CHAPTER TWENTY: PANIC AND COMFORT.

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Carolina's  red high heels echoed against the marbled floor of the hotel. She walked, more like glided,elegantly across the lobby. She wasn't oblivious to the looks she was getting. She was an attractive woman and Carolina knew it and she knew how to take care of herself.

She wore a dark sky blue designer gown which accentuated her figure and stopped just at her knee and had a small slit at the back. The dress exposed a moderate amount of cleavage and the sleeve stoped just below her elbow well enough to reveal the golden bracelet on her wrist that paired with the necklace and earrings.

  She wore moderate amount of makeup but her lip was coated in bloody red. Her black shoulder length hair was packed to a bun just above the nape of her neck with two tendrils on either side of her head framing her face.

She walked over to the receptionist who assessed her. Carolina was used to the stares. It only made her slightly uncomfortable at very rare instances.

Carolina had been pushed to model a little when she was a child. She didn't love it because it wasn't what she wanted to do but she didn't hate it. She noticed when people stared at her and she was used to it, but she didn't notice the attention of the man she caught who stood with his phone in his hand watching her.

Lincoln had stepped into the lobby with a phone in his hand talking to one of his friends who was staying in south africa when he caught sight of one of the most attractive woman he has ever seen. She had a small polite smile on her face as she talked to the receptionist. She had this air of confidence around her, it almost reminded him of his best friends. The natural charisma and authority that could intimidate everyone around them.

Lincoln saw how her eyes carelessly floated over to his. He had to suck in his breath as  their eyes met, her attention was on him for a few seconds before her eyes drifted away.
Among all the eyes staring at her Carolina's attention was caught by a specific blue eyes.

The owner of the ocean blue eyes looked like he had been cut out of a front page magazine. His sandy blonde hair was semi messy, in a natural way which looked effortless, yet, very attractive and delicately placed. An expensive looking dark blue suit with a white inner adorned his body . One of his hand was mid air holding his phone while the other was buried in his pant suit pocket.

And most of all, the man was very familiar.

Although the man was attractive Carolina's attention moved away as she heard the receptionist instructions. She muttered a little thank you before heading to the elevator unknown of the intrigued eyes that followed her.

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Carolina internally sighed for the nth time since the dinner slash business meeting had commenced. She couldn't help but stifle the urge to scream get brains out. Although she was there, she also wasn't, and it was taking every will power in her to keep the fake smile on her face.

The people that sat around the table with her were no ordinary people. They were thriving business owners of the hospitality industry. The only reason Carolina was even there in the first place and unfortunately part of the lot, was her step brother.

Carolina felt like she was locked in a small amd dark room with no window or door to escape. It was like she was locked in a box. Carolina urged her lungs to open up to take deep breaths, but it was her lungs had a mind of their own.

Throughout the dinner Marcos Rodriquez, Carolina's older  step brother had done nothing but humiliate and condescend her. Carolina on a normal situation was not one to endure it but she has always felt powerless against her own family.

Carolina head began to hurt as she thought of the things Marcos would gladly go back home and tell their family. Her family had mocked and discouraged her when she decided to start her own business. To them, she wasn't enough, she was never enough and never could be.

"Caro dear, you look a little washed. Are you alright?" Marcos asked with a fake look of concern and an underlying look of mockery on his face, one that Carolina could very much see.

"I'm fine." Carolina forced herself to say with a smile on her face. She had talked herself to going to this dinner, she had convinced herself it was meant for her business. She couldn't let her best friend down, she couldn't let herself down. But now, all she wanted to do was run, run as far as her legs could take her.

"Mr Lincoln." Marcos voice floated over to Carolina's ears but it felt more like an echo.

Lincoln couldn't hide his surprise at meeting the attractive woman again. Half of his attention was on those who were greeting him and trying as much as possible to flatter and kiss up to him.

The attractive woman who had introduced herself as Carolina in a monotone didn't talk much. Her eyes were empty and blank and the smile on her face didn't reach her eyes.

Normally Lincoln always refused offer by others to stay and have a chat but the curiosity of the woman who was now sitting across him was overwhelming.

Carolina willed herself to be in that moment but she couldn't. All she knew was that a very influential figure in the hospitality industry had been invited to their table. She could hear voices around the table but she couldn't quite lock on to whatever it was that they were saying.

Marcos of course had taken the opportunity to undermine and criticize her in front of Lincoln making her seem like a whore with no brains but body.

Carolina downed down yet another glass of her water and requested another. She wanted to throw up and cry at the same time. The feeling of weakness and helplessness that was enveloping her, she hated it and tried to push it away but it reared its ugly head over and over and over again, she couldn't get rid of it.

Lincoln fist clenched and unclenched as the urge to punch Marcos was taking over him little by little. He didn't know the relationship between the two but he couldn't be concerned. Since introducing herself like the rest around the table, he hadn't heard her voice again and goodness was he wishing to hear her talk again.

All she did was sit down there, drink her glass of water and request a refill. She looked like she'll rather be anywhere but there. Lincoln glared at the other men that sat around the table who wouldn't stop eye fucking her and almost let out an annoyed growl at the woman who wouldn't stop touching his arm to gain his attention.

To Lincoln's little understanding since sitting at their table, Carolina was a start-up CEO, who wishes to make it in the industry. Lincoln have met a lot of them in his life time, some were ass kissers who wanted desperately to from a connection with him. While others were defiant, who silently and sometimes openly challenged him, promising to either reach him or surpass him. Carolina was neither.

"Excuse me, I'm going to use the restroom." Carolina said putting a smile on her face.

Lincoln couldn't help but follow Carolina as she went out of sight. She looked like she was struggling to stay on her feet and would collapse at any time.

Carolina felt like she was drunk. Her eyes were heavy and they struggled to stay open, her legs were paying little attention to her instructions. Her body felt numb and the blinding headache at the back of her head wasn't helping.

She could barely find her way to the restroom with her tunnel vision. Carolina's hand tightened around her small purse. She cursed herself.  Carolina has always taken pride in herself and her abilities, but in front of her family, she turned to a clawless kitten hiding under the couch. She hated it. The helplessness was eating her alive.

She wanted to go back to that table and yell at her brother for humiliating her. She wanted to yell at him that she could do it and she could but right now her brain and body were having different thoughts.

Carolina willed her nostrils and her lungs to open, but none of them paid any heed to her. She could feel hot stinging tears behind her eyes threatening to fall. Her legs threatened to buckle underneath her.

Carolina willed herself to move as she opened the door to the luxurious looking bathroom. She wanted to walk to one of the stalls but she didn't make it as her legs gave out underneath her. Carolina expected to meet the cold tiled floor of the bathroom, but instead, she felt a strong arm wrapped around her slowly lowering her to the floor.

Lincoln could not sit still anymore. He couldn't help but feel concerned. He had followed her like a creep to the bathroom, watching her stagger and struggle to get there, and as she was falling Lincoln hurried to her side.

Lincoln saw the symptoms and recognized it. She was having a panic attack. Tears were falling from her eyes, cold sweat broke out on her forehead and she was struggling to breathe.

"Hey Carolina."

A voice called her but it sounded like an echo, it sounded so far away as she tried to focus on it.
Carolina felt like she was drowning, she was desperate for air, desperate to breathe but her body was failing her.

"Carolina."

She could hear her name and tried to clutch to it but the more she tried to focus, the more she was losing it. She couldn't hold on.

"Carolina. I want you to take a deep breath in slowly. Come on." Lincoln urged in a gentle voice.

Carolina followed the voice. The echoed voice sounded closer and closer. She could hear clearly a few words and tried to follow it.
She took in deep breaths in and out slowly, holding on to the voice.

"That's it. Slow breaths in and out." Lincoln encouraged.

Carolina's hazy vision began to clear up, her breathing became normal and steady and she was feeling less numb.

"There you go." Lincoln encouraged.

Carolina could feel warm arms around her and couldn't help but lean into it. She took in a sweet masculine scent as she took steady breathes and she followed the sweet voice that seemed to hold her from drowning in a strom.

Carolina raised her head up only to meet a familiar blue ocean eyes. Carolina seemed to drown in his blue ocean eyes but instead of the strom she had been drowning in earlier , here she seemed to breath.

"Hey Carolina." Lincoln smiled as she came back to her senses.

And just like that, they stayed in that moment. He holding on to her, and she in his arms looking at each other and finding comfort in that moment.


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