Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56180 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56180 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Steve narrows his eyes. "What, then?"
"I'll tell the public the truth. If we want to stand apart from the crowd, which we've always done, we need to be honest. We need to…"
I pause, looking out the window at the man peering in. He's short, with shaggy black hair almost covering his eyes. When he sees me looking, he turns and takes off.
"Luke," Steve and Andy yell as I leap to my feet.
Chapter Eleven
Sera
"NeuroDrive has moved their announcement up to this evening, giving the keynote spot to another company," Graham muses, adjusting his glasses as he studies his phone.
"I wonder if it has anything to do with…" I stop when I notice Graham narrowing his eyes at me. Most of the time, he appears to be what he is: a kind, generous older man, his grey hair combed over his bald spot, wearing stylish sweaters more often than not, even in the office.
Now, he frowns. "What would you know about their work?"
I shrug, staring down at my feet. "I actually met Luke recently."
"Luke," he says, as if my using his first name is offensive.
"I helped with some work on an issue they were having. Well, tried to help. Is there a problem with that?"
Graham turns away, looking across the street at the Strip. He sighs. "We don't want NeuroDrive to think we'll work for free. They pay TechGuard a sizeable fee to use our AI department…With TechGuard considering removing the AI department before it thrives, we have to proceed cautiously."
"I wasn't there for TechGuard. I was there for me."
More accurately, I was there for Luke, but I don't think Graham needs to hear about our escapades. Reflecting on the short time we've known each other feels surreal. It seems like much longer.
"How did you even meet the CEO of NeuroDrive? I've never met him, and we work with them."
"He's actually the one who tried to fix the laptop," I reply.
"Oh."
"He's a good guy, Graham."
"I'm sure he is, but that doesn't mean we should work for free." He fiddles with his phone. "Eleanor is going to want a video soon." He extends his arm, putting the camera on selfie mode and starting a video. "Hey, honey, we wanted to say hello from sunny Vegas."
I wave, smiling. Even if Graham was just stern with me, I force a smile for Ellie. I still remember the first time she asked if everything was okay at home, reading my silence for what it was, then encouraged me to stay behind with her.
"Hey, Ellie," I say.
"Twenty-three years of marriage," Graham says ruefully. "And you'll still only let Sera call you 'Ellie'." He chuckles. "We love you, sweetheart, and though we're having fun, we're looking forward to seeing you."
"I can't wait," I say, waving again.
I miss her for sure, but my feelings are mixed. Going home now means leaving Luke.
"Try not to do any more work for NeuroDrive," Graham mutters after a long pause.
"I can't promise not to see Luke again, though. With all due respect, this is my personal life."
He adjusts, then readjusts his glasses. "Your… personal life. Seraphina, do I dare ask what you mean by that?"
"You probably shouldn't," I reply.
He takes a bite from his burger, putting his phone on the table and scrolling through it. He's not normally this rude, but recent stressors have affected him. My cell phone buzzes.
Luke: Did you see the announcement?
Sera: You've moved your speech. Why?
Luke: We can't fix the problem in time. It's the proper thing to do… and to be frank, the most tactically sound decision too. We wouldn't win any favors if we keep something like this a secret.
Sera: You're going to tell the truth?
Luke: Yes, Sparkplug, I'm going to go up there and tell the world a total stranger has stolen my heart.
Sera: Ha ha ha. You know what I meant.
Luke: I'm going to do the right thing. When I started this company, I promised I would never cover anything up. I wouldn't hide just because it would make my life easier. Something else happened.
Sera: What?
Luke: I had an employee once. He worked under Steve in the design department. His name was Damien, and he had problems. I'm not sure if he was bipolar or if it was another condition, but toward the end of his employment, he claimed he had come up with more ideas than he had, demanded credit, then demanded shares. He sent the other employees threats, caused arguments when others complained. In the end, we had to terminate him. NDA, severance package, the whole deal. Before he left, he promised he'd get revenge. Hell, I thought it was just his condition speaking for him. I wanted him to get help.
Sera: But?
Luke: Thirty minutes ago, I spotted him spying on a meeting between me and my team.
Sera: WHAT?
Luke: Yep. Lurking outside the room, watching us. God knows what he thinks he's doing.