Regretful Love

Kayla hesitantly looks at the wooden door. She isn't sure what she should do, to think that she is going to step foot into an apartment that could be a serial killer's layer. She slowly steps back away from the door and heads down the stairs.

With the little alcohol in her system, she won't be so dumb as to walk into a lion's den. She steps back into the bar and walks to the counter, she drops off the key. Thankfully the owner is gone and the bartender has his back to her.

Her pace quickens as she walks out of the bar and the sun greets her. She flinches as the beams into her eyes. Kayla blinks a few times to let her eyes adjust to the sudden bright light. The goosebumps linger on her arms, she didn't realize how cold she was but wasn't sure if the chill she feels was from her wet clothes or from the man she just met.

She wraps her arms around her chest and lets the sun's warmth heat her skin, she slowly makes her way down the sidewalk while looking for a taxi to take her back home.

* * *

Kayla finally arrives at her apartment, it's an older brick building with small windows. She found it after moving to the area, it was cute and charming. She steps inside while tossing her shoes off once again. Her apartment is small in size with one bedroom and one bathroom. She doesn't have much furniture but the only thing that decorates Kayla's place is pictures of her boyfriend and her.

Thinking about him brings a burning rage through Kayla's body.

She walks into her kitchen and grabs a trash bag from under the sink. Kayla's bare feet feel cool on her wooden floors. Right now Kayla feels dirty, and gross and wants to get rid of everything that reminds her of Lucas, her now ex-boyfriend.

Kayla goes into her room, it's tiny but fits a queen bed that has white bedding on it. The walls are gray with a black mirror that hangs on the wall. She strips off her dress and stuffs it in the garbage bag. She throws open her closet and grabs some sweats and a tank top.

Like a storm turning into a tornado, Kayla springs into action and goes through her entire apartment. She dumbs photos, clothes, and more into the trash bag.

She grabs her slip-on shoes and races upstairs to the roof.

The reason why Kayla chose this place to live, was the rooftop. It had a great view of the city and the night view was even more magical. It had a community garden and a fire pit in the middle of missed match chairs.

Kayla dumbs the items from the trash bag into the fire pit. She grabs a lighter from her pocket along with a photo of Lucas, she lights it on fire and tosses it into the fire pit.

Tears are falling from Kayla's eyes, she slumps to the ground as the fire starts to grow.

"How could you cheat on me!" Kayla yells out loud, she clenches her heart as she sobs into the empty roof.

"I loved you, I sacrificed so much for you, you f*cking b*stard!". She cries out. The pain hits her chest as she weeps.

The memories flood her mind as she recalls walking into her boyfriend's apartment, he was tangled up in bed with another woman.

Kayla stormed out of the room with Lucas right behind her, she whirled around and gave him a good punch into the nose. When he grabbed her hand she punched him again but this time with her phone and then she tossed it at him. He called her a f*cking b*tch and this is why he cheated on her.

Ashes from the fire bring Kayla back to the present, she starts to sob and laugh at the same time. They were together for a few years and she moved closer to him, but now she has no reason to be in this forsaken city.

She left the country for a few weeks as she was meeting with a lawyer about her grandfather on her dad's side of the family. She has never met the man and doesn't even know her father. But he passed away and the lawyer had paperwork for her to fill out in person. Kayla recalls that the lawyer said he will fly to her this time once the will is ready.

When she can back home, she was hoping to surprise her boyfriend, but she got a surprise instead.

She glances at the fire that is now slowing down, she stands up with her face filled with dry tears and goes grabs a watering can. She dumbs water onto the fire as it sizzles and pops.

"Goodbye Lucas." She whispers.

* * *

"Son!" Madam Foyer throws her thin arms around Leo's neck as he walks into the door.

"Mother, glad to see you are well. What do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?" Leo pulls away from his mom's embrace. Still feeling grumping about earlier and not being able to stick around the bar.

"Can't a mother come to visit her only son!" She shrieks but it was more like a fake appalled nose.

Leo loosens his tie and makes his way to his office. With his mom following close behind him. She was wearing a red dress, her graying hair was put into a bun. She was thin and looked a lot older than she is. The alcohol and smoking caused her skin to age fast.

Leo sits down on a couch in the middle of the room, his mother sits right next to him. She grabs his hands and squeezes them.

"Honey, you look stressed? This is why I told you, you need to get married! Having a beautiful woman in your life will help ease some of that tension." She says as she pouts her lips. Leo knows what was coming but waiting for his mom to say it.

"But that is why I came here today!" She says with excitement. Leo grows a bit tense, it isn't the first time his mom tried to hook him up with a woman. But this isn't what he expects to hear from his mom today.

"Mother, I have told you many times. Marriage is the last thing on my mind and the last thing I need right now. I don't care who the girl is or who what she looks like. Besides sex, I don't need a wife!" Leo huffs while trying to free his hand from his mother's grip.

"Leo, my dear son. She is different and I think once I tell you about her, I think you will change your mind." She gives him a wink. The tension grows and his office starts to fill like it's closing in on him.

"I will listen, but my answer will still be no." He says to his mother, that she will be happy with that.

"Oh good! Listen, you know I have brunch with the other ladies in our circle. Well, word on the street is. You know the Russo family?" Leo shakes his head. Of course, he does, they are the second biggest family in the country but also the biggest family on two different continents.

"The old man had a granddaughter. Not surprising of course, but this is where it gets juicy. She has no idea he exists! In the will that will be signed next week, she will be the new boss! Of course, I am curious about how a civilian will run a crime organization. But here is the thing, from what I heard, she is unmarried. If you marry her, you would be king!". She was shaking from excitement as she finishes up. Her gray eyes sparkled with eagerness.

Leo lets out a long drowned sigh.

"Mom, I am not going to marry this woman! No matter how powerful the family is, I am not interested." Leo finally was able to release the death drip that his mom had on his hands.

He stands up and was done with this conversation.

"Wait, I was able to get a picture of her. Just take one look". She stands up and shoves a photo in his face.

He looks up from the photo and back to his mom. "This is her? Are you sure?"

"Yes! You should snatch her up before the other families try to." She smiles, she can sense that Leo has changed his mind.

Leo looks back at the photograph and smiles. The world seems so big, yet so small. I guess that kitten and I are meant to be.

The woman in the picture was smiling with friends, with her blue eyes, black hair, and her beautiful complexion.

"I can't believe we will get to meet again," Leo whispered in a low growl.