Episode one
Chapter 1: one Night in August
The bar smelled like whiskey, rain and bad decisions.
Lana was closing , 2:05am , her shift was 4 hours overdue and her tips were dead. The door opened and he walked in. Tall. Black suit soaked at the shoulders. Tie gone. Eyes red like he hadn't slept for days. He didn't look at the menu. Just sat at the corner and tapped the bar twice. " Whiskey. Double". Lana slid it to him . " You okay?", don't , he said quietly. Not rude. Tired. She nodded and went back to wiping glasses.
An hour passed . The rain got louder. He was still there, turning the empty glass in his hands. " You live far?" Lana asked before she could stop herself.
" Far enough that I don't way to go, Kane said.
she lay. He almost smiled.
" I'm Lana"
"Kane ,
They talked. Not about his situation nor her bills. About songs on jukebox. About how the city felt lonelier at the night. About the stupid things that keep people up.
By 3am the bar was empty . The lights buzzed.
" You should go home" Lana whispered.
"I don't have anywhere to be", he said, looking at her like she was the only real thing in the bar. And Lana, who was exhausted and 22 and tired of being careful, made a choice. She locked the door . Turned the sign to CLOSED. He stood up. For a second they just looked at each other _ two strangers with nothing left to lose.
It wasn't planned. It was messy and desperate and warm. His suit jacket on the floor. Her apron tossed aside. Whiskey on his breath and her name on his lips. Exchange of lips, a night of intimacy. One night. No promises. Just two people trying to feel something other than empty. When it was over, they lay there in the quiet, the rain hitting the windows. Kane traced her jaw with his thumb. "Lana", he said, like he was testing the sound.
She closed her eyes, "Don't ".
Morning came fast .
She woke up to an empty bar, his jacket was gone so was he . On the counter a folded a 500 dollar note under her tip jar. Lana told herself it was nothing. A mistake. A story she'd bury.
Three weeks later,the pregnancy test had two lines, she told her mum about the pregnancy and left to city to stay with her mum and brother. When she arrived her mum and brother didn't ask who the father was , they just accepted her and her unborn child . Took care of her and the unborn child.
Nine months later, Becky was born. Grey eyes, a stubborn frown. Looked nothing like her mum.
Four years later, bills got loud again. Lana packed her and that of Becky's own to leave , she said goodbye to her mum and brother and left for the city. She found a job named Kane Enterprise. Mrs Smith ( manager) said she will be hired as the personal assistance of the C.E.O. she had no idea the man she'd spent one night with owned the entire building. The building was all glass and stell. Cold. Expensive.
Lana wore her only black blazer. Becky wore a small yellow dress and held Lana's hands, eyes wide at the huge lobby.
"Didn't introduce well last time , I'm Mrs Smith, office manager and who's this ?", this is my daughter, Becky,Lana said quickly. Daycare fell through last minute. She'll just sit in the corner and be quiet, I promise. I'll figure it out after today.
Mrs smith looked at Becky, then at Lana's tired eyes and sighed. " Fine,just for today, Mr Kane is on rest leave anyway. He's not in the building".
" Rest leave? "
"burnout . For now, you report to me".
Mrs smith dropped a box on Lana's new desk. It was taller than Lana." These are 2 months of backlog, emails,car launch schedule, k-phone 15 supplier issues, board notes . Settles it by Friday. Becky climbed into the big leather chair behind Lana's desk and swung her leg's. "Wow mummy ,this is where you work?,
"Shh,baby. Be good for mummy, okay?"
Lana opened the first file. Car prototype designs. Mobile chop contracts. At the bottom of the pile, a sticky note in the harsh black ink: " clear my schedule. No meetings. No people. -k".
