"I can't believe the bakery is getting shut down and we have to find employment elsewhere? This is a lot." Cassia, one of Kira's employees, voiced her concern as Kira continued packing up the little things in the shop.
She had already packed up the sweet desserts and froze up some until she figured out how to give them away.
"I found you and Adam other jobs. Work with me, Cassia. This shop will be better than ever."
Cassia didn't look convinced about not only her boss but her friend. Kira could read her facial expression and Cassia felt that Kira was making a mistake by accepting Giovanni's offer.
"I'm just worried that this will blow up in your face, Kira. I mean come on." She waved around the bakery. "This is too good to be true."
Adam stood to the side, watching them with careful eyes. Kira understood Cassia's worry but she had good faith that things will work out. She had already talked with Giovanni and went over the contract with his lawyer. The dinner they had one night was to do a family breakdown and how each member and friend acts. She trusted his word and believed that he wouldn't break it.
"All I am asking for, Cassia, is your trust and faith that this is a great opportunity. Everything will go well with the bakery." Kira promised with a smile.
Cassia sighed and knew that Kira should be trusted. She never gave her any doubt to not believe in what she thought was right. Cassia walked to Kira and hugged her tight. A few seconds into the hug, another pair of arms wrapped around them and they chuckled when Adam included himself in the living action.
"We all think this will go well," Adam spoke up with much trust in me. Kira smiled that her friends were understanding with it all. There was only one person she had left to talk to and she had doubts that he would believe this would turn everything around but she had hope.
The three pulled away from each other and talked until the shop was all packed up. Kira was the last one to stand in the center of the bakery.
Kira looked over her mother's bakery once more, a sad feeling overcoming her. Sighing, she turned over the close sign with the addition of bold letters 'Under Reconstruction' and walked away from a piece of her heart.
—
Kira walked inside the first place that was her home. Pulling the key out of the lock, she closed the door behind her and reached for the switch to create some light. She placed her coat upon the hanging rack. "Dad?" She called out, walking further into the house.
On the way over here to the house, Kira had found a way to tell her father about everything that was exchanged between her and Giovanni. Kira was going to tell the truth and could only hope that the upcoming conversation will go as smoothly as possible. She called out to him again and heard the click of the light switch. Heavy footsteps filled her ears and she smiled up at her father.
She was still hesitant in telling him that his only child will be getting married and moving to Phoenix within the next couple of weeks.
"Kira," He looked over to her and took note of how hesitant she seemed.
Kira motioned with her hand towards the living area. They walked inside and found a spot on the couch. She cleared her throat, prepared for any reaction she was to get when she confessed what she would be expected to do
"Remember that I told you I have figured out a way to save the bakery with some help?"
He nods. "Yes." He answers. "Some guy offered you his help and that was all you knew."
Inhaling a deep breath, she grabbed hold of his hand to show that everything that she was about to say was serious.
"I'm closing down the bakery for a while."
"It would make sense until we know what to do next from here." He understood.
"It is the best thing to do right now, Dad but to keep it safe, I have to do something for him in return."
At that, he frowns. "What do you mean you have to do something for him in return, Kira?"
"It's nothing bad, I promise. I can't say much to you because I signed a contract."
He took his hands away from hers, not at all liking what he was telling her. "Is he forcing you to do something with him? Is he taking advantage of you? I can scrape up some more money somehow and you don't have to worry about seeing that man again. I knew it was something fishy about all-"
I sighed, grabbing hold of his hands once again. "Dad, I promise you that he is not like that." Even if he proved to be boastful at times but she found nothing negative about him that would make her fall back on what was to happen between them in the future.
He exhaled an exhausted breath. "Who exactly is this person?"
"His name is Giovanni Brown and his profession is real estate."
"Wait," He speaks quickly with a frown upon his face. "What did you just say?"
"I said that someone can help us with the bakery."
He cleared up, a frown on his face. "Did you just say, Giovanni Brown?"
Kira looked at her father with confusion. "Uh, yes. Giovanni is his name."
"How did you come into contact with that man?" He sat up straighter, staring down at his daughter with a serious look on his face and it made her more curious about what he was thinking at the moment. She had yet to admit to her dad that they were committing to each other just yet. She could only imagine the look on his face now once she told him that she was engaged to a man, soon moving to Phoenix to live in his home, and was to commit to a year-long marriage.
"I helped him, Dad. He was in Las Vegas and would have ended up dead if I didn't find him when I did. What's going on? You seem familiar with his name."
"Of course I am. I heard of him and saw his face on the news. Listen to me, Kira," He looked down at her with a firm look. "You need to stay away from him. He doesn't have a clear mind when it comes to women."
"Dad, I know of his encounters with women."
He sighed in frustration. He wanted her to trust his word but he knew deep down she wouldn't listen. It was a bit hard to do that and he knew why. Not after what happened with his cover-up with the bakery going under and late on payments and costing the bakery. Besides, Kira didn't see any other option at this point.
"Trust me, Kira. You don't want to get involved with Giovanni Brown. Any Brown at that. He will do nothing but cause more harm."
Her hands slipped from his with a frown on her lips. "And how do you know? Do you know him on a personal level, Dad?"
He looked down at his feet briefly, his fist clenched together before releasing them. "No, but-"
"Then how do you know that he will cause more harm than good? He is in real estate and he has offered more than enough to secure the bakery."
"I don't care how much money he has. That boy has a reputation and I don't want my daughter around that and in the media like one of his...his...his female companions."
She shook her head. "Well, that won't happen, Dad. We are working together and we have grown to be friends over a short period that we have decided to try things out. He has a good lawyer and-"
"Try things out? What do you mean by that? Don't tell me that you two are dating."
Kira's head began to ache. This conversation was not going as planned. Though she expected disagreement, she thought he'd eventually have an open mind about this and agree, trust her decision but he had other thoughts on the matter.
"That's why I was busy over the few days. We talked about plans and how everything will go before, in, and after we settled into an official commitment. That's what the contract is somewhat about. It isn't really bad."
He was quiet for a long moment. "There has to be more, right? Men like him don't do things because they have good hearts."
"It could change once we're married." Kira gasped, covering her mouth quickly at what she realized she had just said.
Way to ease it in there, Kira.
His eyes grew wide. "Married? You're getting married to him? What is going on, Kira?"
She swallowed the large lump that was stuck in her throat and mentally prepared herself for this. She went into little details about the contract and he listened with open ears. He was not happy and he wasn't one to hold back his thoughts when he didn't agree to something and when it had something to do with her, in this situation, he didn't hold back.
"What were you thinking, Kira?"
"This is all false." She tried to calm him down.
He scoffs in disbelief. "Are you going to wear a wedding dress?"
"Yes, but-"
"Will there be a preacher there to officiate the union between you two?"
"We haven't got that far but-"
"Then it's far from being false. You're legally getting married, Kira." He interrupts her once more, a look of disagreement crossing his face. "Did you know that he was supposed to get married a while ago?"
"Yes, I did know, Dad." She stood to her feet. "I'm trying to save mom's bakery. Why can't you understand it?"
He stood to his feet as well. "I don't understand why you will marry a man that wants nothing but to put on a show-off of the media that he is falsely settling down. No, not my daughter."
"You can't tell me no, Dad. I'm a grown woman whose-"
"Making a bad decision. As your dad, Kira, I'm asking you to think about what you're getting yourself into. I can only do so much to help you see when you are making a mistake. As far as your mother's bakery, I've been working hard and calling around to get some help."
"And have you earned any results?"
He was silent for a moment and she got her answer. "Dad, can you have a little faith in me? That's all I'm asking of you. I know what I'm doing and this is the best option we have right now."
He stared at her, pure concern, and unsure evident in his eyes. Kira knew what he feared and that was that his only child would learn the hard way. To his understanding, she was going to marry Giovanni because they needed the money and with his help, it would be enough money. Any desperate person would do anything to save what's most important to them and in this case, Kira was no different from them. He was nicely trying to warn her that billionaires are not all that they seem to be. When they hand out their money, they're not only expecting him to keep the bargain but to stick to it until the end and not many people make it to the end without getting hurt, and that saying works in more ways than one. With the look on his face, she could assume that he blamed himself for leading her to do this. He should have been smarter on spending his money. He blamed himself for losing his wife's bakery.
"It's him I don't trust." He responds, looking her in the eye.
Kira pulled him into a long embrace. His arms tightened around her. "Don't trust him. Trust me."
It didn't take long for him to agree in defeat. He was going to have to trust her and let her be the woman his wife and him raised her to be. He can only teach her so much and it will be on Kira to choose what she does with what she was taught.
"When is the wedding?" He pulled away.
"That hasn't been discussed just yet. The date. We're still easing into it but everything will happen as soon as possible."
He sighed and pulled her into his arms one last time. He could do nothing but support her and like her dad, that's exactly what he was going to do. He had to. Kira wasn't getting herself into anything blindly. She will be careful and try not to have her father worry, though, he's done enough these few days.
"I love you, Kira."
"I love you too, Dad." Kira's arms tightened around him and they stood like this for a moment before breaking apart.
"I'm off to sleep. Let me know when you're leaving so I can bid you away." He says before walking away and up the stairs.
Kira sat back down, deep in her thoughts, thinking about it all. Her mind was already made up for the start of it all.
This was just the solution.
—
Night came fast. Dinner was peaceful with her and her dad but when he left to go out and meet with someone, she was left alone in the quiet house.
She found herself typing in Giovanni's name once more. Great things came up about him. Business-wise but there was much about him with other women. Countless, nameless women. Many pictures popping up.
She stared at the screen, reading through article titles.
Giovanni Brown, once again bachelor after wedding embarrassment.
Leah Summers is no longer in real estate but she is pursuing a modeling career.
Leah Summers was spotted with another man just weeks after the wedding split.
Giovanni and Leah have been together for years and you can almost call them high school sweethearts.
Billionaire caught with another woman.
The list had gone on. Just looking at all of this, Kira didn't know if she could compete.
She was getting married to Giovanni Brown. A wealthy man who works in a family business that makes billions.
She looked up Leah Summers and she was beautiful. In every image, she displayed a diamond of some sort. Her dresses looked vintage and her hair was always styled to perfection.
Kira just didn't understand why she left him the way she did. It makes her wonder if there was ever love between them at all. Giovanni seemed to be an amazing guy once you look over his hard wall, and he does have one.
In past pictures, she could see the truth in the way he looked at Leah. How much he truly loved her and she looked genuinely happy with the man next to her.
So, what happened that made her ruin what was supposed to be the most perfect day to any happy couples' life?
Kira was worried about the media part. Once official, the wedding between her and Giovanni will be the wedding of the year. He was proving to everyone that he was ready to move on and settle down with her even if the relationship was feelingless.
Both were going to have to sell it as otherwise and be lovey-dovey with each other.
The only thing is, Kira was going to have to step up on her acting skills and make the people believe that she's in love with Giovanni Brown.