27. Astrid
twenty-seven
Astrid
A Few Days Later
A nother long day of difficult, entitled clients has me reconsidering my profession.
For the millionth time.
I mean, is it me or are people super assholey these days? My entire day was spent listening to a pharmaceutical multimillionaire client and his enlightened-my-ass wife talk about vibes and cleansing spells. They expected me to have memorized every single chemical used in the finishes of all five new-construction homes I walked them through.
Oh, I remembered each and every stat. Peter Vander, Seattle’s award-winning green architect built them so I had the specs. But, seriously? The woman was drinking vodka in her forty-ounce, personalized Stanley Quencher H2.0 Flowstate Tumbler and, by the end of the day, could barely stand. Give me a fucking break.
I’m looking forward to being home with Brennan. He signed his contracts today and our plan is to celebrate by playing pool at The Zoo and eating shitty, fried food.
Except, the moment I walk through the front door of my houseboat, I can tell immediately something’s off.
Way, way off.
Brennan sits on the couch, staring at his phone. His shoulders are slumped and there’s a heaviness surrounding him. Tears well up in my eyes because I can tell he’s hurting. Normally, if he’s not working, he’ll greet me with an enthusiastic kiss. Or, at least a lopsided smile. Tonight, he barely looks up. My stomach falls to the floor. I hope his brother hasn’t relapsed or something.
Slipping off my shoes, I place my purse and keys on the counter. “Hey.” I walk over to him and run my fingers gently through his messy hair. “Rough day?”
“Yeah.” He glances up. There’s a combination of frustration and defeat in his eyes. “You could say that.”
I sit next to him. Close enough so our legs are touching and he leans into me, like he’s trying to find some comfort. “What’s going on?”
“Well.” He takes a deep breath and looks down at his clasped hands. “Apparently, the board found out about Reuniverse. I guess word travels fast. Somehow, they found out about our meeting with Jason Deveraux and claim Reuniverse is a CognifyAI asset.”
“ What ?“ I can’t keep the shock out of my voice. “It was a last-minute dinner. How did they even find out? More importantly, why do they care?”
He shakes his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t fucking know. Their position is, because I’m the CEO of CognifyAI, anything I develop—even outside of the company—is the company’s intellectual property. As such, they want me to sign over Reuniverse.”
Holy fuck. I feel a flash of anger on Brennan’s behalf, but on mine too. Reuniverse is our company. It’s not a side project; it’s something we’ve poured our hearts into. It never occurred to me CognifyAI could swoop in and take it. I feel a knot of frustration tightening in my chest.
“How ridiculous,” I spit out. “We built this on our own. It’s not like you used any of CognifyAI’s resources. They can’t take it.”
“They can try.” Brennan shakes his head. “They’re saying my brain is one of CognifyAI’s resources. Also, because I have a fiduciary duty to CognifyAI they’re citing a clause in my current contract they claim forces me to transfer Reuniverse to CognifyAI’s control. They say if I don’t play ball, they’ll sue me. If they follow through on their threat, it’ll tie up everything for years. And, make it impossible for Jason’s group to invest in Reuniverse.”
“So, you’re damned if you do damned if you don’t?” I lean back, trying to wrap my head around what he’s saying.
He snorts out, “Essentially, yes.”
“Wait. Maybe we should call Jason. His team seemed to be quite serious. They want this to happen.” I think back to our discussion at dinner.
“I know.” Brennan sighs. “Jason’s kicking himself for not investing in CognifyAI when he had the chance and seemed to be practically foaming at the mouth to get a piece of Reuniverse. I’m realistic, though. If this turns into a legal battle, he’s not going to touch it. No one wants to buy into a lawsuit of this magnitude.”
I can see the devastation on Brennan’s face and I hate it. I take his hand and squeeze it gently. “There has to be a way around this. Your lawyer is great. Let’s try to calm down a bit. We can’t let the stupid, greedy board steamroll over you.”
“They seem to think they have the upper hand.” Brennan lets out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “By the tone of the meeting we had today, they’re playing hardball. They’ve torn up the agreement we were supposed to sign and are making new demands. All because they want me to assign Reuniverse to them.”
“No way. They’re tying Reuniverse to your new contract?” I ask, incredulous. “As in, you don’t get to stay on as CEO unless you give them our company?”
“Pretty much.” Brennan’s jaw tightens. “We went round and round on it for six solid hours today. No compromises. They’re calling it a ‘best and final offer,’ but it feels like blackmail. If I agree, I’m locked in for five years. Golden handcuffs. They own Reuniverse. And now they want me to warrant I won’t work on anything AI-related outside of CognifyAI for a decade.”
I can’t help my frustration bubbling up to a boiling level, but I need to keep calm for Brennan’s sake. “They can’t force anything. Reuniverse is half mine and I don’t have to sign over my ownership interest.”
“Maybe, but litigation is expensive and you’ve worked your ass off for every penny you have. ” Brennan sounds so defeated. “The last thing I’d ever do is allow you to spend your own money to defend yourself against something that isn’t your fault.”
His concern touches me, but we’re getting married—formal proposal or not—so this is a team effort. “We’re together on this, B. It’s not up to you to ‘allow’ me to do anything.”
“Okay, fair point, but they don’t even know about you yet. At least, I don’t think they do. Right now, they have me backed into a corner. At the end of the day, maybe this is their way of pushing me out while trying to control me. I went into the meeting this morning feeling great. Now, it’s all falling apart.”
I can’t stand seeing him like this. “Brennan, listen to me.” I turn to face him fully. “You’re Brennan fucking McGloughlin. You built CognifyAI from nothing and now you’ve built Reuniverse, too. You can handle them. We can figure out a way around this.”
For a moment, he doesn’t respond. He stares at me, thinking. I can see the conflict in his eyes. I try to communicate telepathically. Let him know I’ll back him, no matter what.
“At this point, I don’t give a fuck about CognifyAI. On the other hand, I can’t lose Reuniverse. It’s the first thing I’ve felt excited about in years. It’s what I’m good at. Working on it with you brings me such joy. It reminds me of when I started CognifyAI, before all the board politics and legal battles.” He grips my hand tightly.
“We’re not going to lose it,” I state firmly. “Let’s set up a meeting and figure it out.”
Brennan takes a deep breath and his shoulders relax a bit. “God, I love how feisty you are. So sure of yourself.”
“I believe in you.” I reach out and cup his face. “And I know how much Reuniverse means to you. To us . This isn’t over.”
His eyes soften. I see a hint of a smile. “Thank you,” he murmurs, leaning in to kiss me. “I’m glad we’re in this together.”
“Yeah. Don’t forget, you’re not alone anymore.” I kiss him back, letting my lips linger on his. Hoping he can feel how much I mean it.
He wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer. For a moment, it feels like we’re the only two people in the world who are facing a common challenge together. As a couple. How we manage this will be a testament to a life we’re still trying to build.
A fleeting thought takes root. What if he’s able to leave CognifyAI behind and I wrap up my real estate career. We keep Reuniverse and grow it. With his creative genius and my focused drive, together we might be unstoppable.
Whoa. Why haven’t I thought of this sooner?
“I’m so sorry, A. I should’ve seen this coming.” Brennan strokes my hair softly. “I was so focused on my problems with CognifyAI, I never fathomed they’d come after Reuniverse.”
“Let’s call Jason tomorrow. See if he’s willing to back us.” I pull away slightly to look at him.
He quirks a brow. “Sure, but I promise you. He’s not going to get into a legal battle with CognifyAI. His team doesn’t make investments lightly. They like clean companies with maximum potential. The man is basically retired, for God’s sake. All this shit will scare him the fuck away.”
“With all due respect, I deal with these guys every day in my own line of work. Most of them are blowhards who have never been challenged because they puff out their entitled chests and get away with being dicks. We’re going to find a way to make Reuniverse untouchable. There has to be a loophole or something you can use to protect it.” I grip his shoulder and hope my words are encouraging.
His soulful eyes widen with surprise at my tone. “Okay, boss lady. I like seeing this side of you. I’m talking to my lawyer tomorrow. Tonight, his team is digging through all the original contracts and subsequent amendments to find a solution. I’m not inclined to be optimistic because the board has smart lawyers too.”
“They don’t have me.” I feel my body well up with confidence. “We’re not going to let them take this from you. Not without a huge motherfucking—but strategic—fight.”
Brennan laughs. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”
“When you made me your business partner two years ago, you gave me something to believe in.” I run my fingers through his hair. “Now we’re life partners too, so let’s make sure we don’t let anyone steal what’s ours.”
Something inside me has clicked into place.
I’ve spent my whole life trying to prove myself. Even when I didn’t know who I was proving it to. Maybe I’ve built up resilience—the need to push back harder every time I’m knocked down because of it.
Because, for me, it’s not about showing off. Or winning. It’s about survival. Brennan might be wired to focus, but I’m wired to make sure whenever the world says no, I find a way to make it say yes.
I think it’s why Brennan and I work. He’s the one with big, wild ideas and the ability to create magic. I’m the one who doesn’t back down until things happen. When I want something, I don’t hope for it—I hunt it down and force it to bend to my will. Hell, it’s how Brennan and I even met back up in the first place.
It’s how I got to where I am. How I’m going to get us through this.
Maybe it’s ruthless. Maybe it’s necessary.
Either way, together we’re formidable.