"Doctor Athena, welco. Did sothing happen, though? You took more ti to co in than I thought necessary..." President George Walls spoke, standing up from his seat, as Athena walked majestically into the room.
"Good morning, Mr. President. I’m truly sorry about that, sir. There had been a case of ergency at ho that I had to sort out—or rather, tried to sort out—before coming into the office. I apologize for that. Thank you for your patience, too," Athena responded calmly and politely, not seeing the need to inform the president that she had taken a few pictures with his overly excited secretary.
"I hope all is well, though? Do you need to reschedule this eting?"
Athena shook her head, furrowing her brows. "Not at all."
She stepped further into the office, pondering if the president was truly humble, as people said he was, or just downright naïve—a tool in the hands of those who had put him there.
Holding back a sigh, she settled into the seat he gestured for her to take and looked around the office.
The office was grand and imposing, exuding an air of power and professionalism. High ceilings lood above, and large windows let in an abundance of natural light. The walls were adorned with intricately crafted wooden paneling, and the polished hardwood floors glead.
Before her was a large, ornate desk, behind which sat a leather-upholstered chair—his chair—impressive in stature.
She herself, was sitting on a high-backed chair, one of the pair of high-backed chairs for visitors, which offered comfort trendously.
A striking marble fireplace stood on one side, while built-in bookshelves stood on the other side, holding a variety of decorative items, including flags and works of art reflecting the nation’s history.
"So, how are you doing, Doctor Athena? That’s a fine suit you have there," President George started jovially, dragging Athena’s attention back to him.
"I’m fine, Mr. President..."
"Just call George. I think it will make the communication easier."
Athena bit her lip, wondering if this statent was peculiar to her or if this was the normal behavior of this handso man.
Standing at six feet and a few inches tall, President George had a strong, imposing presence. His thick, expressive eyebrows frad piercing eyes that seed to bore into those he looked at. His nose was straight and perfectly proportional to the rest of his facial features, while his full lips was curled now into a charming smile.
His dark hair was neatly styled, and the strong, chiseled lines of his jaw, the smooth, unlined complexion of his, suggested a life of good health and prosperity. It was easy to see why Gianna had been fangirling over him.
Still, what president tells his citizens to call him by his na? Athena inhaled softly, slightly taken aback by the request. She looked at him steadily, yet didn’t see any lust or suggestion of interest in her; rather, he appeared genuinely curious about her and their impending conversation.
"Was that a huge request to make?" President George continued in Athena’s silence, sitting down. "Well, I get that a lot..." He said with an over-exaggerated sigh, reclining deeper into his chair.
"But it’s what I want, though. The term ’president’ can be quite heavy on one’s mouth when speaking and all, and since this is a private eting, I just thought there was no need for formalities. So, just call George. Is that okay, Athena?"
Athena paused, then nodded. After all, wasn’t she ant to obey the president in such little matters?
"Good. Now, let’s get down to business. I invited you to talk about your dical research..." President George began, going straight to the point. "You turned down my two requests yesterday, and I would love to know why first, before we proceed to other matters. Don’t worry, the soundproof quality of this room has been turned on."
Athena inhaled softly again, pleased with that statent. This was it; presenting her case to the president of the country.
"Firstly, I apologize, George,"—calling the president by his na still sounded odd in her mouth—"for turning down your requests yesterday. But honestly, it was inevitable. One, I don’t need the security detail, really..."
"And why is that?" The president cut in calmly, folding his arms across his chest. "You don’t trust the governnt, I presu?"
Athena pursed her lips, eting the president’s gaze for a mont before nodding. "I don’t trust the governnt. There are many politics involved, and I don’t want that around my research. Hence, why I turned down the security detail and the order to turn over my research to the state."
The president unfolded his hands and placed them on the table, starting a steady beat on the surface with his index finger a few seconds later. "I see. So, my orders don’t faze you?"
Athena raised her left eyebrow, waiting for the other shoe to drop. It seed that the group who had left the office earlier had done their job successfully. So, why had they kept long faces?
"I’m waiting for your response, Athena..." The president continued.
Athena took her lower lip in, battling with her words, or rather the choice of words rolling through her head. This was the president; never mind that he asked her to call him George. She had to be mindful, all the sa. For all she knew, this might be a ga to him.
"Your orders did faze ..." Athena started calmly, her hands resting on her thighs as she t the president’s gaze respectfully. "But I just couldn’t go along with them."
"You don’t care for the consequences of that?"
Athena paused, exhaled, and nodded. "I’ll take whatever consequences co, so long as my research is safe and sound with ."
The president nodded slowly, still beating the table. "I see. You are ready to be an enemy of the state, then. My chief security officer inford that you ntioned traveling out of the country if I pushed harder than you wanted, seeing as you have more than one citizenship. You are bold. How sure are you that you will leave this building in one piece? For all you know, there may be people waiting outside to make you comply with the state’s demands?"
A chuckle escaped Athena before she could help it, followed by a boisterous laugh when she saw the confusion spread across the president’s face.
Didn’t he conduct extensive research on her? If he did, he would have known at least that she wouldn’t be fazed by these threats.
"What’s funny, Doctor Athena?"
Oh, we are back to using official nas? Athena thought amusedly. That didn’t take long!
"Nothing at all, Mr. President. I just felt instantly tickled and couldn’t help it. My apologies." A pause. "Yet my stance remains... I’m not giving up my research, no matter the consequences. I’m not complying with the state’s orders, if that’s what they are. And if that’s all you called here to say, I’m sure I’ve made myself clear. I would like to take my leave now..."
The president scoffed gently. "You are just as bold and as rude as they say..."
"They" aning those people who just left? Athena wondered as she crossed her arms, fire flashing through her eyes.
There was no need to maintain a calm deanor; it seed there was more battle ahead. She had to gear up.
Noticing this swift change, the president smiled and shook his head. "All this headstrongness will take you nowhere, Athena. Don’t you know who you are sitting before? I could have you dead within a second."
Athena smiled coldly, cocking her head to the left. "And I can have you dead in less than that, Mr. President."
Athena grinned widely when she saw the president visibly pale for a second before he recovered.
"I don’t think you know who you are speaking to either, Mr. President. Did you think I ca here empty-handed, just like that? Well, that would have been stupid of ..." Athena continued, feeling sowhat foolish, since she had really co empty-handed and was just making big talk.
She had thought that the president would be civil at least, even if he might not agree with her rules. But it looked like sothing else was at play here.
Subtly, she brought out her phone from her bag without looking down or away from the president, who was staring at her intently.
"Mr. President, I didn’t arrive at my position by following people blindly. So, with that said..." She typed away on her phone. "Do you want things to go south?"
It was the president’s turn to laugh boisterously. He laughed and got to his feet, walking toward the large window in the office.
Athena watched him like a hawk, scanning the entire office for any caras or signs that she was about to be attacked.
"Athena Caddells..." The president muttered, savoring the na slowly. "When the secret operations team gave the full details of your persona, your activities, your companies, I couldn’t believe it. How could one woman, from nowhere, just zap into stardom, simply because she t an old martial artist who was besotted with an adulterous wife?"
Athena narrowed her eyes, watching as the president turned away from the window to face her. "But then I finally related to your story because it reminded of mine—a young boy who grew up on an abandoned farmland, becoming president... who would have believed that?"
"Those weren’t in your records on the net..." Athena cut in sharply, leaning forward.
President George chuckled softly. "Just like most of your acts aren’t on the internet, too. My team had to dig deeper and broader before they could even co up with the real facts. And yet, there was still a limit to the information we managed to gather."
A pause followed. "I think what amazed most was your speed. It took you barely six years to beco known. That takes more than luck. I think you have the Midas touch."
Athena barked a disbelieving laugh. "I’m tired of all these. Are we done here, Mr. President?"
"Done? Doctor Athena, we have not even started..."
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