Temporary {Camren}

Chapter 34

For loloreguix

"So, where do we start?" Lauren asked, Camila had frozen as soon as she had got into the headquarters building. She had more than one branch since it was such a large and successful business. So this meant that as soon as they'd gotten through everyone here, if the culprit for some unfortunate reason still wasn't found, then Camila would have to fly out to all of the other branches she had and investigate further. "Camz breathe!" Lauren stood in front of the girl. Lauren pulled the girl into a more private room, she was the big boss and she couldn't be seen in this state by her employees. "Camila." Lauren said firmly but in a comforting tone. Camila gulped and stared at her wife. "There's so many people Lauren, what if it's nobody here and I have to go to some of the other branches that are all the way across the world?" Lauren rubbed her shoulders and smiled sadly. "We'll find them baby, I bet the person is here. They probably thought that they could get away with it here because this is the main building where tons of people are and they'd never be found. Well now they have." "Not yet." Camila sighed. "I know we'll find them Camz, in fact isn't Mani working today?" "Y-yeah I think so." Camila stuttered. "That's good, I'll ask her to help us out." Lauren smiled. "Don't worry Camila, we'll sort it out." Camila took a deep breath and slowly wrapped her shaking arms around her wife. "Thanks Lauren." "It's okay. I'll go get Mani, you go to the office and start calling people in." Camila nodded and headed to the elevator. "You're coming too, Mani's working on the fifth floor." Camila told her as she pulled Lauren in last minute. "Right. I forget sometimes how big this place is." Lauren said. "If you need me, you remember where my office is right?" Lauren nodded. "Yeah." Camila kissed her cheek and the door opened for Lauren's floor. "Don't worry too much babe. You'll be fine." Lauren reminded her before the door shut. "Uh huh." Camila breathed as the elevator doors closed, leaving Lauren alone on the other side. "Right, Mani." Lauren mumbled to herself. Lauren looked into the sea of employees and somehow by a miracle spotted the dark skinned girl at a table at the back going through some folders. "Normani Kordei!" Lauren said professionally, capturing the girls attention. "M-Miss Jauregui, what are you doing here?" A passing employee asked, stuttering as she flirted. "God. Get back to work Eliza, if you do this every time I see you then I'm going to have to tell my wife about it." Lauren emphasised, after that the girl quickly backed off. "Sorry Normani." Lauren apologised for the unscheduled yet half expected delay as she approached her friend. "Hi." "Hi, what are you doing up here?" "Can I talk to you for a second? It's private." Lauren muttered quietly. Normani stood up and directed Lauren into a small room. "What's going on? Is everything okay? Are you alright? Shit, is Mila alright? Am I fired?" "What? No Mani you've been really great here. Camila's always, since the moment she hired, you been telling me what an amazing asset you are." Normani breathed out gladly. "Good, now what's wrong?" Lauren did a last minute check for people before she pulled the blinds, then shutting and locking the door. "Someone is taking out money from the business intakes." "Oh my god." Normani gasped. "I know, it's crazy. Can you help us to interview some people today? Profits are falling and it's really stressing Camila out. She nearly had a panic attack when she came in." Normani nodded hurriedly. "Yeah. Of course I'll help you. I mean there's so many people, there's no way you'd get it done as fast as with more help." "Thanks, oh and if you help us find them, I can talk Camila into a promotion for you." Lauren winked. "I freaking love you Laur." Normani grinned. "I know girl I know, now, we gotta work. Do you have an office you can use yet?" "I wish, I've got a desk as you saw coming in, but nowhere that's suitable to do any interviews." "Camila's got an array of offices just next to her one, I'm sure she won't mind us using them." Lauren said as she pushed the elevator button and waited for it. "I can't believe this." Normani sighed. "I know, please don't mention it in front of people. We need to keep this on the down low as much as possible." Lauren said as she doors opened. "Oh right. I'm sorry, my bad." Lauren stopped outside her wife's office and waited for the person to come out before Camila had allowed them in. "Come in, and shut the doors behind you please." Camila motioned through the glass doors. "Any luck?" Camila didn't even look up as she shook her head. "Mani's going to help us do the interviews today. We just wanted to check we could use the offices next to yours?" "Yeah yeah yeah. That's fine guys." Camila said rushing through folders. "Are you okay?" "Yes I just need to call the next person in. I've left two piles of files of employees over there for you, just grab them and get to work!" Camila said as she picked the next one up. Normani and Lauren got the folders and left obediently. "Fuck, Camila can be really scary as the boss.." Lauren mumbled. "Yeah. You're telling me." Normani chuckled nervously. "I'll go left, you go right. There's a pager on the desk and there's a pager code in the employee's folder, so call them in like that okay?" Lauren instructed Normani knowingly, it was lucky she had been around Camila in work enough to know these things than badger her about it in the mood she was in; that mood being terribly anxious. "Good luck." Normani wished her. "You too. Text me if there are any problems." "Same to you." The dark skinned girl said as she went into her office for the day. Lauren did the same and sat in the leather chair. She took a brief moment to look at the large stack of files on her desk she'd just put down and sighed. She looked through the glass into Camila's office where she was talking to an employee with an intimidating look on her face. Camila was in her big, bad, boss mode and Lauren knew it was going to be a long day. Lauren flicked through the first folder and called the first person in. "You wanted to see me Miss Jauregui?" "That's right. Sit down Zara." Lauren instructed as she flicked onto a blank report place and inserted the date and looked up. Lauren was the more warm of the two in these situations so she started off warm. "How are you doing with work? Everything okay?" "Yeah, I love it here. Miss Cabello is the best boss I've ever had." Lauren nodded at the thought. "Mrs Jauregui actually. I know she's a great boss. Now I'd like to ask you a few questions, is that alright Zara?" Lauren asked, the girl nodded. "Are you satisfied with your pay?" "It's reasonable." She nodded. "Good. Any financial problems?" "Uh..that's a bit personal isn't it?" "It's necessary Miss Langdon. Please answer the question." "Not recently, no." She huffed. "Mhm. Have you noticed anything suspicious lately regarding our business income? Some odd or any strange activity on pay days? Anything like that?" Lauren questioned her in a warm voice. On Camila's side, she was more tough. "I want to know about the financial status of this business, you're downstairs with the money." The girl's eyes went from the paper to Camila's. "I don't know a lot I just deliver the cheques down." "I think you know more than that. It's a big business and words get around. Do not lie to me Alessia." "Mrs Jauregui, I swear. Boss, I haven't seen, nor heard anything." "Fine. You may go." "Am I fired?" Camila looked up boldly at her. "Should you be?" "N-no." "Well on your way then." The girl gulped and bolted. "Don't run!" Camila scolded. "I-I'm sorry!" She yelled and walked painfully slowly out despite her urge to run away from the office. Camila sighed and her eyes went to Lauren who seemed to be handing her next interview well, better than her. By the end of this, everyone would be scared of her. Camila took a deep breath and let her elbows hit the desk as she ran her hands through her hair. When Normani knocked on her door, the Cuban didn't even look up as she called for them to come in. "Mila?" She asked in a gentle voice. "What is it Normani?" "Are you okay?" "Did you get anywhere?" "No." Normani sighed. "Then no, I'm not okay." "I came in to say I'm out of files." "There's more on the desk." Camila replied simply, not bothering to lift her eyes from the desk she had her elbows on. "It's late, we're coming up to 11pm. Don't you think we should carry on tomorrow?" "Normani I need to sort this out now." "Camila I know you're worried about this, but there's so many people and everyone's tired by now. You've honestly got a better chance with this in the morning babe." "Not here Normani, did you just forget I'm your boss?" "You may be my boss here but you're also my friend and I know damn well what you can be like when you're this stressed, and it's not good." Camila looked up at her friend with a pained expression. "Shall I get Lauren? It looks like she's finishing up her last interview." Camila sighed and nodded reluctantly. Normani smiled at the girl sadly and knocked on Lauren's door. "Nothing." Lauren sighed. "Same here. But that's not what I came to tell you, Camila is upset, Lauren." Lauren closed the folders up and put them in a draw, locking it before she followed her friend to her wife's office. "Camz? You okay sweetheart?" Lauren asked as she knelt by her wife. Camila didn't lift her head and sniffled "Shh, hey, don't cry." Normani shot her a worried look. "You can go home now, thank you for your help today. Goodnight Mani." Camila gulped as she kept her voice enough to tell her. Normani left the room and put the files in her temporary office before she left. As soon as Normani had left the room Camila broke down in tears and was spilled into her wife's arms. "Shh it's okay, we'll find them." Lauren kissed Camila's head and held onto her tightly. "I-I've been through a t-total of 70 people. A-And I've got n-nothing!" Camila sobbed. "Mani didn't get a thing clue-wise and I don't suppose you did either." The Cuban sniffled. "No. I went through 50 people like Mani did and I didn't get anything." Lauren admitted reluctantly. "This job is s-so s-stressful sometimes." Camila pulled back to look at Lauren who instantly wiped her eyes for her. "I know. But listen mama we're all working together and we have more chance of finding them than we would if it were just you alone. We'll try again tomorrow, we all need a good amount sleep so we'll have a fresh pair of eyes tomorrow morning." Camila chuckled sadly. "Yeah that's what Normani said." Lauren stroked the hair out of her face. "She's right, come on babe. Everyone will have gone now, let's lock up and go home." Camila took a deep breath and nodded hesitantly before she stood up with Lauren to leave. "Good girl." The green eyed girl mumbled and kissed her temple. Lauren drove home and Camila was quiet on the way, shutting herself in with music coming from her earphones. Camila opened the door, going straight past Lauren just as if she wasn't even there. "Camz wait for me." Lauren pouted, but Camila ignored the plea and continued up the stairs. "I'm tired Lauren." Lauren sighed and took off her shoes. "Great, gotta love grumpy Camila." She grumbled to herself. The Cuban heard her but she wasn't in the mood to challenge the girl about it, and plus, she was right. Camila was laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling as tears made their way down her cheeks. She wasn't so much sad as she was stressed out. Lauren appeared at the door. "Why are you in here babe? This is the guest room." She said, seeming hurt but she tried not to show it. "Can I be by myself tonight?" Camila mumbled, she refused to even look at her wife. Lauren was in shock and undeniably hurt but nodded and muttered "Goodnight." before she turned out the light and shut the door. Lauren curled up in their bed beneath the duvet and sighed. She had always hated sleeping alone, it was unnerving and Lauren felt like every time she did there was a bad experience to go with it. It hurt her that Camila would choose sleep in the guest room just because she was stressed out. Did she think that Lauren wasn't stressed out about the missing money too? Hell, did she even notice she had to run to the bathroom a total of five times to be sick, alone, and cry, alone. She guessed not considering Camila was ignoring her and sleeping in another room by choice. And Lauren really hoped if, no when she woke up in the night Camila would have come into their room and cuddled up with her in her sleep. But she didn't.