! CANDY SAYS ! CANDY SAYS !

( 005; a home and a heart )
( a gilmore girls fic )

THE KERR'S "SHARED" PENTHOUSE
new york, new york
9:45am

sitting on the couch of my old apartment alongside a woman with red curly hair, grace hurst, my divorce lawyer. on the couch directly across from us, charles sat next to his lawyer, ray.

"we need to discuss how your assets will be shared." grace said sternly. in reality she was a sweetheart, but in the room between an extremely unpredictable and harsh lawyer like ray, she had no choice but to act strong.

charles glanced at his ex-wife with a hint of resentment as grace spoke. candice took a moment to gather her thoughts before responding. she felt the weight of the entire situation pressing upon her. she inhaled deeply. "right. let's discuss that." she said firmly.

as the lawyers proceeded with the asset division, candice couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. the luxurious penthouse that they shared was her home for years, a place where she lived with charles. but now, it was being split into two.

charles' lawyer, ray, spoke up. "charles has already made clear that he wishes to keep the penthouse." he said, firmly.

candice nodded. "that's fine, i don't want to be reminded of anything that this place has to offer."

an hour had passed as the lawyers continued to discuss the details of the property settlement. the tension in the room was palpable.

the lawyers meticulously divided the assets between candice and charles. they took into account their shared bank accounts, investments, and property, including the value of the penthouse. after taking all of these factors into consideration, it was determined that candice would be awarded a significant sum of money as part of her share.

"your share, candice, is one and a half million dollars." grace said to candice who let out a sigh.

candice nodded, feeling a sense of relief that things were finally coming to a close after so much time spent fighting.

"okay, so that's clear on my side." she said before turning her attention to the lawyers. "and how about my properties in london, paris, and greece?" she questioned, wanting to make sure all her assets were being considered in the settlement.

charles' lawyer, ray, interjected. "charles would like to keep the london home. he has always held it dearly."

candice listened to the lawyer's demand and a wave of frustration washed over her. she loved her london home, and the thought of him keeping it was just another blow.

"no." she stated firmly. candice wasn't going to let him have it without a fight. "that property is valuable to me, and i deserve a fair share of it in this settlement." she said, her tone making it clear that she wouldn't back down easily.

charles let out a heavy sigh, as if he was already tired of the process before speaking. "candice, you're getting the paris home and the greece home. what more could you possibly want?" he asked, seemingly frustrated as his lawyer tried to intervene.

"the london home means a lot to me. it's not just about the value, it's about what i've contributed to it. i invested my money, my time, and my effort into making it what it is today. and you want to take it away from me?" candice said adamantly.

the attorneys were getting visibly irritated with the two arguing back and forth. "maybe we can compromise?" grace suggested. "maybe we can sell-" before she could finish her sentence, charles interrupted her.

"the london home is not up for discussion. i want to keep it. end of story." charles said, his tone firm and uncompromising. he had made up his mind, and he wasn't going to budge.

candice couldn't help but feel a rush of anger. it was as if he was trying to take not just their shared assets, but a part of her as well. she turned to grace with a hint of desperation in her eyes, "what are my options?"

"well, we might have to push for a trial." grace said reluctantly. she wasn't thrilled about the idea of going to court either.

after a few more rounds of back and forth, candice finally came to a realization. she knew that when it came to matters like this, charles was as stubborn as a mule. she couldn't let their fight for the london property drag on and on, especially with all the other unresolved issues they had. she was just tired of fighting. "fine, he can keep the london home." candice conceded.

for the rest of the meeting, candice stayed rather quiet, not bothering to fight for anything else. her mind was still on the london home.

when it came time for candice to sign the papers. she felt a pang in her heart as she signed away her right to the london property she had once called home. she had hoped that the settlement would give her some peace and closure, but now she only felt the loss of something she loved deeply.

once the lawyers were done packing up, charles approached candice. he knew that he had wronged her time and time again throughout their troubled marriage, and he wanted to make amends somehow.

he took a deep breath before speaking, "i know that things have been tough between us, candice. and i just want to say that i'm sorry. i'm sorry for what i put you through. the london home...that wasn't fair of me. and i can't expect you to forgive me. but i just want you to know that i'm truly sorry."

candice looked at charles, her eyes filled with a myriad of emotions. she had always been the more resilient of the two, often forgiving him when he didn't deserve it. this time, though, she was tired. she was tired of fighting for someone who didn't seem to want to fight for her. "i appreciate the apology. but it doesn't change anything." she said with a sigh.

charles nodded, accepting her answer. he knew that he couldn't expect things to go back to the way they were. their relationship was damaged beyond repair.

"people will be here soon to get a hold of my things." she explained to charles.

"right...of course, you're moving out." charles said, a look of sadness and regret on his face. he knew their marriage had been over for a long time, but finally faced with the reality of her leaving his home hit him hard.

the tension was heavy between them. it was as if their entire relationship had condensed into a single, uncomfortable moment.

VOGUE OFFICESPACE
new york, new york
2pm

candice sat in her boss's office, feeling weighed down by her recent divorce and all the unresolved emotions it had stirred up. she knew was ready for a change of scenery.

she looked up at her boss, elise stone. "elise, i have something to talk to you about." candice began, her voice steady despite the inner turmoil.

elise, concerned, asked, "what's going on candice?"

candice took a deep breath and then said, "i'm thinking about moving to connecticut."

elise's eyes widened in surprise as she processed candice's words. "connecticut?" she repeated, trying to grasp what candice meant. was she really leaving the company? when elise realized that candice wasn't joking, she immediately went into crisis mode. "what do you mean moving? are you leaving vogue?!" the woman let out a nervous laugh, "is this you putting in your two weeks?"

candice hesitated for a moment. "i love working here, i love what i do, i love the people...everything. but how can i work here and live there? commuting everyday is out of the question." she said.

elise's face turned grim. the news hit her hard, and she couldn't fathom losing one of her best editors. "candice," she began, "you've been a valuable member of our team for years. we can't lose you." she paused before she got an idea, "you can work remote! like when people go on vacation and work on like, you'll do that?!"

candice was silent for a moment, contemplating the offer. she loved her job and didn't want to leave, but at the same time, she felt restless. she wasn't sure if working remotely would be the same as being in the office. would she still have the same support? the same motivation?

elise could sense candice's hesitation and quickly said, "it's not a demotion, candice. you'll still have all the benefits of working here. i cannot even see anyone working your job as well as you..." candice was just about to say no when elise said, "how about a raise? a very generous raise..."

candice was surprised at the offer of a raise. her eyes lit up, and she leaned in to ask, "how generous are we talking?"

"25%, and a bonus after every successful issue." elise said.

candice was taken aback, "wow. alright, i'm in." she said with a slight smile. elise nodded eagerly, "good, very good. we'll have HR draw up the contract."

elise stood from her seat and leaned forward for a hug. she whispered to candice, "we're not gonna lose you that easily."

as candice stepped out of her boss' office, she felt a strange mix of emotions. she felt relieved that she had found a solution to her problem, but a part of her was still uncertain about the future. she couldn't help but worry about how her work would be impacted by this decision. but at the same time, she felt a spark of excitement about the new chapter unfolding in her life.

just as she walked to her office she got a phone call. "this is candice." she said.

"candice, it's your mother." emily's voice was heard from the other end.

"mom? hi, what's going on?" she replied.

emily let out a sigh, "well i've just signed off on your new home."

"excuse me?" candice replied. "what new home? i haven't seen any homes?"

"yeah, i took the liberty of viewing homes for you in stars hollow...picked one out, managed to get them to work around the price and i signed off." emily said nonchalantly. "you're going to love it."

"i'd love it even more if i picked it out myself, mother!" the woman said angrily.

"oh candice, don't be foolish. you probably had nothing in mind, and when it comes to real estate, you must act quick. you can't waste time thinking and dwelling on everything. plus all you do is work, so i figured i'd do this for you." emily responded, trying to ease her daughter's anger. "now i've already spoken to your movers and their bringing the things down tonight." she said matter of a factly.

candice was left speechless. she couldn't believe that her own mother had gone behind her back and made such a major decision without even consulting her.

"mom, you can't just make decisions for me like this, especially when it comes to something as important as where i'm going to live!" candice exclaimed.

but emily, being the stubborn woman she was, refused to back down. "don't be dramatic, candice. you're acting like i just signed your life away. i picked a beautiful home that you'll love."

"what even is it?" candice asked, reluctantly. she was curious about what her mother had chosen for her, even though she was still angry.

"it's a charming tudor house. it's really beautiful." emily described, a hint of excitement in her voice. "i'd move in here myself if i could."

candice couldn't help but be intrigued by her mother's detailed description. maybe the house wasn't so bad.

housekeeping notes !

big big big things for our candy!! new house, finally lost the "kerr" in her name, new addition coming in the next chapter 💋

i strongly dislike this chapter but the next one will be more fun!!