Dark Revenge Of An Unwanted Wife: The Twins Are Not Yours!

Chapter 223: Meeting The President II

"Doctor Athena, welcome. Did something happen, though? You took more tto cin than | 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 emergency at hthat |

had to sort out—or rather, tried to sort out—before coming into the office. | 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 meeting?"

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 naive—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 loomed 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 gleamed.

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 tremendously.

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 callGeorge. | think it will make the communication easier."

Athena bit her lip, wondering if this statement was peculiar to her or if this was the normal behavior of this

handsman.

Standing at six feet and a few inches tall, President George had a strong, imposing presence. His thick,

expressive eyebrows framed piercing eyes that seemed 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 name? 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, | get

that a lot..." He said with an over-exaggerated sigh, reclining deeper into his chair.

"But it's what | want, though. The term "president’ can be quite heavy on one’s mouth when speaking and all,

and since this is a private meeting, | just thought there was no need for formalities. So, just callGeorge. Is

that okay, Athena?"

Athena paused, then nodded. After all, wasn’t she meant to obey the president in such little matters?

"Good. Now, let's get down to business. I invited you to talk about your medical research..." President George

began, going straight to the point. "You turned down my two requests yesterday, and | 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 statement. This was it; presenting her case to the president of the

country.

"Firstly, | apologize, George,"—calling the president by his nstill sounded odd in her mouth—"for turning

down your requests yesterday. But honestly, it was inevitable. One, | 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

government, | presume?"

Athena pursed her lips, meeting the president's gaze for a moment before nodding. "I don’t trust the

government. There are many politics involved, and | don’t want that around my research. Hence, why | 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 seemed 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 same. For all

she knew, this might be a gto him.

"Your orders did faze me..." Athena started calmly, her hands resting on her thighs as she met the president's

gaze respectfully. "But | 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 come, so long as my research is safe and

sound with me."

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 informedthat you mentioned traveling out of the country if | 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 names? Athena thought amusedly. That didn’t take long!

"Nothing at all, Mr. President. | 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 calledhere to say, I'm sure I've made myself clear. | would

like to take my leave now..."

The president scoffed gently. "You are just as bold and as rude as they say..."

"They" meaning 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 demeanor; it seemed 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? | could have you dead within a second."

Athena smiled coldly, cocking her head to the left. "And | 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 | chere empty-handed,

just like that? Well, that would have been stupid of me..." Athena continued, feeling somewhat foolish, since she

had really cempty-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 something 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, | 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 cameras or signs that she was about to be

attacked.

"Athena Caddells..." The president muttered, savoring the nslowly. "When the secret operations team gave