Will You Love Me......... Forever? #Wattys2015

Face your Fears

Face your Fears

"No, you look here! We are in crisis mode right now, and need all the space we can get, so kindly back off while I'm telling you nicely." These were the first words that I heard when I exited the bathroom. Naina was standing in front of the door, her hands on her hips and glaring at the officer in front of her in a threatening manner. It was quite comical, watching the midget-like Naina threaten a rather buff officer. But I knew that she can easily take him, with all her Taekwondo and Krav Maga teachings.

"Miss, you do know that you are threatening a police officer, in a courthouse no less?" the officer replied in an exasperated tone, clearly on the verge of losing patience. I decided to intervene before the need for another summons arose.

"I'm so sorry officer, we'll be off now." I said, moving forward and grabbing Naina's arm in a vice-like grip. I forcefully propelled her forward, not giving either of them a chance to speak.

"What the..." said a baffled Naina as I dragged her past an equally baffled officer.

"Just walk" I muttered under my breath, walking as fast as I can.

"Miss!" came the officer's voice from behind, but I paid it no heed, walking ahead in a straight line.

"Hey! You okay?" Naina asked once we were a good distance away.

"Better now. And just what were you doing, threatening an officer that way? You could've been locked up!" I said in a rather shrill voice, the feeling of panic slowly creeping back.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm right here." She said in a soothing voice while rubbing my back in a circular motion. I leaned forward and concentrated on my breathing. "You needed some space and that rude women just didn't understand the concept of space. She got all in my face and then started blabbing some shit about my being Asian." She explained, and I momentarily forgot all about my panic.

"Who was she?" I asked, suddenly overcome with the feeling to track her down and maybe punch some sense into her.

"Don't worry, she's gone." Naina commented nonchalantly, and I turned suspicious.

"What did you do?" I asked suspiciously, she shrugged.

"Well, I did think about giving her a lesson on the great achievements us Asians have made for this country, but she just wouldn't stand still!" she air quoted us Asians, and simply threw her hands up in a gesture of frustration by the end. "So, I decided to put some sense into her, and, uh well, pulled her into a chokehold while reciting the greatness of Asians." She finished with a serene smile.

"And that's how the officer found you?" I finished, fighting a smile.

"Uh hun" she replied sassily. Unable to hold back any longer, I started laughing loudly and it felt wonderful. Well, that did wonders to my anxiety.

"Well, I think I'm fine now." I said, wiping a tear from the corner of my eye. "Let's find out what havoc my husband is thinking if wreaking on them now." And with that, we were off. It didn't take long for us to find him. He was huddled over a table along with Santi and Mr. Hawks, the lawyer. The brothers were arguing back and forth while lawyer just looked harangued.

"Hey guys, what's cooking?" Naina said, making her way towards Santi. It warmed my heart from inside to see them together. Even though Santi was busy arguing with Sal, his hand subconsciously reached for Naina and pulled her down next to him without missing a beat. Naina on her part was looking back and forth between the brothers as she made herself comfortable next to him. She deserved to get her own share of happiness, especially after everything that she has gone through.

"Maybe we can persuade the major supplier to cancel the contract. That will easily leave him crippled. With the current market conditions, I doubt he'll be able to replace them fast enough." Said Santi, his eyes having a calculated gleam.

"No, he's a good family friend. I've met him. It would take a long time to make him turn away. I think we can go after the board of directors. With his step-daughter's exploits now revealed, they would me more inclined towards our suggestions." Sal argued in turn. I looked at Mr. Hawks who simply gave me a resigned shake of head. It seems like the matter has gotten out of hand.

"Okay, why are you guys planning a coup when I explicitly asked you guys not to intervene?" I asked in my best no-nonsense tone. The brothers stopped talking and turned towards me in unison. Sal looked frustrated while Santi shot me a quizzical look. That made my temper rise even more.

"Tesoro (Sweetheart), we're only discussing things. And besides, it's good to be prepared. God knows what that vile man has up his sleeve next." He muttered the last part under his breath, but I heard him loud and clear.

"Salvatore, we're doing this my way or we're not doing it at all. The choice is yours." I said with a finality in my voice. He stiffened at my use of his full name and then slumped in resignation. He knew there was no going around this one.

"Wait! Are you really going to do nothing? Seriously?" Sati said in an incredulous voice, as if he can't fathom the idea. It pushed my buttons all the wrong way. I was about to say something, only this time Naina beat me to the punch.

"Oh for heaven's sake! This is not a 'Whose more macho?' contest!" she said in a shrill voice, completely scaring Santi. I guess he has not yet witnessed her infamous temper. If the situation wasn't so serious, I would've surely laughed at the mildly scared look on Santi's face. "And as far as I know Cassy, she will most definitely not leave them alone. Have a little faith, will you?" even though she said it in a calmer voice, it was still sharp as a razor. Neither of them spoke, merely nodding their heads in acceptance.

"Okay, so! Let's get to work!" Mr. Hawks said in an overly-enthused manner, trying to diffuse the tension in the room. His sudden high pitched voice made us all flinch, but he paid it no heed, busying himself in pulling a sheath of papers from his bag.

"Yeah, let's." Naina said with considerably less enthusiasm, puling me besides her.

And so began the longest half an hour of my life.

Alright, I'm really desperate now. Anyone with even a little knowledge of American law contact me ASAP. OR what you will get in the next chapter will be a mix of Grey's Anatomy, Suits and Boston Legal!

See you soon!

Anna