Andre stepped out, and the men were going to yank him up by his collar when Camella stepped in. “No one dares to embarrass my friend,” she declared. Now the other side of Camella Wood was being portrayed.
“It was your father's order, that if this fellow is seen anywhere around you, he should be taught a lesson” one of the men informed. They were simply following orders. She cannot intimidate them however she wants.
“Then tell my father that as long as Andre is with me, no one dares to harass him. Now let him go” she ordered, her eyes casting daggers at the men. He'd dropped her off at home and now, this is how he'll be treated?
“Relax Camella. I don't care if they chose to manhandle me. I just want to say hello to Mr Benson before leaving” Andre continued and then turned to one of the men and said “I want to see your boss”
“Aren't you afraid of me, Andre Torello? Are you not scared of what I can do to you for having the effrontery to drive into my mansion?” Benson Wood snorted, his fury expressed visibly on his face.
He was standing at the balcony and watching all that was unfolding. And this poor dude dares to bring Camella home, contrary to what he expected him to do. He'd called him and asked him to stay away from his daughter but instead, he brought her home in his car?
His audacity!
Andre and others looked up. He sighed and said “Hello Mr Benson” he paused and forced a smile before continuing “No sir, I am not afraid, not in the slightest. Why should I be scared of offering a lift to a friend who has far more fancy cars and chauffeurs to drive them than I could ever accumulate in a lifetime?
And sir, I want to talk to you sir,alone” putting more emphasis on the word alone. He wants him to know that he wants to clear some doubts about the whole misunderstanding.
“You don't deserve an audience from me. So I suggest that you get out of my vicinity before I force the security to do so” Benson Wood thundered.
“Dad!...” Camella called in fury but Andre turned to her and said “don't confront your dad in the presence of others. Do it when you are alone” he said and bowed his head before going to take his car.
Camella watched as he drove away. She became sad again. The excitement she felt when they were together in the car, a while ago, was gone. Now, as she watched him leave, it appears he took all of her happiness away with him.
She stormed in and met her nanny descending the stairs. She beckoned to Camella to calm down but she wasn't going to listen to her, she walked past her and got to the balcony to find her dad sipping from a freshly prepared fruit juice.
“Dad, this is enough. You can't keep treating me as if I'm a baby. I have a voice of my own and I have my own decision to make…” Camella blurted.
“You're still a baby in your actions and thoughts, Camella. Just this morning, Jack and his parents are here, expressing how unhappy they were at your closeness with that boy surnamed Torello.
How can you allow him to drive you home from the office? What is wrong with you? Why can't you understand how fragile things are and know that you are walking on glasses?” Benson Wood scolded.
“This is my life, not Jack's or his parents. I can't keep pretending that everything is fine when in fact, it isn't. I have tried to fall in love with him, two years have passed and all I felt for him is resentment.
I need my pace and my time. I don't love him, I'm in love with someone else. I find happiness and peace with him not with Jack. So please dad, I don't want you to push me into a loveless marriage…” Camella blurted.
“Oh, I see, you're in love with someone else. I didn't realise that your stiff heart can be open to love and if I may guess, you're in love with Andre Torello, right?” Benson Wood grinned, trying to suppress his fury.
“Yes dad, I'm in love with Andre. He is the only man who makes me feel this way…” Camella was saying when suddenly, her dad lost his composure and slapped her across the face.
There was a silence that followed. The atmosphere became stiffened and Camella felt frozen to the spot. Her face was forced to a side by her dad's furious hit on her chin.
Her head buzzed, her teeth had mistakenly dug into the inner side of her lips and her saliva tasted blood. She remained that way for a long time and when she eventually turned to glance at her dad, he looked away, completely avoiding her gaze.
Dad slapped me? He really did?
Benson Wood felt disappointed with himself. How could he do it, how could he raise his hand and hit his own daughter? What has come over him, how could he do that to his only child?
He couldn't look at her, he turned his face away. He'd failed his dear wife, he'd raised his hand against their daughter, something he'd never done and never saw coming either.
Oh no! Shit!
Camella didn't say anything but just walked away from her dad. She needed to go far away. Her lips were bleeding and as she descended the stairs, she almost bumped into Sara. She just stared at her briefly, her eyes cloudy and she didn't say anything.
If she dared to say anything, she would start crying. Her nanny glared at her in shock and looked past her in the direction she came from, and was going to talk but only saw Camella walk away.
“Camella dear, please wait, my child” she pleaded, but she didn't. She walked towards the door and walked out. She got into the car and Benson saw his daughter drive off.
She needed a calm place to go. He knew he'd crossed the lines when he raised his hand on her. He is not a gentleman like he was supposed to be. A man shouldn't raise his hand against his daughter but he just did.
Camella drove randomly around the city. She'd put off her outer jacket and removed her heels. It was too much of a reality to accept. Dad slapped her because he just wants her to be married to Jack Johnson?
The only place she could go to was the cemetery where her mom was buried. It was getting late, but she didn't care. She alighted and walked barefooted to her mom's cemetery and that was when she let loose.
“Mom, dad slapped me, he did slap me mom…” she sobbed. She was sweating now, just placed her head on the tomb and cried.