Old Money || Shawmila [Completed]

21. Frustration

During her lunch, Camila could feel Connor's inspecting stare on her. She ate her salad trying to ignore it, every now and then taking part in the conversation with her colleagues, but his insistent gaze was starting to make her nervous. Finally, when the lunchroom emptied out, Connor approached her. «You look different».

Camila raised an eyebrow. «How come?»

He shrugged. «You're glowing, as if you're lit by a shiny aura. You also seem strangely happy and relaxed».

Camila's mind went back to the previous night, when Shawn had made her scream so loud that she feared she would receive a noise complaint from her neighbors. «I don't know what could have caused that» she lied stoically.

Connor scoffed. «You and me both know that's not true. But if you're not willing to talk about it, then I won't insist».

The woman was starting to get annoyed. «I don't know why you made it your own personal mission to snoop around my personal life».

Connor downed the half empty cup of coffee he was holding and stood up. «I thought we were friends. And by the way, I wouldn't feel the need to "snoop around", a you said, if you'd actually took the time to talk to me and take an interest in my life. I don't know if you noticed, but you address me only when you need something from me, and that's kinda bitchy». Then he left the room, his polished shoes echoing on the hallway.

Camila felt bad. She hadn't realized she was taking advantage of him, it honestly wasn't her intention. It was obvious she needed to apologize. But she quickly put that thought aside when she realized she would be late if she didn't walk back to her office right then. Before she could reach her door, she spotted the blonde woman she was scheduled to meet standing and waiting for her.

«Detective Duchamp, nice to see you. I apologize for keeping you waiting».

The older woman smiled at her. «Miss Cabello, don't be alarmed. I just arrived». They walked inside Camila's office and they both took a seat facing each other. Adeline Duchamp pulled out from her briefcase a slim folder and handed it to the lawyer. «Gary Milton hasn't been hard to track down. You'll find his basic info written in the first pages of the dossier. As far as his business were concerned, I couldn't find much».

Camila took a quick glance at the document. Gary's age, relatives and residence were printed methodically. His history was briefly reported on the second and third page. «What about the other piece of information we discussed about?» she asked while noticing some pictures at the end of the folder.

«Gary has surely been contacted from Mr. Caplan's lawyers. There are tapes of them talking in a restaurant, but unfortunately I couldn't find anything that proved he accepted to cooperate with them».

Camila was frustrated. Of course Shawn beat her to it. He talked to Gary and almost surely convinced him to testify in Mr. Caplan's favor. She was sure about that, otherwise he wouldn't have been so cocky when she tried to negotiate with him. «Does he know he has been followed lately?»

«Certainly not, Miss Cabello»

Camila smiled politely. «Thank you for your help, detective. I hope I can contact you again if in need». The two women said goodbye to each other and the young attorney was once again alone in her office.

She was screwed. If Gary testified, there wasn't much she could do for Mr. Gold. She wasn't certainly rooting for that old bastard, but she didn't forget she was his lawyer and it was her job to win that case. Camila wanted to scream, she was so frustrated! There was only one thing left to do: trying to reach out to Gary Milton, hoping to buy his silence.

***

Camila had been waiting for his lover for hours. Shawn texted her they couldn't have dinner together, but that she needed to wait for him. It was almost eleven p.m. and there wasn't even a trace of him. She was starting to get sleepy when there was finally a knock on her door. She scurried to open it, welcoming him inside with a long kiss.

His gaze was a little blurred, his undereye area a little puffy, and his breath tasted like wine. She looked at him puzzled. «Are you drunk?»

A dumb smile, the same a teenager would show his parents when caught, appeared on his face. «A little bit». He walked to the sofa and plopped down ungraciously. «My mother forced me to a dinner with her, and you know how she is... I needed something strong to face the night».

Camila chuckled shaking her head in disbelief. There was something hilarious about a grown man getting drunk in order to spend a few hours with his own mother. She moved to sit next to him, deciding then to lay her head on his lap. She looked up to him, admiring his face from an unusual angle. His stubble faintly covered his chin and his lashes almost touched his cheeks as he looked down at her. «You're so handsome I sometimes think you're not real» she admitted, touching with her fingertip his rosy cheek.

Shawn smiled, grasped the hand that was touching his face and brought it to his lips. He kissed her palm, slowly moving his mouth lower, peppering a trail of sweet kisses down her arm. «Stop! That tickles!» she begged, laughing.

«You're too delicate, woman» he complained, but stopping all the same. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes as his hands started to caress Camila's hair absentmindedly. His breath became more rhythmic and steady and, after spending more than a couple of minutes in complete silence, Camila notices he was sleeping. He's so cute, she thought.

If it was for her, she would have spent her entire night staring at his angelic frame as he slept peacefully, but she knew her couch wasn't that comfortable for someone his height. So she sat beside him, her hand gently petting his head while whispering in his hear. «Shawn, come on, let's go to bed». And after a few attempts, she finally woke him from his slumber and guided him to her room. That night they slept entangled together until the morning.