Old Money || Shawmila [Completed]

2. New office

It was a hectic day like any other and Camila didn't have much time to waste. This was what she repeated herself every time she ignored one of her mother's phone calls. Beatriz Cabello would have kept her on the phone for hours on end, and would surely have found a reason to reprimand her. Camila had neither time nor desire to hear her babbling. She was aware that she was no daughter of the year – and that she had never been  – but after years of misunderstanding and quarrelling, she didn't have enough patience left to pretend to be interested in what her mother had to say to her.

So she ignored the incessant notifications that appeared on her phone screen and focused on the documents she had under her nose. It was pure and simple bureaucracy, boring paperwork that had to be filled out almost daily to make sure that Alicia's perfect image wasn't compromised. It definitely wasn't Camila's dream job, but for the moment she didn't dare to complain about it. She was at the beginning of a promising working career, and she was working for a senator: many would have gone crazy to be in her shoes. And if it meant being bound on a simple desk filling out forms, she would have done it without saying a word. Surely it was an improvement from her previous works. She had gone from being a waitress, to an impromptu spy, to a mostly- ignored intern. The role of lawyer was definitely her best position.

When the sun was setting and the working day was coming to an end, Camila was happy to finally be able to go home, get rid of those painful shoes and strip off her formal clothes. But from what it seemed, Alicia had different plans for her. Usually being called inside her office was not a promising event, Senator Garcia reserved that space only for her closest collaborators or for employees about to be fired. With small and fast steps, Camila headed to the much feared office and knocked on the door. When she entered, her aunt's face was gloomy, pasty. «Camila, take a seat» she said quietly, with a forced smile, as she pointed to the armchair in front of her.

Sitting in front of the woman, it was difficult for Camila to hide the shaking of her hands. She already imagined herself pathetically pleading not to be fired, perhaps prostrate at the feet of her aunt. But before she could open her mouth, Alicia began to speak. «This is quite a delicate issue, Camila. Beatriz called». Hearing her mother's name, Camila froze. A very bad feeling squeezed her stomach into a knot. Why would her mother call her own sister? And what did Camila have to do with all this? The senator continued to speak. «She said she tried to contact you all day long and in the end she had to turn to me» she took a deep breath and blurted out: «It's about your father. He had a stroke».

*

Packing her suitcase with her vision blurred by tears was not an easy task. Eventually Camila had given up and filled her luggage with random clothing, not that she really cared about her outfit. In fact, the last twelve hours of her life had been so chaotic that she was not even aware of what had happened.

Initially she had pondered about taking the first possible flight and reaching her parents as soon as possible. She had no idea what would happen to her father and wanted to be by his side in case the worst happened. Her mother had updated her on what had happened and Camila had discovered that the man not only had a single stroke, but three. The first had been nothing serious, but the doctors had decided to keep him under observation for the night. And as they had feared, the artery that carried blood to her father's brain had clogged again and again, leading him to a critical situation.

But before she could book her flight, Alicia Garcia showed up at her door with a serious expression and a letter in her hand. The senator had told her that after a long reflection she was convinced that the best choice for Camila was to ask for her resignation. «Your family needs you and living on the other side of the country doesn't help you. I had big plans for you, Camila, but now you have more serious problems to think about. I am sure that sooner or later you will be able to achieve the goal you set for yourself». Camila didn't have much left to say. Her mother and aunt had already made a decision for her, and even if Camila protested, the end result would not have changed. Also, having the chance to be close to her father at a time like that was a nice plus.