Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 22: _ Shameless Camilla

Chapter 22: _ Shameless Camilla

I wasn’t entirely sure of the specifics, but whatever had happened between them wasn’t exactly the kind of thing I wanted to dig into right now. All I wanted was for this to go smoothly and for Camilla not to start any unnecessary drama.

Axel gave a polite smile and a small nod toward my annoying sister. "Hello."

Camilla clasped her hands under her chin, eyes growing dreamy as she stepped closer to him. "Well, I didn’t expect to see you in our villa."

Axel raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely confused as he looked from me to her. "Perdón, who are you?"

Camilla didn’t hesitate for a second. "It’s me, Camilla. Don’t you remember me, Axel?" she asked, putting on her best pouty face, making me feel sick in the stomach with whatever game she was playing.

Seeing her acting all giddy around Axel was literally making wrinkled lines appear on my forehead. Álvaro was a man of the girls... finally, having someone as private as Axel speak to me was starting to feel good.

It felt like he was mine to crush on. Like desperate girls like Camilla were supposed to steer clear.

"We used to be so close when we were kids. I mean, you did spend a lot of time with Rosa, but I was there too." Camilla screeched.

Axel blinked, but his mouth curved into an ’O’. "Of course, I remember you, Camilla. You’re all grown up now."

His eyes swept Camilla up and down with interest, making my stomach tighten.

Tch.

"Right?" Camilla beamed, tossing her hair over her shoulder, the movement almost too exaggerated to be real. "I’m not that little girl you used to play with anymore." She put on a smug grin, as if she expected Axel to be completely floored by how much she’d changed.

"Well, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t that little back then," she added, clearly fishing for compliments. "But now? Well, now I’m all grown up and pretty." Her tone was like a challenge, the kind only someone like Camilla would throw out there, as though Axel had no choice but to agree with her.

Axel didn’t even flinch. He simply turned away from her and shot me a quick ’Help me’ glance before saying, "How is Rosa?"

My jaw nearly dropped.

He didn’t even acknowledge her remark about being "pretty." How was I supposed to keep from laughing at her expense? But I stayed silent, feet glued to the ground and ears and eyes listening and watching.

Camilla didn’t seem phased at all by the dismissal. She tilted her head and shrugged dramatically. "Oh, Rosa is fine. I mean, she’s strong—almost like a man now, really. Rigid, tough, and certainly not the kind of woman you’d want, Axel."

What the bloody hell?!

I blinked, shocked at the casual cruelty of her words. Rosa was strong, yes, but I hadn’t expected Camilla to throw her under the bus like that.

Those two became so close, hating on me after Álvaro’s saga started. Hehehe... Did this mean there was an underlying competition between them as well despite all the sisterly moochy-moochy?

Axel didn’t react immediately. Instead, he simply asked, "What do you know about my type of woman, Camilla?"

My ears were on high alert, and I couldn’t help but cringe at what Camilla might say next.

Her grin widened, she jutted her hips out and placed both hands on it.

"Oh, come on, Axel. You’re so hot, you have to like pretty noble girls like me. I mean, it’s obvious, right?"

Like her?! Seriously?!

My eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. Did she really just say that? I wanted to roll my eyes so badly that I almost forgot to breathe.

Camilla was never nobility, no matter how many dresses she wore or how many titles she gave herself.

But Axel? He didn’t bat an eyelash.

He merely flinched his eyebrows, wearing an amused but nonchalant expression on his face. "Please, do make sure to extend my greetings to Rosa," he said smoothly, as though he were dealing with something far less exasperating than the prideful woman in front of him.

Extend my greeting to Rosa... why did that send sadness crawling in my heart? Like I might lose him to my strong and independent sister.

Camilla’s eyes went round, but her lips curled into a more devious smile. "Oh, I’ll give your greeting to Rosa... on one condition."

Axel paused, no doubt sensing the trap she was setting.

"And what condition would that be?" His voice was calm, but I could tell he was already prepared for whatever was coming.

Camilla fanned her face with her hand. "Well, I’ll only give you my blessing to speak to Rosa if you tell me... Are you single, Axel?"

Give him her blessings to speak to Rosa? Did he even mention speaking to Rosa? Do I even want him to speak to Rosa?!

She looked up at him with a boldness that was equal parts obnoxious and ridiculous. My face turned red, and I fought hard not to bury my face in my hands.

This was the moment where I seriously considered faking a sudden illness to avoid the awkwardness.

Axel, however, didn’t waver. "Yes, I’m single," he said, as coolly as if he were talking about the weather.

I swear, Camilla nearly leaped off the ground with how fast she moved. In the blink of an eye, she was suddenly standing in front of Axel, her hands grabbing at his shirt.

"Oh, Axel! I knew it!" she squealed, throwing herself at him in a way that was so dramatic I half-expected her to start crying.

Axel looked down at her, eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Camilla—"

"I’m not going to let you get away this time!" she shouted, wrapping her arms around his neck, her body plastered against his in a way that felt more like a wrestling match than a romantic gesture.

I scoffed, rolling my eyes simultaneously with my mind in complete shock.

"What...?" I muttered under my breath, unable to tear my eyes away.

How was Axel handling this with such patience?

I’d shove her to the ground like a piece of pebble if it were me.

And that’s when Camilla turned her attention to me. She pulled back from Axel just enough to scrunch up every muscle on her face at me.

"So, María José, have you gotten yourself into trouble again?"

I stiffened, the blood draining from my face. I opened my mouth to respond, but Axel beat me to it.

"I’m the one who decided to bring her home. If the trouble’s with me, then yes, she’s in trouble."

OMG.

What in the name of manly grace was that? I wished I could replay the hands of time to keep on hearing that on a loophole.

Camilla turned to face me again. "Oh, I see. If getting in trouble means I’d see Axel more often, then maybe you should get into trouble more often."

Bitch. She wasn’t about to embarrass me in front of Axel, was she?

I couldn’t take it anymore. My anger purred to life, and before I could stop myself, I shot back, "Maybe if you kept your mouth shut for once, you wouldn’t be so damn annoying, Camilla."

The words were out before I could think, and the moment they left my lips, I felt a hot wave of regret flood through me.

I shouldn’t be doing this... not in front of Axel.

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