Chapter 80: The Jones Family

Cameron's gaze was cold as he contemplated the past. His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. He checked the screen; it was an unrecognized number. He hung up immediately, suspecting a scam. However, the phone rang again almost instantly. Frowning, he answered.

"Hello, may I ask who's calling?" Cameron asked.

Silence.

"Did you dial the wrong number?" he began to hang up, then paused. "Cameron, it's indeed your voice," a woman said.

Her voice was ethereal, yet possessed a chilling undercurrent, like a hidden glacial spring. The moment he heard it, Cameron's gaze froze. It was Laura.

"It's been seven years. Are you doing well?" she asked.

"I'm doing very well," Cameron replied, his tone even colder.

"I knew it. I knew you'd have this attitude," she said, her voice edged with upset.

Cameron remained silent.

"For seven years, I've been searching for you tirelessly," she continued, a hint of tenderness softening her cold tone.

"Is that so?" Cameron sneered.

Undeterred, she continued, her voice gentle, "Cameron, I'll be visiting Yrando tomorrow. Can you meet with me?"

"Meet with me? Do you think that's necessary, Ms. Jones?"

"Cameron, I'm"

"Ms. Jones, you're the eldest daughter of the Jones family, the wealthiest in Leving. I'm just a nobody from a family that's fallen on hard times. I fear my presence would taint your view," Cameron said, a hint of mockery and self-deprecation in his voice. He no longer wished to dwell on the past.

"Cameron, please listen to me"

"There's no need, Ms. Jones. Our time is valuable. Please don't disturb me again. The Cameron you knew died seven years ago," Cameron interrupted, ending the call.

He hadn't expected Laura to have his number. Did Lord Blackheart give it to her? It didn't matter. There would never be any possibility between them. Yet, even after all these years, her voice still unsettled him. He realized he still had much internal work to do.

He took a deep breath and decided on a walk to clear his head. At that moment, a text arrived from the same number. It was lengthy:

"Cameron, please don't say that! I know what happened seven years ago caused you pain, and it's justified for you to hate me. But please, give me a chance to make it up to you. I have been looking for you all these years. This time, I will be in Yrando for no more than half a month."

Cameron stopped reading. He deleted the message and blocked the number. He didn't need redemption; he wanted nothing more to do with Laura. He simply wanted to live his own life.