Untouchable

CHAPTER 1

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The place bustled with life. It was the Grand Opening and nerves permeated the air. The tension could be cut with a knife as every employee stood watching as Gia walked back and forth with her hands locked behind her back.

It had taken a lot of work, blood and sweat to finally get to where she was. The business world was not kind to women, especially the world she had been born into.

Things had changed a lot in the last twenty years. Technology had advanced a lot but there were no flying cars yet. The business world had changed as had education. Everything had evolved except fashion, that still went around the time merry-go-round. It was like the designers had no imagination to come up with something new. She was glad she had decided to go into the food business. That was always an enterprise under high demand and always would be.

"I don't have to tell you how important today is for us. A lot of influential people and no doubt Bosses will make an appearance tonight and during the week. Remember that the opinion of the Bosses will make or break us." Gia looked at her loyal staff and smiled. She had handpicked every single one of them and had made sure that their background checks had no red flags.

Being a restaurant that would serve food from all-over the world, she had decided to hire three chefs with extensive knowledge of world cuisines.

Gia knew very well that things would not be easy for her, but they never had been. The first strike she had against her was being born female. The second strike she had against her was being a businesswoman, the third strike against her was not being able to walk among her peers as she really was and the fourth and she was sure that it wouldn't be the last strike against her was that she was a strong woman, but a woman, nonetheless.

She had taken the utmost care in creating her new persona. Everything had been done meticulously and every loose end had been taken care of. In the world that she belonged to nothing could be left to chance. She had been hiding in plain sight all her life and when the call had come in that she was to step out, she had almost shat a brick.

Her whole life she had been Gia Summers. She had evolved around that name. She had given that name a life, a history, a background that was irreproachable. She was a pillar of the community. She smiled at babies and helped the elderly when they needed help. She donated to every known charity. She made sure that all the orphanages were run adequately, and no child was being abused. She made sure that the centers for battered women were up to date and had everything they needed to help those women get back on their feet.

Gia Summers was an angel in the eyes of the world. Graduated class president and had the honor of being valedictorian. She Graduated second in her business school class as to not attract too much attention to herself. She had stayed hidden all her life not being able to be a part of her father's life because of the enemies he had made before she had even been born.

The reason for her hiding? She was born female. Steps had been taken and plans had been made before her mother had given birth to her and regretfully died while doing so. Her grieving father had held her for a whole hour before he had handed her over to the woman who would care for her and raise her as her father had ordered.

Gia was not naïve, but she played the part well. She was not weak, but she played the damsel in distress to perfection. She was not ignorant when it came to men and their dealings and their so-called tastes and preferences, but she came across as an innocent. She was a woman through and through, but she had been raised to think like a smart person, not a man.