"It's a great pleasure to meet you. I'm a big fan of your work, and my daughter can't help but gush about you every time we talk, telling him to get your autograph. Even the playlist in my car is full of your songs."
A bald man that looked chubby said. He was the CEO of Gravity Media.
He had fair skin and seemed very happy to meet Aiden. Besides him, a black man was also standing, both of them being from Gravity Media.
Marshall was standing on the side, wearing a suit, and Wade was sitting adjacent to Aiden.
After the pleasantries, the meeting started, and it went as what Aiden had expected.
'Pretty simple and boring.'
He thought in his mind.
The meeting began with the CEO talking about how much he had loved <Behind the scenes> and what attracted him to it. By his way of talking, Aiden at least knew that he had read the novel.
That was always a good sign.
After that, the black man listed out the novels from Vikings publishing that eventually became a big hit after Gravity Media acquired it, implying that <Behind the scenes> would follow the same path.
And like Aiden and Wade had thought, a question soon came his way.
"What are your thoughts on playing the main character in <Behind the scenes>?"
"I'm sorry, but I really don't think I would be able to play it." Aiden quickly said. "In the first place, the main character is in his 30s, divorced. I would look too young for it, and I'm not taking any roles for now. I think a more experienced and polished actor would suit the project way more. I could even recommend someone to you."
"Recommendations are fine, but we were really hoping you could be a part of this project." The bald man kept his eyes on Aiden, and Wade intervened.
"Actually, we are taking a break from acting for this year and then, there are other contracts that Aiden has to fulfil, so he will be busy for a long time, and no dates are possible."
Wade lied. Aiden was free, but it was better to say that instead of talking about mental health issues.
Anyway, Aiden had no interest in playing a character in <Behind the scenes>.
At best, he wanted to play a small supporting character, mainly because the main character was made keeping Harley in mind, and he didn't imagine himself in that role.
"Okay. I understand that. Can't break off existing contracts. Though, I didn't imagine you to be so busy."
"He's so busy I'm not even able to get a second book out of him."
Marshall chipped it and tried to change the topic. The talk moved on to the numbers, such as the royalty and the studio's plans for the movie.
It was pretty evident by the talk that <Behind the scenes> wasn't in their immediate plans.
'I'm pretty bored.'
Aiden felt like getting out of there as the meeting progressed.
***
"You are Bruce Morse? 28 years old, and you are originally a Brit."
"Yes, my family is from Durham. By the way, I'm a huge fan of <DarkMan> comics. I heard that you pushed that idea after hearing its pitch."
"Yeah, I did. It worked unexpectedly well. So, you want to be the next <DarkMan>?"
In another one of the meeting rooms in Vikings publishing, Bruce was meeting up with Jim Haynes, an editor from the Graphic novel department.
He was a bit tense as his arm was stiff, and he was tightly holding the initial draft of the comic and other papers in which he had written out ideas on how he wanted to move the direction of the comic.
"I certainly hope to be." He said, trying to sound as confident as he could — One thing he had learnt after several rejections.
"I like your confidence. Let's see your comic."
Jim Haynes said, picking up the comic book in his hand. For the next ten minutes, his hands turned up the pages of the comic book one by one.
Bruce kept a close eye on his expressions, but Jim's face was blank. That was making him more nervous, though he tried to keep his cool.
Finally, after a while, Jim opened his mouth.
"Your art is pretty great."
Hearing the compliment, Bruce smiled.
"Thank you. I have been practising a lot."
"But the story feels lacking." Bruce's face froze. "Like it's not something new or different. A man got the power to go into nightmares of other people. He's a dream walker or something. All of it sounds great, but the execution is severely lacking. Tell me, one thing, what do you think is the one quality you feel that people would like your main character for?"
Bruce gulped down his saliva and thought about it for a few seconds before replying.
"He's a common guy who suddenly got these powers and took revenge on his bullies by jumping into their nightmares. His power and his character make him interesting."
"Maybe to you, but I don't think the average reader would be interested in that. His powers are cool and interesting, but it's just that. The storyline has been used a lot, so much so that I feel like most of the heroes are those who have been bullied."
Jim replied back, clearly not convinced enough about it.
"I have other ideas too. Several paths his character could take. I have all the plans in my mind."
"Yeah, but the basic premise is something very generic. I feel like a better story would be a guy going after a mafia organization because they killed his dog."
For the next 20 minutes, Bruce tried his best to get his ideas past Jim's mind, doing everything to make him even a little impressed.
It was his last chance, after all.
He at least hoped that Jim would publish only the first chapter of it to see how the audience takes it, but even that suggestion was rejected.
He seemed very astute in his opinion that the comic wasn't great.
"I'm sorry. I know you worked hard on it. I could clearly see your effort in these pages, but it's just not to the standard we are looking for. You seem like a talented young man, so I will give you a suggestion." Jim kept his eyes on Bruce, who had his face lowered, not wanting to show his expression. "Try to not give up and just study and analyze what made great novels and also study the current market carefully. The graphic novel and comic book industry has changed too much, especially with any good story having the chance to become a live-action big-budget movie."
"Thank you."
Bruce simply said that and walked out of the room. Jim kept an eye on his dejected shoulders. It looked like everything in the world was crushing him.
Sighing, Jim looked at the ceiling like he was looking at God in the sky.
"Another artist who would give up. The industry is really brutal. I hope Jesus would have mercy on that young man."
***
'I lost my only opportunity. I'm a big failure in life that would always live in his parents' home.'
Jim thought and felt all his body feeling dizzy. He felt like crying, and his steps were shaky. Getting rejected had hit him like a bolt of thunder even though he had run scenarios like this in his mind.
Those didn't help when reality kicked in.
Feeling like he won't even be able to walk to the elevator and drive his car, he sat down on the sofa in front of the receptionist and threw the comic on the table.
A few pairs of eyes gathered on him as he continually frowned. He could already see that his life was finished, his parents were going to kick him out, and he would struggle to even get basic necessities.
His future looked like a big, dark hole, and the craft that he threw himself into for years now seemed completely useless.
He had failed in life.
Those words seemed to engrave themselves in his soul and mind. It was at that moment that someone walked up to him.
"Excuse me."
A voice took the attention of Bruce, who was busy cursing and crying over the circumstances in his mind.
"Ah, yeah. What?"
Bruce looked up to find himself staring at a handsome face with a sharp jawline and bright eyes.
He looked to be in great shape and was the type that girls would glance at at a party. Not particularly because of his face but because of the atmosphere that seemed too striking.
Even the receptionist was ogling him from time to time.
Bruce didn't like people like him because of his own insecurities.
"Is that a comic? Is that yours? Can I read it?" He asked.
"Yeah, sure. Though, it's generic and not good."
"Let me decide that."
The man said and picked up the comic. Looking at the title, a smile curved on his lips.
"<Nightmare Guy>."
"Just a draft title. I'm not good at them."
The man nodded and started reading it. It was then that Bruce noticed that his face was very familiar. He had seen him before, walking onto some meeting.
'I think I know him. Where have I seen him? Ah, that movie.'
Bruce thought, and as the man was going through the comic, he took out his phone and looked at the cast of a movie he had watched on Zetflix.
'Found it. [Disconnected] — Aiden Silvereye.'
...
