"Here we are." Penny's voice brought a sinking feeling in her stomach. It made her sick - nauseated to the extent of nearly throwing up the toast that she had for breakfast earlier. She knows she is hyperventilating, with her cold, clammy skin, short breaths and fuzzy head.

'Maybe, this is not such a bright idea afterall.' She thought to herself.

"You can manage on your own, right?" The worry in her bestfriend's voice became her very much needed strength. At first, Penny wanted to accompany her for what she was about to do but she insisted otherwise. She wants to do it alone, Penny driving her here is more than enough help. She closed her eyes, took a deep and calculated breath, counted to ten before opening it up again.

"I'll call you once I am finished here." She said while turning to her friend, giving a tight hug.

"Thank you Penny." She whispered.

"You can definitely do this." Penny uttered while raising a fist as a means of encouraging her.

With a nod, she open the passenger door and stepped out of the car. She gave a slight wave to Penny and watched as her car was swallowed by the traffic. She then turned towards the building and what she saw made her breathless.

In front of her is a tall building, 30 stories maybe more. The sunlight reflecting the building made it look intimidating.

She blew a bated breath while cursing Penny in her head. She didn't warn her about this. She only told her that he owns the building and that he is rich.

Taking another deep breath she walks towards the revolving door. The security at the entrance handed her a visitor's badge after checking her things thoroughly. The building has a very tight security. She made her way to the reception desk after slinging the badge on her neck, her heels making a clackity noise on the marbled floor.

"Good morning." She greeted the receptionist with a polite smile.

"Yes, good morning ma'am. How can I help you?" The lady behind the desk asked in a rehearsed speech and facade.

"May I know which floor Mr. Harrison's office is? I need to meet up with him, it's urgent." She answered politely but the brows of the woman lifted, eyeing her from head to toe and back, took a deep breath and took the phone on the desk.

"Ms. Sophie, there's a lady here that wants to meet the boss. Will I let her up?" The woman talked on the phone while still eyeing her condescendingly.

She pretended that she didn't notice it or that it's making her feel small. She looked at herself searching for anything that might be amiss, but she found nothing. Her dress is not askew, her strappy heels is not broken and it is impossible for her to have lipstick on her teeth for she did not put any, she only dabbed it with a moisturizer.

"Your name please? Ms. Sophie wants to check if you have an appointment with the boss." "Uh, I don't have an appointment, so please tell her not to waste her time looking for it." She's still smiling sweetly even though she is fuming inside.

After sometime, the woman put back the phone on the receiver and promptly told her that she can go up to 35th floor where the boss' office is located.

"Thank you." She told the woman with the sweetest smile she could muster and turned around towards the bank of elevators.

'Yep, definitely more than 30 stories high.' She smiled at her thought.

It took her less than a minute until she step out of the elevator into the 35th floor, considering how many times they stop on different floors in order to let someone in or out of the compartment.

'Wow, that was fast.'

When she walked towards the lady sitting behind the only desk that she saw, her nerves came back at full force.

'This is it! I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.' She kept repeating the words as if it's her mantra.

"Hi, good morning. You must be Ms. Sophie. I'm Claire Sullivan, the one asking for your boss without any appointment." She greeted smiling at the lady.

She must be around her forties, hair in a neat bun at the back of her head, with narrow-rimmed glasses on her nose and wearing a smart office uniform. She looks frightening but a very sweet smile counter it.

"Hi, yes I am Ms. Sophie but you can drop the Ms. part Ms. Sullivan."

"Then please call me Claire." She answered sweetly.

"How can I help you Claire? You said that you don't have an appointment with my boss. I only let you up in here because sometimes our boss let an uninvited visitor, but only if he is in a good mood."

"And is he in a good mood today?" She asked worriedly. What if he will kick her out without hearing her first?

"I cannot say that, but I will inform him about you wanting to meet him, but I can only do that after his meeting which will finish in about 15 minutes." Sophie explained and gestured for her to sit on the sofa located near the window. "Please sit dear while you wait and I will bring you a refreshment."

"Water will be fine. Thank you." She said before heading towards the sofa.

Sitting still and contemplating of the dreadful meeting, she was vaguely aware of Sophie putting a cold water in front of her. She thanked her and prompty drank her fill. She felt that her throat were dry. After a long moment - but in reality only two minutes have passed - she stood up and walked back and forth on the carpeted floor while wringing her hands.

'What if he will not meet me? What if he doesn't know the existence of that blasted document? What if he is a victim of this prank as well?' Several what if's is running continuously on her head while still walking back and forth. She may bore a hole in the carpet with what she is doing. She knows that the secretary behind the desk is eyeing her suspiciously with how the way she behaves. She might think that she is insane or crazy - yes this is crazy! Her coming here planning to meet with her husband. She shouldn't have agreed to Penny after sharing to her this crazy plan.

You see, after she told her about her finding out that she's married and all, and the hacking cough that followed after Penny sputtered her coffee, she told her the whole story - in details without leaving anything at all. It took them several cups of coffee, and several times Rick - Penny's father - checking them in the office, making sure that they are not doing anything fishy, that Penny came up with this solution, for her to come and meet her supposed husband. She did not agree at first but conceded eventually after Penny talked her into it. She agreed but with the condition that she will do it whenever she's ready and not earlier than that. That is why it was several weeks later - almost a month - that she's finally here..at last.

She also prompted Penny to accompany her to serve as a support as well as an accomplice in order for her brothers to let her leave their town into coming to Manhattan. She told her brothers that they - her and Penny will just have a ride and visit the hulking malls in the area to search some items for the upcoming Thanksgiving. Good thing they conceded but only after a thorough one-on-one talk, instilling in her not to do anything stupid. Ethan, her eldest brother even called, with him in London at that very moment, that she rolled her eyes with exasperation at her brothers' overprotectiveness, even their father is not like that. She's already an adult, she knows what is right and wrong, it's as if she is still underage - they treat her as such.

So after several weeks, they rode out of town into Manhattan. Penny even searched the Google to find anything about a certain Lucas Gregory Harrison V, that she even called in the middle of the night wanting to share whatever she found. She was still in her dreamlike state that she only catch some words such as rich, company, hunk and gorgeous. She bet there was an elaborate and detailed description of the said man, but she was just too tired that night that sleep overtook her again eventhough Penny is still talking over the phone.

That is why on the way here, Penny insisted again to describe the man according to the photos in the net. But having four brothers that are all good-looking, she simply do not care, she can say that she is immune to the charms that the likes of her brothers exudes, what with her hearing all the stories of their shenanigans to different women over the years while growing up.

The sound of her name being called snapped her out of her revery. She turned and almost jumped when she found that Sophie is only several feet away wearing a concerned look on her face.

"I'm sorry I startled you, but I've been calling your name several times but you're not responding."

"Yes, sorry about that, I am just deep in my thoughts, that's all." She explained sheepishly.

"Mr. Harrison agreed to meet you in five minutes." The smile she gave her were motherly.

Her nerves fired up again after hearing it. She can only reply a prompt thank you what with all her frazzled nerves.

She took several deep breaths and promptly sent a message to Penny saying that she is about to meet the man. Penny's instant reply of encouragement gave her strength and enough courage to walk when Sophie ushered her towards the big double door where her husband in paper is currently in.

Taking one last breath, she willed herself to be calm and to plaster a serene smile on her face before going beyond the threshold of the door after she heard Sophie saying she was there and about to enter.

She first took her surroundings not looking at the man that she know is sitting behind the large mahogany desk. The room was all in neutral colors, there were comfy chairs and sofas and a large floor to ceiling windows beyond it, overlooking the Manhattan skyline. After taking everything in and making sure that she is calm, she then turned her gaze towards the man, and boy, he is a sight to behold - chiseled jaw, an upturned nose that slightly crooked in the middle, a thin lips and eyes the color of warm honey, his hair is on the longer side, slightly touching his collar but not a single hair out of place, and a scowl completed the powerful aura that he emits - like nobody should and can mess up with him.

Slowly she approached the desk where the man is sitting behind, plastering a small smile. "Hello, my name is Claire Marie Sullivan, I am finally relieved that I can now put a face behind the name of my so-called husband."

************************************

Hmmm, what do you think will happen to these two during this meeting? Anyone excited?! Me, yes! I am excited to write the remaining parts of this story.

Hope you enjoyed this, kindly share this story to your friends if you did so. Thanks for reading.

-blue