Dylan sat in the foyer, her legs crossed over one another as she kept one eye on the entrance; counting how many had come and gone was a favourite bored past-time which had turned habit. She took a sip of her tea, her other hand drumming on the leather seat. It was not every day which her father would request for her to meet the newly-appointed Prime Minister in his place, and so the knots of her stomach were a simple byproduct that she would have to deal with.
She did not have to wait too long until the familiar figure of Gareth Ludlow appeared from the crowd, seemingly unnoticed or they were far too engrossed in their phones to pay a sliver of attention. Some continued to mull around the foyer, others engaged in their own conversations. It was a perfect place for a meeting.
"Ms Trevino," Gareth paused briefly, his hand extended out. "I have to admit I was expecting your father."
Dylan gave a shrug of her shoulder, meet his hand with her own and giving it a firm shake. "Dylan, please. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Ludlow. My father speaks highly of you and I'm here to convey his apologies for not being able to meet you and hopes we can still talk business."
"Of course, though I'd like to get to know the new face of Trevino Publishing better first."
"Turning this into a date, smooth." Dylan replied, her tone teasing. "What you need to know is what you can get off the internet and I wouldn't want to take up too much of your time."
"My time is what I make of it, Dylan. But of course, I'll try keep this as short as possible. Are you able to tell me if your company has taken any hits from the recent...event?" Gareth asked.
Dylan narrowed her eyes, cocking her head to one side as she mulled over the answer. There had been no real blow back on the publishing company, bar from the sudden influx of books being pushed forward claiming they knew all about Edward Ryder and his life within the service. But, she had not just been privy to her father's legitimate business, she had learned that AXIOM had become a registered partner of the company a couple years before and as such, this was the point that Gareth was hitting on.
"None, unless you're counting the influx of non-fiction being published about your enemy number uno." Dylan replied, offering a small smile in hopes it covered how hard her heart was beating in her chest. "Which is something my father has expressed his concern over."
He responded in kind, his smile sharp.
"Don't worry, he's being handled as we speak. I'm sure you're able to hold back on anything being published about him without running through my office?"
"Of course. I'll have my PA send it over." She replied. "Anything else I can assist with?""No. Though I will be in attendance on the book convention tomorrow, so I look forward to catching up with you there."
Gareth did not remain seated for long, giving a lingering look which was abruptly cut off by his need to answer his own phone. He managed a look back as he excused himself, giving Dylan a nod of his head before disappearing out of the foyer doors.
YOU ARE READING
Nobody Praying For Me
AcciónLEGEND /ˈlɛdʒ(ə)nd/ n. the faked biography of a deep-cover agent. By all accounts, Edward Ryder does not exist. But when the Prime Minister of Great Britain is assassinated and a video is circulated; he finds himself being the perfect scapegoat and...