Maya's point of view

I smiled, but it didn't reach my eyes as I said to Adam, "Get down to business? No offense sir, but I don't remember doing any business with you" came my comment.

"Really?" He smiled sheepishly too, but the intelligence in his eyes couldn't be hidden. We both were pretending and he knows it.

"Perhaps, I should start with this story first. As a patient, I'm sure my esteem company would keep the boringness away"

Keep the boringness away my butt! The chills from his nerving presence was now making me shiver.

"My story goes like this: Once upon a time, there lived a very rich man who had a son he loved very much.

"He loved this son that he gave him the best in life; expensive clothes, jewelry, best of education, and made sure his health was probably taken care of.

"This son of his was so pampered that he hardly spoke before his requests were fulfilled. The son loved his father in return and things were going smoothly between them until his son started keeping birds.

"The time they spent together became lesser and the man began to wonder what took his son's attention away from him. In the process of investigating, the man discovered it was the birds.

"His son was training birds which took most of his time. At first, the man was annoyed but because he didn't want to make his son sad, he turned a blind eye and even helped finance their grooming.

"Thankfully the birds were of the highest quality proving the fact his son has a good eye for luxury like him, so he supported his hobby until one day.

The son got a new bird.

"Unlike the others, the bird was so beautiful that it turned head wherever his son took it; the bird's feathers were the color of the rainbow.

"The boy was overjoyed, he had never seen a bird like that; it was rare and exotic and so boasted it.

"The bird was so beautiful that everyone desired to have it; his friends, neighbors, and even family members. But the boy was so smart and protective he kept it away from their greedy claws.

But there was a problem.

"As beautiful as the bird was, it had one flaw: it was always sickly. The bird had a weak constitution that even a slight pull at its feather would cause an injury.

"Because of that, his son spent all his time treating it and became his obsession. The communication between father and son diminished greatly and he didn't care - his concern was the bird.

"As if that was not enough, he abandoned the other birds which had been his first loves and focused on the flashy one. He gave it the best food, a golden cage while the others were neglected and they began to die one after the other save one who had a firm determination to live.

"The man was no longer happy with his son, each time he sent an invitation for them to spend time together, it'd turned down or rejected with the excuse of tending to his sick bird.

"He was so angry with his son that he disowned him out of anger. Sending him away with the birds and shekels of silver to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

"The man would rather his son listen to him and live a comfortable life than spend his resources and time on a bird which bright nothing but sorrows to him - he wanted to teach his young son a lesson.

"But the boy bewitched by the bird still didn't listen nor learn from his disownment. He spent heaven and earth on this bird until the money which his father sent him away with was squandered. Yet the boy was not downcast, he still had the bird with him.

"Until one day, there was a knock on his manor which was now improvised due to poverty. He had sold most of his valuable properties to pay some notes, settle his housekeeper - which was now dismissed out of shortage of resources - and treat his precious bird.

"There stood an unfamiliar man who claimed ownership to his bird leaving the boy bewildered. They had an altercation which led to the case being settled in the courtroom.

"Each provided proof and evidence of ownership and which the boy's documents turned out to be fake. He purchased a stolen bird which was owned by a great king from far away.

"The king was a tyrant and deemed the act abominable and thereby sentenced the boy to death; he was to be executed by sword.

"The bird was taken from him and returned to its rightful home while the boy was locked in prison awaiting his beheading.

"At that moment of despair and hopelessness, he finally remembered his father. As if the scale was lifted from his eyes, he realized how foolish he had been and how much his father loved him - if only there was a way to send a goodbye message to his father.

"Miraculously, the surviving bird he had neglected all those while appeared at the prison window and an idea hit him; he could use the bird as a messenger!

"He had trained the birds for this type of errand all those years. Tears filled his eyes, he never expected the bird he abandoned would remember him in his lowest moment.

"How would he send the message? He had no ink and paper. But after pleading with the prison warden who thought his punishment was unreasonable, received those.

"He quickly wrote a short message, thanking his father for the love he showed him during his stay with him, the trouble he was in, and bade him a final goodbye. Done, he attached the note to the bird and let her go.

"The boy had given up on surviving since his execution was in two days and his father was disappointed in him - he sure wouldn't bother to save him.

"On D-Day, he was forced to the market square where he was forced into the pillory; he was bent forward and his head and hands stuck out in front of him while people watched.

"Some shook their heads piteously, wondering what such a young boy had done to deserve such gruesome punishment while others came up with their theories.

"He closed his eyes and waited for his death when the commandment to begin the execution was given. But the moment the sword was to come down on his head, a halting command was issued.

"He looked up and lo, it was his father and his men. Tears filled his eyes, it was so heart-stirring- his father had not forgotten about him.

"Apparently, his father pleaded mercy on his behalf and because he was a notable man, his request was granted albeit with a warning to his son.

"He was released but the boy was ashamed to meet his father. Though it was two years, he looked older than his father.

"He had become hard and rough as a result of his tough living. His appearance now was a huge contrast to his appearance then. His hair was tousled, unkempt, and smelled not to talk of his body, as a result of being imprisoned for days with no bath.

"His footwear was torn and tattered with his toes peeking out, his clothes dirty and stinking yet his father engulfed him in a hug amid his uncleanliness.

"Like the prodigal son, his father kissed him on the face and welcomed him back. With his newfound love for his bird who rescued him, they returned to their homeland and lived happily ever after. The end."

I was stunned, this man was such a great storyteller. What was he doing as the chairman of a company, he should have been a writer or at least directed a movie already - I would have supported it wholeheartedly, trust me.

"So what happened to the other bird, the pretty one?" I asked.

"What do you think? It died before it could be returned to the king which wasn't surprising; it has always been sickly " he replied.

I was grateful Adam wasn't God, else he would have taken away my life already.

It was quite funny, the bird didn't die when it moved from the faraway kingdom to the boy but died when it was transported back to the king? -thank the heavens, he's not my God.

"And I guess the exotic yet sickly bird is me; the boy's father is you; the boy is Niklaus and the ugly yet heroic bird is Tina?" I asked, wishing Tina knew she was being characterized as an ugly bird.

"That's your submission, not mine" he denied, "But I'll be pleased to hear the moral lesson you achieved from the story"

I smirked internally, this man was an old fox and he was trying to force me to a corner. Adam wanted to hear me say it - berate myself - but he was in for a loss.

"Of course, I learned a lot from this wonderful story" came my reply laced with sarcasm.

"What goes around comes around, the boy shouldn't have boasted with what he had. The universe gifted him the majestic bird but he abused it and karma fucked him. But thankfully, his old man is a good person, kudos to his kind heart since he has one"

Did I even make sense?

But Adam was dumbfounded, was he supposed to be stunned? He wanted me to speak and I've spoken and now he's speechless.