In Rio's Shadows

Chapter 6 The New Job

CHAPTER 6

THE NEW JOB

Blanca picked up her rental car a few days later, punched in the work address on the GPS system, and drove to the Felicidade de Negocios magazine in the centre of Rio De Janeiro. She wore smart business-casual attire with a fitted silk blouse, pleated skirt, and medium-heeled wedges.

A flutter in her stomach spread throughout her body as she parked the car in the staff area. Her heart skipped a beat as she entered the foyer and asked the receptionist for the editor-in-chief, Pedro Silva.

The receptionist was a glamorous-looking woman who appeared to be in her forties. She was slim with bleached-blonde hair and green eyes. Blanca could tell her face had been botoxed. She wore a tailored suit, and the bling on both arms and around her neck could feed a third-world country. “Oh, you must be Blanca. I’ve heard about you starting here as the new editor today. I’m Elina. Welcome to Brazil.”

Blanca smiled awkwardly. “Thank you, Elina. I’m looking forward to the experience.”

The receptionist grinned. “The people are great here, and you should enjoy your stay. How was your flight?”

Elina’s friendly greeting warmed Blanca. “Long and tiring, but I got here in one piece.”

Elina laughed. “I don’t know of many people who love flying.” She picked up the desk phone. “I’ll call Pedro. Please take a seat, Blanca.”

Blanca sat on a red suede armchair, taking in the fine decor, the abstract drawings on the walls and the variety of magazines on the opaque glass table. Her stomach tingled, and suddenly she needed a drink to quench her thirst. She had an overwhelming sense to turn back, but talked herself into calming down.

Soon, a towering man approached her. His top shirt button was undone underneath a double-breasted jacket. He had clean, well-manicured nails, but his blue eyes were not smiling. He had a scar across his right cheek. What the hell! Wasn’t this guy her father’s friend? The one Maria had called Pablo instead of Pedro?

Pedro’s eyes stared with curiosity. His face reddened. Did he not recognise her?

“Hello, Ms. Castellano. Welcome to Felicidade de Negocios. I am Pedro Silva, the editor-in-chief. I trust you had a good flight?”

She rose from the armchair, cleared her throat, and shook his hand firmly. This wasn’t the time to bring up her father, but she’d definitely be speaking to him back home. “Yes, I did. Thank you.” She concentrated on steadying her wobbly legs as she followed Pedro past staff sitting in small cubicles, speaking on telephones or staring at computers. Everyone wore professional attire, and the environment was serious and focused, with quiet chatter amongst a few employees.

Pedro touched his throat. “I’ll introduce you to the others later, but for now, we’ll have a chat before you meet your editorial assistant, Isabela.”

He led Blanca into a large oval office with spectacular views of the city. She sat in front of a mahogany desk stacked with papers, file folders, and books about finance and economy.

Pedro sat behind the desk, clasping his large hands in front of him. He pursed his lips and fidgeted, then pushed a pile of documents to her. “If you wouldn’t mind filling in those documents tonight and bringing them back to my office before the end of the day, I’d appreciate it, Ms. Castellano.”

His cold manner unnerved Blanca. “Of course.”

He passed her a magazine. “This is Felicidade de Negocios’ latest issue. It sold very well, and made the largest sales profit in five years.”

Blanca nodded. “That’s an interesting cover.” It featured two men in business suits on either side of a large building as if they were holding it up with one finger each. The photo demonstrated photography’s ability to create powerful illusions.

He fixed his cold gaze on her. “I think so.” He made a stack of more magazines. “As you know from your work in the Madrid office, as a part of the state government of Rio de Janeiro, we strive to promote national as well as foreign companies. Every year, we raise public awareness of all these companies that work diligently to improve Rio’s economy. The magazine targets the local market.”

Blanca nodded. She looked at another magazine from the bottom of the pile. “I am fluent in Portuguese, so I can help with most of the language. Though I can learn more of the technical language.”

“That’s fine. Your boss in Madrid explained that.” He put the magazine back in the cabinet. “What I’d like your help with is to come up with article ideas for both the online and paper versions of the magazine. As you would’ve done in Madrid, we do interviews with different stakeholders like government officials, business people, and students, to get a range of perspectives on Rio’s economy and market. Part of your job will involve a bit more journalism here by doing interviews with stakeholders. I understand you are proficient in both editing and journalism.” Blanca nodded. “The magazine also works to promote global investment to boost the economy.” Pedro rose. “I’ll take you for a tour, then you can meet Isabela, the editorial assistant you’ll be working with.”

Blanca stood up and realised Pedro would’ve known who she was, but she wasn’t about to say anything. The fact Pedro said nothing about her father troubled her. Even if he didn’t recognise her, he would’ve known her by her full name, but he didn’t say anything by way of recognising her from the age of ten. She knew they’d spent a bit of time with Pedro all those years ago, but why didn’t he say anything about it?

Her father had a lot of explaining to do about the possibility he might be hiding something from her all these years.

Pedro introduced her to the staff in layout, web editing, fashion, art direction, and photography. She thought they looked serious in well-fitted suits, whispering softly within their small teams.

They finally entered another office with a wide bay window showing a memorable view of the city and river. The walls were covered with paintings of prominent officials. A thick, mint-green carpet covered the floor.

Pedro directed her to her own small desk with a computer and stationery. Sitting at a large mahogany desk with a computer, fax, and phone was a short, petite young woman with black, shoulder-length hair cut into a bob. “Isabela Pereira, this is Blanca Castellano.”

Isabela rose from her desk and beamed at Blanca. “Welcome, Blanca. It’s good to have you on board.” She leaned forward and shook Blanca’s hand. The woman had a smile in her eyes and was sweetly beautiful.

“It’s great to meet you, Isabela.”

Pedro gazed briefly at Blanca. “I will let Isabela get you started.” He walked away without a backward glance.

Isabela stepped forward. “So how was your trip over here?”

Blanca drew a hand through her hair. “It was fine. I just need to adapt to the heat. It’s cold in Spain now.”

Isabela’s eyes focused on her. “At least you’re coming from the cold to the warmth, instead of the other way around. I personally prefer the sun to the clouds.” She handed Blanca a sheet of paper, which turned out to be a schedule of tasks. “These are some of today’s tasks we need to get done, involving research and refining articles, but there’s no rush. Pedro’s giving you at least the day to settle into the role. Even though it’s the same magazine you work for in Madrid, we do things differently in each country.”

Blanca’s hands sweated. “How long have you worked here?”

“I’ve worked here for the past two years, since I was twenty-seven. I was a Portuguese teacher before this job. It is a great place to work. And...”

A man burst into the room. Blanca hadn’t seen him when Pedro had shown her around in the office. He had cute dimples on his cheeks, shiny dark-brown wavy hair, a lean and muscular physique, and striking dark-brown eyes. His smile was broad. She ignored the tingle in her stomach.

“This is Carlos, our notorious and most efficient photojournalist,” Isabela said. “Carlos, this is Blanca.” His smile was infectious.

Blanca returned the smile and gazed at his friendly demeanour, his eyes lingering. “Nice to meet you, Carlos.”

“You must be the temporary transfer from Spain. It’s great to meet a new member of the team.” They shook hands briefly, and electricity ran through her body.

Carlos fixed his gaze and turned briefly to Isabela. “I have those photos you asked for, Isabela. Is there anything else you need?”

“No, darl. That’s it for today. Thanks a bunch.”

“I look forward to working with you, Blanca. It’s so refreshing to work with a foreigner.” Carlos stared at Blanca again, and her face flushed. She could barely meet his gaze.

After he left, Blanca turned on the computer and ignored the stirring of emotion in her chest. She was on a mission in Brazil, and nothing would deter her from that, not even a handsome man.

Not long after, a young man who resembled Pedro entered the office. This must have been Pedro’s son, but why hadn’t Pedro introduced them earlier?

Like his father, he had strong features, a Roman nose, and a dark complexion. His V-neck black shirt revealed soft hair on his robust chest. His baggy white trousers displayed the muscular outline of his waist, and his rolled-up sleeves showed muscular, bronzed forearms. He flipped back the blonde tips of his hair through dark brown waves.

He approached Blanca with a prominent frown. “Hi, I’m Jose, the web editor and designer. Carlos and I were out, so we didn’t get to meet you earlier. Great to welcome you to Felicidade de Negocios, Blanca.” He shook her hand firmly, but his eyes held a fleeting hint of sadness.

“Good to meet you too, Jose. I look forward to working with you.”

“Same here.” He smiled at Isabela. “Hey, gorgeous.” He winked at her and Isabela blushed. “Pedro’s also my father, but he doesn’t treat me any differently.”

Blanca leaned forward. “I wouldn’t expect him too. He appears very committed to this company.”

Jose’s smile did not reach his eyes. “Anyway, I’ll leave you lovely ladies to it. Shout out if you need anything.” He walked out with a spring in his step as if he was on a mission.