There's a way to go about it. Maybe he would have to ask her for evidence. He went to her and offered her a handkerchief. Camella accepted it and cleaned her tears.
Her nose was sore and she kept sniffling. She was even shivering. She knew she had lost face before Andre but how long will she bottled the feeling in her heart, how long?
“You should wipe your tears. I don't like seeing a woman's tears” he said, looking away. He really doesn't like it and he could accept it as a weakness in him.
Camella raised her head and glanced at him. Was he feeling uncomfortable with her tears? Did he also like her now? She smiled through her tears and stood up “excuse me” she said and went to the restroom.
She glanced at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were reddened and her face flushed. She isn't looking good at all. Quickly she splashed some water on her face and felt a bit relieved.
She touched her face with light makeup again before stepping out. She saw Andre still standing at the same spot where he was before she stepped away a while ago.
“You're better now, right?” He asked, seeing her beautiful face dry from her tears. She nodded and sat down and he also took his seat.
Camella was watching him from her split vision. How can she tell him how she feels about him? Nanny said she should tell him, Fred Maxwell also said the same thing. But seeing him now, she doesn't have the courage to.
“What do you mean he is a drug addict?” Andre asked. She must know something before calling him an addict.
“I caught him once injecting himself and he pleaded with me that he was no longer going to take it. But I can't really say he wasn't doing it. All I want is to see this arranged marriage over” Camella explained.
“We'll arrive at a conclusion. And yes, I'll drop you home” Andre informed and stared at her. Camella's face drained of blood as she glared at him with a frightful stare.
Andre cannot help but chuckled softly. He didn't expect that she had a weakness. He saw her tears and saw her scared face. He didn't expect that the iron fisted, feisty lady knows what fear is.
“What?” Andre asked, feigning ignorance.
“Did you not understand what I said a while ago? Jack Johnson and his parents accused me of infidelity with you and you're still thinking of dropping me off at home?” Camella scolded.
“So? Are you unsafe being around me? Why are you afraid of Jack, his parents or is it your dad?” Andre asked and Camella sighed helplessly and went quiet.
∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆
At home, Alice Torello received a call. She was surprised that after retiring from the orphanage many years ago, someone called from the government office and asked her to come around, there was some information that she might be able to help them with.
She said okay and sent her address. She became uneasy. She'd been away from the orphanage for over fifteen years. She's a pensioner and knows next to nothing about what's going on there.
Recently she heard that the orphanage was having issues and now she received a call. She sighed softly and waited. She cannot tell what might be the reason why they want to speak to her.
It wasn't long, she saw two men arrived all dressed nicely and smiled politely. She welcomed them and offered them glasses of coffee.
The detective took the glass of coffee and was going to sip from it when he saw a large portrait of Andre's picture on the wall and he froze, glaring at the pictures.
“This…” he pointed his finger and would have uttered another word but he paused. He shouldn't count his chicks before they are hatched.
“That's the picture of my son, Andre Torello,” Alice explained, a megawatt smile spread across her face. How cute a son the Almighty has blessed her with.
“Oh…” the detective smiled. He kept his gaze on the picture. This picture hung on the wall could pose as the younger picture of his highness prince Clifford or better still, is it his highness himself?
Alice soon sat down and she saw that a recording was placed before her. The detective pleaded with her that they meant her no harm. They just needed her to help them unravel a history from a few years ago.
“What do you want to know or ask me about?” Alice asked, she knew everything about the orphanage for as long as she was there. But after she left, she knew nothing again.
“We were digging out information about a certain baby that was brought to the orphanage when you were the matron. A baby boy, about three months old and from his record, we learnt you named him Andre…” the detective explained.
At this time, Alice was looking scared. That's Andre. Why are they trying to dig out information about him? What is happening?
“...we got to the orphanage and after carefully going through the record, we could only trace him to you ma'am. That's why we had to come find you but first, obtaining a warrant from the government office.
Please ma, where is that boy that you adopted at your retirement? We meant you no harm. But you see, we just needed to see him. The last record of him was when you adopted him at your retirement…” he concluded.
Alice subconsciously glanced at the picture on the wall, remembered the man's polite exclamation and she sighed softly. Has anyone come over to claim him as their son?
For a long time,Alice didn't respond to them. This has always been her fear. This kind of thing is common sometimes.
After spending years together, their son has been knitted, and their bond was stronger than anyone could imagine, someone from somewhere will sprout to claim him as their son.
Will she just give up on him or at least put up a fight? Andre is her life now, how can she just answer them and then, they'll take her son away from her.
She'll die, she will definitely die if Andre leaves her. She won't allow anyone to take him away from her. She'll fight for her son, yes she'd rather die fighting that cowardly hand her son over to anyone.
“He is my son now, Andre Torello. That's his picture on the wall. But if you are here, to tell me some person sprouted out and now claims to be his biological family, I will not accept it.
He is my son, I adopted him and everything is legally documented. I'm his mother and he's my son. No one can separate us, and he has no parents elsewhere, only I am his parents!” Alice declared.