The Elusive Bride

3. New Life

THE WIND BLEW PAST THE SIDEWALK as Valerie held her scarf closer to her neck while approaching the entrance to her office. She was downtown in the lost busiest street in the city with all the tallest buildings. She worked in Astor Industries, one of the top companies in Chase City.

“Good morning, Frank.” She greeted the doorman, who was in his forties or early fifties as gray hair shone from all sides. He was smiling from ear to ear as he opened the door the door for her.

It was quite early and only a few employees were chattering in the lobby.

“You look lovely as always, Valerie! Good morning!” he spoke in a chirpy voice like he loved his job and was glad to be there in a chilly morning like today.

“Oh, Frank, you never seize to compliment me every day. Thank you and you have a good day, okay?” she smiled at him while he nodded in agreement. She then swayed her hips as she walked towards the elevator to catch the next one coming down.

The click and clack of her stilettoes became a head turner for everyone she passed by. They greeted her and she greeted them back in a jolly way.

“Valerie, someone sent you a package. It is on your desk already.” The receptionist called on her. He finger comb his hair as she stopped by near him and gave her a warm smile.

“Thank you, Paxton, you’re the best. I will check it out later.” She replied to him as she went on to walk forward.

They all seemed enthralled by his beauty that they stared at her until she waded through the rush of employees getting off the elevator.

Luckily, no one came in with her and had a few seconds all to herself. She gave an enormous sigh as she removed her scarf. The building was temperature regulated, and the cold seemed to wear off already. Clicking the fiftieth floor where most of the executives held their office, she waited for the screen to turn to fifty.

Today was a big day for her superior as they prepared the documents for the next product launch. The financials mattered for such an enormous investment. Not only did they work tirelessly on this, but she had to get the marketing department to verify the data coming in for weeks on end. Finally, today the hard work she had been doing would be presented to the executives. She rushed to her desk as the elevator opened on her floor.

“Hi Val! You are just in time. Eric was looking for you. Do visit his office when you are settled in.” A red-haired girl with a body of a model and a face of an angel called on her. It was her best friend who gave her the heads up.

“Cami, my girl! Can you do me a favor? Please call on the coffee house out front to order snacks and coffee for the meeting. I will take these documents to Eric and get them right after. I just wished the metro was more reliable than it is today.” She pouted her lips as if begged for her help.

“You know I can’t say no to you. Besides, this is a small one compared to everything you did for me.” She glanced at her before going back to tapping her laptop to check orders that were stored in their shared file.

“Thanks, Cami! You are my life saver. I can’t wait for this day to be over.” She grumbled under her breath, not wanting anyone to hear her thoughts. She worked tirelessly for this presentation and now that it is almost time, she had run out of energy already.

“Girl, with that porcelain skin and power outfit, you’re going to slay that meeting. Not to mention you have the face of a famous actress. No one’s going to stare at the slides that Eric will discuss. Instead, they would ogle on you. Sometimes, I wonder if you really aren’t rich. The way you style your outfits and your soft skin, it seemed you never worked a day in your life at all. By the way, I saw Paxton bring a package for you, but the last name seemed different. Did you, by any chance, got married without inviting me?” She gave her a side eye. They were each other’s support system. Yet, she kept her past from everyone she came across. All Cami knew was she went to a prestigious university with a full scholarship.

When she first arrived in Chase City, Cami was the first person she stumbled upon on her first day in Astor Industries. They were both trainees at that time. As the training went on, they became best friend sharing their love for food and make up. Now, after four years in the company, they were both on top of their careers as executive assistants.

She coughed up a bit when she heard her talk about marriage. It was a sore topic for her.

“Come on, you know me. You saw my apartment. I am lucky to have these genes. Besides, all that tedious skin routine has to pay off somehow. I don’t want these smoky gray eyes to look all puffy. Besides, if I am going to get married, you would be first in the list of attendees. Anyway, chat with you later. I need to bring this to Eric for one last review before I hand this off to the executives.” She held a couple of folders in both her hands. She turned down Cami’s last comment immediately. Hoping it would be the end of that conversation.

As she walked away from her desk, an envelope slipped out of the documents and onto the floor. She couldn’t miss it for anything as the name were written in bold letters and had a large font occupying half of the envelope.

Without hesitation, she picked it up. Her heart was racing, given the name written was her actual birth name given by her parents. No one knew about that name except a few people in the company. She had specifically requested to use her mother’s maiden name for all business transactions except the legal part. Even Cami didn’t know her full name at this point.

Looking side to side, she was sure no one was near her. She opened it and found a letter. The only words written baffled her.

Hi Valerie,

I know your little secret. I am coming for you, my future wife.

That was all there was, nothing more. No indication of the sender or its origin. In an instant, she found herself rooted to the spot, unable to grasp what to do next. It transported her back five years, to a time when her life bore a stark contrast. She was once an heiress, the privileged owner of Archville City’s largest shipping company. A team of various servants carried every one of her requests out.

After recovering from the shock of the letter, she put up a smiling face and pretended that it didn’t bother her. Although inside, she wanted to run already. She crumpled the paper and kept it hidden in her coat pocket. There was no time to be distracted by mere words. She had covered her tracks and made sure to hire a hacker to remove all traces of her identity on the internet. She was a nobody at the moment, and she liked it that way. Away from the high society and their poker games.

She went her way towards Eric’s office, the chief financial officer of the company. Before she could knock, she gave out a sigh just to let out some of the pent-up energy she had. It was best to talk in a calm demeanor, especially for such a crucial presentation. She didn’t want her personal life to ruin her career just because someone decided to play cat and mouse with her.

“Come in, Valerie.” She heard Eric’s voice acknowledging her before she even knocked on the door.