Hello all.

This is one of my first story published so I hope you'll like it. As you know the characters are not mine (obviously) but the story is. English is not my main language so I apologize beforehand for any mistake.

Enjoy.

The light was shining through the big window walls surrounding the entrance hall of one of the oldest building in town. Built in the 1860's, it was five floors high. Big windows, an architectural prodigy at the time, were letting the warm sun flow into the imposing entrance hall. Walls were covered with dark wooden panels. On the left side, dark red comfortable sofas were arranged in a square around a small acajou table to be used by awaiting visitors. At this time of the hour, the only human face in this place was an old man sitting behind a wooden desk on the right. Typing on a big old grey computer coming out straight from the mid nineties, he was fitting perfectly the image of the calm out of time atmosphere with the several wrinkles on his tan face and his silver white bear that was reaching the bottom of his neck.

Any visitors that were entering through the imposing old wooden door were immediately filled with a sense of warmth. And that was one of the main reasons why Elijah Mikaelson had chosen this building when he had wanted to create the Family Law branch of his family law company: Mikaelson & Partners'. Clients that were coming here were usually dealing with difficult times: hard divorce, complicated inheritance issue, child protection, etc. He had wanting to let them feel at home during the hard time they were going through. This and the fact that it was located in one of the most prestigious part of town: the old city centre.

The quietness of the place was suddenly broken when a hurried small figure slipped through the entrance door and almost run to the elevator on the other side addressing a quick hello with a wave of her hands to the receptionist. Smiling, the old man shook slowly his head. Elena Gilbert was late again for her morning meeting.

He watched her as she stood in front of the elevator waiting for its arrival. Out of all the lawyers working in that building, Elena was his favourite. She had always kind words to say to him, when she was not late that is to say! She often asked about his health, his family. She had supported him when he had lost his wife a few years back. If he had been blessed with a daughter instead of three boys, he would have wanted for her to be like Elena: a kind well raised beautiful woman. Too bad she was not fully appreciated for her worth both at work and in her personal life.

When the doors opened, she quickly made her ways into the elevator and pushed the button for the fourth floor where the conference rooms were. As she waited in the small cubicle, she left her thoughts drifted her back to her hectic morning. She had almost been able to leave early on this particular day, almost. When she had woken up, her husband had already been gone to work and she had been left alone to prepare their kids for school. She had successfully managed to wake them up in record time and they had been ready and stuffed with food with ten minutes to spare. That was until the twins had decided to fight over who would be wearing the pink coat and chaos had ensued. Soon enough the vase that had been on the console table by the entrance door had fallen broken on the floor spilling water and flowers everywhere on the white tiles. To make it worse, the door had soon opened and she had been greeted by the reproaching glare of her mother in law.

She could swear this woman hated her guts. Her husband often said it was in her mind, that his mother loved her like she was her own daughter. But Elena knew otherwise. The old woman might love her son and her grandchildren, but she did not like her daughter in law. She was constantly judging her. This woman had stopped working to raise her two sons and she kept reminding Elena how much of a failure she was as a mother and a spouse for having kept working after the birth of her eldest and then again after the twins. But the worst of all was that Elena needed this woman to help her. She was the one to drop her kids at school and to pick them up. She was the one that helped them with their homework teaching Luke how to read properly and teaching Emma and Maya how to draw without crossing the lines. The kids loved their grandmother and Elena had to swallow her pride and fake her smile.

The doors finally opened and Elena stepped into the corridor to be greeted by the anxious smile of Bonnie Bennett, her overly loyal assistant. Open seeing her boss, the young woman exhaled a sigh of relief. She had been waiting by the elevator waiting for Elena for the past thirty minutes. She had seen the lawyers rushing in and out without a glance in her direction.

"Good morning, sorry I'm late" Elena cut in before Bonnie could talk.

"You're fine" Bonnie answered with a smile. "The meeting had been postponed for twenty minutes because Elijah wanted a pre-meeting with the client first. You have five minutes to spare."

Elena's face softened upon hearing her assistant words. Hopefully, the God of overworking mums had been on her side this morning.

"Care to walk with me to the conference room. You'll brief me on the way."

Bonnie nodded and the two women walked away from the elevator along the creamy white corridor.

Elena tilted her hand towards her assistant and listened carefully. She had only received a text the evening before from her boss saying that she was needed at eight am in the small conference room for an upcoming important case. Needless to say that she was curious about this new important case that required her immediate attention. Knowing she would not be able to be at the office before eight, she had texted back Bonnie asking her to be there at seven to investigate the matter before her arrival.

"Well", Bonnie started, "you remembered the death of this big movie star Mason Lockwood?"

Elena nodded. It had been in the news all over the country a couple of months ago. This rising actor was on his way to win an Oscar with his latest movie when a common skiing accident had cut short his career and let a million of desperate fan girls pining after their lost idol.

"When he died he was about to marry his long time girlfriend, Meredith Fell. Nobody knew but at the time of the accident she was a few weeks pregnant. She gave birth to a healthy son two months ago named Logan Mason."

Elena was attached to her assistant's words. It looked like juicy gossip but she was a little bit disoriented. What did it have to do with their small lawyer firm?

Bonnie, upon seeing the confused look on Elena, decided to switch to the matter at hand.

"That is where we are coming in. Meredith Fell's father, Logan Fell, is the CEO of the Fell conglomerate."

"Oh" was the only answer of Elena. This was big news. Of course Elena knew about the Fell conglomerate. They were the biggest client of the Mikaelson & Partners' business branch.

"Meredith Fell is coming to us because she is fighting against Mason Lockwood's parents Richard and Carol for the custody of her son. The Lockwoods have taken a lawyer to ask for the custody of their grandchild."

"Ok so this morning meeting is to talk about the case?" Elena asked

"Yes and No." Was Bonnie answer. "This is a meeting with Meredith and her father to officially hire our firm and to choose their lawyer."

Elena gulped. This was indeed very huge. If she had been asked to come it meant that she was on the short list to become Meredith Fell's lawyer. It was the big case she had always dreamt of for herself: the big opportunity to become a partner. No pressure at all!

The two girls had reached the conference room and they had been standing in front of the closed door for the last minute. It was time for Elena to enter to avoid being really late. She turned towards her assistant.

"Thank you very much for your hard work. I'm very happy grateful for what you have done for me. And of course you're dismissed at four seeing as you were here so early." Elena winked with a smile to her assistant. Bonnie smiled back to her boss.

"Thank you."

Elena was a good boss and Bonnie knew that some of the other assistants were jealous of her because of that. Their relationship was more on a friendly base than of boss and subordinate and she was glad that Elena had hired her a few years ago.

Now it was time for Elena to enter the room so Bonnie handed her thick yellow folder and a cup of dark medium size coffee without sugar, Elena's favourite. In exchange, Elena gave to Bonnie her light red jacket and her dark blue leathered computer bag. Entering only in her light grey trouser suit with the case folder on her left arm and a coffee in her right hand, she would look like she had been in the building for hours. And this was exactly what she was aiming for.

"Thank you, see you in one hour." She gestured a little goodbye wave with the hand before reaching for the handle to open the door. Bonnie's eyes opened widely on the retreating back of her boss. By the time she registered what had happened Elena had entered the room and closed the door behind her. Bonnie's cry died in her throat. There was the mark of a small hand made with what look like strawberry jam in the middle of Elena's lower back.