“Did you know that this is the biggest land transaction ever made since the communistic regime failed?” Eva walked back to her desk without waiting for Tessa’s answer, grabbed another doughnut and a pad and returned to her boss’ office. She hopped on Tessa’s desk and between bites she said, “Okay... I reserved the ‘Grand Ball Room’, chose the menu and ordered the flower bouquets for the tables. I’m waiting on the band to confirm the date.” Eva licked her fingers, then read from her notes, “I instructed our chauffeurs to pick up the hotties at the airport and gave each one of them the arrival times and who picks whom.”
“When you say hotties, you refer to our upper-level management who probably would have a heart-attack knowing what you call them. And for your own good I recommend you do not call them that when they are around. Remember everyone speaks English and more important, they are all married. How many times do I have to tell you that?” Tessa sighed and shook her head. One day, her assistant would get in trouble for the way she talked.
Eva rolled her eyes and mimicked her boss. “I have two TV channels coming to film during the reception; I had to promise them you’ll give an interview.”
Tessa made a grimace, but she kept reading the article. She’d been in front of the cameras before, but it always made her nervous. Maybe she’d convince Victor to do the interview.
“You do realize that we are planning a reception and a major TV appearance, but what if our CEO doesn’t get the cash for the transactions?”
“Think positive and don’t jinx it. They said they will and in the ten years I’ve worked for this company, they’ve never made a promise and not kept it.” Tessa finished the article and sipped from her teacup.
“If you say so. Anyway, I also got your ticket for Italy for your friend’s wedding. The agent called and said the cabin’s owner accepted your offer and he’ll move out in two weeks after the sales contract is signed.”
“He did? Really? He said he accepts my offer?”
Tessa stood so fast, she almost knocked her laptop off her desk. Eva flinched and leaned backwards, but Tessa shook her shoulders pulling her to her feet and forcing her to bounce up and down.
“Oh my God, I’m so happy!”
Their happy giggling and dancing around the office stopped the instant Victor swung the door open.
“What’s there to laugh about? You girls acting silly at work?”
“I got it, Victor, I got it!” She spread her arms wide in the air and made a pirouette.
“What in the world are you talking about?”
Tessa walked to him and caught his face between her palms and compressed his cheeks until his lips wrinkled.
“My house, my vacation house. I bought it; the owner accepted my price. The minute the last farmer signs off his land, I’ll be driving like a maniac to take over my kingdom.”
“Kiddo, I’m happy for you.” Victor, visibly embarrassed by that display of affection, removed her palms off his face, re-arranged his tie and cleared his throat. “Now, stop daydreaming and let’s get to business.”
Eva stood paralyzed like a statue in the middle of the room, a look of fear on her face, while Tessa smoothed her silk blouse and pencil skirt, walked back to her desk and sat in her leather chair.
“Eva, please leave us,” Tessa winked and smiled reassuringly at her assistant. After Eva left, Victor closed the door and came to face Tessa.
“We have the money, kiddo. Let the party begin!”
***
“What do you mean, the sales contracts are damaged?”
Tessa stopped typing and grabbed the phone with both hands. She called the notary right after Victor left her office. She wanted to inform her that they had the money and discuss the last details for the transactions to go effortless.
“I’m so very sorry, Ms. Cosma. My secretary left them in a binder on her desk and the office above ours flooded and water leaked through the ceiling. When we came this morning we found the documents soaked. I’m so very sorry.” The notary’s pitched voice seemed so far away.
Tessa’s day turned in to a nightmare. It started with two bits of good news—the cabin’s owner accepted her offer and the money being transferred in to the company’s account—what happened with the rule of three?
She needed to find a solution.
Fast.
“I assume you kept a copy of all of them, in your computer I mean.”
“Oh, yes luckily I did,” the notary replied immediately. “I already have my assistant printing them as we speak. All I need is you to come to my office and sign them. It would take less than the first time, since you know the context of each one of them. You don’t need to read them again.”
Tessa closed her eyes and clenched her jaw. It seemed wrong to sign the documents without reading them once again. But she had no time to lose. Tomorrow at ten in the morning, fifty farmers would arrive at the notary’s office to sign off their land and receive the cash. She’d stop at the bank first to get the cash then she’d be in the office supervising the exchange.
“I’ll be there in half an hour.” She hung up and stormed out of her office.
***
The crystal chandeliers spread a bright light and the Grand Ball Room looked impressive with all the elegance and glamour brought in by the crème de la crème in Bucharest. Even the Prime Minister mingled with foreign and local entrepreneurs and investors. More photographers flashed their cameras than Eva initially invited. Men in sharp tuxedos and women in magnificent dresses adorned the very floors where the fabulous night would unfold.
Two days ago, the last proprietor signed over his land and Titan Project Development became the official owner of such an expanded terrain. A door had closed, and others just opened. Future deals were discussed over a glass of champagne, business cards exchanged and handshakes sealed profitable commercial agreements.
There were round tables scattered around the room forming a semicircle. Starched white linens covered each table, a colorful floral arrangement placed in the middle and name tags in front of each chair designated where each person would sit. The large glass windows were covered with heavy beige drapes. In the middle of the room lay a raised wooden dance floor and right across from it played a local jazz band known for their fine music. Stationed on the west side of the grand room was a buffet where people could sample a variety of traditional Romanian specialties. On the opposite side four bartenders quenched the guests’ thirst with an ensemble of world-renowned Romanian wines as well as other beverages from around the world.
“Well done, Eva. Great planning, great outcome.” Tessa hugged her assistant. Then in a whispering voice, she said, “A bird told me, there is a list of bonuses to be given out and you are among the first ten people in our company to get it. You are the best!”
“You serious?” Eva’s face lit up with a radiant smile. “How much, tell me how much?”
“Hush, don’t speak so loud,” Tessa tried to calm her. “I don’t know the amount, I just know it’s substantial. Now stop yelling before everyone in this room hears you!”
They walked to the buffet and filled up their plates, then returned to a table and sat.
“I’m starving,” Tessa said between bites. “While I was answering the reporter’s questions, my stomach made all kind of funky noises…imagine, the band stopped playing and I could just hear the growling of my belly…I was so embarrassed.”
“You poor thing. I can only imagine how stressful all this has been for you since winning the auction, but now it’s over. You can relax, maybe take a mini-vacation, go clear your head. You’ve worked your ass off for so long, put your own life on hold so you can work on this project. Maybe it’s time you take it easy. You didn’t marry this company,” Eva said, picking at her food.
Victor approached them. “It’s time for the toast. Come, I want you sitting next to me.”
Tessa pushed her chair away and followed Victor to another table. Their CEO, along with Dina—Victor’s wife—and four
other representatives from the company’s main office in Berlin sat and enjoyed their meals. Someone brought Victor a wireless microphone; he tapped easily on it, said “Testing, one-two-three” and the room fell quiet.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen and thank you for honoring us with your presence, and most of all, thank you for being here to celebrate the biggest event of the year on the business market.” He looked around the room, cleared his throat and continued, “I’m not going to talk about the amazing deal Titan Project Development just closed. And I am not going to talk about future multi-million dollars business opportunities open to each one of you who is interested in doing business with us.”
He stopped and focused his gaze on Tessa, who until then listened to him, not really paying much attention. She realized he stared at her and felt everyone’s eyes on her. A rush of adrenaline spread through her body and her heartbeat picked up the tempo. Did he say something and needed her to reply back? Was she supposed to stand up and continue his toast?
He came to her rescue and said, “What I want to let everyone know is that I’ve decided to step down from my position as Director of the Titan Project Development office here in Bucharest and I’d like to introduce to you the new Director…Anastassia Cosma, or as many of you know her, Tessa Cosma.”
The room exploded in applause and cheers. Victor let the cheering go for a couple more minutes then made a sign and soon the room fell quiet again.
“Nine months from now I will send you all greeting cards from the French Riviera, a cigar in one hand and a brandy in the other, but most important I will not think of any business, any contract, or even of you.”
Laughter from all tables interrupted his speech, but he again demanded attention and continued, “And you know why? It’s because I know that the company will be in the best hands I could possibly trust, in the right place and with the right commander. For those of you who know Tessa, you know that she is a beautiful woman, with a brilliant mind and big heart, but a tigress when it comes to business. She’d show her claws in a split second. Fear her and don’t try playing games; her sweet smile is just a mask.”
People laughed again, some clapped and someone shouted, “You better believe it, she is ferocious!” which prolonged the laughter in the room.
“Now that I said what I had to say, please join me in congratulating the new Director of our company!”
Victor put the microphone down and reached to help Tessa stand. He shook her hand, then hugged her for a few seconds and stepped aside, for others to come around and congratulate her.
Tessa felt like a truck had hit her. She had no idea Victor wanted to retire so soon, nor that she would replace him. Her mind swirled and struggled to respond to all the questions people asked her, shake their hands and accept their congratulations. It felt as she had just gone through an out of body experience.
“What an incredible surprise, dear,” Daniel said when he finally caught her in his arms. He took her hand and walked to the dance floor and moved with her in the slow rhythm of the music.
“Tell me about it; I feel like I’m dreaming and soon I’ll wake up. I mean, I had no idea he wanted me to replace him… can you imagine?” Tessa leaned against Daniel’s strong body—she still shook from the big news Victor just shared minutes ago.
“You’re on top of the world and I’m so proud of you,” Daniel whispered in her ear. “You’re incredible and you deserve it.”
“Serious?”
She looked into his eyes trying to read his thoughts. There were many nights they argued about her extended work hours, her constant traveling out of the country. He’d complained about it so many times; hard to believe that after all these years and so many arguments, Daniel finally accepted and agreed to share her with her work.
“You know this means I’ll be away from home even more, longer trips, longer work hours… can we survive this change?”
He twirled her twice releasing her from his arms, then brought her back and said, “Nice presents would help me forget about my lonely nights.” He winked at her and laughed while the band switched to an up-tempo rhythm and more couples joined them on the dance floor.
“You know, I feel I am in the best place of my life, ever. I have an amazing job, I have you, I have friends and family around me that love me and I love them back; I could explode with this incredible feeling of ha—“
“Tessa, here you are! Come, we must hurry!” Eva grabbed her arm while Daniel held onto her other arm.
“Hey, I’m dancing, can you just wait until the dance is over?”
Tessa tried to free her wrist, but Eva had a strong grip on it and didn’t let go. She looked over her shoulder at Daniel, who let go and backed off. She had no choice but follow Eva out of the room.
“Jesus Christ, are you crazy? Can you just stop and tell me what’s the matter?”
But Eva didn’t reply immediately, still holding Tessa’s wrist, walking faster and faster.
“We must go. Now. It’s urgent.” Eva hurried outside the hotel. A cab waited for them and she opened the door, dragging Tessa inside.
“Emergency Room, Floreasca Hospital, please.”
Tessa froze hearing the address. A knot formed in her stomach and her throat, and when she spoke, she didn’t recognize her own voice.
“Is it my mama?”
Chapter 3
“I’m pretty sure Mama had an affair. She took me several times to an apartment to help her clean the place. She told me it belonged to a friend of hers who was going through some difficult times and she needed to do this to show her support. Each time we went there she was the happiest I had ever seen her; she made jokes and laughed like I never saw her doing when we were at home in the presence of our dad.”
Tessa looked for the first time at her two sisters sitting on the sofa. Words came out of her mouth like a scratch that made her throat hurt. She had no idea how she got the strength to talk about this, but she needed to get it off of her chest. She kept this for so long just to herself, her mama’s little secret that felt so heavy on her shoulders.
Octavia and Chiara looked puzzled at their younger sister.
An affair? Their mama?
They sat in the family room in their parents’ house, with big dark brown leather sofas next to opposite walls, large windows covering the west wall and plants everywhere. Above each sofa several family photos, from the time they were kids all the way to the last Christmas they spent together. For a moment, the only noise heard came from the rain outside and the room felt cold and strange.
Each one of them held an envelope in their hands. The envelopes contained the last written messages they would ever receive from their mama.
Octavia lived in England, Chiara in Germany, and Tessa was the only one who remained in Romania to be close to her parents. After Octavia and Chiara moved away, they kept in touch with their parents more so than with their sister. She was only eight years old when Chiara left and sixteen respectively when Octavia moved away. They visited their parents sometimes for Christmas or, if their schedule permitted, for a week over summer. Now in their thirties, they each lived a life they chose, far away, but having to deal with a great loss—their mama, the woman that tried to bring and hold them together and who worked hard to give them a nice life, as nice as a life could be under communistic regime.
They had great memories about Ana; she nurtured and gave them everything she could give as a mother, a friend, and a confidant. She was their biggest supporter, so enthusiastic and full of life; the one who was there for them when they needed a shoulder to cry on, a buddy to laugh with or an answer. But she was gone now and life and the world had never seemed emptier as that rainy day they had to say goodbye to her.
“Years later, I realized she had a reason for all that behavior; she was in love, but not with our dad.” Tessa couldn’t sit anymore and went to look out the window, turning her back to her sisters as tears rolled down her face. It was a burden she carried alone for far to
o long. With Ana being gone, there was no need for the secrecy, no need to hide, but to let go. She needed closure.
“Are you sure? Maybe you just imagined,” Octavia said.
“Oh, believe me, I wish I was wrong, but I walked in on her several times when she was on the phone and her voice, her words betrayed her. The minute she saw me, she’d either hang up or change the subject.”
“How could you know about this and never say a word about it?” Octavia asked in disbelief.
“It wasn’t my place or right to share it with you. Mama could’ve said something all these years, but I guess she didn’t feel the need to do it. This was not my secret, but hers,” Tessa said and turned to face them again.
“Did you ever see the guy? Did she reveal who he was? I can’t believe she had an affair. Did you ever talk to her about it?” Chiara said.
“How could she do this to Dad? Did he ever find out? When did it start? Who was that guy?” Octavia’s tone turned furious.
“Why she did it, we could only make an assumption,” Tessa said. “I mean we knew she never loved Dad, let alone wanted to marry him. They had us and maybe she felt obligated to stay and raise her daughters. That was more important to her, to give us a mother and a father than to divorce and be with the man she really loved. I never agreed with what she did, but on the same token, I never judged her.
“Who are you or I to do that? Remember, she lived in a society where divorced women were considered second-class individuals. And we would’ve suffered as kids from her actions if she’d divorced Dad because kids coming from broken homes were considered bad kids. Our life would’ve been worse than ever, and growing up under communism was bad enough, why add to it?” Tessa returned to sit back on the sofa.
Hidden Heart Page 4