Illaria Point of View

'I will teach a trade secret of mine in the meeting. You will be amazed by me, I promise.'

'I will teach a trade secret of mine in the meeting. You will be amazed by me, I promise.'

'I will teach a trade secret of mine in the meeting. You will be amazed by me, I promise.'

I can still hear his words ringing in my mind like a railway announcement.

He said he would teach a trade secret to me without revealing the contents of the project and promised that I would be amazed.

Is this the trade secret he is talking about?

I seriously don't know where to hide my face from all the anger and embarrassment I'm going through right now.

"Mr. Mayhem, that's – enough!" I cleared my throat, revealing a smile to all the directors yet the next moment, I glared at the senseless disco ball, silently threatening him to stop talking.

"Ms. Alarming, why should I? I'm teaching you a trade secret of mine and you should be happy to learn. Look, I'm getting the inspiration from them and still not revealing a thing about our project. You are too overly cautious." He leaned in and whispered near my ear, giving me a whiff of his perfume that smells like sea salt and marine life.

I don't know if that makes sense though!

How did he even get such scents and perfumes? I guess there is shops and sellers to sell for crazy people too.

"You believe this is not revealing a thing about the project?" I gritted.

"Of course." He grinned brightly and then turned towards the members of the ongoing meeting. "So like I already said, I have a friend –"

The first time I heard 'I have a friend' I knew he is fudged up in his brain and I'm fudged up in my decision to accept his request for a meeting.

"-Who is an author and writing a novel which a little linked to climatic engineering. He is just an author who has no knowledge or experience in the concerned topic and his main male and female protagonists both are in the same field, so he approached me to help him with some tips and ideas."

Can't I even have a single boring day of my life?

I tried to stop him by kicking his leg under the table but he turned to me with an apologetic smile and said, "Sorry, I didn't know I was in the way." He moved a bit farther from me, giving me generous leg space under the table which I don't need at all.

"Why are you telling us about this, Mr. Mayhem? I'm unable to grasp your point." Mr. Jenson, one of the important directors of the company asked.

"My friend needs inspiration so I am here to gather inspiration for him from you all bigshots who have more knowledge and experience than bland Wikipedia page."

"That is for sure."

"I agree."

"That is true."

"I know what you mean."

All the directors cleared their throats proudly and started to comment from the ninth cloud. Asmund and I exchanged a frown and snorted while Buzz looked at his boss with an enchanting look in his eyes.

As if he is learning something new and important.

As if he is worshipping his boss.

As if there is no other who is more precious and astounding than his boss.

"So please help Mr. Mayhem with your ideas." I spoke before that mad disco ball could reveal something important.

However, did my plan to stop him succeed?

Absolutely not!

"Let me give them the synopsis of the story so that they have clear understanding on what to talk about, Ms. Alarming." If only I can slap him!

"That's – not needed, Mr. Mayhem. Who haven't read a couple of novels in their lives? We all know the gist so we can just give you a few ideas – for your friend." I smiled with a hint of warning thrown at him.

Though, he took the smile for a genuine smile and either ignored or not noticed the warning in it at all.

"Ms. Allard, boss is an excellent storyteller. Please let him give the gist so we can have more refined ideas." You buttheaded Buzz!

Both boss and assistant are first-class top-notch scumbags of all times.

"Alright, the story begins in a huge metropolitan city where commerce is thriving. There, lives the female protagonist, Ms. Ellura Ballard, who owns and runs the Ballard conglomerate along with her siblings."

E-Ellura B-B-Ballard?

He – he is so mental! My God, anyone can easily realize what is going on just by the name.

What a brainless disco ball he is!

"Oh wow!"

"Great!"

"Ellura Ballard, what a nice name." The directors commented with a mix of awkwardness and meaningful look on their faces.

"Ms. Ballard is an amazing entrepreneur and wanted to start a climatic engineering project, with the help of which she wanted to help world as much as she could from the natural calamities. With this goal in mind, she approached the male protagonist, a technology genius, the smartest and the most capable in the world, Mr. Kuno Maystem."

Goodness gracious!

Freezing Fudge!

Where has he been training his brain?

Kuno Maystem? Really?

Wait there dragon – male protagonist?

This limping disco ball?

"Kuno Maystem!"

"So, it's Kuno Maystem."

"I know right, that sounds such a – nice name."

"Wow, it has a ring to it."

Geez, what has happened to my directors?

"What happened next, Mr. Maystem – Ahem – Mr. Mayhem?" One of the directors asked curiously, totally involved in the so-called story.

"Kuno Maystem, like I said is an amazing man with his talents flourishing in technology. So, he immediately accepted Ms. Ballard's offer to be a partner in the project. Through this project, working together, Ms. Ballard and Mr. Maystem became closest buddies. Ms. Ballard is a person with good eye in analyzing people. She is totally transfixed by Mr. Maystem's charm, knowledge, intelligence and the care he has for everyone irrespective of gender."

"That's not true." Before I could think straight and clear, I spewed out those words fiercely.

What nonsense is he weaving in his mind?

He is spinning tales for himself in his mind which cannot be true.

"Did you say something, Ms. Alarming?" That blasted ticking time bomb asked with a grin to which I just shook my head angrily and glared icicles at him.

I only I have a superpower that can torture people!

"Right, where were we again?" He cleared his throat and the excitement in his voice is so clear.

"Ms. Ballard's good eye for Mr. Maystem." Mr. Jenson reminded with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

I could not help but snuggle down into my chair in an attempt to conceal my face and my whole self from this overly embarrassing show.

"Oh yes. Ms. Ballard and Mr. Maystem were getting happy working together towards a common goal. The main goal and common foundation of the project is laid. First, this climate engineering project aims to recover the ozone layer with the safest measures possible; which means, less or no side effects. Second, alongside, she was planning to make something that not only informs about the calamities far before the normal systems now but also stop or divert such catastrophes without disrupting the ecological balance." I almost facepalmed myself when I heard the same exact words I used when I introduced the project to him.

He is revealing everything!

"Now, to achieve that, Mr. Maystem used a very unique and an advantageous method in order to build suitable instrumentation technology. The details are as follows –" Before I could stop him discreetly, he puked most of the important details of the project which both shocked and interested the directors to a great extent.

"The problem here is, because my friend, who is an author who did not have any knowledge on this vast subject is stuck here not knowing how to proceed further with the project. He is looking for inspiration for some good innovative and useful ideas so that he can take this book to another level. Therefore, he approached me for ideas because even though I might not be as powerful as his male protagonist in his work, I am still mediocre in abilities. I here by rest the case on this meeting table, please everyone, speak if you have any ideas to break the writers block for my good handsome friend."

I don't know what to do anymore. If not for the contract we signed, I would've broken this partnership with him and hired goons to beat him to pulp.

He took 'I have a friend-' to a whole next universal level.

I feel so defeated, so useless, so vulnerable and so damn weak in heart, mind and body.

Even my soul is not completely inside my body!

Why did I ever think of bringing this fool into this esteemed important and confidential project?

Where is the confidentiality here?

So this is his trade secret?

Spinning a story and reveal all the details in the name of confidentiality?

Ellura Ballard – Kuno Maystem – I snorted wearily.

I just want to plunge a stem in to his may-

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hello Sweeties,

Next chapter is here. Enjoy!

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Did you ever have an acquaintance who is always telling secrets in the name of 'I have a friend'?

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Lady Prim