chapter 4

Terese playfully rolled her eyes and smacked Keith on the arm. "You're such a jerk, Keith. I swear, you almost gave me a heart attack."

Kyle, still getting used to being in Keith's body, chuckled and rubbed the spot where Terese had hit him. "Hey, I'm sorry. I just couldn't resist."

Terese raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement still dancing in her eyes. "Well, just be more careful next time. I don't think my heart can take it."

Kyle smiled, feeling a sense of relief that the tension had been broken. But as he looked into Terese's eyes, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was still missing something. Who was Terese, really? And what was her connection to Keith?

Kyle, still trying to play it cool, shrugged. "Oh, yeah, the project. I was just, uh, clearing my head before our meeting."

Terese raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Clearing your head? By pretending not to know me?" She chuckled. "Keith, you're such a weirdo sometimes."

Kyle forced a laugh, trying to keep up the charade. "Hey, I'm just keeping things interesting around here."

Terese smiled, seeming to accept the explanation. "Well, anyway, let's get down to business. I have some ideas for the project that I want to run by you.

Kyle's eyes widened slightly at the mention of a new product launch. He had no idea what Keith's business dealings were, but he knew he had to play along.

"Ah, that sounds interesting," Kyle said, trying to sound nonchalant. "What kind of product is it?"

Terese leaned in, a excited glint in her eye. "It's a new smartwatch line. My boss thinks it has the potential to revolutionize the wearable tech industry." She paused, studying Kyle's reaction. "He wants you to be the face of the campaign."

Kyle's mind racing, he tried to process the information. What had Keith gotten himself into? And what did Terese's boss expect from him?

Kyle nodded, trying to appear confident. "Great, I'll talk to my secretary and get back to you."

Terese nodded, smiling. "Sounds good. I'll wait for your call to set up a meeting with my boss.

As Terese turned to leave, Kyle breathed a sigh of relief. He had bought himself some time, but he knew he still had a lot to learn about Keith's life and business dealings.

He turned to his secretary, who was watching him with a curious expression. "Hey, can you tell me more about this new project Terese was talking about?"

The secretary nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that's right. You mentioned that we should collaborate with someone at the top. I think Terese's boss must have gotten wind of that and is interested in working with you."

Kyle's eyes widened as the pieces fell into place. "So, Terese's boss is the one at the top?"

The secretary smiled. "Exactly. A collaboration with Terese's boss could take our company to the next level. But we need to be careful and make sure we're prepared for the negotiations."

Kyle nodded, his mind racing with the possibilities. He knew he had to play the part of Keith perfectly, or risk blowing the whole deal.

The secretary nodded. "That's right. He's a major player in the industry, and if he's interested in working with you, it could be a huge opportunity."

Kyle thought to himself, impressed. His secretary seemed to be on top of everything, and was already thinking several steps ahead. Keith was lucky to have him.

"Thanks for filling me in," Kyle said, smiling. "You're a lifesaver."

The secretary smiled back, looking pleased. "Just doing my job, boss

The secretary nodded, "Alright, let's get back to work. You have a meeting with the marketing team in 30 minutes to discuss the upcoming campaign. After that, you have a conference call with a potential investor."

Kyle nodded, trying to commit the schedule to memory. "Got it. Anything else?"

The secretary leaned in, lowering his voice. "Actually, the manager wants to discuss something with you in private. He didn't say what it was, but he seemed pretty serious about it."

Kyle's curiosity was piqued. "Do you think it has something to do with the collaboration with Terese's boss?"

The secretary shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I have a feeling it might be related to your... situation, boss."

Xavier nodded and picked up the phone to relay the message. "I'll let him know, boss. He'll meet with you after the marketing meeting."

Kyle nodded, making a mental note to prepare himself for the mysterious meeting. He took a deep breath, trying to focus on the task at hand.

Kyle walked into the meeting room, where the marketing team was busy setting up. "Alright everyone, let's make sure we're all on the same page. I want to see all the presentation materials, and let's do a quick run-through to make sure everything is perfect."

The team nodded, scrambling to finalize the preparations. Xavier, the secretary, handed Kyle a folder containing the presentation materials.

"Also, I want to see the latest sales figures and market trends," Kyle said, scanning the documents. "Let's make sure we're prepared to answer any questions the investor might have."

The team worked feverishly to finalize everything, and after 20 minutes of intense preparation, they were ready. Kyle took a deep breath, feeling confident that they would nail the meeting.

Kyle turned to Xavier and asked, "Is everything ready for the meeting? I don't want to keep our guest waiting."

Xavier nodded, checking his watch. "Yes, boss. The marketing team is all set. The presentation materials are in order, and the conference room is ready."

Kyle nodded, satisfied. "Good. Let's get started then. Please show our guest in."

Xavier nodded and walked out of the room, returning with the investor, a well-dressed woman with a confident smile.

Here's the continuation:

Kyle straightened up and gestured to the conference table. "Please, ma'am, have a seat. We appreciate you taking the time to meet with us today."

The woman smiled again and took a seat, with Xavier closing the door behind her. Kyle took his own seat at the head of the table, folding his hands together.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Kyle said, smiling professionally. "We have a lot to discuss regarding the potential partnership between our companies."

The woman nodded, pulling out a folder from her briefcase. "I'm looking forward to it, Mr. Reem

Kyle's heart skipped a beat as he realized he hadn't introduced himself properly. "Ah, yes thank you

Zinnia smiled warmly. "Let's just drop the honorifics, shall we? I'm Zinnia,

Yes, just call me Keith

Kyle said as he felt uneasy, but still smile at her

Xavier , who had been quietly observing the exchange, cleared his throat. "If I may proceed, Zinnia, my secretary Xavier will outline the details of our proposal."

Zinnia nodded, her eyes sparkling with interest. "Please, Xavier, go ahead."

Xavier smiled professionally and began his presentation, clicking a remote to bring up a slideshow on the screen behind him. "Our proposal outlines a strategic partnership between our companies, leveraging our combined expertise to drive growth and innovation..."

Zinnia's smile widened, clearly pleased with Kyle's enthusiastic response. "Excellent! I'll have my team draft the partnership agreement and send it over to you by the end of the day."

Kyle nodded, feeling a sense of excitement and relief. "Sounds great, Zinnia. I'll review it with Xavier and we'll get back to you shortly."

Xavier, who had been quietly observing the exchange, spoke up. "I'll make sure to follow up with your team, Zinnia, to ensure a smooth transition."

Zinnia stood up, extending her hand to Kyle. "I'm looking forward to working with you, Kyle. And Xavier, of course."

Kyle shook her hand, smiling. "Likewise, Zinnia. This is going to be a great partnership."

Zinnoia bid goodbye to Kyle and exited the conference room, leaving Kyle and Xavier alone.

Kyle let out a deep breath and sat down in his chair, meeting Xavier's gaze.

Xavier raised an eyebrow, concerned. "Are you okay, boss?"

Kyle smiled casually. "I'm fine, Xavier. I'm just happy that the negotiations went well."

Xavier nodded, a hint of a smile on his face. "I'm glad to hear that, boss. You were fantastic in there. I think we make a pretty good team."

Kyle chuckled, feeling a sense of camaraderie with his secretary. "Yeah, we do, Xavier. Thanks for your help in there. I don't think I could have done it without you."

Xavier beamed with pride, happy to have played a part in the successful negotiation. "Anytime, boss. Now, shall I get started on drafting the partnership agreement?"

As Zinnia sat in her office, reflecting on the meeting, she said, "It seems Mr. Reem, or should I say Keith, have improved. I see earlier he seemed to have more confidence in himself. Do you think so, Kate?"

Kate, Zinnia's secretary, nodded in agreement. "Yes, ma'am, I agree. Mr. Keith did seem more confident and self-assured during the meeting. His presentation was well-prepared, and he handled your questions with ease."

Zinnia smiled, seeming to consider Kate's words. "Yes, I think you're right, Kate. He's definitely improved since our last meeting. I'm impressed."

Kate nodded, making a note on her tablet. "Shall I send over the draft of the partnership agreement to Mr. Keith's office, ma'am?"

Kate nodded and began typing away on her computer. "I'll send it over right away, ma'am. I'll also schedule a follow-up meeting with Mr. Keith to finalize the details."

Zinnia nodded, a satisfied smile on her face. "Good. I'm looking forward to seeing this partnership come to fruition."

Kyle settled into his chair, letting out a sigh of relief after the successful meeting. But his moment of relaxation was short-lived, as his phone rang, breaking the silence.

He picked up the receiver, answering with a professional tone, "Kyle speaking."

There was a pause on the other end of the line before a familiar voice spoke up, "Hey, Kyle. It's Keith."

Kyle's eyes widened slightly as he almost said "Keith" back, but caught himself just in time. "Oh, Keith... how are you?" Keith said with a chuckle, "You almost said your name, Kyle."

Kyle laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, Keith. Old habit, I guess."

Keith chuckled on the other end of the line. "No worries, Kyle. I'm used to it. So, how did the meeting with Zinnia go?"

Kyle raised an eyebrow, curious. "How did you know I had a meeting?"

Keith replied, "Xavier kept me in the loop. He told me you were meeting with Zinnia."

Kyle's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Xavier told you about the meeting?"

Keith's tone was casual. "Yeah, we touch base regularly. He keeps me updated on your schedule and any important meetings."

Kyle smiled, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment. "It went great, Keith. I think we nailed it. Zinnia seemed really impressed with our proposal."

Keith's tone remained friendly and relaxed, a sign that he had grown comfortable working with Kyle. "That's great to hear, Kyle. I'm glad everything went smoothly. You've been doing a fantastic job, and I'm grateful to have you on our team."

Kyle smiled, feeling a sense of appreciation for Keith's kind words. "Thanks, Keith. That means a lot coming from you."

Keith added, Yes sure, but remember to come back early, I need you back here early, Kyle. "

Keith chuckled on the other end of the line. "Don't worry, Keith. I'll make sure to return your body in one piece.

Keith said, "Ok, anyway, I'll cut this call now. Talk to you later, Kyle."

Kyle nodded, even though Keith couldn't see him. "Alright, sounds good. Talk to you later, Keith."

The line went dead, and Kyle placed the receiver back on its cradle, lost in thought for a moment.

Kyle's mind wandered to the peculiarities of Keith's existence within the mirror. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around this," Kyle thought. "Keith has a phone in the mirror, which somehow works despite being trapped in a reflective surface. And then there's the fact that Keith doesn't seem to need food or sleep... or at least, not in the same way that I do."

As Kyle pondered these mysteries, he began to grasp the strange logic of the mirror world. "It's as if time works differently in there," Kyle realized. "Keith mentioned that it's morning in the mirror, which means that his experience of time is somehow inverted or opposite to my own."

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