𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐘 | 𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐈 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐂 (𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐗 𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐈)

𝐢. 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐩

Nanami couldn't read her mind, no matter how hard he tried, and he often did. And every time he tried to navigate the enigma that was named Tiana, he found himself perplexed as to why he tried so hard to untangle the mess that resided in her mind.

Brown skin, even bronzer eyes that shined with the same grace as the lonely moon on a sullen night. Hair in tight kinks and coils as they bounced around her shoulders when she walked down the tiled halls, lips in a slight frown, but not as deep as when she first arrived. Nanami didn't know what to expect when his cousin Charlotte begged Nanami over the phone to give her friend a job.

Now, Lottie was always known to get whatever she wanted, especially when it came to her soft-hearted (and bodied) father. Nanami admits that even he would melt at her request; he couldn't help it, he would spoil her rotten when they were kids and her request knew no bounds. It would also keep her from throwing a fit, which would in turn keep Eli La Bouff off his neck and make him obey her commands regardless. It was just easier to comply with her majesty.

But Nanami didn't expect Lottie to ask such a request. Giving a random woman a job overseas with no qualifications? No credentials, and barely half a cent to her name? Nanami had a heart, but he was also a businessman, with emphasis on the business aspect. There were so many things to consider; what position would this mystery woman play at the company, or how to properly accommodate her stay in Japan. Whether they would be comfortable in a place where it's mother tongue differed drastically in syllables and enunciation. He gave Lottie a firm-

"No. Charlotte," He rarely called her that unless he was serious, "I can't do that. And so suddenly?"

"Oh, Ken, please!" She begged over the phone, and Nanami could practically hear the tears splatter on the ground as she sputtered into the receiver. "I-I'm begging you! I-I promise I'll never ask for anything again if you just do this one favor for me, please!"

Nanami ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. He hadn't heard her cry in so long, especially to this extent. She was in turmoil, but this was a situation where he had to put his foot down. This wasn't something as simple as a new car, or an exotic pet that she was asking for. Lottie was asking for him to break so many rules and regulations for someone he had never heard of or seen before. To skip processes and engage in underhanded acts that went against his own principles. He was a man who was fair and just, and he planned to keep it that way.

"Lottie," He tried to soften his voice to ease her sorrows. "It's not like that. My job is a place of business. Not a charity case. I can't just go around giving out jobs to everyone in need all willy-nilly. It wouldn't make a very sound business practice."

"What do you need to know? I'll tell you everything-" Lottie sniffled, and Nanami heard frantic shuffling in the background as static popped in his ear. "She knows a lot about business- she even owned one with her-" Lottie stops, gulping down her next set of words.

"She owned a restaurant." She continues. "She was actually in the process of opening multiple chains-"

"And then what happened?" Nanami raised a brow. He leaned back in his office chair, the leather popping underneath him.

"W-well she...the business went under." Lottie seemed ashamed to admit this, but it was a truth that was necessary for Nanami to know, and he couldn't help but frown. "But it wasn't her fault-!"

"Then whose was it?" Nanami asked in a bludgeoning tone. Lottie felt cold, Nanami never talked to her like this. Even when he told her no, or chastised her it was in a much more upbeat cadence and in good humor, then she would get what she requested regardless. She wondered if this was the same cousin who'd give her the world on a jeweled plate if she asked.