Taming Ricardo, The Italian Billionaire

They found Deborah in the living room. She was in a heated conversation on her phone and didn’t hear them come in. When she spotted them she said, “I have to go.” Her face lit up when she saw Chelsea standing beside Kyra. “It looks like you’re much stronger, sweetheart.”

“I am, Mom. Kyra said she has good news for us.”

Deborah smiled and gestured to the couch. “Have a seat, Kyra. I can’t wait to hear the good news. Lord knows I need it.”

Kyra perched on the edge of the couch and cleared her throat. “I was able to get you guys some help with the medical bills.” After making many calls, writing letters and a hell of a lot of begging, she had managed to get the state to take on a majority of Chelsea’s medical bills, but she would keep the process to herself. “So, things should be much easier.”

Deborah let out a long breath. “Oh, my goodness. Are you serious, Kyra? I-I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe you made that happen. I tried to get help for so long, I-” Her voice broke and she swallowed. “Thank you so much.”

Chelsea threw herself into Kyra’s arms. “You actually did it. You’re like my biggest hero right now. Thank you.”

Swallowing the lump in her throat Kyra hugged her back. I will not cry, I will not cry, she chanted inwardly.  “It was no problem guys. I’m glad I could help.” She wanted to do even more but reducing the strain of the medical bills was a great start. When Chelsea finally let go of her, she took a breath. “I hope you don’t think me too forward, Deborah but what is it I heard about you guys having to move?”

Deborah shot Chelsea a reproving glance… “Young lady, did you go through my mail?”

Chelsea shrugged. “I’m sorry, mom. I just hate it when you hide things from me. I’m fifteen. I know you have it hard taking care of me. I just want you to share things with me and maybe you won’t be so stressed.”

“Chelsea how many times do I have to tell you not to worry about those things?”

“But mom-“

Kyra held up a hand. She shifted uneasily. Things were approaching the uncomfortable zone for her socially. And she had no idea if Deborah wanted her to know her personal business. “Look, Deborah, I’m sorry for intruding. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright.”

Deborah sighed. “No, no, there’s no need to apologize. Actually, everything isn’t okay.” She glanced at Chelsea. “Honey, I need you to go to your room so I can speak with Kyra.”

Chelsea nodded. “Sure, mom. See? This is all I want, for you to talk to someone. You don’t have to deal with everything on your own.” She hugged Kyra once more. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye, Kyra.”

“I won’t, sweetie.”

When Chelsea disappeared, Deborah sighed and sat down. “It used to be much easier hiding things from her.”

Kyra smiled. “I can imagine. But she’s fifteen now and very smart. She’ll always discover things.”

“I know. It’s just that fighting leukemia has robbed her of so much of her childhood. I don’t want her worrying about adult matters.”

“She’s a pretty tough kid, Deborah. And just like you worry about her, she worries about you too.”

Deborah smiled. “I suppose you’re right. I’m glad she has you, Kyra. She absolutely adores you.”

“Just as I adore her.”

“I’m glad you came into both our lives. You’ve always gone above and beyond your social worker’s duties. I really do appreciate you, Kyra.”

“I just want you two to be okay, Deborah. I’m sorry if I overstepped my bounds but when Chelsea mentioned that you have to move, I became concerned.”

“You didn’t overstep, Kyra. I just didn’t want to worry you with my problems. You’re already doing so much-“

“And I want to do more. What’s going on, Deborah?”

Deborah covered her face with her hands. “Oh, God. Every time things begin to look up something happens. You get us help with the medical bills just to find out that we’re getting kicked out of our apartment. I mean, I know this place isn’t exactly the lap of luxury but it’s home. It’s all we have.”

“What do you mean? Are you being evicted? Why didn’t you tell me you were behind on rent?” There were a few times when she had given Deborah money to make up her rent. It was between the two of them.

“It’s not the rent. I got a letter saying that the building will be undergoing renovations. The top floors are in worse condition so everyone on the fifth to eighth floor have to move. The thing is, we won’t be coming back because when the building has been refurbished only the wealthy will be able to afford the rent. I can’t pay to live in a luxury condo. Even the residents on the lower floors will have to move eventually because there is no way anyone living here will be able to afford the staggering rent. We’re all struggling to put food on the table, for goodness sake. I don’t know what to do, Kyra. I called Chelsea’s father for help and he refuses to send me any money so maybe we can find another place. He won’t even put Chelsea up for a little bit in the even that I have to live on the streets for a while.”

“You are not going to live on the streets, Deborah. Don’t even talk like that.” As long as Kyra drew breath she would never allow such a thing to happen. “How long do you have until you have to move?”

“Three weeks.”

“What? That’s insane. You can’t pack up and relocate in three weeks.” Kyra took several deep breaths to compose herself. “Okay, who did you get the letter from?”

“I have no idea who these people are. You know what, let me get the letter and show you.”

Kyra’s mind raced when Deborah left the living room. Who could be doing this? There was no way the city was behind evicting an entire apartment building. If the building was indeed being renovated by the city, the permit would have taken much longer to go through, giving the residents ample time to relocate. And if such a thing was in motion for months, Kyra would have heard about it.

“What in the hell is going on?” She hissed.

Just then Deborah returned carrying a piece of paper. “Here, take a look.”

Kyra read the letter and indeed, everything Deborah said was there. The name on the letter wasn’t familiar to her. “Ricardo Bianchi and associates.” Who the hell are they?

A bunch of uncaring, rich pricks, her subconscious answered. Who else would kick poor residents out of their only home? Anger boiled inside of her. Everything happening to Deborah and Chelsea right now, was all too familiar to her. Unwanted memories forced their way to the forefront of her mind and for a second she couldn’t breathe.

“Kyra?”Deborah’s voice penetrated her mind, pulling her from memories she didn’t welcome. “What do I do?”

Kyra sucked in a breath and glanced at the woman sitting beside her. She looked miserable. There was a hopeless look in her eyes. “You do nothing, Deborah. I’m going to take care of this. You and Chelsea will be fine. I promise.” She wasn’t supposed to make promises in her line of work because things didn’t always work out for the best. That was reality. It was the reality for the many people she had worked with. But she was going to fight tooth and nail on the Griggs’ behalf. Her boss would tell her to let it go, that she shouldn’t get so personally involved but she was already in too deep.