Matthew's Secretary

"Computers, before Matthew, were dragons lurking in the shadows, their roars echoing in binary, their scales flickering in cold, harsh light. To those who hadn't seen one, they were mythical beasts of fear and mystery. But after he showed you the ropes, you-feared no more. 

Like a stainless sword in your hand, he turned the dragon into your steed, taming the terrifying, revealing the magnificent. Now, to those who haven't seen a computer, you're the hero, wielding the magic they've only heard tales of. 'Tis a good thing, indeed, to have seen one and bowed to the beast."

Jenna leaned back in her chair, a smirk dancing on her lips as she watched Matthew hover over his laptop, the blue light from the screen reflecting off his glasses. He had always prided himself on being a tech guru in their small friend group, boasting about coding, cybersecurity, and web ownership as if he were a digital demigod. Today, however, he had dropped the bombshell that he owned the domain jordaneves.com.

“Seriously, Matthew? You own that website?” Jenna scoffed, trying to suppress her laughter. “You mean to tell me you’re the master behind Jordan Eves’s online persona? Isn’t that a bit… big for your boots?”

Matthew turned, his face a mixture of feigned indignation and mischief. “Well, it’s not like I’m running a fan club. I just thought it would be a good investment,” he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Jordan’s a local artist, you know. People want to see his work online.”

Jenna rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. “Right. Because what every burgeoning artist needs is Matthew swooping in to own their domain. You think you’re so slick, don’t you?”

“Oh, come on! I’m doing him a favour! How else is he supposed to get noticed?” Matthew shot back, a playful glint in his eyes. But Jenna was having none of it.

The truth was, Matthew had a knack for exaggeration. Last week, he claimed to have created an app that could predict the weather with 90% accuracy, which, to Jenna, was code for “I downloaded a weather API and changed a few lines of text.” Now, this—owning a domain that belonged to an up-and-coming artist whose work Jenna adored.

Jenna couldn’t shake the feeling that Matthew was full of it. “So, what’s the plan? You’ll just sit on it until Jordan gets famous and then sell it back to him at a premium? That’s a real stand-up move, Matthew.”

Matthew laughed, but Jenna could tell he was beginning to realise the absurdity of his claims. “Okay, okay, I might not own the domain. But it’d be smart, wouldn’t it? I mean, that’s how the internet works, right?”

Jenna shook her head, her laughter spilling over. “No, that’s not how it works. And you know it. You’re just trying to sound important because you’re having a slow day in your tech bubble.”

Matthew feigned a dramatic gasp. “How dare you! I’ll have you know that my tech bubble is thriving!” he replied, striking a pose as if he were the CEO of a major startup.

Jenna was about to retort when a notification pinged from her phone. It was a message from Jordan Eves himself. She opened it, and her eyes widened. “Whoa, Matthew! Jordan just posted a link to his new site! It’s not yours! It’s—”

“Let me guess. jordaneves.com?” Matthew cut in, his eyes wide.

“Yeah! It’s his official site. No mention of you anywhere!” Jenna could barely contain her laughter now. “So what were you saying about your grand domain plans?”

Matthew sighed, a grin breaking through his mock disappointment. “Alright, you got me. I was full of it,” he admitted, waving his hands in defeat. “But hey, at least I was trying to be interesting!”

“Interesting? You mean delusional!” Jenna teased.

They both burst into laughter, the tension evaporating like morning mist.

“I’m still going to figure out how to make my own domain, though,” Matthew said, his tone shifting to a more genuine enthusiasm. “But next time, I’ll aim for something that’s actually mine.”

“Good plan,” Jenna replied, her voice warm. “Just maybe don’t take on the identity of someone else next time, alright?”

“Agreed! I’ll own my own tech venture, and I’ll give you a URL to brag about,” he said, his competitive spirit reignited.

As they continued to banter, Jenna realised that maybe Matthew’s grandiose claims were just his way of reaching for something more. They were both full of it in their own way, but in that moment, they found a little truth nestled within their banter. It was just the beginning of many more ridiculous claims and wild ambitions—together, they would navigate the world of tech, and whatever adventures awaited them on the other side of their screens.