“Will you marry me?” Casey asked, and Rae realized there was a stream of tears rolling down her face. She nodded, her hand clamped over her mouth. Casey smiled and rose, and they hugged. And then they kissed, and the camera started up again, but neither of them noticed the flashes.
****
THE END
The Russian’s Secret Love Child – Ella’s Story
Welcome to PB Real Estate, Ella, Steffi Rushden said.
Thank you,” Ella replied. “I'm so happy to be here. It's not easy finding a good job these days.
You were by far the best candidate, and we had a lot of applicants. Here's your desk. Do you think you'll be comfortable here?
Ella glanced around the office she was going to work in. She'd applied for the position of junior management accountant without having much hope of actually landing the job. To her surprise, she was now standing on the fourteenth floor of a luxury office building in Manhattan with Steffi, the woman who had interviewed her, just a few days ago. Yes, it's perfect,' Ella said as she looked at her new work station, a glass desk with chrome frame and a leather chair on chrome legs. I know I'm not here to look at the view, but wow, you can almost see Europe from here, Ella added, as she looked out past the Statue Of Liberty.
It's a really great place to work, for all sorts of reasons. Now let me introduce you to Mike. He's the company management accountant, and he'll be looking after you for a few weeks until you get the hang of how we operate here.
Mike Johnson was the sort of man Ella had always thought would be an accountant. He was of medium height, slightly overweight and bald. His silver rimmed glasses were too big for his face, and they clung perilously to the end of his nose. She did note, however, that his suit and shoes were of the highest quality and must have cost more money than most people earn in a year.
Hello, Ella. It's a pleasure to meet you. I thought we could spend a few minutes getting to know each other before we start work, he said. Ella was relieved to note his friendly disposition. She had been woken in the night by an awful dream, in which she was lumbered with an ogre of a boss.
Great, I'd like that, Ella said as Mike gestured to her to sit down. Ella's desk was in a small office, which contained to two work places. One for her and one for Mike. The company was expanding, and Mike had asked Pavel if he could have an assistant to help him.
So tell me a bit about yourself, I met you briefly at the interview, but it was Steffi who really got to know you. She told me you will be a star and that your qualifications are second to none.
It's kind of her to say so. I'm very pleased she thought so highly of me. Well, I don't really know where to start, Ella said as her thumbs wound around each other. I'm twenty-three, and I've just graduated from Pace. I was born into a pretty poor family, my Mom and Dad are second-generation African Americans. Dad works in cold storage, and Mom's just lost her job. She was a packer at a fish factory. It was terrible work, so I'm not unhappy she's lost it. She's got crippling arthritis from the damp, cold conditions.
Ella wondered whether she was telling Mike too much background information, but he seemed to be smiling and nodding, and not at all bored, so she continued. They did everything they could to give me a good start in life. I couldn't have wished for better parents, but they were desperately short of money all the time. We live in a tiny apartment in Bedford, and do our best, like all the other residents, to avoid getting shot or stabbed. I went to school, seemed to do okay, and got a place at Pace. Mom and Dad were so proud of me when I landed this job; I can't tell you.
Well, you certainly seem to be working your way up in the world. I really admire you for that. What about hobbies? What do you like to do in your spare time.
I love reading, and I've done a bit of part time modeling. Nothing glamorous, but I've been in a few catalogs.
Mike could quite see why. Ella was striking. When she'd walked into the room, he'd been very surprised to see how tall she was. He estimated five ten and she was wearing flat shoes. Her black skin shone with the healthy glow of youth, and he loved the way she wore her hair. She'd tied in up, and she looked quite the business woman. She had remarkably fine bones and a whiter than white smile. Mike liked to think of himself as a kind soul who would never look at a woman in an inappropriate manner, but faced with Ella; he was struggling to live up to his self-image. He found his eyes falling to her breasts and lovely legs far too often for his liking. Ella was wearing a skirt, and when she crossed her legs, Mike was embarrassed to feel a stir in his groin.
That’s nice, he said averting his eyes as Ella once again shifted her weight from one buttock to the other. So what do you know about PB Real Estate?