Chapter 6: Are You Done Yet?

I closed my eyes again, but this time, my thoughts drifted to Yerite’s stomach pain. Cars became a thing of the past. Turite was a workaholic. Even before we got married, she often neglected food for the sake of her career. Over time, this led to her developing stomach issues. I worried for her and took it upon myself to learn how to cook after we got married. Slowly, she and I enjoyed food again, and her stomach ache, without medication, seemed like her old problems were returning. She really didn’t know how to take care of herself, I mused; her true "cure" was a doctor. If she really felt unwell, I supposed she would be off to him for some comfort and attention. It wasn't a big problem anymore. I would finally discuss this with her after I was done with my meeting tomorrow. The sooner it was over, the better.

The next day, Kenny showed up early. He brought me the company documents, and he needed to deal with them immediately. I sent him the business partner’s address. "Get there yourself, okay? As compensation for disturbing you. If you're free, how about dinner tonight!"

I was so tired I could barely open my eyes. "Okay, fine." Three hours later, sunlight flooded the room. I finally woke up and dragged myself out of bed. After a quick shower, I put on my hair gel, then my suit, and stood before the mirror. I was almost six feet three inches tall, and I had the kind of hands that could crush a watermelon. I didn’t look like what you’d call a “delicate” flower. I envisioned a bold, masculine image. I didn’t think too much about it. Straightening my clothes, I grabbed a quick breakfast, put on my motorcycle helmet, and headed to the address Kenny had sent. For some reason, the address was familiar—Tambiar, but I couldn't quite place where I had been there before.

I pulled to the right and saw a sleek, modern building. I parked my motorcycle and walked inside, hitting the elevator button. The building was spacious and tall, with high-end decorations everywhere. The top floor looked particularly extravagant.

I walked up to the front desk, and the receptionist introduced me to a young woman in professional attire with her hair in a bun. She was the company’s senior secretary, Linda Bermen. Leila was on the phone when I arrived.

“Dean’s busy, Ms. Lane. I know you’ve been looking for him for a while. I’ll notify you as soon as he’s available. Be…” She hung up before I approached her. “Hello, I’m here for an interview…”

Linda barely glanced at me, her expression cold as she opened my résumé and started reading it intently. Suddenly, her eyes widened in shock.

“You’re Owen Yates! The lead artist for the game, Fulfilled Dreams? My name had a resounding pen name, and I’d kept it the same throughout my career as an artist.”

Linda gasped and covered her mouth in shock. Then, she hurriedly reached out to shake my hand; her excitement was barely contained.

“700mgad! Back in high school, your fan art already stood out, and then in college, you were invited to be the lead artist for Fulfilled Dreams. Your work is known worldwide! Tour Mulligar and everyone else have been looking for you for a while! When you said you were coming today, we were all skeptical, but we can’t believe it’s really you!”

Linda was so earnest, and she was holding my hand so tightly it started to hurt. I awkwardly pulled my hand back. Losada didn’t seem to notice my discomfort as she continued rambling. “I really love your work, sir, but why haven’t you been drawing lately? It’s been over a year, and I thought you retired from the…”

She paused for a second, then answered her own question. “You haven’t been taking any private commissions under a pseudonym, followed by a few works that were remarkably similar to yours?”

I cleared my throat. “I’ve been on a break for personal reasons, but I’ll continue drawing. By the way, when will your manager be here? When do we start the interview?”

She seemed to remember why I was there. She quickly said, “Please wait just a moment. I’ll make a call. Our boss even called Mr. Jennings over so they could both meet you.” Then, she pulled out her phone and called someone.

A sudden, unsettling feeling washed over me as I waited for her to hang up. When she did, I couldn’t help but ask, “What’s your boss’s name?”

Linda beamed and said, “Haven’t you seen her? Her name’s Nancy Lane. They’re almost here, please just wait a moment.”

Everything changed rapidly. Barry, Yvette’s childhood friend, the head of the Lane Group, and they were very different. Unlike Yvette’s undemonstrative, serious nature, Harry was wild and eccentric. She was always looking for the next big thing. Her business ventures mostly involved less-than-reputable companies. Harry was a different breed, and while she always had money, it wasn't clear where it came from. As the head of this entertainment company…

She finally recalled why the address was so familiar. She read that she invested in a company, Namey, that was the top competitor to Wette, but it had to keep its communications under wraps, but someone interrupted.

“Cory: I just want to reiterate that I have no marking or best position. Let’s talk about something else.”

With that, I stood up to leave. I didn't want to cause any trouble for Marley and Yorite. I turned to leave, but I paused before exiting. Two women were inside, and I almost bumped into them. One was sharply dressed, a familiar, bright look on her face.

Chapter 6: Are You Done Yet? 212

The other was quite different yet equally striking. She was dressed in a long gown and had fiery red lips. Large waves of shoulder-length hair cascaded down her back. The woman—Yvette—was someone I couldn’t be more surprised to see.

As soon as Yvette saw me, a flicker of surprise crossed her bright eyes. “Owen? Why are you here?”

Nancy suddenly exclaimed, “Well, if it isn’t my best friend’s husband! Why didn’t you give me a heads-up if you were coming here?”

I wasn’t interested in talking to either of them, so I kept my expression neutral and quickly tried to pass them to enter the elevator.

“Owen, stop right there.” Yvette’s cold voice came from behind me, but I didn’t stop. Perhaps I had upset her, because she quickly caught up to me. I heard the click of her heels getting louder and closer until she grabbed my arm.

I was forced to stop, and I turned to look at her. She had a scowl on her face, and her red lips were slightly pursed.

“Hold it! Didn’t you hear me?” I tried to shake her off, but she didn’t budge.

“I heard you. So what? Do I have to stop just because you told me to?”

Nancy was standing some distance away, and I saw her raise an eyebrow, a playful smile on her lips.

“Ivette, what did you do to make him so mad? He actually doesn’t want to talk to you? That’s never happened before!”

Yvette glared at Nancy, and the latter immediately raised her hand in mock surrender, going silent with a grin. Then, Yvette’s eyes locked onto mine, her gaze as dark and unreadable as an abyss.

“Are you done yet? How long are you going to keep this up?”