Two

Alicia's POV 

I walked into the magnificent building with my shoulders high as if a chip had been plugged into it. That was all a facade, I was dying inside. I was a wreck from nervousness, fear, and a thousand questions running through my head.

What if he says no? What if he doesn't accept the decision I'm about to make? What if he goes against me by using the contract I signed? What if I get sued in court? 

'Focus Alicia, you've got this,' I repeated those words in my head more than a million times even as I walked into the elevator. This is the second time I'll be walking into this building and I was even too nervous to be as mesmerized as I was the first time I was here.

The last time I came here, Grandma Mary had asked me to drop a document at Nathaniel's office. I couldn't look away from how exquisite the office was. It was like walking into a five-star hotel but with an office layout. When I got into Nathan's part of the building, I didn't meet him but I met his bitchy secretary who wouldn't stop glaring at me. She didn't know who I was but she didn't hide that she hated me already.

The elevator dinged, bringing me out of my train of thought, I took a deep breath before taking a step out of the elevator. I looked ahead of me to see Nathan's office staring back. 

I knew he was behind that fancy door but I couldn't bring my legs to walk up to it. I bit down on the inside of my cheek as I gripped tightly to my bag. 

‘I can do this’ I encouraged myself. I took another step and I finally released the breath I didn't even know I was holding. 

Several counted and calculated steps later, my hand was on the sleek metal handle and I opened the door. I was welcomed into the room by the same bitchy secretary whose smile turned into a deep frown immediately after she saw me. 

"Excuse me, who are you?" She asked, dropping the nail polish she was holding. I smirked. 

Work must be so boring for her to even paint her nails during working hours. 

"Hi. I'm Alicia. I'm here to see Mr. Nathaniel Lancaster," I provided a suitable response. 

"Do you have an appointment with him?" 

I gestured a negative response. 

"Not really," 

She had a sly smile playing on her lips. "Then, I'm sorry you can't see him right now, he's busy," 

I frowned. 

What was I thinking? How did I expect to see him even when I knew I didn't have an appointment and I didn't even bother to call him earlier before coming? I should've waited for him to get home.

I turned, ready to walk away but on second thought, there was no way I would back down since I'm already there. 

Swiftly, without thinking too much about my next steps or their repercussions, I turned, walked past the secretary, hitting her squarely on her shoulder, and barged into Nathaniel's office. I could hear her screaming behind me but I didn't care, I went in still on still. 

Nathaniel was not alone, he was with two other guys and they all were surprised to see a strange woman barging into the office but Nathaniel was more surprised. 

"I'm so sorry, sir. I tried to stop her, she wouldn't listen," 

Nathan raised a finger, dismissing her. "It's okay, she's someone I know. You can go back to your office," 

He stood up from his seat and walked towards me. "What's the occasion, Alicia? Can't whatever this is wait till later?" 

"No, I'm here to talk to you and it's very important," 

"What is this about?" 

I looked at the two men still sitting pretty in the room. One had a smug look on his face, his hand folded against his chest as if he was about to enjoy whatever drama that's about to unfold. 

"Am I to speak freely in front of them?" I asked. 

He stared at me for a while, probably weighing his options. 

"You barged into my meeting, Alicia, you shouldn't expect me to give you total attention. I'm being respectful enough by listening to you and not asking you to leave," 

I shrugged, "Fine, I'll give you a hint and if you're cool with it, I'll speak," 

"Please, go ahead," That's one of the things that annoy me about Nathan. His cool demeanor and how he speaks to people so gentlemanly and with such confidence that makes you question if he went to a school to learn this. 

"It's about that document we signed a few years ago. The same one where you had your own terms and I had mine. We talked about the terms a day before signing the contract," 

He raised an eyebrow and looked at the two men sitting before he walked over to them. 

"Guys, I apologize for this. I'll explain later tonight but please, I need you to take your leave," 

"You're dead, Nat," one of them snickered, laughing along with the other guy.

"I always told you not to sign any stupid contract without talking to me about it," The other guy added 

"Save it for tonight when you see me," He demanded. 

"Don't kill him yet, that's our job," The first guy winked at me as he walked out. 

Once they walked out, Nathan asked me to sit but I refused. 

"I'm not here to sit and I'm not here to talk either, I'm just here to make a request and I'll be glad if you can fulfill it," 

"What is it?" 

"Let's get a divorce, Nathan. I don't want this marriage anymore," 

He turned his head away from me, staring at the Monalisa painting on the wall. My heart raced hard, I could hear my heartbeat and feel my heart in my throat. The silence was deafening and it was the longest I'd waited my entire life even though it was for a few seconds. 

"Is that what you really want?" He finally spoke. I held my breath and nodded. 

"Yes," my response was quick and firm but my voice sounded squeaky as I had to force the word out of my mouth.

"Great. Let's get divorced," 

Finally! Freedom!