Starlink is the biggest company in the world. With shares across all industries, I can say that we hit the jackpot when Mr. Brent Lopez, the owner, expressed his interest in having us as their official partner. Their 95-story building is situated in the middle of the city, accentuated with white paint and silver-lined frames, adding to its grandeur. The lobby is filled with their launched products, almost looking like a museum.
The hallway is intricately designed and lined with red carpet, and the walls are filled with art from the Renaissance.
*ding!*
5 people came out of the elevator, heading towards a glass-encased boardroom.
"Are you sure I have to meet your father? Does he have some proxy I can meet, like a body double?" I asked Micah as she walked in front.
Brad, Susan, Martha, and Aether are walking beside or behind me, seemingly unaware of how dumb my question is.
"He's not just Micah's father. He's an investor. Try to be serious here, dude!" Brad said while flipping over a buttload of papers.
"Don't make it sound like you'll meet her father for courtship. It's annoying," said Susan, her eyes still following Micah's every move. "Right, Dear? You don't accept stupid people in the family, right?" Susan asked Micah, who was giggling as they approached the boardroom.
"We're here," Aether interrupted "Mr COO, please straighten your tie. It looks like a dried gourd"
"It should be easier if you just took your Father's surname, no? We can just call you Mr. Crawford, then." Susan rolled her eyes, still wondering why I took my current surname and stubbornly refused to change it.
"It's my mother's maiden name, and I like it," I told her, fixing my tie.
"All better, Ms Jackson?" I smiled at Aether, grinning at her.
"Yes, Mister. Now, button up!" she replied, smiling and pinching my cheeks.
"Martha, please. I can't reach it; I'm too hurt when the CEO shouts at me. Ah, it hurts," I said, spreading my arms for Martha to fix the buttons on my long sleeves, which I had rolled up earlier.
Micah, watching the scenes, was visibly sad. Is it maybe because his father is a terror, and she remembered something traumatizing?
—
"It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Aether Jackson. Let our legal departments handle the rest, and let's go outside. I've prepared something for everyone".
Brent Lopez. The world's wealthiest man. His assets are believed to be able to buy a third-world country.
"I can say the same, Mr. Lopez. Brad and our Legal Team will handle the rest, and Randy will follow up regarding the press conference." Aether was shaking Mr. Lopez's hand.
"Oh yes, about that. I'm sorry, Ms Jackson, but I have already arranged for the reporters. They should be waiting outside," Mr. Lopez said, smiling helplessly. "I guess I was too excited; I forgot to ask you first"
"It's okay. My COO can stand in for Randy for the press conference," Aether said, looked at me in the direction, and mouthed, "Get over here!"
I almost choked on the cookie I was biting. I coughed, and the remains of my unfinished cookie sprayed all over the floor. Ah, what an embarrassment. The cookie was the dark chocolate kind, too.
"Ah, yes, yes, don't worry. I've got everything under control," I said, clearing my throat. "Let me finish my cookie; give me a sec."
I swallowed the cookie, drank a mouthful of water, and said, "See? All done"
Micah and Aether, as if they practiced, rolled their eyes and facepalmed simultaneously.
—
"And with this, we gladly announce that the Starlink x Aether Studio partnership is finally official"
I told the press, who clapped their hands for about a minute.
"Aether Studios and Starlink will now take questions, so if you may," Susan said, smiling at the reporters.
Watching from the livestream, two men eagerly awaited inside a dark-lit office.
"It starts now, Sir." the one with the eyeglasses said to the other.
"Are you sure the files have been sent to the reporter?" The man asked.
"Yes, I sent the files," Glasses said, seemingly excited by the questions the reporters would ask.
"Yes, Sir, from Sunshine Media." Susan smiled, pointing at a reporter.
The reporter stood up, looked at his tablet, grabbed the microphone, and asked, "Is it true that Aether's Studio went on a vacation with Starlink paying for all the expenses?"
Mr Bradley smiled and let his PR officer answer, "Well, the tickets were first purchased by Aether and her business partner. Mr. Lopez, not Starlink, financed transportation and lodgings"
"Why?" the reporter asked, her colleague typing away the answers.
Mr. Lopez smiled and said, "Because I love my daughter. It's what a father should do. My daughter has been working at the Studio for a year, and I haven't given her or her boss something to show my appreciation. Is there something wrong with that?"
"No, Sir. Thank you, Sir. That's all from me," the reporter said, sat down, and started typing on his laptop.
The press conference lasted for half a day, and by the time it was finished, Jake and the man were staring at the screen, their bulging veins showing as they waited for nothing.
A slap was heard in the room the two men were in.
"You told me everything was ready! Why didn't the reporter even ask the right questions, but something made on the spot?" The man was seething with rage.
"I'm sorry, Sir! It won't happen again!" Glasses was groveling on the floor, holding his burning cheeks. He thought, "What went wrong? I checked the emails before sending it"
—
A few hours before.
"You're asking that? Are you nuts?!" The chief editor slammed his hand on the table.
"But Sir, the source is reliable," Glasses's reporter, Will, pleaded his case to the man, visibly annoyed by his words.
"I don't care about your source, you filthy maggot. Didn't you know that Starlink owns the building? Do you want to lose our jobs?! Get out! Change those questions, or I'll tie you up." The editor replied, walking out.
"You and your dumb sources!" the editor said as he looked back and slammed the door shut.
"I hate my job," Will said, trying to call a certain someone. "Oh well, 'he' doesn't pick up. Not my fault, then"
—
"Sorry, I messed up," Will said, drinking his Chai Tea. "Did a bee stung you? Your face looks swollen"
Glasses replied, "No, I tripped and fell"
—
A polar bear, an arctic fox, and a white cat are currently engaged in a staring contest with me. It's a three-versus-one competition, with two eyes against six.
"Ah, I give up. Where did these 3 came from?"
Somehow, I resonate with the three, especially with the polar bear. It felt like I'd known her (or him?) all my life. She was currently shielding me from the snowstorm and had a foot-high snow on the top of her head. The fox and the cat are patrolling the surrounding area but will hiss at each other when their paths meet.
"Strange. Why do I have these three in my dreams? Isn't this supposed to be a nightmare?"
YOU ARE READING
Unending Nightmares
Random"Unending Nightmares" is a story where the main character suffers from nightmares and dreams he cannot explain. This changes, though, when his nightmares become reality.
