Beyond the Black Curtain

Chapter 12 - What are the Chances?

Rae

I have to say, I haven't shook someone's hand that hard before where it felt like my entire arm would break off. I fix my palm a stare, still dumbfounded over what happened in the last few hours.

Hours earlier

After trying to shake off hanging up on Sebastian, I got dressed and in minutes, an Uber dropped me off in one of the CBD's busiest and tallest buildings. I check my watch and sighed in relief, I wouldn't be late after all. I quickly get inside and approach the reception area, hand over my ID and make my way up to the office I was supposed to be interviewed in.

After another set of necessaries at the office itself, I was led to a conference room where a man and a woman were already in deep conversation about something compelling on a laptop. The secretary knocked, introduced me, let me in and left without another word. The woman, a blonde who looked not much older than I am folded the laptop shut and offered me a warm, welcoming smile. She stood up and reached out a hand for me to shake.

"Hi, Miss San Rafael, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, I'm Johanna Watson, the publisher of this magazine."

"The pleasure is mine, Ms. Watson, but please, call me Rae."

"Okay then," she smiled again. "Call me Jo. This is my managing editor," Jo gestured to the brunette guy beside her. "Taylor Banks."

"Hello Mr. Banks, pleasure to meet you as well," I say, my voice polite. His lips curved upwards in a semblance of a smile, but I didn't let that intimidate me.

The interview was...for a lack of a better term, polarizing and highly stressful. I got asked extensive questions about my editorial background, as the only hands on experience I had was Escape the Bullshit. I also showed them some of the work I did when I was still a communications specialist for a multinational company seven years ago. After about an hour of verbal back and forth, Jo and Taylor took my portfolio with them, coming back twenty minutes later. The wait was agonizing and I found myself unlocking and locking my phone just so I can take a look at the screensaver; it was a picture Chris took of me and Sebastian at the airport. It was another of Chris' candid shots—Sebastian and I were standing parallel to one another, his right arm wrapped around my waist holding me close to him. My left arm was wrapped around his waist and my head rested on his chest. My eyes were closed and Chris caught the exact moment Sebastian was looking at the camera when he snapped the pic. His face was partially shielded by the bullcap he was wearing, but his smile came across beautifully sad. I close my eyes at the memory, remembering fighting so hard not to cry in Rex's arms as Sebastian walked towards their private jet.

That memory felt like a lifetime ago. Even though we were disagreeing on a lot of things more and more lately, I still terribly missed Sebastian. Even if he was oceans away, he's still the only one that can make my heart race and my palms sweat with a plethora of emotions in between.

I was snapped out of my reverie when Jo and Taylor came back in the room with seemingly determined looks on their faces. They were mouthing some things to each other and nodding alternately while they did so. I tried not to look as nervous as I felt when they sat down in front of me, eyeing me intently.

It was Taylor who broke the tense silence.

"Rae," he began. "I noticed here your adoptive parents are both deceased," he said, making it sound like a question.

"That is correct. They died just after I graduated from college. Nobody from both sides were interested in helping me out as they didn't consider me a relative, being adopted and all. So I don't have any family to speak of here in Manila. I didn't bother finding my biological parents, having known they didn't want me at all. Is there a reason why you asked me that, Taylor?"