She lowered her window. A rush of extraordinarily tempting smells invaded, immediately assaulting her taste buds and triggering involuntary mental salivating. She took it all in like a child arriving for the first time.
It had been long since she was last here. Well, a month to be precise. Yet even that was too long. That was how much she loved this city. It was the same every time. She never bore of this city, this country.
Her musings were cut short when the car stopped outside the building that rose one hundred and fifty metres into the sky, its aggressive design showing its mean intentions, and those of its owner, to spear the clouds, to break through and rise higher and higher.
Inside the glass lobby that rose thirty floors into the innards of the building she could not help but raise her eyes to the crystal chandelier-like sculpture hanging like an ancient stalactite falling towards the lobby, ready to open a hole in the floor and burrow its way to the centre of the earth.
She stopped herself and lowered her eyes just in time to show to the receptionist a dignified business-like face that had seen it all before.
The lift whizzed her to the forty-first floor. She knew the entire forty-second floor was her uncle’s penthouse and out of bounds for all but the most trusted members of his inner circle, and selected guests, when it was used as the stage for impressive parties.
Her uncle was a prolific entertainer and very adept networker who also gave millions to charity and personally got involved in his charity projects around the world. Where he found the time to do all that and at the same time run one of Australia’s largest corporations was beyond her. But then again, although he was a control freak, he had placed brilliant managers in key positions within his organisation who effectively ran the company day to day with terrifying efficiency. His companies basically ran themselves.
He also did like a flutter on the horses, for no less reason that he owned one of the biggest and greatest horse studs in the country with other offshoots around the world. His horses ran in all the big races not just in Australia, but all over the world, with a winning streak not to be sniffed at.
Andrew Le Charos’ secretary, Diana, smiled warmly and showed Katerina into the boardroom. Diana came across as a dragon-lady, but weren’t all personal assistants serving powerful and often arrogant men like that? Men with fingers in many pies, constantly on the move, no time for charm unless personal gain was involved.
Katerina knew what it felt like to be in the shoes of such men and women, having had various demanding roles in her father’s companies. A personal assistant was indispensable. It was a position of trust as they knew almost all your secrets and you spend more time with them than you did with your husband, wife or partner. And that led personal assistants to be protective and even possessive of their bosses.
The boardroom was deserted and Katerina went to the window to take in mouthfuls of the glorious view of the harbour, the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and the Northern suburbs. Her nostrils twitched, taking in the molecules of the smell of sweet-smelling leather wafting from the chairs set in place around the long dark mahogany table.
Her thoughts turned to the forthcoming meeting. It could be difficult. Andrew was not an easy man to deal with and was extremely astute. He missed nothing and was always out to smell the slightest weakness, fear or hesitation, and exploit it, shamelessly, to his advantage, as he had always done throughout his life.
He was a stickler for detail. His antennae were wired to the most minute deceit. And he would expose it, take the culprit by the scruff of the neck and let him fall down useless and worn out, not literally, but that was how it felt like when one got on the wrong side of him.
That was when such a person ended up submitting to Andrew Le Charos’ force of will and leaving with one’s tail between one’s legs. Proper pecking order was established once more. The balance of power in Andrew’s favour was reaffirmed.
For all of these reasons and then some, he had become insanely successful, against all the odds, despite being an outsider in a foreign country. Did he ever let his guard down? That was doubtful, though Katerina wondered whether he could keep it up non-stop. She had this image of him barking orders growling all the way to his bed at night or at any time. She smiled. She would need her wits with her, she thought.
At that moment the door flew open and Andrew was standing in the doorway.
‘My dear, it has been a long time. It’s good to see you.’
He went forward to embrace and kiss her on both cheeks. She thought of a tiger, first licking the air and smelling her prey before he went in for the kill. Actually it had not been that long since they last saw each other. It was during her recent trip to Australia. They caught a glimpse of each other from afar at a restaurant. She was in no mood for hypocritical small talk, so she politely acknowledged him with a curt nod and he responded in kind.
‘I see you have not touched the drinks tray. What can I get you? Some water, perhaps?’
‘I’m fine thank you.’ She turned to the window. ‘I’ve always loved this view.’
‘So have I. I know exactly what you mean. It is the top of the hill you know. You can’t get a better view of the city, except from the Sydney Tower or on your approach…’
‘… to land at Sydney Airport.’
‘You do like to finish my sentences, don’t you? Now, tell me, why were you smiling back there when I came in?’
‘Oh. It was nothing. I was only thinking of Diana and how invaluable she must be to you. She certainly is very impressively efficient.’
She bluffed, but knew she sounded convincing. She could not start the meeting by admitting the truth, now could she?
To her relief, Andrew believed her and thought the same.
‘She sure is. What news of the family in Cyprus?’
‘They’re all fine, busy as ever.’
‘Will you join an old man for lunch to keep him company and maybe hold me from devouring the whole calf, tail, legs and all, as my darling wife kept telling me, chastising me about my healthy appetite? What’s wrong with a healthy appetite, I ask you? It’s not just survival. It feeds the mind and the soul, too, I’ll have you know.’ He said this last part of the sentence in the Australian brawl. ‘And I’m very proud of this stomach.’ He brought his hand to pat his abdominal area as he said that.
‘So, shall I let the cook know there will be two for tea? It truly will be a pleasure to have you.’
She almost laughed out loud. Him? Chubby? That was something. He did like his silly jokes sometimes. He was as trim and athletic as he had always been, with hardly any loose fat on his person, in fact in much better shape than a lot of the young people she knew.
And as for the “old man”, that was hardly an accurate description. He was only sixty-two, after all. Why, though, did it always sound as if he was acting a role? She could hardly refuse the invitation, though, and nodded her assent.
‘I’d loved to.’ She crossed her fingers in her mind as the words left her lips, hoping she sounded whole-hearted and keen, in contrast to how she really felt. And who knows? She may enjoy it and pick up some gossip.
Besides her uncle was a very interesting man, a larger than life personality and tremendously entertaining companion. She would not pretend to fit the larger-than-life- category or a level playing field next to someone of her uncle’s calibre. But these days maybe she did in more than one respect.
Perhaps she was a match for him after all, with less experience but sharp and young and nimble in the bargain too. But first to business and then to feast.
‘Excellent. You’ve made an old man very happy.’
Katerina thought of a snake, a viper. Some snakes very often loved to have prey many times larger than themselves. Large was not a term that could apply to her, which meant that she would probably be a tasty morsel, an appetiser to tease the taste buds in anticipation of the main course. Snakes liked a good meal and to digest it slowly, laughing all the way to the deepest recesses of their digestive system.