Chapter Two: Cam

I received word about Miss Luper. Someone mentioned an auction taking place—an event I wouldn’t normally concern myself with—but something about it nagged at me. The past two days had been unsettling, like a shadow lurking in the corners of my mind.

Everything had been falling into place recently. I convinced my mother to let Stella return home, and my plans to sever ties with June were nearly complete. All that remained was for me to sign the documents. Yet, I kept stalling, as though some unseen force tethered me to her. Maybe it was guilt—or something more that I couldn’t admit to myself.

A call from her workplace earlier had set things into motion.

"Good morning, sir. I take it you are Mr. June Luper's husband?" the woman asked politely, her voice laced with concern.

"I'm her husband, yes. Why are you calling me instead of her?"

"We couldn’t reach her on the home landline or her mobile. It’s unlike her to take leave without notice. I thought you might know where she is?"

I didn’t. And that realization stirred something uncomfortable in me. “No, she’s not with me,” I replied curtly before hanging up.

I called Matthew immediately. “Find Miss Luper,” I instructed. No explanation, no preamble. He knew better than to ask questions.

Two days passed, and then I heard rumors—an auction, a woman with striking beauty who had supposedly been "discovered" two days ago. My mind churned as I connected the dots. Could it be? The thought left a sour taste in my mouth.

When I arrived at the auction venue, snippets of conversation reached my ears:

"Did you hear about the girl they're auctioning today?" one man whispered to his companion.

“They say she’s one-of-a-kind,” another chimed in. “Beautiful, untouched… I heard her name starts with J. Or maybe M?”

I didn’t need confirmation. My gut told me the answer before I even stepped inside.

When the curtain was drawn back, and the auctioneer revealed her, the air was sucked from my lungs.

June.

She stood there, pale and bruised, bound by ropes that dug into her skin. Her once-bright eyes were now filled with terror and fury. My heart tightened in my chest, and I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white.

"How dare they," I muttered under my breath.

The auctioneer began taking bids. The crowd erupted with obscene offers, each one cutting through me like a knife. I couldn’t take it any longer.

“One billion dollars,” I shouted, my voice slicing through the chaos.

The room fell silent.

Within moments, my team had moved in. Matthew was already coordinating with the authorities outside, but I had only one focus: getting June out of here.

They took her to a private room—a dimly lit space where she lay on the bed, her fragile body barely holding itself together. I walked in just as Emma, my assistant, panicked over her condition.

“She’s not responding!” Emma’s voice was tight with worry. “Matthew, get the medics!”

I stepped closer, the sight of her tied wrists and bloodied hands igniting something primal within me. Without hesitation, I cut through the ropes, my jaw tight as her blood stained my hands and shirt.

Once free, I scooped her into my arms. She was so light, so fragile, and yet her presence felt unbearably heavy.

I heard the doctor and his assistant greet me, “Hello, Mister Watson,” as I stepped away to handle other matters. I left them with Emma to examine June. At the door, Ember joined me.

“Seal the hotel,” I ordered, digging through my pockets for my phone.

“But, sir, we can’t—”

“Ember,” I cut her off with a sharp look. She faltered, nodded, and walked off without finishing her protest.

I lingered outside the room, listening to muffled voices.

“Do you want me to examine her, sir?” I heard the assistant ask the doctor.

The minutes dragged on like hours before the doctor called me in. As I entered, his assistant shot me a glare.

“Unbelievable!” she snapped. “How could you give her such a massive dose of that drug? Even a small amount could’ve killed her!”

The doctor, an old family friend of my mother’s, didn’t hold back either. “Cam Watson, I didn’t think you were the type to get involved in this… mess. She’s covered in injuries, barely stable. Another minute, and she might’ve ended up in the operating theater.” He paused, frowning. “That drug in her system—it’s rare. We were lucky to have the antidote, but we still don’t know its exact composition. Side effects are inevitable. Be patient.”

His words hit like daggers, but I stood silent, clutching June’s bruised hand as he kept rambling. He always treated me like a son, which gave him the confidence to scold me openly. Normally, I’d let him talk, but today, I wasn’t in the mood.

I fixed him with a cold glare. He cleared his throat awkwardly, muttering, “Ahem... jokes aside, Cam, how did this happen? And what are you planning to do about it?”

Ignoring his question, I turned my attention back to June. Her face was pale, her breathing uneven. I whispered an apology under my breath. “I’m sorry, Miss Luper… for not protecting you when you needed me most.”

“How bad are the injuries?” I asked, my voice low and measured.

The doctor sighed heavily. “Fifty-three bruises, most of them severe. I’ll leave you with ointments to apply daily. She’ll need time to recover—physically and mentally. Shock can linger, so watch for any signs of distress. Call me if anything changes. ”

He packed his things and left, and I walked him to the door. When I returned, Emma was adjusting a cool cloth on June’s forehead.

“What’s going on?” I asked, stepping closer.

Emma jumped, startled by my voice. “Sir, her fever’s spiked. The doctor administered a lower dose of the antidote to avoid complications, but it’s taking time to work. I was just trying to lower her temperature.”

I placed a hand on June’s burning forehead and sighed. Carefully, I scooped her up, her fragile body trembling in my arms. “I’ll take her home,” I said firmly. “Take care of the tasks I assigned before and let Matthew know I’ll be absent today.”

Emma hesitated but nodded, concern etched on her face. June had always been closer to her than to me. A pang of guilt gnawed at me—I’d made Emma the go-between for everything during our marriage. No wonder June had felt so distant.

This wasn’t the time for regrets.

When I arrived home, the sound of my mother and Stella arguing filled the air, but their voices stopped the moment they saw me carrying June.

“Oh my God, Cam! Is she alright?” my mother gasped, rushing to my side.

“She’s been through hell,” I replied curtly, heading straight to my room—our old room. “She needs rest.”

My mother followed, worry plastered across her face. “Cam, what happened to her? You love this girl; how could you let this happen?”

“It’s a long story, Mum,” I said, laying June on the bed. “Her fever’s subsiding now, but she needs peace.”

Before I could react, my mother sat on the edge of the bed, brushing a strand of hair from June’s face. “It’s alright now, sweetheart,” she murmured. “Cam’s here, and so am I. Nothing will hurt you anymore.”

________________________________________

Her breathing was shallow, her skin pale against the warmth of the blankets that swaddled her. The bruises on her arms, faint but telling, struck a nerve in me. She stirred faintly, murmuring something incomprehensible in her sleep. My hand hesitated just above her forehead. I didn’t know why I needed to check her temperature myself. Maybe because I needed to feel her warmth, to convince myself she was still here.

That’s when my mother entered the room. Her presence was soft yet unyielding, the way only a mother could be. She caught me mid-gesture, her eyes narrowing slightly in warning.

"Cam, honey, you shouldn’t disturb someone while they’re sleeping."

"I wasn’t disturbing her, Mom. I was just checking if she had a fever," I muttered defensively.

She walked past me and sat at the edge of the bed. Her hand, delicate but steady, rested on Miss Luper’s head. “She’s been through enough,” she murmured, almost to herself, smoothing back a strand of hair from Miss Luper’s face. For a moment, my mother’s strength faltered. Her lips trembled before she kissed Miss Luper’s forehead.

The vibration of my phone brought me back to reality. Ember had texted. The police are with us. They’ve seen the CCTV and agreed to help, but the hotel’s connections run deep. It won’t be easy to shut them down.

I texted back, my frustration mounting. I don’t care. Shut it down or burn it to the ground. Make sure they never operate again. I’ll deal with Romano later.

A faint sound pulled my attention away from the phone.

“Mother…”

Her voice was so soft it was almost lost, but I heard it. My head snapped up. Miss Luper was awake, her tear-streaked face twisting something deep inside me. I hadn’t seen her like this before—so small, so vulnerable. My mother leaned in, pulling her into a gentle hug, murmuring words of comfort.

I didn’t know what to do with my hands. Clenching them into fists, I forced myself to stand still. Watching someone you care about fall apart is harder than enduring the pain yourself.

When my mother pulled back, Miss Luper’s eyes locked on mine. There was confusion there, but more than that—there was pain. She tried to sit up, wincing as she moved, and I reached out to steady her.

“Why am I in so much pain?” she asked, her voice cracking.

The question hit me like a blow. How could I explain? Where would I even start?

“Mum, could you give us a moment?” I asked, my voice low.

My mother hesitated, her gaze flitting between the two of us. She nodded reluctantly and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Miss Luper’s eyes followed my movements as I sat down beside her bed. She flinched slightly when I adjusted the pillows behind her back, her body too frail to mask the pain.

“Do you… do you remember what happened, Miss Luper?” I asked carefully.

Her eyes darted away from mine, her brow furrowing. She seemed lost in thought, trying to piece together fragments of the nightmare she’d endured. I handed her a glass of water and some medicine, fully expecting her to push it away like she always did. To my surprise, she took it without protest.

I watched her intently, searching for any sign of recognition in her features. She was always stubborn, always defiant. To see her this quiet, this compliant—it didn’t sit right with me. It felt wrong, like I’d lost a part of her.

My jaw clenched as I thought about the drug. Whatever they’d given her was new—something the doctors couldn’t identify, something I hadn’t prepared for. That terrified me more than I cared to admit. I needed answers, and Romano was the only person who might have them.

As I stared at her, lost in my thoughts, she suddenly reached out and grabbed my hand. Her fingers were trembling, her small bruised hand barely able to close around mine. The contact sent a jolt through me.

She didn’t seem to notice what she’d done, her gaze distant. I placed my other hand over hers instinctively, cradling it as if it might break. Her lips parted, and for the first time, she spoke, her voice fragile but clear.

“I was… scared.”

Her words shattered me. My grip on her hand tightened, but I kept my voice steady. “I know,” I said softly.

She looked at me then, really looked at me. Her watery eyes held questions she wasn’t ready to ask, fears she couldn’t put into words. And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t have the answers.