Prologue
It was a clear and bright Saturday afternoon when Harvey stepped out from his apartment building towards the waiting car parked out front. His driver, Ray smiled at him through the rear view mirror as he slid into the backseat of his black Lexus car.
"Where to, Mr. Specter?"
"Gramercy Park. I'm paying a visit to a big client of mine."
Ray grunted as he revved the car and headed towards their destination. As they made their way through the streets of New York, Ray couldn't help but glance at the man behind him. Harvey Specter is one of the top lawyers in the city, known for his track record of winning cases almost every time he handles a case. Ray knew just how hard Harvey works and today was no exception.
"You work too hard, Mr. Specter. Even on weekends you 're still working nonstop," he commented.
"Time waits for no one, Ray. I like getting ahead of the competition and today is a perfect opportunity for me to up my ante," replied Harvey casually.
Before Ray could respond, Harvey's cell phone rang. It was Donna informing him that she already sent the documents needed for the Hamilton case to his email, and that she also made reservations for him at a fine dining restaurant later that evening for another client meeting.
"Thanks, Donna. I know this is so last minute, but something came up according to Richard that needed my immediate attention. I'll brief you about our talk on Monday, okay?"
After hanging up, Harvey looked up to see Ray looking at him through the rear view mirror.
"So another client meeting, eh? You can thank your lucky stars that Donna is as efficient as she is for arranging all these even if it's on short notice," Ray said with a raised eyebrow.
"She's got mad skills and works hard just as I do," Harvey said with a smile.
Despite being dressed in casual clothes – dark jeans, white shirt and black sweater, Harvey still managed to have that swagger about him.
"Well you shouldn't depend too much on Donna. I mean, don't get me wrong but she's going to leave you someday, you know."
"Whatever do you mean? Donna is never going to leave me. She's loyal to me," replied Harvey with a frown, slightly annoyed that Ray could even think something like that.
Ray briefly put up his hand to appease Harvey, "Yeah I know."
"Look, I mean well when I said that. Donna has been your secretary for many years and I know she loves working for you. All I'm saying is that there's a possibility that she might leave you eventually. Think about it. What if Donna decides to finally settle down and get married? What if her would-be husband happens to live in another city or even in a foreign country and he asks her to live with him there? Of course she would want to be where he is, right?" explained Ray as he maneuvered the car towards a corner.
Harvey was silent. It never occurred to him that Donna would leave him someday. They were a team right from the start they worked together at Pearson-Hardman. She was there with him when he got promoted from being merely an associate lawyer to junior partner. She was 100% behind him when he finally became senior partner, then eventually as managing partner at Pearson-Specter, the law firm that was now bearing his name. Their working relationship was solid as a rock. He would be crushed if Donna leaves.
But Ray was right. Donna would want to settle down and have kids someday. He knew that for sure. And he also knew that Donna would do anything for love, including moving to a different city.
Ray didn't push for an answer from Harvey. He knew him well enough to know when to keep silent.
"Here we are," he said after what seemed to be an hour of driving. He stopped the car in front of a luxurious apartment block at 57 Irving Place.
"Thanks, Ray. I'll call you later and inform you when you can pick me up."
Harvey got out of the car and walked towards the main entrance of an opulent apartment building. He shook away the uneasy feeling he had about Donna's possibility of leaving. He reassured himself that for now he knew Donna is not leaving him anytime soon. Little did he know that events in the coming weeks would force him to face that very possibility.
