The Enticing Proposal

Chapter Five - Heavy Thoughts

Kira took another sip of the red wine while trying her hardest to get prepared for this conversation with her father. She had eased into the conversation with him, to not only make it easier on herself but for him to come out with the truth. All she wanted was the truth and the entire truth. No more hiding and dodging questions. She just wished that he told her about the problems that involved the bakery's failure and not keeping up with multiple payments. And that wasn't the only thing on her mind, either.

Giovanni's proposal.

He wanted her to be his wife. Well, pretend. But is it pretend if you're walking down the aisle with a stranger in a church with many people to witness? She didn't think so. It would be for real and it would be her first time marrying anyone and it will be loveless if she agreed. After making his proposal, he told her to think about it and not give him a quick response on the spot. To call him when she was ready to talk.

The whole idea made her take another sip of the sweet red wine in hopes to lessen the stress, but it did nothing but dampen her mood and have her think even harder about what she was about to do to resolve this. Kira knew at the end she had to decide and make one fast.

The sound of the locks clicking caught her attention. He was here. Kira inhaled another breath. The door opened and closed softly before the sound of footsteps was nearing the living room. Not a moment later did she see her father round the corner. He looked exhausted. It was distinct over his facial features and his body language. When he looked up and found her, he fixed a small smile.

"Hello, sweetheart." He walked further into the living room. "How was your day?"

Kira's grip on the stem of the wineglass tightened. Just thinking about her day all over again made her even more upset. She was going to lose the only thing that was left of her mother and her father didn't think to tell her about the entirety struggles of the payments. She would say that her day was beyond upset.

"Dad." Her hands shook nervously. "We need to talk."

His face conjured with concern as soon as his eyes stayed on her. He must've known that something was off and that she didn't look her usual self. He placed his belongings down and got on the plush sofa beside her.

"What is going on, Kira?"

"Early this morning, you received a call from the bank, but you weren't here. So, I answered, and they left an interesting message. A surprise visitor was going to stop by the bakery, and he did. Mr. Morrison was his name. They did not give me his first name, but I was more interested in his purpose of being there. Turns out we have not been keeping up with our payments for a while now." She observed his expression. Any change and there was indeed change. He knew. Knew what the call and visit meant. "He gave me this." She reached over the coffee table and grabbed the envelope, handing it to him.

He grabbed it with a brief hesitation. Looking at her, then at the envelope. Kira gestured for him to open the envelope that held the information that shattered her heart. He pulled the thin sheet out of the envelope and read along the line. She continued to gauge his reaction. It disappointed Kira that he didn't feel comfortable enough to tell her about this. That they were struggling to keep the bakery. And because of the secrecy, they were going to lose it forever.

There was no other option.

Unless...

No! She couldn't do it. She wouldn't call him.

Ben placed the papers down and rubbed a hand over his face, exhaling an exhausted breath.

"Kira..." His voice trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Why didn't you tell me, Dad?" Sadness was clear in her voice. This made his look of guilt deeper.

Yes, he knew he should have told her, but he couldn't. He knew how much the bakery meant to his daughter and if he'd told her he lost it all because he couldn't keep up with the payments, she would have hated him.