As the daughter of a Mafia Boss, Camilia Caruso knows to keep a secret. After 3 years of flying under the radar at Dalton Preparatory Academy, Camilia Caruso's long kept secret of her family's business is discovered by the last person she'd expect;...
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Camilia was working on her semester art project. The project was to create an art piece for annual Dalton Fall auction, the piece would determine your final grade. While most of the non-serious art students were creating a painting, the eight or so serious art students were creating something more complicated. Linda Scheer was making a sculpture with her parents' divorce papers. Nobi Ogewbe was carving a slab of marble. Camilia was creating a vase inspired by the Minoan era, the finest age in pottery. She was inspired by the history and things so delicate that survived because of their beauty and sturdiness. She put a modern twist on it by choosing a checkered pattern.
Mrs. Nguyen already loved it and she hated playing favorites. Heather stood by her vase as she painted.
"Wow, I want to put that in my room," a big compliment coming from someone very picky about her aesthetic.
Blood, tears and sweat went into the vase and she thought this could be her big break. Her parents and siblings had already booked the evening off for the auction and she couldn't wait to attend, get showered with compliments and then go home.
Richard had given up on his painting of a car and was chatting with others during the time they were supposed to work on their piece.
When he caught her eye, he smiled and winked, sending butterflies erupting in her stomach. She never thought she could do this type of relationship. Richard was making her discover a part of herself she never knew existed. From his dark silky hair, chiseled jaw to the way people approached him, friendly and dreamy-eyed, he was a perfect gentleman who treated Camilia like a woman, with respect and manners.
Though sometimes, Camilia fantasized he would push her against the wall and kiss her, something he still hadn't done. The dates were fun but he just never made a move and it was starting to give her friend energy. It was the first time someone had made her their girlfriend before a kiss.
"He just waiting for the right moment," Heather reassured.
At home, the more her father excluded her from missions, the more she accompanied Sebastian in his. She told him about keeping surveillance. The next day he got spy cameras and had already managed to put one in a place of his interest. Everything with Sebastian was done fast while in the mafia, everything took twice as long. This was all done without the presence of Richard, which Camilia felt guilty about but she didn't want him to know about her family. There was a reason Sebastian kept Richard out of the loop, he was a good Samaritan, a law-abiding citizen. What he didn't know, couldn't hurt him, Camilia concluded.
Tuesday morning, she walked into school and whispers trailed her to her locker. She didn't know what was happening until Heather came up beside her.
"We got trouble," she said frantically.
Camilia was about to ask what when the hallway turned quieter. They both looked down the hall to see Diane Lee Kaito walking down as if the hallway was a runway. Her beauty magnified by the sun shining through the Dalton cathedral windows. Her shoes clacked on marble flooring, hair beautiful and silky waving with each step. Camilia's stomach dropped. Her eyes met Camilia's briefly and she gave a knowing smile before walking past her.
