The ONE

Chapter 1:Melissa

I kept honking impatiently as I sat behind the wheels of my blue Camry.Traffic in New York is never a cakewalk-but this?

After spending 2 years in Singapore, I expected New York to be different but I obviously underestimated the city.This is madness, how can a city contain so much population?

On top of that,my ultra intelligent best friend threw me a coming home party last night-which led to nonstop drinking till 2AM in the morning.

I gulped down some coffee as I closed my eyes. The pounding in my head refused to go away and I have a gut feeling I'll be late on my first day of work.

I reached Hamilton International Co.
at 9:30AM-30 minutes after the designated time.Paula had already called me twice-I felt terrible making her wait like that but hey,it could've been worse!

Reaching the 8th floor, I found Paula standing outside the elevator.

"Where were you?They're waiting!" She hissed.

"I was..never mind.Why aren't you inside? "I asked.

"They intimidate me."She shrugged.

"You have done nothing wrong. "I reminded her.

"I caught a glimpse of their lawyer.He's hot!"She exclaimed.

"Do you want to win this thing Paula?"I sighed.

"Of course. "

"Then don't go crushing on their lawyer."

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"You're late."Mr Louis Hamilton stated the moment I entered the boardroom.

"My apologies. "I nodded."Shall we proceed? "

He ran his hand through his greying hair and turned to a figure who sat at the head of the table, facing the wall.

"Mr.Williams? "He called out.

The name sounded eerily familiar but I shrugged off the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

The figure turned towards us slowly. But nothing could've prepared me for what happened next.

The same brown eyes that I never tired of gazing at,the chiseled jaw that showed off adorable dimples when he smiled, the attractive lips that used to send delightful shivers throughout my body.

I froze as I stared at him.Nick.Nicholas Williams. My Nick.

His handsome face stared at me wide-eyed but his forehead was scrunched in confusion.

"What are you doing here?"He asked.
"Do you two know each other?"Mr Hamilton asked.

"Yes."I replied in a curt tone."Professionally "

I took a seat and closed my eyes.Now is not the time to react or break down-I kept repeating in my head.I need to do this for Paula.I let out a deep breath and got into my work mode.

Opening my eyes,I realised that Nick waa still staring at me.But I wasn't going to let him affect me in any way.
"Mr Hamilton, are you aware that your employee,Paula Rivers is filing a lawsuit against you?"I asked.

"Ex-employee. "He said in a bored tone. "And so what she is-if the lying bitch. .."He began.

"Stop talking. "Nick suddenly cut him off in a commanding tone.

He opened his mouth to speak but Nick held up his hand.

"You were saying. .."Nick turned to me.

"I.."I cleared my throat loudly. Focus Mel,focus."We're filing a lawsuit against Mr Hamilton."

"On what charges? "

"Racial discrimination, wrongful termination and sexual harassment. "I replied.

"I never. ."Mr Hamilton began but Nick silenced him with a look.

"How about we decide on a settlement? "Nick offered.

"What are you offering? "I asked.I had no intention of letting that obnoxious businessman get off that easy but I wanted to know how far they're willing to go.

"My client is willing to pay 50,000$."

"50,000$?"I scoffed. "Are we discussing your firm's yearly turnover Mr Williams?"

Nick frowned at my obvious insult and said :"How about you suggest a number? "

"4million. "

"That is absurd!"Mr Hamilton exclaimed.

"It's way too high.How about we negotiate? "Nick offered.

"No negotiations. Take it or leave it."I said firmly.

"Well then I believe we'll see you in court."Nick sighed, closing a file he was holding.

"Gladly. "I threw him an icy glare and stood up.Motioning for Paula to follow me,I walked out of the conference room without a backward glance.

"So what do you think?"Paula asked me in a hushed tone once we were outside.

"Don't worry. We'll win this."I smiled.

My phone suddenly rang and I mouthed "Go home" to Paula before switching it on.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! I cannot believe I made you late on Day 1!"My best friend Zoey exclaimed before even saying hello.

"So you're up?"I asked, smiling.

"I woke up with a massive hangover. I swear I feel the Battle of Hogwarts is going on inside my head."

"That did not sound weird."I laughed. "Want to know about my first day?"

"Yup.Tell me -who are you up against? Some old,shrewd meanie who looks down upon you because it's your first case?"

"Quite the opposite actually. He's young. Maybe it's his first case too!"

"Young male-good looking? "She giggled.

"Very."I admitted.

"You're on a roll,bitch!"She exclaimed.

"Not really. He's a blast from the past."

"Well maybe you'll reconcile!"

I thought back to his handsome face and his deceiving eyes.

"I'll call you later."I told her and abruptly hung up.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice the lone figure inside the elevator as I stepped in.

"Fancy seeing you here."A familiar voice made me jump.

I looked at Nick's smiling face and nodded.

"So we don't even talk now? "He asked.

"How about we save all the conversations for the courtroom? "I replied.

"I don't understand. You relocate to Singapore and then you're back-why?"

"Were you keeping tabs on me?"I sighed. "And for the record,what I do is not your business."

"It used to be."He murmured.

I didn't reply.The elevator had reached the ground floor.I walked out as soon as the door opened.

"Lisa.."He called out.I froze.
"It's good seeing you."He added.

"I wish I could say the same."I turned to him with an expressionless face."But we both know that of the two of us,I'm not the one who enjoys lying. "

He flinched. Good.

"Oh and it's Melissa now."I added."And it's Ms Lockhart for you."He stared at me.

"Have a good day,Mr Williams. "I walked off,leaving him standing there with a bewildered expression.

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End of chapter 1.Vote and comment people! Chapter 2 will be up soon.Love you guys! ♡♡