The Accidental Honeymoon (8 page)

The young woman wanders over to a display of handbag. She is instantly drawn to a bright orange and yellow tote handbag. The bag itself is displayed on a pedestal like a work of art. As a former employee at The North Face, Karin was used to seeing pricey items on display. But the sight of this bag, in this store, transfixes her. She examines the name of the bag, the “Ceila Tote.” She can’t stop staring at it. The bag is bright and cheerful. It seems to have a personality. Karin reaches out as though she would like to grab the bag. However, she feels an apprehension about actually touching the item.

“You must really like this bag.”

“Yeah. It’s like a work of art.”

“You seem a little nervous about holding the bag.”

“Oh, I don’t think I should.”

“Go ahead.”

Karin reaches for the straps of the tote. She runs her fingers along the leather. Then she slowly picks up the bag and runs her right palm against the surface of the tote. Without even examining the price, she knows that this is the most expensive handbag she has ever held in her life.

As Ryan watches Karin hold the bag, a sharply dressed woman approaches the two of them. “Mr. Wilde. Welcome to Tiffany and Company. My name is Alison Milan. I am the manager of the store and would like to personally assist you with any inquiries you may have.”

Ryan is used to this. Anytime he enters a high-end store, boutique, exotic dealership or art gallery, he is approached by the most senior salesperson. He is certain that the manager was alerted to his presence the second the security cameras captured him entering the store.

“Thank you Alison,” Ryan answers politely as he turns his attention back to his future wife. “Karin, did you want to ask Alison any questions about the bag?”

Karin looks at the manager of the suit in her sharp black suit and then at the bag. Suddenly, the young intern feels like a vagrant. She takes the bag and holds it away from her body. “Oh, I just wanted to hold it for a second.”

“This Geranium and Daffodil style Celia Tote is one of our finest casual handbags. The latches are solid brass plated in 24 karat gold. We can also modify your tote with any inscription you wish.”

A horrified streak runs through her body. “My tote? I was just looking at it.”

“Allow me to buy this for you,” Ryan tells Karin. “It’ll be a nice memento of our trip to New York.”

Karin almost begins to cry. Not because some rich guy is buying her a handbag she could not possibly afford. But because of what it would represent. The memento of their trip together. She can always look at this bag and remember this weekend with Ryan. The young woman looks at Ryan and gives him a hug. “Thank you, Ryan.”

“You’re welcome.”

As Karin looks at the bag, she begins to peer around its edges as though she were checking for something.

“Is anything wrong?” Ryan asks.

Karin leans up and whispers, “I just wanted to check the price. I would feel bad if you paid too much for it.”

Ryan smiles and whispers back to her, “If it’s too much, I’ll just sell one of my planes.” Karin begins to laugh. She quickly realizes that any handbag in the world would not be out of Ryan’s price range.

Karin smiles and looks at her new gift. Then she asks Ryan, “What should I inscribe on the tote?”

The CEO looks at the tote bag. He examines it closely. “This looks like the kind of bag you can take to the South of France and then to Italy and Singapore. Followed by a jaunt in Tahiti. I would just write the word
Jetset
on it.”

“That’s so cool!” Karin exclaims. She turns to the manager and asks, “Can you do that? Can you inscribe the word Jetset on the tote.”

“We can do anything for you.”

“Oh great. I would like the word inscribed right here on the strap so I could see it all the time.”

“Excellent,” the manager responds as she calls over several of her assistants. She gives clear instructions as to what Karin has requested. The assistants take the tote and send it to their in-house inscriber.

“How else may I assist you?” the manager asks Ryan.

“Can we please see your selection of engagement rings?”

The unflappable manager does a double-take. She looks over at Karin as though she had just hit the lottery. “Of course, Mr. Wilde. If you will follow me.” The couple begins to walk. As they make their way through the legendary jeweling house, heads turn.
Everyone seems to know where they are going.
A small group of gawkers begin to follow the couple at a distance. Karin and Ryan are led to the most opulent space inside the Tiffany & Co. flagship store. Waiting for them is a staff of three of best jewelers in the city. Whispers could be heard all around them.
“I think he’s getting her a ring!”
A couple of camera phones are subtlety raised to capture the image and video of Ryan and Karin entering Tiffany’s “ring parlour.”

Karin walks up to the display where millions of dollars worth of the finest rings in the world are on display. She just stares at the treasure of diamonds in front of her eyes. One by one, the jewelers remove the rings from their displays and place it right on the table. They invite her to grab and inspect any ring on display.

“Of course, we can create any setting you wish,” the store manager tells Karin.

“I’m so overwhelmed,” the young woman gushes softly. She stares at the collection of rings with stones no smaller than four karats. While Karin does not understand the names of diamond cuts or the other specifics of ring setting, she knows what catches her eyes.

The gold bands are all pretty to Karin. But it’s the platinum bands that catch her fancy. She loves the way subtle colors of the metal play off each diamonds luster. At the extreme end of one of the displays is a particular diamond that catches her eye. It appears somewhat different from the other diamonds. Not because of its size, but because of the rock’s unusual shape. “Oh, what’s that one?” Karin asks.

“This ring is a five carat Princess cut with a diamond band. This piece was personally crafted by Jean Schlumberger.”

“It looks extraordinary.”

“This piece has been in our ‘display only’ collection. We were going to consign this to Sotherby’s for auction.”

“You mean it has not been for sale?” Ryan asks.

“Correct, Mr. Wilde. Tiffany only has a handful of Moussieur Schlumberger’s personal works.”

“Who is this guy and why is he so important?” Ryan asks.

“Oh, Moussieur Schlumberger was Tiffany’s most renowned jeweler from 1952 to 1987. His personal client base included the Duchess of Windsor, Greta Garbo, Gloria Vanderbelt, Jacqueline Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn. Every piece of his is considered a masterpiece.”

“Like a Picasso.”

“Exactly.”

Karin stares at the ring. “May I hold it?”

“Of course,” the manager answers. The young intern is handed the Schlumberger ring. She looks at the piece as though it was a priceless work of art. She admires it as though it were the most beautiful thing she has ever seen in her life.

“I’m afraid to ask what this is worth,” Karin blurts out.

“It’s the one ring you love more than any other ring?” Ryan asks.

“It’s the most beautiful ring. And I am certain it is the most expensive piece in this room and perhaps the entire store.”

“True beauty is priceless,” Ryan tells her. “If someone is offering you something priceless for a given price, then that amount is never too high.”

Karin looks at her future husband. She looks at the ring. She keeps staring at the ring. “It’s so beautiful.”

“I agree,” Ryan tells her. “You look good holding it. I think it will look even nicer on your finger.” Karin’s future husband looks at the manager and tells her, “I assume you still have the box.”

The manager is caught off guard at the fact that Ryan didn’t even ask for the price of the piece. She motions for Ryan to lean in over the glass display. Then he whispers into his ear, “Mr. Wilde, I have to let you know that this piece cost one point four million dollars.”

Ryan casually hands her his Amex black card. “Put a pretty bow on the box if you could.”

The manager smiles and takes the card.

Ryan holds out his hand. “I know you don’t want to part with it but the manager will need the ring.” Karin hands over the ring to her future husband who, in turn, hands it to the manager. Even though Karin heard that Ryan is buying the ring for her, she still doesn’t believe it. The young woman is in a sort of daze.

“Shopping is fun. I should do it more often,” Ryan mentions.

“Are you really getting the ring?” Karin asks.

“Well, you’ll just have to wait and see,” he teases. Ryan looks up and notices that an entire group of people is staring at the couple. He notices that more than a few of them have their camera phones pointed at him. While Ryan is usually adverse to the attention, he is glad to see that word will soon get out that he is shopping for an engagement ring.

Minutes later, Ryan is handed two bags. The large bag contains Karin’s tote with the inscription, “jet set.” He holds onto the smaller bag containing the engagement ring. “Here you go,” Ryan tells Karin as he hands her the large bag.

She looks inside and discovers the tote. She pulls it out and reads the “jet set” inscription. The young intern is so joyful, she gives her boss a big hug. “Thank you. I will cherish this,” Karin tells him.

The couple makes their way back to the Bentley and spends the rest of the afternoon shopping up and down Fifth Avenue. Ryan invites Karin to have fun and get any clothing or shoes she wishes. The CEO himself makes several personal purchases for himself. Ryan snaps up several pair of Prada casual shoes and a vintage leather jacket once owned by Steve McQueen.

By late in the afternoon, Karin is beat from the constant shopping. “Why don’t we relax at the park?” Ryan asks.

“That would be great.”

Ryan directs his driver to send them to Central Park. The Bentley drives up Madison Avenue and cuts over on Central Park South. Ryan instructs the drive to drop them off. “Send the bags back to the residence. And come pick us up in about an hour.”

“Yes, sir,” the driver responds.

The Bentley Mulsanne speeds away. The couple walks up to The Pond just off Central Park South. For the first time today, Ryan and Karin finds a relaxed pace in the big city. The young intern is almost relieved that she can calm down and get back to nature. Or at least as close to nature as Manhattan allows.

The couple walks on the grass. Without really knowing it, they begin to hold hands. It isn’t until Karin looks down that she realizes that she is in the midst of a romantic walk with Ryan in Central Park. This time, she does not feel awkward. For the first time, both Ryan and Karin feel comfortable with their closeness. “I like the Park. That’s why I keep a place nearby. It reminds me of Northern California - the trees, the peacefulness,” Ryan laments.

“I like the park as well. Everything slows down here.”

The couple sits on the grass near the pond. They don’t really say much to each other. The couple simply relaxes after a long day of meeting with IBS and shopping to their hearts’ content. Karin leans her head against Ryan’s chest and watches the sun set over the tall trees of the park. Ryan watches the rays of the sun begin to slip through the trees, creating a golden glow around the park. “Hey, let’s talk a walk to the bridge,” Ryan suggest. The couple walks over to the small cobblestone bridge sitting over the pond. The CEO stops at the top of the pond and looks at Karin. “I wanted to really make this official,” Ryan tells Karin.

“Make what official?” Karin asks.

Ryan gets down on one knee and pulls the Tiffany & Co. box from his pocket. As instructed, the box is wrapped in a white bow. Karin is in a state of shock. Ryan slowly undoes the bow and opens the powder blue box. Inside is a black velvet ring box. He pulls it out and opens it. “I can’t think of a better way to end this day than to ask for your hand in marriage.”

Karin’s body begins to shake. Even though she has already signed the contract and the marriage is only to last a year, she feels the nervous quiver of excitement at seeing Ryan on one knee with the ring presented to her.

“Yes,” Karin nods with a tear in her eye. Ryan takes the engagement ring and places it on Karin’s right ring finger. The young woman looks at the ring. The couple embrace at the top of the bridge. A nearby elderly lady begins to clap. The CEO picks up Karin and carries her off of the bridge.

As Karin looks at the ring, she realizes how real the situation has become.
She is going to get married to Ryan. “
Let’s go celebrate,” Ryan suggests. The CEO calls for his car. Ryan tells his driver to take them to Sky Room rooftop bar in Midtown. Karin can’t take her eyes off of the ring. The couple arrives at the rooftop bar just as the sunset gives way to the evening. “I want everyone up here to have a glass of Cristal on me!” Ryan tells the bartender. Soon, everyone in the bar knows that Ryan and Karin are about to be married. The usually jaded Manhattan crowd instantly becomes friendly with the newly engaged couple. Karin shows off her ring to the crowd. Ryan happily takes photos with anyone who asks for it. The celebration continues well into the early morning hours.

Karin wakes up in the large white bed. She is alone in the guest suite with memories of last night’s celebration still fresh in her head. She knows that she got extremely drunk. For a moment, she wonders if her and Ryan actually did it. The young woman turns to her side and looks out of the large window facing Central Park. She remembers Ryan carrying her into the bedroom and lying her down onto the bed. Then Karin vaguely remembers stripping down to her underwear after he had left the room. No, they didn’t have sex. But, they enjoyed every other emotion a perfect couple can imagine together.

Karin hops out of bed and takes a shower. She walks out of the bedroom and looks for the new clothes Ryan had purchased for her the day before. She finds that all of the purchased clothes had been meticulously washed, pressed and put away in the bedroom’s large walk in closet. Karin walks into the closet and stares at her new wardrobe. For a moment, the young intern simply stares and marvels at all of the high-end labels before her. Karin decides for something casual - a pair of white shorts and a polo shirt she had purchased the day before. The young intern catches a view of herself in a full-length mirror and giggles at how preppie she appears. Karin walks out of the bedroom, looking for Ryan. She makes her way to the master bedroom where she spies her future husband putting on a simple Sonic Youth T-shirt and jeans. All of a sudden, Karin feels completely overdressed. Ryan may be one of the richest men in the world. But he is still a young, rough-around-the-edges kid at heart.

“You look good!” Ryan remarks as he walks out of the bedroom.

“Thanks.”

“Let’s have some breakfast.”

Karin unexpectedly finds that breakfast has been served in the mansion’s garden. This comes as a shock to her since she didn’t even know the Upper East Side residence has a garden. The space is not large. But a garden, of any size, in Manhattan is a rare luxury. A small white table has been prepared with a collection of fruit slices, fresh baked bread, coffee and orange juice for the couple. Off to the side is a collection of the morning’s newspapers.

Ryan and Karin take a seat. The young intern goes for the orange juice while Ryan opts for a fresh biscuit. In between bites, the CEO takes a casual look at the city tabloids. He picks up the
New York Post
and finds himself and Karin on the cover. Ryan smiles and shows it to his future wife. “Wild Engagement?” the headline reads accompanying a photo of the two inside Tiffany’s flagship store.

“It looks like we’re famous,” Ryan jokes.

Karin looks at herself on the front page of the paper. The young intern never imagined herself on the front page of anything unless she had killed somebody. “I can’t believe that’s us on the front page.”

Ryan grabs the other tabloids. “It looks like we’re also on the front page of the
Daily News.
”

“You must be used to this. This is freaking me out.”

“Oh, it freaked me out the first time. Then you get used to it.”

“I need to learn not to be so self-conscious. When we were walking into Tiffanys, I could feel everyone staring at the two of us. And I have to be honest, I don’t feel like I’ve earned it.”

“I know. I know. This is all new to you. When I first starting getting attention, people would critique the way I dressed. I’ve had journalist comment on the way I smelled during an interview. Granted, I usually just came from an 18-hour work day to do an interview and didn’t have time to freshen up. Those guys always look for an angle to make you look mortal. Just remember, everything around you is changing. But deep down inside, you are the same.”

“Thanks. I still feel like I should be doing more.”

“Well, you do have a wedding to plan.”

“Oh my goodness. That’s right! I have to hop to it.”

“Like I said before, you have a blank canvas. This is your show.”

“A girl can have a crazy imagination.”

“A good imagination is better than a good intellect. Intellect is simply the absorbing of material. Imagination is the creation of material.”

“Well, I’m imagining a wedding in Europe.”

“That’s great. It’ll be fun. Where in Europe?”

“Paris,” Karin replies shyly.

“Wonderful. We can have our honeymoon on the South of France. Then we can pop over to Monaco for a few days.”

Karin playfully puts her head on the table. “I haven’t even thought of the honeymoon.”

“It’ll be like a nice long vacation. The entire affair can take place over the summer. During that time, the merger will be grinding away in regulatory hearings and whatnot.”

“You sure know how to make a girl’s dream come true.”

“This is our dream,” Ryan replies. Of course, Karin is thinking that eventually, all dreams have to come to an end. Then she shakes off that negative thought and thinks of the incredible months ahead of her.

For the remainder of the weekend, Ryan and Karin explore various bridal shops in the city. They talk about the guest list and even muse about the choice of cuisine at the wedding reception. Both of them are having fun because they know that there is not real pressure. They are not a “real” couple getting married. More like good friends playing an elaborate prank on the rest of the world. By Sunday night, the couple is beat from two days of wedding planning. Ryan’s attention focuses on the impending release of the merger news on Monday morning.

****

Emperor Technologies and IBS agree to a blockbuster merger. Two tech giants will combine to create the eighth largest company in the world.
When the press release hit the wire at exactly 8 a.m. on Monday morning, the entire financial world gasped.

“Wow. This is one of the most shocking Monday morning bombshells I have ever seen. The conservative eighty-year old blue chip IBS is going to merge with the hot start-up Emperor Technologies,” one of the CNBC commentators muses. “Just a year ago, Emperor was worth one third of IBS. But that’s not even the most mind-boggling part of this breaking news report. It appears that 36-year old Ryan Wilde, the bad boy of Silicon Valley, will become the Chief Executive Officer of the combined company.”

“That’s insane,” one of the other CNBC analysts chimes in. “I don’t see how the IBS board approved that.”

“Ryan is considered a genius. But an immature genius. There has been talk about him being replaced at his own company. Now, he is poised to run the second largest tech company in the world, after Apple.”

“Well, if you looked at Saturday’s
New York Post
, you can see that he was ring shopping at Tiffany’s. Perhaps he could be engaging in another merger as well.”

“This is all very crazy. A crazy Monday morning we are having here at CNBC. Right now, we are going to go to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel where Ryan Wilde, CEO of Emperor is about to hold a press conference along with IBS CEO Ed Horace. We presume the 73-year old IBS chief will be retiring when the merger closes. Let’s listen in to the press conference right now.”

The two CEOs sit at a dias in front of two hundred financial reporters jostling for position. Behind them is a large white canvas board featuring both the IBS and Emperor logos.

“Good morning, everyone,” Ryan tells the crowd.

“Good morning,” Ed Horace adds.

“As you know Emperor Technologies and International Business Systems have agreed to a merger. The new company will be known as Emperor-IBS. The combined company will have over 100,000 employees in 178 countries. I shall lead the company in the capacity of Chief Executive Officer. And our global headquarters will be located in Palo Alto, California. Throughout my entire life, I have always admired IBS. A company who literally brought commercial databasing to every business on the planet. I look forward to combining IBS’s leading commercial computing technology with Emperor’s innovative consumer technology.”

Just as Ryan finishes his sentence, the financial reporters begin to shout questions.

“Mr. Horace. What is your role in the new firm?”

“My new role is analyzing the sunsets from my estate in Maui.”

The entire room erupts in laughter.

“So I take it that you will be retiring?”

“Indeed. I did not want to retire until I felt the company would be left in good hands. Mr. Wilde is that man. He has a vision that only a handful of people in history possess.”

“Thanks,” Ryan says, and smiles in a rare display of public humility.

One of the reporters stands up and asks. “Mr. Wilde, many have called into question your maturity. For instance, the incident on your yacht in St. Barth’s. How do you feel you’ll be able to convince the very conservative shareholders of IBS that you are ready?”

Ryan has been waiting for this question. He straightens out his posture and answers, “I understand their concerns. They look at me and make assumptions. I ask that the shareholders to instead look at my company’s performance over the past 15 years. If they can do better than a 35% annualized return, then I suggest they sell their shares. I’ll buy them.”

“Speaking of purchases, the front page of the
New York Post
on Saturday showed you at the engagement ring counter at Tiffany’s with a young woman. Were you buying her an engagement ring?” one of the reporters asks.

Now, everyone leans in to listen for the answer. “Well, I guess I’m announcing yet another major merger at this press conference.”

The crowd gasps.

“So you
are
getting married?”

“Yes.”

“Who is the lucky gal?”

“Here name is Karin Davis. We met at work. And we hit it off.”

“In what department is she employed at Emperor?”

“She is an intern.”

Several members of the press laugh at that answer.

“How old is she?” one reporter asks.

“21.”

“A little old for you!” one of the reporters heckles. Now everyone laughs. Ryan wants to give the guy the middle finger. Instead he simply shrugs his shoulders and rolls with the punches.

“Karin is wonderful. I’m looking forward to the wedding.”

“When is the big affair?” A reporter asks.

“Probably in a few months. This summer.”

“Where?”

“We’re thinking about having the wedding in Paris.”

As the press conference rolls on, all the business news channels begin to focus more on Ryan’s wedding announcement rather than the merger.

“I’d never thought I’d say that a 400 billion dollar merger would be the second biggest story at a news conference,” one of the CNBC hosts comments.

“It looks like Ryan Wilde, the man who is never seen with the same woman twice, is really settling down,” another host comments.

“You know, perhaps Ryan Wilde is changing his ‘wild ways.’ He is going to merge with blue chip company IBS. He is getting married. Before you know it, he will shuttling kids around in his minivan.”

“I’d never thought I’d see the day.”

“Well, it looks like Ryan may indeed become straight-laced enough to satisfy any of the concerns the conservative IBS shareholders may have about their new CEO.”

As the press conference continues on, Karin watches from the side of the table. She is away from the cameras, watching her future husband talk about the merger and his new responsibilities. As Karin watches, a couple of the reporters and camera people begin to recognize her from the front page of the
Post
and the
Daily News
.

“Karin?” one of the reporters calls out. The intern turns her head. All of a sudden, several members of the press approach her. The young intern watches as the harsh lights of the cameras and suited men swarm her. She takes a step back until her heels touch the wall.

“How did you and Ryan meet?” “How long have the two of you been dating?” “When did he propose to you?”

The young woman panics and begins to repel away from the questions. She walks over towards Author Stevens and literally takes shelter behind Emperor’s General Counsel. The lawyer immediately notices what’s going on and tells the reporters to give the young woman a break. The media is not having any of it. The aggressive pressmen circle around Author and continue to badger Karin with questions. As the onslaught of inquiries continues, Karin begins to think about what Ryan would say. He would not shy away from the questions. He would use some witty rebuttal or turn the tables on the reporters. With a new sense of confidence, Karin looks at the reporters and simply laughs. “So I guess none of you are hard news reporters,” Karin taunts.

A couple of the reporters are taken aback.

“How do you know Ryan?”

“I’m an intern at his company.”

“How long have you two been dating?”

“A couple of months.”

“Do you know about his reputation?”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Did he make you sign a pre-nup?”

“Now what does that have to do with the merger?” Karin challenges.

“I’m here to cover a story,” the reporter answers.

“Well, the story is over where my fiancee is holding court,” Karin answers. The reporter suddenly becomes red-faced.

The press conference begins to break-up. Ryan shakes hands and hugs Ed, creating the opportune photo-op for the press. Karin waits until Ryan appears done posing for photos. She quickly seek refuge by his side.

“You are certainly more animated than usual,” Ryan comments.

“The reporters started swarming me.”

“I’ll handle them.”

As Ryan walks off of the dias, the reporters proceed to pepper the CEO with questions about his fiancee.

“Now, behave yourselves or your invitation to the wedding will get lost in the mail,” Ryan warns the reporters. The couple disappears through a set of double doors and is whisked away by hotel security to their waiting Bentley. As soon as Karin enters the vehicle, she feels safe again. The car speeds away and makes it way back to the Upper East Side.

The couple celebrates their weekend. A complete victory for both of them. When Karin reaches the confines of Ryan’s residence, she is able to completely relax and recognize the wonderfulness of everything that has happened to her. She begins to feel more comfortable around Ryan and his world of ambition and opulence. And, for the first time, she feels as though she doesn’t have to guard her words with Ryan so much.