Storm at heart

Chapter 1

Marianna opened the window in her room. The last thing she expected to see, was a sunny and warm day in London. But it was sunny and the rays of light caressed her skin like loyal, good friends that accompanied her all the way from Greece to London. She turned to the bedside table and send a blown kiss to the picture of mister Dimitris. This kind hearted man was the reason for her trip and she imagined him, in spirit being with her in the meeting that she had. Besides, she was struggling for three hole months to get an appointment with Alexander Stone. 

«My dear mister Dimitris, if this wasn’t your last wish, for me to personally find this mister big shot, I would never go to the trouble. And the expenses? Did you consider that?» Marianna winked at the picture, as she used to do for the last five years. But then it was the actual person smiling back at her. Now she had only this picture to remind her of the father figure, who meant so much to her. 

A knock at the door brought her back to reality. The first thing she did as soon as she arrived, was to give her black suit to the dry cleaning service at the hotel and now it was delivered to her, in time, as promised.

She thanked the young woman at the door, gave her a generous tip and looked with approval at the garment. It was exactly what she needed. Professional, classy and feminine without being provocative. She pulled her chestnut hair back and tied it in a bun,  slipped first into the black skirt, then the suit jacked and finally her high heels. 

The woman in front of the mirror was a total stranger to her. And not in a good way. 

The suit was a vintage cut with a tight waste line and complimented her figure perfectly. Her pulled back hair revealed the symmetrical features of her face and her sparkling amber eyes. This image however, was not a familiar one. 

«Okay!» she mumbled to herself «This is how I should look for a business meeting... I really don‘t think so! Since I have to go through this thing, I want at least to be myself!» 

She took the skirt and jacket off, threw the heals across the room with childlike enthusiasm and undid the bun.   

After ten minutes she looked again in the mirror and smiled to herself. She wore white, like a nymph from the sea. Her skirt was long and flowing. It followed every step of hers like it was dancing around her legs. The white wrap blouse was tied behind her back fitting her like a glove. The high healed sandals however, oh, the sandals… It was love at first sight. They were calling out her name, putting a spell on her. The long leather cords were now fastened around her ankles. She completed the outfit with a long golden necklace, put some lip-gloss on her lips and left her room. 

The commotion on the street was the second surprise that day. Although there weren’t any honk sounds like in Athens, there was definitely a lot of traffic. She even spotted these funny looking, old fashion cabs and the double- decker buses, she used to see so many times in the movies. 

«Get a grip of yourself!» she scolded herself, «You‘re acting like a hillbilly tourist!» But the next exciting thought was that she had to see Big Ben before she left.

She took one of the funny cabs and headed to the Jacob’s Building in the centre of London. Yep, she would be on time. 

When the taxi finally stopped in front of the magnificent building, she already was a nervous wreck. The building was breathtakingly tall with a glass facade. While entering the reception she was greeted by a very friendly doorman, who must have sensed her hesitation. He asked her politely if he could help her. 

«Yes...» she smiled at him «I am looking for the offices of Stone Concept» she added more confident.

«Well, the whole building belongs to Stone Concept. To be precise it belongs to Mister Stone! Are you looking for something specific?»