The Family Legacy

Chapter 8

The rain had, thankfully, stopped hours before. There was a hint of sunshine in the sky, trying to break through the clouds. Edinburgh was the most beautiful city she had ever been in. With a mix of old and new, the dark old stone and new polished glass. The huge castle at the very top overlooks the vibrant and, during the autumn, cold and damp city.

Grace dragged her small carry-on out of the train and smiled. Being out of the MacInnes estate was needed, she finally understood. The north was the most beautiful place she had ever been to. Their lands were magical, with green forests and tall hills. That house, however, was stressful to be in. Bonnie was hostile, Seamus and Faith were gone, and her only friend was a ninety-year-old firecracker of a woman and a ghost. She desperately needed more friends.

She hummed to herself as she trotted across the train station - it was gorgeous. The glass domes covered Waverly station with beautiful morning light. Angelica and Grace had agreed to meet later in the day, for lunch, for a quick get-together, and later in the evening, they would go out with Caitlyn - the young Margaret had a study session and couldn't make it.

Grace dropped her bags at the hotel, went for a quick shower and decided to go out for a walk. She had been stuck in the MacInnes estate for over two weeks, some new faces and city hustle and bustle was exactly what she needed. She actually did some shopping, something she usually didn't do. New shoes, some warmer clothes for the trip she was planning for the next week, some books, some snacks, and a lot of unnecessary little things that made her smile and not think about her problems.

Later in the day, she had received a text from Angelica asking her if instead of going out for lunch, they could meet in one of the conference rooms at the MacInnes HQ - and that her husband George, one of the company's lawyers, would join. This made Grace's stomach tense - whatever it was Angelica wanted to discuss, it wasn't good news.

After Grace dropped her shopping bags back at the hotel, changed into a more appropriate outfit of a black pencil skirt, light blue button-down shirt, black blazer and heels, and got a taxi to the office. She was now standing in front of a tall building made of glass and steel, with people going in and out for their lunch break, or returning to their office. She hurried herself into the first free elevator and clicked on the fifth floor, where the MacInnes company started.

The MacInnes Holdings corporation occupied five total floors, with a total of around three hundred employees - they were, by all metrics, a big corporation, and it showed. With floors of open office space, tall and wide windows, and greenery as decoration, it was a modern and beautiful place to work.

When the elevator dinged for the fifth floor, Grace took a deep breath and was surprised at the amount of natural light in the reception area. With a circular table at the centre of the wide and echo-e marble floors, the reception area saw dozens of people crossing from a glass staircase to a conference room, to another elevator. Grace had to get out of the way of multiple people to be able to reach the blonde lady on the phone, at her reception desk.

"... yes, you take care now, love. Bye!" The lady smiled at Grace as she finished her call "Hi! How can I help you?"

"Hi, there. Hum, I'm Grace Campbell, here to see Angelica MacInnes, at 12?"

"Grace?"

Grace looked out for the male voice calling her, and smiled at George, Angelica's husband, as he waved from the upper floor, at the top of the stairs.

"She'll be right up there with you in a minute, Mr. McKinnon." The receptionist smiled at George "Here's your visitor pass, please sign in right here on this tablet." The receptionist advised, and Grace dragged her finger on the tablet to confirm her details and her check-in time "Please carry your visitor pass with you the whole time. Toilets are down there, on the left, but there are of course others up there on the conference room floor. Enjoy your time!"