Chapter five

The light in the hospital room was totally different now.

It was not the cold, white light from before. The sun had finally come out in Paris, and it was coming through the window, falling on the white sheets, falling on Luna's mother's face, falling on Luna and Jack's joined hands together. 

Luna was still holding her mother's hand. Jack Black was still holding the other hand of her mother. Her mother was awake. She was weak, but she was alive. She was smiling. That smile was worth more than any contract.

Maya was standing at the door, crying. Aisha was holding her phone, taking a photo, not for the press, but for them. For memory's. Josham was standing outside, smiling for the first time in five years. He had seen Jack lose his mother. He had seen Jack become cold. And now he was seeing Jack smile at a hospital bed. Everything just felt different again. 

"My child," Luna's mother whispered. She was looking at Luna. "You look tired. You have not slept."

Luna laughed through her tears. "Mother, I haven't slept in 96 hours. But I don't care. You're awake, that's all that matters."

Her mother looked at Jack. "And you. You stayed. You said you would stay until I woke up. You kept your promise."

Jack nodded. He did not know what to say. He was not used to a mother talking to him like that. He was not used to being called "son."

"I promised," he said quietly. "I promised Luna."

The doctor came in. He was a tall man with glasses. He checked the machines. He checked Luna's mother. He smiled.

"She is stable. The operation was indeed successful. She will need to rest for a few days, but she will be fine. She is a strong woman. She has a strong daughter."

Luna felt her knees go weak. Maya caught her.

"Did you hear that? She is going to be fine. Your mother will be fine," Maya said, jumping up and down.

Aisha hugged Luna. "We made it. We really made it."

Jack Black looked at Luna. He wanted to hug her. He wanted to hold her so tight. But he did not. He held back. He put his hands in his pockets.

"Come," he said. "Let's let her rest."

They walked out of the room. Luna's mother closed her eyes, tired, but still smiling. She was safe.

In the corridor, Luna took a deep breath. It was the first deep breath she had taken in four days. The hospital smell was still there, but it did not feel cold anymore. It felt like a place where miracles truly happened. 

Josham came to Jack. "Sir, the press is still outside. They want a photo of you and Luna together."

Jack shook his head. "No. Not today. Today is not about photos. Today is about Luna and her mother."

Luna looked at him. "Thank you," she said. "For everything."

Jack looked at her. He wanted to talk more. He wanted to say that he had not paid for the operation just because she got the contract. He had paid because he saw himself in her. He had seen a girl who would do anything for her mother, just like he would have done anything for his. But he did not say it. Not yet.

"Luna," he said, "I have to show you something. Come with me. Tonight."

Maya gasped. "Tonight? Where, hmmm?"

Aisha raised an eyebrow. "Jack Black, are you asking Luna out on a date?"

Jack's face turned a little red. He was a billionaire. He had dated models. He had dated actresses. He had been on the cover of magazines. But now, in a hospital, in front of Luna's friends, he was nervous.

"No. Not a date. Business. I have the contract. The new contract. For your promotion. I need you to sign it. At my penthouse. In Seine."

Luna's eyes widened. "Your penthouse?"

Josham nodded. "Mr. Black's penthouse on the Seine. It's where he signs all important contracts. It's tradition."

Maya whispered to Aisha, "Penthouse? In Seine? That's where billionaires take their girlfriends."

Aisha shushed her.

Luna looked at her clothes. She was wearing a white shirt and a black skirt. Her hair was messy. She had red eyes. She had not slept.

"I can't go like this," she said. "I look really terrible."

Jack smiled. "You look beautiful. You look like a woman who just saved her mother. You look like you."

Luna blushed. She did not know what to say at that moment. 

At 7 pm, a black car came to the hospital. It was Jack's car. The driver was Josham. Maya and Aisha were already in the car, giggling, feeling really excited. 

"Are you coming?" Maya shouted from the window. "We are your team now. We go where you go."

Luna got in. Jack was already sitting inside, looking at his phone, but he was not really looking. He was waiting for her.

The car drove through Paris. The city was beautiful at sunset. The Eiffel Tower was lighting up. The Seine was shining. People were walking, holding hands, and eating ice cream. Luna looked out the window. She had stayed in Paris for five years, but she had never seen it this way. She had always been working. She had always been poor. She had never had time to look.

Jack looked at her. "You like Paris?"

Luna nodded. "I love Paris. But I never had time to enjoy it properly.”

"You will now," he said.

They arrived at the Seine Penthouse. It was not a house. It was a whole building. The penthouse was on the top floor. When the elevator opened, Luna gasped.

The penthouse was huge. It had glass walls, looking over the Seine. The river was right there, shining under the lights. There was a grand piano. There was a fireplace. There was a table set for dinner, with candles, with flowers, with a white tablecloth.

"Wow," Luna whispered. "This is your home?"

Jack nodded. "This is where I live. And where I work. And where I sign contracts."

Maya ran to the window. "Oh my God! You can see the whole of Paris from here!"

Aisha walked around. "This is bigger than my whole apartment building."

Josham brought in a folder. It was thick. It was the contract that needed to be signed.

"Luna," Jack said, his voice serious. "This is the contract. Head of New Client Relations. Triple salary. Your own office. Maya and Aisha as your team. Health insurance for your mother. For life. And a bonus for Béranger."

Luna opened the folder. Her hands were shaking. She read the first page. Then the second. Then the third. She could not believe it. The salary was more than she had ever dreamed of. The health insurance meant her mother would never have to worry again. The bonus meant she could pay off her debts. She could buy her mother a new coat. She could buy herself new shoes.

"Are you sure?" Luna asked. "Are you sure you want me?"

Jack looked at her. He looked into her eyes. For the first time, he did not look away.

"I am sure. I have never been more sure of anything. You earned this. Not because you are poor. Not because your mother is sick. Because you are the best person I have ever worked with. You have heart. You have real talent. You have everything my company needs."

Maya cried. "Sign it! Luna, sign it!"

Luna picked up the pen. It was a bronze pen. It felt heavy. She signed her name. Luna Alex. On every page. Her hand was shaking, but she signed correctly.

When she finished, Jack stood up. He took the folder. He put his own signature. Then he looked at Luna.

"This is not just a business contract," he said. "This is a new life. For you. For your mother. For Maya and Aisha."

He poured champagne. For everyone. Maya took a glass. Aisha took a glass. Josham took a glass.

"To Luna," Jack said, raising his glass. "To the woman who did the impossible in 96 hours."

"To Luna!" everyone shouted.

Luna drank. The champagne was sweet and cold. She had never tasted champagne like this before. She had only tasted cheap wine in the house. 

After dinner, Maya and Aisha stood up and left. They said they had to go home. They winked at Luna. "We will leave you two alone. You have business to discuss."

Josham also left. He smiled at Jack. "Don't be late, sir. You have a meeting tomorrow."

And then it was just Luna and Jack. Alone in the penthouse. The Seine was outside. The candles were burning up. The city was shining and beautiful. 

Luna felt really nervous. She had never been alone with a man like this. Not in a penthouse. Not with candles.

Jack sat down on the sofa. He was not the boss now. He was just a gentle man. He looked tired. He looked human.

"Luna," he said, "Can I tell you something? Something I have never told anyone?"

Luna nodded. She sat next to him, but not too close.

"Five years ago, my mother died. I told you that at the hospital. But I didn't tell you everything. I didn't tell you that I was the one who told her to wait. I told her I would get the money. I told her I would pay for the operation. But I was late. I was late by one day. One day. She died waiting for me. I have never forgiven myself. I became cold because I thought if I became cold, I would not feel pain. But I still feel it. Every day. Every night."

Luna became broken. She had never seen Jack like this. She reached out and touched his hand. Just gently.

"Jack, it was not your fault."

He looked at her hand. "When I saw you, fighting and praying for your mother, not sleeping for 96 hours, I saw myself. I saw what I wanted to be. I wanted to save your mother because I could not save mine. I wanted to do one good thing. And you let me."

Luna felt tears in her eyes. "You saved her. You saved my mother. You saved us."

They sat there for a long time. They did not speak. They just sat. The Seine was flowing outside. The lights were shining. The penthouse was so quiet.

Then Jack stood up. He went to the piano. He started to play. It was a soft song. It was a sad song, but it was beautiful. Luna had never heard him play.

"You play piano?" she asked.

"My mother taught me," he said. "I stopped after she died. But tonight, I wanted to play again."

Luna closed her eyes and listened carefully. She felt the music in her heart. She felt something she had not felt in a long time, peace.

When he finished, he stared at her.

"Luna, I have another contract. Not a business contract. A personal one."

He took out a small box. It was not a ring. It was a key.

"This is the key to this penthouse. I want you to have it. I want you to come here whenever you want. Not as an employee. As a friend. As someone I trust."

Luna took the key. Her hand was shaking. "Jack, why are you giving me this?"

"Because I don't want to stay alone anymore," he said. "And I don't want you to stay alone anymore."

Luna looked at the key. She looked at Jack. She looked at the Seine.

She had no idea what this meant. She did not know if this was love. She did not know if this was just friendship. But she knew one thing: her life had changed forever.

She stood up. She walked to the window. She looked at Paris.

"Jack," she said, "My mother is alive. I have a better job. I have my friends. And I have you. I have never had this much before."

Jack stood next to her. He stood very close. He could smell her perfume. He could feel her breath.

"And you will never lose it," he said. "I promise. I will not leave you."

For a moment, they stood there, looking at the river, not touching, but so close both of them could feel each other's warmth.

Then Luna's phone rang. It was the hospital.

"Miss Alex? Your mother is asking for you. She wants to see you."

Luna smiled. "I may leave now."

Jack nodded. "I will take you."

They drove back to the hospital. The city was dark now. The stars were out. Luna was holding the contract in her bag, and the key in her hand.

When they arrived at the hospital, Luna's mother was sitting up. She was eating soup. She looked perfectly fine. 

"Mother," Luna said, hugging her.

Her mother looked at Jack. "You came back too."

Jack smiled. "I said I would."

Luna's mother held Luna's hand and Jack's hand again, like she had done before. "I told you," she said to Jack, "Take good care of my daughter."

Jack looked at Luna. Luna looked at Jack.

And Luna knew this was not just a contract signing. This was the beginning of a beautiful love story. A story that had started with an impossible task, and now, in a penthouse on the Seine, had become something more.

Maya texted Luna: "So? Did Jack Black kiss you?"

Luna texted back: "No. But he gave me a key."

Aisha texted: "A key? That's better than a kiss. That's a billionaire saying 'You are home.'"

Luna put her phone down. She held her mother's hand. She looked at Jack.

The contract was signed. The penthouse was hers to visit. Her mother was alive.

And for the first time in her life, Luna felt like she was not a poor girl from a small office near the toilet.

She felt like a woman who had everything again. 

The night was ending, but their story was just beginning.