Vice

62: Love & Epilogue

Months pass after Natara's release from Vicecorp and Cameron's falling out with his father. 

The news headlines explode over the drama between Cameron and his father: Where is the young Mr. Vice now? Who is the girl who caused the fallout? Secret second woman? Caught red handed - cheating on his fiancée!

Macey always chuckled when she and Natara walked past the news stands in town. Her parents glanced at her when they read the daily newspaper. After she quit her job, Natara came clean about everything to her mom, including what happened with Cameron Vice. 

Well, mostly everything. She might have left out a few small details...

Although her mother was outraged about Natara disappearing at night and going on business trips while staying in private hotel rooms with an older man, with Macey's reminder that Natara was eighteen years old and no longer a baby she had calmed down. 

She was still jittery about the whole thing but one meeting for lunch with Cameron Vice putting on some first-time-parent-meeting charisma had her driving back home commenting, "You know, he really doesn't seem that bad...and I see why you like him, too. Very handsome."

After Natara had gotten her mom on board, her mom approached her father with an abridged version of the story - being careful to leave out the overnight stays and a few additional details - and everything was essentially out in the air. 

Her father was a thousandfold angrier than her mother had been but - after a few arguments, a long conversation with Natara about responsibility and always telling them the truth (and many apologies from Natara) - he, too, eventually calmed down.

With time and Macey's support, her parents came to realize just how pressured and intimidated they made Natara feel straight out of high school. They apologized and promised not to pressure her so hard in the future. From there, it felt like an invisible wall lifted between Natara and her parents.

During the first few months after the fallout, a random photographer snapped a picture or two of Natara and Cameron when they went out. But time passed and the tabloids realized Cameron and Mr. Vice Senior were never making up. 

Cameron Vice became a nobody - no longer a rich heir and eligible bachelor everyone had eyes on - and he told Natara he preferred it that way. "I feel like I can breathe again," he remarked.

But the short stretch of dramatic publicity - anxiety stricken as it had made Natara, having someone pop out of the bushes randomly every so often and blind her with camera flash - had been worth it. 

Because of a combination of the attention and Franklin's support, Cameron had been able to start his own business and turn a substantial profit. He chose his own hours and offered both Franklin and Jaquie high company positions they couldn't refuse.

Jaquie had also taken good care of Natara. As he originally promised, he had given her a fantastic letter of recommendation. None of the drama between her and the Vice family was mentioned in the letter, only her spectacular performance.