Chapter 2

Cora stepped out her front door, immediately cursing under her breath as a whoosh of chilling wind seeped in her bones. Even after living in England for over twenty years, she wasn't used to the constant wind and rain. Sometimes she woke up dreaming she was back in Los Angeles, where she moved as a late teen for her undergraduate in art history, but the rain tapping on her bedroom window always brought her back to reality. Twenty years ago, she could never have thought that she'd be living in London permanently.

Dressed in a long black coat, that weighed almost as much as her, a dark green sweater shirt and black jeans, she struggled to balance the numerous items in her arms. A handbag dangling from her shoulder, three big file covers filled with stacks of client pictures in one hand and her laptop and car keys in the other hand; she walked down the three steps in front of her house. Suddenly her phone rang, as it usually did every morning at this time and she brisk walked towards her car. She immediately dumped her things on the passenger side, sat on the driver's seat and shut the door.

Sighing at the welcoming temperature change she answered her phone.

"Good morning", said the caller from the opposite end.

Cora smiled softly, "Morning, what's the emergency today?"

"Same old, same old. Mr. Samson wants to schedule the shoot on Thursday. Says, he can't do Saturday because he has golf practice"

Cora rolled her eyes "Honestly, he's such a pain in the ass. We've rescheduled him three times now"

"I know", sighed the caller. "Should I confirm?"

Cora sighed and turned on her car, "Yes, do it. I'll manage. Will you be able to?"

The caller sighed again, "It's my niece's birthday, but I can go late"

"Oh, no! Phyllis you should go, we can tell Mr. Samson it's not possible on Thursday"

"No, no. It's fine. I can schedule it early morning. It's a studio shoot so it won't matter what time we shoot"

Cora remained silent, she hated that her staff had to deal with such nuisance. Phyllis interrupted her thoughts, "Cora it's fine. Relax. You can't fix everything"

Cora smiled softly "I know. But I feel bad"

"Uh, American" Phyllis teased her and Cora laughed.

"Okay, see you in ten"

"Bye"

Cora cut the call and smiled. She reversed the car and silently drove towards her office. Phyllis Baxter was her friend and her co-photographer. Five years ago, she was the only person who convinced her to follow her passion for photography and pursue it as a career. Cora bit her lower lip remembering her state of mind six years ago. For eleven years she worked at a museum, and taught art history part time as an A levels teacher in a school. If she was honest, she was happy, but not exactly thrilled. She enjoyed the subject, and enjoyed her work, but the repetitive routine had started to get to her. She envied her few friends in London, and her husband for finding joy in their work. She had been an excellent student in school. But her job just wasn't fulfilling enough. Maybe if she had taken up that position in Oxford University as a teacher for art history then her feelings might have been totally different. But teaching non-serious A Level students who had taken art history as a subject only because it wasn't 'mathematics' wasn't exactly making her jump with joy. But she couldn't take up on that offer, because she was married and lived in London. Phyllis Baxter, her friend from the museum then one day convinced Cora to really think about what she wanted to do next. Cora struggled for months to make a decision. But it had to be quick, because the contract renewal date for the museum was hanging on her head. She discussed it with Simon, her husband of nearly two decades; he thought Cora was going through a midlife crisis and tried to kiss her worries away but Cora knew it was more than that. She tried to talk to him and tell him that the jobs just weren't making her happy but he couldn't understand, because he was so happy in his job that the concept just wasn't getting through his brain. She felt alone and one day after a breakdown session alone in her living room, she browsed through her old photos, trying to remember the happy girl full of dreams that she had been when she graduated college in LA, trying desperately to find out her place professionally. She smiled to herself as she sat on the floor of her living room surrounded by photos of her childhood and teens, mostly taken by her. Every single picture evoked a memory; memories that made her tingle and sing with joy. Her family vacations in Switzerland, her farewell parties, her birthdays, Halloween parties, late night dorm room session with her college friends, her grandparents' house, and her graduation, all reminded her of a hobby that really did give her joy and that made other people happy. The pictures stared at her, trying hard for her to connect the dots and Cora felt excited, happy and nostalgic in a way that she hadn't felt in a long time. And just like a miracle, she knew exactly what she wanted to do next.

No one was in support of this decision, of course. Her colleagues thought she'd be foolish to give up on a good pay check, Simon thought she's just having a bad patch and there was no need to give up on a stable job because a couple of pictures made her emotional. Cora wanted to laugh when Simon told her this when she tried to explain him why she wanted to pursue photography and start a startup. He was an art history professor as well, his whole job and passion was to talk about pictures, going into their depth, explaining the story, the idea behind it and being fascinated by the colors, the strokes, and the meaning behind them and it baffled her how he couldn't understand the same exact concept, only from a different point of view. She was disheartened, but Phyllis motivated her to go for it. She was absolutely in awe of the way Cora talked about the joy that photography brought her that she decided to join her on her start up business. And a year later, after emptying her savings account, Cora opened up PRIME and despite the daily problems, odd hours and annoying client; she wasn't ready to have it any other way.

Cora turned into her office street and pushed on the brakes. She picked up her phone and dialed her husband Simon. The phone rang for a couple of times and then went straight to voice mail. She sighed again, gathered her things and stepped in her small little office.

Charles Carson sat on his desk as he squinted on the figures scribbled in front of him. He raised his bushy eyebrows, and counterchecked them for balance. He picked up a cup of tea, only to realize that the liquid had gone cold.

"Daisy?" He called out to the intern working in the office.

"Yes, Mr. Carson?" Daisy replied as she walked towards his desk.

"Can you please get me another cup of tea?"

Daisy nodded and headed towards the small kitchen located in the office. Carson sighed, satisfied with the numbers, he moved his neck in circular motions for release the tension. He had been working with Mrs Bricker, or rather Cora for him since the past three years. Mr. Levinson; Cora's father was an old friend of his. They had briefly worked together when Mr. Levinson had come to London for some property related business many moons ago. Carson was then working with a real estate company in the accounts department and found Mr. Levinson extremely dignified, punctual and proper; traits that Carson applauded in people.

It was strange how long lost contacts worked. In 2011, Carson retired from his job. His wife Nancy had left him long ago, because Carson was practically married to his job and she wanted him to work part time so they could spend more time together. That never happened, and eventually Nancy left him. He was sad for a while but it never hit him as hard until after he retired and had no one at home. That is when Cora showed up, and unconsciously plunged him out of depression. In 2014, Cora visited his house and introduced her as Mr. Levinson's daughter. Her father had referred him to her and according to what Cora told Carson, Mr. Levinson found Carson just as dignified as Carson found Mr. Isidore Levinson. Cora had visited him to ask about property for her startup that she was about to open and one thing led to another and soon after PRIME's opening Cora asked Carson if he'd be interested in handling the accounts for the business. Cora told him that she's hiring him because she could never find anyone as honest and reliable as Carson, but deep inside Carson knew that it was more than that. She also hired him because she could sense his loneliness and anxiety post retirement. The paycheck of course was far less than what he was used to but he wouldn't have it any other way. He loved Cora; he found her extremely hardworking, kind and honest. Carson often thought that if he had had a daughter, he hoped she would've been like Cora. Thus for the past three years Carson not only handled the accounts but also did the lighting for the photo-shoots. Due to limited staff, everyone helped each other and Cora was an excellent teacher and Carson was an eager learner. There was no proper hierarchy at PRIME, it felt more like a second family and Carson was extremely protective about all the team members, sometimes to the point that the staff started to call him 'Dad' just to tease him.

Daisy came back with his fresh cup of tea when Cora entered the office. She smiled at him as she removed her coat.

"Morning, Carson"

"Good morning, Mrs. Bricker" replied Carson.

Cora smiled at him. Their relationship was close enough to be on first name basis but Carson wanted everything proper, that is why it was Mrs. Bricker in the office and not Cora.

Cora looked at the five empty cups of tea scattered on Carson's table.

"God, Carson. What time did you get here?"

"I came in at six. I had to finish this today and deliver the cheques on time"

Cora smiled at him once again "Take tomorrow off"

Carson crossed his eyebrows "I am perfectly alright"

Cora just shook her head "Where would I be without you" she commented as Phyllis Baxter walked in Carson's cabin with steaming mug of coffee.

"And me" Baxter teased Cora as she handed her the mug.

Cora sighed and grinned at her "You are an angel"

Cora sipped on her coffee and sighed, immediately feeling the coffee do its magic.

"Mr. Carson, I've ordered breakfast for you" Phyllis said to Carson.

Carson looked at her confused "But I've already had my breakfast"

"At 5 in the morning, it's 9 am now and it's nowhere close to lunch time so you deserve a second breakfast. My treat" Phyllis replied.

Carson smiled at her and nodded "Thank you, Miss Baxter but I'll get the cheque"

The office phone rang and Carson went up to pick it up.

"I said, 'my treat'", Phyllis replied and walked away with Cora, not giving Carson a chance to respond.

Carson picked up the call "Hello, this is PRIME Studio, I'm Charles Carson, how can I help?"

"Yes, hello! I am calling from Hotel Grantham, my name is Elsie Hughes, PA to the CEO. I wanted to make an appointment with uh..Mrs Cora Levinson Bricker"

Cora and Phyllis walked towards Cora's office.

"Did we send those pictures to the Lighthouse Agency?" Phyllis asked as she skimmed through the calendar on her phone.

"Yeah, we sent them on Monday. I asked Brian to get the signatures"

"Right" replied Phyllis, as they entered Cora's office. She dumped her laptop and files on one side and increased the temperature of her room.

"It's freezing!" Cora said as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms.

"You say that even on the sunniest London days, I've stopped taking you seriously" laughed Phyllis.

Cora chuckled "I'll never get used to it"

Phyllis sat on the opposite side of the table "Sometimes you speak like an American tourist. No one would believe you if you say you've been living here the past twenty years"

Cora smirked at her "You can take a girl out of America but can never take the American out of her"

Phyllis laughed at her and opened a diary in front of her. Cora took another sip and put on her reading glasses.

"So today we have the photo-shoot for that 'Teeny Toddler' company" said Phyllis.

"Right" Cora said as she scribbled it down on the paper.

"Then Wednesday we have the charity function to cover at The Savoy"

"Fancy" replied Cora.

"Thursday, Mr. Pain- In-The-Ass Samson"

Cora chucked and nodded.

"Oh and Friday we have three things schedule, photoshoot for that Brazilian model in the morning at 10 and then the fundraiser for cancer patients at 5. After that we are scheduled for Lisa's birthday party" Phyllis smiled.

Cora chuckled "That is not work"

"All fun and no play makes Jack a dull boy"

Cora rolled her eyes and nodded "We are all going, I've even convinced Carson" Phyllis said excitingly.

Cora gave up. There was no winning with Phyllis "Right, we'll go"

"Will Simon be coming?" asked Phyllis.

Cora sighed "I don't think so. It's Friday, you know what that means. He'll be with his friends"

Phyllis raised her eyebrows "He goes every Friday?"

Cora nodded "He's still the party boy he was when he left college"

"That was two decades ago!" Phyllis scoffed.

Cora just shrugged and the doorbell of the office rang.

"That must be Mr. Carson's breakfast. I'll go pay, and then we can set up for the photo-shoot"

Cora nodded and Phyllis left the room. Cora picked up her phone again and called Simon, and again it went straight through voicemail.

She sighed and picked up her abandoned mug to finish her coffee. Cora was introduced to Simon by her mother when she came to Oxford to study. They were not in the same class, she was doing her post graduate and he was beginning his PhD. Simon was the son of Martha's long lost cousin who moved to England when she got married. Since Cora didn't know anyone in England, Martha suggested she should meet Simon so that she'd have an acquaintance. His family was well off so Cora knew that in Martha's head Simon and his family were more than just a contact. She brushed off the idea immediately but to her surprise when she met Simon at university, she liked him. They both had similar interests, they both liked art, they both enjoyed history, and they enjoyed hanging out with friends. And soon they started dating. Martha was of course over the moon, Isidore however never really warmed up towards Simon. Cora took it to heart initially and could never understand why her father didn't like Simon. According to Isidore, Simon was 'nice' but Cora deserved more, and he was too smart for his own good apparently. Cora liked him, she was never heads over heels in love with him but she liked the idea of being married to him. Thus, they got married right after Cora's graduation.

This was 18 years ago. Simon had a killer job at a university and also had multiple shares in his father's business so money was never an issue with him. Initially he was apprehensive of Cora doing a job but since it meant more money, he agreed. Cora was heartbroken that money convinced him and not her passion, but she got to work, so in the end, she did win, right?

With time Cora changed, her interests and routine changed, very naturally. But Simon was still that boy she met in university. He grew in financial terms but otherwise he was pretty much the same. He loved being young, and famous. Cora believed in natural human growth and believed that people should grow with time and change comes very naturally with it. That is how a person is supposed to evolve.

His obsession with being young, and being the life of the party was one of the reasons why Simon never wanted children. He wanted to hang on this hope of being young and in his twenties. Cora, on the other hand had always wanted children and it broke her heart when Simon refused. She tried numerous times to convince him otherwise, but it didn't work. Once after a massive breakdown, he did come around to the idea. That was after their eleventh wedding anniversary, and finally Cora got pregnant. She was over the moon and felt complete. The joys of motherhood made her want to sing in joy. She was obsessed with her tiny bump and took numerous pictures of it. She even recorded video messages for her unborn baby, hoping one day she could show them to him or her. However, in her fourth month of pregnancy, Cora lost the baby.

Cora brushed away the tears on her face; it was silly of her to cry over something that happened seven years ago. But it broke her heart every time she thought about it. The doctors couldn't figure out why it happened. One of them said that the pregnancy was complicated and Simon took that as a sign to never try for a baby again. That was the last time they discussed having children. But Cora grieved it every now and then privately. The doctors told her it was a girl; Cora decided to name her unborn baby 'Mary'. But she never shared that with Simon.

Soon after the miscarriage, Simon landed promotion after promotion and Cora was plunged into what Simon called her 'midlife crisis' professionally. She was so grateful for PRIME, and called it her second innings. It was a fruit of all her life savings and hard work and she was extremely proud of it. Simon was also proud of it now, but Cora feared that that was so because it meant extra money and fame.

Cora had fixed her professional life, sometimes she thought about talking to Simon about their personal life and discuss where they were headed as a couple. She felt like she had grown over time, and he was still the person she met at university. There was a strange communication gap and she couldn't pinpoint exactly when it happened. She loved him and he loved her. She was happy with him and would marry him again if given the chance. She still doesn't know what exactly love was, but she was extremely fond of it. She doesn't feel the tingles, and the butterflies, but all that stuff was exaggerated and for the movies.

Like clockwork Simon called her and she smiled. She answered the call.

"Hi" she said.

"Hey, where are you?" Simon replied.

"Office. What time did you leave in the morning?"

"Early. I had to get to Bath"

"You're in Bath?" Cora replied, absolutely confused.

"Yeah, I had a lecture here at the university"

Cora remained silent for two seconds "You never told me"

"Sure I did"

He didn't.

"Anyways, I'll be back tomorrow morning."

"Okay"

Silence.

"Are you upset?" Simon asked.

"No, I'm just…" Cora ran a hand through her hair. "I would have liked if you had told me"

Simon chucked "Don't get too sentimental Cora, it's my job babe, I'll be back tomorrow"

"That's not the po-"

"Anyways, I have to run. They are about to take interviews, I have to go fix my hair"

Cora sighed "Alright bye, take care. I love you"

"Yup, love you too"

Simon cut the call and Cora sighed when she heard a knock on her door.

Cora smiled "Come in Carson"

Carson entered her room with a notepad in his hand "Do you happen to be free on Saturday"

Cora chewed her lip and thought for a second "I am now. The Samson shoot is on Thursday"

"Good" Carson sat down on the chair opposite her.

"I just got a call from the PA of the CEO of Hotel Grantham. I think they are interested in hiring us"

"For an event?"

Carson smiled "I think it's more than that. The PA couldn't disclose much but they want a meeting with the CEO on Saturday, if possible. At 9"

Cora raised her eyebrows "The CEO himself? Lucky us"

Carson handed Cora the notepad that had the details.

"I think we should go" Carson commented.

Cora opened her laptop and googled the hotel. The pictures showed a magnificent building built decades ago with big gardens and glamorous rooms.

"And they know us how?" Cora asked.

"I don't know. I'm sure our reputation found us" Carson smiled at her and Cora smiled back.

She took out her diary and scribbled down the details.

"And we are meeting the CEO?" Cora asked to confirm again.

Carson nodded.

"What's his name?"

"Robert Crawley"

Hello guys! Never thought I'd be able to update this quickly but yay! This is Cora's intro chapter. I really hope you guys like it.

And oh my god, thank you so so much for such nice reviews. I am so, so happy. Honestly, they motivated me to update so quickly. So once again, thanks a lot! Hope you guys love this too!

PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!