The viper code, p.1
The Viper Code, page 1
To Shiraz, my eldest daughter – my inspiration, you’re the spark that awakens my creativity.
To my sister – the wind beneath my wings, who always says the right thing at the right time.
To my mother – who always believes in me, lifts my spirits, and supports me.
To my husband – the love of my life, who has boundless belief in me and accompanies me on this journey called life, thank you for who you are, and for our being able to grow together and alongside each other.
I love you all.
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The Viper Code
A.M Elia
Copyright © 2022 Ayelet Moalem
All rights reserved; No parts of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information retrieval system, without the permission, in writing, of the author.
Translation: Maya Thomas
Contact: ELIAAM1977@gmail.com
Contents
Revital
Jonathan
Revital
Jonathan
Revital
Jonathan
Revital
Jonathan
Revital
Jonathan
Revital
Jonathan
Revital
Jonathan
Revital
Jonathan
Revital
Jonathan
Revital
Jonathan
Revital
Jonathan
Revital
Jonathan
Revital
Jonathan
Revital
Jonathan
Two months later
Revital
The fierce November showers came as a surprise. Revital was tossing and turning in her bed, listening to the torrent of rain as it pounded against the windows of her 18th-floor apartment overlooking the sea. Emma, her white Golden Retriever, perked her ears as she lay beside her on the bed. This wasn’t the first time that Revital’s sleep was disturbed. She’d been experiencing sleepless nights of late. Revital got out of bed and walked over to the vast window of her living room. The view was exquisite – the bustling city on one side and the sea on the other. Revital fixed her eyes on the sea – an act which usually managed to calm her down. Unfortunately, on this occasion the waters were as turbulent as her mind. She allowed her thoughts to gradually settle down. The rain intensified as the sky blazed with lightning, followed promptly by a ruckus of thunder.
It was the perfect weather for a hot cup of cocoa, and that was exactly what Revital prepared for herself. There was a coffee machine perched atop the island in the middle of the kitchen. Revital sipped her cocoa and stared at the coffee machine. Goddamn it, that machine just reminded her of Dean, that destructive man who’d ruined all of her plans. Revital grabbed her steaming cup of cocoa and walked over to her white grand piano, settling down beside it. Emma scurried into the room. That dog always loved sprawling across the black furry rug by the piano while Revital played. This time, it was Chopin’s Nocturne op. 9. The crackling of the fireplace tinged the melody with an added sense of mystery.
Emma’s head rose from the rug as the cell phone beeped with an incoming message. “Who the hell sends a message at four in the morning?!” Revital muttered as she rose from the piano and walked over to her cell phone, taking a sip of cocoa on her way. The message read: “I miss you”. It was Dean. How dare he, Revital thought. And after having been the one who’d ended the relationship, no less. After all, he’d always declared that he would never remain faithful. Revital put the cell phone away, grabbed her cup of cocoa, and sat in front of the whispering flames of the fireplace. She was full of conviction – she wasn’t about to get back together with him this time, come what may. He wasn’t the one for her. She decided to go back to bed until the rain subsided.
Her alarm went off at five o’clock, as it did every morning. Revital got out of bed and straight into her jogging clothes. She grabbed her headphones and took Emma downstairs for their morning run. Revital loved running ever since she was a little girl. She found it incredibly liberating. During her jogs, her mind would become completely clear of thoughts, nothing to focus on but her breathing – and that was precisely what she needed that morning.
Revital ran along the beach, racing over the soft sand in her Nike trainers, her honey-hued hair pulled up into a ponytail and her skin caressed by the movement of the long-sleeved tracksuit covering her body. Emma ran alongside her, joyful and energetic. The weather was still stormy, yet it didn’t prevent either of them from enjoying their jog.
Revital finally arrived at her own private finish-line – the top of a towering cliff overlooking the sea. It was the perfect spot for stretching before making her way back home. It was half past five, and as she leaned down for a stretch, Revital noticed a white Audi in the parking lot behind her. Someone was in the car, watching her as she stretched. She couldn’t make out the person’s face, but a sense of distress arose within her. She started walking towards the car, trying to focus her eyes to get a better look at the person, but the engine suddenly roared and the car swiftly drove away. Shivers ran through Revital’s body, and she immediately started sprinting back towards her apartment.
Revital, drenched in sweat, hurried into the elevator as Guns & Roses’ November Rain blasted through her headphones – a very fitting soundtrack indeed. She got into her apartment and started undressing, heading straight for the shower. She didn’t even notice him there. Revital turned the hot water on and allowed the warmth to pour all over her.
Emma ran straight to the kitchen. Her water bowl and food were set by the kitchen island and she drank away, entirely ignoring his presence. He sat on the barstool by the island, sipping the espresso he’d prepared himself.
Revital came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel. She froze as she noticed him sitting there and staring at her. “You have no shame, do you?!” she shouted, alarmed.
“I messaged you saying that I miss you,” he said.
“And..? That makes it okay to show up here unannounced?! I need to get dressed, I don’t have time for this. You need to be gone by the time I come back out – and leave the key I gave you on the kitchen counter. I’m sick of your games.” Revital then turned around, walked over to her room and locked herself inside, praying he’d listen to her demands.
Dean finished sipping his espresso, an arrogant smile merging with a look of contempt on his face. He pulled the key out of his jeans’ pocket and placed it on the counter. Revital leaned against her bedroom door, still breathless from the adrenaline rush, and listened to his footsteps as he left the apartment. She then quickly hurried out and ran over to lock the front door.
Revital walked over to the kitchen and saw the espresso cup on the counter. A look of rage blazed through her eyes. The key to her apartment was set next to the cup, and a note was nestled beneath it. She picked up the note and unfolded it. It read: “We’ll continue this later.” Revital clenched her fist around the note and threw it in the trash.
The rain ceased and the sky began clearing up. Revital returned to her room and put on a brown turtleneck sweater, high-waist jeans, a beige jacket, and brown high-heeled boots. She then put on her favorite earrings, given to her by her mother years earlier, undid her bun, allowing her long hair to flow down over her shoulders, and finally added a touch of makeup. She then drank a glass of orange juice and grabbed a brownie for the road. This was an important day for Revital. Everyone was waiting for her over at the office.
Revital arrived at the underground parking of her office building. She had her own parking spot, as did all the other company executives. Despite her only having worked at the bio-eco company for two years, they were already very appreciative of Revital, truly believing in her abilities, and she absolutely justified their faith in her. Revital was hardworking and devoted, which helped her in quickly integrating with the other executives.
She suddenly noticed the white Audi which she’d spotted back by the beach that same morning – and it was parked near her spot. Revital wondered who it could belong to, since she didn’t know any executives with such an extravagant car. Convertibles weren’t really their thing over at the company – after all, most of them were pretty old.
She was welcomed by Netta the secretary’s wide smile. “Good morning, Revital. What have you done to deserve such a fine morning already?”
Revital didn’t understand what she was talking about. She walked into her office and immediately noticed a huge bouquet of flowers set in a vase on her desk. Revital saw a note peering through the flowers and opened it. “I miss you.” It was Dean again.
What didn’t he understand, she thought to herself. I really need to make this clear to him. Revital made a note to call him later on in the day, after the morning’s work pressure subsides. She walked over to Netta. “Hey, do you happen to know who owns that white Audi I saw downstairs?”
“Do I happen to know??” Netta looked at her. “Are you being serious right now?! It’s been like a whole month now of everyone talking about him coming back to Israel – Jonathan, you know, Leon’s adopted son.”
Leon was the owner of the company. Revital was n
Revital walked over to the boardroom just as Netta managed to catch up, a pot of steaming coffee in her hand. “Go on in, management’s already in there,” she said smiling as she opened the door for her.
Revital took a deep breath, brushed her hair aside with her hand, fixed her jacket, and entered the room. “Good morning everyone,” she said and introduced herself. The meeting included a few top executives from London, and Revital knew them all from their numerous Zoom meetings – all except for him.
She tried to ignore his piercing stare as she presented her pitch, using all of her resources to remain focused. This day was supposed to be the absolute pinnacle of her entire career. She couldn’t afford to make any mistakes, and that was exceptionally challenging in light of his presence there. He sat at the far end of the room, donning a blue suit, his shirt unbuttoned at the top and his eyes entirely fixed on her. She tried not to look in his direction. Despite never having met him before, something twitched in her stomach – an unfamiliar sensation.
Her pitch was unanimously accepted. Leon rose up from his chair and congratulated Revital. “Revital, you’ve exceeded all expectations. And thanks to you, there’s no doubt that our company will undergo a significant change in course.”
Revital smiled, gently brushing her hair away from her face. Leon then turned to the executives and added, “I’ve decided that the people heading this project in Israel will be you – Revital – and Jonathan, my son.”
Jonathan then slowly got up and sauntered towards Revital, ever so elegantly. He looked at everyone and introduced himself. “Hello, I’m Jonathan and yes, I’m Leon’s son.” Leon stood next to him, a proud smile on his face, as Jonathan continued. “Most of you don’t know me since I’ve been working ‘backstage’ over at our London branch.”
Jonathan had a muscular body and wide shoulders. His black hair was slicked back, and his blue eyes were still fixed on Revital. His blue jacket accentuated his impressive silhouette. Revital could hardly keep her concentration, especially knowing he’d watched her just a few hours earlier during her stretching routine at the beach. She gathered all of her energy and focused. It wasn’t an easy feat.
She also felt incredibly surprised – no one had mentioned anything about this new pairing of theirs. Revital never had an issue working as part of a team, but she’d never met Jonathan before, and quite frankly, his presence had an inexplicable influence over her.
“For five years now, I’ve made sure not to use the fact that my father is the owner and CEO here,” Jonathan continued. “I’ve always been considered equal among my colleagues. I’m very glad to be back in Israel, and I’m exceptionally glad to be working alongside Revital.”
His eyes pierced through her. Revital felt her jaw dropping uncontrollably. She wondered what he knew which made him so glad to be working alongside her. Jonathan slowly approached her, and she automatically took a step back, unsure of herself.
Damn it, he’s got me totally out of focus, she thought.
He reached his hand out. “Nice to meet you, I’m Jonathan,” he said.
She shook his hand as the scent of spicy soap and aftershave enveloped her. Revital managed a polite smile and muttered, “I’m Revital.”
Jonathan kept hold of her hand, raised it up in the air and declared, “For humanity, for Israel!” Everyone stood up and applauded, and the meeting was adjourned. The executives cleared the room and Revital was the last to stay – or so she thought, until she noticed him through the corner of her eye. He was perched on the side, still staring at her.
Revital couldn’t help herself any longer. “Anything you’d like to say?” she asked.
“As a matter of fact, yes,” he retorted. “I wanted to ask if you’d accompany me to the gala they’re doing next week in honor of our project launch.”
“Our project?” Revital mumbled, stunned. “Since when is this our project? I’ve been working on this for the past two years, giving it everything I’ve got, and suddenly – without any warning – I hear an announcement saying that you’ll be heading the project alongside me, and in front of all the other executives, no less. So forgive me but no, I absolutely decline your invitation to the gala.”
Jonathan gave a huge smile. He enjoyed her feistiness. Her blazing eyes turned him on. Her body language testified to the influence he had over her, but her lips remained fearless and assertive – just the way he liked it. Were she to have groveled, he would have long crushed her and taken over the entire project.
“Fine by me,” he said as he raised his hands in faux defeat. “We’ll meet later on to discuss everything we need to prepare. This is going to be one hell of a year.”
Revital rushed out of the boardroom and straight to her office. She had five messages on her cell phone – four from Dean and one from her mother, whom she immediately called.
“Hey Mom, what’s up?”
“Hi Revi honey, how are you doing? You sound busy.”
“Yeah,” Revital said and sighed, “I actually just got ambushed at work.”
“Oh, what happened?” her mother asked.
“I guess it really is a man’s world,” Revital said and sighed again. “You know what, Mom, let’s have breakfast on Friday and I’ll tell you all about it.”
“Alright, sweetheart, but don’t fret… Even if you’ve just been thrown into the deep end, I know in my heart that you’ll swim right back out. See you Friday, hope the rest of your day goes well.”
“Thanks, Mom, bye.”
Revital hung up the phone and entered her office. She looked at the bouquet – a dozen red roses. She walked up to the vase and picked it up, planning on taking it out of the room, but as she turned to leave, she saw Jonathan leaning over the doorway, his arms crossed.
“I see you have a secret admirer,” he said.
“That’s none of your business,” Revital muttered.
“You know what, I think we started off on the wrong foot. I’ll admit – it wasn’t fair to surprise you like that in front of everyone, but to be honest, it was my idea – not my father’s – so please let me try and make it up to you. Just let me take you out to dinner. Give me one night to prove to you that I’m not all that bad.”
Revital placed the vase back on her desk, her eyes fixed on his. For a moment there, she thought she’d recognized a touch of softness behind the dazzling blueness of his gaze.
“Please,” Jonathan insisted.
She took a moment to consider this unexplainable power he so obviously had over her. His eyes completely melted her. She hesitantly reached out her hand. “Don’t make me regret this,” she said.
Jonathan smiled and shook her hand. “You won’t,” he said.
“I already am,” Revital mumbled as she pulled her hand away from his grip.
Jonathan left her office and Revital sighed in relief. I won’t be able to handle this, she thought, losing my entire balance every time he shows up. Indeed, Jonathan had a very strange effect over Revital. She’d never felt so disoriented by a man’s presence before.
It was six in the evening when Revital left the office and got into her car. Her cell phone started ringing – it was Dean. Revital answered it unwillingly, though she knew this was one conversation she absolutely had to undertake. She really needed to put an end to this.
“Speak,” she said as she took the call.
“That’s cold,” Dean retorted. “But before you come at me and say something… I know that I was in the wrong, and I know you don’t have to accept my apology, but you have to admit it – you owe me at least one last meeting before you end a full year’s relationship.”
