The Meeting.

I applied my perfume to complete my look, and smiled at myself in the mirror, admiring my beauty. I grabbed my bag and keys and left my apartment.

"Good Morning, Camila," Ricky's sudden voice made me jump a bit.

He walked up to me, flashing his charming smile, which I returned.

"Hey, Ricky." I noticed the blue suit he was wearing, which fit his muscles perfectly. His brown hair was neatly styled, and his jaw was clean-shaven.

"You look beautiful as usual," he complimented, his eyes fixed on my face, making me smile.

"Thank you, Ricky." He handed me a cup of coffee, which I politely declined, causing him to frown in disappointment.

"I don't drink coffee," I explained, and he nodded in understanding.

"Well, I'm sorry. Next time, I'll get you juice." I laughed and shook my head as we walked to the garage.

"Thanks for the offer, but you really don't have to. See you later, Ricky."

I smiled and got into my car. He waved me goodbye as I drove off. I arrived at the company and was greeted by the warm smile of Mr. Paul, one of the security staff.

"Mr. Paul," I called out, and he hugged me.

"My favorite girl, I missed you, Cammie." He exclaimed dramatically, and I laughed.

"I missed you too, Mr. Paul. I hope you didn't use my absence as an opportunity to work late."

I gave him a pointed look, and from the smile on his face, I knew he did.

"Mr. Paul, you know you aren't supposed to overwork yourself." I scolded him, and he sighed.

"I know that, Cammie, but I have to do it for my son's well-being." His face turned sad, and I sympathised with a soft smile.

“You have to go now. I'm sure you don't want the boss to have your head."

"Alright," I sighed in defeat and went in.

As I entered the office, I was greeted by the murmurs of my coworkers, which they never failed to hide.

I wondered why they hated me so much, as I had never wronged any of them. Holding my head up high, I ignored their stares and murmurs and hurriedly stepped into the elevator.

'Like I knew I'd have a lot of work to do,' I muttered, seeing the stack of files that greeted me.

I sighed and dropped my bag on the sofa in the corner of my office. I settled down, brought out my laptop, and started working.

I shouldn't have taken a leave of absence, as it changed nothing.

I had taken a leave after the fight between me and Aubrey, a staff member, and I knew she would keep tempting me. I hope I will keep my cool next time.

I really don't know what her problem is with me. The fact that I've been silent and ignorant to all she does didn't mean I was stupid.

Flash back

'You're a disgrace to this company,' the words of Aubrey, dripping with venom, pierced my heart.

Anger surged through me, blind and uncontrollable. In a fit of rage, I reared my fist and struck her.

The room fell silent as a gasp filled the air.

"Camila," my cowardly boss, Mr paisley shouted, his voice trembling with rage.

"How dare you hit your colleague? You are smart enough, so I'm very sure you know that action is against the rules of our company, because of that you need to leave."

I glared at him with disdain swimming in the depths of my eyes.

"But it's okay for her to bully me? Isn't that against the policy of the company too? Are all employees not expected to be treated with respect?"

I spoke with pain laced in my tone, and anger drowning in the pool of my irises while I stared into his eyes daringly.

He clenched his jaw, his eyes boring holes into mine for challenging his authority, and that clarified his impartiality to everyone.

"Security!" He yelled out. But before they could respond, his wife, Mrs Rose Paisley, the sole owner of the company, intervened.

"Stop," she commanded. She looked around then fixated her gaze on her husband, Henry.

"That's impartial of you Henry, it's not right if you take Aubrey's side without knowing the full story, and what made Camila hit her," she defended.

My emotions surged between defense and humiliation. I knew that my actions were wrong, but I had been pushed too far.

"I really don't know your infatuation with this lady, Rose, and why you keep defending her, but one thing is certain, her action is unacceptable," he declared, his cold blue eyes locking with mine. "You're fired."

"Not so fast Henry," she said, her voice firm.

"This is my company and I get to decide who stays and who leaves, so we'll hear Camila out before making any rash decisions."

With her support, I poured out my heart, detailing the months of relentless harassment I had endured from Aubrey.

From the look of sympathy that glistened in her eyes, I knew she saw right through the torment in my eyes.

However, she acknowledged that my actions were not right, and proposed a compromise: I would be suspended for a period of time to allow the situation to cool down.

In the days that followed, I found solace in the comfort of my parents' home.

As I slowly recovered from the emotional turmoil, I couldn't shake the feeling that my life at work would never be the same.

End of flash back

That day, I couldn't just hold myself back, so I had to be physical. There are many reasons why I should resign from this company, but the one reason I have to stay is very strong.

Besides, finding a good-paying job like this is hard, so I have no other choice but to keep working here.

The feeling of their hate isn't foreign because I was treated the same way in high school. The girls in my class hated me because of my physique, and race. I didn't have many friends.

It was different in university because I had a roommate, Ava, who's also my best friend.

A knock on my door cut me off from my thoughts, and I looked up to find Mrs. Paisley, my boss.

"Mrs. Paisley," I got up to greet her, and she strode towards me with a smile.

"I'm glad you're back, sweetie; how was your leave?"

"It was good, ma'am, thank you so much, and I promise it won't happen again." She held my hands in hers and smiled sadly at me.

"I know how you feel, sweetie; I know it must be hard trying to tolerate them. If they make you feel uncomfortable, you can always make a report."

She sympathized, and I shook my head with a sad smile and pulled my hands away from hers.

"Don't worry about me, ma'am; I can handle myself." She sighed and grabbed my hands.

"I know you can, Camila, but just let me know. It was hard getting Henry to let you keep working here. Who knows if something like this happens again….” I cut her off before she finished her statement.

"I promise, it won’t." I assured her softly, trying to hold back my tears.

Henry is Mrs. Paisley's husband; they both run the company. Although Mrs. Paisley likes me, her husband doesn't; he is part of the people who treat me unfairly.

Yes, he is naturally arrogant, rude, and always brooding, but at least he responds to other people's greetings and doesn't pick on them intentionally; he is different towards me.

After the fight that day, he wasn't willing to listen to my side, he was quick to put all the blame on me, ready to fire me, but thanks to Mrs. Paisley.

"I know you just got back, honey, but we are supposed to have a meeting with one of our investors; unfortunately, he can't come, and we need a representative to go to his company, so I chose you."

My eyes expanded in surprise, and I shook my head in disagreement.

"Me?" She nodded with a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Yes, you, Camila. You have to prepare yourself. The meeting is by seven pm; I'm sorry it's late, but that's the only time his assistant could make out for us."

She passed an apologetic smile. The time wasn't the issue here; it's the fact that I'm the representative, and I was getting the information so late.

"Mrs. Paisley, I don't think I can do this; besides, Mr. Paisley wouldn't want me to; Aubrey can go." I tried persuading her, and she stubbornly disagreed with me.

"My husband may be the CEO, but don't forget that I am still the owner and founder of Paisley Fashion House."

She asserted with finality, and I sighed, knowing I couldn't argue with her decision.

"Alright, Mrs. Paisley." She clapped her hands, an exciting smile on her face.

"Don't worry, Camila; I know you can do it; after all, you are my smart and talented girl."

She told me and left.

I sighed and slumped into my chair, feeling exhausted. It hadn't even been a full day since I returned to work, and I was already drained.

Realizing I knew nothing about the company I was supposed to visit, I decided to seek out Paula,

Mrs. Paisley's assistant. I hope she can provide me with some much-needed information and guidance.