by Ruby Forrest
At that point he went to the lord, and disclosed to him every one of his siblings' roguery; and they were seized and rebuffed, and he had the princess given to him once more; and after the ruler's demise he was beneficiary to his kingdom. A drawn-out period of time after, he went to walk one day in the wood, and the old fox met him, and besought him with tears in his eyes to kill him, and remove his head and feet. Also, finally he did as such, and in a minute the fox was changed into a man, and ended up being the sibling of the princess, who had been lost a considerable number of numerous years.
Janet shut the book, a dreamy look in her eyes. That was probably her favorite part of the book. The part where the fox, who was the real hero of the story, turns into a human again, the spell broken. She remembered getting really upset as a child, when the fox had been killed. She had been really distressed, really upset to think that the fox, who had done so much to help everyone, would be killed.
But when he had changed into the price, Janet’s heart had lit up, and it had stayed that way ever since. Part of her longed for magic, longed for the magic of these tales, longed to experience it, hide away from the real world, the world that she found herself in now.
She sighed and looked out of the window. She knew that it wasn’t a reality. She knew that her life was a life of business, a life of meetings and responsibility, even if it did come with fantastic perks like travel. It was, at the end of the day, in no way magical.
She hadn’t even met someone who she connected with, let alone experienced any sort of enchanted world. The dreams of a child. It was a dream she had as a little girl and one that she didn’t want to let go of, but one that she knew wasn’t real.
Still, she couldn’t help but dive into these stories, these poems, the works of another world, and the works of someone who had opened up her eyes and shown her how different everything could be. The tale of the golden bird was probably her favorite. It showed so much about the way humans thought and worked, and Janet couldn’t help but draw parallels to her own life.
She sighed and tilted her head back, picking out another playlist. She stayed like that for a while, just thinking about the story, thinking about her own life and her own family. An hour or so later, the attendant brought Janet a blanket and she snuggled beneath it with her pillows. The lights in the cabin dimmed and Janet flicked through the channels on offer. She settled on a movie that she hadn’t seen in years and stared at the screen.
She was only half following the plot. As she reclined her chair a little bit, Janet found herself dozing off a little, idly watching the movie, gazing out of the window and enjoying the view, just letting her mind switch off.
For a moment, there was no panic about the days ahead, no worry about what happened to her father. For a moment, Janet didn’t find herself wondering about the diamond market and what she had to learn. She didn’t find herself concerned that she would do the wrong thing and plunge the company into ruin. She didn’t fear for her life.
For a moment, she just felt blissfully blank and unaware, restful. She realized, quite suddenly, that the people who had booked her this flight knew what they were talking about when they booked her first class. She didn’t feel pressured, and she felt, just for a moment, like she was flying above her worries.
She had needed this break far more than she realized, and if they only place she could get it was up in the air, then that was fine by her. Janet shut her eyes and breathed deeply.
Chapter 3
The rest of the flight passed in relative peace and silence. Janet was left staring out of the window between dozes, flicking through the channels, watching snippets of movies. Breakfast was served several hours later and Janet dined on poached eggs and pancakes, sipping orange juice, before she had her morning coffee. She picked up the book again, to skim through a few of the pages, but spent most of her time dozing and relaxing. After all, she knew that she would be exceptionally busy once she landed and it was only smart to get as much rest as she possibly could while she was on the plane, with no reception and nothing to do except wait and relax.
It was soothing, in a way and Janet was almost sad when it was time for the plane to land. Sad, but at the same time, she felt a tingle of excitement. Being in the plane and having some time to relax had taken the painfully acute edge off her fear and turned it into something else, something more palatable. She was still nervous and weary, but she was far more excited to land in a new country and explore.
She had not been here before, but she had heard mixed stories about the country. People either spoke of it in regards to concern for danger, or with wonder at the sights and sounds of the place. Janet wasn’t sure which one she believed. She pushed aside the memory of her father’s death and tried not to focus on it too much. That wasn’t because of where he had been, but rather the strong opinions of the faction who had killed him.
She would have to keep that strongly at the front of her mind. She didn’t want to make assumptions about people before she had even met them, didn’t want to color her interactions in such a negative way.
As the plane started to descend, Janet gathered up her things. She made sure to pack all of her bits and pieces into her bag, gathering everything up that she might have missed and making sure her chair was upright, everything tucked away. The descent itself was swift and, in Janet’s opinion, it seemed to be a lot quicker than when they took off. The landing itself was a little bumpy, but nothing major and Janet found herself holding her breath. She straightened her shoulders and unclipped her seatbelt the moment she was allowed to do so. There were not many passengers in first class, so she didn’t have to wait very long to leave the plane itself and make her way down to collect her luggage. She grabbed it and looked around herself. So far, nothing seemed all that different from home.
She caught snatches of different languages, foreign to her ears, but she also caught plenty of English and so was reassured. She headed out towards the main gate, looking around. She had been told someone would be here to meet her, probably the head of security, but Janet wasn’t sure exactly what he looked like.
She stepped out into the airport and was struck by the business of the place. It was just as busy as the airport back home, if not busier. The place was crawling with people from all walks of life and all nationalities and, for a moment, Janet felt a little bit blindsided. She didn’t even know the first thing about the person she was meant to find, and she found herself hoping that she would be able to spot them.
There were a few people standing with signs and she scanned the crowd, trying to figure out which one was for her, if any. She didn’t see her name anywhere and so she looked instead for the company name. Still, she couldn’t make anything out and she felt a sudden plummeting of her stomach.
She swallowed hard, trying to ignore the concern that was gnawing at her, insisting that it be heard and listened to. She looked around for another moment and saw no one. For a moment, she felt a surge of panic. Then she reassured herself that, when it came down to it, she could at least find her way around a city, take public transport and probably find an atm to draw her money. At the very least, she’d fumble through.
Still, being alone in a strange country, when she was the head of a company that was being targeted… Janet swallowed and tried to settle her worries. She would manage as best she can.
As she shifted her bag, she scanned the crowd one last time. Her eyes fell on a man walking towards her, moving through the crowd. She glanced behind herself and saw no one, so she could only assume that her guess was correct and that he was heading for her.
Janet took him in as he approached. He was a big man, with sandy hair and eyes that were alight with the most beautiful and intense blue that she had ever seen. He had broad, strong shoulders and looked like he was pushing six feet tall. He was clearly toned beneath his clothing, the bunching of his muscles obvious as he walked.
And he walked with confidence, confidence and strength and the kind
of lazy stride of a predator. He didn’t have to rush, he didn’t have to hurry along. He knew what he was doing and he was clearly aware of the effect he had on people.
He was gorgeous. The thought came out of nowhere and Janet found herself blushing. She didn’t know him, didn’t know why he was heading towards her, didn’t know if he was a friend or foe, and yet there was just something intensely magnetic about him, something that seemed to draw him towards her, draw her in and leave her just a little bit breathless.
“Miss Delphare?” His voice was cool as he stepped towards her. He looked her up and down and Janet felt the flush on her cheeks grow deeper.
“Yes?” She straightened a little, trying not to look intimidated by this man. She met his gaze head on, trying her best to focus on the intensity of his eyes, so blue, so bright.
He didn’t draw his gaze away, something intense flashing in the depth of his eyes, fiercely intelligent and focused. For a fleeting moment, she was reminded of the fox in the story, of the fox so intelligent and beautiful.
She shook it off. Something about him was different. He was too predatory for that, and she saw no softness lurking in the depths of his irises.
He nodded, “I’m here to take you to the hotel.”
He turned, as if expecting Janet to follow, but she didn’t, “And you are?”
He turned back to her, looking at her intently, “You arranged for me to pick you up, Miss Delphare.” His voice was curt and clipped, but he was still polite, if a bit aloof.
“Considering my family’s recent history, I expect you’ll have no problem giving me your name and title, then?” She persisted.
She could see a flash of frustration in his eyes. He wanted to leave as soon as possible, she could see that in the tension of his shoulders, understand it in the glances over his shoulder.
“Fang Smith.” He answered curtly, reaching into his jacket “Head of your security team. Now, if you don’t mind, we really need to get going.”
Janet felt the sting of his words, a sharpness to his voice. She frowned quietly as she stared him down. Janet felt the tension flutter through her body. He was right. She didn’t want to admit it, but he was right. She needed to make sure she got to safety, got somewhere that wasn’t out in the open like this. She didn’t think anyone would try anything here, but what if they followed them?
Fang was right. In fact, he probably knew what was best for her in the first place. Head of security. His name rang a bell, pulled up an old, forgotten memory in her mind. He had an American accent too, subtle and soft and beautiful. It was lovely, really, and she could tell that he came from up north, but had travelled widely.
There was something exotic about him, something wild, and something well-travelled. She scowled and pushed the thoughts out of her mind, “Alright. Lead the way.”
He nodded, holding a hand out, “Shall I take your bag?” It seemed to be a mere formality and Janet shook her head, holding it tighter, “I’m fine.” She murmured.
He nodded and turned, “Follow me.”
He moved through the crowd, his steps swift and sure as he headed through the busy terminal. Janet clutched her bag tightly in her hands and made her way through the terminal after him. She held on tight to all her things and matched his stride.
What was one, easy step for him, was a few for Janet, but she was determined to keep up. Already, he was lighting a fire in her, lighting a fierce determination to prove herself. He wasn’t showing her a whole lot of respect. He was polite, but he wasn’t treating her like you would treat the head of a major company, one that you worked for.
There was a discrepancy here and she wasn’t happy with it. She didn’t care about the status before now, but she cared now. Fang had changed everything in the blink of an eye, changed everything in a way that she had not thought possible, had not thought it would come to this.
Somehow, in the blink of an eye, he had made her want to prove herself, want to show him that she wasn’t just here to take her father’s place as a figure head, wasn’t just here to sit pretty. She was here to work hard, she was here to take over the company and make things right again, make things work. Her father had not been a figure head and she was in no mood to be one herself.
She wasn’t going to be pushed aside. She had done her research, had done her work, had done everything she could to prepare herself for this, prepare herself for these meetings and she wouldn’t be undermined the minute that she arrived.
He glanced at her with something like surprise and Janet thought that she saw a smirk, a ghost of a smile against his face. He shrugged his shoulders and led her through the doors and into the light.
For an instant, the light was blinding, searing her eyes and flowing through her vision. Then her vision cleared and she took in the busy carpark, the bustling road in front of them. She smiled and took in a deep breath, taking it all in.
Fang glanced at her, “Car’s this way.” He headed through the cars to one of the first rows. He stepped towards a shiny black sedan and opened it up, popping the boot for her. Janet wrestled with her case and finally managed to lift it and put it in the boot. It left her a little breathless and flushed, but she narrowed her eyes in defiance and stood up straight.
Fang was smirking very faintly, and he opened up the passenger door for her, “We’ll go straight to your hotel. We can go over the details of your security there.”
Janet nodded, sliding into the car, feeling the warm leather seats. She settled back, sliding the seatbelt across her shoulders and clipped it in. Fang entered the car soon after and she was struck, suddenly by the scent of his aftershave and cologne, filling the car with a delicious subtlety. She turned her head and tried to ignore the pleasant scent washing over her, taking small breaths instead.
Fang didn’t seem to notice, and he pulled out of the carpark, driving towards the exit. He paid for his ticket and before Janet knew it, they were flying along the highway. She shivered, feeling the excitement burn against her skin.
Despite her frustration at Fang, or her worries about her new life, she felt excited at the prospect of seeing this glorious new country as they drove along. She knew that she wouldn’t see much, but that was okay. She would see what she could and she could explore more later.
The excitement didn’t dull at all at that thought. In fact, it felt more acute, more intense. She leaned as close to the window as she could as Fang drove the car down the sweeping highway, which divided quickly into many ways. The highway itself was absolutely massive and the cars whizzing along it didn’t seem to slow down for even a second. Janet felt a tingle within her, a flutter of excitement, of something like wonder. She couldn’t see much other than the highway, that was, until they turned a corner.
A particularly curvy part of the highway turned and Janet was allowed to catch a glimpse of the city itself, of the sweeping scene before her. Her breath caught in her chest, wonderment and excitement flooding through her. She bit her lip, feeling almost giddy. It was gorgeous! It was just like back home, and yet there was something slightly different to it, an exotic edge that Janet reveled in.
For that instant, the feat that had been gnawing at her heart was gone, eased into something different, a strange sort of determination, and a strange sort of happiness that she could not quite explain. Then the city was swept from view, as Fang took the turnoff into the city itself.
She took a deep breath. She had heard good things about Cape Town, but that was from an outsider, tourist perspective. She supposed that that would be different from someone working and living in the city, although it still looked glorious, at least, to Janet’s eyes.
She took the streets in with rapt awe. It was lovely, and it was interesting. There were people who were clearly from money, and others who were standing at the traffic lights for money.
“They’re called robots.” Fang glanced at her, “The traffic light, I mean. You’ll get caught out on that.”
Ja
net smiled. From the way that he had said it, she had the suspicion that he had gotten caught out just as badly when he had landed here to start work. She thought about this for a moment, “How long have you been here?”
“A few years, always working for the company.” He didn’t glance at her again this time, but, to be fair, the roads were exceptionally busy and Janet couldn’t really blame him for wanting to keep his eyes on the road.
“Do you like it?” It was an instinctual question, something that she had been brought up to ask.
Fang shrugged, “It’s nice.”
Janet nodded. His eyes didn’t light up, didn’t seem to light up about anything he spoke about and Janet felt a strange sort of twist in her stomach. She didn’t know that guy, couldn’t figure him out and she was usually fantastic at sizing people up fast and getting an idea of how to talk to them. Business, public relation and human resource training had prepared her for that.
But with Fang, with Fang, he was as familiar and as strange as this city itself. She watched as they weaved beneath bridges, and waited for people to cross at the lights. His car didn’t seem at all out of place here, something Janet was grateful for. She hadn’t wanted to draw attention as being a secure vehicle. That wouldn’t have been a smart move.