A Pryce Worth Paying

# # #

Aliziana had returned to the studio when the dreadful downpour had ended, shifting into a slight drizzle as she watched from her office window. The copper reflective glass panes were a double height over eighteen feet and whatever time of day it was, she would sit in the tastefully decorated room and it always looked warm and inviting. She enjoyed that space often. It was the calm away from the clients downstairs, the endless clammer from the cluttered studio across the hall and the constant chaos in the streets outside.

A Pryce Worth Paying - 10

She felt grateful to be back after going home in the rain without any surprises. She had showered, texted her sister, left a message for the contractor in Toronto telling him that she would fly out next week, set the appointment for the photo shoot and nibbled on some spinach and leftover chicken for lunch. She took a deep breath, sighed with satisfaction and took in the tranquil moment before it was time to leave again for her appointment with Frances at two o’clock. The phone rang and it disturbed her quiet escape away from reality but she refused to answer it. Then there was a knock at the door and Claire peeked her head in.