What Else, If Not love?

CHAPTER 3

True to his word, Carla's fiance was at my doorstep early the next morning and I welcomed him in with a haystack of hair and dark circles under my eyes. He might as well have commented that zombies looked better than me, but I am certain his mother raised him better. 

"So, I researched a little about this megamind and I am pretty impressed with his skills. He is into some serious hacking shit, and it's way beyond my basic computer skills." 

Finally, something I can relate to. I didn't know if I should be glad or worried that my lawyer is as clueless as me. 

"But I had my entire flight hours to study a little about this person. Their identity is completely unknown but the entire government is scared of them. It seems like he or she has dirt on everyone and they are too scared to raise a finger against this individual. I can see a similarity with Robin Hood, but I can't stress on that subject without having proper evidence. As for asking for you, it's something out of their usual behaviour. They have entered into numerous negotiations with governments around the world as well as terrorist groups but this is the first time they have asked for a negotiator. At this point, we can only hope that they are not trying to get you killed. But as your lawyer, I will make sure you are cleared out of any legal obligations or bindings that will harm you and your career." 

Can I say he's a darling? I smiled at him, noticing how he kept referring to the person in gender-neutral terms. I am not particularly obsessed with the pronoun shit, but the way he said it made me believe that he believed in gender equality and that acted as a cool gel to my feminist side. 

"Thank you so much, Mr. Carlisle. As you can see, I am at a loss here. I have no clue what I am walking into."

"You have my full support, Ms. Harper and please call me Dennison." 

"And you can call me Meave." 

...................

"Punctuality is not my strongest attribute." 

I said in between hushed breaths, crouching down to tie my shoelace. Xander rang my doorbell at 12 noon and I was just going through my wardrobe, wondering what to wear. During the brief introduction between Dennison and Xander, I donned a cream wrap top and black pants. I french braided my short, honey blonde hair and stuck to minimal make-up. After all, I was not going to attend a party. 

It took me another ten minutes to find my wallet and phone and the guys were already waiting for me next to an Audi car, where the windows were again tinted black. 

"I am sorry for not notifying you earlier." 

Xander said as he watched me struggle with lace, his features laced with mirth. He was cute and hot at the same time. 

Dennison and I entered the back seat while Xander and an unknown guy took the front, the latter behind the wheel. 

"The meeting will include some of our tech experts and politicians from several nations. If it gets too overwhelming, tell me immediately." 

Xander trained his eyes to the rearview mirror, where it locked with mine and I gave him a nervous smile. I can handle some politicians and if it gets too hard, I will just faint. 
............ 

Maybe I should faint right now. The meeting was held inside the Parliament at a large meeting table that held more than thirty people. Each person had a microphone in front of them so that everyone could hear what was being said by the speaker. I felt like a deer caught under red lights and even Dennison looked fairly intimidated by the way the conversation was flowing around us. For the first twenty minutes, a suit-clad man gave a detailed summary of what exactly was happening between the countries and before he could finish, the politicians started raising their arguments. Obviously, they were buttering their actions and how their nation was at high risk. I even wondered if they were listening to each other at all. Everyone was just busy stating their point and no one seemed to care that everyone was in this together. However, since I knew very little about politics, I decided to just watch the big men go at each other's throats. 

"Our arguments are not going to help us." 

The prime minister from Sweden pointed this out and he was backed by the cabinet minister from Japan. 

"True. We need to protect our information. The megamind said he would contact us once we got the negotiator. Now we decide on that." 

Now, all eyes turned to me, making me squirm back at my seat. A protective hand was placed on my shoulder and I raised my head to see Xander standing behind me, his face devoid of emotion. 

"We will tell you what to say, but be careful. Megamind is no ordinary person. You know why he got that name?" 

"Because of the cartoon? Megamind?" 

The older men looked at me like I was an alien. 

"You know, the alien that has a huge head. Blue colour, villain but ends up being the good guy and gets the girl." 

Again, there was zero response from the other side and I have never felt more like a fool. Beside me, Dennison was fighting to hold back his laugh. 

"Megamind has his name because he plays with other people's minds and has an unbelievable IQ." 

Right. I zipped my lips, hitting my head mentally. Of course, idiot, that would be the reason. 

"And he will toy with you. He will toy with you till you break." 

The entire day went with us signing several papers that Dennison read and reread and ensuring that there were no loopholes, and seven individuals, including men and women, sat around me, giving me directions. By the end of the day, I was good as dead. 

Xander dropped us off after two in the morning and Molly showed Dennison his guest bedroom. I waited at the gate, waiting for Xander to leave. 

"I will call you once we hear from the megamind. Until then, go through the notes and call Elizabeth if you have any doubts." 

Elizabeth was the head of the team that guided me and she was a pretty terrifying lady but I respected her for the power she held. 

"Can't I call you then?" 

I asked, batting my eyelashes slowly, which I knew men always loved. I was sleepy and nervous and flirting was the only thing that would ease my nerves right now. 

Xander gave me a smile that made me internally swoon and he leaned in to whisper in my ears, catching me off guard. 

"Anytime." 

With that, he walked back, and I stood there motionless, watching him pull away from my driveway. Xander would have been a good catch.

Unfortunately,  I'm not interested in fishing for long. 

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