Camila's POV
"We're here, miss," Janet, the flight attendant, says softly as she stacks some glasses from the kitchenette area.
I'm groggy from the long journey and I blink my swollen eyes open. I may not have cried in her presence, but I sobbed the entire flight here on the plane. She wasn't going to kill me. Somehow, deep down in my heart, I knew all along. The proof suggested otherwise, but I knew.
"Where are we?"
She smiles.
"A driver will take you to the hotel you stayed at in London—the one where Ms. Jauregui first took you. It's one of her hotels and a landing place for her girls. You're to take as much time as you need to gather your bearings. In the morning, the money should be wired into your account."
I stand and stretch.
"I don't have an account. I don't even have any identification."
She chuckles as if I'm adorable.
"Oh, sweetheart, your official papers are waiting in your room. Ms. Jauregui doesn't do anything small. She forgets nothing. You're set, my dear."
I'm in a daze as I clutch my purse the whole way to the hotel. Slipping my hand inside, I stroke the gift I'd bought for Lauren. Just having her birthday gift in my hands helps me cope. I miss her so fucking much and I don't understand why she sent me away.
It's what you wanted
I swallow that bitter pill of understanding and try to be hopeful about the situation. Lauren was a good woman. Her reasons for pushing me away a little earlier than our contract confounds me but it works for my plan. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she knew about Jimmy and her threats. But how could she have figured it out? Her motives will forever be a mystery.
The car stops in front of the fancy hotel and I rub my belly. My little baby is probably nothing more than a blip on a radar, but this baby is my blip. I'll protect my little blip until I'm old and on my deathbed.
"Bunny?"
The door opens and a pretty Asian woman greets me. I blink in shock, recognizing her from the scrapbook.
"Swan?"
She smiles broadly at me.
"Oh, honey, come here."
I scramble out of the car and walk into her embrace. Tears are streaming down my face but they're silent. She finally pulls away and inspects me. The woman is runway gorgeous and here I am looking like a ragamuffin.
"No wonder you were her favorite. I mean, look at you. You're stunning, girlfriend. Come on, let's get you settled in."
Dumfounded, I follow her inside. Several other women I recognize from the scrapbook wave at me. What fucking sort of alternate reality have I stepped into?
"Why are they all here?" I question as we enter the elevator.
"Dubois emailed us. Whenever we get a newbie, we like to greet them and make them feel welcome. You're my first newbie to greet. Dubois also tells me you're the last. It's the least we can do for Ms. Jauregui. I owe her everything. I wouldn't have found my fiancé, Gorgi, if it weren't for Ms. Jauregui coming into my life."
I swallow and try not to cry. She guides me to the room I stayed at once before with Lauren. With a swipe of a key, she lets us in and escorts me over to the table.
