Chapter 2 First Encounter

3 years later. .

--

"Get your hands off me!"

Camille opened her eyes instantly and stared at the white ceiling as she continued listening the screaming of her younger sister, Stacy.

"Baby, please. ."

"Don't you ever come back or else I'll be slapping your cheeks off!"

Camille pulled herself up into a sitting position and frowned her forehead. Who was that? What's happening?

Afraid that her son might hear the arguments, she got on her feet and ran to her son's room. She opened her door and saw Stacy and Jordan on her doorway.

"What's happening?" Camille asked, dumbfounded. It's still six in the morning and this couple were already screaming at each other. "Don't you know that my son's still sleeping? What happened to you both?"

As expected, Stacy raised her powerful pointer at her boyfriend. "This moron's cheating on me! Perhaps he thought I couldn't catch him cheating," Stacy said and faced Jordan as she crossed her arms altogether. "You dumb, you're too reckless for leaving your phone for the bathroom. My advice for you next time, don't you ever leave your phone anywhere!" With intensity, Stacy raised her hand to slap Jordan across the face. The power was too much that leave a big mark of her hand on Jordan's face. Camille just stood on the door, still processing with what she just witnessed.

"But there's no next time anyway," Stacy said and narrowed her eyes. "You'd be good but leave this house now! Two-faced SOB!"

Dave stared at her for a moment before picking up his things and left without looking back at them. Stacy took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair before turning herself back to her room.

Camille took a step forward. "Stacy-"

"Don't ask questions," she cut her sister's line off. "I don't want to explain anymore. Forget about it." Then she suddenly slammed the whole door. Camille heard the clicking of the lock on the door knob.

She felt bad for what had happened to her sister but that's good since she learned it early. It was better than being clueless about the cheating. She deserves way better.

Camille sighed and decided to check her son on the other room. As she opened the door, David was already chuckling. Camille smiled as she watched her only son playing with the tablet Stacy had bought for him on the New Year's eve. David was watching some cartoons that made him giggle. She came inside and closed the door and the clicking sound of the knob made the three year old kid look back.

"Mommy!"

Camille grinned. "Hello, baby!" she said as she kneeled down to hug her son. "Where's Mama Granny?"

"She buy milk," David answered. "For me."

"I see. How's your sleep?"

"Is okay, mommy."

Camille made her lips a thin line and cleared her throat. "Have you heard any screaming?" she asked carefully.

The child frowned his own forehead at his mom before asking. "What that?"

Camille showed a slow smile before combing David's hair with her fingers. "Nothing, baby. Don't mind what Mommy said, 'kay?"

David didn't answer, instead he gazed down on his tablet again to watch the other cartoon videos. Camille just sat and observed her son as the flashbacks from the past started playing in her head.

Wendyll, David's biological father, left her years ago without knowing that she's pregnant for their only child. The reason was also cheating. Wendyll did the thing but he still accused Camille for it. He had gaslighted the whole story that made Camille feel the guilt until now. It has something to do with the night she had on her two-day tour on the next city. Wendyll had learned that she hooked herself up with someone else on the night of her tour which he made as the main reason of the wreckage of their relationship.

He kept on pointing out that it was her own fault, not his. But on reality, Camille really know he's been cheating on her.

The trauma from the past came back to her senses because of what she just witnessed awhile ago. It triggered her, leaving her more guilt and agony.

"Mommy, the phone's ringing!"

Camille blinked many times as she looked at David who was pointing the telephone on the top of the cabinet. She stood up, walked towards the phone, and answered it. "Hello? Who's this?"

"Hello, this is the hiring manager of Glamuri Luxe."

"Oh, hello. How can-"

"May I speak to Miss Camille Laurier, please."

Suddenly, a wave of excitement went through her whole being. She bit her lower lip as she took a deep breath through her nose. "Camille Laurier speaking."

"I would like to invite you to come tomorrow for an interview, Miss Laurier," the manager said. "Your application has been approved and the CEO wanted to speak to you. Please come tomorrow at 9 in the morning, bring your other documents. I will drop a list on your email inbox now."

Camille felt like she wanted to scream her throat out and jumped like a kid who got her first star on the school. "Of course, of course! I'll be coming tomorrow, Ma'am. Thank you for calling me. Have a good day ahead. ."

Without waiting for an answer, she dropped the call and screamed. "HOLY MOLLY!"

David looked at her mother and smiled as he watched her dance in merriment. "Mommy happy."

"Yes, darling," Camille said as she sat on the floor with him. "I'll be having my interview tomorrow for the job. I hope I'll get the work, baby!" She laughed.

The little boy chuckled with her. "Good luck, mommy."

She smiled at her son. "You really learned a lot from Stacy, huh? Thank you baby. Mommy will try her best tomorrow so you'll have your own toys. Is that good for you?"

David raised his left brow. "Toys?"

She nodded. "Yes, darling."

"Ow-kay!"

Camille kissed David's cheek and stared at him for a moment before her eyes went misty. She's excited to give everything her son wanted. Very soon, he'll get anything he deserve.

* * * * *

"We're here, lady."

Camille looked out from the window of the taxi cab and saw the big logo of the company Glamuri Luxe. She bit her lower lip as she gazed back at the driver of the taxi. She picked her purse hurriedly and gave the fare to the driver before climbing out from the cab. She stood on the sidewalk, looking up at the logo again.

"Glamuri Luxe," she read it. "The power of beauty we hold."

She eyed the main entrance straight and saw the employees through the glass window, being busy with their work. She took a deep breath as she thought that soon, she'll be one of them. She took steps inside and went to a desk. It's already a quarter to 9, she's too early yet it's better to be early than to be late.

She checked her outfit. Navy blue shirt, black blazer and pencil skirt with her black flats as her today's shoes. When she gazed back at the woman on the desk, she was already looking at her.

"How can I help you?" she asked.

"Uh," she uttered and for a moment, she lost her train of thought. She cleared her throat and scratched the side of her jaw slight. "My name's Camille Laurier and I have an interview appointment with the CEO. The hiring manager just called me yesterday regarding that."

"Just a minute, Madame."

The woman left the desk for a moment, holding a paper. Camille tapped her shoes on the white tiled floor while waiting for the lady. She looked around and saw the female employees rush back and forth. She took a deep breath as she felt suffocation from the atmosphere in the building. It felt like everyone will be mad if she'll make something stupid. The ambience felt tight and she was now in worry.

"Mr. Veilmont's still on his meeting," the woman said that made Camille look back at her.

Camille hummed quietly as she came closer to the desk. She even raised her two brows at the lady.

"But you can wait on the 3rd floor, I will call Miss Ollah to manage you upstairs. She's your hiring manager, I may take it?"

Slowly, Camille nodded at her. "Thank you, miss."

"My pleasure," the woman answered and smiled. "Good luck."

Camille turned her back away from the desk and proceeded to the elevator. She punched the button and waited for the cab. The moment the elevator bell's ting, the panels glided and creaked apart.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!"

Before Camille could enter the cab, a woman with many papers on the hand came rushing to get into the elevator. Camille took a step back away from her way and let the woman come inside first. "Thank you Oh my gosh, thank you."

Camille showed a smile at her and nodded. "No worries," she said as she took a step into the elevator.

Camille punched the number three and stood straight. On her peripheral vision, she saw the woman struggling with the papers and has the urge to push her own floor number.

"On what floor?" Camille asked carefully.

The employee looked at her and smiled. "Six please."

"I'll get it," Camille replied and punched the number for her.

"Thank you, Ma'am."

She only gave a downward smile at the busy employee and watched her arranged the huge pile of paper.

"You're new here?" the employee asked. "It's my first time seeing you in the building. By the way, I am Mae."

"My name's Camille," she answered. "And no, I'm not an worker yet. Today is my interview day, actually."

"Oh, good luck then!" Mae answered. "I hope they'll accept you, we really need workers like you here. Some are really snob, I don't like 'em."

Camille didn't know what to react so she just smiled awkwardly and looked down at her shoes. That was the moment, the elevator rang and doors slid open. Camille looked at Mae. "I better get going, nice meeting you."

"Yes, thank you and nice meeting you as well. Good lucks for you!"

Camille came out from the cab and observed the whole hallway. It's not as noisy as the ground floor. There are only few people walking in here and most of them are in suit and tie. Camille tried to look for Miss Ollah on the hallway but she couldn't find her around. She stretched her neck while turning her head from left to right-and on the last turn to the left direction, her cheek bumped into something. Not a post nor a wall.

But a chest!

She looked up hurriedly and saw a man with a hard clenching jaw. He was gazing down at her as if she just made the biggest mistake on her life. Yet the side profile made her remember somebody else in the past. It was someone she couldn't forget.

The man she had hooked up from the night of her tour!

She gasped as her jaw dropped at him. But when she was about to give a smile to him and made him remember her, he suddenly spoke up.

"Get out of my way."

The hardness of his voice made Camille stiffened. There's something odd with him. The gentleness and calmness he has on their one night stand was now obscure. As if his personality was turned upside down.

He looked completely different now.

"I said, get out of my way."

Camille leaped out from his path and watched him walk away. But there's unknown urge of her to question his identity. It was a strong urge and she couldn't help it anymore because of her damned curiosity.

"H-hey!" she called out with an impulse.

The man stopped walking and slowly looked back at her over his shoulder.

"Do you. . . Do you remember me?" she uttered. "I'm the girl-I mean, I remembered we had a one night stand and. . ."

Suddenly, she noticed everyone turned to look at them and she trailed her voice off. The feeling of embarrassment came upon her and all she could do was close her eyes tightly for a second and made her lips into a thin line. But when she heard the heavy footsteps coming on her way, she opened her eyes and looked straight. There, she saw him taking steps forward that made her freeze on her feet.

Oh my goodness, she uttered silently in her head.

He stopped in front of her, quirked one brow up, and asked in a terrifying voice with authority lingering on it.

"What did you just say?" he asked as he lowered his head down to see her fully.