Chapter 1

The sound of heels against the marble floor made Casey turn around. He knew who it was but he still looked to see her. The door opened, and in walked Klaire, bounding towards him. Finishing styling his hair back he turned to greet her with a smile.

"Are you ready to go?" he took in her appearance which answered his question. Her long blond hair was tied back. She wore a black maxi dress and some black heels accompanied by a black shoulder bag.

She rested her hand on her hip, a pout forming on her face. "I really don't see why we have to go. Our relationship is perfect. And this diamond ring is proof of that."

Klaire held up her hand and looked at the ring lovingly. It was a twenty-carat diamond ring and gleamed even in the dimmest rooms. Casey took her hand and rubbed his finger just below the ring.

"We are not perfect. Far from it. But we will be better if we do this. Don't you want to marry me?" he pulled her into a hug.

Her sweet fruity scent wafted into his nose and he inhaled and relaxed into her embrace. There were things about their relationship that made him question it at times and that was why he suggested that they go to a marriage counselor before they get married in a couple of months. Casey didn't want to say that most of the problems were with Klaire but she had a tendency to get overly possessive and jealous at the slightest things.

She would try to forbid him from talking to any of his female friends and if any female glanced at him or if he looked at one then it would be the catalyst for a fight. At times he would wonder what he was putting all of this effort in for but he would remind himself that he loved her and wanted to make this relationship work. Yes, Klaire had some toxic traits but he hoped that with some therapy, they would be fine.

Klaire stamped her foot and huffed. "But do we have to see her.? Can't we have another person do it? Preferably a man."

Casey sighed. "She is the best in the business and will be completely professional, so you have nothing to worry about and even if she isn't, you know I only have eyes for you right?"

They pulled away and Klaire gave him a small smile before she broke out into a wide grin. "Yes, you do. Only me."

"Only you."

Because they were both celebrities, a lot of eyes were on them all the time. So when they both got to the office of Ava Maddison, the famous relationship consultant, he was sure it would be news. Ava had been able to heal some of the most broken relationships and help the most famous people. Sometimes she would even call the shots on whether they broke up or not.

She had traveled all over the world for her job so of course, she was the first pick in his eyes. Her services were always in high demand and so they had to pay a lot of money to get her to see them, but he was sure that it would be worth it.

Her office was located a couple of streets away from Hollywood Boulevard. It was a five-story white classy-looking building. There was underground parking that helped them get away from the paparazzi but as soon as they came out of the car they could see and hear the flashing of cameras from the entrance.

Casey took a nervous breath. He was not ready for all the comments that would come when people knew about this. It would probably all fall on Klaire because she was known for being very... problematic. She was known for having terrible relationships and being the crazy girlfriend and ex-girlfriend. All of her past lovers would say that she was controlling and crazy obsessive. He knew that that was true, he experienced it. But he truly cared about her, and doing this was for her betterment.

They passed through glass doors with two security guards on either side and were blasted with cool air as they did. It was a relief to escape the grueling humidity of Los Angeles.

White tile made up the interior of the building. Everything looked clean and the building smelled fairly like the laundry aisle in a supermarket. He loved it. Every new breath made him feel relaxed. The right vibe for a place like this.

Down the corridor was the receptionist area and there was a pop of color with the plants situated in the corners of the room and the magazines on the waiting tables. There were two women behind the desk, one a redhead and one a brunette, dressed in black and looking ready, and once they saw them they eyes widened.

"Oh, yes, it's three." said the brunette, looking at the clock on the opposite wall.

"Hello, Ms. Owen and Mr. Miller." the redhead greeted them.

"That's Mrs. Miller to you," Klaire spoke up with pride in her voice.

Casey sighed inwardly and the receptionist's smile twitched.

"My apologies, Mrs. Miller."

Klaire smiled at her.

"Ms. Maddison should be ready for you. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to her." the redhead said.

She walked around the desk and Casey looped his arm sound Klaire's and they followed her. They walked to the hallway on the other side of the desk and there was an elevator there. Once they entered it, the receptionist pushed the button for the fourth floor. The ride was quick and they came out on the floor in an identical hallway to the first. The only difference was that it was lined with doors.

The redhead lead them to a room a little way down the hallway. Casey was mostly distracted by the smell of the place to really be focused on much else. At times he would cringe whenever Klaire's perfume wafted in his face because of how close she was.

He assumed the smell was like an extra measure to make sure that the clients Ava received were in some ways calm.

"Alright, here we are."

They stopped in front of a door labeled 'Room #10'. It made him wonder how many more rooms she had. And what the need was to have so many rooms?

The redhead knocked on the door. "Ms. Maddison, you're three o'clock is here."

There was a moment of silence before a muffled voice spoke, telling them to come in. The redhead opened the door and when he looked inside he was almost blown away by what was inside. It wasn't the room that caught his attention, but the person in it. He had seen many photos of Ava online and even on magazine covers so he knew she was good-looking, but actually seeing her in real life was something else. Next to him, Klaire curled up her lip and gave him a side glance which made him sure that she thought so too.

Ava sat crosslegged on a white sofa that was adjacent to the opposite wall on the other side of the room. There was a desk behind it and then two more white couches surrounding a centered wooden coffee table. And a water dispenser, coffee bar, and mini-fridge in the far right corner.

There was a tablet in her hand and when she turned her head, her long wavy hair fell over her shoulders. A gentle smile graced her lips as she got up. Her hair flowed down to below her waist and she wore a white pencil skirt with a beige blouse. She had a beautiful slightly tan complexion and he could tell even from a distance that she wore no makeup. And yet her eyelashes fluttered when she blinked and her pink lips were, even more, noticeable when she smiled.

She was simply, gorgeous.

Ava rested down the tablet and walked up to them. "Hi, I'm Ava Maddison, your marriage consultant. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"No, it's a pleasure to meet you," Casey detached himself from Klaire and shook her hand.

"You must be Casey Miller, and you must be his lovely wife to be Klaire Owen. Congratulations by the way," she said cooly and shook Klaire's hand.

"Nice to meet you too," Klaire said, but there was something about her tone that made Casey want to hang his head.

But Ava just kept on smiling. "May, thank you for leading them here."

The redhead nodded and closed the door behind them.

"Ok, so sit where you want. I have water and juice, tea, coffee, you can have those anytime you want."

"Can I have a glass of water?" Klaire asked.

"Me too please." he chimed in.

"Certainly."

They found a seat on the couch next to the one she was seated on and Ava went over to the bar and pulled out two cups before going into the mini-fridge and pulling out a jug of water and filling up the cups.

"Is that water filtered?" Klaire asked with a challenging gleam in her eyes.

Ava looked back at them. "Oh yeah. Who drinks tap water? I boil all of my water and then put them in a Brita before I serve it to anyone."

Klaire nodded. After a moment, she brought the glasses to them. They both took it with thanks and then Ava sat down in her original position. She tapped on her tablet for a moment before resting it down and taking up a pad and paper that was on the coffee table.

"Ok, so Mr. Miller and Ms. Owen have come in today to get counseling from me so that they can have a stronger relationship by their wedding, correct?"

Casey nodded and she wrote something on her pad.

"Alright well let's get started with some simple questions then."

"Wait," Klaire suddenly spoke, surprising the other two. "Before that, I would like to ask you some questions."