At first, it had started as a necessity.
Something he’d had to do to ensure the safety of the company.
After all, when a rando walked into your office and surreptitiously threatened you to read his manuscript lest you risk the sorry state of your company being leaked to the general public, what other choice would you have?
Yet, Bob hadn’t even read halfway through the manuscript before he found himself reading for the sake of it, and not because he was essentially forced to.
With every page turned, the heavy scrutiny he had towards [The Token of Fate] shifted ever so slightly to genuine bewilderment.
Even from the viewpoint of an editor, the manuscript had been so thoroughly edited and proofread, there wasn’t a single gripe he had about it.
Halfway through the novel, Bob was beginning to see why the youngster had been so certain that his book would be granted first priority at any other publication company.
Asides from creating a brand-new world in the form of Aelderon, one whose worldbuilding and lore remained consistently captivating throughout the entirety of the book, Bob was genuinely rooting for Tristan.
Given the state of so many protagonists these days, it was truly rare to find a main character who made the idea of doing good feel so natural without some sort of pretense, hypocrisy or virtue signaling.
Reclining into his seat, the lights of his office switched on even in the dead of the night, Bob’s excitement grew and ramped up with each page he turned.
As the plot unfolded, the editor-in-chief began to suspect that the shadow-clad man was definitely the stranger whom had given Tristan the token.
And upon reading the last Chapters of the book, multiple excited chills ran down the length of the his spine.
Granted the twist had been obvious enough, it had still done an excellent job of solidifying Rayleigh as a well-written antagonist.
However, it was the realization that the Elder Gods were instead the true villain of the story that had stunned Bob.
Given they had been mentioned in the story, it was such a fantastic subversion for a plot device... one Bob hadn’t truly realized how much gravity it held, all until the final Chapters.
Yet, it had played so well into why Rayleigh and all the others before him had been the way they were, given they all had lofty ideals on how to save the world.
Ideals that the Elder Gods could slowly exploit through the token of fate.
However, because Tristan had always been comfortable with the simple things in life, save for his inherent nature of helping wherever he could, there wasn’t anything for them to act upon asides leading him back to Rayleigh whom they actually hoped would kill him in their clash.
Yet, it was that same subterfuge that had given Tristan clarity in their final confrontation.
Because even in that moment, the farm boy had chosen to not just help Rayleigh, but save him.
And in the process of saving the villain, he had equally drove his redemption, further solidifying Tristan as such a powerfully written protagonist.
It was such an intriguing way to go about things, yet its execution is what had really sold it.
By the time Bob had finally read the epilogue though, he was grinning from ear to ear, a strong wave of triumph and fulfilment washing over him.
This, he believed, was what an epic, heroic fantasy should read like.
And as if to echo that belief of his, the soft rays of the morning sun spilled through the blinds of his office, bathing it in a warm, golden glow.
The editor-in-chief had read the book all-night and hadn’t even realized it until the sun came out.
As chills continuously ran down the length of his spine, he slowly flipped the manuscript over, muttering aloud as his gaze settled on the name of the author;
"Niall Parker."
Bob still didn’t know how he’d come to know of the state of their company, or why he’d even approached them given how amazing his book was.
However, that didn’t matter to him anymore. Not in the slightest.
Given the way the story ended--an indication that there were more books to come--this was a golden opportunity for Feyre Publications to finally get that one hit book that could well and truly catapult their resources to the stratosphere.
But considering he wasn’t the one that called the shots, the editor-in-chief took to retrieving his phone from his pocket and dialed a number instead.
*
Niall was stuffing his mouth with a couple grapes whilst watching a movie when his gaze flitted over to his phone.
Seeing whom the notification was from, a small grin spread across his lips;
Camille: Niall... this is the best novel I’ve read in years!
Niall: I’m glad you liked it.
Camille: Liked it?! I love it!
Camille: In fact, I would like to take a peek inside that bright, beautiful mind of yours, gad dahm!
Camille: Now where’s the next book?! Gimme the next book!!!
Niall genuinely laughed at that. Camille, as he’d come to realize these past few months of texting, did a good job of cracking him up.
In any case,
Niall: You’ll get them in time. I promise.
Niall: So, think you can come up with a couple killer book covers?
Camille: Sugah, you’re about to get the best illustrations I’ve ever made!
Niall: I shall look forward to them.
Ending the conversation on that note, Niall resumed watching the movie.
*
Groaning as he filtered through the expenses their company had incurred for the year, a brown-haired middle-aged man in his early fifties, dragged a palm down his face.
He had unconventionally attractive features, albeit it was subverted by his messy hair and his tired yet equally worn features.
Dark circles traced the underside of his eye socket, his hazel irises flicking from one document to the other.
Heaving a weary sigh, he picked up another document from the center table of his living room, this time the Standard Book Sales Report.
Staring at it, seeing the declining trend in sales, Michael O’Bryan, Chief Executive Officer of Feyre Publications knew that it was only a matter of time before the company went bankrupt.
Their company had originally been doing quite well, so much that more and more works had been steadily coming their way.
Sadly, they had been one of those companies whom had reacted too late to the shift in market, and technological shifts.
Maybe if Michael had been the CEO back then, things wouldn’t have gone so terribly. However, his grandmother had been the one in charge as at the time.
Things had gotten even worse when she’d abruptly died in her sleep, leading him to take over her position overnight.
However, by then, the damage had been irreversibly done.
All their shareholders had practically jumped ship when they realized it too, but Michael, unwilling to let the legacy of his grandmother simply go to ruin, privately acquired the company.
Sadly, that meant that every single expense from the company was now tied to not just the company’s funds itself but even his.
And since the company wasn’t doing so well financially, he was forced to pitch in wherever he could to keep it afloat.
Unfortunately, if the core problem wasn’t fixed, they would remain as is.
Since most authors much preferred to market and self-publish their books these days, the chances of them actually finding a series of profitable books to market and sell, along with getting the rights to them, was becoming harder day by day.
Hence, the company was in this state of limbo where it was practically surviving majorly off of older books they’d contracted and very few new books.
’If only we could land a contract with a juggernaut of a book...’ Michael inwardly wished.
Albeit the chances of it seemed slim, the CEO knew just how much landing a contract like that could effectively turn their situation around.
After all, there were several publication companies like them whom had fallen into the struggling category for a while, but were eventually able to recuperate costs largely because they were renown for publishing some of the most popular books in the world.
Asides from simply getting by on the profits of their bestselling books, its merchandise and equally a cut of whatever media it was adapted to, they often also got an influx of newer works from various authors looking to follow in the footsteps of their role models.
Dismissing the thoughts, especially since it seemed so far out of reach, Michael was already dreading picking up another document to review when he heard his doorbell ring.
"Bob?" he called out expectantly, his gaze never leaving the documents.
The editor-in-chief had called earlier this morning, informing him that he had something important to tell him.
He seemed noticeably excited about it over the phone but given the state of things, the CEO hadn’t even bothered to inquire about the details.
He’d just simply told him to come on over to his house where they could discuss it.
"Yeah. It’s me." came the familiar voice from the other end of the door.
"Come on in." Michael responded to which Bob obliged.
Walking into the apartment, the chubby-looking man sighed as he stared at his friend from the other end room.
"You look like shit," he remarked.
"As do you," Michael reciprocated, glancing over to him with a thin smile.
"So, what’s got you so excited you had to call me first thing on a Saturday morning," the brown-haired CEO inquired.
"This," Bob gently placed the manuscript onto the table, a thin smile pulling on the edges of his lips.
Michael squinted, his curiosity evident as he read the words on the manuscript;
"[The Token of Fate]... Niall Parker..."
Before he could inquire what was so special about the manuscript, Bob spoke, his tone measured;
"You once told me we needed a juggernaut of a book to start turning our luck around,"
"Well, my friend..."
"Here it is." Bob gestured to the manuscript once more, and this time, Michael’s eyes went wide with interest.
Two days had passed by since that eventful day.
And now, seated in a fancy restaurant in Downtown L.A, Niall’s expression remained reserved as he gazed at the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Feyre Publications seated from across him.
The reason for their meeting?
To discuss the contract of [The Token of Fate].
But even they couldn’t have been prepared for the whiplash the young man struck them with;
"45%. And I get to keep the rights to my IP."
Advance Chapters are available on Patreon!
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