Chapter 3: The Budding Author's Surprise

Chapter 2: The Budding Author's Surprise

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"I'm home!"

Martin, feeling relaxed after a day at school, pushed open the front door only to find his dad, Grant, and mom, Linda, both sitting at the dining table. As they heard his voice, they looked up in unison.

What's going on?

Martin glanced over at Aranda, the housekeeper, who mouthed a word at him.

"Random House?"

Martin instantly felt at ease, realizing what it was about. Looking back at Grant and Linda, he noticed the serious expressions on their faces, but beneath them lay unmistakable hints of joy, excitement, and a touch of disbelief.

"Ahem, Martin, care to tell us what you've been up to lately?"

"Hey, Mom, are you trying to get me to confess?"

"That depends on whether you've done anything wrong!"

"Of course not. Every day I go to school, come home on time, do my homework, read a bit, and sometimes write things myself—"

"Wait, write things yourself?" Grant interrupted, choosing his words carefully. "Besides that, have you, um, done anything else?"

"Uh, well, I sent a few stories I wrote to a publisher. It might be a bit of a pipe dream, but I'd love for more people to read them! For example, I sent them to…"

"To Random House, perhaps?"

Grant pulled a thick envelope out of his bag and waved it, a smile spreading on both his and Linda's faces.

"Whoa, Random House replied?" Martin put on an excited expression.

"Take a look; I haven't opened it yet. Let's hope it's not a rejection," Grant joked, but he got a light smack on the arm from Linda, who gave him a look that reminded him to stay positive. He made a zipping motion across his lips, signaling, "I'll keep quiet."

Martin, without a hint of worry, opened the envelope and started reading aloud.

"Dear Mr. Martin Myers: This is Benjamin Georgia, an editor from Random House... We were very impressed by your story, Kung Fu Panda... We'd like to discuss publication details with you in person on September 25th…"

"Oh my, our little Martin is about to be a published author! I'm so proud of you," Linda hugged him tightly, her eyes gleaming with happy tears.

Grant was just as excited. An 11-year-old author, he thought. Looks like the Myers family has produced a prodigy. He couldn't wait to call his father and share the good news.

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September 25th

A black Cadillac slowly pulled up along the curb.

A man and a woman stepped out. The man appeared to be in his early forties, dressed in a smart gray business suit that highlighted his slim build and sharp demeanor.

The woman, in her early thirties, also wore a gray professional outfit, holding a small bag and following closely behind, clearly his assistant or secretary.

They were Benjamin Georgia, the editor from Random House, and his assistant, Miss Sheena. As Benjamin shaded his eyes and looked around, he spotted the Myers family's grand villa not far off.

"222 Trumbull Avenue, upscale residential area?" he murmured, then turned to Sheena. "Sheena, is this the address of the author?"

"Yes, Benjamin. I confirmed it myself," Sheena replied with a smile.

"Affluent family, good education... I'd bet the author is a well-read person with a deep love for literature. No wonder he could write such an engaging story," Benjamin mused as he adjusted his suit.

"And likely not too young either. Even though it's a children's story, younger writers rarely have the knowledge to create such a richly detailed ancient Chinese setting. The landscapes, the clothing, the martial arts, even the food… all so vividly described," Sheena added.

Their conversation continued as they reached the villa's entrance and pressed the doorbell. Soon, a warm voice came over the intercom, "Hello, this is the Myers residence. Who's calling, please?"

"Hello, we're from Random House. Is Mr. Martin Myers home?" Benjamin replied.

There was a slight pause before the voice responded, "Could you hold on for a moment, please?"

They heard footsteps hurriedly running away, followed by a faint exclamation. Benjamin and Sheena exchanged a puzzled glance, each shrugging in mutual confusion.

A moment later, the woman's voice returned over the intercom. "Please come in. Mr. and Mrs. Myers are waiting for you at the door."

Mr. and Mrs. Myers? Benjamin thought, his mind racing. So, the author of Kung Fu Panda must be Mr. Martin Myers himself. He began mentally rehearsing what he would say.

The grand iron gate slowly swung open, revealing a stunning garden. Lush palms lined the perimeter, ensuring privacy, while evergreen shrubs like firethorn, golden privet, variegated juniper, and boxwood filled the space, accented with summer azaleas in pink, fuchsia, and purple hues.

In the center of the lawn was a marble fountain with water streaming from the mouths of two sculpted fish, sparkling under the sunlight.

Beyond the fountain stood an impressive Baroque-style villa, with elegant marble columns and intricate statues, a testament to the owner's refined taste.

As Benjamin and Sheena approached, two gracefully poised middle-aged people stood waiting. The man stepped forward first and extended his hand.

"Welcome! I've been eagerly awaiting your visit!"

"You must be Mr. Martin Myers! Your work is simply outstanding. I'm certain children all over the world will cherish this new classic."

Grant froze, realizing the misunderstanding, then chuckled. "Actually, Kung Fu Panda isn't my creation. Let me introduce myself. I'm Grant Myers, Chief Investment Officer and Head of the Investment Office at J.P. Morgan. The story was written by my son—Martin."

Benjamin blinked, momentarily flustered as he turned to shake hands with Linda, just catching himself in time to avoid a misstep.

Once everyone was seated in the villa's drawing room, Benjamin finally understood his error. Kung Fu Panda's actual author was none other than Grant and Linda's young son—Martin Myers.

"If you don't mind me asking, how old is your son?"

"He's eleven!" Grant beamed with pride.

Benjamin and Sheena stared in amazement.

"Is he home right now? I'd love to meet him."

"He should be on his way back from school, so he should arrive in about fifteen minutes. Would you both care for something to drink? Tea, coffee, or perhaps some whiskey?"

"Coffee, please."

"And for you, ma'am?"

"I'll have tea, thank you."

Linda gave the housekeeper, Aranda, a quick signal, and she hurried away. Soon she returned with a tray, bearing two tall and short pots with four cups.

The tall pot held coffee, and the short, stout one was for tea.

"Please, have a taste. This is authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and traditional Chinese red tea."

Each took a cup, and the four of them engaged in light conversation.

A little over ten minutes later, they heard a familiar voice at the door.

"I'm home!"

[•———•———•———•]

𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:

• 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮

• 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝

• 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟭𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!

👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

💬 𝘼𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝘼𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚: 𝙈𝙮 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩! 𝙐𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 $30—𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 10% 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩! 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙙𝙚: 𝗚𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥.

𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙂𝙋𝙏 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣-𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙮, 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨, 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!

👉𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧/𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙥