The Offer

Prologue

Hell is real and it is here, I thought for maybe the thousand't time. Both my parents had tragically died of Covid and I was overcome with grief. They contacted the virus during their yearly ski-trip to Austria. We had little possibilities to say goodbye due to all contamination protocols. Mom had insisted I would inform her mother immediately in the unlikely event of her not surviving the virus. Now grandmother and me are slowly following their coffins to the grave where their bodies will rest.

Although it had been late in the evening when I called her, Grandma had turned up at my small Amsterdam apartment within an hour. She had offered to help arrange my parents funeral and effectively taken control. Without her I would not have been able to make all needed arrangements. She turned out to know all the right people. It was only the two of us that were allowed to be present at this final journey due to the strict measures. We were the only direct family they had. Me, grandma, the undertaker and 16 strangers in black suits wearing black face-masks hired to carry the coffins, were all that were present on that cold and rainy March 2020 morning.

I thought back of the past three days. A true rollercoaster of emotions and activities had overtaken my normal routines. The call with the worst news interrupted my gaming night and I had immediately called grandmother. She said she was on her way and would join me within the hour. Hours and hours we had talked, refreshing memories and making arrangements with the undertaker. I learned a lot about my parents life I had never known. Grandmother was more aware of my parent's life than I had expected. She seemed very curious about me, my study and my job. She was aware of my gender identity and the struggle I had had accepting who I was. She accepted me completely and made clear she valued people regardless of their gender or sexuality.

On the day after my parents had died we were having dinner at my small desk, the only table I owned. I had cooked us some pasta with ready made sauce. Providing for two was a strain on my budget, but I had declined her offer to go to a restaurant. I guessed grandma would feel the strain on her budget too, pensions being not very high.

'I expect from you the same as I expected from your mother; full acceptance of people no matter who or what they are,' was the way grandmother had ended our discussion on gender roles.

I had only nodded in surprise and agreement. Grandmother had watched me intensely making that statement. She kept looking at me with a dead serious face.

'You will be my heir when I die Louise. I made the arrangements today. My inheritance comes with great responsibility and you must be prepared to take this upon you.'

'What do you mean?'

'I cannot reveal this just now. You first need to graduate and have celebrated your 21^st birthday.'

'That will be 18 months from now. You told me you are gravely ill. Will you live that long?'

She grinned and shrugged.

'Even if I am no longer around, all will be set in motion in due time. It will depend on your age and your graduation. Try not to disappoint me.'

'Who is going to inform me in case you would not live that long?'

'I am not telling. You will find out when the time is right. Everything has been arranged.'

'You are being mysterious.'

'I have good reasons for that. You may call it an old woman's folly. By the way I have arranged for the envelopes of the announcement cards to be written by some young friends of mine.'

'That is great, thank you. I was not looking forward to writing all those cards. Mum's list was more than two hundred names, dad had fifty addresses.'

'Yes, and I added quite a few myself. Only you had just a few. How come?'

'I don't have that many friends. I gave my study priority.'

'So I understood. You are a smart girl.'

'Not a girl, grandma,' I corrected her.

She smiled.

'Sorry Louise, it takes some getting used to.'

'It is okay.'

'It is not okay really,' she countered, 'I need to do better.'

'You are ninety, don't be harsh on yourself.'

'No Louise, it is key to understand and accept these kind of things. As the matriarch I cannot fail you.'

I looked at her in confusion.

'I am your only living relative. Isn't that a bit small to call a matriarchy?', I asked.

She was all mysterious smiles now and said nothing for some time. She seemed a bit sad and I understood completely. We had just lost my parents.

I was crying when I spoke the obituary at their grave. Grandma held my hand in an unexpectedly firm grip. After my short speech both coffins were lowered. Dad's went first, followed by mum's. I felt lonely and broken. Grandma stood by me and I kept wondering how she was able to arrange her life around me.

For weeks after, grandma took care of me. She arranged everything for me at the university and my job, allowing me to mourn. She seemed devoted to helping me recover, however she never answered my queries on how she managed. I would know when the time was ripe she kept saying.

After some time I managed to push the loss to the background and gain control of my life again. I picked up on my studies and got started on the final bit. The end-paper would not 'write itself'.

The beginning

I was about to submit the final version of my end paper when I noticed an email from the student advisor coming into my mailbox with priority. Anxious to see if there were complications around my graduation I opened it. After working 16 hours on the paper I didn't have a very clear mind any more.

Dear Louise,

Sorry to bother you during this busy period in your preparations for your finals. A sponsor of the university has a job opening and your profile is a perfect match. Please let me know if you are interested. You can contact me whenever you have time. I will arrange a meeting with their headhunters-agency if you like.

Regards,

H. Wildschutter (student advisor)

Ps. This is an opportunity you really should consider.

Kind Regards,

Hanny Wildschutter

No complications but a job offer. Unexpected but cool. I proceeded sending in my work and sent a reply to Mrs Wildschutter. Within minutes we had agreed I would visit her office at the end of the afternoon. Another job would really help lift a lot of the worries I was facing in this new phase I was entering. I had to leave my student room soon and therefore find a better source of income. Housing was extremely expensive in the Netherlands currently and I really wanted to stay in Amsterdam which was even more expensive. Having worked on my paper through the night I decided getting a few hours of sleep would do me good.

Naturally I overslept so I made the choice to go for a more masculine look this afternoon, which allowed me to skip the make-up. I had too little time to take a tram to the faculty building so I cycled there. Just five minutes late I entered Mrs Wildschutters' office. She looked genuinely happy to see me.

'I saw in the system you submitted your final version this morning, congratulations.'

'Thanks and sorry for being late. I had problems waking up in time. I worked all night.'

'I can imagine and no problem,' she said with a warm smile: 'Are you happy with the result?'

'Very happy. Things really came together after the feed-back I received.'

'That is great. Now about that vacancy.'

Something in her voice made my senses go to full alert. I looked at her questioningly.

'It is a little odd. The vacancy is not with a large corporation but with a private business, owned by a very rich family.'

'Not Prince slumlord I hope, Prince Bernhard Jr.'

'Not royalty, but very smart and hardworking business people. They are looking for a graduate to assist them in their everyday affairs.'

'Like a PA? I would not be interested in being somebodies secretary.'

'It would not be like that. After a while you would be managing their wealth on their behalf.'

My curiosity was raised. Listening to a good offer would never hurt, especially when the subject matter seemed related to my graduation topic.

'What kind of pay would they offer?'

'The headhunters agency they are using ensured me the pay would be excellent, but they did not disclose the actual number. Before you will meet their client they want to interview you and do an assessment with you. There will be a 1500 euro pay for the assessment that would take you about two hours of your time.'

Strange idea getting payed for an interview, but I happily accepted it. Mrs Wildschutter handed me a business-card of the agency and we made our good-byes. I was surprised to see it was one of the more well-known headhunter agencies our country has. She wished me good luck.

I decided to directly take action and called the number on the card that seemed to belong to Alice Meavis, account manager.

'Good afternoon this is Alice Meavis' office, Leo speaking,' a friendly man said.

'Leo, this is Louise Wenter, I am...'

Leo's response was really direct when he interrupted my introduction.

'Hi Louise, good of you to call, let me put you through to Alice. Please hold the line.'

A few seconds later Leo was back.

'Louise I am very sorry, but Alice cannot take you call right now. She will call you back in about ten minutes, is that ok?'

'I guess it is, do you need my number?'

'It is on my display here, so don't worry.'

I looked at the time and decided to have dinner at the Mensa, the student restaurant nearby. I arrived just before it got crowded and had my dinner on the table within five minutes. Just as I sat down an unknown number was calling me. There were also some missed calls from grandma, that had come in while I was waiting in line.

'Louise Wenter, ' I answered it.

'Miss Wenter, this is Alice Meavis from Headhunters Inc.. Sorry for being unavailable earlier but I just went to the bathroom a few minutes.'

'No problem. I was calling about a job offer my Student advisor made me aware of.'

'Yes, great! I heard from Mrs Wildschutter she would meet you this afternoon. Would you be able to join me for dinner tonight?'

'I just bought myself a dinner at the Mensa.'

Alice laughed a heartwarming laugh.

'That sounds really sensible. Anything decent?'

'Maybe, I think it is a reasonable deal.'

'Good, can we do the interview later tonight?'

Wow they were really pushing this. I hesitated a few seconds.

'Sorry to sound so pushy, but it took us ages to find a suitable candidate for this vacancy and our clients are getting a bit impatient. Would tonight be an option?'

I looked at the food on my plate, which actually didn't look that nice at all. Some potatoes, overcooked haricots-verdes and a veggie meatball.

'Is dinner still an option?' I asked.

Alice laughed again. I started to like her somewhat more.

'The sensible deal doesn't look so good now?'

I grinned.

'Sure, dinner it will be.'

'Do you know restaurant De Kas in Frankendael park?'

'Yes I know where it is.'

'I will have Leo make reservations for us. Is six o'clock ok?'

I looked at the clock. That would be in half an hour. I realised I was not really dressed for a job interview.

'Could you make that seven? I need to get changed. I might not be admitted to the restaurant in this outfit.'

'Seven is fine. I will bring the paperwork. Looking forward to meet you.'

She already disconnected. I stored her number in my contacts and decided to at least eat the veggies before I left for home. I started to feel a bit nervous about the situation. What was I getting myself into? I returned grandma's call.

'Louise is that you?'

'Yes sorry I missed your calls, I was in line at the mensa.'

'No problem dear. How are you doing?'

'I submitted my final piece today.'

'I heard, great work.'

'You heard?'

'Hanny called me.'

'You know mrs Wildschutter?'

'Yes sure, we have shared somethings. She was watching over you.'

'She was?'

'Yes I asked her to. Now about this job offer. Try to keep an open mind to these people. It is a once in a lifetime chance I think.'

'What do you know?'

'I am getting another call, bye.'

She hung up leaving me in confusion. I was pretty sure there was no incoming call. She was hiding things from me.

It took me long to decide what to wear for the dinner. I was in the mood for a business suit and tie, binding down my luckily rather small breasts like I often did. I kind of switched regularly between dressing as a man or dressing as a woman, usually ending up somewhere in the middle. For years I had been struggling with my gender identity. I recently found just dressing according to my mood worked best for me. I expected a feminine look was more appropriate for this occasion but it was hard to go against my mood. Sometimes being non-binary is a bitch.

I decided on a white dress shirt and the dark blue pencil skirt that I had bought for my parents funeral. I would be walking to the restaurant, because it was close by my home and cycling with this skirt was not a good idea.

I arrived at the Kas, which is an actual greenhouse, ten minutes early and decided to take a short walk in the park to get my nerves under control. I contemplated how I would handle being myself if the job would be mine. Would my employer accept it if I would dress like I normally did, a blend between men's and women's styles? I preferred dressing gender neutral and let people guess. We'd have to see.

When I entered the restaurant somewhat later, a friendly hostess was checking the corona app and IDs. She smiled at me and told me my dinner partner had already arrived and that one of the waiters would guide me to the right table. The restaurant was packed with well-dressed people, the typical crowd for this fancy restaurant. The waiter guiding me was signalled by a attractive and expensive looking couple in their mid-thirties and he made a short stop at their round table. I noticed it was awkwardly set for three. The waiter promised to be with them as soon as possible. In the seconds the man was talking to the waiter, the woman was observing me. She tried to be casual about it, but she didn't succeed. Was she attracted to me? I gave her a reserved smile. She exchanged a glance with her dinner partner and they both nodded as if they needed no words to agree on something. I felt attracted to them and curious as to why she had been watching me with such interest. I shrugged it off immediately, like I usually did when such things happened. It was just a chemical reaction to some visual hints, nothing I would be acting upon.

After that, I was brought to a sheltered table in the back where a beautiful dark-skinned lady was seated. She got up as soon she saw me coming and extended her hand to greet me. We introduced ourselves, but I did not take her hand and offered an elbow bump instead. Alice dressed ambitious, wearing a light blue skirt with a matching jacket. She seemed rather tired.

'Oh sorry, I forgot,' Alice said.

'It is always a bit awkward isn't it?'

'Sure, but I should have known.'

'Lots of people are loosening up nowadays.'

The waiter was still hovering around, therefore I looked at him with a smile.

'Yes?'

'Can I offer you an appetiser?'

I looked at Alice. She nodded.

'I would want to make a choice based on the menu. I'll have a sparkling water for now.'

'Would you like to share a bottle?', he asked.

Alice confirmed and asked him to bring the menu.

'Excellent,' she said when we sat down at our table.

'I am sorry, but what do you mean?', I asked, my nerves now playing games with my social skills.

'You gave the guy an excellent response. Mind if I talk you through the paperwork first?'

'I'd rather have some explanation of the job first, before you have me signing all kinds of documents.'

'Yes you are right, but I really need you to sign an NDA first.'

I did not comprehend what a NDA was. Alice seemed to pick up on my lack of understanding.

'A non-disclosure agreement is required for the confidentiality of my clients.'

'That seems a bit unequal, don't you think? I will not sign any document until I have been made aware what kind of job I will be performing.'

Our drinks were served and Alice seemed to be unsure what to do. When the waiter left she had made a decision.

'Ok, you are right and I like your attitude. It is exactly what our clients are looking for. Our clients are very wealthy and very demanding in their expectations of their staff. They need a personal assistant who knows how to draw a line and say no to their demands.'

'I already told Mrs. Wildschutter I am not interested in a secretary role.'

'I know you did. She told me how you responded. But don't worry it will not be like that. You will be managing their every day business but most of all you will help managing their financial affairs, their investment portfolios and charities. They will pay you a very decent salary and a percentage of profits. Interested?'

'That depends, what would you call decent?'

'Our agency only caters for high end jobs, so think big when you negotiate with them.'

'There is no opening bid on the table?'

Alice nodded. I was really surprised. It wasn't like they were offering me a CEO position.

'I understand this is somewhat unusual. For us it is too. But I think you should consider this a position where you can build an executive career from, but you will have to really be prepared to work long days, nights and often weekends. No time for friends or yourself. Maybe something a young woman like you should contemplate before accepting the vacancy.'

That was so sexist. I didn't want to go into a gender role discussion with her and blow my chances on this job, but I certainly wasn't the sort of woman that would be hindered by that. Man, I didn't feel like a woman at all.

'Maybe this young person can make up their own mind. Sounds like I'd more or less would live with them.'

Alice swallowed hard, but kept her professional attitude up.

'They might just require you to.'

'You're kidding, aren't you?', I said with a nervous grin.

Alice looked at me seriously.

'They will offer you an apartment at their Keizersgracht house.'

I almost spilled the drink I was holding. A house at the canals; these people must be loaded with money. Somehow I managed to remain calm.

Before dinner was on the table I had signed the NDA, answered some questionnaires using an online test on my phone and received confirmation I had passed the assessment. Over dinner Alice explained in more detail who the people were that would hire me if a mutual agreement was reached. I started to warm up to the possibilities this would bring me. It turned out Alice had not met the couple in person. She would not accompany me when I would meet them either. She didn't even know when this would be too. I felt she was not being frank with me. I found that underneath her confident behaviour she was a nervous wreck and an annoying person. She kept looking at her phone every time she thought I would not notice. It felt like she expected some specific message and was ignoring all other notifications on her phone.

As we hardly knew each other, conversation was hard and superficial. She clearly wasn't interested in my person at all. Desperately I even tried to talk football and formula one racing with her to keep the conversation going. It didn't really work. I wondered why she had urged me to come to this fancy restaurant as this whole thing could have been done easily over the phone. I decided I would leave after dinner and skip dessert.

When I told her my decision she got really upset.

'Please don't, they will think I did a poor job and may not hire our agency ever again.'