You can't buy love but you can pay heavily for it.

by Henny Youngman.

***

"No... No, please don't..." Kiana murmured in her sleep. Her eyes were firmly shut and her brows squeezed in discomfort. Little sweats trickled down her forehead. Her breathing was abnormally rapid. Her hands clenched on tightly to the blanket that covered her body. She shook her head in refusal, turning from left to right as her worst nightmare continued.

"No!" She exclaimed a little louder, as she opened her eyes, sitting up at once. Her deep breathing enhanced, now louder as she slightly opened her mouth to take in as much breath as she needed to calm her racing heart. She was trembling visibly as her palms folded into a fist, holding tightly onto the blanket.

Slowly, her eyes shifted to take a look at her surrounding, which was now immersed in utter darkness. Yes, she was back to reality but her past kept haunting her in the form of a nightmare. Every night, the same scene from her past plays out, now as a nightmare, taunting her for all her misdeeds. Tears gathered in her eyes as she slowly let go of the blanket, which she held so tightly within her hands. As the tears rolled down her cheeks, she brought her legs closer so her chest was resting on her knees and her arms wrapped around them. There and then in the serenity of her own apartment, she sobbed a great deal at her misfortune.

***

Enrico walked casually right into the room in which the meeting was to be held that very morning. On stepping in, he realised the buyers had already arrived and were just at the verge of having their seats. He took his seat at the head of the table before taking in a deep breath. Kiana set the needed documents for the transaction in front of him, trying her best not to make eye contact with her boss who, surprisingly, did the exact thing. They both looked anywhere else except into each other's eyes. Afterward, Kiana went away and stood patiently by his side ready to help at his every beck and call. Enrico forced himself to think of nothing else but the present business deal he was about to make. After working so hard to attract these present buyers, he was happy to know that a few exchanges of complimentary words and signature on the document will finally summarise it all.

Kiana watched as Enrico wrote down his signature on the piece of paper before shifting the document to the man seated to his left who eventually did the same thing. Afterwards, they smiled at each other just as they stood to their feet.

"Congratulations, Mr. Barnabas." Enrico stated as he stretched out his hand for a handshake.

"Congratulations, Mr. Vos." The man replied as he accepted the handshake, displaying a casual smile at the same time.

Enrico responded to his smile with one of his.

"I think we should celebrate. Perhaps... A toast." Enrico suggested and without really waiting for a clear reply from his guests, he slightly turned his head to Kiana.

"Get a bottle of wine." He ordered without quite taking a look at her. She nodded before quickly walking away to the corner of the room, where a few of the company's bottles had been laid out, clearly preparing ahead of time. The name 'Edoardo Vineyards' boldly written in Italics pasted below the neckline of the bottle. Kiana picked one before returning to hand over the bottle to him. Their hands accidentally brushed and in the process Kiana felt an immediate feeling. A feeling she couldn't quite explain. Her hands slightly trembled and she had to stop herself from panicking to avoid letting the bottle fall to the ground so, she carefully began withdrawing her hand away from his.

Enrico, on the other hand, gave in to his urge of taking a quick look at her face just as their hands brushed. They weren't the only ones in the room, but the atmosphere felt awkward and, at the same time, mysterious. Kiana immediately took a step backward after making sure the bottle was in his hands. Enrico managed to put a stop to his trackless thoughts before focusing back on his guests.

Enrico struggled but with the help of a corkscrew he pulled the cork from the mouth of the bottle and as a result, a loud thud was emitted; but instead of sending a frightening feeling, it sent a joyous one. His guests had already picked up the wine glasses set on the table in front of each and every one of them. They stretched out their glasses as Enrico poured for everyone.

"To a longtime partnership and success!" Enrico stated, as he raised his own cup, now halfway filled with wine for a toast.

"To a longtime partnership." They all chorused in sync harmony as they equally raised their cups to the air. They clinked their glasses with each other's before finally bringing the cups close to their lips and drinking down.

Eventually, with a well built up smile on his face, Enrico shook each one of his guests goodbye before they left the room. Turning away from the door, Enrico met Kiana already clearing up the table.

He took in a deep breath as he placed a hand into his pocket. Kiana hadn't spoken a good sentence to him since she got to work this morning. Staring at her clearing out the glasses from the table, Enrico could bet that that day, there was something different about her. He recalled last night when she saw him with Kerry. The look on her face as well as widened eyes showed the fact that she was just as shocked to see him as he was to see her. He didn't know she worked as a pizza delivery lady as a part time job or does she?

What is she thinking?

Enrico wondered regarding the scene from yesterday. He hadn't slept the whole night and for some reason, curiosity ate him raw. He urged to know what was going on in her mind. Was she in anyway affected by what she saw? Was this the reason for her present subtle attitude?

He gulped down hard just staring at her wondering whether or not to actually say something.

"Kiana." He called her by her first name. She noticed as she came to a halt on what she was doing.

"Yes, sir." She answered, as she threw him one look before looking away.

Enrico rubbed his stubble before taking steps towards her. Kiana kept her eyes everywhere else except on him. He let out a suddenly light chuckle.

"Are you stalking me?" Enrico asked, feigning an amusing look on his face; a twinkle of mischievousness in his eyes.

Kiana's brows slowly furrowed before turning her eyes to him.

"Sir, I don't understand." Kiana stated, truly confused by his strange question.

"You don't understand?" He asked in a sigh, as he looked away before taking steps towards her. Kiana involuntarily had to take steps backwards just so she could maintain the space between them till there were no steps for her to take and she was leaning on the table. Her eyes rested anywhere but on his face.

"Taking a disguise as a pizza delivery lady, you showed up at the hotel last night... Which T.V network paid you to get a scoop on Enrico Vos? How much were you paid?" He asked, staring down at her, clearly loving the uncomfortable state he just put her in.

Kiana knew Enrico stood way too close to her that it made her uncomfortable, so she made sure to use the wine glasses in her hands to create a rift between the both of them. His strange question didn't put her at ease either which made her brows furrow deeper. She had no idea what he was talking about. Eventually, she released her brows before taking a bold step of looking up to him.

"I'm not pretending to work as a pizza delivery person and I'm not stalking you. It just so happens that your..." She stopped for a second, not quite sure what to call the woman she saw with him. Anyway, that didn't matter to her.

Enrico slightly furrowed his brows at her, as he noticed her new state of confusion.

"...she ordered pizza and coincidentally, I was the one that delivered it. Mr. Vos, I have no interest whatsoever in your personal life. What you do with your time is none of my business." Kiana boldly explained, as she looked into his eyes, needing him to understand that she meant every word that came out from her mouth.

Enrico stood still, quite speechless about the answer he had just got. Truthfully, he wasn't expecting any reply from her, far-fetched from the one she just gave but hearing these actual words come out of her mouth left something he hadn't expected. He actually felt hurt. He didn't know why exactly, but he could feel he was really hurt. He understood she meant every word just by looking into her eyes.

Suddenly, she looked away from his face and looked back up only after a few seconds later.

"Do you need anything else, sir?" She asked maintaining a polite tone, but it only annoyed Enrico. He did his best not to show it as he eventually put up a warm smile.

He did the opposite of what Kiana expected. Suddenly, he leaned forward and she had to immediately lean backwards, therefore setting her in a slant position. He stared at her for what seemed like ages and Kiana was tempted to state how inappropriate his behaviour was, but she decided to reserve her comment for whatever crazy thing he was planning to do next. Perhaps, even her old street fighting skills would come in handy.

He suddenly took a large step backwards away from her to her surprise, which made her shift her eyes to him. He had a strange smirk at the corner of his lips just staring at her. She hated the look in his eyes and watched as he slightly brushed his brows. She looked away from him, refusing to admit how handsome he looked just standing there with a devious smile on his face. She knew it was crazy of her to think that way, but that was her thought. She fought hard to resist it.

"No... you may continue with your work." He told her, still maintaining the amusing look on his face.

Kiana boldly wore a frown on her face. If he was trying to intimidate her with his crazy gestures and anonymous attitude, then she was going to make him understand that none of that affected her. She was here to work and earn money. Simple as that.

She shifted her eyes as well as turned away from him and continued with her work. Enrico instantly turned away and headed to the door. Kiana found herself slowly stopping on her work, as she took the chance to take a glance at Enrico. She couldn't understand what he was trying to achieve by stating all that he said in the first place, or did he truly think that way of her? Did he believe she was stalking him? If only he understood she had no spare time to do that. There was a lot on her plate to deal with and having Enrico Vos mess with her at the moment wasn't part of her plans. She also couldn't deny the fact that she was mad at him; a strange annoyance that wasn't quite the same as the one she felt with his constant troubling yesterday on her first day working for him. Kiana forced herself to look away from him and stop with her randomly crazy thoughts.

Enrico couldn't help taking one last glance at Kiana. The fact that she seemed less troubled about everything, made him mad but he was good at hiding his true feelings. He was annoyed with how calm she was and yes, he knew that was a strange feeling. God, he was starting to lose his sanity and he hated it.

Enrico walked into his office, neither looking left nor right; and just headed towards his desk with the documents that were signed a few minutes ago. He slammed it on the desk, placing a hand on his waist afterwards, as the other brushed his already packed hair. Enrico turned away from the table at the same time only to eventually stop with his eyes slightly widened staring at a woman sitting with crossed legs on his sofa.

She narrowed her eyes at him, tilting her head slightly to the left, clearly trying to understand what he was doing.

"Aunt Sofia." Enrico pronounced, as he slowly brought both his hands back down to stay still by his sides.

A little smile curled up on her lips.

"When... When did you get here?" He asked, trying his best to remain composed and hoping she didn't just notice his little stunt.

"A few seconds ago. I was told you were in an important meeting, so I decided to wait here in the office." She explained to him in a soft tone and Enrico pretended to take a while to assimilate the information.

"Is there a problem, Enrico?" She asked from where she sat and Enrico shifted his eyes back to her with raised brows.

She pointed to the file on his table.

"What happened at the meeting? Did they leave?" Sophia asked and Enrico shook his head.

"No, they didn't. It actually went better than expected."

"So, we got a deal?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yes." Enrico answered and a broad smile appeared on her face.

"Aunt Sophia, you shouldn't have bothered coming all the way here. I would come to you if you called for my presence." Enrico explained and she nodded before getting up to her feet.

"I know but I wanted to come to you since you rarely stop by the mansion." Sophia started, as she took steps towards him.

"You know your mum misses you a lot, right?" She asked, as she finally stood in front of him. Enrico looked away from her, hating this new topic.

Sophia noticed his change of mood.

"Enrico, she loves you a lot and wants to see you succeed in life. I hope you always remember that." Sophia explained, placing a hand on his arm.

Enrico took one quick look at her hand on his arm, before raising his eyes back up to her. A warm smile played on her face making him give a quick nod.

Sophia let out a light sigh, as she withdrew her hand away from his arm.

"Good... Enrico, I'm opening an art gallery. The launch is in two days, so I've come here to personally invite you... I won't listen to any of your excuses. Okay?" She informed him and Enrico knew better than to argue. His aunt was a tad bit like his mother. They were both very demanding and often refused to take a no for an answer. Plus, he wasn't in the mood to argue.

"Okay. I'll be there." Enrico stated and she nodded in accordance with a broader smile.

"Good. Dress properly and don't be late." Sophia warned him, as she turned away and walked towards the door.

She stopped just as she was in front of the door, her hand on its knob. She slightly turned to him.

"Enrico, give your mum a call. She's missing you." Sophia told him and with that, she turned away and left the office.

* * *

Kiana's phone rang within her pocket just as she stepped out of the room where the meeting had been held. She stopped on her tracks a few steps away from the door before she got out her phone.

Mrs. Thompson.

Kiana read the caller ID which made her look away from her phone for a second, and then she took in a deep breath.

"Hello, Attorney." Kiana called, as she tried her best to keep her voice at a minimum level.

"Hello, Kiana. I got a letter from the court." Mrs. Thompson started and Kiana's eyes slightly widened, as her heart immediately sank. Fear gripped her entire being. The fact that this could either be bad or good news made her scared.

"A... A letter?" Kiana asked, her voice sounding shaky in her own ears.

"Yes. Kiana, an appeal for Sandra's case has been...been denied. I'm sorry." The attorney explained in a sad tone stating the very word Kiana had dreaded.

Her eyes widened a bit more, as she stood frozen. Her pulse heightened as tears eventually gathered her eyes. This couldn't be happening again. She refused to accept another denial. This was neither the first nor second time her mother's case had been denied repeal in court but each time, she never gave up. She put the past aside and set forward a new hope, praying someday that her case will be accepted but now, it has been denied once more.

Kiana shut her eyes, letting the tears roll down her cheeks as she soothed her forehead and temple with her hand.

"Kiana, are you still there?" The attorney asked from the other side of the line, as she didn't hear any word from Kiana and thus, was worried.

"Yes." Kiana managed to reply after sniffing and quickly wiping her face from any tear stains, in order to avoid any lurking eyes from the other employees that walked past her quite often.

"Apparently, Sandra's last fight with an inmate didn't do well for her record and she isn't ready to change. Kiana, I'm saying this because my heart feels for you. I've seen just how hard you're working to get your mother out of prison but don't you think... Don't you think it's time you throw in the towel? I mean... She doesn't want your help." The attorney explained, but instead of flipping out that very minute at her words, Kiana shut her eyes instead.

She recalled all she had been through, especially her past with her mum and up to the very minute she was arrested. She opened her eyes once more, knowing deep down that there was no point trying to explain to the attorney or even the word. None of them would understand her plight.

"Thank you, Mrs. Thompson, for your help and concern but... I can't give up on my mother. You have no idea what she sacrificed for me. Besides, I'm all she has got. Goodbye." Kiana explained the least she could and without waiting to hear a word from the attorney, she cut the call.

She stood still trying her best to regain her composure. It wasn't easy regarding the fact that she just met with another disappointment. Nothing at the moment was going positive in her life which made her wonder if it was ever going to get better. She sniffed once more, wiping her cheeks properly with the front as well as the back of her palms to completely remove any stain from her tears. She needed to erase the fact that she had been crying. After all, it was her own cross and she was going to bear it all alone.