The visitor

Turning the page

'Darling, he is head over heels for you. Didn't you see how he looked at you?' Mina smiled.

'He will come back. I can already see it!' Yuki gestured with her hands. 'The rain is pouring down like crazy when suddenly someone calls out your name on a busy street. You turn around and Nobu is standing there, with his arms wide open and you ignore everything and run into his arms. He lifts you up in the air and spins around with you. Then you put your hands on his cheeks and kiss him. And he tells you he's been in love with you all this time.'

'Awww! Yes! And you will be in a beautiful long flowy dress and he will be wearing a white shirt.' Mina was clearly daydreaming about him.

'And then he will carry you home in his arms and make love to you.' Yuki grinned.

'And you will live happily ever after.' Asami sighed.

'Okay, hold your horses!' I snorted with laughter. 'A, You guys are terrible scriptwriters because this is the corniest shit I've ever heard. B, We've done the "Mr. Darcy in a wet white shirt" scene and FYI, he looked breathtaking. C, he won't come back. I know this for sure. Unfortunately.'

'Saori, you can't give up on your love so easily! After all, you are the one who writes about love every week.' Asami tried to reassure me. 'How do you know for sure anyway?'

'Because...' I hesitated. They wouldn't believe me if I told them the truth.

'Because?'

'Because, he is from another time...'

...

The CEO of the publishing company was a petite, stern looking lady in her early 40s. She looked very refined and professional in her Chanel tweed jacket. The designer handbag on her desk was a statement itself. Her office was cozy and welcoming and I was about to throw up on the fancy carpet.

'I've read some of your articles and you definitely have the affinity and the talent for writing. But a book is a whole other world. This is your first attempt and it shows.' She looked at the manuscript on her desk.

I held my breath and clenched my teeth nervously. I think I'm doomed.

'I read it through. I'm not gonna lie, it was very entertaining. The world you created is full of magic and mystery yet so realistic and complex, sometimes I got the feeling like you've seen those things with your own eyes. It was immersive.' She praised me.

'T-thank you!' My voice was ridiculously high pitched. I cleared my throat.

'How long did it take you to write this book?' She looked genuinely curious.

'About three months.'

'Hm.' She arched her brows.

'I can see how nervous you are so I'll put you out of your misery.' She wore a thin smile. 'We will publish your book. This romantic fantasy genre is on trend now. I think you'll bring us a nice profit.'

First, my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe my ears. Then, I had to purse my lips to suppress a squeal. I got dizzy.

'It has to go through proofreading and some minor changes. But don't worry, those won't affect the story line or the characters.'

'Of course. Anything. Anything you want.' I nodded eagerly.

'Good. We'll send your lawyer the draft contract tomorrow.'

'Right. Thank you!' My heart was pounding. I bowed a few times.

'I'll ask the PR department to start working on the release campaign. I want to see your book on the shelves as soon as possible.' She started typing on her laptop right away.