"Bye, mom," Mateo waved as he led his younger sister into the school.
"Bye, babies," Lucy said. "Mommy loves you."
Isla turned round to wave her mother goodbye as she walked hand in hand with her brother before they disappeared through the school doors.
The moment they disappeared, Lucy got back into the driver's seat and closed the door. Her smile from earlier had faded as her hands rested on the steering wheel. She just sat there and took in deep breaths to steady her nerves.
What she was about to do went against everything she ever believed in, but she had no choice.
Fifteen minutes later, she parked in the office parking lot. She checked her reflection in the rear view mirror before stepping down. She had minimal makeup on, her hair was neatly packed into a bun and she was wearing a black dress that hugged her body just enough for it to look elegant.
This had to work.
As she walked in through the automatic doors and people passed by, her nerves got stronger. Some nodded respectfully when they saw her, while others had to do a double take when they realized who she was, the late Damien Whitmore's widow.
She approached the receptionist.
"I'm here to see Zayn Adler."
"Do you have an appointment?" the woman asked.
"Tell him it's Lucy," she replied with a warm smile. "He'll want to see me."
The receptionist looked as Lucy as she took her in, and then raised a brow but typed into her computer nevertheless. A few seconds later, the receptionist picked up the phone, murmured a few words and then nodded.
"That way."
Lucy thanked the receptionist and went towards the elevator, making her way to the highest floor in the building.
When the elevator opened up, she stepped out into the hallway where Zayn Adler was already waiting for her.
He was dressed in a charcoal suit and a silver tie, when he saw Lucy, his stoic expression softened.
"Lucy," he said as he embraced her. "It's good to see you."
She nodded. "Good to see you too. Can we talk somewhere private?"
He gestured towards a large door at the end of the hallway. "My office."
They walked in uncomfortable silence. Zayn was Damien's friend, not hers. They'd been friends since college and they'd both started their own individual businesses at almost the same time, though while Damien had Lucy, Zayn had to develop everything he built by himself.
Lucy hadn't seen Zayn since the funeral, he'd left early and had not witnessed the awkward proposal Xander had set up.
Once they were inside the office, Zayn closed the door behind them and turned to face her.
"Sit," he gestured to the chair.
Lucy sat and smiled awkwardly. Zayn also sat opposite her, he was feeling very awkward.
"What's going on?" he asked. "Is it the kids? Do you need something?"
He chuckled awkwardly and Lucy looked around his office. This was her first time being there and only now was she realizing how similar it was to her husband's office.
"Do you want something to drink?" Zayn asked as he realized he'd not been a proper host.
"No, thank you. I'm fine," Lucy answered.
How was she supposed to bring this up?
Zayn waited with his hands clasped together. He hoped that Lucy would hurry up and state the purpose of her visit so that the awkward air between them would clear off.
Lucy sat up straight and looked at Zayn in the eyes.
"I need your help."
Zayn leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees. "Okay. What kind of help?"
Zayn wasn't completely in the dark about Lucy's current dilemma. While he wasn't at the funeral when Xander proposed, he'd heard about it. Rumors like that always had a way of spreading themselves. He'd also heard about the court trial.
He thought Lucy was a strong woman, because she wasn't giving in to her in laws.
But it was only a matter of time. He knew that Lucy wasn't exactly versed in the business world and even if she did learn about it, she needed time.
But she didn't have that. Unless she could find someone else to take over as acting CEO until she could take over.
Zayn had planned to reach out to her to offer his condolences, but with the battle over custody and his own grief over losing his friend, he hadn't found time to visit Lucy.
But the woman in front of him had fierceness in her eyes, she was not someone that would go down without a fight.
Lucy licked her lips and looked at Zayn directly in the eyes. "I want you to marry me."
Zayn blinked and the silence that followed was deafening. He blinked again, just to make sure that she was actually there and he didn't just hear things. "What?"
Lucy let out a deep breath and spoke so quickly that you'd think she'd lose a nerve if she spoke any slower.
"I need a marriage, one that is only in name. It should be legally binding but temporary. Six months, maybe a year. Just enough to shut Eleanor down and secure what Damien left for me and my children."
Zayn sat back, he was clearly caught off guard. "That… wow. You're serious?"
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."
Zayn ran a hand through his hair. "That… Lucy. I don't even know what to say. I… I can't do that to Damien."
"I'm not asking you to take his place," Lucy said. "I'm asking you to help me protect his children."
Zayn looked to the wall, at a picture of him and Damien when they graduated college. He couldn't possibly give in to the absurd request this woman was demanding.
"I'm not trying to replace him," Lucy said. "Eleanor's coming for everything that belonged to him. The only thing that'll shut her up is if I can prove that I'm capable, that I can take care of my husband's company."
"And you think marrying me does that?"
"You're his friend, his business partner. The company respects you, the board trusts you. You're the only person I can think of to step in."
Zayn turned back to look at the desperate woman in front of him. "And what do I get in return?"
"Whatever you want. I just want my babies to inherit what their father left behind."
"And what happens after?"
"We divorce quietly."