Everything Happens For A Reason (3/?)
Chapter 3: The Girl Of My Dreams (Is Giving Me Nightmares)
Present Days
5:30 am - june/5/2008 - NYC
The night is rainy and the streets are empty. Peter can see Claire running away from someone, a shadow, a killer.
A man is pursuing Claire with evil in his eyes. She is running away from him, scared in a way that Peter had never seen. After a few minutes Claire falls to the ground, in the midst of an empty Brooklyn Bridge, she looks at the face of her killer and begins to cry, realization spread across her face, the man that is chasing her is Peter, her lover, her hero. He laughs and gets closer and closer to her and then…
Peter awakens frightened and breathe deeply for a few minutes. He has had the same dream almost every night during the past six months, and is more clear, as if is becoming real. Peter can see the scene from the eyes of the murderer, he can feel the emotions that the killer feels and this frightens him more than anything in the world. He must find a way to prevent this tragedy from happening.
Peter get up from his king-size bed. He is wearing white boxers and a gray t-shirt; he goes to the balcony to see the city. His vision is one of the best of Manhattan; he can see the best part of Central Park from his balcony on the 24th floor. He breathes the air of NYC and thinks about Claire; this is Peter’s morning ritual. After a few minutes he starts to get ready to work.
He is leaving the condo in his black Ford Iosis when he sees a woman he knows as one of the reporters of the Manhattan News ‘Oh, no! The interview…’ Peter thinks. He has a lot of things on his mind to deal with reporters right now.
The reporter sees Peter and start walking toward him. She is a very beautiful Latin woman, with long and smooth black hair; she has the look of a model. When she was 18 years old and found out about the murder of her brother, she promised to find the murderer and destroys him. Eventually, she went to college, has achieved her dream starting a career as reporter and began working on MT News with the help of a "friend" that it is the most popular elected senator in NY, but never forgetting about her promise. "Mr. Linderman, I'm Maya Herrera, Manhattan News reporter and I am here for the interview. You had forgotten?"
Peter nods slightly, frowns a little and then opens the passengers door "Yes, I'm sorry, I don’t have much time, but we can do the interview on my way to work if you don’t mind?"
She smiles, a seductive smile, "Of course! I don’t mind!" Maya said, and then she gets in the car and starts the interview "So how do you feel being recently considered one of the most successful Business men in New York?"
Peter gets nervous with questions like this, because he never wanted this "I feel as if I’m living the dream of another person. When I was growing up in Phoenix I wanted to be a nurse. Being in command of a large company had never gone through my mind, but here I am." Peter gives a sad smile to Maya and starts thinking about how his life was before his world turn upside down…
Flashback
05:00 am November/23/1999 - Phoenix, Arizona
Peter awakens to the sound of the alarm clock get up from his modest bed and then goes to his small bathroom and takes a quick bath. Peter’s room is actually the attic of his parent’s house, is not large and has a bed close to the wall opposite the window, a two doors Wardrobe and a small bathroom. But he has a large bookshelf, as a fan of literature he takes care of his books. Peter loves Stephen King, Shakespeare, Poe and biographies of great thinkers and leaders as Ghandy and George Washington. But he has a fascination for Super Heroes Comic Books, he dreams of being in the life of Superman, Spider-Man, Batman and other super powerful characters.
Peter leaves the shower and stops in front of the mirror contemplating his new beard, like most of the 18th years old boys, he’s proud of his emerging facial hair, that means he’ll be rated as a man by the girls of his city. Peter is happy and ready for his last days in high school, is so easy when you get accepted at all colleges you have signed up for: UC Berkeley, UCLA, which is his Dream College and University of Phoenix, his parents’ favorite. But Peter has already made his choice; he’ll go to UCLA and become a nurse like his mother. He always considered this career and has great respect for those who choose this path. He’ll make a difference helping people one by one. This is his destiny…
Present Days
7:30 am - june/5/2008 - NYC
Peter gives a ride to Maya, while they continue the interview, when they gets near the building of the Manhattan News she says, "How can a man beautiful and successful like you don’t have a wife?"
Peter blushes "I think it's because I'm very reserved and don’t talk about myself. I’m just not a marriage material”
Maya raises her eyebrows in disbelief "What? Now you're being stupid. I'm sure that any woman who has a chance to get to know you would love to be yours."
Peter looks at her and realizes what she is doing... "The truth is that I have met the one I want, but I can’t be with her." To say this aloud became even more real and Peter sighs deeply.
Maya who was watching him carefully asked "And that woman is by any chance that young geneticist who works with Dr. Mohinder Suresh?"
Peter looks confused 'How does she know this?'
Maya sees the question in his facial expression "I know Dr. Suresh and saw you with her in the laboratory sometimes not so long ago and I also read the gossip part of newspapers and magazines." Maya shows another smile to Peter that rewards timidly.
Peter gets to the MT building and breathes relieved after all he does not like to talk about his private life and would not really talk about it with a reporter "Err... this is your building and I'm late for work…”
Maya get this "You don’t want to talk about it, ok. Mr. Linderman talk to you has been a pleasure, see ya!" Maya leaves the car and before entering the building, looks back with a seductive smile which Peter noted and when she entered the building he followed to his Company.
Maya walks toward the elevator when her phone rings she enters the elevator hitting the button of the 3rd floor and start talking on the phone with a certain someone…
"Hi,
Yes, I was with him,
I need more time…
What?
Security won’t let me enter the building!
How?
Okay, if you’re saying…
I’ll be there at 8pm!
No...
I won't be late. Bye!"
Maya turns off the phone, sighs strongly and looks at her reflection in the mirror 'Well Maya, smile because today begins your revenge.' The elevator doors opens and she goes to her table to begin working on the stupid article about the promising Peter Scott Linderman 'The man who killed my brother.'
8:00 am
Peter enters the building of the Company and his personal assistant begins to speak with him while walking side by side. "Mr. Linderman you have a meeting in 30 minutes with the Company board and the PETA team to resolve the case of that area with rare species of butterflies in extinction"
Peter sighs deeply "Thanks Eden, just handed me the notes with what was seen in previous meetings. Ask Adam to go to my office and call Noah Bennet, please."
Eden McCain has been a tremendous help from the day when she was hired, two weeks ago. She is making Peter’s life much easier. The last assistant had a platonic passion for him and knew nothing about the work. Eden is also one of his oldest friends and who desperately needed a job to pay her bills. She is very professional, which means it’s a little uncomfortable for him. "Okay, Mr. Linder…"
Peter stops and puts a hand on her shoulder "Eden don’t call me Mr. Linderman, we are old friends, okay?"
Eden blushes a little and reply: "Okay, is that now I work for you… and you know... now you’re my boss."
Peter says: "Yes, but I was already your friend before hiring you. So let’s quit the formalities." - Peter enters the elevator and adds - "I don’t want us working together to interfere in our friendship" The elevator doors close and Eden smiles. 'Peter... Peter... Peter...'
When Peter arrives at his office the phone rings "Peter, Bennett is waiting on the line, Adam will see you in five minutes and the notes are already on your desk."
'Man, she’s good’. Peter thought. "Thanks Eden, you are the best." She laughs and passes the call to Noah.
Peter waits until he can hear Bennet’s voice and says: "Noah, I had another dream this morning, and it was more real than the previous ones, as if is close to happen. I'll try to find Claude in Los Angeles. Maybe this time he will help us. I’ll be back as soon as possible."
Noah Bennett is the Head of Security on the Company and one of the only people who knows Peter’s real history and secrets. Peter trusts his life to Noah. "Just don’t get yourself in any trouble. We will find out how to prevent this… from happening. In the meantime I have people watching Claire 24/7."
"Okay. Noah... thanks but…" At that time Adam knocks on the door drawing the attention of Peter. "Noah I have to hang up now, but I’ll contact you soon as I get back."
"Okay, Peter bye."
Peter turn off the phone and accidentally drops on the floor a picture, he picks it up and looks at the image of a young woman, dressed in a light blue dress, her beautiful blond hair is loose, gold locks falling over her shoulders, her eyes are… her smile is… 'God, I miss her so much'
Adam who was watching this scene carefully decides to speak. "You called me here to watch you cry because of Bennet’s daughter or you want to say something important to me?"
Adam Monroe is the other person who keeps the company running. He is a very persuasive British man. Peter doesn’t trust him, but can’t do anything about his existence in the Company, because Adam was the best friend of his father, he was also his father's advisor and partner in the Company. It was Adam who taught and instructed Peter about the Company’s business after the death of Daniel Linderman. Daniel made it perfectly clear that he wanted to keep Peter and Adam working side by side in the Company. So, with his death Peter became the director of The Helix with Adam as Vice-Director.
Peter answered after a few seconds "Actually I want you to know that I will not approve the construction of a condominium in an area with animals threatened with extinction. I'll say this to the board at the meeting."
Adam seems shocked by what he heard "What? It means that you want to open hand of a mine of gold because of butterflies threatened with extinction? Peter, are you completely insane?"
Peter glares at Adam "It's my Company then the decision is mine, I will not kill more nature to make tons of money. We can do the construction in some place else."
Adam is furious "This is a stupidity and your father would never agree!"
Peter replied "I am not my father and I have decided. Since you are the vice-director of my Company I thought you should know beforehand."
They stare at echother for some time without saying a word. It has always been like this, Adam makes big plans and contracts to earn as much money as possible and some more to satisfy his ambitions but Peter never let he go ahead with the plan if means having to kill nature massively. Peter has Claire to thank for that.
Finally one of them decides to talk again. "Peter, you should have stayed at home, spending the Linderman’s money, traveling around the globe, buying jewelry for your girlfriend and let me do my job which is to keep The Helix growing."
Peter launches a fulminating look towards Adam and controls the will to beat him. "Well, I will not do that. I'll be here to do what I think is the right thing to do, whether you want to or not."
Adam would say something stupid and with intent to annoy him when Eden appears at the door... "Peter, they are waiting for you to start the meeting." Eden knew they were having a serious discussion and it does not need to be a mind reader to be sure that these two hate each other. "Should I call the Security to stop the fight that is about to happen here or you guys are already finished?" She asks with the hope that both her friend and her boyfriend were mature enough to make no scene.
Peter is the first to speak "Sorry Eden, we’re finished here. Let's go stop this absurd." And then he leaves the office with Eden behind him.
Adam laughs ironically and murmurs "absurd..." before following the two.
Two hours later Peter leaves the company, and goes to his apartment resolve some things before he teleport to Los Angeles and find Claude.
To be continued...