I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 273

Camila let out a laugh, but there was a hint of tension behind it. “What are you talking about? I really don’t get it.”

Eric was quiet for a second. Then, without beating around the bush, he asked, “Do you even want this baby?”

Camila’s smile disappeared in an instant. She set her wine glass on the table with a loud clink. “Eric Bailey, I can’t believe you’d say something like that to me. If I didn’t want this baby, I would’ve gotten rid of it long ago. Why would I still be pregnant now?”

She stood up, grabbed her purse, and walked straight to the door. Eric panicked. He jumped up and hurried after her, reaching out to stop her. “Don’t be mad. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s my fault. I’m sorry, okay?”

Camila pulled her arm away and shot him a frosty glare. “It’s too late for apologies. Eric Bailey, I never forced you to wait for me. If you don’t want to be with me, just say it. Don’t throw disgusting accusations at me just because you’re too afraid to be honest.”

Eric looked desperate. “I’m really sorry. I swear, you’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted to marry. I want to be with you more than anything. I even dream about it. I promise.” He held up three fingers, as if he was about to make a vow right then and there.

But Camila wasn’t moved. “I don’t want to see you right now. Don’t call or text me for a while. If you do, and something happens to the baby, that’s on you.”

With that, she pulled open the door and walked out, leaving Eric standing there, stunned.

Inside the elevator, Camila finally exhaled. That was way too close. She never should’ve invited Eric out to celebrate. For a second, she’d almost let him see what she was really thinking. Staring at her reflection in the mirrored wall, she placed a hand on her stomach. There was nothing soft or motherly about her expression.

“Baby, don’t hate me,” she whispered. “There are things I need to do, and I can only do them with your help.”

…

It was almost the end of the workday when Samuel Thompson arrived at the office.

During his last business trip, he’d asked Arianna Mitchell to handle some data analysis and put together a report. Once she was finished, she sent it straight to his inbox.

She’d seen for herself that Samuel sometimes stayed up all night working at the office. Still, she always imagined someone running a whole corporation would be too busy with big-picture stuff to bother with the small details. Honestly, it seemed like a waste of his time.

Samuel leaned back. “Before I came back to the country, I worked in a technical role for The Thompson Group’s overseas division. If I can spot the problems myself, there’s no point handing them off to someone else. It’s more efficient for us to talk face-to-face, don’t you think?”

That actually made sense. Arianna realized she’d never imagined Samuel Thompson had started out at the bottom before taking over the family business.

They didn’t waste any more time and got straight to work.

Half an hour later, they’d finished. Arianna checked the clock. “Mr. Thompson, you should probably head over to the industry party soon.”

Right as she finished speaking, her phone started ringing. It was lying on the desk, and Samuel’s eyes happened to flick over to the screen. The name “Bruce Ward” flashed up on the caller ID.