In the span of 48 hours, Grace looked as if she has aged considerably. She tamed her shoulder length hair and wore minimal make up to make herself look less pale. But even so, she feels like death and looked the part as well.  Her whole body was aching and even with a cold shower and forcing down a piece of toast down didn't do any good for her. 

Her fingers curled tightly onto her handbag as she waited in Lim Associates for Jang Dongwoo to appear, having to discuss on certain matters. She was lucky that she had a few days leave to spare due to her workaholic nature. She explained to Sungyeol that if there was any lead on the case to let her know. However, Grace was confident that her case would be smooth sailing since she and her partner had made the case as full proof as possible. 

"Overconfident as ever." Haerin's voice echoed in her mind and Grace shut her eyes and crossed her legs over the other. When she opened her eyes, she could feel people's stares on her, glued to her every form as she tried to remain composed and poise. If she wasn't so tired and so shaken, she would have snapped at them, give a sassy remark here and there. 

It was her defense mechanism against stupid after all.

She clasped her hand together to stop herself from shaking, to get a grip. Her fingers threaded each other tightly until her knuckles turned white. She snorted at the thought if her colleagues could see her now: Grace Fang, Family Lawyer extraordinaire, shaking her wits end.

It was like every cell in her body was telling her to get up and leave.

This was a mistake. 

"It was a mistake." 

Just as she was about to have another monologue session with herself, she heard a voice, a throaty baritone which was characteristically Jang Dongwoo. "Thank you Dr. Hyunsik. Send my regards to Sohee and the boys for me." The other male, a thinner one in a blue collared shirt with jeans and auburn hair nodded and walked off down the hall, not sparing her a glance. 

Jang Dongwoo, upon first impression. reminded her of a dinosaur. He had very plump and wide lips, bearing all of 32 of his pearly whites to the world. He had a slightly big nose and eyes the shape of almonds. He had a strong, square jaw line and his hair was an ash brown and a slight tinge of green highlights.

Green? 

He wore a white shirt with a deep blue tie with grey slacks. It wasn't fitting like Woohyun's but it fitted him quite nicely since his frame was slightly broad and not as lean as Woohyun. 

I really need to meet new people. Grace thought, scandalized when it hit her that she was comparing Dongwoo to Woohyun of all people. 

When Dongwoo met her eyes, he gave her a wide (if that was even possible) smile. "Miss Fang, I presume?" He walked towards her, his shiny black shoes clicking against the newly polished white floor. 

Grace stood up, hoping and praying that she wasn't wobbling so much as she did. She fixed her blue knee length dress that hung loosely around her frame when she extended her hand. 

"It's Grace." She blurted out when they shook hands and he gave her another lopsided grin. 

"Grace." He said it slower, savouring every letter of her name as it rolled of his tongue. She nodded and when he let go of her hand, he guided her into his office. 

To say the least, his office was really bright, fitting to his sunny personality. The walls were painted a nice shade of peach and on the walls were photo frames of his achievements over the years from his universities and of course of his family. She couldn't help but smile at a picture of him, drenched and covered in sand by his two children: a boy and a girl. 

He pulled the leather chair and she thanked him and sank into the soft leather. She sat down her handbag on the floor and he slowly pulled his chair closer to the table. Under the bright lighting, she couldn't help but stare at the obvious green streaks in his hair. 

Dongwoo smiled. "My 7 year old, Sora, decided it would be funny to put green chalk in my hair." He said, raking his hair with his fingers to show the damaged his daughter has done. Grace chuckled and his smile broadened. "Haerin told me that your smile is very contagious and I can see why. Unlike mine." He smiled a very wide one to prove his point.  

Immediately at the mention of her name, the muscles in her face became tensed, her smile becoming much more forced. Dongwoo didn't seem to realize this and opened the folder. 

"What happened to Haerin?" She asked and Dongwoo looked up at her, confused. "Was it a car accident? A murder? What?" 

Instead of answering her question, he looked at her, studying her. He knows Grace from what his late client had told her and also from the Bar Council in Korea. She was headstrong but empathetic, passionate about her work, quick wit and even quicker on her feet in court. While people feared her most of the time, Haerin told Dongwoo that she was an angel beneath that strong exterior. 

But, that was all Dongwoo had gotten about the wonderful Grace Fang. He never had the honour of going against her in court although they were practicing in the same field in law. However, he was never able to put the face to a name that his former client talks with much respect and endearment. 

"When was the last time you have spoken to her" He asked her and he could see her in a breath at that question. 

When was the last time that you’ve spoken to her?

When... Last time...

"It was a mistake!" 

"A mistake?! A ing mistake? Accidentally mixing the red and the white together in the laundry is a mistake; adding sugar instead of salt into your soup is a mistake but this isn't!" 

"Grace?" His voice called her back to the present and she stared at him, blinking back tears. 

"I... We lost contact." Grace answered, her voice was shaking, her nails digging into her flesh as she controlled herself from crying. He nodded and didn't press on as to how or why they have lost contact in the first place. 

"So, you don't know what happened to her." He asked and she shook her head, afraid that her voice would fail her.  

Dongwoo sighed and clasped his hands together, her eyes looking at his calloused hand, his shiny gold ring on his ring finger. Her stomach twisted and turned in knots when she saw the ring. Dongwoo realizing this, immediately started talking to her. 

"She died from a drug overdose." 

Her eyes were wide as saucers and she pinched herself to make sure this was not a bad dream. "I am sorry... A drug overdose?" This couldn't be happening. The Moon Haerin she knew was a person who valued life, a person who was an advocate for pro-life. She never seen anyone who was a better human rights lawyer than she was. 

Grace wanted to argue that moot point that Haerin wasn't that kind of woman but she stopped herself. How true was that anyway? She lost all contact from Haerin. 

"It was a mistake." 

He nodded. "The toxicology report came back and the doctors have found large quantity of Dextromethorpan and other anti-depressants in her system."

She shook her head, unable to fathom Haerin would do something like this. "No, Haerin... She wouldn't. It must be a mistake." 

"It was a mistake." 

Was it?

"It was a mistake. A one time thing. Please." 

"Excuse me." She felt her whole body trembled as she stood up but she didn't get very far when her knees began to buckle and she fell limp to the floor, only his words echoed calling her name. 

---

When Grace opened her eyes, she sat up immediately to find herself back in Dongwoo's office on the couch. She slowly sat up, wincing and groaning slightly. On the table, there was a cup of apple juice and an array of biscuits on a white saucer. Her hands trembled as she reached out to grab the cup. Her mind was buzzing and she closed her eyes. 

The door opened and she heard Dongwoo talking again to someone outside. "She was just low on sugar. I am sure she's fine." 

When he closed the door, he nearly jumped out of his skin to see her up and holding the cup in her hand. "Nearly gave me a fright, Grace." When she didn't return the smile, he knew that she wasn't going to play anymore games with him. 

"Dongwoo, why did you call me here? You could save the trouble in having me here and tell me over the phone that she died from a drug overdose." She said bluntly, also, to probably save her from the embarrassment of fainting in his office. She didn't mean to sound so heartless but of all people, why her? They have lost contact... 

"I am guessing... You don't know that she has left whatever assets to your name?" Grace blinked at him and slowly shook her head. "Assets? To me? Why didn't she leave them to her mother?" 

Dongwoo raised an eyebrow at her. "Her mother disappeared when she was 5 1/2 years old and-"

"I am talking about the Lees. Her guardians. Why... Where are they?" She demanded. Ever since their kindergarden teacher, Miss Jessica Jung later on known as Mrs. Lee Donghae, found out that Haerin was subject to child abuse, she reported to the police about her mother's behaviour. Wanting to investigate, social services and police got involved. It turned out that Haerin's father died from a car accident when she was 2 and her mother never recovered from his death, subjecting her to neglect and to abuse. 

It was a beautiful autumn day and Miss Jung's class was learning music. 

Grace and Haerin were paired up with triangles and castanets while some had bells and maracas. The two girls giggled while they sang "I like Autumn." They were just about to reach the chorus (their favourite part) when she remembered the police coming into the class together with this plump lady with a blue folder, wanting to see Haerin. Immediately, Grace looked at Haerin who has gone as white as snow within minutes. She dropped her triangle with a 'clang'' and she grabbed the thinner girl. 

Haerin looked so scared and so fragile that she clung onto Grace although there were urges from Miss Jung to let go. The other kids, unsure what to do formed a human shield as the adults in blue uniforms and silver badges came into the room. 

"Don't let them take me away, Gwacie." She cried into her friend's chest and Grace hugged her tighter. 

"She didn't do anything wrong." Grace cried and tried to hide her friend from view. Tears rolled down her chubby cheeks into her black hair and the other kids chorused that she didn't is a good girl and that she will not hurt a fly. Jessica realized that the policemen were scaring the other children, she told them to talk to her once everyone went home. 

The 30 year old man pressed his lips together. "Her guardians died a few months apart. Mr. Lee died from lung cancer and Mrs. Lee died in her sleep, a heart attack." He told her gravely. She remained stoic as she received the news of her former teacher's death and sat the cup of apple juice down. He looked at her with a worried expression that she might pass out again. 

When she knew he was stable, he took out a cream paper. "She is assigning you to be an executor* of her assets that she has left behind." 

"For what?" She asked, her suspicion rising. 

"More like for who, Grace." He passes the paper to her and she took the paper that was headed with the firm's name and she read through it. Her hands trembled when she read the heading. 

This is the last will and testament of Moon Haerin 

of

1. I revoke all my former wills 

2. I appoint Grace Fang Mae Ling to be the sole executor and trustees of this my will. 

3. I give the sum of 3.5 million Won free of tax to my daughter, Eunhye living at my death and direct that if she is under 18 at the time of my death, my trustee shall accept a receipt from her without any responsibility for seeing that the money is applied for her benefit. 

"Daughter..." Her voice tired and almost a whisper. "No, I can't do this, Dongwoo." She told him, standing up and Dongwoo stood up with her. 

"Miss Fang, please." As she gathered her belongings, her body was still trembling from the news. 

A daughter. 

She stopped packing and turned to face the lawyer. "Where is her partner?" 

"She never married." He explained to her and Grace clenched her fist. Not only the fact that her former friend is dead, she decides to do something foolish like have a child with a man that was not good enough to be a father? "Miss, Fang, please be reasonable." 

Grace gave a snort. "Reasonable? Haerin... The one person whom I've not heard in so many years decides to leave me with her child?! Are you... No. I can't do this. I can't be picking up the pieces for her. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Jang." She told him and grabbed the door handle, swinging the door open.

How ironic it was that Haerin names her only daughter 'grace' as well. 

Once she opened the door, everything slowed down. It took her an age for her to process what she was seeing in front of her. She was shaking again, the tremor in her body heightening. 

A nightmare was beginning to unfold at her very eyes as she laid eyes on the small girl that was no more than 3 years old. 

You can run but your past will come up to you one day when you least expect it. 

She was a splitting image of her mother...

And also of someone she wished to forget. 

For the second time that day, her knees gave way and she fell into the arms of a stranger, unconscious. 

----

A/N: An executor is basically someone who executes the will when someone dies and the person who gains from the will is known as the beneficiary. So, Grace is the executor who executes the will and acts like a guardian over the beneficiary aka Eunhye who is the little girl. Sorry for all the legal jargon here (lawyer mode on) haha. 

Anyway, another update because my hands were itching to write the third chapter. :D So, comment, subscribe and upvote if you think it is worthy ^^ till then xx