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TOO LATE...

- Three.

"When...?"

Was the only thing that came out of Camille's mouth after hearing the whole story.

She couldn't believe it. Camille had rejected Klaus a long time ago. Now... it was as if fate and life came together to mock her and make her suffer for having made him suffer. Karma, that's what people called it.

Tears were no longer excuses for her to see him in the face. Niklaus gave him time to vent. After a while, neither of them said anything, until she only answered Klaus's question with another question.

"When...?" Camille turned to look at him.

"In a month."

Klaus approached to her, but she pushed him away... Klaus did not want to press her, he stayed away from her to give her space.

Camille was surprised and anguished.

"A month...? Why in such a short time...?"

Camille shook her head and raised her hand, she did not want to know it.

"Five years Niklaus... Are you will be married for five years... with another woman?" The question was more for her than for him.

Klaus nodded silently.

"Why don't you refuse?" Camille asked, she lokked for some trace of hope on his face.

"I can't... it's not that easy..." Klaus tried to do it, but he was unsuccessful.

"What if we get married...? If you tell your father and your family that I accepted your proposal, maybe they will understand, I'm sure..."

Camille took the idea easily, but it was not so simple. She had caused a gap in the family relationship after rejecting Klaus' marriage proposal. Now, no one in her family looked at her with kind eyes.

Klaus walked looking up at the ceiling with his hands to his face. With a frustrated smile, he turned to look her in the eyes.

"Do you think they will be happy to announce that the woman who rejected me years ago now wants to marry me? Do you really think they would take it well and let me run freely into your arms, Camille?"

Camille swallowed, turning her gaze away.

"if we try," Camille tried not to accuse him, but it was so. "It looks like you want this... what about us? Do you want this?" She asked him immediately.

Klaus looked at her for a moment and thought.

Did he want this?

Deep down Klaus did not know for sure, but if things proceeded as planned by both families, everything would be a financial success, not just the money but the prestige they could earn, to be recognized for something else. The merger would take them to the center of the international market and even manage the national market more easily.

Considering that Elijah's trip could be a success, they still depended on the agreements they would sign after the engagement. The project would be worthwhile if the ties with the Bennett Group were strong, that would give them a great advantage. As much as Klaus hated the whole deal, he knew they needed the resources and partnership of the Bennett Group to achieve their goals. It was what he had always wanted, what his father and family had dreamed of. Klaus obviously did not assume that an arranged marriage was a requirement in the equation.

Did he want this?

Klaus had asked himself the same question before accepting. Did he really want this? Niklaus thought a little stunned. After a moment analyzing the answer, Klaus looked at Camille

"A few years ago, Camille, all I wanted was you!" Klaus confessed as he approached her.

Camille sobbed. This situation was her fault, Camille knew it. And all because she did not accept him back then.

Klaus walked towards her and hugged her.

"And I still want that, Camille, us... but I need you to support me, trust me, it will only be a few years, if everything goes well, this will end faster than we both think." he hugged her tightly.

"I need you to trust, I need you to wait for me like I did once for you."

she let go to him.

"Please... I want you to support me, can you wait for me?"

It was an attempt to beg, he needed her.

Camille nodded.

Klaus cradled Camille's puffy face and kissed her deeply.

They both hugged each other.

"What's her name...?" She asked.

"It does not matter..."

"I do care, I want to know the name of that woman!"

Camille wanted to know the name of the woman who would usurp her place, farce or not, that woman would become the wife of the man she loved. And Camille hated her for it.

Klaus took his time.

"Her name is Bonnie Bennett..." Klaus replied in a whisper.

Camille abruptly parted ways with him.

"Are you serious? Bonnie Bennett...?"

Klaus looked at her puzzled. "Do you know her?"

Louise's Bar was a small establishment that remained active throughout the years. Opened in the 1970s. It was one of the few bars that maintained that essence, love and peace, there was no discrimination or drama, just people of all kinds who wanted to enjoy a good drink and listen to good music.

Emily had been the first to find it, it was a good place to share. It was one of the few places where the original Mantuano was served for drinking. Lucy, Emily and Bonnie came from time to time. They drank and enjoyed the music. They talked making the necessary confessions to catch up after weeks of work, they made it a tradition.

"Mily is coming, she just called," Lucy told Bonnie as she sat down after returning from the bathroom.

Bonnie nodded without saying anything, concern radiating from her eyes.

Lucy hadn't understood it until now, so she decided to call Emily and invite her to a girl session tonight.

Lucy didn't like seeing her little cousin like that. She pounced on Bonnie and hugged her tight.

"What's wrong? Is it André...?"

Lucy asked softly, while cradling her in his arms. Even though André was something that happened a while ago, it was still a delicate topic to talk about.

Bonnie was the smallest of the three; not only of height, but also of age, therefore, Emily and Lu always treated her with a certain maternal attachment.

"It's nothing… just I'm tired, don't worry..."

Bonnie lied, and Lucy realized that.

"If you don't want to tell me, then try Emily, but don't shut up Bonnie, that's not good,"

Lucy hugged her again and then gave her some space.

"Okay..." Bonnie replied as she drank her glass of rum.

"Guess who I saw at the party?" Lucy began to speak to distract Bonnie from any stupid thoughts that were bothering her.

"Hmm...? I don't know, who?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"Dylan and George,"

Lucy said with a smile on her lips drawing Bonnie's attention.

"Your gay friends...?" Bonnie asked again. Before Lucy responded, another woman affirmed the confession.

"The guys who made a threesome with you?"

The woman joined the conversation. Both girls turned and Emily quickly entered the table.

"Damn it, Emily...! Why don't you say it louder? I think people on the other side of town didn't listen to you!" Lucy hissed through clenched teeth.

"Please, as if you were really ashamed to admit it in public."

Emily approached with a smile and greeted her younger sister with a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. she did the same to her cousin despite the disgust in Lucy's gaze.

"Where did you leave your Sugar Daddy?" Lucy scoffed.

"Don't call him that... and where's Burak? It's none of your business."

Lucy stuck her tongue out at Emily.

"Childish..." Emily approached her sister and touched her face.

"What's going on? Why are you like this? Did something happen, Bon? Why do you smell like this?" Emily began to ask bluntly.

Bonnie looked at Lucy, she knew very well that Lucy had called her older sister, and Lucy simply ignored her, looking away.

Emily looked at the two women, but her attention was on her younger sister.

"I only smoked a few cigarettes that André left in my car a while back, and if you ask me why I did it? I don't know, I just did it. Now, I don't want to talk about André, it's something that happened a long time ago. I just I don't want to talk about him again, I got over it, okay? I was a fool, I learned the lesson, it will never happen again,"

Bonnie was irritated.

This had been the first time all night that Bonnie had raised her voice, her head ached, she was tired.

Although Bonnie was distracted by her thoughts, that had nothing to do with André. André was not the cause of her bitterness.

Bonnie had not talked about André until now that her sister and cousin mentioned him. Her mind was on something more important.

The only man who had her like this was none other than the Mikaelson. Not André's idiot, Bonnie thought again. God, she wanted a break.

Bonnie figured coming here would distract her a little, but she was wrong.

Emily looked better at her sister.

"André will never contact you again... if he does, then a cell will wait for him with the doors open, you can be sure of that!" Emily assured.

Bonnie did not respond to her sister's comment.

Lucy was silent, she knew that Emily was the only one who would make her speak.

"B, I know you well, if it is not André, then it is something else, right?"

Emily continued insisting, she would not stay calm until her younger sister told her what was wrong.

At first, the relationship between sisters was not good, but as the years passed Emily adopted a maternal position. She felt responsible for Bonnie's protection, perhaps because Emily was the oldest, Emily was seven years older than Bonnie. It was like a maternal instinct that had grown through the years forging a strong bond. The same was with Lucy, but the feeling was greater when it came to her sister.

Bonnie looked her in the eye and then looked at Lucy who was listening in silence.

"Okay... do you want to know what I'm worried about? I'll tell you both."

Bonnie paused for a breath and confessed what made her so upset.

"Today I quoted Niklaus Mikaelson."

Immediately when the words came out of her mouth, Bonnie knew it had been a mistake. Lucy straightened and Emily looked at her disapprovingly.

"Bon, you shouldn't have..."

Lucy approached Bonnie adopting a supportive posture, unlike Emily, who was upset and rigid.

Absorbed in her own thoughts, Emily watched her sister.

Although the engagement decision took them all by surprise, her grandmother had shared the good news with Emily first. Emily was puzzled at first, but her grandmother gave no further explanation.

Until now she did not understand how her grandmother would want to unite her family with the Mikaelsons.

The Mikaelsons had a considerable reputation, so to speak, the word Legal was not exactly what defined that family, and Emily knew that very well. She tried to persuade her grandmother, without success. Now, not only was Bonnie facing an arranged marriage, but Emily would also have to face her past, damn it, Emily thought.

"Why did you do that...?"

Emily's voice didn't want to sound so harsh, but it did. Bonnie did not have to be so careless, Bonnie knew well that the engagement had to be discreet. It would only be public after the presentation dinner.

"What difference does it make? I accepted this marriage, I think I have the right to be the first to have a conversation with him."

Bonnie's gaze drifted. She had accepted without excuses, but now, everything seemed so real. She couldn't deny that she was nervous.

"I quoted him, because if I have to get used to being with a stranger, then I just wanted to start off on the right foot!"

Bonnie said each word without raising her face to avoid contact with her older sister.

"You had to wait for the presentation dinner!"

Emily was not so severe this time. She knew that her sister did not want this engagement, but Bonnie accepted it without complaint or question, which made things easier.

Bonnie cringed in her seat.

"Don't worry, we both agreed not to go public, and for my sanity, he agrees with me that this be done as simply as possible."

Bonnie said more calmly. So she wouldn't have to listen to another scolding from Emily.

"You still had to wait for Bonnie!"

Both sisters looked at each other in dispute, until Lucy intervened.

"This is ridiculous, I don't understand... Why does Bonnie have to do this? If you don't want B... then don't do it!" Lucy took her hands,

"How does it occur to you to say something like that?" Emily immediately protested, very upset by the comment.

"Oh please Emily, you accept all this because it is not you, I do not know what agreement the grandmother accepted, all I know is that now Bon has to pay for that and it is not fair!"

It was Lucy's turn to give her opinion. Lucy wouldn't be quiet about it, Bonnie had been through nasty things, it wasn't fair to her cousin that they were imposing something like that on her.

Emily looked at her annoyed. The two women loved each other, but Lucy and Emily were different in many ways. Most of the time they did not share the same opinions. Lucy was only two years younger than Emily. But even though Sheila took care of Lucy as a daughter, before having Emily and Bonnie in her care. That didn't give Lucy the right to impose herself on them, least of all on Emily.

"If you don't have anything productive to say... I suggest you don't talk!" Emily warned without fear.

"As if you-" Lucy couldn't finish her discussion, when Bonnie interrupted her.

"Enough! you two won't fight over this!"

Bonnie said abruptly, looking at her sister.

"I decided to do this, period."

Bonnie finished saying and then looked at her cousin.

"Bonnie, look at me, even though Lu wants to make me look like the villain, I didn't agree with this, but Grandma wants this for some important reason."

The concern in Emily's voice was sincere. Emily did not know all the arguments that her grandmother had negotiated. However, that was not enough to contradict her.

"Why do you always agree with her? For once in your life, Mily, you know this is wrong!"

Lucy hated when her grandmother imposed her authority.

"Shut up Lu... that's why Grandma doesn't love you!"

Emily looked at her again with annoyance.

"How if that really mattered to me?"

Lucy snorted sipping her drink, of course she cared.

"Let's leave the discussions for another time, not tonight, tonight I just want to forget that soon I will be the wife of... please, we are here, we are going to enjoy tonight, okay?" Bonnie pleaded.

Lucy and Emily looked at each other knowingly.

"Okay..."

They responded in unison hugging Bonnie, who allowed herself a few silent tears as they hugged each other.

"Why are we doing this?"

Lucy asked after coughing like an asthmatic person.

"Because you suggested helping Bonnie smoke the disgusting cigars, that's why we're doing it!"

Emily said, looking at her cigar as she blew out the smoke in disgust.

Bonnie laughed when she saw her sister and her cousin fight to finish smoking. It was the first time she had smiled in the whole week.

Bonnie really enjoyed it. She closed her eyes and inhaled what was left of her last fucking cigarette...

After Klaus left. Camille flipped through the copy of the report she had in her office. While it was true that she admitted to meeting Bonnie Bennett. Camille dared to omit that Bonnie was one of her patients.

A half truth, so to speak.

Camille had obtained her bachelor's degree as a psychiatrist, but had directed her career to the study of emotional behavior. She had gained experience and therefore had a good reputation in her career.

Her work was the main thing for her.

Camille was more than focused on becoming an excellent professional in the studies of human emotional behavior.

That was why she recently started a specialized study in that area.

If it was true that Camille rejected Klaus's marriage proposal a few years ago, she was unrepentant. Camille did not have an early family life in mind, she wanted to build the foundation for a successful career. Like most, Camille wanted her name to be important, that her studies earn credit in the community of psychologists and psychiatrists, so Camille had no interest in a commitment... not yet.

Unlike Klaus, she was not born in a golden crib, so she worked hard to build what she always dreamed of.

But now everything was completely falling apart, now Camille could tell she was sorry. She did not want to lose the man she loved.

For a long time Camille looked at the copy of the report.

At the beginning of the report, a name;

Bonnie Bennett,

referred fifteen months ago,

Camille had seen Bonnie in ten sessions during that time.

She was sure she understood Bonnie Bennett's personality very well. The medical history gave Camille an understanding of the problem. The two worked together to achieve a level of emotional balance. They still needed work, but Camille was able to assure that they had made progress.

Camille knew her patient's past very well, at first she felt anger and deep concern, so Camille accepted Bonnie's case, in a way, she took it personally. Camille wanted to help this woman, she wanted Bonnie to overcome her fears without blocking them, to learn to identify them and that she could fight against those barriers that could determine her behavior and her life in the long term.

Camille established aspects of trust so that Bonnie would open and be able to cope with her emotional trauma, the nightmares and sufferings would gradually be managed.

The patient-doctor bond was good, but now everything was different.

Camille walked through her office while looking at the report in her hands. She did not want to tell Klaus the whole truth of how she knew Bonnie, she only gave him a half truth...

Bonnie was a colleague's patient, it was not a lie, one of her former teachers called her to present the case Camille did not hesitate to accept it.

Now here, in the middle of the night, without her knowing exactly why she hadn't told Klaus the truth. Camille understood.

A feeling of superiority and confidence invaded her. Camille was not going to allow this marriage to take place. She would do her best to avoid it. Bonnie would not come between her and Klaus. Camille would use all the information she had, and use it at her convenience. That was the biggest advantage she had, and if Klaus didn't fight for them. So Camille would do it for both of them, regardless of the oath she took when she graduated. Camille was going to use all the information she had to completely distance Bonnie Bennett from Klaus' life, regardless of the consequences.

"If I have to get over you Bonnie Bennett. I will."

Those were Camille's exact words

After midnight, the three women came out of the establishment hugging each other. They were completely joyful without noticing the gaze of a strange person watching them only a few meters away.

Emily and Lucy climbed into Bonnie's car, still smiling.

Bonnie's joy caused the strange man behind the corner of a building to fold his lips into a sick smile.

Unaware of the threat, Bonnie got into the car and drove away without looking back.

One second,

The sound of a car,

The flash of light

The face of a man was distinguished in the shadows,

One second,

He disappeared,

In the darkness of the night the sound of a melody was heard.
Someone whistled, "Knocking on Heaven's Door," as he walked with his hands into his pants pockets with a satisfied look.

Finally he had seen her... again.

For Bonnie, André was the least of her worries.

André was a controlled situation,

André was like a mutilated leech,

Bonnie had been careless and, because of her naivete, she was fooled.

But despite how insignificant André was to the Bennett family. He managed to leave a mark. Thanks to him, Bonnie had been injured.

Now Bonnie's true nightmare was darker than a man who wanted to take advantage of his money. She could bear deception and extortion, but excessive obsession... was something else.

Bonnie was never fully aware of her hunter, the constant figure never abandoned her, always chasing her, keeping up with her life. Like a sick man in the shadows he was hiding waiting for the right moment to possess her.

Stalking was more than excessive harassment, it was beyond that.

Bonnie only knew of two attempts, one of which caused terrible trauma. There were more than two events and they were kept hidden. Bonnie's safety was paramount... keeping her out of the truth was principal.

The way he acted was repulsive and heinous.

His love for her was biting and sickly.

They managed to lock him in a prison ... but still, he found his way back to her.

André ceased to exist a few months ago, it was an act of love for Bonnie, although she never knew it.

A quick cut in the throat. André bleeding to death in a dark alley far from any kind of vision.

Andre paid a high price for the intrusion.

The strange man whistled the same song while cleaning his knife.

"No one in this world can dare to touch her... because she was his and nobody else's!"

Those were the last words that André heard before dying.

Time passed and he continued his routine. In and out of the complex with highly paid support.

In this way it was easier for him to bear his madness.

The only thing that kept him sane was one thing.

The day he would finally be with her, forever.

The time was approaching, patience was the least he had, but for her..., he would do everything necessary to fulfill his plans.

He couldn't afford mistakes,

"Not this time..." He thought aloud, head bowed, as he watched her walk away.

Soon, Bonnie... soon. he thought as he continued his way back, whistling...

Knocking' on Heaven's Door.

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