Mia sat at the edge of the bed in her little sister's hospital room and nervously tapped her fingers on the bed. Diane had noticed the familiar habit and decided to enquire, hoping that Mia would see her as someone who she could confide in and not just her baby sister. "Is everything alright, Mia?" Diaje asked, her voice still hoarse from all the months of not speaking. Mia immediately stopped the movement with her hand and turned to Diane, "Yes, of course. I am fine," she said with a small smile.
The smile was not genuine and everyone in the room including Mia knew it. Diane pouted at her sister's denial. "I just have an… interview later today. And I guess I am just a little bit nervous, it is nothing serious" Mia said, hoping that her sister would be okay with the not so detailed response. "Nothing serious? It is an interview of course it is something serious. I am so sorry that you had to come in here to be with me. Now you will probably smell like disinfectant by the time of your interview," Diane said.
She had now gotten up a bit in excitement and leaned her back on some pillows on the headboard of the bed. "Hey, do not ever feel like you are a burden to me, okay? You are my sister, my family and I love you okay? And I have to go now. The meeting is in thirty minutes and I do not want to be late, I love you" Mia said as she got up from the bed and kissed her sister goodbye. She promised to be back soon and left Cam in charge.
"So, I guess you are stuck with me for the next few hours. Would you want to go out for some fresh air later?" Cam said as she moved closer to Diane's bed. "Sure, that would be nice. The interview, is it something dangerous?" Diane asked Cam about her sister's meeting. Cam had a small smile that looked almost genuine, "come here you," she said as she wrapped her arm around Diane's shoulders. "No, no it is not," Cam said, responding to Diane's question. "I hope that it is not," Cam thought to herself as she stayed silent in Diane's bed.
Mia had arrived at the restaurant and was walking in when she noticed how empty it was. She had heard rumours of the restaurant being high end and had yet to be launched. She wondered why Alexander invited her to a restaurant that was not officially open and was totally empty. She picked her phone out of her pocket and double checked if her location and tracking was turned on. She walked in and went up the stairs as Alexander had instructed.
The building was five times the size of her apartment building in length and width. The spaces between the tables gave the feeling of privacy for anyone who would dine there. The ambiance gave the feel of an action thriller movie with its perfectly dimmed lights. One could not tell the difference between day and night the moment they got in. It felt like another world of its own. Even the flowers that sat on each table looked even more expensive than Adeline's shoes. She frowned at the realization that her only expensive shoes were very high heels.
Mia was surprised that no one had bothered to stop her and ask who she was or what she was doing there. She took a seat and defeated the urge to look around. Alexander was not an ordinary man, and the last thing she wanted was to be a witness to one of his misdeeds, "then why are you here then?" Her subconscious asked. It was for her sister, it was also for her, and for Cam as well. They deserved a better life than what Big Pa was willing to offer her. And she was going to grab every chance that she got until she fully escaped the cycle.
"You are early," a voice said from behind her. She immediately shot up from her seat and turned around, it was Alexander. He looked different from the last time she had seen him. His hair was properly gelled and sleeved back, he had on a three piece suit and a silver Armani watch that looked like it cost her life's worth. He came to the table and took a seat across from her. He whispered something to one of the men who escorted him and he nodded and walked away.
Not before giving her a long hard glance, if it were to be one of the girls in the club, she would think that he was her man or something with the way he stared at Mia. He joined the other guard who was a few feet away from them… far enough to not hear them but close enough to jump in when needed. Mia looked at them and turned back to Alexander who already had his eyes on her the entire time. He looked at her hair that had fallen on her shoulders, "I like your hair better down," he casually said.
Mia was surprised at his words, "what?" She asked him. "Your hair," he said pointing at it, she looked at it as well as though she did not know what her hair looked like. "I like it better. You look even more beautiful." He said. Mia's stomach flipped and so did her heart, she felt her cheeks get darker at his compliment. Mia did not understand why she was blushing, she always got compliments on her beauty but when Alexander complimented her she just could not help it.
Maybe it was because she saw him as a fearless man who saw no reason to lie. If he gave her a compliment, it was because it was true and not because he was trying to get into her good books. "I am Andre Ivanov as you already know and I want you to work here when it opens this weekend," he said. She looked around at the restaurant that was almost done with people moving around for finishing touches. "As a waiter?" She asked, confused.
"No, as a dancer for the private club underground," he said casually. Mia did not understand how he said it so casually as though it was a normal occurrence. Mia was surprised that the most luxurious restaurant that was coming in belonged to Alexander. She knew that he was rich but this was extreme for her.