Almost Yours

“Who delivered this?” Camila asked sharply, spranging out of her chair.

Margaret, the mansion's caretaker, hesitated. “A delivery guy.”

“I'm sorry, ma'am.” She added immediately, lowering her head. “I should have asked for your opinion first.”

Camila's hand tightened around the file, the heart monitor watch on her wrist taking an irregular beeping sound.

“You may leave,” she said, trying to breathe evenly.

Margaret's hand snapped up. “Ma'am, your—”

“Camila pulled off the watch, tossing it onto the table. “Close the door after you.” 

Margaret headed for the door without another word but just as her hands reached for the door knob, Camila's voice came dangerously low from behind.

“No one dropped any documents for me. Do you understand?”

Margaret nodded instantly, hurrying out for the door. This was the first time she was hearing Camila speak like that and it gave her goosebumps.

Camila slumped back into her chair, gulping down the peppermint tea on the desk. The hot tea burned all the way down her throat but she barely noticed.

Her gaze flickered to the document on her hand again, the letters ‘Marriage Certificate’ staring back at her. This was supposed to be her marriage certificate so why was there… Why was there another woman's name on it?

She shook her head and without a second thought, she flung the document to wherever it landed. “This has to be a fake. Someone must be trying to get to me.”

***

Twenty minutes later, Camila stood in the middle of the once neatly arranged study which she had turned into something worse than a mess, breathing heavily with a brown envelope in hand.

She opened it slowly, praying silently it contained her marriage certificate. Luck seemed to be on her side as it was really a marriage certificate but it had no difference to the one she had flung away earlier.

She reached for the other one, placing both certificates side by side. Her chest tightened when she saw that the time, names and date were exactly the same.

“Don’t believe it, Camila,” she whispered to herself, reaching for her bottle of medicine. “Miles has a lot of enemies.”

But in the next three seconds, she was heading downstairs. Her bottle of medicine and watch in one hand and on the other hand was her car key and the two documents.

“Ma'am, you aren't allowed to…”

The old butler was still saying when Camila shoved him aside, unlocking the car immediately. She slid in before he could stop her, pressing down heavily on the pedal.

***

Camila walked out of the civil bureau with her head hanging low as the voice of the middle-aged woman behind the counter echoed in her ear.

“This marriage has been registered for five years now. If you're planning to divorce, you'll need the consent of your partner.”

“Five years? She has just been married to Miles for only three.” A low chuckle escaped her throat as she wiped the tears welling up in her eyes. “Did she just say married? Who gets married to someone without a marriage certificate?”

She suddenly stopped completely frozen, still unable to believe it for more than a second before hurrying into her car and hitting the road immediately.

Her car pulled up in front of the tall glass building of the Griffin corporation. She strode into the building, her hand clenched tightly around her purse.

“Ma'am, what are you doing here?” Josh, her assistant, called before she could step into her private elevator.

Camila stared at him keenly before glancing around, she knew everyone had to be busy with the company's big launch date close by but she was sure something was amiss.

“If you have something to say, say it.” she snapped, her expression closed up.

“Thank goodness, you're here, ma'am.” One of the project managers spoke before Josh could. “Can you please approve this document?” He added, shoving a document towards Camila's face.

Camila brushed it away, her eyes narrowing. “Don't you know the way to your president’s office?” 

“The president isn't around and since–”

“Miles isn't in his office?” Camila's stomach flipped once, her eyes shifting towards Josh.

“He left the office earlier this morning after a meeting with the Exron Paper company concerning the–”

“Did he tell you where he was going?” she asked, struggling to keep her voice steady.

“No, he didn't.” 

Camila's face twisted into a frown. If she could remember clearly the meeting was scheduled for as early as 10:00 am this morning. Does that mean he had been out of the company since then?

“Mrs. Griffin, you're the vice president. This document is…” the man kept on talking but Camila’s focus was already gone.

She almost threw up at the name. “Mrs. Griffin?” Suddenly the name she had answered for three years and counting now, felt oddly strange and disgusting to her.

She turned sharply to leave but the project manager blocked her path. 

“Ma'am, you're–”

“Wait for your president to be back,” Camila said, her voice stiff. “I have important matters to attend to.”

Josh's face contorted into confusion. “Ma'am, the project might be gone if it isn't approved and signed before tonight.”

Camila shifted her focus back to the project manager, taking the document from him with a tight smile and glanced at it before tossing it to Josh.

“Leave it at my desk.” 

She headed towards the exit ignoring their tantrums as she brought out her phone. She finally dialed Miles's number after hesitating for a few seconds. 

Her stomach dropped when he didn't answer even after the fifth dial. Miles had never ignored calls unless he was in a meeting which wasn't at.

So the big question was. ‘Where was he?’

A low chuckle escaped her throat as she realized at that moment that she didn't know any of Miles's friends, not even one.

Something suddenly clicked on her mind, she knew one even though they weren't really friends. She brought out her phone quickly and dialed a number, surprisingly the call connected in seconds.

But just as she parted her lips to reply, an overly familiar voice flooded her ears heavy with panic.

“Is she going to be okay?”