Nothing to Lose (BWWM)

Two

Imani let out a deep breath and made her way into the waiting room where she decided to sit in a corner at the back of the room. She hugged herself tightly as she let more tears fall. Her life as she knew it was gone. She thought that losing her job was bad. Now she had lost her belongings and everything she had.

Now she would have to start from the beginning.

She raked the hairs that had escaped her ponytail out of her face and impatiently waited.

She would have to stay with her mother for the next few weeks or months whilst she got herself back together. She thought of how she would explain to LJ that a lot of things would not be coming back.

"Ms Forde?" she looked up at the sound of her name being called and was extremely surprised when she saw the familiar face.

"Mr Pellegrino." She wiped her tears away hastily and extended a hand towards him. "Hello."

"Do you mind if I take a seat?" He said, shaking her hand.

"No, no go ahead."

He sat down beside her with a heavy sigh. "I really am sorry about my Vincent."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about that, Mr Pellegrino, I'm sorry I handled it that way. I could've handled it better it's just that- I let my irritation get the better of me."

"It's understandable, don't worry about it." They stayed quiet for a few seconds. "I hate that you weren't interested in the job. This is off the record but, you were the best that we had lined up. You were the most qualified and had the best personality so far." He said after noticing how down she looked.

Smiling widely, she raised her head towards him. "Really?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Well thank you. I'm sorry things turned out the way they did."

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"

Imani swallowed and pushed her hair back. "I, uh, my house burnt down this afternoon and I've been here trying to get my son checked out."

"Oh, I am sorry. I am deeply sorry, Ms Forde."

"Don't worry about it, Mr Pellegrino. Call me Imani."

"Call me Giovanni." They smiled at each other. "I never would have guessed you had a son!"

Her face lit up at the mention of LJ. "Yes, he's my world. I really don't know what I'm going to do now." She groaned as she ran her hands over her face. "I'm sorry, I'm sure you're pretty busy right now."

He waved her off. "It's fine. I needed a break from where I was. Vincent was giving me enough grief in there and seeing my wife in that state... it still hurts."

"I'm so sorry, Mr Pellegrino."

"Stop apologising, dear. You have nothing to be sorry about. It's not my fault that she is suffering from this." Imani nodded when she found herself about to apologise again. "It's a horrible thing."

"I can only imagine."

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the hustle and bustle of the hospital. "What is on your mind, Ms Forde?"

"I'm thinking about where me and my son will live in a few months... I'm thinking about where I can get a better paying job. I-."

"Well, Ms Forde, my offer is still on the table to work for my son."

She looked at him in shock. "Really? I would have thought that because of my outburst, my chances of working with you were shut down."

He chuckled. "In fact, I would have thought that you wouldn't want the job after Vincent's outbursts."

"I-Truth be told, after his comments, I didn't want the job at all but... after this? I'll take anything at this point."

Giovanni pulled a business card out of his suit pocket and handed it to her as he stood. "Despite what my son says, I know that you would be perfect for the job and I want you to have it."

Imani smiled widely for the first time since the ordeal had began. "Thank you so much, Mr-" he gave her a look, "Giovanni."

"No problem. I should be heading back. You have a good night Ms Forde."

He smiled warmly at her one more time before walking away, leaving Imani to think that perhaps it wasn't all over for her yet.

Giovanni slowly opened the door that lead to the quiet room surrounded in flowers and balloons. He avoided his son's glare as he took a seat beside his wife. "Did you find any?"

"No, not on this floor, sorry."

Lily-Ann nodded her head in understanding.

"Vincy, how are things going at the company?" She asked, reaching out for her son's hand. Vincent held on and sighed.

"Things are going well."

"And what about your assistant, have you found one yet?"

Vincent shook his head. "Madre, I don't need an assistant. I don't need any help."

Lily-Ann frowned. Her son was one of the most stubborn people she knew. "Oh Vincy, you can't possibly keep up with all that work on your own. A little help wouldn't hurt."

"Yeah, look how much help Heather has given Giovanni." He remarked, making both parents flinch. The last thing Lily-Ann needed was a reminder that her husband had impregnated his secretary.

"Vincent."

"I wish I could stay longer, mamma, but I've got paperwork to complete." He lied, simply not wanting to be in the same room as his father any longer. He leaned over her bed and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well."

Putting his jacket back on he walked past Giovanni and without a word, he left.