**EPISODE FORTY-SIX**
**THE NEGOTIATION LOOP**
*(When comfort learns to imitate wisdom)*
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1. THE NEXT MORNING
Nobody mentioned resistance.
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2. WHICH WAS SUSPICIOUS
Because everyone was thinking about it.
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3. MILO NOTICES FIRST
"Something feels different."
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4. DIANA LOOKS UP
"How?"
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5. MILO THINKS
"The excuses are quieter."
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6. GANDALF NODS
"They've adapted."
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7. TARZAN FREEZES
"The squirrels evolved."
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8. NO ONE ACKNOWLEDGES HIM
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9. THE NEW PROBLEM
The resistance no longer sounded lazy.
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10. IT SOUNDED WISE
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11. MEERA DISCOVERS IT
She opened her notebook.
Prepared to work.
Then stopped.
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12. WHY?
A thought appeared.
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13. THE THOUGHT
*"You should reflect more before acting."*
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14. IT SOUNDED REASONABLE
Very reasonable.
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15. SO REASONABLE
She spent forty minutes reflecting.
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16. RESULT
Nothing happened.
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17. THE REALIZATION
She had not reflected.
She had delayed.
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18. MEERA LOOKS HORRIFIED
"It's learning my vocabulary."
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19. THE ROOM GOES QUIET
Because everyone understood immediately.
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20. ARJUN EXPERIENCES HIS VERSION
A project sat unfinished.
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21. HE KNEW WHAT TO DO
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22. YET HE DIDN'T START
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23. WHY?
A thought appeared.
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24. THE THOUGHT
*"Preparation creates excellence."*
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25. SO HE PREPARED
And prepared.
And prepared.
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26. THREE HOURS LATER
The project remained untouched.
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27. DIANA WRITES SOMETHING DOWN
"Optimization avoidance."
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28. ARJUN WINCES
"That sounds personal."
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29. GANDALF SIPS TEA
"Because it is."
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30. THE PATTERN EMERGES
Comfort had evolved.
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31. IT NO LONGER SAID
"Don't do it."
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32. NOW IT SAID
"Do it later."
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33. TARZAN GASPS
"The enemy has discovered grammar."
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34. EVERYONE STARES
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35. TARZAN CONTINUES
"Previously it used blunt weapons."
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36. HE GESTURES DRAMATICALLY
"Now it uses diplomacy."
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37. GANDALF PAUSES
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38. THEN NODS
"Disturbingly accurate."
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39. TARZAN SMILES
"I am becoming powerful."
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40. DIANA WRITES
**RESISTANCE 2.0**
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41. UNDERNEATH SHE ADDS
**NEGOTIATION**
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42. MILO READS IT
"What exactly is negotiation?"
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43. DIANA EXPLAINS
"It is when discomfort proposes a compromise."
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44. EXAMPLE
"You don't need to quit."
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45. PAUSE
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46. THEN
"Just postpone."
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47. EVERYONE GROANS
Because they knew that voice.
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48. MEERA SPEAKS
"It never sounds dangerous."
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49. GANDALF NODS
"That's the point."
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50. THE EXPERIMENT BEGINS
Diana draws another diagram.
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51. THE LOOP
**ACTION**
↓
**DISCOMFORT**
↓
**NEGOTIATION**
↓
**DELAY**
↓
**RELIEF**
↓
**REPEAT**
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52. THE ROOM STUDIES IT
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53. MILO FROWNS
"That's depressing."
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54. GANDALF SHRUGS
"Most accurate diagrams are."
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55. TARZAN SQUINTS
At the board.
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56. THEN ADDS SOMETHING
A squirrel.
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57. DIANA CLOSES HER EYES
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58. TARZAN DEFENDS HIMSELF
"It improves scientific clarity."
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59. IT DID NOT
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60. THE DEEPER QUESTION APPEARS
Why negotiate at all?
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61. THE ANSWER ARRIVES
Because direct resistance fails once noticed.
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62. GANDALF EXPLAINS
"When force fails..."
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63. HE TAKES A SIP
"...subtlety replaces it."
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64. ARJUN UNDERSTANDS
"So the mind changes strategy."
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65. DIANA NODS
"Exactly."
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66. THE OLD SELF ADAPTS
Not because it is evil.
Because it wants survival.
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67. TARZAN RAISES A HAND
"What if the old self has lawyers?"
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68. SILENCE
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69. THEN MILO SPEAKS
"I hate that I know what you mean."
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70. TARZAN BEAMS
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71. THE COURTROOM VISUALIZATION BEGINS
Without anyone asking for it.
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72. TARZAN STANDS ON A CHAIR
"The Court of Excuses is now in session."
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73. DIANA RUBS HER FOREHEAD
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74. TOO LATE
The performance had started.
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75. TARZAN PLAYS THE LAWYER
"Your Honor..."
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76. HE POINTS AT MILO
"My client deserves rest."
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77. MILO OBJECTS
"I rested yesterday."
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78. TARZAN RESPONDS
"Precisely."
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79. EVERYONE BLINKS
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80. TARZAN CONTINUES
"He should recover from resting."
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81. GANDALF NEARLY DROPS HIS TEA
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82. MEERA STARTS LAUGHING
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83. THE ABSURDITY HITS
Because it wasn't entirely wrong.
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84. EXCUSES OFTEN SOUND LOGICAL
Until examined closely.
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85. THE DISCOVERY
Negotiation survives through vagueness.
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86. DIANA WRITES THIS DOWN
**CLARITY KILLS NEGOTIATION**
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87. ARJUN READS IT
"What does that mean?"
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88. DIANA ANSWERS
"If a thought survives scrutiny..."
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89. PAUSE
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90. "...it may be wisdom."
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91. ANOTHER PAUSE
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92. "...if it collapses under specifics..."
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93. SHE POINTS TO THE BOARD
"...it was negotiation."
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94. THE ROOM GOES SILENT
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95. SOMETHING CLICKS
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96. MEERA TESTS IT
"I should start tomorrow."
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97. DIANA ASKS
"Why tomorrow?"
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98. MEERA PAUSES
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99. THEN BLINKS
"I don't know."
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100. GANDALF SMILES
"Exactly."
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101. THE MASK SLIPS
Negotiation hates questions.
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102. TARZAN WRITES FURIOUSLY
**INTERROGATE THE SQUIRRELS**
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103. NO ONE STOPS HIM
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104. THE FINAL INSIGHT APPROACHES
Comfort is intelligent.
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105. VERY INTELLIGENT
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106. IT CAN QUOTE PHILOSOPHY
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107. IT CAN USE SELF-CARE
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108. IT CAN WEAR WISDOM'S CLOTHES
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109. BUT IT HAS ONE WEAKNESS
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110. ACTION
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111. GANDALF SPEAKS SOFTLY
"Reality reveals what thinking conceals."
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112. MEERA NODS
"You learn by moving."
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113. ARJUN ADDS
"Not by negotiating endlessly."
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114. DIANA FINISHES
"Evidence beats imagination."
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115. TARZAN RAISES A FINGER
"And goats beat evidence."
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116. EVERYONE GROANS
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117. TARZAN SMILES
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118. THE WORLD CONTINUES OUTSIDE
Cars moved.
People hurried.
Coffee cooled.
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119. ORDINARY LIFE
Unchanged.
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120. YET SOMETHING HAD SHIFTED
A hidden mechanism had become visible.
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121. THE NEXT NEGOTIATION ARRIVED
As it always would.
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122. BUT THIS TIME
They recognized the lawyer.
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123. AND RECOGNITION CHANGED EVERYTHING
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124. THE FINAL LINE APPEARED
Not as revelation.
Not as magic.
But as simple truth:
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**COMFORT NEVER SAYS "NO"**
**IT ASKS FOR "LATER"**
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**EPISODE FORTY-SEVEN**
**THE COMFORT MASQUERADE**
*(When avoidance begins quoting philosophy, psychology, and productivity podcasts)*
1. THREE DAYS LATER
The negotiations had become sophisticated.
Dangerously sophisticated.
Not because resistance had become stronger.
Because it had become educated.
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2. MILO DISCOVERS THIS FIRST
He sat at his desk.
Laptop open.
Project waiting.
Deadline approaching.
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3. EVERYTHING WAS READY
The documents.
The notes.
The plan.
The coffee.
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4. YET NOTHING HAPPENED
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5. WHY?
A thought appeared.
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6. THE THOUGHT
*"Flow cannot be forced."*
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7. MILO FREEZES
That sounded wise.
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8. EXTREMELY WISE
The kind of thing successful people posted online.
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9. SO HE WAITED
For flow.
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10. FLOW DID NOT ARRIVE
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11. TWO HOURS PASSED
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12. THEN ANOTHER THOUGHT APPEARED
*"Honor your natural rhythm."*
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13. MILO NODDED
Yes.
That sounded intelligent.
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14. VERY INTELLIGENT
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15. THREE MORE HOURS PASSED
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16. NO WORK OCCURRED
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17. THE HORRIFYING REALIZATION
Comfort had discovered self-help content.
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18. THE EMERGENCY MEETING
Was called immediately.
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19. EVERYONE GATHERED
Around the table.
Again.
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20. TARZAN ARRIVED LAST
Holding three bananas.
A compass.
And what appeared to be a fishing net.
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21. DIANA LOOKED CONCERNED
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22. "WHY?"
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23. TARZAN ANSWERED
"I am prepared."
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24. "FOR WHAT?"
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25. TARZAN LOWERED HIS VOICE
"The masquerade."
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26. SILENCE
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27. GANDALF TOOK A LONG SIP OF TEA
The kind of sip people take when reality becomes exhausting.
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28. MILO PRESENTED THE PROBLEM
"The excuses are changing."
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29. DIANA NODDED
"I've noticed."
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30. MEERA SPOKE
"They don't sound like excuses anymore."
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31. ARJUN AGREED
"They sound like wisdom."
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32. THE ROOM GREW QUIET
Because that was exactly the issue.
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33. RESISTANCE HAD LEARNED A NEW TRICK
It had stolen the language of growth.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Written By,
Ivan Edwin
Pen Name :Maximus.
©All Rights Reserved