Allea

fifty-two

"...Oh, so, it's your first time in Milan?"

"Yeah, actually, first in Italy."

Amidst the guards and the few glances turning toward them, Allea walked out of the airport with her assistants (Nayla and Ali) behind her engaged in their own discussion. Although she didn't contribute among their words, hearing Ali's response, her lips curved in a slight smile as her mind drifted back to her first visit to Italy —around four and a half years ago when she came with Kai to Venice during the Christmas holidays. After Jackson left to pursue his passion for traveling, his habits rubbed off on them too, as instead of celebrating such holidays at home they preferred to enjoying them in different places around the world. Moreover, it made Allea's work a lot easy, along with showing Kai different colors of the world, she also got a chance to overlook work.

Steeping outside in the broad daylight, hidden underneath her sunglasses, Allea's eyes roamed around the bustling city while standing under the boundless sky of Milan, their business trip's first stop in Italy.

Nayal pointed toward the awaiting cars, and they walked toward it, her wandering eyes halted as the driver opened the door and she stepped inside followed by her assistants.

A subtle sigh escaped her lips, even though her private flight was comfortable but after about nine hours of journey, it's normal for the body to feel tiredness, moreover, Allea's lack of comfort and inability to sleep at high altitude leaves her in a considerably deprived state. Maybe that's where her years of playing soccer with Kai for hours on weekends pays off, as her body rarely gets that tried to make her utterly exhausted and strengthless.

Allea's eyes flickered toward her wristwatch, on which the time was obviously useless as Milan is six hours ahead of Manhattan. They left for Milan at six in the evening and reached in the day, and now it was about nine-thirty here. She thought of calling Kai to inform him about her safe arrival but he'll be asleep and not intending to wake him up, she sent a text. While saying goodbye, Kai requested just one thing; to keep in touch with him excessively and Allea sees no reason for not complying with it.

After that, her gaze moved outside of the window, the beautiful spectator of Milan during the day welcomed her sight. From all the traffic and bustling aura, this city feels to emit, along with all their conventionally designed buildings that were passing through her sight, she felt the feeling this city gives her. That's always distinct from others cities of Italy, somewhere monotonous yet wholly soothing to sight, maybe the reason behind it can be Milan being part of Italy but more modernized, which also gives a distinction in its architecture.

Four years ago, under Allgaier Corporation a high-end Export Industry was established in Milan, it worked with the cooperation of various smaller sub-companies, that came and operated together under one name. Under the partnership of these eight local companies, the export Industry was established well in Italy's market. For four years its name ascended well, but at the end of last years a dispute occurred in two representatives of these sub-companies, and others also chose their sides. Allea didn't bother with the cause, what mattered to her was the unity that she created was divided, and how it affected the whole scale of the industry, falling it low and lower in the past months —all the loss our a mere dispute of fighting for a higher position.

The head executive of Industry, who's a hard-working and impartial man in his early thirties, Mr. Enzo kept informing Allea about everything even though he did his best to restore the unity but things continued to slip out of their hands as sharp words continued to exchange between the two parties. And in the end, Allea had to come here to clean their scattered mess.

That's why instead of a short visit she has decided to stay for a week, she doesn't bother with their dispute because if it isn't resolved she can easily replace their company with the other, no doubt that many local companies would jump up for this opportunity. What she cared about was the digits of loss that came as a thorn to her sight, their lack of balance in doing work properly, poorly dealt projects, moreover, the dark spots their actions were leaving on the reputation of Allgaier Corporation.