I didn't know what exactly to think of the article I'd just read. I held my phone closer to my face, squinting my eyes as I skimmed over the article once again. Much of what was written here was written with a strong and confident tone, like the 'facts' and 'evidence' presented couldn't be refuted. But it was the arrogance that angered me.
"She really believes in what she has written doesn't she," I comment.
"Quite outrageous notions, Mister President." The man in my company agreed wholeheartedly, even as his voice shook and his hands trembled.
I look at him and smile. I couldn't exactly call him cowardly just because he was scared of what a nineteen-year-old like myself would do to him. I've got to give him credit, he hasn't pissed himself despite the two machine guns placed on either side of his head.
The president of Peak View Media (PVM); a privately owned media house that distributed news in all available forms and even made a few TV shows. He was a rich man by all standards but not a powerful one.
"Quite outrageous you say?" I get off my butt and walk back to my desk, "So why then, Mister Ralefy, did you permit dear Miss," I scroll to the top of the article where a name is listed, "Miss Aina Leriva to publish this article?"
I take my seat and spin in it like I was a kid again. Despite intentionally sounding displeased at Mister Ralefy here, I was actually really excited. Perhaps it was the nihilism talking but I was starting to have fun playing this Re-Life game I'd found myself in. To think it only took ten tries.
"Did you believe the article? The editors you hired, did they not bring this to you for approval? It's a very sensitive topic you see, especially in Schelar."
I'm not exactly sure but it seemed that father hadn't been thorough in the manner he kept the media under his thumb. This particular journalist, Aina Leriva, had gone ahead to write and publish an article suggesting her top ten plausible candidates for who would run the state seeing as my Father had passed away.
At the top of her list was the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Matthias Andrianjanaka. An obvious choice anyone with a working brain would make. She continued to list on several nameless representatives and the occasional businessman, I bet this little inclusion flattered them.
Hilariously, she added Luciano as a bonus, citing that his extensive military background and previous, albeit short tenure as President of Seychelles as well as his participation in the formation of what was now Schelar would make him a brilliant candidate. I wondered why then she didn't give him a number.
"They did! They did but I was coerced into allowing it to be published, I swear!" he cries out. The sentence sounded very suspicious to me, there was much more of a story to tell behind that.
"Coerced? You own the company. I don't think anyone can coerce you into such an ill-thought decision." My eyes narrowed at him, suddenly he couldn't look me in the face, as if he'd done something damnable.
Well, I did make it seem like he'd sinned against his maker, but I didn't think he'd turn into a dog who shamefully messed up the carpet so quickly. It had to be something else.
"Are you sleeping with the Miss Leriva?" he flinched at my words, going on to rebuke them as false a moment after.
I laugh. It was genuinely hilarious. A woman's wiles are indeed not to be underestimated.
I beckon to one of the men holding a gun to his head, "Bring her in will you? I'm sure she's waiting outside."
"What? Who is waiting outside?" I glare at him as he began moving. One gun leaves his head and suddenly his life is less in danger?
"Hit him." At my word, the remaining soldier whacks him in the face with the butt of his gun. The president bleeds and whimpers, begging to be spared.
I ignore his wailings, annoying as they are, hitting him to silence him won't work as well as it in theory should. And with patience, we are soon rejoined by the man I sent and the woman I asked for.
She walked in mid-fight with the man who brought her in, "Don't you touch me!" she screamed at him. Soon she settles down as the man opts to ignore her and hold his weapon behind her, stoic as stone.
She quickly recognizes the sobbing, bloodied mess on my couch as her boss, "Mister Ralefy! Who did this to you. Why? Oh my god, we need to get you to a hospital."
"Miss Leriva," she turns to me as if just realizing my presence- such arrogance- I recognize her as the same woman who attacked me with the questions about Madagascar yesterday. "Would you please take a seat?"
She glares heatedly at me and continues to wipe the blood off the president's head for a moment before moving to take the seat right beside him.
"Your men came into the office and made a scene dragging out my boss into the streets and flung him into a car, they then 'politely' left a letter on my desk 'requesting' my presence at the Palace." She folded her arms and scoffed, "You kidnapped a man in daylight and threatened me with a letter. This is an affront to democracy."
I am amazed.
Despite what having what some would call the worst day of their life, she maintained a calm tone and demeanour all while defying and rebuking the reality of her situation.
I chuckle, thoroughly pleased with her, "Miss Leriva, Schelar was never a democracy, this is a true autocracy, this is what it is meant to look like. My people are not out in the streets starving and killing each other over food. The economy is not tanked in a bayou and our lands are not a war zone."
"Not a war zone yet." She interjects. "Madagascar seems awfully inclined on changing that."
"I promise you, if we ever end up in a conflict with Madagascar, you will not notice," I say, quite confident in my capabilities.
"And what right do you have to make such large promises, Mister Fatah?"
"Call me, Mister President."
Her eyes widen and her mouth falls ajar at my revelation, "What? You're just a spoiled teenager, you can't rule Schelar."
I flinch, my eyes twitch with an annoyance. I really didn't want to hear that, "Even the President of Madagascar couldn't speak so loosely with me. You reporters are certainly something."
She rolls her eyes as if I'd just delivered a bad pick up line, "Indeed we are. You know, I wrote an article today about the top ten potential candidates for the presidency, I never even thought of you." She pauses, making a face as she'd just realized something, "Wait…is that why I am here? Because of that article?" her eyes darting from her groaning boss to me.
"Impressive deduction, Miss Leriva. It would seem we've gotten off track though." I point to her boss, "This man permitted you and your editors to publish that article. In his defence, he says you coerced him." A blatant lie by my part but the truth could use a little colouring now and again.
Her shocked look was back, "Coerced? He made me promise him sex!"
"So you are sleeping with him."
"What? No, eww," eww? Ouch
"I expected a slimebag like him to ask for sex so I recorded our entire conversation. I planned to publish the candidate article with Peak and then sell the audio of him sexually harassing his workers in exchange for a job at a random media house, I'm still looking for which one."
My eyes widen at the off-handed manner she uses to admit to conspiring to kill a man's career.
"You bitch! How dare you?! After all, my company has done you dare stab me in the back! I'll ruin you!!"
The president seemed to have recovered from the hit, I sigh and look to the man behind him, "Please remove him, I don't want to see him anywhere close to the palace." At my word, he is dragged out by the two men and I scoff, "You'd think a man who works with reporters would be wary of recorders."
Once they leave and the president's struggles are out of earshot, I look to Miss Leriva and smile, "You are quite the ruthless journalist." I comment
"The truth is ruthless; to obtain it you must imitate its nature." She says, sounding pretty wise and comfortable.
"Who said that?"
"Me." Her wide grin got me laughing.
"You are truly exceptional, Miss Leriva. So I've got an offer for you."
"Same offer Mister Ralefy had? Please."
I laugh at her pretentiousness, today was truly a joyous day, "No, I will let you break news about the date of my inauguration. In fact, I'll let you handle all my interviews and stories."
"If…?" she asks, knowing there'll be a catch.
"If you go out on a few dinner dates with me