Ah,Camila thought in realization. He really was this kind of person. Someone who was reliable and took his responsibility seriously, even though she didn’t completely agree with his words. Adrien and he were twins. Even if he was older, it couldn’t be by that long. Adrien should have taken responsibility for his own actions, not allowed his brother to take the fall for it and have to try to fix it.
…wait a minute.
Camila’s eyes widened, as she realized something incredibly important. She recalled reading all those negative comments about Samuel online, all the misdeeds he’d supposedly done. About how he was a playboy and womanizer. She had made the assumption that some of it had been him, and some of it Adrien, but had it? Was it possible that all of it had been Adrien?
She cringed as she realized, None of it had ever been Samuel, it was all Adrien. Every horrible thing she’d read had been Adrien. I feel so foolish!
“Can you please let me know where to drop you off?” he asked. “At your apartment, maybe close by? Or I could drop you off somewhere and you could take a taxi back, if it will make you feel more comfortable.”
Camila could feel her heart warm at his words. After the way she had treated him, when he tried to help her out, he was being too considerate of her.
“My home will be fine,” she murmured, giving him her address. When she looked up, she realized he was already driving down the streets of Manhattan. “Could you tell me more about your brother?”
For a while, she didn’t think he would. But after a moment, he sighed, then began to speak.
“I can't tell you when my brother turned like this, or if he’s always been like this. It’s not like I’m unaware of the things he does, either, it’s just hard to counter them. And he always uses my name too, so if there are consequences to be had, I’m the one to shoulder them.”
That was so unfair.
“Couldn’t you just explain it was your twin brother?” she asked.
“Not really. You would be surprised how few people even know I have a twin. My parents tried to keep him out of the limelight as well, as much as they could. He was a troubled child. He did things normal children don’t do. He only got worse in his teen years. However, he’d learned to use my identity while I was away in the military. People just assumed he was me and he allowed it.
“He and I may look alike, but our personality and mannerisms are quite different. People who don’t know us well are easily persuaded that we are the same person. They simply ignore it when he shows any quirks I don’t have, because he’s so good at charming people and getting them to like him. They just explain it away as an eccentricity, even when he behaves badly.
“For years, I have had women go to my lawyers to complain, or worse, tried to tell the information to the media. Tabloid stories pay decent money if they say that I got them pregnant, or that I was dating them and then cheated. The worst ones are the borderline abuse cases that have been thrown at me, even though I personally did nothing wrong. If I didn’t have such a good team working for me, my reputation would have been wrecked beyond repair a long time ago. Then who knows what would have happened to me and my family.”
“Can no one really tell you two apart?” she asked, astonished. Admittedly, it wasn’t easy, but as long as you paid attention, it wasn’t hard, either.
Samuel just sighed. “As you may have noticed, I’m not quite as outgoing as my brother,” he admitted. “It’s why it’s so easy for him to do this.”
Things were becoming a lot clearer in Camila’s mind. He hadn't outright said it, but she realized he was introverted. Or else, for someone with his status, there were plenty of people for him to mingle with. He probably was ill at ease around people he didn’t know well, and coupled with his attitude of taking responsibility for his brother, it was probably why he never spoke up for himself amidst the accusations.
Also, the man had a damn good reason to hate his own twin brother.
They kept silent, both of them lost in their thoughts, for the remainder of the drive. When they stopped, it took Camila a moment to realize she was home, and turned to Samuel. As if waiting for her cue, he stepped out of the vehicle, and she quickly followed.
He rounded the car and came to stand in front of her.
“Have a nice evening, Miss Blake,” he said to her.
Camila winced, remembering when she went back to speaking formally to him out of annoyance. Regret didn’t even come close to what she was feeling right then.
“Just Camila is fine,” she said, stepping closer.
He looked at her curiously, but didn’t stop her advance. The height difference, even with her in heels, was still there, but she could at least reach his cheek, and gave him a kiss there.
“Thank you,” she added in a whisper.
She didn’t immediately step back, looking up at him, hoping he could see the gratitude and the remorse in her gaze. Samuel’s eyes were a little wide, probably in surprise from the kiss, but as their gazes held, she noticed a slight change, not that she could decipher it.
Camila did notice when he raised his hand, and she was a bit surprised when he patted the top of her head, tenderly touching her hair. Then his hand slid down her face, and his knuckle traced its way down her cheek. Her eyes widened at the unexpected touch.
Then, she saw it. One corner of his lip twitched upward. She could barely call it a smile, but the small movement immediately relaxed his whole face, making his expression look gentler. It stuck with her, even after he got in his car and drove away, she stood still for a moment, thinking about that look.
Finally, she turned toward the building and went inside.