Before midnight Read online

  “According to my mother, grandma has big plans for this year,” Spyros said.

  He had a five-star hotel in Santorini and a fleet of luxurious cruise ships navigating the Mediterranean.

  “She does? Well, that sounds scary,” Caleb replied, putting his phone into his pocket after sending a text to Jolley reminding her to keep an eye on the negotiations in Europe and coordinate those with the main office and all the branches. “I’ve relocated the annual meeting here and believe me, Spyros I have enough troubles already for doing that. I don’t even want to imagine what grandma is up to.”

  “That can only mean trouble for us,” Spyros noted with a mock-tragic tone while the car sped up.

  Caleb was starting to get a headache just from imaging what schemes Sylvinna had prepared this time.

  CHAPTER 2

  “Ma’am,” the receptionist smiled, “I think you’re confused. We don’t provide information for blind dates.”

  Sylvinna Bescott wasn’t used to someone contradicting her. She had clearly read the sign ‘Elite Companion’ agency. Of course, they offered elite companions!

  These girls nowadays, what a lack of enthusiasm! She thought.

  “That means that you don’t know how to run your business then” Sylvinna retorted with a frown. She was wearing a beautiful black coat, and her blue eyes had a spark of rivalry. A spark that none of her grandchildren wanted to see in front of them. “I want to speak with the owner.”

  The receptionist, Sarah, was obviously nervous and she took a second to clear her throat. The office was very discreet and with an exquisite decoration that made it look more like a fashion agency instead of what it really was: a place for upscale companions.

  “Ma’am…”

  In that exact moment, the adjoining door opened, effectively interrupting their conversation.

  “Thank you for your kindness,” Lauren said while going out of the back office.

  She had kept her promise to Emke and had cleared up all the questions she had about the place. After checking every possible job opportunity she could think of where somebody could sponsor a work permit for her, Lauren felt exhausted. So, in the middle of her desperate race against the clock, she went to the Elite Companions’ agency that Emke had mentioned a week and a half ago.

  The meeting had just finished and the manager had made everything very clear: what happens after the hours established in the contract with the client, was all up to the executive and it was all at her own risk; that’s how they called them: executives.

  Lauren was starting to accept what was on the cards, the impending idea of going back to the US.

  Maybe I could start over from scratch and with my family around, she thought, a vain attempt to comfort herself.

  She made her way to the exit but an elegant woman with an authoritarian voice stopped her in her tracks.

  “You!” Sylvinna exclaimed when she saw the girl leaving the office with a downcast look. “Have you been fired?”

  “Are you talking to me?” Lauren asked, looking from one side to the other.

  The woman in the black coat made a face and twisted her lips to the left, a clear sign that she didn’t consider Lauren a very bright person.

  “Of course, do you see any other person here?” she replied harshly. More than anything, Sylvinna wanted Caleb to find the happiness she herself had found when she was married, so when her grandson said no to a simple date she had set up with a perfectly good candidate, she decided to look for a modern agency to find him someone else. If she needed to get involved in these weird, new methods to find love, then that’s what she’d do.

  Lauren wrapped herself up in her coat.

  “Well, no, I don’t see anyone else around,” she shrugged. “To answer your first question, no, I haven’t been fired. I don’t work here. In fact, I don’t work at all,” she added hopelessly. “Now, if you will allow me…”

  “I would like it if you found a more private room so you two can talk.” Sarah said looking distressed for having to interrupt their conversation, “but the truth is that we’re very discreet with our clients and we don’t like to expose them to conversations this way. I’m sorry for…”

  Sylvinna gave the woman a cold look.

  “How rude!” she said and gave the impeccable marble floor a hard thump with her cane.

  “Ma’am, if you would please…”

  “I’m shocked by your rudeness, young lady!” said the old woman, not without noticing that the other girl was looking at her puzzled, so she smiled in her direction. “If you had your heart broken because your date went wrong and the agency doesn’t want your profile on their online site, do not worry about that, I might have something for you.”

  The receptionist gave up and ignored them. She had a lot of work to do and didn’t want to waste any more time so she started answering phone calls.

  “I think you have the wrong idea,” Lauren mumbled with a blush. What could such an elegant woman possibly have in mind if she had to resort to an escorts’ agency? “I only came here to find out if the system…”

  “I’ll buy you a cup of tea and we can talk about the proposal I’ve got for you. I usually like to follow my instincts and right now they’re telling me that we can come to an agreement. Plus, don’t you want a little romance on Christmas Eve? Of course you do. How long have you been working for this dating agency?”

  “Actually, I don’t…”

  “Would you like some tea?” she asked again with an imperious and melodic tone.

  Lauren couldn’t contain her laughter. The confidence and determination that she saw on that old lady were very similar to what she saw on her mother. She should think twice about going out with a stranger, but she also was the type of person who followed her instincts and they were telling her that the old lady wasn’t going to chop her into little pieces and throw her to the wolves. What could the old lady possibly do? She had just confused her with a broken-hearted girl in a place that she thought was a dating agency instead of an escort agency.

  She would have tea with her and clear the situation up, then she would try to put the pieces of her life back together… or she would just start packing to go back to Nebraska. Wasn't she a fighter? She was, without a doubt, but she liked to do things right.

  “Ok, Mrs…?”

  The white haired woman’s demeanor changed completely.

  “Oh! Don’t you worry about formalities,” she replied and looked at the receptionist who in that moment was helping a client that had just entered through the revolving door. “My name is Sylvinna. I prefer that to ‘Mrs.’, and you are?’

  “Lauren Wade,” she extended her hand and the strong handshake she received was an indication that the image of a soft, old lady was quite far from the woman’s real temperament.

  Outside it was snowing heavily.

  “It’ll be a pleasant chat and I’m sure you’ll like the idea I have in mind,” the woman said while feeling very satisfied about taking advantage of the situation.

  Poor girl, trying to find love just to end up fired by a dating agency, she thought.

  “We’ll go to some place nearby.”

  Lauren got into a very elegant and modern Mercedes Benz with a heating system that made her smile pleasantly. Ah! What a pleasure it was to be sitting there, warm and comfortable, while she looked at all the pedestrians covered from head to toe under the snowfall.

  During their trip to one of the most crowded restaurants in the city, Sylvinna talked a little bit about her life and Lauren did the same but cautiously. There was something in the old lady’s determination and authority that motivated Lauren’s sense of empathy.

  Lauren explained to her that she wasn’t in that office to look for a romantic date, but because they offered an escort service and she wanted to clear up some doubts. However, Sylvinna believed she was making up the story in order to protect her pride and to not admit that she was looking for love through unconventional methods that didn’t exist i
n the old time. Lauren decided that arguing with the woman was impossible, so she preferred to listen to what she had to talk about: her marriage and the huge love she had for her family.

  “I want you to meet my grandson, Caleb,” she said once they had a pot of British tea set in front of them. “That stubborn kid doesn’t want to settle down because he only wants to work like a dog! And those women he’s been going out with,” she let out a very unladylike whistle for someone so elegant, which made Lauren laugh, “they’re not marriage material, so my proposal is very simple.”

  Lauren leaned back against the seat, “I’m listening.”

  “I understand that love is important for you” Sylvinna stated, and Lauren tried not to choke on the croissant she was eating at that moment, “and I know that we live in very hard times right now. Tell me, where are you from? Because that accent…”

  “I’m from the States, I was born in Nebraska and I’ve only been living on this side of the world for a few months.”

  “So you’re on vacation then?”

  “That’s how it all started,” she smiled, “but the truth is that right now I’m looking for a job. I don’t know what type of proposal you have in mind but, honestly, I might not have too much time in this country; at least not legally.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Lauren sighed, added two teaspoons of sugar to her tea and stirred it slowly.

  “I need to renew my work visa. My last employer started with my paperwork but then they sold the company and I got fired. So now I’m trying to find something stable that guarantees me the right to stay here.”

  Sylvinna’s smile lit up her face.

  “I own a company that makes and distributes personalized fragrances throughout the country. I need someone to oversee the sales team that works in the main store! Something like a supervisor, but not completely involved in the business. Now, I can have something I need and you would have a reward in exchange. It would be the perfect deal.”

  “I don’t get it. Would you care to explain?”

  Sylvinna nodded. Suddenly, everything seemed to fit in perfectly inside her clever little head. She had started her day with a purpose and now the signs on her path were pushing her into another direction; an excellent one, if the young lady in front of her decided to accept her proposal.

  “All you have to do is get my grandson to take you to the Christmas party I’m hosting this year. My grandson is a heartbreaker; a brief Christmas romance would be excellent for you, and since you’re not screaming for joy at the prospect of possibly falling in love,” Lauren laughed, “then this will be your only mission: take him to that party. Your reward will be a job and a sponsor to arrange your work permit.”

  Lauren laughed even harder, she just couldn’t help it! The woman had guts!

  “What if your grandson doesn’t like me and then kicks me out for being a meddler?”

  “It’s not about likes or dislikes, but about sympathizing with him. He’s not an easy person but once you get to know Caleb, you will realize how easy it is to care for him. Anyway, I already told you what you’re going to get in exchange for all this: a job and my word that I will personally sponsor your work permit.”

  “I barely know you, Sylvinna, so I’d like to have a signed contract stating what you will do; what you’re promising right now. This is a big risk for me. With all due respect, maybe your word is worth something in this city or for anyone who brags about being sophisticated and successful, but I’ve known you for less than three hours. I want a legal confirmation.”

  “Of course,” she gave her a card, “keep it. My personal phone number is there,” Sylvinna stood up. “I’ll give instructions to my assistant and you’ll have your contract if you agree. My grandson won’t be in Amsterdam for too long; if it’s not you…”

  “You’ll find someone else… or somewhere else,” Lauren concluded.

  And I won’t have a visa, a job or any dreams left in this country.

  Sylvinna didn’t bother to deny it. Things worked or didn’t work; she already was in the twilight of her life and didn’t want to lose any more time.

  “I want him at my Christmas party, no matter what.”

  “Why?” Lauren asked softly, standing up too. It was the most surreal interview she had experienced.

  “He thinks I’m trying to set him up with Brook Hasbath, my best friend’s granddaughter.”

  “Is that true?”

  “Maybe,” she expressed in a guilty tone, “but Brook is a perfect candidate for him. She also lives in New York like Caleb,” she added with a hand gesture. “Anyway, I don’t how many years I’ve got left and I want to see my grandson enjoying the happiness of being with someone that understands him in every sense, and I know that Brook was raised like him.”

  “You might think it’s easy to play matchmaker and fix him up with the woman you like, but if he finds out that I’m luring him into a trap just for you and me to get what we want…”

  “Get my grandson to take you to my Christmas party and you’ll get your legal residency in Holland,” she intervened and then made a hand gesture to the waiter and her driver who were awaiting her orders, “that’s the deal. Now that all the cards are on the table, Lauren, what do you think about my proposal?

  “I think it’s crazy, completely crazy” she responded and then adjusted her scarf.

  “Isn’t life itself crazy?”

  And with that question, Lauren convinced herself she had nothing to lose. She just had to persuade a man to go to a party. How hard can it be?

  “We have a deal, Sylvinna.”

  “I’ll speak to Agnes; she’ll be able to organize everything with the legal team.”

  “Thank you.”

  When Lauren went out of her apartment that morning, she would never have expected such a twist of fate like the one she just had.

  “I’ll take you to my office. On the way there, I’ll show you some pictures of my grandson and let you know a little bit more about him.”

  “Right…”

  “By the way, any expenses you might have: dresses, jewelry, whatever, it’s all on me for the following days. I’ll tell Agnes to manage that too.”

  Lauren shook her head ‘no’; there was no way she was going to allow that.

  “Sylvinna, no; I’d rather not to go that far. Let me do this as I am and without the fake stuff. It’s best if you just tell me where to find your grandson.”

  The waiter opened the main door for them and they walked to the front until they saw the driver replacing the valet. They made themselves comfortable on the leather seats while the heating system warmed their bodies.

  “This is the address of the hotel he’s staying at,” Sylvinna said while handing out a piece of paper with handwritten information, and then she put her Montblanc inside her Hermès purse again.

  “I guess I should start by making up a good excuse to see him,” Lauren commented, looking at the paper with ivory edges.

  Even this little piece of paper has come from the elegance canon, she thought.

  “It’s part of the deal.”

  “I imagine this is something I’ll have to do very often.”

  “Sometimes we need to do the unthinkable in order to survive. What I’m asking you is not a big deal, after all.”

  I guess not, Lauren thought. She had given her word and now she was on her way to sign a contract that would only last a few days.

  ***

  Caleb was just finishing an economic projections report with his quality manager and his financial manager. He was working on a new network system to support hotel companies.

  He had been in Amsterdam for two weeks and he felt strangely relaxed, maybe because he was in a different country or because he was able to take a break every night to have a drink with his friends or Spyros. A couple days ago, when he stopped by his grandma’s to say hello, he noticed that the sneaky old woman was still in excellent condition. The rest of the family were already aware
of the big Christmas reunion Sylvinna had organized this time in the De L'Europe Hotel.

  “That’s all, Caleb,” Hengel Ahston said. He was the ultimate leader in the long line of people in charge of ensuring that every product complied with the highest quality standards. “If they accept this plan, January will be beneficial.” He removed some papers and closed his MacBook Pro. “Considering the analysis we did with the team today, along with the new implementations, the economic projections predict a very important 6% growth on utilities.”

  “That is an important margin, considering how the technology market has been fluctuating lately,” added Balua Matheous, the financial manager.

  Caleb had no tie and he had his sleeves comfortably rolled up to his elbows. At that moment, he had been working for ten hours straight and was exhausted but everything was resolved. He would be able to enjoy the next five days there before going back to New York and welcome in the New Year at one of the parties his fellow entrepreneurs host in luxurious mansions.

  “So we’re done for today,” the young president of the company said. He stood up, “thanks for everything, gentlemen.”

  “These have been difficult days, Caleb, but everything has been worth it,” Baula pointed out, trying to imitate his boss’s gesture and followed by Hengel.

  “I’m hosting an end of the year party just before Christmas, don’t forget.” The executives nodded. “As we agreed, you can all go back to the US after that… or even before that because it’s not an obligation, only a celebration we truly deserve.”

  The sky was already dark; the three of them were the last people in the office they rented to work in while they were in the city. The rest of the team had gone home forty minutes ago.

  “Of course,” Hengel said, “it’s a pleasure to work for you.”