Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 691

Dennis Williams couldn’t help but smile when he saw how readily she agreed.

His Camila—she was perfect in every way, except when it came to emotions. There, she was blissfully oblivious.

Strangely enough, that only made her more endearing.

He let go of her, lacing his fingers through hers. “Let me walk you downstairs.”

“Okay,” Camila replied, nodding as she intertwined her fingers with his. They were just about to leave when her phone buzzed with a new message.

A glance at the screen told her it was from Walter Wilson.

“I sent everyone else ahead. Are you all right? I’m waiting for you downstairs.”

She replied instantly: “Be right there!”

Then, still holding Dennis’s hand, she headed for the lobby.

The moment they stepped out of the hotel, she spotted Walter standing by his car, waiting.

He looked up at the sound of footsteps, but his gaze faltered halfway, his expression darkening.

He hadn’t expected Dennis Williams to be the one escorting Camila outside.

Walter pressed his lips into a thin line as he watched them approach, hand in hand, so close and at ease with each other.

Camila seemed completely at peace, her whole attention fixed on Dennis. She leaned into him, almost as if she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

The sight hit Walter like a punch to the gut.

For a moment, it felt as though some invisible hand had closed around his heart, squeezing until his breath came short and his whole body grew cold.

Camila, oblivious as ever, walked right up to him and said without a hint of guile, “Dennis arranged a car for me, so you don’t have to worry about taking me home. You should get some rest, you’ve had a long day.”

Walter tamped down his emotions, but a bitter frustration gnawed at him, as if he were being eaten alive from the inside out. For a split second, he wanted to ask her—was this all he was to her? No matter what he did, would it always come down to a polite, “Thank you for your help,” and nothing more?

But the words wouldn’t come.

Dennis, meanwhile, watched every subtle shift in Walter’s expression.

He said nothing about it, acting as though nothing was amiss, and addressed Walter with unruffled composure. “Mr. Wilson, I didn’t get a chance to thank you earlier for helping Lillian. Back in Harrisburg, I’d already heard about your reputation, and Camila’s mentioned you many times. She always says you’ve been there for her. I’ve been hoping to meet you properly—maybe we can sit down and talk sometime if you’re free.”

Walter met his gaze coolly.

Both men carried themselves with a quiet confidence—Dennis, with his calm and understated elegance; Walter, with his rakish charm and easy confidence.

Standing face to face, they were evenly matched in every way.

The black Maybach glided into the night, its taillights fading in the distance.

Inside the car, Aiden glanced nervously at his boss in the rearview mirror.

Walter’s face was clouded with a disappointment Aiden had never seen before.

Even Aiden felt a pang of sympathy at the sight of it.

Perhaps his staring was too obvious, because Walter finally noticed.

He shot a glare at the mirror, his earlier dejection replaced by a look of irritation. “What are you staring at? Eyes on the road. Do I look like your GPS?”

Aiden gulped. He thought to himself, No wonder you’re unlucky in love. With that attitude, how could Ms. Davis ever fall for you?

Back at the hotel entrance, Dennis walked Camila to her car.

He buckled her seatbelt for her, then spoke gently. “Send me a message when you get home.”

Camila nodded and gave him a little wave. “You should get back inside. Don’t keep your guests waiting.”

Dennis didn’t want to let her go, but he managed to hide his reluctance.

He closed the car door and watched as her car pulled away and disappeared into the night, before finally turning and heading back to the banquet hall.