Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 595

Not long after her chat with Sarah Brown, Camila Davis heard the cheerful giggles of a little girl echoing from outside.

She glanced out the window into the yard and saw it was the elder Mr. Williams returning with Lillian in tow.

Apparently, they’d been out for a stroll, and Lillian came back absolutely loaded with gifts—so many she could barely carry them all. It took Mr. Williams flagging down some help just to get everything inside.

Camila couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “Isn’t this a little much?” she joked.

Mr. Williams looked proud as ever, and told his protégé, “What can I say? All those old folks adore our Lillian. It would’ve been rude not to accept their kindness.”

Camila shook her head in exasperation, but went over to take a look. Thankfully, nothing looked overly extravagant or expensive, so she relaxed. Otherwise, she’d have felt obligated to return most of it.

Mr. Williams joined Lillian in sorting through the mountain of presents, then turned to Camila, “So, how did your onboarding go this morning? All smooth?”

Camila nodded. “Yeah, everything went well. People were really welcoming—guess they wanted to stay on your good side, boss.”

“Good to hear,” he replied, satisfied.

Since they hadn’t eaten out for lunch, Patrick whipped up a table full of hearty dishes—a real comfort-food spread with mac and cheese, roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and more. The menu was clearly tailored for Lillian, who tucked in gleefully.

Eric Morris (as Camila still called him in her mind) made a point to peel Lillian’s shrimp and debone her fish, prompting the little girl to heap her plate with goodies for him in return. The whole scene was warm and lively.

In the middle of everyone enjoying themselves, Eric suddenly remembered something. “Oh, by the way,” he said, “About your living arrangements—HR told me they’d allocated you a little cottage, but apparently you turned it down?”

He looked at Camila, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

Camila had a feeling where this was going and avoided his gaze, a bit guilty.

“So, tell me,” Eric pressed, “what’s your connection with Mr. Williams? I heard the new junior research team was his idea. The higher-ups had been talking about it forever, but nothing moved until he got involved. And rumor has it, he paid a hefty price to push it through.”

Camila nodded quickly. “I would. But I truly believe I’m not making a mistake this time.

You always told me to judge a person by their actions, by the little things, not just by appearances. Five years ago, I was blind—I misjudged someone and paid the price. But this time, I’m looking carefully, I’m really paying attention. If you do object, can you at least hear me out before you decide? I promise I won’t be reckless again.”

Eric just looked at her—her earnest expression made him shake his head, half amused, half exasperated.

He waved her off. “Relax. I already did my homework on Dennis Williams before you even got here. Sure, his family background is complicated, but he’s solid—good character, smart as hell. And let’s not forget: you wouldn’t even be at the institute if it weren’t for him. That alone puts him miles ahead of Jordan Smith. The guy will never be a drag on your career.

I can see he values your abilities, believes in you—that’s why he’s willing to pull strings to help your work. I’ve always said, real love means helping each other grow, not demanding someone fit your mold and, in the end, lose themselves. On that count alone, Jordan Smith isn’t even in the same league.”

Hearing this, Camila finally began to relax. She kept quiet, letting him continue.

Eric didn’t scold her or make things hard. He went on, “Look, I’m not some old stick-in-the-mud. The reason I objected to you and Jordan back then was because you were giving up everything for him—yourself, your dreams…”