The Elusive Bride

4. A ball of nerves

VALERIE’S HEART RACED, its pounding echoing in her ears like a relentless drumbeat. The salty scent of the ocean lingered in her mind, as if she was submerged deep underwater with a massive boulder pressing against her chest. She released a long, shuddering breath and forced a flawless smile upon her lips. Despite the trembling in her legs, she mustered the strength to walk steadily towards Eric’s desk.

“Good morning, Eric.” She greeted him politely. Keeping it short and sweet, not wanting to show her true feelings.

Focusing on the man looking like in his late thirties or early forties with a buff body and slicked back hair. Although, he was far older than he looked, with his gray hairs striking out here and there at the moment. He seemed to embrace this new trend of showing off his seniority with his hair. He looked dashing in his navy coat and white-collared shirt. She can’t help but admire his demeanor.

Although deep inside, she was about to explode from those simple words in the letter. In Chase City, she was a stranger to everyone, or at least that’s what she believed. She made sure her past was well buried, its scars hidden beneath a carefully crafted facade. Yet, it managed to catch up with her again.

“Good morning, Val. Are the documents ready?” with a raspy low voice, Eric raised his hand to check the folders she had prepared.

“Yes, Eric. Everything is in place. The slides are on the cloud server and files are accessible in the conference room. I had a mock run yesterday, and it went smoothly. I have placed the order for the drinks and snacks, and I was about to pick them up in a few minutes. Is there anything else you need?” she handed him the folders with the names written on the side for each executive.

Eric took a quick scan of the first folder and nodded as he found each page to his liking. Quite impressed by the work he had done, he smiled at her. “This is ready for distribution. Oh, kindly add another copy for our new Chief Marketing Officer. Carter just informed me that a new member will be joining us. This means we will be offloaded of these number crunching stuff from marketing moving forward.” He passed off the documents across his desk for her to take in.

“Before I forget, please add another order to the drinks. He wasn’t part of the initial list I sent you. Thank goodness they found a replacement after all these months of looking. Hopefully, he sticks around longer than the last one we had. I am already breaking my back with this added responsibility.” He then went back to his laptop to continued whatever he was working on. Even with the workload dumped on him, he still managed to go home on time, but occasionally he would rant in front of her. He was comfortable enough to speak his thoughts around her.

She welcomed those talks. It helped her navigate easier around him. With all the office politics going on, she was in the perfect position to leverage her inside knowledge from her colleagues.

“Got it. Consider everything done already.” She replied to him. Even though he wasn’t paying much attention to her, she still wanted to let him know she got the order. She gave him a curt smile before she turned around to rush the new copy and to add another coffee to the list of things she had to do.

As the morning sun filtered through the office windows, casting a warm glow on the cold granite floor, she surveyed the room. The sound of typing and hushed conversations filled the air, creating a symphony of productivity. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted from the nearby break room, mingling with the faint aroma of paper and ink.

Every executive had a designated seat, meticulously arranged the day before. Now, she faced the daunting task of rearranging them to accommodate the newcomer. A knot of tension formed in her stomach, knowing that this day would be far more challenging than she had anticipated.

She hurriedly made her way to the restroom, seeking solace and composure. The icy touch of a cold draft sent shivers down her spine, a chilling warning echoing the note she had received earlier.

Gazing into the mirror, the reflection staring back at her seemed almost unrecognizable. The youthful innocence that once radiated from her eyes had vanished, replaced by an icy stare and a stoic expression.

The harsh reality of that fateful day when she walked away from her own wedding hit her like a ton of bricks. Now, her past was closing in on her, but she couldn’t discern the direction it would come from. Determined to face whatever lay ahead, she tore the note into shreds and discarded it into the nearby garbage bin, the sound of crumpled paper adding to the tension in the air.

Splashing some cold water in her face, it assured her that she still feel something but love was off the table. Never again would she devote her time and attention to a man. Especially to those who only saw her as an object of desire and nothing more.

“No one’s going to treat you like a trash. You have gone this far to be stepped upon by Paul and his family.” She reminded herself as she cleaned up her makeup and applied a retouch. Good thing she used waterproof make up today. It was easier to redo the small spots than applying everything.

It took her sometime to return to her desk, but she made sure to prepare all the things Eric mentioned. She even went back and forth between her desk and the conference room to set everything again. In between preparing and running around, she managed to prepare a resignation letter if in case someone from her past showed up. All these years, she was careful, but she knew the day would come and she could no longer hide. When that day comes she hoped she was prepared to either face the past or have courage to run again.

“Hey, Cami, I am going down to get the orders. Please tell Eric the documents are in the room already. I will be back before the meeting starts.” She muttered to her friend, as if not wanting another soul to hear her.

“Sure thing, girl. I got your back. Oh, can you reserve us a table in the cafe for lunch? I want to treat you later. I have some news to share.” She smiled and winked at her. The high-pitched tone in her voice gave it away. There were some juicy rumors she wanted to spill. Well, they usually go out if they want to discuss those kinds of stuff. Just to make sure no one overheard them and the cafe was the perfect place. Everyone ate at the building cafeteria or the restaurant below. No one liked to be cramped in the small cafe across the street.

“Oh, looking forward to that. Let me get our usual spot, then.” She smiled as she rushed off to the elevator.

A BLACK SUV STOPPED AT ASTOR INDUSTRIES and a tall blonde man in his thirties stepped out of the car. He wore a tailored fit gray suit matched with a navy blue necktie that made his dark green eyes pop.

Carter, the CEO of Astor Industries, stood at the main entrance lobby. A rare citing given he always used the elevator in the basement.

“Mason, glad you accepted our offer. Welcome on board our team. Let me walk you through the office and we can discuss along the way your concerns about the benefits.” Carter offered his hand for a handshake at him.

“Carter, it’s good to be part of the team. You are still so formal, even though we were college roommates. You know me. We can finalize everything later for now. I want to explore and get acquainted with the company. Also, please use my first name when introducing me. I am uncomfortable using my second name in business settings.” Mason shook his hand and gave him a tap on the shoulders. They both laughed like silly boys who got reunited.

“By the way, I she here?” Mason asked candidly. The only reason he took the job was because of her and nothing else. That was why the benefits weren’t a done deal, because he wasn’t after those. He had money to support himself, after all.