Jane developed a good friendship with Camilla over the next several weeks. Though she enjoyed having sex with her roommate, it was their trust in each other that meant the most to her.
The new coworkers could depend on each other for anything. There were very few people in Camilla's life that she could rely on. It was nice to have someone she could talk to about her past without fear of judgment.
The young Asian didn't expect to develop such a close friendship. Ever since her sad goodbye with Veronica, she didn't know if she could ever trust anyone again. However, Camilla proved worthy of her trust.
Surprisingly, Jane was comfortable speaking about her past relationship with Camilla. It wasn't awkward at all because they understood that there were demons and insecurities that needed to be worked through.
This was more important than ever, now that they knew they would be visiting Jane's former city. Camilla understood it would be an emotional time for her friend and was cautious to bring up the possibility of running into Veronica.
There was another overbearing topic in the back of Camilla's mind. She knew that eventually, Sunshine Industries would open a new branch. She wanted so badly to be that branch manager, but she also understood that Jane could be her biggest competition.
When Camilla showed up to work, she expected to work on her own assignments like any other day. Though the trip was coming up, she didn't anticipate discussing it with Miranda yet. Much to her surprise, it was a bigger deal than she originally thought.
She was called into her supervisor's office. When she got inside, it surprised her to see the hiring and recruiting coordinator sitting with Miranda. "Cynthia! How are you?"
"I'm good, Camilla. How about you?"
"I'm doing well. What are you doing here?"
"Have a seat," Miranda instructed as they scooted closer to the desk.
"What is this all about?" Camilla asked.
"We have a couple important topics we need to discuss with you," Cynthia started. "As you know, you and Jane are going back to her old city. Now we are sure that everything is going to be okay, but we want to be on top of things in case of any potential issues."
Camilla furrowed her eyebrows. "Okay..."
"Do you know if Jane has been in contact with her previous company?"
"I think she still talks to some of them."
"Do you know if she plans on seeing any of them?"
"She's been thinking about it, but I'm not sure if she has anything planned yet."
"As you know, we kind of stole Jane by making her a better offer," Cynthia pointed out. "If her company were to get their shit together and make her a big offer, is there any concern that they could sway her back?"
"I really don't think so," Camilla answered with a serious look.
"You may need to step in if she tries to see them," Cynthia suggested.
The blonde shook her head. "I don't think that will be necessary. She has previous relationships; everyone does. I think it would be silly to stop her from interacting with them."
"Are you sure?" Miranda asked.
"She's a smart girl," Camilla said with a confident nod. "I think she deserves our trust."
"You know her better than us," Miranda replied. "I'll just trust your judgment on this one."
Camilla sighed in relief. She was uncomfortable with the idea of stopping Jane from talking to her old friends.
"Onto our next topic," Cynthia said, much to the blonde's surprise. "We have some important information for you. Sunshine has a new office opening on the other side of the city."
"Really?!"
Cynthia nodded her head. "Now, it's ultimately up to the board members to hire the new branch director, but Miranda and I strongly recommend you get the position."
Camilla almost jumped out of her seat. "That's amazing!"
"You can fill out an early application through the company's portal," Cynthia explained. "Not everyone knows about it, but it will give you a leg up if you fill out the early application."
"I'll get right on it," the blonde eagerly responded. However, the expression on her face changed as she thought of something. "Have you told Jane about this?"
Cynthia and Miranda looked at each other. "That's sort of what we wanted to talk to you about."
"What do you mean?"
"There are several very strong candidates for this position," the hiring coordinator explained. "Jane is actually one of them. The board has loved her ever since she got here, but we want to make sure you get the position."
The younger woman grew suspicious. "What do you mean?"
"We think it might be a good idea to not let her know about the early application," Miranda suggested. "She might be your biggest competition for this position."
Camilla looked around, confused. "You're not going to tell her?"
"We want to know what you think," Miranda said.
Camilla furrowed her eyebrows in frustration. "We all knew she would be a threat to my future path before we even hired her. I knew it better than anyone... but this wasn't part of the plan."
"It's a new plan that Miranda and I came up with," Cynthia replied with a confident look. "It's the only way we can assure you get a leg up on her."
Before Camila could give her thoughts, Miranda interrupted her. "Just think about all you've done for this company. Jane is very smart and has great potential, but you've dedicated your life to Sunshine. She doesn't deserve this as much as you do. Nobody deserves this as much as you do!"
Camilla was suddenly at a loss for words. As much as she hated to admit it, she agreed with Miranda. This was her dream, and she felt like she deserved it.
"Be honest with me," Cynthia said, staring into Camilla's eyes. "How badly do you want this promotion?"
"More than anything... This has been my dream ever since I got here."
"We're not telling you what to do," Miranda explained. "We just want you to know about the position, and we want you to know there's a way of gaining an upper hand on your biggest competition."
A slight smile grew on Camilla's pretty face as she leaned back against the seat. With a confident tone, she simply replied, "I understand," before getting up and leaving.
As Camilla left, Cynthia turned towards Miranda and asked, "Do you think she's going to tell her?"
"I don't know," Miranda responded. "That Camilla is so hard to judge."
"She is very smart. I'd assume she would want to do what's best for her own future."
"There's just no telling with her," the supervisor said, almost laughing. "Camilla lives by her own rules."
