I Dumped a Scumbag and Married A Boxer Star-Chapter 8: Camila

Chapter 8: Camila

When they were gone, and Ines had her drink, Raphael couldn't stop looking at her.

He leaned back against the couch, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So, tell me about Camila."

Ines, who had been sprawled on the couch, hugging a pillow, narrowed her green eyes.

"What about her? She's one year older than me. Always better. Always smarter. Always more elegant. It's like she was born just to compete with me."

A smirk tugged at Raphael's lips. "And let me guess, she always got what she wanted?"

Ines snorted.

"Oh, always. Any boyfriend I had, Camila wanted. And she got them too. It's like she had some kind of secret power that made men throw themselves at her."

Ines waved her hand dramatically, then added bitterly, "And when she couldn't take something from me, she made sure to make me feel like I didn't deserve it in the first place."

Raphael nodded slowly, blinking with his eyes. "So, she's your biological sister?"

Ines hesitated.

She had only recently learned the truth herself.

She pressed her lips together before exhaling. "No. She's not."

Raphael raised a brow. "Oh?"

Ines sat up straighter, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Camila... she's my father's daughter, but not my mother's. She's from his first affair. But my mother, being the saint she is, raised her as her own. I didn't even know until recently."

"Your father's first affair? How many has he had?"

Ines let out a humorless laugh. "Too many to count."

Raphael was silent for a moment, then asked, "And your mother? She just... accepted it?"

Ines looked away. "What choice did she have? My father—he's not exactly a man you say no to."

"What do you mean?"

Ines shrugged, but her fingers clenched around the pillow.

"He's powerful. Controlling. He doesn't take rejection well. He likes to abuse his power. If he doesn't like something, he makes it go away. He rejects claims, ignores criticism. Thinks he's above everyone. Arrogant. Abusive."

She swallowed. "I learned that the hard way."

Raphael was watching her carefully, like he was filing away every piece of information she gave him.

It sent a small wave of electricity through her.

"Why do you care?" she asked suddenly, narrowing her eyes again. "Why are you so interested in my father?"

Raphael's facial expression didn't change.

"Just trying to understand the man who seems to have half the world under his thumb. And the man who apparently wants to destroy me now."

Ines frowned. "You're not scared of him, are you?"

Raphael smiled. "No. But I like to know my enemies."

Something about the way he said it sent a chill down her spine.

She looked at him, feeling a bit suspicious. "You have an awful lot of questions about him."

"And you have a lot of answers."

A beat of silence stretched between them.

Ines suddenly felt like she had given him more than she should have.

But it was too late to take it back.

Ines crossed her arms too, pacing the living room as she glared at Raphael, who was casually stretching his arms above his head, completely unbothered.

"I mean it, Raphael," she spoke. "You're not allowed to talk to Camila. She's—she's evil."

Raphael smirked, dropping his arms to his sides.

"Evil? That's a strong word, Mrs. Giovanni."

She scowled at the name.

"First of all, don't call me that. And second, I'm serious. She has this twisted need to take everything that's mine. Any boyfriend I ever had—boom, suddenly she liked him. She's competitive, manipulative, and worst of all, she acts like a saint while doing it."

Raphael chuckled, shaking his head. "Sounds exhausting."

"Oh, you have no idea," Ines muttered, rubbing her temples.

"She's like a...a mosquito you can't swat. Always buzzing around, ready to suck the life out of you."

He leaned against the couch, watching her with a wide smile. "Noted. No talking to Camila."

Ines rolled her eyes. "You're enjoying this."

"A little." He shrugged. "Anyway, I need to head to practice."

Ines jumped up. "I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not," Raphael said instantly, turning toward the door.

She rushed in front of him, blocking his path. "Why not?"

He let out a short laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Because, princess, you won't like it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you'll complain about the smell, the noise, the sweaty guys, and within five minutes, you'll regret coming."

She muttered, offended. "I will not."

"Yes, you will."

"You don't know that!" she huffed. "I can handle a gym."

He sighed, shaking his head. "Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Satisfied, she grabbed the slippers he gave her and followed him to the door.

As she reached for her phone on the coffee table, it vibrated in her hand.

There was a new message.

Her stomach tightened.

She opened it, her breath stopped in her throat. It was another warning from an anonymous number.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

-You should leave while you still can. This won't end well for you.-

A cold chill ran down her spine.

"Everything okay?" Raphael asked, noticing her hesitation.

Ines quickly locked her phone, forcing a smirk onto her face. "Yeah. Just someone being dramatic."

He arched a brow. "Dramatic how?"

"Nothing important," she lied, stuffing her phone into her pocket.

"Now, let's go. I want to see if you're actually good at this whole boxing thing or if it's just for show."

He watched her for a moment before shaking his head. "You're something else, you know that?"

"Of course I do," she said, brushing past him toward the car.

But as they drove to the gym, she returned to the message.

Who was watching her?

And more importantly—why?