"Look, I know why you're here and what you're going to say but I don't want to hear it.'' Mike pushed the elevator button.
''No you don't.'' The man sighed. He was dressed in a suit, like everyone else in the building.
''I'm sorry for the threats I've made in the past, I now know she was wrong.''
''Then why are you suing us for practically nothing, based on nothing? Because whatever you say, we didn't bribe anyone.''
''So you talked to Harvey.''
''Didn't need to, I know how to read.''
''I said I was sorry.''
The elevator opened.
''Fine. But I don't care.''
''That's what I was hoping for. Now, I even have more reasons to hate you.''
Mike raised an eyebrow. ''You just apologised.''
''And you didn't accept. Ever since I got mad at you for cheating on Elisa, the relationship between us hasn't been the same. She's distant, doesn't trust me anymore and lies continuously.''
''So what does that have to do with me?''
''Easy,'' Elisa's father stopped the elevator doors from closing, '' it's all your fault.''
He walked in, leaving Mike alone in the hall. Harvey, suddenly standing behind his associate, patted his shoulder. ''Nice talk.''
''At least I deal with my own business instead of giving it to a secretary, who has no experience at all with kids.''
''That's why I hired her, to do the stuff I don't want to do but should do.''
''Well, let's see.'' Mike pretended to think hard. ''That must be pretty much everything.''
''You're damn right it is.'' Harvey went back to his office, hoping his sisters would be back home. One look at his secretary, told him they weren't.
''Before you go in, your mother called.'' Donna said, writing something down.
''I'm on a vacation.''
''That's the second month now.''
''Make it three.''
''Done.'' Donna gave him one of her Donna-smiles and Harvey had to smile back, but changed back to the authority figure to handle the girls. Mike wanted to follow in, but his boss stopped him.
''Go make a settlement with Mr. you-fucked-my-daughter.''
''I'd rather see the show.'' Mike answered but walked away anyway, Harvey's face showed him he was not in the mood for discussion. Giving himself a pep-talk right before the man went in, he opened the door and found the two girls sitting on his couch. Donna must've solved the fight they'd been in. Less work for him!
''So, what do we do about this?'' He asked not sure how to handle all this. From experience, he knew Elena had run away because she was mad at her sister. It always went the same but she had never come to the office before, she usually went to the park and climbed in a tree because Rebekah had a fear of heights, her only fear, as she claimed. But Rebekah always made up with her and he didn't need to get involved.
''Elena, go play with Donna.'' Rebekah ordered the little kid, not taking her eyes of Harvey. Whenever she sends the youngest away, his sister was mad at him. He wondered what he'd done this time. After the door closed and Elena had made up a game to play with Donna, Rebekah spoke again.
''You need to hire a nanny, I've asked you this before.''
''And I've told you before, I don't want strangers walking around in my house.''
''So Scottie is not a stranger?''
Harvey sighed. Here we go again, he thought.
''Don't bring her into this.''
''Fine. But I am in this, and I want out. I have friends, I have a life and unlike you, I want to live it. But I can't. And you need to do something about it.''
Harvey shook his head and turned his chair around. The view he could appreciate any moment appeared in front of him, the city with its skyscrapers, yellow cabs and typical New York noises.
"You know Elena doesn't want-'' he started to say but couldn't finish, Rebekah interrupted.
''I know! But she has never tried, maybe she likes having a nanny. ''
''We talking about Elena and a nanny?'' Scottie walked in, laughing at the idea only.
''You're seeing hookers at the office now?'' Rebekah pretended to be shocked.
''You know, your skirt is way shorter than mine.'' Scottie backfired. She was wearing a top with a blazer above a skirt that came right above her knees, while Rebekah was wearing a tight tank top on a skirt that just covered her butt.
''You just hide the fact that you're-''
''Enough!'' Harvey shouted, standing up abruptly, making his chair roll away. ''That party you wanted to go to this weekend? Consider it forbidden.''
''That's all? She basically called me a hooker and probably a slut if you would've let her.'' Scottie interfered but Harvey ignored her.
''Actually, I didn't call you the second thing because my asshole of a brother-''
''Interrupted you, like he is doing now. Go home, we'll talk about. this later.'' Harvey hoped she would obey him, just once. But of course, she had to speak back.
''You bet we're going to talk about this.'' Rebekah took her stuff and left, leaving a pissed off Harvey and triumphant Scottie behind. The pretty lawyer had been his girlfriend for about three months now, the exact amount of time the two had been fighting and bickering. The senior partner didn't know why, but the two were unable to agree on anything or make peace with each other. Tis made it also impossible to take her home so they always went to her place which made him see his little sisters even less than normal. But experience had taught him to not put Scottie and Rebekah in one room together, so that's what he always tried to avoid.
''I hate teenagers.'' Scottie said.
As soon as the lawyer came home, he called the girls down. The house was a mess, empty packages from prepacked food were scattered all over the kitchen, the pillows on the ground instead of the couches, dolls lying on the ground. This wasn't how it normally was. Harvey liked everything clean, his sisters knew it. Descending from the stairs, it sounded like they were fighting.
''-tell that crossed-eye boy you like him.''
''Try. He'll think you mean the girl next to me.''
''What the hell is this?'' Harvey waved his arm so they knew he meant the chaos, ignoring the fight.
''You know what? Never mind. You two have been behaving unbelievably bad these days, I'm really thinking about sending you to your grandmother for a month.''
The girls quietly listened to their brother. It had been a long time since he had gotten mad for something like this, or in general mad. Elena didn't like it, if people were mad, they said bad things and got hurt. Nobody should get hurt, she thought. Looking up at Rebekah, she hoped Harvey wouldn't blame her for running away, her sister had nothing to do with it. Elena had just finally wanted to see where he worked and she'd missed him. A year or so ago, Harvey had almost been too late for work so he had his driver drop him off first before taking the girls to school. Elena had remembered the way. Rebekah on the other hand, just hoped Scottie wouldn't visit anytime soon and that Harvey had to work extra so she could sneak out to that party. No way she was going to miss it, just because of stupid little Scottie. Plus, Harvey was never home, she practically raised herself and Elena, why would he play their father now? But threatening to send them to Grandma, that was a whole other level of being mad. Yeah, the house was a mess and they'd made a scene at work but that was it. Worse things have happened.
''We're sorry.'' Elena's eyes were filled with tears but she didn't cry. It broke Harvey's heart, until Rebekah spoke. ''No, we're not.'' She felt the poke from Elena's elbow in her knee but ignored it.
Harvey raised an eyebrow. ''You're not? Fine, '' he said. ''You're grounded for a week. And Scottie moves in during your punishment, I cannot handle you guys alone apparently.''
Rebekah had not expected this. She'd rather be grounded for a month than having Scottie move in for a week. Imagining that smug smile on Scottie's face knowing she could irritate Rebekah, the girl felt a rage starting to rise in her.
''I'm the only one who gets punished? Elena goes free, like usual!'' Rebekah said, pointing at her little sister, who immediately felt betrayed. She had almost gotten them out of trouble with her crying act, and Rebekah had to ruin it. ''Because I didn't do anything!''
''Enough! I don't want to see the two of you out of your room until tomorrow.'' Harvey shouted, ''Go, now!''
Rebekah strode away, upstairs to her room. She locked the door right before she threw herself on the bed. He was always mad these days, for everything. What was bothering him? It must be Scottie, ever since they started dating, Harvey hasn't been the same. They never same him anymore, he was always stressed and looked worn out. Rebekah was going to find a way to make Scottie's life so miserable that she'd eventually leave Harvey out of her own. The fact that she hated the girl made it easier. There was only one problem, she couldn't do this alone, and Elena wasn't an option since she didn't hate nor liked Scottie. According to her little sister, she was ''okay''. But nothing was okay, she needed to find a partner in crime, someone who hated Scottie's guts as much as she did. And the only place she was likely to find someone, was at the office. A plan started to form in the blonde's head and as from tomorrow morning on, she'd set into action.
The next morning, Harvey came back into the office and wished he could just stay there forever. At times, he'd rather be at work than home, no annoying little sisters, only Scottie and his passion for law. It'd be so much easier. But he had his duties and he didn't like neglecting them. Not greeting Donna, he walked straight into his office, not bothering about the look she gave him before following him.
''Good morning Donna, how was your date, Donna, did you sleep well, Donna?'' Donna said, and immediately answered it for herself.
''Good morning to you too, Donna, it was nice, thanks for asking, even though the guy was more like fifty years old whose wig looked much like a dead animal lying on the road and yes I slept very well, thanks for asking.'' She crossed her arms and sat down in front of him on the desk.
''Not now, I've got meetings to-''
''-go to? Yeah, I know. I'm your secretary, remember?'' She sighed.
''I thought you cared about me, you even gave me this expensive thing from Tiffany's to show how much you appreciated my work.'' Donna pouted and pretended to be hurt.
''Garage sale, 6.50 dollars, came from 10.'' Harvey said.
''Actually, it's 5.50. You left the sticker on.''
''You know?''
''It's the only thing that you yourself ever bought me instead of me buying myself things with your money.'' Donna shrugged and walked out, closing the door, leaving an amused Harvey behind. What would he do without her? ''Nothing,'' an inner Donna-voice told him.
His phone rang and seeing the number on the screen, he frowned.
''Too lazy to walk back in?''
''That too, but I also know you bought Scottie the same cheap thing, and I'm going to tell.'' She hung up without giving him time to answer and he shook his head. Great, now he had to find something else to buy his girlfriend. Harvey turned his chair around, the view opening up in front of him. The city with all its chaos, gave him peace to look at. Every day he saw the same, yellow cabs driving, cars honking, skyscrapers that became smaller and smaller as he looked further, people in suits, homeless people. But he never got bored of it.