After completing her usual routine, she opened her eyes and stepped out of her heels before padding barefooted across her office towards a cupboard. She pulled it open and reached for her black comfort slip-ons before putting them on.

She moved towards another space in the corner of her office. It was a cellarette that was pretty stocked with wines of low alcohol content, majority of which are fruit wines, bits of red wine, champagne and a mini refrigerator with bottles of water in it. A cabinet had the glass cups, tumblers, wine glasses and flutes in it while another contained cup wipes.

She grabbed a wine glass, wiped it off with a tissue paper before standing on her toes to reach for the bottle which stood a few inches above her. She eventually got a hold of it before walking back to her seat.

She unscrewed the cork, hearing a satisfying pop before pouring herself a glass of Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot. She took a sip as she looked towards the blinds. Tilting her head to the side, she rolled her seat towards the windows and carefully pulled the blinds up, revealing Manhattan below her.

Sitting in front of the window, her eyes swept across the restaurant/cafe opposite her building. She could see the bold sign which displayed the words Debonair Burgers atop the rooftop with a little burger model at the side. Usually when it got dark, the sign would light up and the burger would be illuminated by neon lights.

True to their words, they served really amazing and finger–licking burgers with coffee as well. Their burgers were indeed superior and they were patronised by most employees in the vicinity. She was quite familiar with the owner, Sebastian Novak, a very nice man who seemed to have been quite the charmer back in the day.

Since she always got her lunch from there, she would either go to pick it up or Sebastian would have an employee bring it over if she was too busy to go over. She had always appreciated his efforts and would try to tip off the employee but he/she would decline, saying strict orders came from Sebastian to not receive even a cent higher than the actual amount.

Seemingly, that was her punishment for declining his offer of always giving her lunch for free. She had never been a dependent woman or someone who fed off of others and she was definitely not going to start by accepting Sebastian's offer, so she had adamantly declined his offer even before he concluded his sentence.

She let her gaze move over to Alora's Floral Bliss which stood beautifully beside Debonair Burgers. Alora was a middle aged woman, a sexagenarian precisely. She was a really sweet yet feisty lady who was rather energetic for someone her age. She ran the cute little flower shop with her husband, Levi, who was a retired U.S. Marine. They were both really lovely couples who were quite adventurous too.

For someone who was quite a loner and didn't really have an existing social cycle other than Oriana, Emerald didn't know how she had managed to get these people to be around her but she wasn't complaining either, they were a pretty fun group that always seemed to brighten her day.

As she sipped her wine, she saw Alora come out of the shop with a rag and a window wiper before wiping the glass window which gave passersby a view of the cute shop. Not long after, Levi came out of the shop holding a bouquet of Itsaul White Dianthus. He then proceeded to kneel before his wife, pretending to ask for her hand in marriage.

She couldn't help but laugh at the sight before her. Alora only rolled her eyes as she saw the mischievous smile on his lips before softly whacking his head with the rag. Levi quickly blocked his head from Alora's hits and rose to his feet, a wide grin on his face.

He began inching closer to her face, seemingly seeking a kiss and Alora looked up at him before spraying the liquid wipe on his face, making him yelp in surprise. Emerald couldn't hold in her chuckle and they must have heard her because simultaneously, their eyes met hers and they both waved enthusiastically at her with wide grins on their faces.

She couldn't help but reciprocate their grins before waving back at them and moving her seat back to her desk. She looked up at the wall clock and it read 10:53a.m., meaning she had roughly an hour and thirty minutes more before her session with Mrs Levine. She needed something to kill time.

She opened a drawer from her desk and found different novels of which she had purchased earlier this month. She filtered through them, trying to find the perfect one to start with before she stumbled upon one with a very catchy cover.

There was a lady or girl with a red hoodie covering almost half of her face with other features like a bowing girl, held down by chains and then surrounded by lit candles. In total, the cover looked really captivating.

She brought out the book before shutting the drawer. She wore her glasses and glanced at the book, Bound By The Erstwhile Chains, read the title. She turned it over and saw the author's name, Lara .A. Falowo and a bit about her. Fascinated by the prologue, she dived into the book, flipping pages after pages until she heard a voice come through the intercom.

"Miss Pearce?" Claire called out, successfully grasping her attention.

"Yes?"

"Tim already brought your lunch, shall I bring it to you or. . .?" She trailed off, awaiting Emerald's decision.

Lunch? In surprise, she looked at the wall clock and saw it was a few minutes past noon. She had been so engrossed in the book, she hadn't noticed how time flew by. There were a few minutes more before Mrs Levine would arrive. She couldn't let a patient see her eating.

"Keep it with you, Mrs Levine would be arriving anytime soon. Once she gets her—"

"Hi Claire," a familiar voice interrupted.

"Good day Mrs Levine," Claire replied professionally.

"Oh Claire, how many times would I tell you to just call me Carol. Mrs Levine makes me sound really old."

"Alright then, Carol it is," she replied with a smile.

"Well is your boss in?"

"Ah yes she is. . . Miss Pearce?"

"Send her in, Claire," Emerald said through the intercom before getting up to put the bottle back in place. She placed the wine glass upside-down, making a mental note to wash it after.