Never Judge

When Louisse was finally dragged out of the bar Camilla crossed her arms and glared at Lucius. 

"She is your sister, how dare you hurt her like that!" Camilla shouted angrily at him. She couldn't hold back and just needed to tell him off. To Camilla hurting anyone was wrong regardless of gender or relation.

Even when Cedric dealt out his harsher punishments she wasn't fully on board, in some cases yes, she agreed, but other times she felt he went too far.

That's why it was always Ian that had to deal with Ray and his underworld gangs, Camilla just normally couldn't stomach it.

"She will never learn, and I cannot treat my sister any differently from my people." Lucius said as he turned his back on Camilla and asked a waiter to bring him a drink. "Plus she deserved it."

"Camilla, don't." Benedict whispered as he realized that his sister wanted to speak up against Lucius' harsh actions.

She was very tempted to say something, anything, just to contradict him. She felt the need to tell him he was wrong but Camilla knew her brother only had her best interest in mind. He wouldn't have stopped her if there was no need.

Camilla sighed and simply shook her head. She was already frustrated and pissed off with Lucius and what had happened. She just wanted to go home.

"You still owe me an explanation." Lucius said as he walked back to their table, still choosing to sit next to Camilla.

"Move over to the other side, Benedict." Lucius told Benedict as he pointed at the free spot across them.

"Will you throw me to the ground too?" Benedict asked as he raised his eyebrow at Lucius. 

It was a valid question since no one could normally avoid Lucius' wrath, should they anger him by choice or by accident.

"If I hurt you, Camilla will hate me." Lucius pointed out. "I cannot afford to get her any more angrier than she already is."

"Fine." Benedict said as he moved for his seat to the one across Lucius and Camilla. 

"Now, you were going to explain something to us." Lucius pointed out as he looked at his girlfriend, who was still seated next to him, looking at her brother.

"About Cedric?" Camilla asked. She wanted to be sure as to what Lucius was referring to.

"Yes." Lucious said with a nod as he picked his glass up from the table and took a drink. 

"Alright, think of it this way. If Cedric could so easily go up to these large international companies for partnerships and ventures, why is he doing it only now?" Camilla asked as she glanced between Benedict and Lucius.

"It wasn't time?" Benedict asked his sister. Of course he too already knew why Cedric didn't just go up to the international brands. He was part of the team that assessed the situation regularly, even until now he worked with Cedric on it.

"It's always the right time for Cedric." Camilla said, shaking her head. "If Cedric Reyes wants something done, he can get it done and he can make the situation match his needs."

"No one is that powerful, Camilla." Lucius said with a frown as he heard what his girlfriend had said. "No one can shape the industry or the country by that much."

Camilla knew that Lucius did not like her implying that Cedric was very powerful and practically impossible to defeat, but of course, Cedric really was that powerful.

"He has his morals and refuses to break them, that is the only reason why he doesn't fully control this country." Camila told Lucius with a frown. "He is a dangerous man, Lucius, and us going up against him is a dangerous game."

"I do not believe he is that influential." Lucius said, shaking his hed. 

"Alright, let me put it this way. Who do you think is the most influential person in the business world in this country?" Camilla asked.

"Cedric Reyes, of course." Lucius answered quite confidently.

"And the second?" Camilla asked him.

"The Carpio family, your cousins." Lucius quickly answered.

"Back then it was Aiden, because of the Carpio family and their support." Camilla explained as Lucius listened intently. "But with my brother gone the Carpios will slowly fall."

"Why don't they ask Benedict or you to lead the company? You are related after all." Lucius pointed out.

"I don't want to paint an even larger target on my back. I like living." Benedict said with an awkward laugh. "And I would never risk my sister's life for money or influence."

Camilla nodded and mouthed a thank you to Benedict, it was an act but she was truly happy about how much her brother cared for her.

"So who is the second most influential businessman now in your opinion, Camilla?" Lucius asked her with a smile.

"Raymund Laurence." Camilla answered proudly. "If he stopped his businesses this country would go into a standstill, he controls the largest airlines, the largest mining companies, and even now the largest food chain. And guess what, he is Cedric's best friend and brother-in-law."

"Okay, so the businessworld is dominated by him, but the government is not." Lucius Ting argued. "It's true there are two Sebastians in power, but that hardly sways the government and it's policies."

"Lucius, why do you think Jose Sebastian is a very popular president?" Benedict asked Lucius.

"The Sebastians have always been popular, at least that's what your brother told me." Lucious said with a shrug.

"I can't believe Aiden said that." Benedict said as he struggled to avoid laughing.

"Lucius, the Sebastians are very powerful because everyone wants to be on their side. I mean, wouldn't you want to be when both the largest businessmen and the people that control the media are practically family?" Camilla asked as she crossed her arms on her chest.

"I guess, but if they had a falling out things could change." Lucius said as he thought of a way of breaking such a strong friendship.

"Many have tried, Lucius." Camilla said, shaking her head. "Cedric Reyes will trust his friends, people he sees as brothers more than anyone in the world."

"Okay, fine. Cedric Reyes is practically unbeatable. Then why are you saying that he had to make a move to his loss. And what loss? I see no loss for him." Lucius said as he admitted that he underestimated Cedric in part.

"Cedric didn't want to approach international companies because he wanted to build his own that can compete with them." Camilla pointed out.

"He still has the chance to do that." Benedict told his sister. "All's not lost for him, he didn't have to terminate their contracts."

"Would you want to have known traitors by your side?" Camilla asked as she emphasized the word traitor. "We all know that Cedric Reyes does not look kindly on people who betray him, there is always a high risk of them repeating it."

"Why does he keep you by his side then?" Lucius asked his girlfriend.

At first Camilla hesitated with his question, but a realization came to her and she smiled. 

"In his mind we are just dating, and Cedric is a sucker for love." Camilla said with a laugh. "Just imagine how much he is willing to suffer and go through just for his wife, Adrianna. He lived a horrible life with the Hernandez's and it was all because of love."

"So he thinks you are still on his side?" Lucius asked.

"Yes, but he will be more careful, he will make sure to test me and my loyalty." Camilla said with a grin. "So I want you to be prepared. This fight with him cannot last forever, I will need to return to Mor Co."

"But will you always be mine?" Lucius asked as he looked lovingly into Camilla's eyes.

"Yes." Camilla lied. "I am yours."

"So what is the risk of him working with international companies?" Lucius asked, returning them to the original topic.

"It will cost him more, and he will have more to lose. It also means he cannot expand internationally since someone else handles the franchises or partnerships elsewhere." Camilla explained.

"And those secondary companies, isn't he pumping in more money and resources into them, surely it is a sound investment." Lucius told Camilla.

"They are second for a reason." Camilla explained. "He will be placing more money with a higher risk. He also has no guarantee that their business plans are more sustainable. He will need more time to plan for them." 

"It also means that there is a chance you could target them and he could lose. There was a reason why they were second, something easily exploitable." Benedict added as he pretend to absorb what his sister had explained.

"And what about those that were only second because of their limited resources?" Lucius asked.

"Those will thrive, but at the level of the companies he was recruiting, there were very few of those." Benedict explained as he thought of which companies fitted Lucius' description.

"So we made him flinch?" Lucius asked.

"Yes, we did." Camilla said with a nod.

"Add to that the fact that Camilla was missing tonight only to appear at your party, he was surely on edge today." Benedict added as he thought of the situation.

"I will use his loss then to my advantage." Lucius said with a grin. "Those companies he abandoned, I will pick them up and put them on my corner."

"Be careful, you saw how easily they jumped ship." Camilla warned Lucius. She was hoping he wouldn't listen to her, but she doubted that.