"Since you have agreed to participate, shouldn't we get started with the meeting now?... Don't forget we have to leave for our commercial shoot in an hour or two," Derrick intervened when he saw that Raymond had no intentions of quitting his little play with Joanna.
"Is he our leader?" Joanna squinted her eyes as she stared at the guy in front of her.
"Ye....,"
"Of course not," Raymond cut in abruptly, his fierce glares shot at the guy who had almost ruined his plans with his reply.
"Although I agreed to take part in the preparation which I will make sure I keep my word, I will be way too busy to lead our team...," Raymond trailed off.
Derrick stared at Raymond in silence. He chose not to interrupt because of his urge to know what the sly guy was up to again.
"So why don't we be co-leaders?" Raymond dropped the bomb without giving anyone a heads-up.
The murmurs that soon erupted from the occupants of the room after his statement was immediately quelled with one murderous stare from him.
"If that is a joke then I will outrightly tell you that it wasn't funny...,"
"But I wasn't joking," Raymond replied softly.
"I learnt you have good leadership skills but was never allowed to showcase this talent of yours so why don't you use this opportunity to show everyone what you are capable of...,"
"And you think all of them here will agree to have me as their leader alongside you?" Joanna, who knew exactly what every occupant of the room thought of her, asked, her eyes moved from one face to the other.
In one way or the other, she has been bullied by them in the past. So why on Earth would anyone of them want her to be their leader?
"I agree to not only join your group activities but also become your leader like you all wanted but I can't guarantee that I will always be around...," Raymond paused midway.
He could read the displeasure on their faces but he couldn't care less about that.
He went out of his way to grant their wish so it was only fair they grant what he wants too.
"And so I need someone capable to oversee everything whenever I am not around. I know some of you possess excellent leadership skills too but unfortunately, I am not very close to all of you while I am comfortable around Joanna," Raymond explained in length about his choice.
"I want her to lead alongside me as the second leader too but you are free to voice out your displeasure if you are not cool with my choice," Raymond said and left the floor for them to say what was on their mind.
He watched as they all exchanged secret glances.
Joanna was so certain that none of them would keep quiet and receive her as their leader but to her dismay not one of them said a word contrary to what he had said.
It was like magic.
[Why aren't they saying despicable things about me just to make me look awful... Why are they so unusually quiet?]
Joanna was too shocked to rejoice even though their silence was a good thing.
[How on Earth did he do it?... Did he perhaps cast a spell on them?]
Joanna's astonished eyeballs moved from one face to another, shocked at the turnout of things.
Never in her wildest dreams did she expect this.
Never!
"Since there is no objection, can we move to real business?" Derrick broke off the awkward silence that had lingered for a long.
"Yeah, let's discuss what our group will be showcasing to the world on the carnival day," Raymond muttered. He held Joanna's hand and led her to where long white benches were kept close to the white walls.
It was after he made her sit down that he offered seats to the others.
"Because of my busy schedule, I have never had the chance to take part in any school festivals or carnival ever since middle school. It's my first time taking part in such events so any ideas for activities we will be performing on that day will be very much appreciated," Raymond addressed the audience before him.
Apart from him, another person that was also on his feet was Derick.
"If you have a suggestion please do raise your hand so the place won't get rowdy," Raymond added when he noticed the side talks going on around him.
"Go ahead," Raymond pointed at the lady in a pink mini-dress.
"How about singing?" The lady who was now on her feet suggested. She didn't forget to tuck her shoulder-length hair behind her ear as she kept her seductive eyes focused on Raymond's face.
"A song performance sounds nice but I don't think it's great," Raymond said his opinion without beating around the bush.
"If you choose the right song, singers and dancers, a singing performance can be super thrilling so why did you say it wasn't great?" The lady asserted sternly.
"Of course, a singing performance if done well can be super entertaining but it's too common... the carnival is a special event and whatever we are gonna deliver should be unique and mind-blowing," Raymond replied softly.
"But...,"
"I totally agree with Raymond," Joanna interrupted sharply. She was surprised to see the lady in a pink dress turn and shoot her a piercing glance.
Her piercing glares should have served as enough threat but unfortunately, Joanna wasn't the type to cower because of anyone's threat.
She stood up and acted as if she didn't see that she was the one the lady shot a contemptuous stare at.
She strolled to Raymond and stood beside him.
"As he said, a singing performance is way too common. I am certain that about three or more groups are gonna sing and dance on that day, which is not a great idea for us to settle for a singing performance when we can do something better," Joanna added.
She didn't avoid their eyes even though all she saw in them was piled-up anger.
...
Hello lovely readers, I want to apologise for the irregular updates lately. I am so sorry for not being able to upload chapters daily.
Too many things were going on and I needed to sort things out before I return to writing fully.
I am sorry if this affected you and thank you for waiting for me.
Also, good news guys!!!
My new book I told you about is out!!
The title is "VAMPIRE'S UNTAMED DESIRES".
The book is my entry for Webnovel Spirirty Award (WSA 2023). Please add it to your library.
Guys, I need all the help I can get from all of you. I will be super happy if you check the book out and tell me your thoughts through comments and reviews.
I so much look forward to seeing all of you there.
Don't forget to leave a comment and review when you add the book to your libraries. And I promise to welcome you specially.
I trust my readers that they will undoubtedly show my new book support so I will thank you guys in advance.
Thank you and I love you ??????
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