"Oh! Ok, I will head to the office too."
"First have your breakfast dear."
"No, I lost my appetite, I guess." With that, I just strode out to the car. Aunt Olivia and her tone still gave me chills. It felt as if she was scanning me, keeping a close watch, whenever she was around. I was still learning to be careful around her.
Today was the first time that Jake left without meeting me in the morning. I felt anxious as I was used to seeing him as soon as I woke up. He usually waited for me to get ready, and we ate together.
As soon as I got in the car, I decided to call him. He picked up after a couple of rings.
"Hey, Jake. I didn't see you at home today?"
"Hi, Sunshine. Good Morning to you too. I am sorry, I am regretting to leave you behind too, but something urgent came up. I have all-day meetings with my lawyers for the lawsuit."
"But your first hearing went so well. All your evidence were accepted in court. You have a winning hand in this case. What's the urgency?"
"Yes, and that's why we are not taking any chances. We want to shut out Windsons in the next hearing itself. We are attempting to get a date for this Thursday."
"Wow. That's just two days away. I am glad all this will be over soon."
"Yes, and that's why these two days are crucial. I can't wait to put this behind us." Jake sighed as he completed his last sentence. I know he wanted us to move on in life, once he was assured that his father's culprit is punished, he would be at peace.
"Don't worry Jake. We are close. I can feel it." I assured him.
"I know baby. I can feel it too. I have to rush now, but I will meet you at home earlier in the evening today, I promise."
"Great. Have a good day. Love you. See you in the evening."
"Love you too, Emma. Always."
I felt better after talking to him, especially after knowing that this lawsuit would soon be over.
It's been almost a week since Niki's party and I haven't been this happy in a very long time. Everything seemed to be falling in place.
Jake and I were going rock solid. My parents loved him. They were initially a bit skeptical as he was so rich and famous, but they saw genuine love in his eyes for me and then everything else became insignificant.
Britney was getting married, this lawsuit was going to be over, and my darling best friend was now engaged.
Well, that reminded me, I owed her a call back since yesterday. I still had a couple of more minutes left in my commute, so I decided to call her as well.
"Hi, Niki. How is my bestie doing? Sorry, I got busy last night, so couldn't call you back."
"Hey, Emma. It's fine. I know your nights have become busy now. I understand."
"Look who's talking. I still cannot get over the fact that you are engaged. Especially after Barry's dreamy proposal. The way he got down on one knee in front of hundreds of people and declared his love. It was magical."1
"I know. I had no clue; for me, it was just my parent's 25th Anniversary party. But he made it the most memorable day of my life."
"Aww, you both looked beautiful together. We all felt touched witnessing that moment. You both are just perfect."
"So are you and Jake. I am happy we are all crazy in love."
"Me too. Listen, I am almost outside my office now. Let's meet up for lunch this weekend. I want to know all about your wedding plans." I entered the building and walked towards the elevator.
"Sure. Done deal. Have a good day, Emma. Love you!"
"Love you too, darling. See you soon." The moment I said the last part, I saw people around me turn in my direction as if they saw a ghost. I suddenly felt amused. I am sure they thought I was talking to Jake.
Will they ever get over it? I went ahead and entered the elevator, leaving those shocked gossip mongers behind, and straightaway pressed my floor button.
I settled in and dived right into my work. Richmond's Norway proposal was now in the final stages of signing, and we had the last meeting in half an hour from now. I quickly collected my files and left for the conference room.
It was almost noon when the meeting got over. I took out my phone to check the time and saw thirteen missed calls from an unknown number.
Somebody was desperate to hear my voice.
I dialled back the number to check who it was. The other person on the phone picked in the first ring as if they were waiting for me to call back.
"Hey, Emma! It's me, Erica."
"Oh, hi, Erica. How are you? Is everything okay? I saw your missed calls."
"Sorry about that. I have been trying to reach Jake. His secretary told me he is in all-day meetings and cannot be disturbed, so I thought to call you. It was kind of important."
"Oh, sure. Yes, Jake is busy all day with his lawyers. If you want, you can tell me what is this about?"
"Are you sure Jake won't be able to get free even for an hour?" She sounded nervous
"I doubt it. He told me he has back to back meetings all day. I will let him know to call you back once he is free."
"No, that's ok. If you have some time, would you mind meeting me for lunch, Emma? I cannot talk about this on the phone."
"Ohh
