Faking It | Wattys 2022

Chapter 1

"What the hell do you mean you're not coming out? It's my birthday!" Harry stormed into Camila's office. "You have to come out and celebrate,"

"Apparently, my dad loves you enough to know that your birthday was last month," Camila continued typing up the document she had been working on all morning. "My high school is doing some stupid ten-year reunion this weekend and my dad wants me to make an appearance."

"Who cares about high school reunions besides the people who peaked in high school?" Harry let out a sad sigh. "I really wanted to take you to that new club on Stuart St."

"I'm sorry, Harry, but there's no way I'm getting out of this without getting dragged and locked in my house like fucking Rapunzel,"

"Understandable, I guess," Harry took a sip of her coffee, grimacing at how bitter it is. "I never understood why you drink this shit,"

"It's not my fault you like to drink milk with a splash of coffee," Camila rolled her eyes. "How's the boyfriend?"

"A pain in the ass like usual," Harry grumbled under his breath. "I'm surprised your mom wants you to get hitched. Well, not really, but sort of. Being in a relationship with somebody is fucking draining as hell."

"Why don't you just break up with him?" Camila suggested, taking off her reading glasses as she looked at her best friend. "Or do you plan to keep stringing him along until your dick falls off?"

"He's annoying yet I love him," Harry answered without hesitating. "That's what love is, y'know? That person could make you want to rip your hair out, but at the end of the day, they're the only person you want to lay down with at night. Of course, you would never know that."

"Alright, enough talking. Get out, you're being a distraction."

"You sure you aren't just thinking about Vives?" Harry smirked.

"Jesus, no. That woman is a walking red flag, I don't want her near me anymore. We ended that thing awhile ago."

"Hate to break it to you, but you're also a walking red flag. If you're not going to come out, I guess I can swing by with Shawn and we can get drunk at your place."

Camila grinned. "I'm not joining your threesome if that's what you're hinting at,"

"Get your head out of the gutter, Cabello!" Harry shouted as he left out her office.

Once she was sure that he was gone, she pulled out the contract her father signed earlier, reading over the terms and conditions again.

Beneath, she could see her father's beautiful signature next to her own and today's date making it official. She didn't really think this through before signing it, which was unlike her. Every move she made has been calculated throughout her entire twenty-eight years of living.

From college graduation to accepting her role as COO at Cabello Industries—she's never done anything without thinking twice. And yet here she was, staring at a contract where she practically signed her free will over.

This was everything she had dreamt of since she was a child; having that huge corner office with the greatest views and being able to boast about her father's legacy living through her, but was any of it even worth it if she couldn't be herself?

Sighing, Camila put the contract back into her drawer and finished her final grammar checks on her document before sending it over to Gwen. Next up on her list was planning out her weekend.

The reunion that her father insisted on her attending would take place at Broadmoor Ballroom on Saturday, a thirty-minute drive from where her penthouse resided, and she'd most likely have to get a hotel nearby instead of forcing herself to drive back home so late at night.