Minnelli Love Stories

Snatched Pt. 1

Stone searched all over the building for Mia. He looked at his device and found her yellow dot in the basement. There was a copy room down there and a computer room that was hardly ever used. And though it was constantly updated, as the organization grew into a Foundation and then a Corporation, it was used less and less.

But here, in the belly of their building, was the Minnelli Brothers humble beginnings.

Stone stepped off the elevator and into what would often be described as a former world. A picture of the four, standing side by side with the key in Everest's hand.

Mia rounds the corner with everything she needed and jumped. "I-I was headed back upstairs." She blurted.

"I haven't been up here in years..." he ignores her and continues to look around. "Damn, back when this was just a dream." His voice is wistful, humble even. Mia is slightly confused.

She shifts from foot to foot.

"What's really going on with you? I can't have you all emotional and shit. Time is money...so I'm gonna ask again. Is Roman okay?"

She turns back into the copy room. Mia could feel her boss close to her body. Hair stood up on the back of her neck. The Keurig on the counter brews her tea.

She makes it the way she likes and waits for it to cool some. "Rome is fine. At daycare actually...I just finished FaceTiming him like I do on my break every day. But, the women in the other departments are sure...that-" she stops short.

"That?" Stone is half sitting on the table, swinging his leg. He looked even more appealing than normal in his all black suit. Mia sighs. His steely green eyes burned her face. Mia could admit, not then however, that Stone unnerved her.

"It doesn't matter. I'm figuring out how I'm going to handle it and let that be the end of it."

Stone is annoyed now. "You stubborn as shit. Just like yo son. Say what was said and we'll go from there. I'm not asking you to make a lifelong decision."

Mia recoils her neck in shock. "You don't have to be so rude, Mr. Minnelli." Her smile is faint but coming back. "They're basically assuming I slept with one of you and Roman is possibly a Minnelli baby. I'm not understanding why people are putting so much emphasis on who his father is, honestly. It's weird. He's not hungry, or cold...I work really hard to make sure of that. Since the day I peed on the stick." She is not angry, and her tone is calm. Mia found it easier to talk to her older boss. Alone, in a space nobody could hear.

"For months, I scoured and thought of everywhere I'd been, who I'd talked to. Nothing came to mind. I was drunk, I got home by Uber and that's literally all I remember. Not even a fragrance from that night could jog my memory.

I grew up with two parents. I want that for my own child. And here come people acting like it doesn't kill me to not have the slightest clue who my child's father is. Like I don't know he's searching for that person to fill a void. At almost four months, he is searching, and it kills me." Stone is quiet.

"And it sucks too because Rome is going to get old enough to ask and want to know and I have no answers. Other than I was selfish and irresponsible that night. I don't even have a name." she finishes her tea and draws her eyes up to Stone. "You're a good listener when you wanna be." She teases him.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Gimme a raise." She playfully bats her eyes at him with a smirk. "Since I'm a struggling single mama outchea."

"I'll consider it under one condition." He decides to play hardball. "I have this idea. I want to have a daycare somewhere in the building and I want you to figure out the shit behind it."