264 Alice.

-What are you going to do now? - asked Gwyneth, standing at the entrance of the Lux Animation office, observing the different drawings by Billy, the uniquely new animation process. Numerous sketches were present.

-Same as always, we're flying to Kansas tonight. It's been tricky paying attention to commercial flights with my recent popularity, and now the companies I'm allowed to travel with have fewer flights, - said Billy.

-That's true, very few options are available. You should consider getting a jet for such long trips; now you're more detectable. Erwin has spotted at least ten paparazzi in different places, - said Gwyneth.

Taking a bite of the stone oven pizza, she was genuinely amazed by the delicious pizza. Although it hadn't gained much popularity in recent years, it was exquisite, with a deep and flavorful taste, and surprisingly light on the stomach.

-There are many pleasures in life, but I love this pizza deeply, - said Gwyneth.

-We'll expand the franchises in a few months, with locations on the main streets of cities across the United States. We're aiming to please people through food; the franchise can't just stop at hamburgers and pizza. It can expand to other types of cuisine, like Mexican, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese, bringing elegant dining within everyone's reach, - said Billy.

-You should set one up in Los Angeles. If you do it in less than a month, people will line up to buy your pizza, I assure you. Just take my model friends there once; with the delicious food, the place will surely take off, - said Gwyneth.

-I'll consider it, and I'll probably get many... - Billy's phone displayed a name he didn't deem appropriate to answer. He stepped out onto the balcony to take the call. "Hello."

-Look, I don't think I should be doing this, - said a voice he didn't recognize.

-Why do you have Alice's number? - Billy questioned, a tone of distrust in his voice.

-Well, I'm her roommate, you jerk. Alice has been devastated because of you. You're a cynic in many ways, but she won't respond to anyone, and I know the only person she'll respond to is you. It's been a long time since she reacted, - said Laura, utterly and absurdly devastated by her friend's state.

-I see, - said Billy, now understanding that deceit was a cornerstone in relationships and that women couldn't bear it. Along with many other outcomes, the most dire was that of a woman vanishing into thin air.

-I have a trip in possibly six hours. Tell Alice to call this number, and I'll come in two hours to discuss something important, - said Billy.

-But... -

-Tell her I'll come to see her, and if she thinks of barring my entry, she made a deal with her dean recently, and if I want to enter, they'll roll out the red carpet for me. Two hours. -

He hung up the phone. Ironically, he couldn't go to the meeting with Alice, but he knew someone who could go, a familiar face was better than the face of someone who had caused so much pain...

-Who was that? - Gwyneth asked.

-An acquaintance, - said Billy, with some doubt about what had just transpired, an obvious and overwhelming desire to forget.

He ate some pizza to calm his nerves, watching the blonde in front of him, always with her usual calm demeanor, indifferent as ever. A desire to work welled up in his heart as he wiped his hands and continued with the final steps of Forza Horizon, while Gwyneth paced in the studio, walking back and forth. She wasn't a woman for closed spaces, as she claimed.

-I'll be back in a moment, I have some chores with Raimon regarding the new internet project, - said Billy.

Leaving his thick book behind, the Forza Horizon game promised challenging activities. However, Resident Evil finished to his right, which was sufficient. Both were feats; each turned a different game with high references to how it should be played. The first is a wide range of content, from car tracks, streets, asphalt, sand, and dirt. Each had many complicated driving forms that couldn't be dismissed as nonsense.

-I'll read your comics in the meantime, - said Gwyneth.

He crossed the hallways; Raimon was in the cellar, a name now common among the employees, with the RPG platforms and Hotmail groups. In an employee meeting, he sponsored his constant work of creating a likeness to dungeons and dragons, but there was Baldur's Gate.

They were creating a game that would complement the entire state, yet they couldn't quite grasp the comprehension of creating a video game. The RPG platforms group continued with the creation of Jeane and Dar'c, which was a common challenge due to the demanding design, map requirements, and RPG gameplay, along with various events, now ten times more complex due to the year of creation.

Billy entered the meeting. While Raimon continued to talk about the excellence of making a platform video game about the only Dungeon and dragons series that could revolutionize what people expected from fantasy video games.

Billy felt like laughing; Raimon's stupid face, when surprised, always brought him some happiness. He opened his mouth dumbfoundedly, his chubby cheeks were always amusing to see, by the way he behaved.

-Your next step is to buy Baldur's Gate and a game called The Elder Scrolls Arena, which is based on Skyrim. On one side, we can take the Gate series for RPG platforms, and the Elder Scrolls, to formalize an online activity - said Billy.

-Do we have the money? - Raimon asked.

-The company we were hoping to buy rejected us, and now we have an overestimation of money. We can buy games, don't spend too much money; they're not worth that much. Each game has something to offer, more than just novel ideas, - said Billy.

-So, what do you think? - Raimon asked.

-We buy the game and let them handle the next deliveries. I, on the other hand, can wait for us to organize the game. You can handle the rest on your own, the business, and you'll have your series of video games, - said Billy.

Raimon's excitement was palpable.

-Deal with this now, - said Billy, leading Raimon to the other room, leaving the members of RPG Platforms somewhat surprised.

-Well, that was awkward. What's up, Billy? You need something. Whenever you call me out of the blue, it's for some new company idea, - said Raimon, expecting Billy to give him some crazy task.

-I need you to go see Alice; she's fallen into a state of depression. I need a friend, and you're the close friend I know best. My presence can wake her up, but I have a trip in five hours that I can't miss; I need to assess the state of the company, - said Billy.

-But... -

-Do me this favor; I'll talk to Anne. You can take her favorite pizza or just your friendship, - said Billy.

-Is the trip so important? I could go... - said Raimon dreamily.

-I have to see my grandparents; it's urgent from what I can see. My father has been going back and forth for me to visit my grandparents, - said Billy.

-Alright, I'll go. But it better be true that you're buying the Dungeons & Dragons series, - replied Raimon.

...