What can't be bought

Amy entered the door and greeted everybody "Good morning". "Good morning boss how are you" answered every one in unison... "Fine, how was your weekend?" Mila sees her best friend and boss and enters her office without knocking; this is not something uncommon given that Amy likes the relaxed atmosphere at work. Amy is the founder and CEO of "Delicious" a catering company. This is a startup employing 40 persons at the moment. Although Amy studied law, she has always been a foodie and an excellent cook, so after her graduation, she decided, to everyone's surprise, to start a small business.

She had, as always, unconditional love and support of her parents Ellie and Daniel. It was not easy in the beginning; however, she faced every obstacle and trouble with dignity. It would be an understatement to describe her as a workaholic. "Good morning honey, " said Mila. "Oh, look what the cat brought, or should I say, whom the cat brought" replied Amy amused. "Oh, sorry boss, you know I had a date... and a crappy one" replied Mila. She does not usually refer to Amy as "boss" this was just her way of teasing her... They have grown up together and have been best friends ever since they could remember. They went together through so many things and shared everything; Mila was like a sister to Amy, someone she can rely on. "What happened"? "Oh, you know, the guy was late, like a half an hour late, and when he finally appeared he only spoke of himself, no apology, no how are you, nothing... replied Mila... "Sorry to hear that sweetie". "I am sorry I spent an hour of my life listening to that douche bag" ... "So, honey, what do we have for today, " asked Mila. "Oh, we definitely need to meet the Rossi family, they are throwing a huge party, and want us to cater, so... I thought we could go, offer our best, and see what happens"? "You mean like the Rossi, the billionaire family, how did they hear about us?" "Apparently, they were attending some parties where we catered, and they loved it. If this goes well, we could find a bigger place, and hire more people, because I would like to spend more time in the kitchen, and god knows I do not have time for that" said Amy. "You should hire more people so that you could have time to live a life girl, and although I like your food the most, they can manage in the kitchen, " said Mila... "The new commercial is airing today" Mila was anxious to see it and she had to remind her friend about that. "Yes, I almost forgot. Have you made sure they will mention that we offer several types of food, for various events, and that it is ecological? Oh, you mentioned to them that it is important to add that we provide a huge assortment of vegetarian dishes?" Amy replied worriedly. She trusted Mila with this, but it was true that she barely kept it together lately. The business was growing, and it became difficult to keep an eye on everything. "Of course, do not worry about it. Relax girl, it will be just fine." "So, what do we have for today, " asked Amy? "Well, two different parties, both in small family hotels. One is a birthday party, and the other one is a charity, everything is ready, and you are invited to both, but I think it is better to attend the charity unless you don't want to attend a 15 year's birthday celebration" Mila teased? "Then we need to prepare every option for the Rossi's, and that is on you. We have a meeting with that prospective cook" Mila continued with the daily plan. This was a routine; they would discuss everything in the morning, and then proceed to deal with everything. Amy would try to spare some time and visit the kitchen, Mila would start nagging about that, but they are a power team.

On the other side of the Long Beach Alexander's hands were full of paperwork. It was eleven o'clock and he already had seven meetings and felt rather exhausted. Connor, one of his best friends, and coworkers entered the elevator and exhaled nervously. "Is he in"? "Yes, " the secretary replied. Connor opened the door and sat on the CEO's sofa. "Alexander, we have a problem, he stared. There is a problem with one of the working sites of our construction company. It seems that the architect in charge changed the project without informing us, he did not submit the necessary paperwork either. We may have to pay the fee, and they may have to remove the entire fourth floor because the idiot added several rooms and walls, which are now too heavy for the building." "Is he mentally disturbed, how on earth did he do that, and who is he? I would like to meet the fool who will cost me my money"! Alexander was the hair to the NAS group, which is short for Nathan's and Anna's group, the construction company founded by his parents. His father, Nathan started the business with his wife from the scratch, when Alexander took the reins he tried his best to further improve the company and he invested in several other fields, so the company that dealt with construction was only one of several other businesses. Another profitable investment was the hotel chain and computer software company. NAS was the mother company of Lux, a chain of luxury hotels, the truth is that they were not available to everybody, mostly because they were very expensive, and it was not easy to obtain a reservation, nonetheless it seemed that the company progressed every day. Alexander was a fierce but righteous man. He grew up in luxury and tried his best to prove to his parents that he was beyond capable of taking over the NAS. He did not consider it was important to get along with the employees, and as long as they did their job accordingly, he never bothered to check up on anyone, besides he paid them more than enough, so he did not consider he should spend his time on anything regarding those under his charge. He was a ruthless businessman. The truth is that his employees were afraid of him. He preferred accuracy and dedication; he seldom visited the departments of his company, so many of the staff have never seen him in person. He was very handsome, and a dream come true to many women. At the age of 33, he had several relationships, all published in almost every newspaper a person can name. He did not consider any of them serious, because he was aware that every one of the women he met was after money and fame, although they believed they loved him. The truth was that they did not know him. It was very difficult to get to know him, his dates were not aware of the time and energy the job required, and he would compensate for not being present in their lives by sending them expensive gifts and taking them to exclusive places, but in the end, it would always end with a polite goodbye. So, he decided he should better enjoy one-night stands, and not allow any relationship to get any further until he meets someone worthy. He noticed the looks of his women employees, and how they were eyeing him, but he never gave them any reason to think he is interested. He dated several models, actresses, and singers, the women enjoyed the fame and they both enjoyed the sex. His blue eyes and his charming smile could get to any women. He was built like a god, the truth is he visited the gym regularly, but he also inherited the good looks from his parents. He cared deeply about his family. Luna Smith, his sister, was the apple of his eye, and the only woman, other than his mother Anna, of course, who had his unconditional love and support. Connor went to his office and tried to contact the architect, however, the man was nowhere to be found. He was exhausted and needed fresh air. He decided to speak to Alexander about the architect and their options in this situation. He went straight to his office and entered without knocking. "I cannot find him anywhere, but I have my men on it, I hope I'll hear from them soon. What should we do?" " Oh, don't worry about it, we will come up with a solution. He, however, is jobless, exclaimed Alexander." Alexander's secretary knocked on the door and entered. "Sir", she said in a low voice, " your mother called, she would like to know what time she and your sister should be ready"? "Ready for what?" "Oh, I forgot to remind you, I am so sorry, you have that charity event this evening, and your mother said that you must attend the event". "Great, just what I needed. Can't father go?" Alexander tried to avoid appearing to each and every event. However, since he inherited the company, he also inherited the responsibility to represent it in public. He would often resort to sending a big check and missing the event, however, since the ladies of the house wanted to attend this one, he had no choice but to accept the invitation. "Tell them to be ready by seven. Connor, we have to check the new hotel, I want to know how it's going. Send several friends over and then ask them about their impressions. Hey, do you want to tag along to that charity, you know, women, nicely dressed looking for their prey, he smiled slyly". "Oh, you need a wingman. I really need some fresh air, I feel tired, and this was a long and stressful day, but women I can never refuse, I am in, he answered. How about our famous lawyer, will he come" Connor asked? "Oh, I am sure Julian is invited, they used his services more than once, but let's ask the man himself." Alexander took the phone out of his pocket and dialed Julian, one of his best friends. Julian, Alexander, and Connor were a trio, best friends who grew up together, they all came from wealthy families, and they were all respectable, good looking men. "If it isn't the businessman of the year? What have you done now, I am in the courtroom, so I cannot speak to long, what is up mate" Julian whispered. "There is a charity tonight, are you going?" "Yes, women and drinks are on me. Julian joked" "I always knew that you are a pimp." "Fuck you, I'll see you there I guess. What about Connor, Julian wondered?" "He is coming too, see you there." He attended several meetings, met several investors and struck two good deals. It was five o'clock and he remembered he forgot to eat, he ordered some food, but it was not as tasty as he thought. He then asked his secretary to order him something good to eat. "What the hell, how should I know what he likes. That man, what does he think, my shift ended two hours ago" the secretary thought. The truth is that Alexander never thought about such things, he did not notice that the working hours are over, nor did he consider that his secretary should go home. He thought that she should be there as long as he is, she was generously compensated for her work. Thes, the secretary remembered that her friends mentioned a catering company; they tasted their food at some party and were delighted. "What was the name, of for fuck's sake, remember the bloody name, good, sweet, tasty, no, it was delicious, yes, you rock Thes, " she thought. She called and ordered a salad, and some cookies, she intended to keep the cookies to herself, of course. "Here is your meal sir." She added two brownies and a coffee. "Who knows, he might like them, she thought." "Oh, please, no brownies, you know I hate these". "Yea, because I should know everything about you, you moron, I should be home right now, not serving you food" Thes screamed mentally. "I heard they are delicious, I will leave them with you if you do not eat them, I will, she smiled bluntly. Exhausted after a long day, he decided to taste the chicken salad. Mmmm, he could not help himself, the food was delicious. "Well this is tasty, or I am really hungry. He took a look at the brownies in front of him, he really disliked them, but given that he liked the salad and he wanted to have something with his coffee, he decided to taste them as well. He never really liked sweets, sometimes he would try some of his mother's pies or cakes, but that was once in a blue moon because she never had the time and they had staff for such things at home. He carefully took a bite. Soft, and delicious, he ate both of them. He looked at the packet, the name of the company was delicious "what a name for a catering company, well at least the owner did not put a lot of thought into it, he smiled. It was already six o'clock. His working day was over and he decided to go home and dress for the charity. "Thank you for today Thes, you may also go now." He went to his parking lot and started his Maserati. He really did not want to attend the charity but he could not refuse his mother and sister, so he should better try to have a good time then. Connor and Julian will also be there, so they are bound to have fun. He drove straight home followed by his bodyguards. He was a powerful man, and sometimes that meant having enemies, hence he needed security protection. "Mum, Luna, are you ready? I am home, I am going to change. I'll be down as soon as I am done. Where is father?" "Hey, big brother. Look at me. Am I not beautiful? Luna asked her big brother. "Yes, you are sis. You look stunning, I might have to protect you from all those admirers tonight" he winked at her. "Alex, said Nathan, here you are, I heard you had some issues today, tell me if you need any help." "Oh, yes, but I am working on it, nothing to worry about." He took a shower and after getting dressed in a black suit went downstairs. "Mum, sis, are you ready, let's go."

Meanwhile at Delicious Amy was ready to leave, but suddenly she decided to ask Mila to join her at the charity tonight. "Honey, you know that you are my best friend ever, right" she muttered, smiling playfully. "Oh, I see, you need something. Tell me, what can I do for you?" "Let's attend charity together. I don't know anybody there, and I will get bored, it will be better if I have my best friend there, and we could both promote the company.

Besides, you are the one complaining that we don't go out as much since we started the company." "Oh, I am in, imagine all the wealthy and handsome men we are going to met tonight, Mila teased." Amy drove home, took a long bath, and waited for Mila to help her choose her outfit. "Ellie, Daniel, good evening, how are you?" " Oh, hi sweetie, we are fine, how have you been, are you girls going out tonight?" Mila was like a daughter to Ellie and Daniel, she also had a spare key to their house, as did Amy to Mila's house. "Where is Owen" Mila replied... "Oh, had has his final exam tomorrow, so he will finally be back home soon." Owen is Amy's brother, he is 26 years old, 180 cm high, and very handsome, but above else, he is a caring and loving brother. Mila ran to the second floor and knocked on the door. "I am so sorry I am late." "Wauu, you look amazing", Amy praised her friend. Mila wore a grey maxi dress which had a deep cut that stressed her beautiful long legs. Her hair was fixed in a pun, and she wore her mother's jewelry. "Let's get you ready" Mila pinched her friend's arm and took a look at her wardrobe. "Well, can I choose the clothes for you, just this time, please" she begged. "Promise me you will trust me and wear what I choose for you, just this once, say it, say you will." "I guess I cannot refuse my best friend, but nothing too revealing, ok?" Mila chose a black dress. The dress revealed Amy's beautiful back, but the front was rather closed, and since it's length was barely above the knees Amy did not complain. She decided not to wear her hair in a pun but had it released. She applied the basic makeup, she rarely wore too much of it, she felt much older with too much makeup, so she avoided it as much as she could. The dressed accentuated her natural beauty, and her green eyes made every man desire her. She had a perfect body; people would usually assume that she is some less known model. Amy was not interested in that life, she never read the gossip magazines, and avoided every contact with the reporters. Since her business was growing she appeared in several articles, but she always chose the reporters herself, and the interviews were strictly business-related. She invested everything she had in her company. She could never forget that it was her parents who decided to sell several properties they inherited so that she could start the business, this was a huge burden to Amy. She could never forgive herself if something went wrong. Her passion for food was the reason she started this business. She learned to cook with her grandmother who was the best cook she ever met. Her degree in law was helpful as well because she could do almost all the administrative things by herself. Owen always helped her with the finances. It was not easy to start a business, especially as a small startup company without any connections. The reason Amy succeeded was because of her hard work and because she always looked for ways to improve. She was always kind and honest to everybody, which made people respect her. The girls were ready to leave. "Mom, dad, we are out. Have a nice evening." "Have fun girls" the parents answered.

When Amy arrived at the charity it was nearly eight o'clock. She looked around and noticed that all cars in the parking lot were luxury limousines. She took a taxi to the hotel, she thought about the long and meaningless conversations she will have to maintain this evening and started to regret her decision. Mila noticed the look on her friend's face and spoke up" Think about this as a business. We both know that we'll need a bigger space soon, and meeting new prospective clients is what we need right now." "Babe, you look better than any of these reach cows, don't worry" Mila tried to be supportive, she knew that Amy disliked such gatherings, the truth was that these people attended the event just to show their wealth, and it was difficult to ignore the superiority they all tried so hard to show. Married women always spoke about their families and bragged about the achievements of their sons and daughters. The unmarried ones would talk infinitely about makeup, celebrities running in the same circle, men, sex, their looks and all the exclusive destinations they visited. It was a silent competition of rich and overconfident people, of people who put their fake smiles as soon as they entered the salon. They would greet everybody and smile kindly, but the truth was that they cared about themselves only. The entire party was like a charade, though the cause was noble. Amy sighed deeply, gathered the courage she needed and proceeded towards the entrance. Suddenly she noticed a commotion, the reporters turned towards the black limousine that just arrived. All she could see was the lights of cameras, the reporters screaming, and several women attentively looking at the car. Amy decided that this is the perfect moment to get inside unnoticed. She took Mila's hand and dragged her inside. "Who is in that limo? That must be someone very important for the reporters to react that way." "I really do not know. Just let us get inside" Sara muttered. The hosts greeted her. "We are so happy you made it. I want to introduce you to all of my friends, they all love the food. They are so jealous of this party, and I think you will have so many orders from now on." "Oh, thank you, Mrs. Atkins, you are very kind." The truth is Mrs. Atkins meant everything she said. Her party was a success, and she could easily notice the envy of her friends. Amy's staff was professional and the food was indeed delicious, not to mention how decorative it was. Even those friends of Mrs. Atkins who were on a diet could not restrain themselves from eating. They were very happy she came, given that they knew she disliked the attention they decided to sit her at the back of the room. "Darling, I hope you don't mind the table. We can find another place if you dislike this one?" "Oh no, it is perfect" Amy smiled sheepishly. The central table was reserved for the Smith family. Alexander was expected to give a speech, given his reputation, so it was only natural that he be offered the central table.

Alexander stepped out of the limo and helped Luna and his mother. "Mum, please try not to speak to the reporters too much, ok?" "Yes, son. Don't worry about it." As soon as he reached the red carpet the reporters started screaming hundreds of questions. "Mr.

Alexander, who is the new woman in your life?" "Do you have a girlfriend currently?" "Why did you end your previous relationship?" "Is it true that you own an exclusive suite in your new hotel?" "When is the release of the new software?" The reporters continued to scream different questions, but Alexander rushed inside followed by his family and security team. He disliked the noisy reporters. The truth was that there was no woman worth of mentioning in his life right now. As for the business-related questions, he will schedule a conference in a few weeks to inform the press about the release and the new hotel, in which he did own a suit, but was reluctant to share that information with anybody other than his family and closest friends. His entrance was certainly noticed by every woman in the room except Amy and Mila who were checking the food and decorations, the rest of the women were eyeing him. He noticed their gazes and smirked confidently. The arrival of Connor and Julian was noticed as well, they could not help but laugh at the women who were undressing them. They noticed the desire in the eyes of several ladies. Several models run to greet Alexander and his friends. "Good evening, what a pleasant surprise, we did not know that you will be attending the event, Mr. Smith." "Oh, well it was a last-minute decision" Alexander smiled. The Atkins knew they are good friends and they were seated at the same table. They enjoyed the champagne and mingled with the guests. Meanwhile, Amy tried to mingle with several ladies at her table. "Oh, I really like your food darling. I must have you at my next masquerade party. I really should not eat, I am trying to lose some weight, you know, but this is really delicious." "Oh, but you look amazing, you really do not need to lose any weight" Amy smiled gently. "You are already underweighted, I can count all of your bones, why do you want to lose any weight, " she thought to herself. Soon afterward she was introduced to several girls her age. They all looked like models, several of them were in fact models, skinny and beautiful, but empty on the outside. "You know, the jet was so small, I really disliked it. But then my boyfriend decided to finally buy a proper plane, so we'll fly comfortably on our next vacation." "O, I can recommend the Bahamas, I just returned, it is amazing there in this time of the year." Amy and Mila looked at each other; the truth was that they were not poor. They had more than most of the average people, but they preferred the simple life. They would both like to visit the Bahamas with somebody important, but they did not choose the boyfriends according to their annual earnings. Plane or a helicopter will not secure a happy family; they knew something like that cannot be bought. "Look at that singer, she had her lips done again, and somehow I find her less attractive than before, " one of the girls noticed. Amy noticed that the "beauty" talk was about to start and breathed out. Another girl joined the group; she stood proudly and greeted everybody "Good evening". Everybody except Amy and Mila recognized the girl and all of them tried to suck up to her. They smiled at her jokes, admired her clothes. However, Luna was aware that almost all of the girls tried to get closer to Alexander by getting closer to her. That is the way it has always been. Two girls seem to be rather immune to her presence, she was rather curious. She noticed Amy and Mila and decided to speak to them, she did not know them. She was sure that Amy is some model, and Mila could easily be an actress. She had spent a lot of time in Europe and returned only recently, so it was no surprise she did not know who the girls are. "I do not think we met before, I am Luna" she smiled. "Oh, hi, I am Amy and this is Mila, my best friend. Nice to meet you, Luna." "So, what company are you modeling for?" Luna was curious, she can not remember having seen Amy, but she looked like a model. "Oh, I am sorry Miss, I am not a model. You must have confused me with somebody." "Oh, you must be a singer, you have such a wonderful voice." The other girls were jealous of Amy, they all tried to befriend Luna, and she was speaking to her and admiring her. One of them decided to show Luna that Amy was just a commoner. "Oh, now, Miss Amy owns the catering company that provided the food for this party. I guess she just wants to keep an eye on her employees." "I see what you are trying to do, but I will not let it slide" Luna thought. "Oh, so you are the reason I ate this much. Your food is amazing. I will definitely recommend you to all my friends. Tell me, who is the famous cook who made all of these?" She really liked the food, and she also wanted to show that girl that she did not really care about the status that much. Although coming from a wealthy family, Luna was educated to be respectful towards others. Mila also decided to defend her best friend, she disliked when somebody tried to bully people. "Oh, there is no famous chef; all of what you tasted was prepared by Amy. She developed every dish we offer; the decorations were also her doings. However, we intend to hire a cook, since the business is growing." "That is great, where did you study cooking?" Luna thought Amy and Mila must be interesting persons, she had never met anyone who developed a business by themselves, most of her friends were rich thanks to their friends, so meeting somebody like Amy and Mila was a new experience to Luna. "Oh she studied law, but she decided to use that knowledge and start her own business" Mila cut in. She wanted to show just how amazing Amy is. "Well that must be helpful" Luna answered. "Yes, it helped me a lot. Will you excuse me, ladies, I have to go to the bathroom." Amy and Luna left just as Alexander was about to give the speech. "Imagine that cow, she tried to humiliate you, who does she think she is, " Mila said angrily. "Oh, I do not care about that, let her say whatever she wants." The truth is that Amy felt bad, she knew she was below their level, however, she could not understand why the girl tried to humiliate her. She liked Luna, she was kind and sweet. She was the only one who behaved classy in that group. After refreshing in the toilet the girls went to the bar to get a drink.