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Charles Augustus Milverton, the King of Media was about to make an important decision. Something what he knew that it would definitely turn his life upside down and force him to get rid of one of his favourite habits. But Milverton knew that it was necessary and he was not a weak man who was incapable of making the right choice. He was someone who was supposed to be powerful - he couldn't fall for human temptations like this.
Therefore, he chose to try to quit smoking.
But he became nervous even for the thought of that.
Smoking was a big part of Milverton's life. He smoked when he read his newspaper, when he came up with an evil plan, when he tried to think through the reasons for a failure. As he inhaled the smoke and let it out, it calmed him down like nothing else. But this was the same thing that recently made him worried.
He had a negotiation with the House of Lords and just like all the time, those aristocrats acted like an utter pack of fools. Their superiority they showed over him, their incompetence and the way they expected that Milverton would clean up after them ended up angering him. Milverton couldn't wait to finally get home and smoke a little to ease the frustration. While he was sitting in the carriage, his fingers were impatiently trembling to hold his pipe - and when his gaze fell to his shaking hand, he realized. The one thing he was so keen to avoid, what he always tried to protect himself from happened.
He gained an addiction - one which didn't make him strong, instead, what made him a yearning weakling. Like the human beings he liked choosing as his victims.
This was the moment when Milverton knew that it was time to quit. He couldn't allow himself any kind of weakness that could affect his rational thinking and evil ways badly. And being addicted to smoking was exactly that - something his enemies could use to overpower him, something which made him calculable. As much as he loved smoking his pipe, Milverton was aware that this cannot go on. He made the hardest decision of his life - he will quit smoking, once and for all.
Of course, it was easier to say than to do. Milverton didn't even have any ideas of how to start quitting. He packed the pipe and his tobacco away from his sight, but since he knew where it was, his thoughts and eventually, his hand ended up wandering back to it. At the first time, he was not strong enough and he failed his promise on the first day. But even his second attempt only lasted for three days - after one of his plans went wrong, Milverton shamefully picked his pipe again and fell for the temptation.
He slowly started to realize that this will not work this way. He needed the help of an outsider, the advice of the only person he knew he could trust his secret with.
His loyal secretary, Ruskin.
"Ruskin. I... I decided that I will try to quit smoking." Milverton confessed to the other man the next afternoon with some nervousness. He had no idea what Ruskin would think of his decision. Deep inside, he was afraid that Ruskin would look down on him for being weak and taking up a bad habit, but there was nothing in Ruskin's gaze that showed this. Quite the opposite.
"It is a great decision, sir, and you are really wise for being able to make it on your own." Ruskin told him with shining eyes. "I wanted to say as well that you smoke too much and it is not good for your health. I am glad that you also realized it."
The words made Milverton relieved. There was a sense of respect in Ruskin's tone who also looked at the problem from a different angle. From Milverton's health. Milverton knew that Ruskin was always worried for him, but he was unaware that it was regarding smoking as well. He realized that Ruskin wanted him to quit even more than Milverton did and he gained a great supporting force for the hard task. After this, it was easier to talk with his secretary.
"But I don't know how to do it." He admitted. Ruskin encouragingly smiled up at him.
"We will do it in little steps, sir. We will slowly decrease the amount of tobacco you smoke and acclimatize your body system to it until we eventually reduce it to zero." He explained it excitedly. Milverton was not surprised that Ruskin came up with a plan so quickly. Milverton was the most skilled when it came to evil actions - but Ruskin was better than him when it was about Milverton's needs. Ruskin, after all, was devoted to live for him.
"It is a good plan." Milverton welcomed the idea with a brighter expression. But Ruskin was not done with his speech yet.
"It will also help if you will condition yourself to a substitute - obviously, a harmless one." He continued. "I recently came up with a new recipe for strawberry cream filled rolls. It could give you a similar sensation to holding the pipe in your mouth. The recipe is not perfect yet, but as soon as I figure it out, I will make some for you. You can eat that when you are frustrated and it will do nothing bad for you."
Milverton's eyes sparkled up for the offer. Ruskin knew exactly how to make the process easier for him - strawberries were Milverton's favourite food and he was deeply fond of the desserts Ruskin made. As soon as he mentioned the strawberry-flavoured rolls, the picture of the pipe immediately left Milverton's mind and the curiosity of how a dessert like this would taste like took away its place. He reached out and gently touched Ruskin's shoulder, making the other man blush.
"You know what to offer to me, Ruskin." He winked at his secretary cheerfully and he was sure that this time, he will successfully erase his weakness. "Then let's the quitting project begin."
He was unaware that he had another weak point in the person whose arm he was now holding - but it was for the better.