Chapter Twenty-Five Integration
The elevator doors opened, and Evie looked around curiously as they stepped into a reception area that resembled an art gallery more than an office, all warm light and precise geometry.
Pale wood panels framed the walls, divided by shelves that displayed sculptural greenery and minimalist glass vases.
The far wall shimmered with a textured white surface that caught the light in soft motion, reminding Evie of ocean waves on white sand.
Light filtered down in warm gold from recessed ceiling panels, reflecting off the polished tile floor and highlighting subtle copper accents. The air carried a faint hint of bergamot: a citrusy, bright, and clean scent, oddly energizing.
At the center of the space, a sleek reception desk glowed with soft amber light beneath a copper-toned inlay, polished to a perfect reflection.
A woman about Evie’s age sat behind the terminal, her blonde hair pulled back neatly; the kind of professional who made competence look effortless.
Above her, a geometric pendant lamp cast faint, shifting shadows.
To the left of the desk, a glass wall revealed what Evie assumed was Nissa’s office.
It looked like something lifted from a design magazine.
The walls were a soft mint green overlaid with silver geometric patterns that caught the light from the crystal chandelier shimmering overhead.
A modern mirrored desk sat centred beneath it, reflecting the room’s soft palette in gleaming edges.
A single monitor stood beside a vase of fresh flowers and a minimalist brass pen stand.
The built-in shelving behind her held framed photos, silver vases, small books bound in white and gold, and a few living plants.
The receptionist looked up and smiled as soon as she saw Tommy.
“Mr. Sloane.”
“Lana,” he greeted warmly. “How are you?”
“I’m doing well, sir. And you?”
“Excellent.” He stepped aside, gesturing toward Evie. “Lana, this is Evie Stanley, our new Lead Systems Architect. Evie, meet Lana Wright, Nissa’s executive assistant.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you finally, Miss Stanley.” Lana stood and extended her hand. “Tommy has been practically bouncing with excitement since he announced your start date.”
Now that Tommy had made introductions, Lana dropped the formal tone so naturally that Evie had to grin, immediately liking her.
“Hi.” Evie shook her hand. Lana’s grip was firm and confident, and her expression carried an easy recognition, as if she already thought of Evie as a friend. “Please, call me Evie. Miss Stanley sounds like a character in an Anne of Green Gables novel.”
“Evie.” Lana’s smile widened as she sat back down. “We’ll have to grab a coffee once you’re settled and get to know each other.”
“I’d really like that.” Evie nodded, trying not to sound too eager.
She didn’t have many friends, especially female ones.
Usually, she only made connections when forced into proximity, like with Thorn and Nissa.
If Tommy hadn’t pushed her toward them, she probably would have remained polite but distant.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tommy’s pleased smile and had to restrain the urge to roll her eyes. She had a feeling he’d told Lana about her social incompetence and asked her to try to overlook it.
“Lana, let the others know there will be a meeting at one in the main conference room,” he said as he took Evie’s hand and looped it through his arm, steering her toward the hallway on the right.
Lana nodded, pulling a small microphone toward her as she waved. “Please be advised that there will be a meeting at one in the main conference room.” Her calm, crisp voice carried over what Evie assumed was a division-specific speaker system.
“Mandatory meeting,” Tommy called over his shoulder as they turned the corner. “And call Thorn in.”
“Apologies. There will be a mandatory meeting at one in the main conference room.” This time, Evie could detect a faint hint of exasperation in Lana’s voice and giggled.
“She definitely has to do that every time you ask her to make an announcement.”
“Not every time,” Tommy protested, though the pink creeping into his ears gave him away, and she knew she was right. His brain moved so fast his mouth sometimes struggled to keep up.
They reached the far end of the floor, where Tommy stopped at a frosted glass door. “Are you ready to see your new workspace?” His excitement was palpable, and Evie found herself starting to match it.
“Yes, please.”
He slid the door back into the wall and stepped aside to let her enter first.
She had expected something sleek and sterile; all glass and chrome like the Tower’s design labs.
Instead, the space felt alive. Deep blue walls framed in ivory moulding reflected the soft light streaming through tall windows trimmed with brass.
Beneath them stretched a broad white desk that curved into the corner, its surface gleaming beneath recessed amber lighting that filled the room with a soft, golden glow.
Copper inlays traced the shelving and geometric ceiling panels, echoing the Tower’s Art Deco bones. The air carried the faint, citrusy scent of bergamot from the reception area, giving the space the same oddly energizing feel she’d noticed earlier.
Three curved monitors spanned the desk, their edges trimmed in brushed bronze. Above them, a larger screen rested flush against the wall, sunlight glancing across its surface. When she brushed her hand over the edge of the desk, the system came alive in a ripple of soft blue light.
Evie stepped into the center of the room, her gaze sweeping from the warm orange window shades to the patterned rug underfoot, woven in blue and burnt copper tones. A round white table with four chairs sat to the left, and a large whiteboard dominated the wall behind it.
Tommy grinned, clearly pleased. “Nissa and Lana helped pick the colours. I told them I wanted something that felt like you: logical, but warm and soft.”
Evie smiled faintly, still turning in a slow circle. Every inch of the space fit her in a way that made her chest ache. “It’s…” She hesitated, her voice catching. “It’s perfect.”
Tommy pulled out a chair at the table and waited for her to sit across from him before taking his own seat. “I’m glad you like it.” He gave her a warm smile, then glanced at his watch. “Now, I know you have a lot of questions, but let me explain everything before you start.”
“Sloane Consulting has been my main focus for the last six months. I’ve mostly turned Sloane Tech over to Kara, and Thorn has Sloane Security Services running with an efficiency that makes me wish I’d met him when I first took over as CEO.
” Tommy shook his head, looking equally impressed and surprised.
“He was the head of the Serbian Prime Minister’s protective detail,” Evie reminded him, not appreciating the hint of surprise in his tone. “He spent three years as a child soldier and still managed to graduate high school on time and become one of the most trusted members of the Serbian military.”
Tommy chuckled. “Yes, Thorn is brilliant. I didn’t mean it as an insult. When I hired him to be my bodyguard, I just didn’t imagine I’d end up putting him in charge of an entire division.” He smiled faintly. “Now stop interrupting, I have a lot to go over.”
“Sloane Consulting is a quieter, more secretive branch of Sloane Security Services, but it operates on the same principles.” He paused, his brow furrowing as if he were choosing his following words carefully. “Do you know what grey ops are?”
Evie shook her head, a prickle of unease starting in her stomach. Whatever Tommy was about to explain, she had the distinct feeling it wasn’t going to be as simple as tech consulting.
“Grey ops are the kind of missions that sit between legal and deniable,” Tommy explained. “Officially, they never happened, but everyone knows they did. Think of the CIA’s supposed attempts to take out Castro; no paperwork, no witnesses, just rumours.”
He leaned back slightly, his tone calm and measured.
“On paper, we’re a private risk-management firm specializing in systems, strategy, and containment.
That’s what the documentation says. What we actually do is fix problems that cannot be addressed through official channels.
Everything that happens here stays confidential.
The fewer people who understand what Consulting really is, the longer it survives. ”
“Sloane Consulting doesn’t just handle clients,” he continued. “We run field operations, extractions, intercepts, data recovery, and asset retrieval. Every one of those teams depends on tools we can’t buy, borrow, or leave behind. That’s where you come in.”
Evie frowned slightly, unsure if she’d heard him right.
“You’ll design what we need as we need it: portable biometrics, adaptive encryption, trackers that burn out in thirty seconds, whatever the situation demands. If an operative needs something that doesn’t exist yet, they’ll give you the specs, and you’ll create a design our engineers can produce.”
“Tommy…” She shook her head. “I work with AI. I don’t design hardware or surveillance tech. That’s your job.”
Tommy smiled, undeterred. “And I’ll be here to help you, but I’ve got three companies to run; I can’t be at everyone’s beck and call.
Besides, I know you can do this. Before HELIX, you were doing tech design.
You love science fiction! Do you have any idea how many real inventions came from Star Trek concepts?
Hell, HELIX started because of something you saw in a superhero movie.
Don’t tell me you can’t do this, Evie. We both know you can. ”
Evie stared at him, a little shocked by how much faith he had in her and her abilities.
He had always been her biggest cheerleader, whether it was ballet or show jumping when she was younger, or her forays into computer design in high school and her eventual switch to computer science in university.
But this was different. He was putting lives in her hands.
“You damn well better be at my beck and call.” She reluctantly gave in, knowing it was useless to argue with him. “If someone gets caught or… worse, because of my tech designs, you’re taking the fall.”
“I have complete confidence in you and your abilities.” Tommy grinned triumphantly, and she almost quit on the spot because of how smug he looked. Before she could say anything, he continued. “Which brings us to HELIX.”
“What about HELIX?” Evie immediately straightened at the mention of her project.
“I want to integrate it into the Tower, starting with our apartments and, hopefully, into Sloane Consulting by the end of the year.” He leaned forward, eyes bright with excitement. “It’s already in your apartment. Over the next three months, I want to expand into mine and Thorn’s.”
“Okay, I get why you’d want it in the residential areas; it’s supposed to act as a personal assistant.
” Evie frowned, confused about why he would want it integrated into Sloane Consulting.
Its purpose was more along the lines of giving reminders, anticipating needs and providing the information, but in a more human-like way than regular AI. “Why here?”
“HELIX already understands how we think. You built it that way. It anticipates, adapts, and learns from every interaction. Imagine that kind of intelligence running quietly in the background of Consulting.”
Tommy’s expression grew almost blissful as he spoke, and Evie couldn’t help smiling in amusement.
“It wouldn’t just manage data or logistics,” he said.
“It could coordinate the entire division in real time. Field operatives wouldn’t have to wait for reports or clearance.
HELIX could update them mid-operation, adjust routes, monitor vital signs, and cross-reference live intel faster than any human.
It could be a partner, not a program, something that keeps us connected, efficient, and one step ahead of everyone else. ”
Evie shook her head, overwhelmed by the scope of his vision. “Wow, Tommy. I don’t know what to say.”
“Nothing right now.” He glanced at his watch. “We have a meeting to get to, so we’ll pick this up later. Just think about it before you decide.”