I am in complete awe of Paris. The fact it’s still light enables me to see clearly the magnificent city below and I gasp with delight at the landmarks that I’m used to seeing in films and on the television. Julian hasn’t said two words since we left and is obviously brooding about something.
He stares at his phone and occasionally I steal a glance and my eyes water as I see him staring at pictures of his beautiful daughters. Seeing this side of him melts my earlier anger because it’s obvious he loves them. Just the way his gaze lingers on their dear little faces as he scrolls through his camera roll. There are none of his wife from what I can see and I wonder about him. Is he really such a big bad wolf all the time? I hope not for those girl’s sake.
We soon land on top of a skyscraper and as the rotor blades slow down, he yells, “Come on.”
Wrenching open the door, he jumps out, pulling me with him, and I duck and hold my hair in place as we run for cover.
I feel as if I’m in a film and can’t believe how my life has changed, but as soon as we’re inside, he snaps. “Listen and take notes. That’s all you’re here for.”
Feeling a little curious, I follow him down the stairs until we reach a lift. We then travel to the fourteenth floor and as we exit, I take in the sumptuous surroundings of what appears to be an affluent company. All around me is French chic at its finest and not for the first time, I feel a little lacking in my own choice of clothing.
The women here are cool and beautiful, wearing tailored suits paired with silk blouses. Their hair is styled to perfection as is their make-up and I feel like something that blew in off the pavement outside.
I hate that Julian looks as if he’s just stepped out of men’s Vogue and speaks to the woman who met us in fluent French.
We head towards what appears to be a huge boardroom and I gasp as I see the Eiffel Tower standing proudly outside.
Julian greets a man who stands to shake his hand, and I look with interest at the several men sitting around the table. Their assistants appear to sit slightly behind their boss and sighing, I do the same behind mine.
Then begins the most tedious meeting of my life as they discuss share options and wealth management. I take notes and try to look interested, but I am dying inside.
After a while, I decide to cheat a little and quickly flick record on my phone. I can’t keep up with taking the notes and would much rather stare at the surrounding people instead. As always, my gaze falls to Julian and my heart flutters. He is easily the most attractive man in the room, and despite how much I hate him, I would pay good money for just one night with him. It amuses me to think of him as a sort of male prostitute for my enjoyment, and just for a moment, I indulge the fantasy a little. As I stare around the circle of people, I shiver inside. These people are so different to the usual types I mix with. I would not be surprised if the air they breathe is laced with power because each one of them has that look about them that sets them above the rest of us.
One man in particular catches my attention, and I suppose it’s because he is on the edge of the group. It’s his expression that gives him away because the hatred he is directing at Julian is almost palpable. However, his face switches to a blank mask when he is looking and I wonder who he is. There’s an animosity between them that’s obvious to me, anyway. I listen carefully when he speaks and it’s usually to contradict something Julian says, or to offer a differing opinion on the way they should all move forward. The other attendees don’t appear to notice anything out of the ordinary and I soon start fidgeting as I fully expect the guy to brandish a gun and shoot Julian dead on the spot.
I distract my attention from him by studying the other assistants in the room and am pleased to see at least two of them are men. In fact, there are a couple of women joining in the meeting, which makes me happy. However, the focus in the room is on Julian and the man who stood to greet us. They are discussing ways of making even more money through some sort of hedge fund, and if I could stick pins in my eyes to relieve the boredom, I would.
It must be two hours later that the men stand and the rest follow. Julian shakes their hands and then, without even the courtesy of an acknowledgement, strides from the room, leaving me scurrying after him, as has become the norm it seems.
He heads back the way we came and as soon as we appear on the roof, the helicopter pilot gives Julian the thumbs up and starts the blades, leaving us to scramble inside the helicopter and fasten our seatbelts.
By now I am so hungry I could eat my notebook and hope the restaurant isn’t far. However, Julian appears to have had a change of heart and growls, “Take us back to the office.”
I look at him in surprise, because by now it’s 6pm and the thought of working late is not a happy one.
I know better than to ask what’s going on and just wait while he looks through his own leather-bound notebook at the various notes he made during the meeting. After checking his phone, he says, “I trust you took notes.”
Feeling a little guilty, I nod. Then his hand reaches out and he says abruptly, “I want to see them.”
Handing over my notebook like a student found cheating, he flicks through the pages and then throws it back at me. “And the rest, or did you just get bored and study your nails?”
“Of course not.”
He raises his eyes and I shrug. “I recorded it and will transcribe it tomorrow.”
Leaning back, he looks annoyed. “Why?”
“Because I couldn’t keep up and preferred to watch the people around you. You can tell a lot more from doing that than any old note taking.”
I think I’ve gone too far because Julian looks astonished, and then he laughs softly. “Good call, Emma. You continue to surprise me.”
Basking in the increasingly rare praise, I feel a little smug and he says, “So, what did you discover when you studied my colleagues?”
“That Mr Bivier hates and detests you with a passion.”
He nods. “I know.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I suppose it was a bit obvious. I’m guessing he’s after your job, or the contract, one of them at least.”
Julian nods. “Yes, another one who joined the line. He’s an idiot, though. He’s always let his anger get the better of him, and in most situations, it’s best kept under wraps. You may have noticed he sat a short distance away and that’s because he wasn’t considered important enough.”
Wow, poor Mr Bivier, he must have hated that.
Julian looks at me with interest. “What did you discover at the house?”
Suddenly, I feel excited as I whip out my phone and scroll to the spreadsheet photos. “It appears that Cressida is building herself quite the retirement fund.”
I hand him the phone and he looks at the screen with astonishment. “This was on her computer?”
I nod. “Filed under Amelia’s memories. Maybe she thought it would draw less attention to it and would be overlooked.”
Julian nods. “She’s right there. Maybe I’ve underestimated her, she’s almost got more money than me.”
“Are you sure it’s not your money?”
He laughs, and for the first time since I met him, I see him look at me with a new expression in his eyes – respect.
It knocks me for six as I bask in the unfamiliar. He is impressed and it feels so good.
The helicopter starts its descent and Julian offers me a rare smile that totally transforms him. He was always good-looking but now he is beautiful. The smile softens his features and makes him look almost human, and it’s as if the cares and worries melt away and he is free of trouble for the first time since I met him.
As the helicopter lands, he reaches out and grasps my hand, squeezing it softly. Then he says something I never thought I’d hear from his lips. “Well done, Emma. Good work, you have made me very happy.”
He releases my hand and exits the helicopter, leaving me stunned behind him. That was – unexpected, and suddenly my resignation letter fades into the past where it belongs. Now I’ve got the measure of the man and I like what I see and maybe, just maybe, this could work.