THE CEO MEMOIRIST

Chapter Five

"Stop scaring our guest, Jotham." Grimes' voice echoed in the sitting room. The voice cracked through Akshara like lightning through a body of water, she froze up immediately. She knew she had to turn but it wasn't so easy, after all, she outrightly called him a stuck-up prick and wannabe tough guy, that was aside from her challenging his authority in his territory. With courage and fear of not creating a scene, she slowly turned to him and there he was, her eyes caught that godlike sight… he was in a pair of brown briefs that showed his mold and this caused her to quickly look away. "Miss Ramakrishnan." "Good morning, Sir. I am so sorry about what happened at our last meeting." She spoke without looking at him. "It seems I am making our guest uncomfortable. Jotham, could you please fetch my bathrobe?" "At once, Sir," Jotham answered and began walking away. "Thank you." He said before he walked to Akshara who was still avoiding eye contact by all means, even closing her eyes. "Are you that tempted?" "Excuse me?" She asked with repulsiveness, opening her eyes immediately, he was standing right in front of her. "Are you though, sorry?" She was feeling both uncomfortable and annoyed at the same time and was so tempted to plant a blossoming red slap on his left cheek. "I'm not falling for any of your tricks."

"Do you want to know why I gave you this job?" "I am still a stranger to that component." "Your brutal honesty and your courage to challenge and defy protocol to get the right thing done." "Well, when you put it like that." Akshara was now blushing in pride, her cheeks were swelling red but she was still trying to keep a straight face. "So, when I ask you something, I need that same brutal honesty. So, are you sorry?" "No, not really. You were a royal pain, so yeah, you had it coming. I mean, I know you might have been having a bad day, but that doesn't give you the right to take it out on other people." "There she is, the Akshara I met and bonded with. Walk with me." He said and began walking while Akshara followed him. He took her up the stairs and asked her a question she wasn't prepared for but knew the answer to, since it was about a philosophy of hers. "What do you have against cliches?" "You remember?" "I don't forget quite easily." "They are tiresome and illogical." She answered straight up.

"But what makes cliches what they are is that they are logical." "That is untrue." "Give me an example, preferably literary, I love literature." "Okay. The books always make it that love conquers all, or good always wins or a vampire is always rich, or a good girl is always attracted to the bad boy, it is just tiresome and stupid." "But art is supposed to be a reflection of life and what is being done. Love does conquer all, despite every stupid and irritable act committed by a child, the parents mostly forgive. No matter the sins committed by a partner, for the sake of love, they tolerate." The one about the child and parents really hit Akshara hard, she knows she's been a thorn in her parents' side, a disappointment to them, and yet, they still love her. "Also, your example about a vampire always being wealthy. Wouldn't it be more odd that a person who must have lived for hundreds of years and possessed all that power couldn't muster up a good amount of wealth in all his time on Earth?

Now, I do understand your exhaustion with the constant repetition of these cliches, so perhaps you should write a book that does the opposite of every cliche you can think of." "You haven't read anything I've written, so what makes you think it'll be any good?" "I have actually read some of your works, I was up all night going through them. You're really good." "My works? And where, may I ask, did you find them?" "Your Medium account." "I don't have a M- Nakia!" "So, down to business, Akshara." He said as they entered the book hall, at least that's what he preferred to call it, that was where Jotham came in with his bathrobe and put it on him before leaving. "This will be your place of work, this book hall. In it, you will find my family's history. Now, you will be taking account of my life, so you are to do your research, and I will provide you with the materials, you might find some inconsistencies, so feel free to fill them in. I'm willing to answer any questions and I am open to your sharing any part of my life you desire. After all, the book will only be released when I'm gone." "Gone?" "Focus on the right things, Akshara. Now, you will be moving in with us to better accommodate the time spent with me." "What?" "Do you wish to drive three hours every day to get here and another three hours driving back home?" "Umm…" Akshara's voice quaked as she tried to make a defense. "Oh, I forgot, you don't have a car." "Really?" "Yeah. You are also to follow me wherever I go, just for observation, at least when you aren't writing. So what do you say, do you want the job or not?"

"I uh, I um… erm. Can I think about this?" "Ha! Think about it?" "You'll have to dial down your dickishness when you're with me." "That's not a word." "It is when you're with me." "You keep emphasizing "when you're with me" it's making me uncomfortable." "Well, get used to it. You seem determined to make my life unconscious, so I'll make yours feel the same." She rushed her words and turned away from him. She thought for some time while looking down before she said "Fine, I'll do it. I'll be your memoirist."