Charity Night (english)

20

I sit on the plane completely exhausted and ask myself how I can get over my nervousness. A few days have now passed and I am on my way to the USA, where I will spend the next few days. The plan I came up with with my sister and Nadine just has to work!

Zac still hasn't returned any of my calls and I'm starting to doubt whether he'll even be in New York.

The worst thing about the whole situation is the silence and being ignored. I much preferred it when we argued because then at least he was nearby and within reach.

One of the amenities in such a private jet is the service and the perfectly functioning WiFi. So I'm now drinking my third glass of Prosecco and checking my emails for what feels like the hundredth time to see if there's anything new.

And I'm even lucky. Zac sent me a message with the schedule for the next few days and informed me that I had to come straight from the airport to the office because his father had a meeting scheduled that I had to attend. That can be cheerful. I haven't had a minute of sleep since I got up yesterday morning and since I have a night flight I actually wanted to use the time to sleep. That didn't work out so well!

So I close my eyes, let the really comfortable seat back and pull the blanket, which has since only covered my legs, a little higher.

The alcohol helps me drift into the realm of dreams faster than I thought and I only wake up again when the steward gently shakes my shoulder to tell me that we have landed safely at JFK Airport and have already taken the parking position.

The black car that the company provided me looks pretty smart and the driver, who introduces himself to me as Lloyd, steers it skillfully through the heavy traffic towards Manhattan.

This city is quite impressive. London is absolutely impressive, but this really tops everything I've seen so far. Compared to the skyscrapers here, ours are tiny and the scale that this city takes on is simply unbelievable. The hustle and bustle of the morning rush hour is even more like the social hustle and bustle of a termite burrow and hardly anyone pays attention to their fellow human beings.

My fascination doesn't fade, even if I should probably use the hour drive for another little nap.

These canyons of houses and everywhere the straight streets, the pedestrian lights where crowds of people gather and wait for the signal to cross. Endless house fronts and construction sites sprayed.

"Have you lived here long?" I ask Lloyd, who hasn't said a word yet and he flinches slightly. He probably didn't expect me to talk to him anymore. "Since three years." it comes from him. I nod at him across the mirror, unsure if I should continue talking to him. "Is this your first time in New York?" he asks me now. "Yes, it was always my dream, but because of all the work.

"I've never had too much vacation in the last few years and it just didn't work out that way." I let him know and he nods knowingly.

We drive through midtown Manhattan and stop in front of a tall office complex. "We're here, miss." he says, getting out and running around the car to open the car door and help me out. "I'll take your luggage to your hotel. It should already be in your room when you get there later." he explains to me and I am impressed by the service I receive here.

I weave through the people on the sidewalk and look up at the skyscraper in awe. Wow... that's a completely different house number than our building in London.

The door opens and a few people step out into the street. I take the chance and quickly slip inside. Since I don't know where I have to go yet, I go straight to the counter, which is in the middle of the lobby and where a petite woman with a headset is standing. She looks at me questioningly, but when I start to speak she raises her finger defensively. There definitely seems to be a different tone here.

"Now!" she says almost harshly and looks at me. "I'm Charlotte Love and I'm Mr. Hyde Junior's assistant. As far as I know, I have to..." I can't get any further because she interrupts me. "Tim!" she shouts to a young man who immediately rushes towards us. "Please take Mrs. Love upstairs to the Hyde family. And hurry up... The meeting starts in five minutes." with that she turns around and continues speaking into her headset.

"Come." Tim is already walking towards the elevators without paying any attention to whether I'm following him.

"There's a really nice pace here." I state as the elevator door closes. "Yes and Sandra can be really toxic if you don't follow her instructions." he admits sheepishly. "I hope you had a good journey and weren't too bothered by jet lag?!" he adds questioningly. "It's okay. I was able to sleep for a few hours on the jet." I smile kindly at him.

The elevator doors open and Tim walks quickly down the long corridor and stops in front of a frosted glass door. "So, we're here! Don't keep these ladies waiting any longer. The meeting starts in a minute!" With these words he turns around and runs back to the elevator.

My forgotten nervousness is suddenly fully present again and I hesitantly put my hand on the handle. "You have to push it down if you want to get in!" his voice catches me off guard and I flinch. Goosebumps immediately spread all over my body and I turn around in shock.

There's Zac! Handsome as always and with a look I can't interpret. But before I can even begin to react. He presses the handle down with my hand, opens the glass door and pushes me into the conference room.

"Miss Love, nice to see you." Mr. Hyde Senior is standing at the head of the long table and people are already sitting in the remaining seats. There is only one seat left to his right, which is certainly reserved for his son. "Take a chair and come to me." He knows how to move the men and women to his left up a little and make room for me right next to him.

Unpleasant... Yes, I think that describes the situation best! Now I'm sitting right next to my big boss and also right across from his attractive son, who tries his best to avoid my gaze.

After an hour and just three out of seven items on the agenda, my head is spinning and I'm glad we're taking a short break.

Mr. Hyde takes me aside and looks at me thoughtfully. "Now tell me what caused my son to flee London after such a short time, even though it was his express wish to manage the branch there?!" his open nature scares me and I don't know how to deal with it.

"Okay, since they're not willing to explain to me what happened, there are only two options now... Either they clarify this today, or I have to break up with one of them and I think they know what that means!"

Yes, I knew that... He wouldn't fire his son, that's for sure!