NOTE: For a better reading, when I point out during the chapter, listen to the song "Let it all go" by Birdy + Rhodes :)
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POV Lauren Jauregui
With teary eyes, I remained quiet, and despite the sound of the waves clashing on the shore and the light sea breeze present, nothing would prevent anything from being in the most perfect perfection. Normani smiled, smiled like never before, and in slow steps, walked to the rhythm of the bridal chorus. Veronica, beside me, smiled even more than her soon-to-be-wife, there were tears in her eyes, and through all their excitement, I could see a future between them that I never imagined could exist.
The ceremony was coming to an end, my feet were already aching due to being on my feet for a long time. Even with that bother, I stood firm and attentive to every word, to every exchanged glance and to every vow of love that the two exchanged. Even though I was attentive, it was impossible not to look around me, especially at the Latina who was on the other side, right in front of me. She smiled through her tears, happy for her friends. It was funny the fact that I felt the same way, not just for Normani, but for Veronica as well. We had our differences, but nothing that time, or rather, nothing that Normani hasn't fixed between us. She really makes my friend happy, so that was enough to make me happy.
"I, Veronica Iglesias, accept you, Normani Kordei, as my legitimate wife. And I promise to be faithful to you, to love you and to respect you." A happy sigh from Veronica broke the silence of the hall full of familiar faces. Her trembling hand held Normani's, which was no different. The wedding ring slid up Normani's ring finger, and she cried even more when it fit perfectly on her finger. "In happiness and in sadness, in sickness and in health, for the rest of our lives."
"I..." Normani made a brief pause, taking a deep breath, she was extremely emotional; I really was afraid she'd pass out. Her gaze met mine and I smiled, whispering 'calm down'. The woman smiled slightly and nodded, and her eyes met Veronica's again, and it was as if she found the calmness to continue. "I, Normani Kordei, accept you, Veronica Iglesias, as my legitimate wife. And I promise to be faithful to you, to love you and to respect you. In happiness and in sadness, in sickness and in health, for the rest of our lives." Normani slid the ring all the way up Veronica's ring finger, which fit perfectly as well.
"If anyone has any objection to this wedding, speak now or forever hold your peace." The old man who ministered the wedding said, sweeping his eyes around the hall, smiling, as if he had just told a witty joke. Silence prevailed in the room. I looked at the man who smiled at the couple in front of him and proceeded. "With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you married."
The tears that I held back so hard, fell down my face at the sight of their happiness and the intensity of the so passionate kiss that was being exchanged by the couple. A rain of applause filled the hall in celebration of the couple's union. Family and friends started hugging each other, and I... well, I stood still staring at the Latina who lavished her smile, not hiding her joy. After a turbulent argument where many things were revealed, it was a relief to see her smile and to be able to smile as well.
"Lauren!" Normani appeared in front of me, her makeup was already practically destroyed by the tears.
"Manibear!" I teased as I hugged her tight. A strong slap was hit on my arm, causing me to groan in pain and laugh at the same time. "Ouch! That hurt, you know?"
"That was the intention." The woman grumbled, pulling away a little, wiping her smeared makeup.
I flashed a broad smile at her failed cleaning attempt, so I promptly set out to help her with a tissue.
"Let me help you." With the tissue, I began wiping all the traces of smudged makeup on her face. Normani smiled at me as she waited patiently for me to finish up. As soon as I did, I looked at my friend, and without even realizing it, we were crying in each other's arms again. "Dammit!" I grumbled. "These fucking eyelashes keep falling into our eyes at the worst moments."
"Shut up!" Normani said amid a laugh and her tears. "I'm so happy!"
"Me too. I'm very happy for you." I whispered, and I felt Normani squeeze me harder against her body. "At least this time you weren't not drunk."
"Idiot." Normani said, pushing me away from her body, and I burst out laughing at the sight of her sulk face and her middle finger. "You just have to ruin the mood, don't ya?"
"I love you too, babe." I chuckled as I hugged her again.
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A table was set up with all the names of our group of friends, and we were already accommodated and being very well served with drinks and appetizers. With the glass of Whiskey in my hand, I was carried away by the so familiar surrounding: it was right here that I was with Camila wholly for the first time; the scent of the sea breeze helped me with the memories of that moment that would never be forgotten. Who'd have thought that I'd be back in this place, especially for my best friend's wedding! I shook my head, letting out a chuckle, and brought the glass of Whiskey to my lips, letting the liquid slip between them, burning my throat.
"May I know the reason for your smile?" Camila's sweet voice filled my left ear, but I didn't bother to turn to look at her, I just lifted my hand to get the waiter's attention, who soon enough brought me another glass of Whiskey.
"Just memories..."
"If they are the same as mine, then they are good memories." I turned to look at the Latina, she had a glass of Whiskey in her hands, more specifically in her mouth. Her brown eyes didn't look away from me not even for a second during the entire time in which the drink wet her lips. Camila looked more beautiful than usual. Her black dress fell perfectly on her body, it was short and reached just above her knees, leaving her beautiful thighs showing... and what could I say about the beautiful neckline that followed the line of the valley between her breasts?! My urge was to run my tongue there. "What is it, Jauregui? Longing for something?!"
I let out a sarcastic laugh, about to answer her, but I was interrupted when Normani showed up with a very familiar man.
"Kale!" I got up excitedly to greet my old friend. "How are you? I didn't think you'd come!"
"Same here..." Veronica grumbled, hugging Normani from behind.
"Stop it, baby." Normani whispered, with her lips glued to her wife's.
"I'm not understanding anything." Camila said, drawing everyone's attention.
"Me neither." Dinah appeared with a smile on her face, her eyes landed on my friend in such an intense way that oh la la. "Kale, right?!" Dinah approached, extending her hand to Kale, who looked at her from head to toe. "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Dinah."
"The pleasure is all mine!" He said with a gallant smile, taking her hand and bringing it up to his lips, depositing a kiss. I had to roll my eyes.
"I'm still not understanding anything!" Camila said again.
Normani laughed, shaking her head, and I couldn't help myself and laughed at the sight of Veronica's grumpiness.
"Two years ago, Normani and I went to Hawaii." I started, drawing the attention of everyone at the table. "We had already been there several times, and in one of those times, we met Kale, but it was in our last trip..." I couldn't help myself and started laughing, Kale accompanied me and so did Normani. We looked like three fools laughing nonstop.
"And..."
"And on a very drunken night, Normani ended up marrying Kale!" Everyone at the table was astonished, but it didn't stop me from laughing. "You had to see their faces when I had to wake them up on the beach, Hawaii isn't Vegas, but it was very much the same."
"I woke up spooning with him, and with something very hard bothering me from behind, do you know how weird that is?!" Normani said with a disgusted face, making everyone laugh, even Veronica. "Yeah yeah, keep laughing... That thing was really huge, I got up startled with Lauren laughing at me nonstop."
"So that's why you went to Hawaii last week?" Ally asked, laughing.
"Yes, Ally. I went there to legally divorce Kale."
"Wait... You two were married to this day?" Camila asked, astonished.
"Yes. We tried to get a divorce on the same day, but the judge didn't grant it, so Lauren and I ended up coming back to Miami and we kind of forgot about it."
"The important thing is that she got a divorce and now she's with the right person." Veronica said, leaving a kiss on the back of Normani's neck. "No offense, Kale!"
Everyone laughed after Veronica realized that her words might sound offensive, but Kale didn't even notice, he was too busy exchanging glances with Dinah.
"It's okay." He said. "My moment with Mani is over. Good times."
"You didn't tell me you two had sex!" Veronica said, somewhat irritated.
"How do you think I knew it was big?" Normani asked, raising her eyebrows. "But it's all in the past, don't you agree?"
"For the love of God, Veronica, leave the woman alone!" Camila grumbled.
"She hides the details from me, Camila."
"She does? And have you ever told her that you flirted with me?" Camila said laughing, taking another sip from her drink, making everyone somewhat uncomfortable, especially me.
"That's all in the past." Veronica said, looking at Normani, who then looked at Camila and smiled.
"See? Past, baby, we all have one." Mani kissed Vero, a breathtaking kiss, even for those who were watching, making us squeak and clap.
POV Camila Cabello
The party was rolling, everything was extremely beautiful, but nothing compared to the brides. Yes, Normani and Veronica definitely lavished happiness and love wherever they went. After a long photoshoot, they had the delicacy of stopping by all the tables, thanking people's presence. I couldn't be happier for my two friends; it's beautiful to see that true love still exists, we just can't give up on finding it.
Speaking of true love, Lauren and I were strangely close tonight. Incredible as it may seem, our problems didn't interfere at any moment, even though it was impossible to forget them. Our private bubble didn't go unnoticed by the others, especially by Dinah, who even flirting nonstop with Kale, wouldn't stop looking at the two of us with a question mark on her forehead.
"I'm going to get more Whiskey, would you like more, Camz?" Lauren asked close to my ear, using my old nickname, her hand resting on my thigh nonchalantly. The warmth of her gesture made my heart race and heat up, hitting me with a nostalgia of when everything seemed fine between us, of when we were together and nothing prevented our happiness. I flashed a broad smile and nodded. The brunette seemed to notice how much that nickname had affected me and ended up smiling as well, before getting up and walking to the beverage table.
1... 2... 3... – I mentally counted the time that it would take for Dinah to approach.
"Why didn't you tell me that you two got back together?" Dinah appeared by my side. I rolled my eyes and looked at the blonde, she was frowning.
"We're not back together, Dinah." I replied simply, drinking the rest of the drink in my glass. The strong drink no longer bothered my throat, it went down easily, like water.
"Sure, Jan... And I'm not dying to have sex with Kale!"
I looked at Dinah with a disgusted face, making her laugh out loud, her mocking face made me laugh too. I missed Dinah, we hadn't had a normal conversation ever since I broke up with Lauren, but I understood her motives, after all, I hadn't nor couldn't explain to her why I had ended the relationship, and because of that, I was the bitch who had broken Lauren's heart for no reason at all. The laughter subsided, being replaced by the lively beat of the song that was playing. My eyes landed on my hand, my finger circled the brim of the glass. I hoped Dinah would say something, but I knew her pride would speak louder.
"I miss you." I whispered, still looking down. I felt Dinah's cold, long fingers touch my chin, lifting it, making my eyes meet hers, and then a beautiful smile formed on her lips.
"I miss you too..."
I smiled in contentment and pulled her into a hug that was promptly reciprocated. I missed Dinah so damn much, the blonde pulled away right when I needed her support the most, even though it was understandable, because she didn't know the motives of my radical decisions.
"Don't think that everything's okay, Camila. I still want to know everything, and don't even bother to say that it's none of my business, because I know you and I know when things aren't good for you and when you need me!" Her words made me apprehensive. I'd have to think of something as soon as possible, there were already too many people involved in this whole mess.
"Alright..."
"Great!" Dinah pulled away from me and smiled. "Now I'm going back to Kale... And I think you'd better go back to Lauren as well."
Go back to Lauren? For a second, my heart jumped up to my throat, as my brain fought with it to explain that it wasn't in that sense that Dinah used the wording 'go back to', but I had a stupid heart. Noticing my brief confusion, Dinah just looked somewhere above my shoulder. When I followed her line of sight, I came across Lauren talking to Veronica's cousin, the same cousin from her birthday party. I didn't want to, but suddenly, anger took over me, my heart raced again, for a completely different reason now. Was it too much to ask for me not to feel anything whenever situations like these happened? And God knows how they happened often! Damn stupid heart! The bitch touched Lauren and laughed, and the brunette laughed as well, and even though she kept certain distance, for me, it was still too much, and, for some strange reason, the hand with red nails on Lauren's arm awakened in me a certain urge, almost murderous. I looked away, turning back to Dinah who winked and got up. I followed her with my gaze until she reached Kale and dragged him to the dancefloor.
"Fuck this!"
I got up, and took a deep breath to push away the idea of breaking that girl's face. In a nearby glass window, I saw my reflection and realigned my neckline, tossing my hair to the side. I walked towards one of the big doors that faced the sea, planning my path deliberately. I walked by a waiter and simply grabbed a glass of Whiskey from the tray before reaching my destination. Walking by Lauren and the skinny bitch, I could hear a bit of the conversation:
"Come on, Lauren... I know you're in the mood for a dance!" The woman's hand slid down Lauren's arm, reaching the brunette's hand. My fingers closed tightly around the glass, and I had to remind myself again that I'd be a good girl, no jealousy scene, after all, I was the one who ended the relationship. I took a deep breath again, tilting my neck slightly to the side to relax the tension, exposing part of the skin of my neck.
"No." Lauren answered vaguely as soon as she saw me walk by. "I'm here with someone..."
I didn't hear anything else, just went on my way until I stopped in the doorway. Even after hearing Lauren dismiss the girl, I couldn't stop the anger that threatened to take over me, even against my will.
*(Play song – Let It All Go by Birdy + Rhodes)*
The sea breeze blew against my body, making my hair sway with the cool breeze. I closed my eyes, trying to control myself, taking deep breaths. All I wanted most was to not be so submissive to my feelings for Lauren, but when it came to her, it was impossible for me. My attempt to calm down failed as soon as the melody inside the house changed and reached me outside... Was fate playing a trick on me? I don't know. But everything only got worse when I felt Lauren's sweet perfume invade my senses. Her hands touched my shoulders and a kiss was placed in the same place. I wanted to move, to pull away and say how much I hated her for making me feel all that... But I was static, my body couldn't move, Lauren's touch was like a drug, it soothed all my senses, enveloped my soul... Her hands slid down my shoulders to my waist, where she grabbed firmly. Her face was glued to the back of my neck, I could feel her breath blowing against my skin. Unconsciously, our bodies started to move slowly along with the song. My eyes remained closed, and even though I knew I was being weak, it wasn't something I could control at the moment.
"Come, Camila." Lauren whispered, and my whole body reacted to the hoarseness of her voice. "Forget about everything." She whispered again before releasing my waist and grabbing my hand. I let myself be guided to the soft sand. We didn't let our high heels hinder us. Her hand let go of mine and she hugged my body comfortably, my arms hugged her neck and my head rested on her shoulder. I closed my eyes and let myself be guided by the melody of the song, a melody that brought me so many memories of a troubled day.
"Lauren..."
"No, Camila!" She interrupted me. "Don't say anything, please... Just, enjoy this."
I lifted my head to leave a light kiss on her lips as an acceptance of her request, and then rested my head on her shoulder again. I enjoyed every moment, every caress of her hand on my back, every brush of her nails in the back of my neck, every bit of her scent... I didn't know what would be of us after tonight, I doubted now if I'd have the strength to arrest her. We stayed like that... Enjoying each other's company until the song ended. Slowly, we pulled away, my eyes quickly met her green ones, so light and intense. The knot stuck in my throat grew even more and the urge to just let it all go increased.
"Camila... I..."
"Camila!" A third person appeared, calling me, completely disturbing our moment. I took a deep breath and turned to see who it was. "Oh... I-I'm sorry..." Halsey was panting, looking between Lauren and me. I didn't know if I wanted to kill her or thank her for interrupting that moment.
"Hi, Halsey." Lauren greeted her as she pulled away from me, but she kept her arm around me.
"Hey, Laur." Halsey said with a smile before looking at me again. "Camila... I need you to come with me urgently."
"Alright, go ahead and I'll meet you in the parking lot." Halsey nodded and disappeared from my line of sight.
"What does she want with you?"
Lauren didn't know about Halsey, and she was jealous, I could feel her hand holding my waist more tightly. I turned to her, arching an eyebrow, trying to hide my satisfaction with that.
"I didn't think you still got jealous over me."
"Who says I'm jealous?" Lauren countered. I smiled with certain cynicism, clinging to the idea that pleased me the most instead of believing her words.
"Alright then." I pulled away from the brunette, walking towards the exit. Before I left, I turned around and looked at Lauren, noticing that she was still in the same place, staring at me. "Halsey is helping me with that thing, I'll explain later."
Lauren didn't say anything, but I also didn't give her a chance either, since I hurried towards the parking lot. Halsey was standing next to her black BMW. As soon as she saw me, she reached inside her car and grabbed a piece of paper.
"Halsey, if it's something related to Robert, I don't want to know..."
"But, Camila..."
"I'm tired of all this." I shook my head. "He's fucking with my life..."
"Camila..."
"Tomorrow I'm going to ask Mr. Prado to take me off the case..."
"CAMILA!" Halsey shouted, startling me. "Damn it..." She shook her head and extended the piece of paper to me. "I have an arrest warrant for Britt."
"What? How?!" I grabbed the paper from her hand and read it quickly to be sure.
"Get in the car." Halsey said, already heading to the driver's seat. "We have to go, Britt intends to leave the country today."
I quickly got into the car, and Halsey drove out of there.
"Can you explain how this happened?" I asked, holding the car seat firmly, Halsey was driving too fast, which reminded me to put my seatbelt on.
"I found an external hard drive in Britt's things, and it contains all the information we need-"
"To arrest Robert?!"
"No! Only Britt..." Halsey looked away from the road to look at me quickly. "I'm sorry, Camila, but the HD's activity, all the information, from documents to even bank accounts, is all in the name of the Jauregui company, they even have Michael's signature."
Fuck! That was the only thing that came into my mind. Robert was smarter than I expected, during all this time, he's been acting behind the back of the person who supported him the most, but I wouldn't be surprised if Michael was involved in all this depravity.
"But we can still make her confess, we can make her tell us everything she knows if we offer her a deal."
I nodded my head, but inside me something said no, I couldn't do that. I couldn't put the people closest to me in danger, and if Lauren finds out that the name of her company is involved, her mother's company... I really don't know what she's capable of doing. And I couldn't risk losing her.
"Agent Halsey." Mark's voice sounded on the radio. Halsey just looked at it and I promptly grabbed it and answered it.
"Deputy Cabello here. We're listening."
"Deputy, we're standing near the suspect's building, we're just waiting for you and Agent Halsey to get here."
"Alright, Mark, we're two blocks away."
"Dammit!" Mark grumbled.
"What?"
"She's getting into a cab with some suitcases. Can we intervene?"
"No!" I exclaimed, containing in my mouth the swear-word that wanted to come out. "We have the arrest warrant, just follow her and tell us her location."
"Roger that."
"Shit! I know where she's going." Halsey said, and I looked at her, and she punched the steering wheel as soon as she braked abruptly. "Fucking traffic! We'll never get to the airport in time this way!"
"Calm down." I took a deep breath, looking sideways. "Did you bring any gun?" I asked, and then grabbed mine from the little holster between my thighs.
"Here." Halsey opened her glove compartment and picked up her revolver.
"Great!" I smiled, opening the door.
"Wait! What are you going to do?"
I didn't answer her, just got out of the car and pointed the gun in the direction of the motorcycle that was driving towards us, dodging from the cars.
"Stop! Miami PD!" I shouted with the gun pointed and with my badge showing. Instantly, the young man on the motorcycle braked abruptly. I could see his scared look even though the helmet prevented me from seeing practically his whole face.
"I didn't do anything, ma'am." The young man said, raising his hands. The girl who was behind him on the motorcycle did the same thing, scared.
"Get off the vehicle, it's being confiscated." In the same instant, the guy got off the bike, removing his helmet. I grabbed it from his hand and put it on. The girl who was accompanying the young man also handed me hers, and I took care of throwing it towards Halsey, who caught it, getting out of her trance.
"But what did I do, ma'am?!"
"You didn't do anything, but you're helping the police department. Stop by the precinct later and you'll have your motorcycle back, intact." The young man just nodded, and I hurried onto the vehicle, starting it, before he changed his mind.
"You're crazy, Camila!" Halsey grumbled, incredulous with everything that was happening.
"You wanted a solution, and I gave you one, now get on the bike, we have a child enticer to arrest!"
Halsey didn't say anything, just put on her helmet and got on the bike behind me. When we were about to drive out of there, we had a little obstacle, my dress.
"Shit!" I grumbled. My dress was very tight, so I ripped a slit, large enough for me to drive without feeling much discomfort. Then I put my gun back in the holster between my thighs. And without further ado, we dodged from the cars, weaving between them actually.
"I really hope she's heading to the airport." Halsey shouted, close to my ear. "Because we've lost contact with Mark."
I just nodded, there was no room for indecision right now, I needed to catch that bitch, I needed to make at least one person pay for all this shit.
I stopped the motorcycle at the boarding gate of the Miami International Airport. A freakin' hell of people, luggage, private security, employees, chaotic noise of calls and flight announcements, not to mention the incessant murmur of thousands of people from all over the world. In short, we were screwed and we needed a lot of luck to find Britt before the she boarded the plane.
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NOTE: That bitch is going down XD I only have to translate one more chapter to be up to date with the Brazilian version, after the next chapter, we'll all have to wait for the Brazilian authors to update so I can translate and post. I'll post the next chapter during the weekend, or on Friday if I can finish translating it till then.