Elijah was always like this. He did so much for Cameron but never said a word about it.
''If he won''t tell the truth, then I''ll say it for him,'' Jack thought.
Before, Jack had been puzzled by how much Elijah cared about Cameron.
But once he learned that Cameron was actually a girl, he finally understood.
So that was it. Elijah liked Cameron.
Since that was the case, Jack was even more set on making sure Cameron knew just how much Elijah had done for her.
"Jack, you''re making too much of it," Elijah said with a frown.
He didn''t need Cameron to know everything he''d done for her.
But Cameron had already taken Jack''s words to heart.
"Elijah, sorry for troubling you. And... thank you," she said.
Elijah gazed at her for a long moment. "I just... I was worried about you, that''s all."
"Thanks," Cameron said, giving his shoulder a light pat. "I''ll treat you to dinner sometime."
Elijah''s eyes brightened. "Sure."
Cameron returned to the ind.
She didn''t say a word to her family about what had happened the night before.
After all, she didn''t want them to worry.
After some digging around, Cameron managed to find Bradley''s bank ount. She borrowed some money from her mother and paid back all the money she owed him.
She also put the ce at Noble Vista up for sale. Now, they were finally square. Cameron thought Bradley would show up to bother her again.
But to her surprise, after that day at the castle, hepletely disappeared from her life.
Cameron let out a sigh of relief.
Xander also never showed up again.
Word was, he''d left the country.
Austin vanished from her life after that day, too.
But Elijah and Cameron kept in touch regrly
They stayed close friends all along.
Seven yearster.
Cameron became world-famous for creating a miracle cure for leukemia.
Thepany she founded, Aurevia Biotech, was the hottest name in the business.
Cameron was all over the news, even outshining the hottest inte celebrities and pop idols.
The Yates family''s ind was no longer a remote, isted ce; it had opened up to the public.
Now, multiple cruise ships ran between the ind and Steerfall every day. The ind had be an inte-famous destination, packed with tourists and giving the local economy a massive boost. As a result, the Yates family was raking in the cash.
With Cameron''s achievements, the Yates family was bursting with pride.
That night, Levi insisted on throwing a big celebration for Cameron on the ind.
Cameron said she was just doing her part, and there was no need to make such a fuss about it.
But Levi said, "Sweetheart, you''ve done something incredible for all of humanity. How could we not celebrate?"
Jacqueline chimed in, "Cam, your dad''s right. We really should celebrate."
Gavin puffed up with pride. "My sister is awesome!"
Lance said, "Gavin, it''s not your sister who''s awesome; it''s Cam! You''re just basking in her glory."
This time, Gavin didn''t argue with Lance. "You''re right. I''m basking in her glory."
Cameron looked at her family helplessly.
That evening, Cameron showed up at the party in a ck gown, elegant and understated. Yet still, she turned every head in the room.
Nearly every leading figure in Zelpah''s medicalmunity was in attendance. All of Cameron''s friends hade, too.
Amelia held a ss of red wine, watching Cameron stand in the spotlight. She couldn''t help but nce up at the tall, striking man standing beside her.
"Mr. Moore, it''s been seven years. You''ve been after Cam for so long, but you''re still just friends. Haven''t you ever thought about taking things further?"
Amelia asked.
Elijah was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit. Over the years, he had grown much more steady andposed.
He had officially taken over the Moore family''s business, and now, Elijah Moore was also a big name in the medical world.
"I''m not in a hurry. I can wait," Elijah said.
Amelia rolled her eyes at him. "Wait? Wait until you and Cam are both old and gray? Dude, you need to make a move! You know how clueless Cam is about love. Enlighten her, will you?"
Elijah looked at Cameron from afar, his gaze full of gentleness. Then, he shook his head softly.
Honestly, over these seven years, Elijah had tried countless times to see if there was a chance with Cameron.
But every time, Cameron had gently turned him down.
*95%
If being friends was what made Cameronfortable, then he''d be her friend forever.
Being able to stay by her side and share a meal every now and then was more than enough for him.
Amelia shook her head in exasperation.
Holding her wine ss, she walked over to Cameron.
Right then, Cameron was surrounded by her colleagues.
"Miss Yates, you''re amazing. Leukemia is one of the toughest medical challenges
out there, and you''ve developed a miracle cure. What you didisa wonder for all of humanity!"
"And you''re only twenty-six! It''s honestly amazing-so young and already this aplished!"
"Miss Yates is an absolute prodigy in the world of pharmaceuticals!"
As everyone was showering her with praise, someone suddenly raised their voice.
"Ms. Saunders is here!"
"And Dr. Saunders is here too!"
"Saunders? Who are they?" someone asked, curious.
"Ms. Saunders is Cami Saunders. She''s the one who cured ALS at just twenty
years old and became famous overnight."
"And Dr. Saunders... is that her sixth brother, Damian Saunders?"
"Miss Yates, you''re amazing. I can''t believe these two legends of the medical world are actually here for your celebration. That''s incredible!"
As everyone talked, they all stepped aside, leaving a clear path in the middle. Cameron held her wine ss, the click of her heels echoing as she nced over. In an instant, she spotted two people making their way toward her.
The girl was dressed in a striking red gown, her long hair swept up into a beautiful bun at the back of her head. She moved with effortless grace in ck heels, her gorgeous face lit up with a soft smile.
Even her alluring eyes seemed to be smiling.
The moment Cameron saw Cami Saunders, a wave of familiarity washed over
her.
It felt like she''d seen Cami somewhere before.
Then she remembered.
It wasn''t Cami she''d seen before-it was Eddie.
Those captivating eyes of Cami''s were almost the same as Eddie''s.
Strangely, ever since Bradley disappeared, Cameron hadn''t seen Eddie again
either.
And Eric hadn''t contacted her ever since, except for the quarterly royalties from
The Starry series that showed up
Cameron quickly collected herself.
Then, her gaze shifted to the man standing next to Cami.
her bank ount.
He was dressed in a crisp white suit, tall and imposing, but his handsome face
was expressionless.
They were both in the same field, so naturally, Cameron had heard the name Damian Saunders many times.
Rumor had it he started learning medicine at the age of three, could write prescriptions by six, and was already making waves in the medical world by twelve.
"Genius doctor," "Miracle Healer"-he''d picked up every impressive title anyone could think of, each one proof of his legendary skills.
"Ms. Saunders, Dr. Saunders, wee," Cameron said as she walked over, a gentle smile gracing her lips.
Cami strolled over, her arm tucked through Damian''s. She smiled brightly. "Hi, Miss Yates. I''m Cami Saunders. I didn''t expect you to be so stunning in person. What a pleasure to finally meet you."
Cami reached out to shake Cameron''s hand.
Cameron smiled. "You''re gorgeous, too. d we finally get to meet."
Cami shed a mischievous grin.
Damian also shook Cameron''s hand. "Congrattions, Miss Yates."
"Thanks,” Cameron replied.
Then, she spotted Amelia waiting nearby.
Cameron turned toward Cami and Damian. "Feel free to enjoy the party."
The two nodded politely.
As Cameron walked away, Damian furrowed his brow.
Cami asked, "Damian, what''s up?"
Damian said, "I feel like I''ve seen Cameron somewhere before."
Cami replied, "She''s been all over TVtely. Of course, you''ve seen her."
But Damian shook his head.
He''d actually seen Cameron once, in a private dining room at a hotel in Steerfall,
right before Bradley took the SATS.
That had been ages ago.
And back then, Cameron had been dressed as a guy. It was only natural that he
didn''t recognize her immediately.
Meanwhile, Cameron walked over to Amelia.
Amelia grinned, giving her a once-over. "Well, well, Ms. Superstar, you finally found a minute for little old me."
Cameron shot her a look. "Oh, cut it out with the sass."
Ameliaughed and hooked her arm through Cameron''s. "Cam, you look absolutely stunning tonight."
Cameron replied, "You look gorgeous too."
Amelia lifted her chin with a smirk. "Naturally."
Then, Amelia nced at Cami. "I''ve seen her on TV, but wow, she''s even
prettier in person."
Cameron nodded. “Did you want to talk to me about something?"
Amelia hooked her arm through Cameron''s and led her to look over at Elijah, who
was standing not far away.
As soon as Amelia left, a bunch of young women flocked over to Elijah. Guys like him-young, falented, and good-looking-were always a hotmodity. Amelia teased, "Cam, it''s been seven years. Don''t you think you should finally
give Elijah some closure? Guys have a limited shelf life too, you know Cameron just stared at her, speechless.
She blinked, genuinely puzzled. "Closure? What am I supposed to do?" Amelia grinned, "Simple, just be with him."
Cameron shook her head. "Come on, Amelia, Elijah and I are just friends. Don''t
start with your nonsense."
"What do you mean, just friends?" Amelia frowned. "Come on, even a fool can tell
Elijah is into you. He has stayed as your friend and supported you for seven
years. Hasn''t that moved you at all?"
Cameron fell silent.
She wasn''t blind to how Elijah felt about her.
But she''d turned him down, both straight-up and in more subtle ways, more times
than she could count.
Bes told him not to waste his time sticking around her.
But none of it seemed to matter.
"So what I''m supposed to do now? Just cut ties with him and never talk to him
again?'' Cameron wondered.
At their age, they were way past ying those kinds of childish games.
Maybe it was better to keep things at afortable distance and leave them at that. That was what adults would do.
Besides, over the past few years, aside from school, Cameron had spent most of
her time in theb.
She''d promised Elijah''s dad that she''d develop a cure for leukemia as soon as possible, and she wasn''t about to break that promise.
Now that she''d done it, she could finally take a breather.
Noticing her silence, Amelia said, "Maybe you should try dating Elijah, I think he''s
outstanding, definitely someone you could spend the rest of your life
with."
Cameron raised an eyebrow. "Since when is dating something you can just try
out?"
"And why does that sound exactly like something Bradley would say?'' she
thought.
"Just give it a try. Elijah''s crazy about you. He''d never let you down," Amelia said,
her tone full of sincerity.
Seven years had passed.
It was rare that a man could love a woman for so many years without a single
trace of hesitation.
Back then, Amelia only had feelings for Bradley for a little while. The moment he
turned her down, she got over him just like that.
Compared to Bradley, Elijah was really amazing.
''It''d be such a waste if Cam missed out on a guy like him,'' Amelia thought.
But Cameron patted Amelia on the shoulder. "I''m swamped tonight. Go have fun on your own."
With that, she strolled off, wine ss in hand.
speechless.
Amelia was left standing there, totally
She could only sigh in defeat.
"Are you still waiting for Bradley?" Amelia
tered under her brea
No one-not even Amelia-really knew what had gone down between Cameron
and
Bradley.
Once Cameron was done making the rounds, Elijah finally strolled over.
He noticed her bare arms, took off his ck suit jacket, and draped it over her
shoulders. "Careful. It''s quite chilly tonight."
Cameron took off the jacket and handed it back to him. "Thanks, but I''m not cold."
Elijah pressed his lips together.
"She''s even turning down my concern?'' he thought.
He was just looking out for her, like a friend would.
Seeing the disappointed look on Elijah''s face, Cameron said firmly, "Elijah, it''s
been so many years. You really shouldn''t keep wasting your time on me."
Elijah was shocked.
She said it again.
Every time he heard those words, it felt like a punch to the gut.
But to him, it was never a waste of time.
Time was meant to be wasted, anyway.
For him, time only mattered when he was spending it with the one he loved.
Without another word, Cameron turned and walked away.
Elijah''s eyes followed her graceful silhouette as she left, and he murmured, "So...
Are we not even friends anymore?"
After the celebration ended, Cameron returned to her room.
She took off her makeup, showered, and slipped into afy pair of cotton
pajamas. Then, she stood on the balcony, looking out at the sea
"Cam?"
A knock sounded at the door, along with Jacqueline''s voice.
"Coming," Cameron said as she opened the door..
Jacqueline walked in, holding a ss of milk. “You must be tired after tonight.
Have some milk and get some rest
09.50U, 24
"Thanks, Mom," Cameron said, taking over the ss.
Jacqueline sat down nearby, watching her with a warm, loving gaze.
"Mom," Cameron said after finishing the milk, looking at Jacqueline, "Is there
something you wanted to talk about?"
Jacqueline nodded. "Cám, I noticed a Mr. Moore tonight. He couldn''t take his eyes
off you the entire evening. So... What''s the story between you two?
Cameron replied, "We''re high school ssmates."
Jacqueline smiled. “High school ssmates? That''s basically childhood sweethearts."
Cameron was speechless.
Jacqueline grinned and asked, "Cam, is he pursuing you?"
Cameron shot back, "Mom, are you trying to marry
me off already?"
Jacqueline fell silent.
Back then, she and Levi set a rule: no dating for Cam before she turned twenty.
But they had never expected that even now, at twenty-six, she still hadn''t dated
anyone, not even once.
Honestly, that was rather odd.
Helen was only a year older than Cameron, and she was already a mom. Jacqueline wasn''t in any rush to see Cameron get married.
Still, at her age, Cameron should at least experience a rtionship.
A girl''s youth was precious, after all.
And in Jacqueline''s eyes, Elijah was honestly a really good choice.
1
But it seemed like Cameron was always a bit distant with him.
Jacqueline took Cameron''s hand, hesitated, and asked softly, "Cam, is it that
you... don''t like boys?"
Cameron just stared at her, lost for words.- She sighed, "Mom, you don''t have to worry about that. I''m straight, okay?"
Jacqueline pressed, "Then howe you''ve never dated anyone?"
AD