Chasing Eden Ch. 04-06

This is a spinoff story of my previous series, "Jane in New York." This story follows what happens to Camilla after the series ended. She was one of my favorite characters, so I thought she deserved her own series. However, this a much darker story and doesn't have much of a sexual theme to it. Though there are points where this story alludes to sexual content, the overall theme is drama and mystery.

***

Chapter 4

"You're... you're.... an FBI agent?!"

"That's right," the man said with a glare. "We have a lot to discuss."

"Ummm... Sir? Did I do something wrong?" Camilla asked, trying to stop herself from visibly shaking in front of the agent. "I don't know what I could have possibly done wrong!"

"You can call me Agent Parks. You've done nothing wrong as of yet... but I would like your help with something."

"My help?"

"Yes... I'm doing a bit of investigating, and I think you could provide me some answers I'm looking for."

"Ummm, okay..."

Pacing back and forth, looking down as he scratched his chin, Agent Parks spoke, "I don't know how far along we are, but you've probably been getting some unusual calls. Am I correct about this?"

Thinking back to the phone calls from the company's lawyer, Camilla wondered if these were what he was referring to. But as she thought about the instructions to keep notes of everything Peter was saying, she decided it was strange enough to disclose it to the FBI agent. "I have been getting some calls... telling me to do weird things..."

"Oh, so it's begun."

"What is that supposed to mean?" the blonde asked with a nervous gasp.

"You don't need to worry about anything. I just need you to keep notes of who contacts you and what they want."

"I'm already doing something similar," Camilla explained. "Sunshine's lawyer, Marco, asked me to keep notes of everything Peter does."

"I'm glad you brought that up," Agent Parks responded, approaching Camilla with a confident look. "I'll be needing a copy of that report you send them. And if you could keep an eye on Eddie as well, I'd really appreciate that."

Folding her arms nervously, Camilla looked down before responding, "This is all just so confusing. Can't you tell me what's going on?"

"I wish I could... Just expect to be contacted by several different people over the next few days. I can't tell you why, but there's a lot going on around you. As long as you keep an eye on everything and report it back to me, everything should be okay."

"It doesn't make sense... but I think I can do that..."

"Great," the agent said, before holding the door open for Camilla. "By the way, it's very important you don't let anyone know about this meeting."

As Camilla started to walk past the man, she looked up into his eyes and noticed the serious look on his face. "How do I get in contact with you?"

"You don't need to worry about contacting me. I'll contact you."

***

After a week had gone by, Camilla found herself in the same exact spot. Every morning before she started her day, she would check the little conference room just to see if Agent Parks was there.

He's not here... she said to herself, staring at the empty room. I guess he meant it when he said not to contact him.

Closing her eyes in frustration, Camilla began venting to herself. I still don't understand what's going on, and I'm growing so frustrated trying to keep up with all the extra assignments I've gotten suddenly. Worst of all, I'm alone... with no friends. I just wish I had someone I could talk to...

As she opened her eyes and turned around, she found herself suddenly bumping into another woman. When she looked up, her eyes got big as she realized who it was. "It's you! What are you doing here?!"

The raven-haired woman gave an excited smile before answering, "I decided to get a hotel here as long as you're in town!" Then, placing her hands on her hips, a determined look came over her face as she explained, "I figured this was my best shot at running into you, and look what happened!"

After letting out a sigh of annoyance, Camilla put her head down and expressed, "I feel sorry for your ex-boyfriends because you come off as crazy..."

"Look, I really need this opportunity... Isn't there anything I can do to get a shot?"

"I've already told you..." the blonde said, as she started to walk away. "There's nothing you could do to sway me. This isn't some type of porno. You have to wait your turn like the rest of the world."

"I didn't mean sex!" Leah shouted as she ran in front of Camilla and stopped her in her tracks. "I meant anything... like I could get you coffee, or drive you to your appointments... Anything!"

Looking down at her watch, the talent agent realized she was running a little behind. Not wanting to rely on Uber, she let out a deep breath before saying, "I guess you can give me a ride to the conference center..."

"Absolutely! My car is in the garage! And lucky for you, I have nothing on my schedule today, so I can take you anywhere you need!"

Rolling her eyes, Camilla let out, "Yeah, lucky me..."

***

That afternoon, Peter received an unscheduled phone call from the president of Moonlight. After looking both ways to make sure no one could hear his conversation, he answered, "Yes, Miss Sasha?"

"Why hello my old friend. Long time no talk."

"Can I help you with something?"

"Oh no," the woman said, using a flirtatious voice. "I just wanted to check up on one of my most valuable employees. How is your team doing, by the way?"

"Everything is fine," Peter answered with no emotion in his voice.

"Is Eddie doing well?"

"He's consistent as always."

"And how about the new girl?"

"She's good at her job, but I'll be happy when this project is over."

"Oh, my!" Sasha said, letting out a laugh. "Why would you say something like that?"

"She cries all day and night," Peter explained, shaking his head. "Not to mention she keeps trying to talk to me like I'm going to be her friend after all this."

"Oh Peter, don't be so harsh! Didn't you hear about her recent breakup with that new Branch Director at Sunshine?"

"I've overheard those discussions, but I don't care to take part in them."

"Of course you don't, Peter. You don't care for any gossip at all, now do you?"

A brief moment of silence went by before the mysterious man finally answered, "No."

After another chuckle from the Moonlight president, she quickly switched gears. "Oh, by the way, Greg sent out an email to all the department heads. He wants you to open your laptop and fill out some new disclosure agreements."

"I didn't bring my laptop. Can I just do it on my phone?"

"Wait... what do you mean you didn't bring your laptop?" Sasha asked, sounding suddenly more serious. "How are you getting these contracts done without a computer?"

"Eddie has his laptop and the hotel has a printer and scanner," Peter explained. "Since he handles most of the legal documents, I figured we could just do it all on his computer. Besides, it's such a hassle to bring laptops on airplanes these days."

"Okay... I guess I'm just a little surprised by that..."

"Am I not able to fill the disclosure agreements out on my phone?"

After a long pause, Sasha quickly responded, "I'll check with Greg and I'll get back to you about that..." She then ended the call before letting out a loud groan.

"What's wrong, Sasha?" the CEO asked, causing her to turn her head.

Sasha had a confused look on her face as she stared at the company's CEO while sitting on top of his desk. "Peter said he doesn't have his laptop... but that can't be true..."

"What do you suggest we do? "

"Hmmm... I think we should check with the new girl."

"That sounds like a good idea," the older man said, pulling his phone out. "Maybe it's time Camilla speaks with the company's CEO. "

"What an honor, Greg," Sasha said with a smirk on her face. "Peter doesn't care for her, and based on Marco's reports, she doesn't seem to care for him either, so I'm sure she will be willing to help us."

"Ha... Peter doesn't seem to get along with anyone... Well... not since... that fateful night."

***

After a long day of meetings, Camilla was actually relieved to run into Leah again at the conference center. With a smile on her face, she walked up to the raven-haired woman and pointed out, "I see you're still here."

"I sure am," Leah replied with a smile. "How did your meetings go?"

"They were non-stop, but I'm finally done now. Oh, by the way... would you mind giving me a ride back?"

"Of course! That's why I stayed here. I figured you'd want a ride after such a long day."

As they started the drive back together, Camilla finally felt guilty for the way she had treated the woman in the past. With a deep breath she explained, "Hey Leah... thanks for the rides today... and I'm sorry for calling you crazy earlier. I know you're just trying to do what's best for your career."

"Oh, no problem," the brunette said, completely brushing off the insult. As she kept her eyes on the road, she explained, "I know I'm a little crazy, so I didn't take any offense to it."

"I'm a little crazy, myself," Camilla responded with a chuckle. "I guess you and I aren't that different after all."

"So let me ask you a question. If you guys are going to be here for a few weeks, why not get a rental car? I mean, wouldn't that be more convenient?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought, but Peter was being all weird about it," the blonde answered while realizing her phone was vibrating. Before picking it up, she said, "Hold on just a second," and then answered.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she heard the famous voice say, "Hello, Camilla. This is Greg Hawthorne, the CEO of Sunshine industries."

"Mister Hawthorne!" she responded, as her heart raced. "It's a pleasure to speak with you."

"Oh, the pleasure's all mine! And please, just call me Greg."

"Okay, Mister... I mean Greg... How can I help you?"

"Well, Camilla, I don't really need any help. I just wanted to give you a call and thank you for all your hard work. You've been with Sunshine now for a while, am I right?"

"Yes, Sir... Eight years actually."

Eight years now? Well, since you're such a strong asset to our company, I just wanted to give you a shout, and let you know how much we appreciate you."

"That's so wonderful to hear..."

"You know, we try to take care of our employees here at Sunshine Industries. And even though you're at Moonlight now, you're still part of the family. I just wanted to make that clear."

"Yes, Sir... I really appreciate that."

"Okay, Camilla," the man said, sounding pleased with their conversation. "I'll keep in touch. Until next time, take care!"

"Okay, sounds great! And thank you so much for the call!"

Once the call ended, Camilla quickly opened her notes in her phone and began writing down what happened. "Sorry about that," she said, talking to Leah now as she noted everything that happened in the conversation.

"Who was that?" Leah asked, surprised to hear Camilla act so respectfully on the phone.

"It was the CEO of our company, Greg Hawthorne."

"Oh my God, Craig Hawthorne! What did he want?!"

"He just called to say he appreciates me," the blonde explained with a suspicious look on her face.

"Oh, that's nice of him."

"Yeah... but why after eight years am I now hearing from him for the first time... It's not like I've done anything special lately..."

"Maybe he just finally got around to appreciating you."

"Maybe..." the platinum blonde said, zoning out. Memories from her meeting with Agent Parks started to flood her mind, eventually causing her to groan, "This is all so confusing... I have no idea what's going on..."

Leah turned her head, taking her eyes off the road just long enough to gauge the woman she so desperately wanted to get closer to. "Is everything all right? Do you need to vent about something?"

Suddenly, Camilla's eyes lit up as she finally had the opportunity to talk to someone. However, she unfortunately couldn't tell Leah what was going on, especially after the warning she received from the FBI agent.

"Thank you so much for offering your ear," she said, trying to express how much her heart appreciated the gesture. "But there's just so much going on right now and I don't think I'm allowed to talk about any of it. But just having you there for me today, even though I haven't been treating you well, has lifted a weight off my shoulders."

As Leah reached their hotel and placed the car in park, she looked over at Camilla with a genuine smile. "I totally get it. We all have secrets we can't share with each other. But even if I don't get the deal I was hoping to achieve, I still admire you as a professional in this industry, so I'll help out however I can."

Before exiting the car, Camilla gave the dark-haired woman a genuine smile of her own. "Thank you, Leah. And you know what? I might be needing another ride in the future, so hopefully we'll get together again. And as far as working out a contract, why don't you give me a business card and I'll see what I can do?"

Lighting up like a Christmas tree, the woman quickly went through her bag before pulling out a card and handing it to Camilla. "Thank you so much for considering me!"

***

While walking back to her room, Camilla stared at Leah's business card the entire way as all the thoughts continued to flood her mind. Fortunately for her, making a new acquaintance brought a sense of calmness amidst the early frustrations surrounding the trip.

Hmm... I should at least check her out, she thought, taking a seat in her room. As she opened up her laptop and began her search through all of Leah's media accounts, she came to a surprising realization. This girl is a bit more popular than I thought...

After a few minutes of looking through different websites, Camilla suddenly became lost in her own research. She doesn't have the most followers on this one, but if you add this with these other two pages... and if we could just link them with a promotion... Hmmm...

I mean, she has a cooking page, a modeling page, an agency page... even a vlogging channel... If we could just get one of these to go viral, they'll all be... Oh my God, we should sign this girl...

Suddenly, her concentration was interrupted as her phone vibrated once again. More notes to report to Agent Parks, she said to herself with a little sigh. However, when she realized who was calling, her heart almost skipped a beat... Jane...

"Uh... hello?" she answered, trying to gather herself quickly.

"Hey Camilla!" the old familiar voice replied, bringing back so many bittersweet memories. "I'm so glad I caught you!"

"Yeah.... What's up?"

"Did you hear the big news?!"

"What big news?"

"The mole struck again! There were more screenshots taken, apparently!"

"Okay..." Camilla responded, with a confused expression. "But why do you sound so excited?"

"Because you're all the way in LA right now!" Jane shouted. "Whoever's doing it must be in New York to have access. You're in the clear!"

"Oh my God, you're right! I didn't even think of that... So it had to have been done over there?"

"Well, I don't know the ins and outs of this security stuff, but they're saying by the looks of it, it's almost impossible for it to come from a remote location."

A big smile quickly came over Camilla's face as all her anxiety was being replaced with a newfound sense of hope. Maybe all this mess is finally over... Maybe I'm free from all this stress...

Unfortunately, just as Camilla thought all her problems might get resolved, she heard another familiar voice in the background yelling out, "Babe, what do you want for dinner?"

"Oh, let's cook that meal we tried last week!" Jane announced, sounding even more giddy than when she delivered the good news. Then, returning to her conversation, she explained, "Sorry, Camilla. Veronica and I are still discussing dinner plans."

"Yeah, I heard..." the blonde replied as the smile on her face vanished. Without even realizing it, she was suddenly on Jane's Instagram, unable to recall when she left Leah's page.

"Well, I should probably let you go now. Veronica and I have a dinner date!"

"Yeah, have fun..."

"Okay, thanks! And I hope you can have a stress-free trip now that all this is behind you."

Staring at pictures of Jane in Veronica's arms, Camilla replied, "Yeah... everything's good now..."

"Okay, I'll talk to you soon! Got to go!"

"Okay, bye," the blonde said before ending the call. However, before she could hit the button, she heard Jane and Veronica giggling together. It brought a slew of images and fantasies to her head, making her picture what her life would be if she were the one Jane had chosen.

I guess that would have been me... hanging out with her after work... having dinner dates... cooking together... and holding her in my arms... Instead, I'm here... and everything is supposed to be better now, right?

Fighting off tears, she closed her laptop before putting her head on the desk. Hiding her face from the world, she finally allowed herself to sob quietly in her room.

***

That night, the frustrated woman made her way down to the bar, hoping to find an escape from all her stress. With red eyes and disheveled hair, she walked in silence until she came across the man she had hoped to find.

"Peter..." she said, standing in front of him as he was drinking alone at his own table. "I figured you'd be down here..."

Looking up at her with no emotion, he asked, "May I help you?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about something..."

"What is it?"

"Do you remember that girl you didn't like, Leah? Well, after looking through all her social media accounts, I actually think we should sign her to a deal... She has a lot of potential as an influencer."

Peter stared at Camilla with a blank face for a moment before returning his gaze towards the TV he was originally watching. "Okay."

Raising her eyebrows in confusion, Camilla asked, "It doesn't bother you that I want to make a deal with that girl you dislike so much?"

"I don't like you, but I still hired you," Peter pointed out, shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, I trust you on this. You're the expert, not me."

"I guess you're right about that," Camilla said, looking down. "But thanks for trusting me..."

Peter looked at the broken woman for a second before returning his eyes to the TV once again. Not wanting to leave just yet, Camilla asked, "So, where's Eddie?"

"Probably in his room talking to his wife on the phone. He does that a lot."

"Oh... that's kind of hard to hear right now," the shattered woman said, fighting tears once again.

After another awkward moment of silence, Peter looked at the woman, noticing that she was just standing there quietly. "Is there anything else you need from me? If not, you can leave now."

"Actually... there is... I know you don't like me... but do you mind if I just sit with you for a little while? I promise I won't try to talk to you. It's just... things have been so crazy... and I really don't want to be alone right now... So can I... please?"

Without changing the expression on his face, Peter pushed a chair out for Camilla. "Do you want a drink?"

"Definitely," Camilla answered, taking a seat next to her coworker. Although she felt a bit of relief, there was still pain in her heart. "How long do you plan on staying here?"

"I usually go back to my room around three."

Laughing at herself in pity, Camilla asked, "You probably think I'm such a fucking mess, don't you?"

Without taking his eyes off the TV, Peter shook his head. "I try not to judge others for the way they handle hardships."

"Oh... thank you... I'll let you get back to watching TV now..." Camilla said before getting a drink. However, after a few minutes of silence, she couldn't help herself from trying to start another conversation. "So which team are you rooting for?" she asked, looking at the football game that Peter was watching.