“This seems like a nice place to work in,” Eclairs said with a straight face. She scrolled down the projection in front of her, a list of matters that needed my attention, as two guilds fought around us.
“Uh, yeah. Surprising that my room has environ-surround holo settings.”
“Given what you’re paying for here, they should give you servants.”
“Thanks for putting me in this place when I was unconscious.”
“No need to thank me, sir. Your thanks don’t really count for anything. You said ‘Eclairs, when I get sick or something bad happens to me, place me in the most expensive room in the most expensive hospital you can find.’ I’m only doing my job, sir.”
“I knew I could count on you.”
“And then you said ‘I’ll figure out a way to charge the expenses to a client of ours’.”
A giant stepped over us. It was Rhysands’s character, I presumed. Spells and explosions followed him. I watched for a bit as all the attacks of the defenders of the castle, which I suppose were De Gamma’s guild, swerved and went for the giant. “They’re using some kind of spell to keep the attacks on him? Taunt of some kind?”
“Sir?”
“I’m just watching this game,” I said. “And we could charge this to JYE Corp. since I was in their office to sign the contract to be their general counsel when I fainted. I just need to find a way to ask them to shoulder it without using some of their goodwill towards me. It will look bad on me if I ask them for it and it will look worse because this hospital is unnecessarily expensive as fuck. But don't worry, I'll find a way to get them to shoulder this.”
Eclairs simply sighed in response. She has been my secretary since I started my own firm so she knew what kind of person I am. Actually, she knew that I’m an ass inside when we first met. She was one of the applicants for the position of my secretary and I interviewed her. I thought that my mask was perfect and I was playing the part of an inspiring, charming, charismatic, and respectable prospective boss but she saw right through me. She called me out on being fake and nearly walked out the interview.
I was so surprised that I hired her on the spot. Since then she has been my secretary slash sort of paralegal. Up to this day, I still haven’t known how she saw through me. And she wouldn’t tell me. Annoying.
With her brunette hair sporting a bob cut, small upturned nose, and cute buck teeth, she’s very attractive, to most people that is. Except me. Even without makeup, I could see her beauty. BUT, but, but, there was something wrong with her eyes. Not her eyes per se, it was more of their look.
It’s as if she has seen the end of the world and has forsaken humanity. I’m not even exaggerating. She probably borrowed her eyes from the Grim Reaper. There were times when I look at her and thought that she was probably the harbinger of death and desolation.
“And that free legal aid foundation called,” she said. She paused after she noticed I was staring at her face. “Is there any problem?”
“I was just thinking that you look like the harbinger of death.”
“Sir, fuck off.”
“So what’s that about the free legal aid? They need me to help them out? Sure, tell them that I’ll come by this weekend. It has been awhile since I went there and helped people.” I chuckled. “They don’t even know that I’m actually an asshole.”
“Sir, I still don’t understand this. Even if you have a mini-Satan inside of you but you act all good on the outside then it really doesn’t matter that people think you’re good, right? If you do good deeds or at least things that appear to be good, then does it matter to people that you’re fake, right?”
“Just a bit, I’ll finish my message to Arnold,” I said to Eclairs while texting the lawyer that will accompany Mr. Clyde. I needed to setup something. “So what were you asking again?”
“I’m just saying that if you’re good on the outside then that is all that matters.”
“Eclairs, it’s a bit hard to explain this and I don’t think I’ll be able to explain it so I won’t. But on the matter of me going to that charity craphole and helping people. It’s more of a training ground for me. All sorts of people go there for legal help, a good number of them are liars. I’m honing my skills in spotting liars and reading people there while looking good helping people.”
“I guess that would help since you don’t literally look good,” Eclairs mumbled.
“I’m sorry about my face, I know I’m quite plain looking,” I said. I don’t mind Eclairs being a bitch because that’s her normal outer self. She’s the opposite of me-bitchy on the outside but actually having a heart of gold. Probably.
Her cold grey eyes were creepy as hell. I'm not sure if the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were real but I'm sure their horses were because those four horses pull Eclair's chariot of fire and brimstone. I haven't actually seen her chariot because she uses public transportation to get to work, but I'm sure it's there.
"Sir, I know that look," she said. "I don't have chariot of fire and brimstone."
"That's something a person who has a chariot of fire and brimstone would say."
"Whatever, sir. Anyway, next are the list of board resolutions that were passed around the firm. Just need your signature for this."
“Hey look. That giant is already breaching the walls.”
“What the hell is this, sir? Is this the game of JYE Corp.?”
“Yeah, pretty interesting isn’t it?”
“So all of those are people playing characters? Even that giant those other people are riding on?”
“Yep. Damn that giant guy is good. So this was what he meant with mobile siege tower.” All of the guild mates of Rhysand were in a tight formation around him. What I assumed to be priests and other support characters rode on his shoulders or strapped themselves onto his armor. A small goblin clung on the leather straps on the legs of Rhysand. Raising his small staff, a shower of green light enveloped the giant and everyone riding on him. My god, such a broken strategy.
“Sir, should I read the resolutions or do you want to read them yourself?”
“Before you continue reading, I want you to say this later when I give you the usual signal.” Then I told what she has to say and listened as she repeated it perfectly.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
I counted watching the fight as Eclairs kept on reading beside my bed. We flew over the battlefield as I looked for that fallen elf guy. I found him on top of a tower in the inner keep of the castle they were defending. He looked pissed as hell that his attacks weren’t doing jackshit to Rhysand the giant.
It was a seriously unfair strategy. The Syndicate was snowballing through the defenses. I continued watching for about ten minutes when Arnold Clyde arrived.
“Why did you want me to come in first and tell Mr. Armand that I’m going to check first if you’re well enough to talk about work,” Arnold said. He folded his bulky arms and shook his shaved head disappointingly. “Is this about the insurance coverage?”
Arnold was another one of the few people in the law firm that knew the real me. I knew him from way back. When I was a law student, I interned with the law firm where he worked as a junior associate. “Well, yeah. I don’t think the medical benefits in the law firm would cover this expensive ass hospital?” I said.
“You don’t need to be placed in a suite room.”
“Yet here I am.”
“Our medical benefits are for regular rooms only. You know that.”
“Hey,” I said, raising my hands up in protest. “It was Eclairs who put me here.”
“Wha-? You dick,” Eclairs said.
“Could you please call Mr. Armand now?” I said to Arnold. “I think enough time has lapsed to be checking up on me.”
I rubbed my face to appear haggard. I also ruffled my hair a bit and put on a sort of suffering smile. Think like you’re terminally ill but trying to be brave. The trick to garnering the most sympathy was to show that you’re trying your best to put on a front despite being sick or suffering from something. Fake pretending to hide your fake illness so that it would seem that you’re trying your best despite feeling unwell was way better rather than outright feigning that one was super sick.
Eclairs tutted in disgust as she saw what I was doing.
As Mr. Armand walked in, I tried to get up from my bed but then stopped and winced. I slowly laid myself back down. “I’m sorry Mr. Armand but I’m still feeling a bit light-headed. I hope you won’t mind that I’m lying down.”
“It’s fine, attorney. Or should I say, general counsel of our corporation?” All of us faked laughed like idiots. Mr. Armand said, “I hope that you’re recovering well. I was, all of us at JYE, were worried when you fainted.”
Mr. Armand was one of the corporate officers of JYE Corp., in charge of the design of VR unit. He was one of the people who broke away from the most powerful VR company, Passions Inc. and built JYE. Most of the people in JYE were from other big corporations.
“The doctor said that it was from overwork. No need to worry. The fault is with me. When I get focused on work, I often forget to rest,” I said in a joking way. But that wasn’t a lie. There were times when I do get hyperfocused and just plow through work, especially if I want to crush an opposing lawyer.
“I witness with my own eyes how dedicated you are to your work attorney,” Mr. Armand said.
I turned to stare at Arnold. Mr. Armand didn’t see Arnold roll his eyes because he was behind him. Arnold said, “That’s our Herald, Mr. Armand. There are times when he takes over the work of our paralegals even though he didn’t need to.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust other people, but I’m a bit of a perfectionist you see.” Not true. If I could leave a shitty job without being noticed, I would do so. Also, good job, Arnold, for backing me up.
Mr. Armand walked near me and shook my hand. I gave him a weak grip. “Thank you once again for your help, Mr. Stone,” he said. “Until when are you going to stay here?”
“I’ll be discharged later. This hospital has provided me with the best care there is. It’s a good thing that my secretary has the presence of mind to rush me here.”
“Is that so? That’s good then.”
“And I have three days of vacation.” I turned to look at Eclairs and raised a brow.
“You really needed this vacation, sir. You’ve been working really hard for the arbitration case,” Eclairs said in a flat tone. She also rolled her eyes as she said her line. “I think your fainting spell is telling you to rest. Maybe you should stay in this hospital for a few more days.”
“No, I should go back to work—,” I said with a strong voice while maintaining making my best to look like I ate expired yogurt. I ate expired yogurt once, needless to say it was not pleasant.
“You should stay for a few days more of rest,” Mr. Armand said.
“I’m fine,” I tried to insist, “plus I feel kind of awkward to stay in such an extravagant hospital.”
Mr. Armand held my hands with both of his old wrinkly hands. “We’ll take care of your medical expenses for you. You should stay here to make sure you’re fine.”
“My past three days have already been quite expensive,” I said sheepishly. “And I’m sure I can simply rest at home.” At this point, I was that Mr. Armand would not desist from trying to help me. He had a personal stake in the case of the VR unit because it was his own invention. I was sure that he was more grateful to me that he let on.
“If you say so, but we will pay for your past three days in this hospital since it was due to overwork on our account,” Mr. Armand said. “Also, we also like to give you a token of appreciation. Me and the boys of the design division. We would like to give you one of our VR units.”
“You don’t have to, Mr. Armand,” I said.
“No, no, Mr. Stone. It’s just small token. I treat this VR units as my children and I’m personally grateful for you to have saved their production. It’s just a small token. I know that you probably do not have time to play the game but you could actually read contracts or draft documents, or whatever work, while staying in the game. At least you could have a change of view while working. Perhaps it could help lessen the stress,” Mr. Armand said.
“Working in a virtual world, huh?” I said, not seriously considering his suggestion. At least I got them to shoulder my medical expenses without asking directly for it. Now, what should I do with the VR unit freebie?”