“There you are! Oh good Lord, what are you wearing?” Susan said, suddenly appearing beside them in her splendor. She stared sourly at Ethan, taking in his outfit with a disapproving stare. Ethan sheepishly returned her gaze and said nothing.
“Francesca, honey, would you mind taking Mike to go and freshen up?” Susan said quietly to Ms. Sanchez without taking her eyes off her husband. The obedient nanny put a hand on Mike’s shoulder and directed him towards the big golden doors on the other side of the lobby which led to the restrooms. Susan turned to Ethan, towering over him in her high heels.
“I can see what you’re doing. Don’t you dare ruin this for me,” she hissed at him as soon as Ms. Sanchez and Mike were out of earshot. “This is a very important day for me. My entire campaign could be destroyed in an instant if this conference doesn’t go well. I thought I had thrown that jacket away.”
“Susan, I just wanted to feel like myself and not another one of these clones,” Ethan replied formally, touching the lapels of his jacket protectively.
“God knows why,” Susan said insultingly, crossing her arms. Ethan swallowed a retort and tried to smile.
“Ok,” he relented, “I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t have dressed this way. Can we try and be professional here?”
“Ugh, speak for yourself,” Susan scoffed then plastered that winning smile on her face when she saw some of the photographers preparing to take their photo.
All of a sudden she was his loving wife again. She put a hand affectionately on his chest while she posed for the photos. Ethan sighed internally and did his best to look presentable. He wondered whether Susan had ever loved him or whether she had just wanted to be with him because posing beside him made her look good. Even when they had met she had been an aspiring politician, graduating from Harvard as the Valedictorian and leader of the student Republican Party. Ethan had been the senior that all the girls fancied, so naturally Susan needed to have him. She had pursued him and he had responded eagerly. She was gorgeous after all and they did love each other once. He looked over at his wife. After years of marriage, he felt like he barely knew her.
He was rescued from the posing spectacle when his phone buzzed in his pocket.
“Sorry honey, it’s work. I have to take this,” he said, fishing his iPhone out of his pocket.
“Hurry back,” Susan replied through her teeth, not letting her smile falter while the cameras were still on her.
Ethan moved gratefully away from her and held the phone up to his ear. The oil company he worked for knew he was off today, but he had told them to check in with him if there were any major decisions that needed to be made.
He had just started chatting to Mark, his second in command, about a shipment that had been delayed, when he ran smack into a tall man in a clean, pressed suit, who had been walking in the opposite direction. Ethan’s phone flew out of his hand and clattered to the ground, along with a briefcase that the tall man had been carrying.
“Oh my God, I am so sorry. That was totally my fault,” Ethan gushed, bending down to retrieve the man’s briefcase for him.
“It’s fine,” replied the man brusquely, reaching down quickly to pick up the briefcase before Ethan could. As an afterthought he picked up Ethan’s phone from where it had fallen at his feet and handed it back to him.
“Thanks. Man, I’m just not myself today. I hate these things,” Ethan said, starting up a conversation and rubbing his hair in a frustrated way.
“Me too,” the man smiled courteously.
“I’m Ethan Parsons,” he continued, holding out a hand to the man.
“The name’s Keenan,” the man said after a moment, accepting Ethan’s hand.
“Well, Mr. Keenan, nice to meet you. Can I buy you a drink to apologize?” Ethan offered.
“No thank you, it’s quite alright, really.” The man nodded in acknowledgment at Ethan then walked off into the crowd without another word.
Ethan shrugged. He had never understood a politician’s weird social behavior, even after being married to one. He brushed himself off and went over to the bar. A drink was definitely in order.
“I’ll have a scotch please, my friend. Hold the rocks,” Ethan said to the awaiting barman. The barman nodded approvingly and started preparing the drink. While Ethan waited, he started listening to the conversation of two well-dressed, portly old men who were leaning on the bar to his left. He noted with interest that one of them was carrying a cane.
“Quite spectacular really, did you know they actually provided countless litres of clean water to Kenyans in need by building that new well?” one of them tittered in a snooty, educated accent.
“Gosh that’s incredible too, but what about their handling of the latest refugee crisis? Such humanists!” replied the man with the cane, stroking the silver handle absentmindedly. Ethan turned away again, thoroughly uninterested. This was not his scene at all.
He looked down at the phone in his hand, an idea suddenly coming to mind. He opened up the messages app and clicked the icon to compose a new message.
The message tone of Caroline’s phone went off loudly, interrupting the stern woman who had been interviewing her. Caroline jumped at the sound, overreacting because of the champagne. She wasn’t normally a heavy drinker and she was already on her third glass. She was nervous about her speech. On top of that, she was still unsure whether or not she had made the right decision about bringing her findings to the public. The information was extremely valuable and she dreaded to think of what might happen if it made its way into the wrong hands.
“Sorry! I thought I had turned that off!” she apologized, taking the phone out of her handbag to power it down. She took a glance at the screen. She smiled to herself when she saw that it was from Ethan:
Best of luck, superstar! Chat to you after, E, it read. Hurriedly Caroline pressed the off button and stuffed it messily back into her bag.
“Sorry,” she said again, “where were we…forgive me, what did you say your name was?”
“It’s Kira,” the journalist replied irritably. I’m on Mary Ann West’s team!” She looked very much like a proud peacock whose feathers who had been ruffled. With her stern gray hair pulled back into a sensible bun, it was clear that this reporter had an air of self-importance about her.
“Won’t Ms. West be joining us?”
“She won’t and that’s why I’m here. Is that a problem?”
“No, not at all, what was the question again?”
“I was just asking you what Emotion Market tech really means for our society,” Kira continued after a notable pause, referencing Caroline’s work. “Can it really hope to achieve all you say it can?”
“It’s really too soon to tell, but we’re rather very confident,” Caroline stated authoritatively, slipping into her comfortable, scientific persona. “What is undeniable is that Emotion Market tech is extremely exciting. The obvious and immediate health benefits are already radically improving the way we live and evolve as a human race.”
“Oh, God save us,” Jane said over to one side, crossing herself repeatedly. She didn’t like it when Caroline spoke about evolution in that way, insinuating that the Blessed Mother and the Lord Jesus Christ were not responsible for the creation of humans.
Kira stared at Jane so forcefully that Caroline feared she might actually harm her mom.
“Ahem,” Caroline cleared her throat protectively, bringing Kira’s attention back onto her and away from Jane.
“Edit that bit out,” Kira whispered loudly to her cameraman, who nodded surreptitiously in response.
What a witch, Caroline couldn’t help thinking.
Kira didn’t get a chance to ask her next question as a hotel employee called for silence.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please start making your way up to the Grand Ballroom. The conference will be starting shortly. Members of the press, we thank you for coming out today, but we would just like to remind you that this is a closed conference.” The ho
tel employee ended his announcement with a flourish, delighted with himself that he had successfully made it through the most important moment of his life.
The journalists and cameramen let out a collective moan and made their way grudgingly towards the exit. That was, of course, apart from Kira and the rest of Mary Ann West’s team. She gave Caroline a look that told her she wasn’t finished with her questioning then strutted confidently past the now speechless hotel employee and towards the staircase that led to the third floor, where the ballroom was located. Kira was the only journalist who had been allowed to cover the PATOTTM conference live, and she wasn’t going to let anybody tell her otherwise. Soon the whole world would know her name. More than she could ever imagine.
Caroline wondered what Kira’s problem was as she ambled along with her mom and the rest of the crowd towards the glamorous hotel staircase. She noticed a tall, attractive man walking along, not talking to anyone. He must have felt her eyes on him because he looked up almost immediately and made eye contact with her. He smiled then looked away and continued up the staircase. Caroline hugged herself, suddenly reminded that she was going to have to give a speech soon.
Funny, small, mousy girl. Big party for you, mousy girl, thought Mr. Keenan. He took the steps two at a time, his long legs easily making the journey as he eagerly strode towards the ballroom.
The ballroom really was a sight to behold. The ceiling seemed even higher than the one in the lobby. Beautiful patterns were spiralled over it, crisscrossing and intertwining with each other. Behind the stage, a big screen had been set up, presumably because there was going to be some sort of demonstration incorporated into the conference. Miniature screens had also been placed in various locations throughout the ballroom so that wherever people were sitting, they would be able to see what was going on perfectly. The left arms of the chairs were equipped with little monitors, where little program notes or subtitles were generally displayed. On the right there was an earphone socket, complete with a set of complimentary earphones, in case people wanted to listen to the presentation through earphones instead of the speaker system. In the back of the ballroom, a complex looking PA system had been set up. The technology was fascinating to behold and worked oddly well with the vintage and traditional décor of the hotel. Positioned subtly in the corner of the ballroom, FBI agents stood with their arms crossed neutrally in front of their bodies. An ear piece protruded out of each of their right ears. They all looked rather bored. Although it was necessary to have government personnel present at the event, with some of the country’s most high profile figures in attendance at the conference, it was still not one of the most riveting assignments for an FBI agent.
An air of excitement spread throughout the crowd as everybody settled into their seats. They all knew that they were going to witness something ground-breaking that day.
Caroline thought she might pass out from the nerves. The booze hadn’t helped matters. She wished she hadn’t had so much to drink. Stress is your friend. Let your stress help you, her therapist always told her. What a load of nonsense, she thought to herself.
She made her way anxiously onto the stage and took her seat of prime importance. Next to her sat the President of PATOTTM. Caroline had never seen him before, but she recognized him from photos that she had seen in the PATOTTM monthly magazine. She gulped audibly as she prepared to speak to him.
“It’s an honor to meet you, sir. I’m a big fan,” she stammered. Pathetic. Sort yourself out girl, she cursed, balling her hands into fists determinedly.
“The honor is mine, Caroline,” the President replied kindly. He looked her steadily in the eyes. She instantly felt soothed and some of her angst slipped away from her.
“You have revolutionized PATOTTM’s vision with your research. You are going to change the world.”
Caroline stared, amazed that the president of her company, and one of her idols, was speaking to her this way. All she could do was smile feebly back.
“Right, everything’s been worked out. We were having a few issues with the live feed, hence the delay, but I’ve been chatting with the event organizers and they’ve assured me that we’re good to go now.”
Caroline looked up to see Susan make her way onto the stage then sit on her seat on the other side of the President. Caroline had no idea why Susan was sitting up on the stage, but it seemed somehow appropriate. Besides, Caroline certainly wasn’t going to argue with her!
“Sir, I have been meaning to talk to you all day,” Susan said, turning adoringly to the President of PATOTTM. “The work you carried out concerning the clean water initiative in Kenya and Tanzania earlier this year was just amazing!”
Caroline tried not to roll her eyes as she listened to Susan sucking up to the President. Susan’s words didn’t stop Caroline from smiling though. The energy in the room was palpable. The world truly was on the verge of a major discovery. The crowd chattered excitedly like millions of tiny chipmunks. She peered down at her mother, who was sitting proudly in the front row. Jane waved up at Caroline, her smile stretching from ear to ear.
Ethan tried not to look bored as he listened to the scientist who was sitting to his right. He was talking about some project that was going to achieve proper pay for workers in under-developed countries. Ethan actually found this topic interesting, as it affected his own business, but the way this man droned on made it seem like they were talking about the weather.
He sighed and looked quickly to his right at the two empty seats that had been saved for Mike and Ms. Sanchez. He hadn’t seen them since the start of the evening. He wondered what they had been up to. He cursed the fact that he never seemed to be around for Mike. Both Susan and him were very involved in their jobs. They had become even more so after their marriage had started to fall apart. Ethan had started staying longer and longer in the office at the end of the day, dreading going home, where Susan would no doubt still be working with her campaign team, late into the night. All that that meant was that he had seen Mike less. Whenever he arrived home from work, little Mike was already asleep. I need to make it up to the kid, he thought resolvedly. He looked up suddenly when he realized the doctor had asked him a question.
“Um…” Ethan stalled awkwardly, trying to remember what the last thing was that he had heard the doctor say. “Um…I completely agree,” he ventured.
The doctor peered at him over his glasses then nodded his head enthusiastically. Ethan breathed a sigh of relief and tried to focus harder on what the doctor was discussing.
“Dad!” Mike called over from the side aisle. Ethan thankfully excused himself and stood up to bring Mike and Ms. Sanchez over to their seats.
“How’s your evening going, champ?” Ethan asked Mike, picking him up for a second, even though Mike was too big for that really.
“Great! I’ve been learning loads! Me and Francesca have been talking to a ton of famous doctors and politicians!”
“Yeah? You’ve been doing better than me then,” Ethan joked, giving Ms. Sanchez a grateful look as he led them both over to their seats.
They had just sat down when a hush settled over the crowd as the President stood up to address everyone.
“Good evening, my most distinguished guests. Thank you so much for joining me tonight. Not only are we here for our annual conference but also to more fully understand Emotion Market tech. We are also here to celebrate science. We are witnesses to the dawn of a new day, my friends. In these exciting times that we are living in, we are going to bare witness to human life being improved exponentially. We can look to the future and discuss terms like ‘immortality,’ which have previously been the talk of science-fiction. Today, we see science-fiction become science-fact, ladies and gentlemen.”
Upon hearing the last sentence, the crowd broke into spontaneous applause. At nearly sixty years of age, the President of PATOTTM was still an engaging and dynamic speaker. Instead of making him look older, the gray hairs at his temples served to make him look mature, distinguished
and refined. His nicely tailored suit and neatly folded handkerchief in his breast pocket completed the ensemble. More than a few of the ladies present leaned forward in their seats to more efficiently hear the words the attractive older man was saying.
“However, more than any of that, we will commence the conference with a celebration for the achievements of this beautiful young lady here,” the President of PATOTTM continued, gesturing behind him at Caroline, who quickly blushed to the color of the splendid red curtains that framed the stage.
The crowd erupted again into applause, much more enthusiastically and energetically than before. People started whooping and cat calling. Ethan jumped out of his seat to lead the standing ovation. The applause lasted for several minutes. The crowd revelled in the opportunity to release some of their pent-up energy. They called out Caroline’s name and wolf whistled impressively. There were even one or two shouts of “Brava!” from the overeager members of the crowd who were letting themselves get a little carried away in the ballroom surroundings.
Finally, just when Caroline thought she might burst from the embarrassment, the hubbub died down so that the President of PATOTTM could speak again.
“Yes indeed, she is quite marvellous,” he began again, giving Caroline a dazzling smile. She could not help but blush again. “Before we hear from this wonderful woman, I have a little surprise for you all.” The President of PATOTTM’s eyes twinkled mischievously. He cleared his throat.
“President Walters, can you hear me?” the President of PATOTTM said into the microphone on the podium in front of him. A hushed whisper spread like a virus throughout the ballroom.
“Is he talking to the President of the United States?” Ms. Sanchez leaned in to ask Ethan eagerly, lisping in her heavily accented English. Ethan shrugged and smiled excitedly in response.
EMOTION MARKET: the Tailor of Hearts - A gripping psychological thriller Page 18
