"Did you get the files prepared, Lucy?" Her manager, Kyra, questioned from a short distance.
She was seated on her white swivel chair in her office that was right across from Lucy's cubicle; she had a see-through-glass door that could be spoken through.
The blonde's hand was glued to her mouse and her eyes were fixated on her computer screen as she was working.
"I already put them on your desk," She shifted her gaze to Kyra, whom she could see from her seat.
"Oh, I see them," The blue-eyed brunette chuckled at her own obliviousness.
The blonde shook her head with a small smile as she looked back at her screen, typing on her keyboard, sharply focused.
Suddenly, she heard her cell phone vibrating on her desk, interrupting her train of thought. She glanced over at her phone screen and saw her best friend, Levy, calling her.
She sighed as she picked up the phone and answered the call.
"Hello?" She initiated after placing the phone against her ear.
"Lucy?"
"Hey Lev," The blonde greeted, tapping her fingers against her desk in stress.
She doesn't have much time to waste. In her work environment, Lucy is sufficiently serious about getting her stuff done. She likes to stretch her potential and abilities as much as she could so she could achieve her dream one day—the dream to be a known author with published books and novels.
Currently, she has a paper she needs to submit to her manager in thirty minutes and she is nowhere near done.
"What's up?" she questioned.
"Well..."
The bluette took a moment to gather up her strength to speak.
"Something wrong?" The blonde narrowed her eyebrows, feeling the tension Levy was radiating.
"I'd like to see you," she said softly.
"I'm kinda busy right now Lev, is it urgent?"
"It is. I'm sorry, I really wouldn't be asking you this if it wasn't."
The blonde leaned against her desk,
"What's wrong?" she lowered her tone.
"Can you meet me at Sal's coffee shop in ten?"
The blonde stuttered, scratching her head as she looked at her computer screen in helplessness.
"Of course." She responded.
However-much importance her dream held, her friends were always more important.
"I'll see you," The bluette said before hanging up the phone.
She sighed as she dropped her phone on her desk and placed her hands on her forehead, rubbing her temples. Her head had been pounding since nine o'clock in the morning, and the added stress wasn't helping.
She got up from her chair and walked over to her manager's office.
She lifted her tiny fist and knocked on the glass door twice, instantly catching Kyra's attention.
"Can I come in?" She questioned hesitantly and nervously.
She had taken so many days off work after the incident last week that it seemed embarrassing to ask for more.
Her manager had no idea of what she had been through, which made it worse. Asking to leave early now would seem like she was pushing it. She was afraid Kyra would think she was taking advantage of their friendship when she really didn't want it to seem that way.
But it's Levy.
"Sure," Her manager turned her chair toward her.
Lucy slowly walked into her office. Taking a seat across from her desk, she glanced over at the countless medals hanging on her baby-blue wall.
If she ever wanted to be this successful in her career, she couldn't be slacking off.
She looked back at Kyra and formed a pleading smile,
"I was wondering if I could maybe leave early today?" She questioned, nervously playing with her fingers.
"But you have that paper due soon; the New York Times is waiting on us," Kyra raised her brows in surprise. She never expected Lucy, of all people, to not be diligent with her work.
"I know, but something urgent came up," She stated, grinding her teeth instantly after that.
"Is everything okay?" Kyra questioned, leaning in on her desk with concern on her face.
"I don't know, I need to go and find out," She vaguely stated, receiving a confused look from her manager.
"Can I just give it to Cole to finish it up, please?" She asked, hopeful. "I mean he's just as good as me."
"You're one of a kind, Lucy." Kyra smiled. "But yes, you can go. I'll finish it up myself." She stated.
"Thank you for understanding, Kyra, really." The blonde answered with a grateful smile.
She stood up from her seat, still nervously playing with her fingers, and walked towards the door.
"By the way," Her manager stopped her.
The blonde turned around.
"Watch out for that Cole guy. He's had his eyes on you for a while now," She winked.
The blonde let out a chuckle, knowing that fact already before walking out.
.oOo.
She swung the door open as the sharp scent of coffee greeted her. Only a few people were seated on the coffee shop's couches, given that it was a small place already, and not too much chatter was around.
She roamed her eyes around looking for the bluette.
Her blue hair caught her eye in the far corner, sitting on the edge of her seat.
She walked over to her, clenching her purse in stress.
"Levy?" She called out, placing her black purse on the mini round table between them before taking a seat across from her.
"Hi, Lucy," The bluette said, looking up into her the blonde's brown orbs.
Her hazel eyes were a deep color of red. She had dark circles under them, looking like she hadn't slept in days.
The blonde widened her eyes as she gasped, not processing her best friend's state.
"I need to talk to you," the bluette spoke.
"What's wrong?!" The blonde leaned in closer, laboring her breaths, examining her face.
The bluette gulped dryness down her throat, bringing her head down into her palms.
Now that she had made it outside of her house, she couldn't bring herself to the next step of this difficult process. To speak.
"I just..." She said—her voice on the brink of breaking.
The blonde drifted her hand to Levy's, taking her hand off her face so she could see her.
"Please speak up, you're really worrying me," She said as her heart pumped out of her chest.
"It's about-" She briefly paused, clearing her throat, wanting to let it out already. "The night you came to my restaurant," She sniffled, looking back up into the blonde's brown orbs.
"What happened?" She questioned, worry and anxiety taking over her being.
It was at that moment that the bluette let everything out. She went on, telling her trusted friend about the horrible night she had experienced.
She went into detail on how she found the dead bodies bleeding to death on the ground. How she witnessed the life escaping their bodies as their leg twitched. How her restaurant's steak knives were pierced into the hearts of two men.
Then she went on, talking bout the officers who kept on questioning her.
Everything.
Every single detail she had to keep buried inside of her ever since yesterday, was coming out now. She felt suffocated, not having anyone to talk to about it, until now.
There was no better person to tell this to.
Little did she know, this tale does no mercy in helping her best friend—given the trauma she had experienced a little over a week ago.
It only made Lucy's current paranoia worse.
The blonde was leaning back on her chair, mentally trying to process everything coming out of Levy's mouth. Her breathing gained weight and her heartbeats accelerated, but she kept her lips sealed, intently listening to her friend as she spoke her heart out.
She felt her head pound and her heart pump as she tried registering everything.
"And the thing is..." The bluette paused, gulping. "I saw two men in black suits walking out of my restaurant's door after the incident." She looked up to Lucy in the eye. "They were smirking, Lu-Chan. They were smirking." She said.
"Two men..." Lucy thought out loud.
Her head couldn't stop spinning in thoughts. What if these men were originally after her and that's why they were in the restaurant? What if they're the same men who tried to kill her?
Her stomach clenched in extreme tightness just at the thought.
"Did you see their faces?" she questioned eagerly.
"I just saw their side profile at a distance," she explained. "I barely got a good look. But I just know they were the ones who did it..." she paused. "It's so overwhelming, Lu-Chan. I can't even sleep knowing a murder took place in my own restaurant. I just..." She brought her hands to her face again, silently crying into her palms. "I just don't know what to do."
Lucy stood up from her seat with tears hanging in her eyes, threatening to escape. She sat on the couch next to Levy and embraced her in a hug. Levy cried into Lucy's chest, not holding back her tears any longer. There was nothing else to do but let her best friend weep in her arms.
"Shhh," Lucy whispered. "Easy now..." She stroked her hair. "Everything's going to be okay."
.oOo.
"A dance?" The redhead questioned from her place on the barstool.
"At the Ball & Gown Palace." The bodyguard, Laxus, spoke up. He was standing on the other side of the bar, helping Mira with some dishes.
"But why would he want to go there?" She said, alarmed and confused.
He shrugged his shoulders.
"You speak as if we ever know what runs through his head," The raven-head next to her spoke out.
She sighed.
The double doors opened, embarking silence in the whole room.
Heavy footsteps trailed down on the white marble ground as everyone's gaze shifted to their Don. His infamous black suit was fitted eloquently and his salmon bangs were over his eyes. His massive presence and dark aura hung in the air around them.
The silence was loud.
He stopped and stood in the middle, turning to his people.
"Everyone," He addressed, having all eyes on him already. "I have reserved the Palace building for tomorrow. We will all be attending the Ball & Gown event at six o'clock. Clear your schedules." He stated.
With that, he began walking towards the bar, and everyone knew his speech ended.
He leaned against the bar table and looked toward Mira.
She nodded, understanding he wants his usual drink.
"Everyone?" Erza questioned, quiet enough for only him to hear.
He looked towards her with his sharp eyes,
"As you heard me."
"The dance will be overcrowded if we all attend it," She reasoned.
"It will only be us attending it. As far as the outside world knows, the event is canceled."
"But why?" She questioned.
"What happened with the Sandler brothers cannot repeat itself," He stated. "The doors will be locked for anyone but us, so it's safer and less bloody."
"Understood." She said firmly.
"So we're finally going to meet the Heartfilia chick in person, huh?" Gray butted in.
The Don glanced towards him before his drink was placed on the table.
"Here you go," Mira smiled.
He gave her a glance of gratitude before grabbing his drink and turning to Gray.
"You won't speak to her or go near her." He looked him in the eye.
Gray narrowed his brows in confusion.
"Unless I instruct otherwise." He added.
"But sir," a feminine voice spoke up from behind Gray. She stepped out of his shadow and stood in front of the Don. "If we'll all be there, we'll have her trapped. We can end her easily."
"Let me make one thing clear," he stated in a louder tone, causing the whole bunch to go silent again and turn to him.
His brief pause tightened the air around them, stressing everyone out with the tension he radiated merely with his deadly gaze.
"I do indeed despise this woman with every fiber of my being.
But I swear to fucking god, if any of you lay one finger on her, you will be begging for your life at my mercy.
She is my enemy, and mine only."