The past few days had consisted of Alessandra Korkunova taking trips back and forth between Philly and New York. And now there she was – back again – in the concrete jungle where dreams are made of. Besides meeting up with a few clients to discuss business matters, she had also met Garou at his antique store. There, she had made her interest known about the vintage cameras on offer and she specifically remembered Garou pleasing her with his great knowledge in them. The rest is history.

When she hurried out of the hotel room she had booked, the morning was already thick with heat and she braced herself for the hour-long walk into town. She swore to herself that she’d be alright though. And push through it. She was like that sometimes – stubborn. Ten minutes passed and she was already regretting the hot sun burning across her exposed neck.  It was in that moment she knew she f***ed up with her outfit. A white, off the shoulder shirt paired with a mini jean skirt. I’m about to be burnt galore by the end of this, she thought to herself helplessly.

There was a wooden park bench up ahead near a tall oak tree and she quickened her pace towards it. As the hotness continued to follow her, she decided to distract herself by thinking of a million things to talk about to herself. Weird, right? Anyways, who was going to judge her? That’s right. Nobody. She was in her own world and she liked talking to herself sometimes as it would provide time for reflection.

As she laid back on the wooden bench and curled a leg over the other, she thought about her place in this world and how she was feeling in that very moment. Am I truly cut out for this kind of life? She started to overthink and process where she’d be if she didn’t get employed by Cecelia. Still working at the modelling agency, probably. Although sadly, the business was on the verge of getting shut down. All the clients she had been meeting up with were just people interested in merging companies.

She had been holding onto a tiny string of hope – that someone – anyone – would be interest in partnering up with her. As she focused on a cute couple that had suddenly passed by her, she wondered if she’d ever settle down. She was leaning more towards the ‘no’ side, considering that she had always been better off on her own. As she continued to think to herself, she started to grow anxious.

What can I offer to the table? How can I be of good use to my family? She felt hopeless. She was the ‘new’ girl. She had no idea about most things related to the mafia despite having parents that were practically born into it. Her feelings were becoming too much of overpowering and she was afraid that she’d act out impulsively again. That meant – randomly packing up her things and moving away to a new city. Just like how she fled from her hometown never to be seen again by any of her old friends. Not that she missed them, but she did miss having company.

A little boy came up to her. She raised her eyes from her lap and tilted her head. “What can I do for you, little ‘un?” She asked intensely yet not expecting a serious answer. She was sure that he was just a little boy wanting to show her a lame trick. Things had suddenly taken a turn when he lifted his index finger and quickly pointed to his left. He looked at Alessandra, giving a shrug. “That man over there, he told me he’d give me a candy bar if I would come up to you and tell you to go to him.”

She grew super curious and was weirdly entranced by this mystery dude. As she followed the little boy’s gaze, she met the eyes of the man he was talking about.

“O-owen?”

Her first thought:

Run.