Every time a baby is born they are gifted with something precious. Something unique that is just for them. Something that gives them assurance of a loving future. What is this precious thing, you may ask? Well, it's called a soul gem. It lays right above a person's heart and normally protects the organ from external harm. The reason it is called a soul gem is that a person's gem is not completely theirs. No, they share a gem with their soulmate. Someone who is destined to be their spouse from the moment they're born.

Whether your soulmate was the opposite gender, same gender, or no gender didn't matter. Your soulmate was your soulmate and there were no arguments about it. In some cases, a person had soulmates, as in multiple spouses. Why is that, you ask? Well, they were born that way. They didn't care if their relationship was a polyamorous one. They didn't choose to be that way, they were born that way. 

People never complained about their soulmates because of these gems. After all, you didn't choose your soul gem. You could not alter it, you could not dye it, you could not remove it, you could not even draw on it with markers. Your sole gem stayed the way it was unless it benefitted you, but some people forget that last part.

Rain, that's all Ivan could see as he gazed out his large window was rain. The man was bored with this common routine. He would wake up every morning, go to work, talk with clients, scare off his staff (unintentionally), do paperwork, go home, and go to bed. Everything around him was just so vanilla that it hurt, but he endured it for the sake of his company. He had so much yet he felt like he had nothing. This was his life in this world, his lonely mind driving him to literal insanity.

His platinum blonde hair was a tousled mess from his finger constantly running through it and his amethyst eyes were so tired and empty. He had no parents to take care of, they both had died when he was younger. He only had his sisters, Katyusha and Natalia. They both cared for their brother dearly, even though they worked for him. He had no friends, as his tall stature often frightened people. Even his own secretaries Eduard, Toris, and Raivis had grown to fear him. The day to day life of this trillionaire was rather dull.

Ivan Braginsky was a man of ultimate wealth, power, and taste. Anybody who was anybody could tell from how the stoic man carried himself that he was meant for this wealthy society. His expensive, Italian leather shoes stomped on the imported quartz flooring with more confidence than an entire room filled with people could ever muster. He stood taller than most of his staff at 5'11, barely brushing the six-foot mark. He had a rather large nose for his face, but he was simply too lazy to get a nose job. His figure was strongly built and broad, mostly because his military days blessed him with it. 

That was the only blessing of war if you asked him, but he never turned down an offer for foreign governments and their militaries. He wanted to give the newer troops the gifts he wasn't offered when he was their age. Thus, when returning home from service, began working on his company.

Ivan was young still, only twenty-eight years of age. He was enlisted at the age of eighteen and served two years before his accident happened. He was training a bunch of new recruits when a bomb had gone off near him. Apparently, one of his comrades didn't know how to carry it correctly. Nobody was hurt, as the bomb wasn't very large. But it did cause a lot of strapple to go flying everywhere. It was one of these flying pieces of debris that Ivan got injured. The piece pierced into his soul gem, leaving it with an ugly crack. It was then and there that Ivan lost any hope of finding a mate. 

After being given an honorable discharge from the military, he went back to college to work on his engineering skills. Graduating at the age of twenty-four, he opened his engineering company Braginsky Infinity. Only a year was needed for his company to take off. When the United States government realized his genius, they offered him four billion dollars to build for them. Ivan accepted the offer, but only on his terms. His company was to sell to whomever it pleased and held permanent neutrality in case of any dispute. Many governments respected that, thus Ivan's company quickly built itself into an empire. Two years later, at the age of twenty-seven, Ivan would receive the Nobel Prize for Physics.

Despite this wealth, Ivan felt so desperate for love. He dated around quite often and people like famous celebrities and crowned royalty found their way onto his record. He had his share of them all, but none of them were who they portrayed themselves' to be. They were all rather snooty, spoiled, or bossy. So, Ivan quit the dating scene and settled for hookers. He craved for any human's touch. Even a slap felt better than the lonely void he had casted himself in.

Now, he's twenty-eight, and the busiest he's ever been. He looked to his side office, which held most of his clients' folders in locked compartments. He then noticed the door was plain, the opposite of his luxurious office. He squinted his eyes and groaned, gazing back outside.

Ivan had everything: the finest food cooked by the most talented chefs, the most divine spirits that have aged for decades, and more wealth and power than anybody could ever dream of. He had it all except someone to share it with.

His desk pinged and Ivan looked to his laptop.

Email from Timothy (Starz Co.)

This piqued Ivan's interest, so he clicked it open.

Mr. Braginsky,

I am not sure if you forgot about our lunch or if you chose to not come, but it starts in ten minutes at the Kingwest Bistro. Please notify me when you arrive, I refuse to wait in the rain.

Timothy Starz

"Blyad!" he cursed as he rushed out of his chair. He grabbed his coat and umbrella, his shoes clomping on the ground, "Toris! Have Gilbert bring my car to the front immediately! Raivis, keep working on those files! Eduard, I should be expecting a call from Lady Lillian of Burnsberg! Please inform her an important lunch has come up and I will call her anytime she likes!"

"Yes, sir!" they all yelped in unison. They each scrambled for certain items as Ivan took out a key and unlocked his elevator. Once he got to the lobby he continued to storm out, not stopping for anybody or anything. He got into his luxury SUV and quickly sped off to the bistro.

At the bistro was a lovely woman, wearing an apron as she served tables their overpriced food. She was clothed in a white dress shirt with 3/4 sleeves, a black vest, a black bow tie, a pair of black dress pants, stockings, and black dress shoes. She had beautiful, golden hair that would reach her butt if it wasn't pulled back in a bun. Her skin was kissed so generously by Apollo that it could make the polar icecaps melt. Her lips were supple and softer than rose petals. Her eyes were filled with kindness and love, but never hatred or disgust. Her nails were well groomed and had a clear coat on them, making them shine. But other than that she wore no makeup. Tucked inside her apron was her wedding ring. A man entered the bistro and she calmly approached the hostess desk.

"Hello, sir. Welcome to the Kingwest Bistro. Do you have a reservation?" she asked with a smile. The man sneered at her as if she was a peasant.

"Timothy Starz for two," he answered with a venomous tone. She began to look at the tablet and smiled, nodding and grabbing two menus.

"Would you like to wait for your companion, or would you like to sit?" she questioned, once again with a sweet tone. Timothy once again rolled his eyes and swatted her back a bit.

"I wish to be sat at my table if you don't mind," he retorted. Amelia nodded and gestured to the lane.

"Right this way, Mr. Starz," she led him to a private area in the corner that was often reserved for business executives. She then put the menus down and pulled out her notebook, "My name is Amelia and I will be serving you this afternoon. Would you like to order drinks or would you prefer to wait?"

"Just leave me be until my friend arrives," he shooed her away and looked over the menu. Amelia went back to serving a few tables when a man came into the bistro in a hurry. She smiled sweetly and walked over to the taller man.

"Am I to assume you are here to see Mr. Starz?" the man nodded at her and she waved her hands, "right this way, sir," she directed happily. She came back to the table and helped Ivan into the seat, which he greatly appreciated, "Mr. Starz, your company has arrived," she told the other man gently.

"Hm? Oh, right! Leave, I'll call you when we decide," he ordered, pointing away. Amelia was taken aback by the command but obeyed nonetheless. Ivan looked at Timothy with wide eyes and a thin smile.

"Do you not think you were a little harsh on her?" Timothy just shrugged and waved it off.

"She has no right to talk to us, she's basically a peasant. Now, pick anything you'd like. My treat," the man smiled happily, but it was clearly fake happiness. Ivan cocked an eyebrow and looked over the menu. He would, every once in a while, peek to see their waitress. He noted every detail: she was organized, clean with her attire, she did not waste a single movement, she was quick thinking, she was able to multitask, and she smiled throughout it all. She was a very beautiful woman to Ivan as well.

"I have my order, do you?" Ivan asked as he set his menu down. Timothy nodded and waved his hands sporadically. Ivan noticed that their waitress was currently taking another order, this table had three children. One child tried to run off, but Amelia caught him and gave him back to the mother, who thanked her. She then noticed the two wealthy men and hurriedly walked over.

"About time you got here! We shouldn't have to wait a minute for your lazy ass!" the waitress flinched a bit at the tone but still held her ground, "I will have a glass of scotch on the rocks with the duck curry over jasmine rice. What about you, buddy?" Ivan wanted to snarl at him, this obnoxious man had some nerve. But Ivan instead smiled at the waitress, looking at her nametag.

"I will have the salmon with a baked potato and sauteed spinach with a glass of lemon water, please," Ivan handed her the menu with a smile. She nodded happily and gently took Timothy's menu before running off. She placed the orders into the computer and went to grab the drinks from the bar. She was quick about it too, getting their drinks in a matter of five minutes. She then left the men to their conversation.

"She only gave me one ice ball! That cheap hoe!" Timothy whisper screamed. Ivan's head whipped around to look at him as he continued his absurd and entitled ranting, "she's quite ugly too, can she possibly be any slower. Stupid bitch is probably a dropout," he finished his drink rather quickly and went to flag her down again.

"Amelia," Ivan said monotoned.

"What?"

"Her name is Amelia. You will call her Amelia while in my presence, or our waitress. Not 'cheap', not 'hoe', and most definitely not 'bitch'. I respect every woman whether they are of great wealth or piss poo,r Mr. Starz. While you are in my company, you will do the same," Ivan crossed his legs and looked at Timothy. Ivan watched as Amelia took care of the family again, giving them their check and heading to the kitchen. She came out a second later with the food and was carrying it on her sturdy shoulders. That's when the little kid from the family once again ran off and into Amelia's legs. Amelia began stumbling, but Ivan quickly got up to catch her. Duck curry and rice went all over his Italian suit and salmon and spinach was in Amelia's hair. The potato was being sucked on by the little kid. The mother quickly grabbed her son and began to apologize profusely.

"I am so sorry! Please, if there is anything I can do I'll do it! I'll pay for the food even!" the woman panicked. Amelia simply smiled and waved her hand.

"No, it's ok. Please keep your money. I can comp the meals," she then looked to Ivan and took a clean handkerchief from her vest, "please excuse my clumsiness sir. I will comp your's and Mr. Starz's meals. I will also add a free dessert, it's the least I could do," Amelia tried to convey her sympathies as the mother left with her son. Now it was only them in the dining room. Timothy shot up from his seat and grabbed Ivan's glass of water.

"Honestly! Can you do any job right?! I don't want to wait for my food! We'll just leave! We don't need this!" Timothy poured the icy water on top of Amelia's head, soaking her from head to toe. Just then, a man in a black shirt came out. He had an angry look on his face as he stormed to the group of three. Ivan thought he would defend his worker, after all, she was the one who was soaking wet. But, his side apparently always belonged to the customer.

"That's it! I'm tired of constantly having to fix your mistakes!"

"Mr. Kingwest, if I may explain-"

"No! You are fired! F-I-R-E-D! Get out of my restaurant!" Mr. Kingwest yelled so loud, Ivan thought the pedestrians outside could hear him. Amelia sighed and with her head bowed began to walk into the employee changing room, "I am so sorry for her, Mr. Starz. I'm afraid I never got your name, sir," he asked with a smile. Ivan's violet eyes gave off an angry aura.

"I am Ivan Braginsky, founder of Braginsky Infinity, and neither of you will ever have the pleasure of working alongside me or my company again. I refuse to associate myself with men who behave in such terrible ways to women. Have a good day," Ivan quickly stormed out and waited alongside the building with his umbrella open. He waited for a good while too. But it paid off once Ivan saw her.

Amelia walked out of the employee entrance in a crimson turtleneck sweater, dark denim jeans, and white slip-on sneakers. She didn't have a coat and her hair was still dripping wet. Ivan held out his umbrella to her as she looked up at him. He smiled at her, making her smile back to him.

"Thank you, sir. But you don't have to," she said as she walked beside him. He shook his head to her as they walked to his car.

"My ex-client was out of turn and you wrongfully lost your job. It's the least I could do," Ivan retorted and winked, making Amelia giggle at the repeated phrase. The two got to his SUV and he unlocked it, "I will drive you home," he said.

"But then your nice car will smell like salmon,"

"Meh," Ivan got in and waited for her. She got in and buckled up, holding her purse on her lap. That's when Ivan saw the wedding ring, making his heart crack a tiny bit, "address?"

"704 Bojo Avenue," she answered softly. Ivan entered the address and began the hour-long drive, "I normally leave for work at 5 AM to get there by 7:30,"

"I didn't-"

"You were going to," Amelia smirked, "thank you for defending me. I overheard the conversation between Mr. Starz and yourself. Thank you for telling him not to call me those awful names,"

"You mean, you heard?"

"Yep, I always hear things. Strange how you were so nice and even read my nametag, he didn't call me by my name once and I told him my name," Amelia's phone pinged and she looked at it. She scoffed.

"What is it?"

"He wrote a review of the bistro and mentioned me, not that it matters since I got fired,"

"Read it to me," Ivan demanded softly. Amelia rolled her eyes and opened the review, clearing her throat.

"The atmosphere was rather nice, I liked the decor. The food, I didn't get to taste it. My waitress, Amelia, was a total dunce. She was rather lazy and very slow, not even looking my way. She cheated me out of a good scotch on the rocks! How do you mess that up, it's literally just ice and scotch! She ended up dropping my food too! The owner was nice and fired her on the spot, she was too unprofessional and ignorant!" another ping, "my ex-boss just starred it. Wonderful! Funny how he calls me by my name when he's insulting me," she groaned. Ivan grunted and clutched the stirring wheel.

"M.A.R.C.I," Ivan said. The car's dashboard lit up, "show me reviews of Kingwest Bistro on North Main Street,"

"getting reviews of Kingwest Bistro on North Main Street," the screen lit up and showed all the reviews. Amelia took note that Ivan was already logged into his account, which had a red star next to it. This meant that his opinion was popular and would be regarded as a priority. He scrolled until he saw Timothy's review of three stars. Timothy also had a red star by his name and was gaining likes by the minute. He growled and clicked on the text box.

"Write a review,"

"what would you like to say?" the car asked.

"I would have to disagree with both the owner and Mr. Starz. The atmosphere was indeed delightful, a few tables over was a very lovely family. But the decor was mediocre at best. As someone who has been to the Mediterranean more than a dozen times in the last six months, I could easily spot the many fabricated pieces of decor. As for our server, Amelia was very kind and welcoming. She was acting as hostess and waitress, which I can't help but question why was she doing both if Mr. Kingwest was present? She was in no way lazy. She was very organized and always managed a smile, even after you called her horrid names that were so despicable they would completely censor this review. As for spilling our food, the child from the previously mentioned family ran into her legs and caused her to trip. She offered to pay for our food, but Amelia stopped her and offered to comp our meals and add a free dessert. This was after she got soaked in salmon juice and spinach from my meal. To top it all off, you, Timothy, caused the scene that got her fired by dumping water on her head. You and the owner are both horrible people and you will never see my face in that establishment again," he then clicked on the one-star and published the review.

"You didn't have to,"

"Yes I did, now watch," Ivan chuckled and they both watch as Ivan's review instantly surpassed Timothy's review in a matter of seconds. The owner, of course, posted an apology and offered a free meal, but the two just laughed it off. Ivan pulled up to Amelia's small house and got out of the car, opening the umbrella. He opened the door and guided her to the door.

"Thank you, you didn't have to do all that,"

"That's not all," Ivan replied as he handed her a business card.

"Call this number tomorrow and schedule an interview. Your multitasking skills are few and far between and you could be of great use for my company. So, since you lost your job because of my once client, I'll give you a job," Ivan smiled and walked back, not waiting for a reply. She waved him off as he drove away and unlocked her door. Her drunkard husband, Arthur, was already passed out on the couch. She walked upstairs quietly and went to the bathroom, stripping down so she could shower. She gazed at her reflection in the chipped mirror, looking upon her tired soul and gently brushing her cracked soul gem. That's when loud and angry poundings on the locked bathroom door began to ring out.

This truly was a broken world they lived in.