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This is the first of a few flashbacks coming your way.

-Brittany's POV –

The secret to a delicious pesto sauce is using pine nuts.

Well, I didn't know that at first but after a while of practicing and making up stuff, a few of them disgusting, I've come to discover that it's all in the simplicity of things. Sure, a few years ago I almost burned down our house back in Chicago trying to make pancakes for breakfast but it's all good now. Fine. I made pancakes two days in a row and almost set our house on fire for two consecutive days but again, it's all in the past. I'm a capable cook now. And well, I'm seriously sick of fast food and the staple restaurant food around here that I just had to learn anyway.

So, here I am, extra proud of myself for semi-perfecting the art of cooking pasta almost al dente and just finished tossing the generous pesto sauce in the pan with the penne when the doorbell rings. I try to recall if I'm expecting anyone tonight. It's Thursday, a quarter before nine in the evening, and I've just gotten home from work. I mean, my plans for tonight include staying in my apartment, having dinner and wine in front of my TV screen watching whatever's on BBC one right now after changing into my PJ's. So, at the risk of ruining such an exciting night, I wipe my hands with the nearby towel then walk towards the front door to see behind the peep hole that it's someone familiar. My eyebrows scrunch in confusion but nonetheless, I open the door to my apartment.

"You know, dear. You should have that bicycle of yours downstairs fixed, recalibrated, thrown out or something. I mean, what's the purpose of the driver I hired for you?" My grandmother utters nonchalantly, welcoming herself inside and making herself comfortable by placing her purse on the kitchen counter.

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise as I shut the door behind her. "Grams, what are you doing here? You didn't tell me you were coming over."

"Well, if I did, you would have stopped me and told me relentlessly that you've got everything under control which I'm sure you have but still, I wanted to check on my granddaughter." She smiles and gives me a tight hug.

"And I do. You have nothing to worry about here. I had them send the report over to the New York office a few days ago and everything's on tip-top condi-"

"Britty." Grams cuts me off and holds me on both sides of my shoulder. "I wasn't talking about business. I was talking about you." She gestures to me. "How are you, honey? We miss you so much, it's been a while since you last visited."

I sigh and relax a little. "I'm fine, Grams. I've never been better, actually." I say the last sentence with a nervous chuckle. "I miss everyone too. I've just been busy with business with all the deals, contracts, and whatnot."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore." Grams calmly tells me with a smirk.

A crease forms in my forehead as I look back at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"

Grams steps away from me and walks toward the kitchen counter where her purse is placed and takes out something I can't see from my view. In a second, she turns around and holds out her hand to give me what seems to be a ticket of some kind.

I give her a curious look before grabbing it from her. Upon closer inspection, I see that it's a First Class airline ticket from London to New York scheduled for Friday afternoon next week. My mouth opens in surprise as I look at her quizzically and with so much confusion. "W-Wha-"

"Oh, this? I'm sorry, sweetie. We're using the jet from Chicago then they're picking me up in JFK so I'm afraid you'll have to fly commercial." She says with a grin, turning her back and walking towards the pan of pesto penne a foot away from her.

"That's not what I'm wondering." I say with a stern tone. "I can't go, Grams. I have a responsibility here."

"Your flight's on Friday, two days before the wedding. You'll be arriving a little later than we are but don't worry since all your friends will be there by then. And Santana, of course." She replies, disregarding my previous statement. My breath hitches at the mention of her name. I try to think of what to say as I catch Gram's subtle glance at me.

"S-Santana. H-How is she?"

Grams doesn't respond and only gives me a cryptic look followed with a small smile. We haven't really talked about her for some time now and I guess it's my own grandmother's way of protecting me from getting myself hurt. Instead of saying anything to make me think otherwise, she goes back on topic again.

"Anyway, don't worry about getting a wedding gift for them, I've got that covered. Just get your little butt over to the wedding and everyone's happy." She pronounces, grabbing a forkful of the pasta.

I take a really deep breath, holding back on everything and basically just trying to be patient. "I can't go, Grams. I already told them that I can't go. I RSVP'd no and I'm not going. I have to take care of business here and my life is in London now. After dad had-"

"It's your best friend's wedding, Brittany." She speaks up with a serious tone, scaring me a little.

"I know. But I can't just take off whenever I want. Even if it's the weekend, I'm still working. Besides, I have a city business thing with the Mayor that Mrs. Jones and I need to take care of this Sunday too."

"I know, dear. And you did a tremendous job. The company here has never been better." She tells me with a comforting smile. "But it's been almost three years. Give yourself a break. You've been working yourself to death."

I'm almost swayed but again, I shake my head. "I can't, Grams. I'm running the company here and it just can't happen." I brace myself for my grandmother's wrath and prepare for whatever speech that is to come but instead, I receive a smirk from her.

"Ah, I knew you were going to say that." She trails off, looking up as if to genuinely think about it. "Hmm… How do I say this in the nicest way possible?"

"Say what?"

Grams crosses her arms and grins devilishly. "You're fired, sweetie."

My eyes immediately widen at the statement. "W-What? I-I'm what?"

"You're fired." Grams repeats with a grin. "I mean, me saying that is just for dramatics, of course. We're removing you from your position as Interim Managing Director here in London."

My head is spinning so fast right now that I think I'm about to throw up any minute. So much for a peaceful evening. "W-What? W-Why? I didn't do anything wrong h-here. I-"

"Exactly, Brittany. You've done so good that we don't need you to control the business division here anymore." Grams pauses. "You've sacrificed a lot for your family already. It's time to move back and live your own life."

"I-I don't understand. I-"

Grams places a finger over her chin as if she's thinking. "Okay, I'll lay down everything for you, alright? One, since we're removing you, Mrs. Jones, that wonderful, sweet woman, is taking over your job here permanently. Two, you have until Friday next week to patch everything up and smoothly hand over responsibilities to her. And three, you can't overturn this, you're off the company. Your life is in New York, time to go back."

"B-But I have nowhere to live there. I can't just-"

Grams laughs out loud, amused at what I just said. "Oh, dear. Choose a place and it's yours, I got you. And don't worry, we'll keep it a secret from everyone so you can surprise them or whatever." She pauses. "For the meantime, you can stay with me if you want or go back to Chicago. Maybe travel, take a break, or win the love of your life back. Too much options. It's up to you!"

I can't really make decisions for myself right now with everything that has been happening. I sigh but ultimately smile at the notion of moving back home. "I'll have to think about it but thank you, Grams."

Grams smiles widely. She holds me in a tight embrace before grabbing the pan of pasta and taking a seat in the dining area. "Now, now. Too much drama isn't my thing. I don't know what sorcery is going with you learning how to cook edible and delicious food like this. So, let's eat dinner, shall we?"

I grin and shake my head in amusement. I grab the necessary plates and utensils then settle myself across from her. "I take it you're staying for the night?"

"Yes, and I'm taking your wretched bicycle back to New York with me." She adds before we proceed to eat dinner.

Soon after, I retrieved my luggage from the storage and proceed to pack the first half of all my clothes.

I'm moving back to New York.

It's been almost three years since I left New York.

It wasn't planned. It was sudden and unexpected, stemming from a terrible incident that almost broke everyone dear to my family. I moved to another continent to take care of business, dropping my fantastic job as Maribel's Associate at the firm, a great apartment, and basically the life I had back in New York to step up for my family. Almost everything. And now, moving back to New York and actually seeing everyone I've sorely missed for a long time now incites a huge panic in me.

It's actually a little ironic that the event I'll be going to is a wedding. My best friend's wedding. It could have been mine a year ago but that didn't really happen.

In all honesty, I RSVP'd no to Rachel and Quinn's wedding. I can't really drop my responsibilities back in London even if I so wanted to. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it in time and if I'd be able to finish all the remaining business I had back then before someone took over. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to go so badly but with everything on my plate not more 24 hours ago, I didn't want to disappoint anyone by telling them I'll show up but ultimately won't be able to. Thankfully, I was able to complete everything a few days ago after a little hard work and consecutive sleepless nights because as much as I'd care to deny it, I wouldn't want to miss my best friend's wedding and seeing Santana again for the first time in a long while.

Santana.

The name evokes a hundred different emotions and mixed feelings within me. Ranging from extreme highs such as excitement and euphoria to nervousness and anxiety then huge lows like sadness and regrets. I can't put it exactly but it's a combination of everything. It's been two years since I last saw her. Two years since I last held her. It's been two years but I still feel the same and my feelings for her never changed even one bit. And half the reason why I'm moving back to New York is to win her back. After all this time, it's still her and will always be her.

I guess the only thing that puts a little damper here is the fact that I haven't really told anyone that I'll be attending the wedding anyway after I initially said no. I mean, Grams had an idea but I didn't really confirm with her. I even said that I probably won't make it in time for the wedding. Shit. I'm basically gate-crashing my best friend's wedding. I haven't told my family either which is a stupid mistake. It sounded like a good plan in my head at first. I was hoping to just show up to the wedding and surprise the brides before the ceremony but after properly thinking it through, it wasn't as good a plan as I hoped. I can now visualize that me showing up will be a bit chaotic with two brides panicking over me.

It took me almost an hour and a half to get from La Guardia to East Hampton airport.

It would have been fine if I wasn't already too late to the wedding. Dammit. I'm already late to the reception as well. I guess if I still want to catch just a little bit of the wedding reception action, I need to be there in 10 minutes so I can prepare and change into some appropriate wedding attire other than my jeans and white collar shirt right now. So, here I am, I finally make it to the area where everyone waits for their luggage and try to think of a way to get to the church. I'm not sure how far it is but if worse comes to worst, I'll probably be walking to get there.

After getting all my stuff, I absent-mindedly walk the halls on the way out of the airport. I sigh as I remember that I'd still have to drop off all my things at the hotel and cram that into the allotted time I have. I knew I should have told at least Grams or just anyone that I'll be coming but I didn't want to disappoint anyone. I must look like someone who's contemplating life and death when something or rather, someone caught my attention.

"Miss Brittany?" A manly voice with a slightly Indian accent exclaims from somewhere close to me.

I stop in my tracks and don't try to move nor do anything to command attention at first. I literally look around in front of me using only my eyes and when that proved to be ineffective, I turn my head to the sides and eventually turn around to see whose voice it was. It doesn't sink in quickly but before I even get to do anything, a familiar man whom I haven't seen for years comes running towards me with a big grin. A pudgy man of Bangladeshi descent in his 40s.

"Gergerpal?" I exclaim with a mix of surprise and relief. I settle my bags on the floor and excitedly walk towards him with a big grin.

"Miss Brittany, it is you!" Pal replies, holding out both of his arms which I welcome in a hug.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the wedding?" I ask in confusion, glancing at his attire to see him wearing formal clothes.

"I was. But your grandmother asked me to pick up someone 'familiar'. I just didn't expect it to be you! Aren't you supposed to arrive with the Pierces two days ago?"

I think about it for a quick second and give a sigh of relief upon putting the pieces together. "No one's really expecting me to come, I guess."

Pal glances curiously at me but almost instantly breaks out into a comforting smile. "Then what are we waiting for? To the town car!"

"W-What? But isn't it too late? I haven't changed into my dress yet and I have to check in at the hotel fir-"

Pal doesn't waste any more time and just grabs all my luggage before darting towards the exit where a black town car is parked, putting all my belongings in the back compartment in a haste. In a second, he opens the door and motions for me to get in the car. "You can change in the car, Miss Brittany. I'll drop off your things at your hotel so don't worry about it. Make it seven minutes since I heard that they're serving Lamb Medallions." He adds with a dopey grin.

Momentarily, and after changing so fast it almost made my head spin, Pal drops me off a pathway outside the venue leading directly to where the reception is being held. Upon alighting the car, I'm greeted by dozens of luxurious cars around me. The vineyard estate from the outside is beautiful in which a huge yellow house with an ample mix of rusticity and sophistication greets my gaze. I must have been standing for a few seconds sight seeing around me when a faint noise of laughter and the works takes me out of my daze. Instead of hanging here around all day, I sigh and prepare myself emotionally for what holds me inside. I fix my midnight blue lace dress that stops just an inch or two above the knee and brush the ends of my hair. I decide that I'll never be ready anyway so might as well face this head on.

I slowly walk the pathway leading to the huge oak open door of the house. As I finally make it through the door, a high class wood interior surrounds me and soon, I hear the laughter and chatter from a while ago much louder this time. I hold on tightly to my white clutch bag and gulp the huge lump in my throat before I follow the sound as slowly as I can. In a bit, it leads me to a backyard garden with a huge tent the size of a house a couple of feet away from where I'm standing. As I slowly take the few steps from the house and towards the front of the tent where from what I hear, everyone's settling to their seats before dinner starts, my heart starts to beat erratically.

I can't explain it but my heart suddenly starts pounding so hard and fast that I instantly stop in my tracks. I try to breathe as normally I can but I fail to do so and if I don't know any better, it feels like I'm dying. I look at my right hand see it tremble like crazy as I start to feel myself getting extremely dizzy. I bend down a little and hold on to my knees while trying to maintain balance. I'm pretty sure I'll go down in a minute now and my dead body will be found in the most tragic of ways, in a wedding no less.

"Miss, are you all right?" A woman's voice with a British accent worriedly exclaims from somewhere around me.

I really don't have the strength to turn around anymore since I honestly feel like fainting any second now as I look down at the ground which I'm sure will be my grave. Thankfully, the mystery woman walks over towards me and holds me by the shoulders to prevent me from smacking my face on the ground.

"I need you to take three deep breaths, okay?" She tells me, gently rubbing my back as if to calm me.

"W-Wha-" I try to speak but it only comes out as a whisper.

"It's okay, I'm a doctor. You're having a panic attack. So, just try to take three deep breaths like I said and maintain the pace until your breathing comes back to normal." She softly utters.

I don't protest her words. I nod once as I try to do what she says. Soon enough, the erratic heart beating and my breathing starts to go back to normal again. And within a moment, I feel alright again. I take one last deep breath and turn my attention at the mystery woman beside me. To put it simply, she's gorgeous. She has long mahogany brown hair, slightly tanned pale skin, a mousy nose, and blue eyes. She's wearing a green and white floral dress and some heels to go with it. I can't put it exactly but she's probably around 5'6, give or take.

"Do you feel better now?" She utters again, softly smiling while taking a step away from me.

"Y-Yeah. T-Thank you." I manage to croak out, standing straight just as I fan myself with my clutch bag.

"Are you sure? Do you need help going inside or-"

I hold up both of my hands and shyly smile back. "No, it's okay. I'm sorry for bothering you."

The woman chuckles at me. "No worries. Although I must say that I didn't expect someone who's neither of the brides to have a panic attack."

I chuckle at the statement and smile at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name, Doctor-" I purposely trail off.

"Dawson. At least that's what they call me at the hospital." She tells me warmly while I nod. Shortly, she gestures towards the tent. "Well, I really should get going now. I hear there's a killer dessert so I will leave you to your moment." She adds with a small smile before entering the reception venue.

When she's finally gone, I take a few more deep breaths and overcome the struggle brewing within me once again. I'm probably just overthinking everything. I mean, it's not like I'm a stranger. And so, with one last extremely deep breath, I stand straight and walks towards the entrance of the reception.

As soon as I enter, my eyes instantly dart to the hundreds of white chairs and dozens of round tables. A small stage is set up by the side with a long table situated on it, presumably for the wedding party. Another stage is placed on the other side with microphones and a band set, which I'm sure is definitely for the band, while a small space in the middle of the reception serves as a dance floor of sorts. There are a couple of bright golden lights that surround the venue although it's only probably only a little after 1 in the afternoon. Everyone is seated and from what I gather, have just finished eating their desserts while some are still yet to be served. Thankfully, my presence doesn't really command any attention save for the few guests near me who are staring like they're trying to figure me out.

I settle myself in a corner, trying to map out what to do and where to actually start making my presence known. It's not really an easy task to search for someone in particular among the many people here. And so, I squint my eyes trying to search for anyone familiar at all when my eyes rests on Grams from somewhere in the middle of the venue laughing and conversing with a few friends. I'm just about to take a step forward when a familiar voice calls out somewhere on my left.

"Brittany?"

I follow the direction of the voice and see her. I haven't seen her for almost two years now but it really doesn't matter because after all this time, the jump my heart makes or her presence that literally knocks me off my feet still remains the same. I turn my whole attention towards her and just take in her existence. I can't deny that a little hope in me lingers as I see her staring back at me with those brown eyes that I've grown accustomed to. I muster up a small smile and try to act calm and collected. As much as I try to stay positive, it makes me feel a little uneasy to say that even though I've known her long enough, I can't exactly decode the look she's giving me right now. It's a mixture of hurt, surprise, and a lot more underneath the façade she's putting on.

I slowly walk towards her but almost instantaneously, our moment is cut off.

"Santana!" The same voice with a British accent from a while ago exclaims. I turn my attention on the woman and watch her walk towards Santana. To my surprise, she puts her arm around Santana's waist then intertwines her hand with hers as she gives the brunette a quick kiss on the cheek. It's a quick pace of scene that leaves me frozen and unable to react immediately. Although the fact that Santana kept her stare at me the whole time is something that didn't go unnoticed by me.

"Oh, hello!" The woman looks at me with a smile and a bit of surprise. "Fancy running into you again. Are you feeling better now?"

I catch the subtle curiosity in Santana's eyes and try to think of the best way to address the situation. However, seeing that there's really no way to handle this, I just attack the situation as I see it fit. "Y-Yeah."

The woman nods and looks at Santana to see her still staring at me. "Do you two know each other?" She asks me innocently and I'm genuinely taken aback. A bunch of questions invade my mind but I try to maintain my cool.

"Y-Yes." I manage to croak out and contemplate asking the one question which I'm sure I already know the answer to. I take a glance on my left to see Rachel and Quinn as well as our other friends slowly approach us from all directions. I sigh and turn to the mystery woman again. "I'm sorry I didn't catch your first name earlier."

The woman grins at me and holds out a hand while her body is still glued to Santana. "I'm Georgina. Everyone else calls me George though. And you are?"

My eyebrows scrunch a little in confusion but nevertheless try to be as nice as possible. "P-Pierce. B-Brittany Pierce." I say as I take her hand and shake it.

"Well, in that case, Pierce, Brittany Pierce. I'm Dawson. Georgina Dawson. It's nice to meet you." She adds with a big grin.

It was awkward.

We tried to be a little civil for about three seconds before our friends came barreling towards us and saved us both from the stress and tension. Well, until Santana hurriedly excused herself along with the doctor. Just in the nick of time before everyone reaches where I'm standing.

"Oh my god!" Rachel breaks the ice, holding a hand over her mouth in surprise. "Brittany, you're here!" She happily exclaims with a wide grin as she comes almost running towards me, enveloping me in a tight hug.

I don't hold back on my feelings anymore and try to hug my best friend as tight as I can before we pull apart from each other. "Rachel! Oh gosh, you look so beautiful!" I say as I check out her strapless gown, noticing her slightly watery eyes.

"I thought you weren't coming. I'm so happy that you're here, I missed you so much!" She adds happily before giving me a quick hug again.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't able to come sooner, Rach. It took me longer than I expected to finish work back in London and my flight was delayed and I'm just sor-"

Rachel cuts me off and grabs me on both shoulders. "What matters is you're finally here, Britt. That's what's important."

I chuckle and finally let go of the tears I've been holding on to for the past minute or so. I look back at the familiar faces to see them with smiles on their faces now. I shake my head in amusement and motion for all of them to come closer.

"Ah! There she is!" Mercedes exclaims, as they all walk towards me.

"We're finally complete again!" Tina quips, making her way with Mike.

"You're really into making a grand entrance, Britt." Kurt adds.

I each give them a tight hug. I've missed these people so much they have no idea and judging from their grins, I know the feeling is mutual. I look back at Quinn who has finally made her way towards me and give her a knowing look with a tight-lipped smile.

"Did you miss me?" I tease her with a smirk. The others watch us with awe and just plain happiness.

Quinn shakes her head in amusement. "Little bit." She utters with a tight grin that I return. "Come over here!" She adds as we envelop each other in a tight embrace.

Momentarily, everyone took to their places for the toasts. I managed to give my parents and sister extremely tight hugs before the wedding started with the promise of an extended reunion later. I even got a big-ass smirk from my grandmother before I joined my friends again. Throughout all this though, Santana avoided me like the plague. Apart from the awkward stares and glances, she obviously tried hard to avoid me. I don't know why or maybe I do but I'm just not aware of it yet but every time she looked at me all I can see is hurt and sorrow in her eyes. Every time I tried to approach her, she seemed to have a sixth sense and purposely moved away from me. Thankfully, no one dared to bring it up.

"It's about time they finally gave you back to us." A familiar voice of a woman exclaims from somewhere on my right.

I slowly glance at the direction and see who it is, immediately bringing a smile to my face. "Maribel!" I exclaim and engulf her in a hug which she returns.

"How have you been, Mija? It's been a while since I saw you!"

"Oh, you know, just idling here and there. How about you? You look amazing!"

"I know, dear. I'm still fabulous." Maribel utters, sneaking a wink. "So, what's new, Brittany? I heard from your grandmother that you're moving back here. Do you have any plans?"

"I am, actually. But I still don't have anything planned at the moment since I just got back a few hours ago. I'm technically homeless and unemployed right now."

Maribel nods and I proceed to take a sip from my champagne. "I see. Dear, this may seem sudden or probably too straightforward but would you like to work for me again?"

My eyes widen as I almost choke at my drink. I glance at Maribel and see a small smile forming on her face while I try to act cool. "Y-You want m-me to work for you again?"

Maribel shrugs and chuckles at my statement. "That's basically what I said."

"B-But why? I mean, I haven't worked for any firm for the past three years. I worked for my family's company but that's nowhere near any legal experience."

"Brittany, why do you undermine your abilities and experience so much? Let me give you the spiel, okay? Let's start from the beginning." She utters and I just stare at her. "Back in college, you graduated Summa Cum Laude from Princeton with a degree in Economics, also first in your class with the highest GPA that year along with receiving local and international accolades for you research and thesis. You graduated second in your class in Harvard, a difficult feat. Plus, you were part and in your last year, ran the exclusive Dalton reading group in campus with Quinn. After you graduated, you worked as my associate with the other two for three months before you had to leave for London. In those three months, I can say that it was a job well done and you proved to be a great associate by forming an amazing teamwork along with Quinn and Santana. You have a keen eye for detail that even some of the best lawyers in my firm fail to achieve. You're definitely the best researcher among the associates, even putting the paralegals to shame plus we need a good lawyer who specializes in financial law like you. All of this goes hand in hand with Santana and Quinn's skills that's why you three make such a good team. And Mija, you 'single-handedly' saved Pierce Industries' Division in London from the brink of a bankruptcy caused by a massive scandal and made it lucrative and better than ever, of course with a little help from your dad's longtime colleague, Mrs. Jones. I did my research and everyone told me you were pretty active in the legal department that you basically ran it." Maribel pauses and grins devilishly at me. "Quite frankly, I think you're overqualified to be my associate, Brittany."

I stare at Maribel for a second or two more before clearing my throat. "T-That's all humbling to h-hear, Maribel. But the London division of Pierce Industries is just a small one compared to all the other sectors. Besides, I shouldn't take all the credit for that since it was a team effort with Mrs. Jones. In fact, you should probably give all the credit to her since she practically mentored me about the business there. The reason why I was so active in the legal department is because that's what I know how to do and something I'm good at, that's what Harvard and you trained me for, it's the least I could do to help there. Plus, if anyone here should be given that pat in the back, it should be Grams. She has been running the New York branch from the start of time and doing a fantastic job overseeing half of the divisions from all over the world, 'single-handedly'. So, honestly, Maribel. I shouldn't be the one you're particularly leaning to hire because I don't deserve that much credit." I finish my little speech and take a sip from my glass while I peer my gaze away from her.

Instead of getting a dramatic monologue or an angry line, Maribel chuckles at me followed by a smirk as I turn my attention back on her. "Oh, don't worry. I know about all that, Brittany. I was just proving a point." She shrugs smugly. "But I guess you've done the job for me. Everything you said just a few seconds ago proves my reasoning that you are the right person for the job. You just gave me the reason on a silver platter and you know it." She utters with a devilish grin and I basically fold at the realization of what she was getting into in the first place when she made that long speech while I just walked right in straight to the trap.

I sigh in a defeated manner and shake my head in disbelief while giving her a small smile. "B-But I've been gone for so long and I'm sure you replaced me with someone new. Probably even better."

"Sweetie, that someone was a traitor along with a couple of lawyers in my firm that we had to fire two weeks ago." Maribel says with a serious tone. "I need someone I can trust, Brittany. Plus, the three of you had an unparalleled teamwork that shamed every other unit in my firm. You will be working directly for me again if you were to take the job as a Senior Associate. If it helps, you get your own glass office along with a parking spot in the building." She adds with a smile.

"I-I don't know, Maribel." I trail off with an unsure tone.

"Do you see that bald man?" Maribel points to the man in question and I follow her gaze. "He's a rival Managing Partner from another firm. He'll come over here in a little while and offer you a partnership on the spot."

My eyes widen in surprise. "W-What? That can't be real."

"It is, dear. You're a hot commodity right now. Everyone wants you on their team, primarily for business and contact purposes." She pauses to take a sip of her drink. "But you know me, Mija. I'm not offering you the job because of that. I'm offering you something real and grounded. I just want genuine people who I can be honest with, people who are loyal. People who are actually good at what they do and can grow." She pronounces with a stern tone.

"Oh, I almost forgot." She voices out and fetches her phone from her purse. "I haven't really given a spiel since I hired you three." She grins and punches a couple of numbers on her phone and shows it to me. Upon getting a good look, I see six digit numbers which is more than enough to buy a Lamborghini.

She takes her phone back and looks at me again. "That's the annual salary. I know that it's probably what you make in a month back in London, or probably what you make in three weeks alone but if you're going to start from the bottom and make your way back again to the legal world, then that's it."

I contemplate it for a few seconds before turning to her with a smile. "That is a generous and wonderful offer. But can I at least think about this?"

"Of course!" Maribel breaks out into a grin. I can practically foresee my future now with that smile. "You have until, let's see," She glances at her watch and thinks about it before looking at me with a smile. "You have three hours to think about it, Brittany. You'll start next Monday." She voices with a devilish grin, a sign that basically means she knows that she'll get the yes and win this negotiation. I chuckle and nod at the statement before she excuses herself to mingle with the other guests.

I think about the offer and whether or not I'm ready to take on another job again after immersing myself with the heavy job back in the UK. I mean, this will be heavier in a way because not only am I back in the firm where I first started but I'll also be working with my ex-fiancée no less. If the work hours and stress before are anything to go by, Santana and I will be working pretty closely.

But then again, I already know the answer to Maribel's offer anyway.

-Santana's POV –

I still cannot believe, wait, I refuse to fucking believe that Brittany's back.

Brittany, my ex-fiancée Brittany, is back in the same continent as I am. It's been a week and I'm still not over it. I had to freaking avoid her because… I don't know! It's like a reflex of some sort or whatever. I mean, I've kept on telling myself that it's not but then again I'd be reminded of it every other second. I guess it's all somehow credited to the rumor that she's moving back here permanently. Then there's the George thing. Oh my fucking… Ugh! What did I ever do to deserve that? It's been two years, okay? Two freaking years and I'm pretty sure I've given myself enough pep talks to instil in my heart and mind that I've moved on already. But her presence, seeing her again for the first time in two years, still as ethereal as ever, just knocks me off of my feet.

However, the past is in the past. Well, the wedding was last week and it's back to work again on a Monday. It's a good thing and a bad thing at the same time because I can concentrate on work and the things I have to do. Quinn's still on her honeymoon which means that I get to have complete silence for the rest of the week, as long as my intern doesn't give me a headache. Or any other person in this matter.

So, here I am, waiting for the elevator to reach my office floor. As soon as I alight from it, I'm greeted by a big sign of 'Lopez Hayward' on the wall, just above the receptionists' area.

Speaking of Lopez Hayward, a scandal just broke out about two weeks ago. For the past two months, a few Junior Partners and Associates were handling this multi-million dollar fraud case for a global merchandising company. It was originally supposed to be one of those cases where you know that you've got it in the bag but in a surprising turn of events, they lost the case. Now, it's really not that big of deal if they lost but for some reason, Mami thought that something fishy was going on. They dug deeper into the matter and lo and behold, the Senior Partners found out that 2 of the Junior Partners and 3 Senior Associates involved were getting paid by the rival firm to feed them our firm's strategy and information regarding the said case. Long story short, Mami told them to shove it and fired their asses right on the spot. It was kind of a good thing though since our co-senior associate under Mami, Brody Weston slash Macho Traitor, was situated right next to Quinn's office and I never really liked how that fucking creep always seemed to check her out. Good riddance, I say.

And so, after having a tedious meeting with one of our clients for a super early breakfast before office, it's basically a great thing that I get to relax a bit since there isn't much work to be done. I had to find a way to get my mind off of things for the past week, so ta-da! It's a good day, I'm calling it now. I start to walk the few steps to my office, being greeted by a few and mostly checked out by other because, come on. Hot girl in a long white buttoned up blouse, tight gray pencil skirt, and red freaking heels is walking your way, how can you resist?

As I strut towards a hallway with black carpet, I pass through an area of cubicles on my left for associates, interns, and assistants while two dark walled offices on my right are situated next to one another. Within a few more steps, three glass walled offices next to each other greet me on my right. Needless to say, these are Mami's Senior Associates' offices which means that it's ours. So, the first office, now empty, I encounter used to be Brody Weston's office, then Quinn's in the middle, then mine's at the farthest one.

Our offices are small but big enough for each of us. I guess it has the width of about six-seven arm's length and the length of about eight-nine. It has the usual perks, a big, L-shaped dark oak table, high end desktop computer, ergonomic chair, wood file cabinet, huge book case for personal books, two lounge chairs in front of the oak table for clients, and the like. The whole office isn't the usual stuffy ones you see. Our side of the office actually overlooks Manhattan which gives the whole floor a natural light setting. To add, our offices are stuck to each other like glue and in a way, only divided from each other by the use of a blurred grayish white color in the middle part of the glass next to each other that spans about two arms length. So basically, when you're inside Quinn's office and I'm seated in mine, she can only see my lower legs or calves and the uppermost part of my office. I guess now you understand why Brody is such a creep.

So, as I pass Brody's empty ex-office and Quinn's office, I finally enter mine and place my purse on the table. I settle myself on my chair to take a breather. I try to think about the few things I need to do and some calls I need to make. I take a glance on my left and in a way, I wish that Quinn is here since she'd know what to say after the eventful comeback of my ex. I sigh to myself as I collect my thoughts before my intern comes in to catch me up with everything I assigned to her and hopefully with some coffee. I don't know, we don't have that kind of relationship. She and Quinn though, they're pretty tight. Kitty practically worships her. Anyway, I grab my phone from my purse and open it to see-

Wait.

I drop whatever I'm doing and look up at nothing in particular quizzically. My eyebrows scrunch in confusion at the thought and sudden sight of what I saw a few seconds ago. Slowly but surely, I glance to my left and see something on the leftmost glass-walled office.

I see a woman's feet. Well, feet wearing nude colored flats. From Brody's ex-office.

I think to myself if I missed out on an announcement or just anything in particular about Brody being replaced by someone new. Or just for the hell of it, maybe someone's cleaning his ex-office? But wait, there's an open box beside the feet. I look like a fool staring at the unknown feet owner and this time, a woman's hand reaches towards the box and grabs what seems to be a picture frame of a cat.

Okay, so now it's gotten me hella curious. I stand up immediately from my chair and try to make out the figure from the other office. However, all I can see from here through the blurred glass is someone wearing black trousers and what looks like a long white blouse as well. Upon tiptoeing a little, I managed to see and if I'm not mistaken, long blonde hair.

My heart jumps a little bit for some unknown reason. I search for Kitty just by my door frame with the hopes of asking who's the woman but to no avail. I take a deep breath and slowly tread the few steps leading to the office in question. It even feels like one of those iconic movie scenes in a way where you're meeting your inevitable doom. When I finally reach that office's doorway, I'm greeted by a familiar sight.

The woman has her back towards me while she's organizing things on the table. She doesn't have to turn around for me to know who she is because I'd see her even in a crowd of hundreds. I must have been staring a little too long because she seemingly picks up on my presence as she gives me an innocent look before finally realizing that it's me looking back at her. She turns around slowly, unsure whether to break out into a smile or just stare at me forever. In a second, she finally breaks the ice between us.

"Hey." Brittany utters softly, giving off a small smile in the process.

I literally have no idea what to say or do, still taken aback and seriously confused with everything right now. I feel my shoulders relax a little as I place my shoulder against her doorway. But still, I try to let out anything to just ease the tension. "H-Hi." I trail off, a little breathless. "U-Uh… W-Wha-" I cut myself off and instantly clear my throat. "W-What are you doing here?"

Brittany's eyebrows immediately scrunch in confusion. She never really was good in hiding her emotions because she wears her heart in her sleeve. She squints her eyes at me and suddenly turns a bit serious. "No one told you?"

I stare back at her questioningly, mirroring her facial expression while trying to breathe as normally as possible. "T-Told me what?"

Brittany nods once and does a slight pursing of her lips which basically translates to 'Shit' and I fear for the worst. She glances at the ground for a moment before looking back at me shyly at the same time that my gaze wanders into the few things laid out on the table which I've come to realize upon closer inspection are personal possessions. Specially, a picture frame of a familiar fat cat. Her personal possessions.

"S-San," She trails off and I see her gulp down a lump in her throat. "I-I'm the new Senior Associate for Maribel. We'll be working together. Again."

See ya on Sunday again. Or maybe earlier ;)