Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“Vitamos” Camila squeezed out a smile and added, “I don’t eat enough vegetables. I’m trying to get some nutrients”

You should spend some time learning to cook instead of always ordering takeout Eating real food is much better than relying on supplements

Claire spoke with heartfelt concem, then continued to focus on making ravioli. “I will, I promise”

Camila was relieved that her mom didn’t suspect anything “Mom, why don’t you go upstairs and rest a bit? I’ll finish making the ravioli,” “Nice try, but the ravioli you make is a bit of a mess. They’d ruin my reputation,” Claire said with a hint of disdain

“What do you mean, a mess?”

וד

11 your office wasn’t so far from home, I really wouldn’t want you living on your own. You can’t even cook properly, and always having takeout Look how thin you’ve gotten” Claire said, her eyes full of concem.

“Tm not thin. I’ve got a great figure, Camila retorted, hands on her hips.

Claire watched her daughter, dressed in a smart pencil skirt and blouse, her fine figure and delicate features reminiscent of a TV drama’s career woman. She beamed. “You are so beautiful. I wonder which lucky man will end up marrying you”

“Let’s drop that subject” Camila said, waving her hand dismissively.

“Alright, it’s your life. I’ve made some ravioli for you to take back and freeze. After you finish them, I’ll send more.”

Claire carefully packed the neatly made ravioli into a container.

“Thanks, Mom I’m heading back now. Call me anytime, or you can reach out to Cole,” Camila said, hugging her mom with a big grin.

“You rascal,” Claire chuckled, giving her a light pat on the back.

Camila winced playfully.

“Drive safely, and call me when you get there.”

“Will do”

The next day, Camila got up early, applied some lipstick after her morning routine, and left for work.

As expected, she hit traffic. The journey from her house to the subway station took over half an hour alone, and after changing subway lines three times, she finally arrived at the headquarters by 8:30 AM.

Work started at 9 AM. She went to the restroom to swap her sneakers for high heels and checked her appearance before entering the

office

The sign for [Future Inc.] was strikingly conspicuous and stylish. The receptionist was already at her post. After Camila introduced herself, the receptionist, Tina, warmly escorted her to the waiting room and served her a cup of coffee. “Hi, I’m Tina, the receptionist. Please relax here for a while. A colleague from HR will be with you shortly to complete your onboarding process.”

“Thank you.”

After returning to her desk, Tina excitedly told a colleague who just arrived, “The new CEO’s personal secretary is absolutely stunning. I hope she catches Mr. Connor’s eye–I’d love to work with her!”

Faith scoffed, “How pretty can she be? Weren’t the previous ones pretty, too? Sadly, they left after just a few days.”

“She’s different! She’s not just pretty. She has class. You’ll see what I mean when you meet her!” Tina said confidently, crossing her arms and lifting her chin proudly.

It wasn’t long before an HR employee came to process Camila’s entry formalities.

“Doesn’t work start at nine? Everyone seems to be here early.” Camila glanced at her watch. It was only 8:45 AM, yet most desks were already occupied.

“Mr. Connor usually arrives at nine, so everyone tends to come a bit earlier.”

Camila nodded, realizing she would need to leave home by 6:30 AM daily during her time at the headquarters.