The Bad Guy

by Celia Aaron

Camille, I apologize for not being in the office to accept your call earlier today. The greenhouse is yours. I’ve instructed the foreman to report to you instead of the headmistress, and I’ve also provided a discretionary budget for you to make whatever changes or additions to the design you see fit. As you know, emotions aren’t my strong suit. But I want you to know that you’ve been in my thoughts every second you’ve been gone. I went about wooing you the wrong way. I see that now. With that said, I need you to know that I wouldn’t trade our time together for anything. You taught me more about myself than even my father. Do you remember when you said I was the villain of this story? I think you were onto something. The actions I took to get you were wrong. But I don’t regret them. I never will. I’d do them over again in a heartbeat. But the second time around, I might kill Link and whisk you away from here. Take you to the Amazon and set you free in the trees while I wait for you on the ground. Give you everything you ever wanted. Build you a school, burn down a city, design you a greenhouse, destroy an enemy—they’re all the same to me as long as they lead to you. And I think that’s why you were right. I think that’s what makes me the bad guy—that I’d kill or build, destroy or create for you. If you wished it, I’d do it. All that would matter to me is that you wanted it. I won’t take you again. Your life is your own. I can only wait and hope that you see how sincere I am....