10 years ago on a cold day in spring. The sky was shrouded in dark clouds. So far it was still dry. In anticipation of the rain there were not many people on the streets. Reyji was with Marah on her way to a meeting. As always, she walked half a step behind her. In her right hand she carried a file bag or, in other words, a briefcase with handles. The briefcase was made of white leather and had the design of a handbag. A cute bow was attached to one corner. The item belonged to Marah, but Reyji carried it for her. Unfortunately, the design clashed a little with the black suit, but it could be worse. Marah's dress was white and mixed with orange at the bottom. It was like a swirl. It looked like stirring orange juice into curd. Except for sports, Marah always wore some kind of dress. Even the bad weather could not stop her. Every now and then a strong wind would blow up and pulled the fabric in all directions. She did not let on whether it bothered her or not.

After a park and two wide cobbled streets, they came to a tall office building. It was the tallest on the street, but that was not due to its size. Many of the other buildings were simple residential houses, some with stores or restaurants. This was still a residential area. This office building was an exception. Overall, it was rather inconspicuous. From the exterior, it was impossible to tell what purpose it served. There was no broad lettering on the façade and no large porch with columns at the entrance. The building was parallel to the street. The first floor was fully glazed and almost all the windows were tinted. Only the entrance area was clear and you could see inside.

On the left, sat two men in dark suits at a round marble table near the wall. Straight ahead sat a young man behind a white reception desk. On the right there wasn't much, just a small statue on a column that looked like a waterspout. Everything was brightly lit and the reception looked inviting. It was still better not to enter unless you were working here or had an appointment. What was not visible were the twelve basement floors of solid steel and the fact that the two men at the table were armed. Part of Baele's state reserves were stored in this office building. It was the part that could be grabbed, meaning jewels, important works of art, foreign cash and things like that. Reyji knew that, but the young man at the reception desk probably did not and maybe not even the two guards.

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Marah pushed the door open without slowing down. The two guards glanced to see who was coming through the door, then turned their heads directly towards the street and started talking about the weather. As Reyji also walked through the door, her gaze briefly fell on the small sign on the glass. 'WORLDBANK BAELE', it said in green letters on a black background.

"A very good day to you, Ms. Von Rosenberg. I would like to welcome you in our house. - And you too, of course, Ms. Hayano."

"I'm very pleased too. May I go upstairs now?"

"Yes. The board is in the main conference room on the fifth floor. I'll take you there."

The young man got up from his seat and took a heavy key with him. He unlocked a white steel door at the back, held it open until they were both through and then went ahead again. The door slammed shut on its own. It did not make a sound. It was made of steel, but it was not actually much thicker than a wooden door.

The offices were in this area. At the first corner, they turned right into a stairwell and followed the stairs upwards. The stairwell had a tinted glass façade and you could see into the courtyard. No one was outside in this weather.

At the bottom of the stairs, they had to go through another steel door and then along a corridor to the conference room. The man from reception only took them as far as the door, then left them alone.

Marah had an appointment here with the twelve-member board. She had requested the appointment herself. The board did not yet know what she wanted. They probably expected her to be planning a major construction project and wanted to discuss its financing. In reality, however, it was about the future of the bank itself.

.../ End Part