousin back to my Manhattan apartment, then figured I'd show her the city that never sleeps.
We started with Fifth Avenue—might as well jump right into New York's craziness.
In the Apple flagship store, Mia blew me away with her thoughts on some new smartwatch.
Her fingers flew across the screen, calling out design problems like a total pro.
"If they put the health stuff on the main screen and made this menu simpler, people would have a way better time using it."
Her analysis was so spot-on that other customers stopped to listen.
I felt weirdly proud watching her.
For all my business smarts, I'd never had her natural feel for what users actually want.
Maybe I could learn something from her fresh take on things.
Outside, July sun hit us as Mia looked up at all the skyscrapers around us, dreams practically dancing in her eyes.
"I want to be just like you someday—a total boss in the business world. Did you know I wrote about you as my hero in my Parsons essay?"
I smiled, running my hand through her hair, feeling unusually soft in the sunlight.
"Being carefree like you is actually pretty awesome. The work world is way harder than you think."
My voice sounded normal, like I hadn't spent countless nights staring at the ceiling, dealing with people who'd turned on me, learning to keep everyone at a distance.
"But look at everything you've done!" Mia kept going.
"Your own company, those incredible AI algorithms, everyone in tech respects you—"
"And I almost lost it all," I mumbled, then wished I hadn't said that.
"Forget I said that. Just work stress."
Mia's eyes went wide.
"Is NexaCore in trouble? Can I do anything to help?"
"It's nothing," I said firmly, changing the subject.
"Let's grab some coffee and you can show me more of your designs."
In this cute café near Central Park, Mia sipped her iced latte and mentioned she'd be visiting the Sinclair family tomorrow.
"The Lawrences and Sinclairs have been friends forever. Mom says I absolutely have to see them."
Her eyes totally lit up.
"Uncle Nathan is amazing! He's the one who told me to apply to Parsons. He said my portfolio had this 'forward-thinking aesthetic perspective.'"
I raised an eyebrow, noticing how she suddenly got all animated.
"You seem pretty into Nathan."
"He's been so supportive," Mia gushed, her cheeks getting pink.
"Whenever I make something new, he's the first person I show it to. He always gives me real feedback, not just 'oh that's nice' stuff."
She went on and on about how generous and visionary Nathan was, how he'd set up tours of design studios and tech companies for her.
Then she barely mentioned his brother: "Alexander's cool too. He's one of those super sharp young investors in Silicon Valley. But he's always chasing the next big startup, doesn't really have time for people like me."
I noticed that whenever Mia said "Uncle Nathan," her voice went up and her eyes got this special sparkle.
I couldn't help leaning forward with a teasing smile.
"Do you have a thing for Nathan? You completely light up when you talk about him."