Chapter Text
MAYA
I walk towards the elevator and press the button to go down to the basement, as I simultaneously scroll through the 54,678 unread emails on my iPad. I make a mental note to myself to check up on how the work with Glazer's Gourmand was going. They were our latest collaborators, and I'd insisted to my dad that I'd overlook the whole process following the collaboration. We'd increased our margins by 30% this quarter, but being the top marketing executive of the biggest frozen foods industry was not a job to be taken lightly. As I scroll through my emails in the quiet atmosphere of the elevator, a ringing sound interrupts my peace. I check my phone to see that it's my mother. I pick up the call.
"Hey mom!" I tried to make my voice not sound as dull as I felt.
"Honey, why did you ghost Dean? He was perfect for you, darling, wealthy, handsome, and kind. I just heard from his mother that Dean was visibly upset after your blind date and, upon asking, told his mother that you refused to go on another date with him and that you weren't replying to his texts. What went wrong?"
Ugh. My mom and her blind dates. My mom set up these blind dates, looking for suitors among the wealthy people known by my family. She set me up with Dean last week. He was good-looking, but mid-date, he started screaming at the waiter about how he was allergic to oyster mushrooms, accusing the waiter of trying to kill him. He hadn't mentioned them when the waiter had asked us politely if any of us had any allergies while she was taking our order. I seriously could not with emotionally dumb people. The waiter wasn't even the one who made the food!
"Geez mom, not even a 'Hello' or 'How are you?' and Dean was a jerk, and I didn't expect him to go cry to his mommy about it, he whined like a six-year-old during our date and threw a couple of tantrums at the restaurant staff. Plus, he was boring; all he talked about was how rich his family was and how he wanted to be with someone sweet and someone capable of taking care of his children. Who mentions children on the first date?" I spoke on the phone. The elevator stopped, two women and a man walked into the elevator from floor twenty-one and greeted me, I nodded back at them and smiled politely.
"So what if he was a little excited? If you raise your standards so high, no guy will marry you! And don't say 'Then I won't marry a man at all' again honey, you cannot possibly consider living alone for the rest of your life! You're turning twenty-nine this year! You should've been married and had kids by now! Women over thirty aren't given many choices..!"
I grit my teeth and try not to make my voice bitter as I reply through the phone, "Mom, I'm in a hurry right now, and the service in the elevator is shit, talk to you later" I wait a few seconds before hanging up. i try to calm myself down as the elevator opens and breathe in the chilly air. I walk towards my car and get in the driver's seat, playing some soft music, and start driving when I'm interrupted by another ringtone. I check my dashboard to see it's dad this time. Kill me now.
"I click on the button on my steering wheel to answer the phone.
"Hi dad"
"Maya, I have some urgent news to discuss with you, come quickly to my office." He said in his typical no-nonsense voice.
"Dad, but I just left the buildi-" I'm cut off as my dad says,
"It's urgent, honey. I need you back here under fifteen minutes."
"Okay, what is it about? The Glazer's Gourmand deal? I've already sent out-" I'm cut off again by my dad's voice as he replies;
"It's about the Laurents."
"The Laurents? What are you talking about?"
"I'll tell you more when you get here." Saying that, he hangs up. I grit my teeth and turn the car around to go back exactly where I came from.
The Laurents owned a culinary empire, whose business was worth billions, and our families have interacted before due to the common food factor in both our empires. Mr. and Mrs. Laurent were nice enough, but a certain heir was the reason of my doctor advising me to take pills to lower my blood pressure. Sebastian and I had each other at our throats back when we attended the same boarding school in Switzerland. I hated his guts, and he hated mine. He beat me for the valedictorian spot by a quarter GPA and never let me forget it. I hoped not to encounter him in my dad's office.
I reached the building soon enough and went up to my dad's room to find Mr. Laurent and Sebastian present there, along with my dad and our company's advisor. Great.
I greeted Mr. Laurent and my dad politely and didn't spare Sebastian a glance. My dad signaled me to sit in one of the chairs surrounding the long table and I took my seat right beside dad, which was unfortunately right in front of Sebastian. There was a moment of awkwardness before my dad started talking.
"Maya, Mr. Laurent and Sebastian," my dad said in a gruff voice, waving his hand in their direction, "have offered us a great deal, which will help us get rid of the middlemen and convert many chains into a complete B2C dynamic. What is trending in the market at the time?"
I was caught off guard and tried to put my thoughts into coherent sentences. Were all these people making a collab? This was a test, surely.
"I believe Ghost kitchens and delivery-only models remain dominant, offering cost efficiency and scalability for restaurants. Simultaneously, fusion cuisine and global flavours—especially from Eastern European, Southern Asian, and new-wave Japanese cuisines—are gaining traction, although, why are you asking this, and what is happening?" I said, trying not to sound too curious as I waited for my dad to explain what was happening.
Dad didn't respond to me instead, he looked at Mr. Laurent approvingly and said, "It's true that your deal matches perfectly with the ongoing culinary market trends. Let's pick out a date soon and announce this collaboration publicly. I need all ins for this project, Delalieu." My dad said to Mr. Delalieu Laurent, the current owner of the Laurent's empire and Sebastian's father.
"Alright then, we'll take our leave. I'll instruct my assistant to go through the details again, and the signing of the contract will be done at the end of the month." Mr. Laurent said
I got up from my seat and sneaked a glance at Sebastian. His face was blank and unreadable, but then he looked right at me and smirked. I rolled my eyes and looked away. "That's not a very nice way to greet your new collaborator, you know? Sal." His agitating voice said, low so that only me and him could listen while my dad, Mr. Laurent and dad's advisor further discussed the details of their contract.
I gritted my teeth, ffs my dear teeth. I hated that nickname. It was a reminder of my failure every. single. time.
"And staying mute the entire time is? Get a life." I spoke, ice dripping from my voice.
"Alright Sal, unlike you, I have work to do, so kudos!" He said in his arrogant and cocky voice. I gave him a mock smile.
"You call cooping up in a four-walled space to do nothing but bark orders work? Sure, buddy." His smile sharpened, and he was about to say something when Mr. Laurent signaled his son that they were leaving. As they left, I turned to my dad and said.
"Dad, what the hell was that??!"