It was nearly midnight. The prime minister sat alone in his office, reading a long memorandum, but his mind was blank and he could not understand a word of it.
He was waiting for a call from the president of a distant country.
On one hand, he wondered whether the unfortunate man would call at all. On the other, taking advantage of the stillness of the late night, he recalled the many unforgettable troubles he had encountered during his eight months as prime minister.
Only when he was alone did the prime minister dare admit the truth to himself.
Becoming prime minister had not been part of his "career plan." A few unforeseen circumstances had simply forced him into the position.
The pleasure of "holding great power" had largely faded by his second week as prime minister.
He quickly realized that, just like in his previous position, even if he gave it everything he had, he could not make the country change even slightly from its ironclad "rules" and "traditions."
More importantly, he had to rack his brains to help the government evade utterly unreasonable accusations before the media.
For instance, the explosions and thunderous blasts that had blanketed nearly the entire city a week ago had not been the government secretly testing nuclear weapons!
Testing nuclear weapons in the city!
A hint of livid color appeared on the prime minister's pale face, and his lips pressed into a thin line.
If that reporter's brain had been even slightly bigger than a hummingbird's, he would not have asked such a moronic question!
But—
The telephone on the imposing classical desk still showed no sign of ringing. The prime minister rose from his chair and began pacing back and forth through his spacious office.
Still, he had to admit that the