Almost Yours

Asset

MILENA

The ride to work will be the death of me one day. For someone who tries to keep her anger and emotions in check, everything and everyone tries my patience.

I grip the steering wheel, hanging by a thread mentally between honking again at the annoying driver in front of my car or going straight up to smash something.

This is the part where I wish mother hadn’t lost her inheritance.

Fuck it, I press the horn for what felt like a minute before I see some man exit a coffee shop, cross the street, then enter into the driver’s seat of the car in front of mine.

Unbelievable, the douche parked in the middle of the street for a coffee run.

“I can’t believe this,” I say to myself exasperated at the ridiculousness of the situation. “I’ve been honking at a parked car all this while.” The blue Toyota moves and I follow suit, ignoring the need to smash his car from behind.

Breathe in

Breathe out

I manage the breathing exercise until I got to work at Time Romans, and seeing that I’m late, the day is about to turn a million times worse.

Making my way past the huge doors, I hurry down to my office, offering a greeting here and there while passing through the cubicle section isle.

“Milena, did you get attacked by a bear?” I need not look to know who’s already on my tail this early.

“Ha! ha!” I reply with a sarcastic laughter, slowing in my tracks as I come face to face with my boss, arch nemesis and cousin wrapped in one, Reina Torres. Her deep eyes assesses me, with her chestnut brown packed in a tight ponytail and her signature cruel smile taunting me.

“Top of the morning,” I greet, trying to sidestep her only for her to block my path again.

“You’re late. Again. Care to explain?”

“Got caught up in traffic,” I divulge but she only tsks, maybe wondering how my excuses never runs out.

“Let’s see Milena, one last chance and you’re gone for good.”

My eyes widen, she can’t be serious with that threat seeing as our grandparents agreed I work in one of the family’s company, disgraced mother or not.

“C’mon Reina, I don’t control the universe,” I whine like a child when in fact my pride is getting bruised. My boss studies me for another beat

“You see what I don’t understand is how rumors have it that you were seen at the Silveria’s wedding this weekend.”

I stare at her, not believing the route this conversation has taken. No surprise there, since Reina comes from the almighty Torres family, third in position on the list of the most influential, wealthy and powerful families.

And it has been said that every Torres always have a pompous air around them—myself excluded seeing as I come from the disgraced side.

“My mother has her ways,” I say curtly, to which Reina eyes me again before leaving me with her absence. Taking that as my sign to leave, I proceed to my cubicle, absorbing the positive energy from my friends/co-workers whose stall surrounds mine.

“Milly, where have you been, I’ve been texting you all morning,” Patricia announces as soon as she sights me settling in my seat.

“I’m sorry, traffic was bad today.”

“That’s getting old already,” warned Nathan shaking his head disappointedly.

“I’m sorry but it’s true. A douche parked in the middle of the road to get coffee.”

“Now that’s creative.”

I groan, internally cursing the man for my ordeal.

“By the way, why’s Reina being extra bitchy today?” I ask, skimming through the papers on my desk.

“Something to do with a mysterious shareholder visiting today,” Nathan supplies. I drop the pile of paper, my interest piqued. I didn’t think Times Roman had stakes with another family.

We just get a Benini here and there until the family decided to leave Reina in charge of their business, and me suffering under her for my mother’s sins.

On the flip side, shareholders? That’s new. I return to my papers while my friends retreat to their cubicles, the atmosphere heavy with tension.

I spend my day sorting out which story is peak enough to go into editing. With our large city there’s no shortage of stories because there’s always something happening. And recently, one major event happened to bring the whole country to a standstill.

The Silveria wedding.

Sure enough, many of our efficient reporters who attended the event had already compiled a statement for the firm. I flip the document open, instantly accosted by a lot of pictures of the ceremony.

From the nuptials to the reception, everything was captured, though two particular pictures stood out the most. The exchange of vows.

Gabriel Silveria’s hand wrapped around Avyia Romano’s hand, while her other finger held a ring mid air.

The second picture was the bride’s point of view, and the photographer captured every detail, especially the look in her ocean blue eyes. It was different, no not love, it was the same sad look she had when crying at the time we spoke for a second.

Her eyebrow furrowed slightly, beneath it is a heavy eyelid filled with unshed tears. I pored over the pictures, none of which showed a happy Avyia.

And it clicked to me that in the short moment I spent with her on her wedding day, I never for once saw a happy look on her face.

It got me thinking. Eventually my mother will find the highest bidder and have me married off too, is this the same fate that awaited me?

“Earth to Milly,” Patricia snaps her new set of nails in my face. I glance up to see her melanated skin glowing in the light above us, though she has a worried expression, glancing between me and the pictures on my workstation.

“You good?” I nod in response.

“Well, I hope so cause Reina sends for you”

“What?” I blurt, “the b***h has never dared to see my face twice in a day.”

“I guess today’s your luck day.”

I groan internally. This day has seized me, not the other way around, and it’s just noon. Stacking all the pictures back into the folder, I exit my cubicle and make way to the top floor of the building where the top dogs stay.

Apparently, my grandparents thought it fit to give me a chance irrespective of my mother’s mistakes. They believed in the philosophy;

‘Children are not the sins of their parents,’ and saw it fit for me to partake in the family business.

Except I have been in the starter-up position for years with no promotion in sight. More so now that Reina is here, and her snobbish father controls the whole of Torres Corp.

My shitty life couldn’t get any more worse.