Chapter 8
Chapter 7 Camille
Mia: Please make sure to be at school before the twins‘ dismissal, Anna. Don’t talk to strangers. Thank you.
After sending the message to Anna, I stared at the picture of my twin on my wallpaper.
Ryker 17
was right. Rylie looked a lot like me. We had the same face when I was a child. The only difference was the color of our eyes.
Hers was a shade of green, while mine…
I swallowed hard and stared at my reflection on the elevator’s p
spolished surface.
It’s hazelnut. Not… violet.
Gavin’s voice pulled me back to the present, and I turned to face him.
“You look troubled. Worried about the twinst Want to ride back and check on them?”
I quickly shook my head, smiling. “No, Boss. I’m fine, I have full trust in my kids; I’m sure they’ll rock their first day
“Good. How about we treat the kids to some pizza later? There’s a new joint down in Santa Monica Heard they’ve got the best pies around. We could even swing by the beach”
“That’s possible if you can finish your schedule for today, Boss. I’m your secretary, and I doubt that would be possible. I even had to adjust your schedule to accommodate Juliana’s meeting. I said, caming a groan from him
“Oh, that brat. I’d really prefer if she took a break so I could take one too
“You’re the boss, Gavin Breaks don’t come easy for CEOs I teased, reviewing his schedule and secretly hoping we could take the kids out for dinner tonight.
He sighed as we walked down the hallway to his floor. “Yeah, and though I love our company, sometimes it sucks to be the CEO. But I’m lucky to have you as my efficient secretary. Think you could work your magic and carve out a little time for us to enjoy later?” he said, draping his arm over my shoulder.
“Gavin
I laughed but halted abruptly upon hearing Juliana’s voice.
She looked at me coldly, her eyes flicking to Gavin’s arm on my shoulder. I immediately stepped away from him.
“What are you doing here? This is my floor,” Gavin said, furrowing his brows, not even bothering to hide his annoyance.
She walked toward us. From the first time I saw Juliana until now, I’ve never been comfortable in her presence. It’s that feeling where you know everything you do will be criticized.
That’s Juliana Winslow for me.
I remembered how she voiced her disapproval when Gavin decided to make me his secretary three years ago.
“I told you to be early because I wanted to discuss something with you
“We have a meeting later, Juliana. Can’t that wait?
“No” Her answer was curt, and I could feel the tension rising between them again. Juliana glanced at me. “I want an iced Americano from the cafe across the street”
I smiled I’d much rather buy her an iced Americano than get caught in their sibling’s war.
“Mia’s my secretary–Gavin started, his frustration evident
“It’s fine, sir.” I interrupted quickly. I’ll grab coffee for both of you.”
1/3
11:12 AM C
Chapter 8
Before he could say a word, I excused myself.
Gavin called after me, but I ignored him. He’s probably worried that I’d be sad about how his sister treats me, but truth be told, I was just glad to get away from them.
“Good morning, Mia.” Travis–the head of the finance account and the son of Mr. Coleman, one of the biggest investors in Winslow Architectural Corporation–greeted me as I stepped out of the Winslow building.
I smiled politely. “Good morning. Travis
“Where are you headed?” he asked, falling into step beside me instead of heading into the building
“Coffee.” I replied simply.
“For you?”
“For the bosses”
“Gavin and Juliana?” he asked, hesitating slightly as he said Juliana’s name. Even without looking at him, I could feel the guilt emanating from him as we carefully crossed the road.
Juliana had never liked me, but her annoyance had turned into something deeper after Travis Coleman declined the Winslow family’s marriage proposal for their daughter. She was convinced that I was the reason Travis Coleman rejected her, as he had once asked me out.
“Is she giving you trouble again?” he asked softly.
1 sighed and stopped outside the cafe, turning to face him. Since he was over six feet tall, I had to tilt my head up to meet his gaze. “Travis, no. It’s my job”
“But you’re Gavin’s secretary
“And she’s also my boss,” I cut him off. “She’s not picking on me. We’re fine. I forced a smile, hoping to shift the mood. “Want anything? Coffee? It’s on me–or, well, on the company card,” 1 joked lightly.
He laughed and shook his head. “I already had coffee, but a slice of cake sounds tempting
We stepped into the cafe and joined the line, charting casually about the twins.
“It’s their birthday soon, right?” he asked.
“Yes, two months from now” I replied.
“Can I invite myself to their party!”
I chuckled, about to respond when a staff member called out, “Hot double shot for Camillet
It was such a common name, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it–except the order was familiar to me.
My heartbeat quickened as I turned toward the counter, unable to resist watching for the person who had placed the order.
“Mia! It’s your turn, Travis said, tapping my shoulder gently.
I cleared my throat, forcing myself to look away from the woman collecting the order. She seemed oddly familiar, but I brushed it off. Maybe I’d just seen her around before.
“One iced Americano, a caramel macchiato, and two slices of blueberry cheesecake, I ordered, trying to focus.
But something felt off. Today just wasn’t going my way–from my strange dreams to Ryker’s question earlier, to that familiar back and now this.
“Lium, I’ve picked up your order, I suddenly heard the woman say,
My hands trembled, and the company card slipped from my grasp.
“Mia” Concerned, Travis bent down retrieve the card.
ப
him
I swallowed hard, stealing a glance over my shoulder. My heart sank as I saw hi
The momter–1 Lim Anderson.
He was about to turn in my direction.
11:12 AM M
Chapter 8
No. This can’t be happening.
Panicking. I turned back to the counter, my voice shaky as I added to the order. “Oh, and an iced latte for me.”
Travis raised a brow. “You” Drinking coffee? That’s new” He sounded amused, knowing I’d never touched coffee in all the time he’d known me Only Gavin was aware of my allergy
I forced a smile. “You sure you don’t want any coffee? 1 teased, trying to mask the growing
He shook his head and handed me the card.
As we turned to leave, a man stepped in front of us
“Camille.” he said, his voice filled with an emotion I couldn’t place.
His green eyes weren’t the same as I remembered. They weren’t cold or ruthless anymore. Instead, they were soft, almost pleading, as if he wanted nothing more than to pull me into an embrace..
“Camille…” he repeated, about to close the small distance between us.
I tiled my head. feigning confusion. “I’m sorry, sir. I think you’ve mistaken me for someone.”
Before he could say a word, I turned to Travis Tjun go to the restroom.”
I walked past him, feeling the weight of his gaze lingering on me, heavy and searching.
“Liam, come on They just look alike, but their eyes aren’t the same. She’s not Camille.”
Yes, that’s right. I’m not Camille.
That woman you’re looking for..
She’s already dead.
Ө
