CH 131

Odette walked out of the interview with a huge smile on her face. It was a far cry from when she first turned up and rang the doorbell, all nerves and worry. The first steps had been taken and while she was daydreaming of the prospects ahead of her, she hadn’t realised she had stepped out onto the street.

Her strict land-lady had suggested that she knew someone who wanted their little girl to learn the piano, the only obstacle was convincing the mother, who was rather snooty, but by the time the interview was done, Odette was convinced the mother had already made up her mind when she inquired into how busy Odette was going to be over the next week or so.

Odette made her way to the city centre with excited steps, it was going to be a day where not even the overcast weather could put a dampener on her mood. Her heart filled with the dream of settling down in a small city in the warm south.

She strolled through the festively decorated streets, admiring what felt like a dream come true. She picked up a few essentials, and a gold coin which was an impulsive buy. She knew she didn’t have the money to splurge on such luxuries, but she wanted to celebrate.

What kind of child are you? she thought. All while strolling cheerily towards the tram stop, a bag of freshly bought apples swinging in her hand.

The baby she was carrying felt like it would grow to be a strong child, given the trials it had already been through. The baby certainly didn’t take after her, which was craving foods she didn’t particularly like, but ate them anyway.

Bastian’s face floated out of the warmth of her imagination, catching its shape in the mist of her breath. She stopped in her tracks and let out a sigh. Inevitably there will come a day when the child will ask about its father.

She had no idea what she was going to say, in the end, she pushed it from her mind. That day was a long time away and she had more pressing matters to worry about. For now, she must be content to live in the here and now and hope the answers will come with time.

Maybe it was because she was thinking about him, but she could have sworn she saw Bastian standing in front of a tobacconist. When she looked again, nothing had changed, she did in fact see Bastian’s face at the street stall.

Hero of the North Sea loses the battle for the railway to his father.

The headline read, in huge, bold text above a picture of Bastian. It took a moment for Odette to realise she was making for the newspaper stand.

It was a detailed article about Bastian’s attempts to win the contract the Felia government had put up to take charge of their railway. Bastian had fought a tough, and long winded, battle with his father, Jeff Klauswitz, and ultimately lost.

“Hey Lady, don’t think about reading for free, pay for it, money!”

From the stall’s doorway, the owner shouted out. Odette shook her head, partially dazed, and put down the newspaper she was holding.

“……I’m sorry.” Odette managed to say with difficulty,  a tremor started to build up in Odette’s fingertips. The bid announcement had been made this morning, to which the parties attended in person.

He was here?

The realisation struck Odette like lightning. She hastened away from the stall, almost like she was fleeing. Her instincts told her to return home as fast as possible, lock herself away until she knew she was safe.

Her legs had other ideas. They felt like leaden weights that refused to obey her. With effort, she forced herself toward the tram stop, bustling through the crowds as best she could. The world plunged into water and she struggled to keep her feet. The paper bag fell from her hand and just as she was following them to the floor, a gentle touch held her steady.

“Are you alright?” inquired a concerned passer-by.

“Yes, thank you.” Odette said instinctively.  

Hastily grabbing up her belongings. It wasn’t until she had stuffed the bag into her pocket and stood upright that she realised the man had spoken in Berg’s own language.

Odette blinked her mind clear and surveyed her surroundings pensively. The tram stop was not as crowded as she first thought and there was no sign of the man that had just helped her.

She tried to order her mind and analyse the situation properly. The relationship between Felia and Berg was amicable enough that it was common to find Bergians in Felia. But the man’s manners were casual as if he already knew Odette was from Berg.

The more she thought about him, the more his face became clear through the smog of her once distracted thoughts. It was a fleeting image, but she did remember seeing a sizeable scar down the man’s cheek, it was prominent enough to distinctly remember.

Odette let out a sob, all thoughts of waiting for the tram fled and she turned and sprinted down the street.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

With the quick negotiations finalised, Bastian signed the cheque and handed it over to Etienne Steel Co.’s owner, who checked the numbers on the piece of paper and smiled with satisfaction. He found the sum adequate for the purchase of thirty locomotives.

“So, the railway venture didn’t work out, and you’re going into the steel trade, eh?” Etienne smiled at Bastian. “With the rumours of your audacious bids, I wonder if the railway was ever your true target.”

“Well, it always does well to have contingencies. I had no intention of going back home empty handed, if that’s what you mean.”

Etienne nodded his head approvingly. “A wise decision. Sometimes, settling for second best is often better than risking it all for that decisive victory. You won’t regret it.”

Bastian could tell that Etienne was a shrewd businessman. They exchanged a few more pleasant words and toasted to a prosperous partnership. The finer details would be entrusted to a team of lawyers and regulators and with no more business between them, Bastian departed. There was one more matter of business he needed to take care of first, before heading home.

He had his car take him to the address on the slip of paper Keller had given him. The address of the boarding house Odette was staying at.

Bastian reclined in his seat as he looked across the street to the building where his wife was staying. An involuntary smile played across his lips as he thought about the productive visit to Felia.

Jeff Klauswitz was now the king of the railway, a rather vain title Bastian didn’t care for. The relentless racehorse, blinkered by ambition, had won the race. But it was ultimately unable to see where it was racing too.

Over the course of the long battle for the railway, Bastian realised that all potential from such a venture had been sucked dry. The railway could no longer support a society propelling itself into the future. He had no interest in joining a toppling dynasty. The title of Railway King no longer held any merit.

In time, Jeff would pass the legacy to Franz, who would not have the mental strength to carry on his fathers enterprise. Abandoning it would be his most likely choice and then, Bastian would be able to acquire it for a bargain price.

Felia’s railway had value that was undeniable, but this bidding war had bloated its value beyond its true worth.

Bastian had no qualms with playing the gracious loser, having his father look at him with that mocking grin, he was content to wait for the inevitable victory that would be his.

Overflowing with confidence, Bastian stepped out of the car and strode across the street to the boarding house. A young man opened the door, one Bastian was familiar with as being Keller’s assistant.

“I must apologise,” the man started, his tone did not sound promising. “Mrs Klauswitz departed not thirty minutes ago. Keller asked me to wait for you to pass on the message.”

“I see,” Bastian said a little more calmly than expected.

“Mr Keller suggests that she might be looking to catch a train, I am to take you to her.”

Bastian sighed. “Very well, let’s go.”

They went back to Bastian’s car and as soon as they had slid into the seats, “To the station,” Bastian said sharply.

With a playful rush, the car sped off, leaving the quiet city behind. Throughout the ride, Bastian kept his gaze focussed out the window, lost in thought amongst the passing scenery.

The only reason Odette was able to play this little game of hide and seek was because Bastian had tolerated it, but now he was losing his patience. He fixated on the scenery out of the window, his demeanour remained composed, there was no point in getting worked up and emotionally drained over this.

By the time the car pulled up in front of the station, cold winter rain, falling from the sombre skies above, lashed at the car. Bastian barely seemed to notice as he stepped out of the car the second it came to a stop.