Burning Retribution

Diego's house was filled with tension as he, Taylor, and Anne sat around the dining table. Anne leaned forward, her brows furrowed in concern.

"What about the business?" she asked.

Diego sighed deeply. "I'm not trying to exaggerate, dear, but the business is going down.

Anne hesitated, her mind racing. "Should I speak to Thomas, or do you have any other ideas?"

"Your choice, honey," Taylor said.

Anne looked troubled, lost in thought, when Diego's cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen, then stood up to take the call.

"Hello?" Diego said into the phone. "Yes, I remember. Okay, I'll be right there in ten minutes. Thank you very much, sir."

He ended the call and turned back to his family, his confidence restored. "We have to be in a meeting, honey."

"We'll talk when we get back," Taylor replied. "There's enough time for you to resolve the issue. Goodbye, honey."

Diego and Taylor left, closing the door behind them. Anne was left alone, her thoughts swirling, when the doorbell rang. She opened it to find Mia standing there, a surprised look on her face.

"Mia? Oh my God, heavens sent you to me," Anne exclaimed. "I was actually looking for a shoulder to lean on."

"Are you going to leave me out here chatting with you?" Mia teased.

Anne quickly stepped aside. "Oh, I am so sorry for my manners. Please, come in."

Mia entered, and Anne led her to the living room where they both sat down.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Mia asked.

"I thought it was my parents. They left for a meeting a few minutes ago," Anne explained.

Mia could see the stress etched on Anne's face. "Having troubles with the business, huh? Take a break from work, Anne."

Anne shook her head. "I wish I could, Barbie doll, but I can't. Mom and Dad put their trust in me. Do you know how it feels? I'm scared of breaking their trust."

"You know what?" Mia said, trying to lighten the mood. "Why don't we get your mind off things? Let's make some hot cocoa."

Anne looked at Mia incredulously. "Are you pulling my leg or what? I'm at the end of a tiny rope... no distractions, or else I'll run out of time. I'm sorry, Mia, but I can't right now."

"But if you're swamped with work and don't take a break," Mia argued, "then there'll be a bigger distraction, and you'll eventually run out of time sooner than later. What's it going to be?"

Anne hesitated, then exhaled deeply. "Alright, fine, we have five minutes."

Mia grinned. "Ten minutes."

Anne raised an eyebrow. "Seven minutes."

"Fifteen," Mia countered.

Anne gasped. "Oh my God, is that how you negotiate, Barbie doll? I thought negotiation typically involves times going down, not up."

Mia laughed. "My negotiation is different."

The two friends burst into laughter, easing the tension.

"Alright, ten minutes," Anne agreed.

Mia playfully groaned. "Gosh, you are such a buzzkill. So, how is Thomas?"

"Well," Anne said, "if he isn't working, he's having meetings. He barely has time for himself."

"That's tough," Mia sympathized.

"Tell me about it," Anne replied.

Mia's gaze shifted to the kitchen. "Okay, let's pause for a while and talk about the ingredients. Do you have cocoa powder, sugar, milk, vanilla extract, whipped cream, and marshmallows?"

Anne shook her head. "I have none of those. My kitchen is not like your Barbie doll kitchen, Mia. My kitchen is a company, and my ingredients are documents."

Mia laughed. What do you want us to do, Anne? I wanted to take your mind off things, but it isn't working as planned."

Anne thought for a moment. "We could order pizza; it's pretty much the only food we eat around here."

Mia's eyes widened. "This explains why you're getting thinner by the day. You look like a toothbrush, Anne. You know what? Let's eat pizza and watch TV."

Anne shook her head. "We can't do that in ten minutes, Barbie doll. Okay, let's go out and eat."

Mia grinned. "This is the fourth reason I love you."

Anne raised an eyebrow. "Um... sorry for being nosy, but I wanna know. What are the first three reasons you love me?"

Mia shrugged. "How would I know?"

Anne burst into laughter, and Mia smiled at her.

"I wanted to put a smile on your face but it seems I put a laugh on your face," Mia said. "I'm glad you're happy now. Shall we?"

"Thanks for the good company, Barbie doll," Anne said, smiling warmly. "It's been months since I laughed this hard. Alright, let's go."

The friends laughed and chatted as they made their way out.

The psychiatric hospital was eerily quiet, a silence only broken by the occasional distant clatter of metal instruments or the muffled sobs of the patients within. Selina Richard sat in her cold, sterile room, lost in thoughts that swirled like a dark vortex, each one pulling her further away from the person she once was. The door creaked open, and Laura, a stern-faced doctor with an air of authority, approached her with a frown.

"You have a visitor, Miss Richard," Laura stated, her voice devoid of warmth.

Selina barely registered Laura's words as she was led to the visiting room. There, her mother, Frances, was waiting, her eyes already brimming with tears as she saw the state of her daughter. Selina's once vibrant spirit seemed to have been extinguished, leaving behind only a shadow of the girl Frances knew.

"My love," Frances began, her voice quivering as she reached out to hold her daughter's hands, "I have missed you so much. Please forgive me, but I can't get you out of here." Frances sobbed softly, the weight of her failure evident in her every word. "I tried my best to hire a good lawyer, but the judge said it's not safe to have a mentally unstable person amongst people. But I know you, Selina. I know you're not crazy. Don't worry, I'll get you out of here one way or another."

Selina lifted her head slowly, a grin forming on her lips as she spoke in a low, chilling tone, "Don't bother."

Frances stared at her daughter in shock. "Huh?" she gasped, hoping she had misheard.