Coded ambition

Fragment 7: Remembrance, Part 2

Dean clearly remembered the day when he had proposed to Natalie. It was the 30th of March in 2085, a genuinely beautiful and warm Saturday right before Spring. He had invited Natalie for a dinner date at Azure Spire, the blue tower on the outskirts of Cading which provided a beautiful view of some mountains in the distance as well as the city itself. The city had been raising funds for quite some time to create a unique selling point for Cading that would be difficult for many other new cities to match. Built just a few years ago, Azure Spire has become not only a beautiful tourist attraction, but also a hot spot for romantic events.

While they waited downstairs, Dean complimented Nat on her dress, which incorporated Azure Spire's vibrant blue color into her look.

Dean himself wore a dark blue suit and necktie in a slightly lighter tone which was a felicitous complement to his female companion's attire. Once again, Dean admired Natalie's farsight and sense for details. No matter where she went, she was always fitting in nicely. He was satisfied with her style and social standing and since Nat had appeared in his life, he did not want to meet other women anymore. It was time to settle down, he figured. Hence, he had done several preparations for this evening. In order to further consolidate and deepen their connection, he had played some family cards which would be highly beneficial for Nat if she agreed to form a marital union with him. The topic would become of high relevance later this evening.

When it was their turn to ascend the Azure Spire with the elevator, a short picture was taken of them right before their experience. Dean offered his arm to her like a gentleman. Nat happily took it and got a little bit closer for the picture. The photo would be sent later to them and turned out very nicely.

As they were alone in the elevator and beamed up the tower, Dean found Nat nervously playing with strands of her long, curled and open hair.

"Everything here looks amazing. Thank you very much for inviting me, Dean."

Dean liked her being nervous as he counted it as Natalie being likewise interested in him and eager to please him. "I just want to show you what to expect in life by my side."

As Nat smiled shyly, Dean looked somewhere else. Politely, Nat also did not stare at him too long but at the elevator door which was showing that they were currently on level 103 on a display above. 137 to go.

"I have read the contract", Nat said, a little bit reserved. Apparently she wanted to have this topic off her table very soon. "You really must have gone out your way to be able to offer this to me, Dean."

"Do the conditions please you?"

"Yes. Three years is plenty for me. I can't expect to go a long way further."

Dean smiled. "Then I guess we have a really beautiful evening ahead of us."

"Oh yes, it will surely be memorable."

Nat smiled, but it was not genuine, rather polite. Dean ascribed that to her being reluctant to talking about business deals in general. She would become less tense later, he reckoned.

As they entered the large restaurant hall which was surrounded by glass walls on each side, Nat's eyes lost themselves in the beauty of the location. Everything was decorated in blue and silver color tones, emitting an aura of elegance and upper-class luxury. Dean knew that she was not used to such abundance and quality, despite her being a relatively successful model. If she had climbed the ladder of success higher already, she would not be swayed by the contract that he provided her at all.

Said contract stated to keep her in the model business for three years guaranteed as Dean's uncle was a manager in a model agency called Hidden beauty and was still owing Dean a favor. The agency was renowned and paid very well. An uprising model which had some successful gigs and business deals in the middle-class section but few relevant connections to rise even higher, was stuck without knowing the right people. With time running out in her twenties, Nat would probably not have the chance to rise higher than she already did. Except if she finally got a hold of a person who could offer said connection and lucky for her, this person was Dean.