Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 277

Two hours later, their plane touched down in Cabinda.

Before they’d even left home, Walter Wilson had already booked their hotel. So, as soon as they left the airport, the first stop was to check in and drop off their luggage.

They weren’t meeting the two department heads until the evening.

Camila Davis was feeling a bit under the weather, so she decided to stay in the hotel and rest during the day. She wanted to be in good shape for dinner that night.

After making sure Camila was settled in, Walter headed out to visit The Smith Group, the local branch of The Wilson Group.

He got back later that afternoon and went straight to check on Camila. “How are you feeling? Any better?” he asked, concern in his voice.

Camila nodded. “Better. I took a nap and I feel more rested now.”

Truth was, she didn’t feel any better. If anything, she actually felt worse.

The last few weeks had been a whirlwind—too much work, too much stress. On top of that, her recent divorce had left her emotionally drained. Now her body was finally letting her know it had had enough.

But she didn’t say any of that to Walter. She didn’t want him to worry, or for it to get in the way of their work.

Walter believed her and didn’t push. “Alright, then get ready. We’ll head out soon—I’ve already booked us a table for dinner.”

“Okay,” Camila agreed, and quickly changed into a fresh outfit. She dabbed on a bit of makeup to cover up how pale she looked, hoping to pass for someone healthier than she really felt.

Once she was ready, she and Walter set off for their dinner meeting.

“So, what do you think?” one of the department heads pressed.

Camila nodded. “The last two shouldn’t be a problem. But the antidotes… that’s tricky. There are so many toxins out there—who knows what your teams might get exposed to? Each one needs its own specific treatment. Like, is it a drug overdose? A snake or insect bite? We’d need to break it down by category before we can start.”

The deputy director jumped in, “Let’s start with the bugs and snakes from the rainforest. Most of the cases we see are from those. We’ve collected some data and can send it to you, if that helps.”

“That would make things a lot easier,” Camila agreed. “But even then, developing a new drug takes time. Will the Department be able to give us enough runway?”

“Of course,” Mr. Mark assured her. “We know how tough this will be, so we won’t rush you. We’ll just check in now and then for updates.”

Camila nodded, finally able to relax a little. The real work was just beginning, but at least she wouldn’t have to do it alone.