2. Chapter TwoChristian
Chapter Two
Christian
I n a life I was trying to forget, I told a girl that her entire personality blew my mind. And even though I wasn’t asked to elaborate, I mentioned persistence as being one of my favorite characteristics.
I didn’t know what it was like to be on the receiving end of this attention. I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I had known that Aurora couldn’t take a hint. She was insistent as they came; she wore me down with the constant calls and requests to meet.
Yes, it was true that everyone in our family thought we were going to get married. The marriage would have benefitted both families, but it still didn’t explain why she wanted to be with me. She broke up with me in the first place, not like it was the first time, but I didn’t want to make up with her this time.
I was done being thrown around like a yoyo.
If only I knew a way to communicate this information to her, in a way that she would get it because it was apparent that she didn’t understand a single word that came out of my mouth.
The doorbell rang. I raised my head to find Fiona coming into the room with a smile. I offered one back to her, all thoughts of Aurora and her persistence moving to the back of my head to focus on Fiona.
I thought it was amazing how I, the CEO of one the leading tech companies in the country, seemed to be taken in by Fiona. Our relationship was easy, and I’d attribute it to the years we spent together as children.
She used to be my younger sister’s best friend and nothing else. The five-year difference in our age was glaring as kids, and I made sure I brought it up at every given opportunity. But these days, I only thought about how much she has grown as a woman.
Allison should have warned me about how hot her best friend had become through the years.
“Good morning, Mr. Carr.” She saluted, her eyes smiling brightly against the morose background of dawn.
“Good morning,” I responded, and she walked in, her steps coordinated like a model’s.
I liked the finesse that could always be spotted in the way she did things, and now, thinking of it, she had been like that since we were kids. Her box of toys had been very intact, while Allison had made a mess of her own. Even her books had been so neat, you would have hardly spotted a wrinkle.
So yeah, Fiona Reece was still the same. Nothing had changed in her save for the body.
“I hope you had a good night’s rest.” She said when she was in front of me.
“Ah, not really.” I sat on the nearby sofa. “Take a seat, please.”
“Are you okay?” She grimaced, taking her seat next to me.
It would be easy to answer her question, but I wanted to stick to the work relationship we had between us. “Yes, I’m alright. What do I have planned today?”
Fiona swiftly pulled out her iPad as if she had been anticipating the question. “A meeting at two pm, and the email from the German company regarding the possible testing of a new drug using the AI we developed is still pending.”
I nodded; it had completely skipped my memory. “What else?”
“Mr. Yoon is launching his book on the benefits of AI to society. You’re an esteemed invited guest.”
“I’ll not be able to attend. Send an email to the organizer, some flowers, and a congratulatory card to Mr. Yoon.”
“Noted.” She tapped on her iPad. “You also have a game of golf. It’s Tuesday.”
And Tuesdays really were the bane of my existence. It wasn’t one of the meetings I could afford to miss; the people I met at these golf games liked to do the long dance before they decided if they wanted to throw their support behind you. I also needed their support, especially if the AI managed to reach a peak state where it could diagnose a patient and tailor the drugs to meet their specific problems.
“You have a business meeting with K and Q Enterprise at three.”
“I’ll speak to them on the phone.”
She nodded again. “I’ll remind you again in five minutes.”
“Anything else?”
Fiona shook her head and clicked the iPad shut. “That would be all.”
Before I could get another word out, she offered me a smile. “I’ll wait in the car.”
***
The members of the golf club were my father’s contemporaries, and apparently, they were the kind of men who wanted you to listen to them first.
That actually was not a difficult thing to do, but you’d ultimately never be allowed to speak. However, sometimes the situation was different; when they wanted you to speak, you should.
“So, how’s the new product launch going?” asked the chairman of brAIN, Jude Bullock, a big, animated man. His small, beady eyes were fixed on the golf ball as he took a swing.
“It’s going well,” I responded. “We hope to make good progress with Susan by the end of the year. So far, she’s able to tell the pills apart by shape, but we hope to go further than that. And Susan is quite sufficient, being a self-learning AI and all.”
Jude nodded his head and turned to look at me. “Did you see that shot?”
“Yes, I did.”
“It was a fantastic shot. I’ve been getting a lot of practice. You should tell your father to join us someday. Just because he’s retired doesn’t mean he should stop showing up. But I suppose that’s what it means to have a great son. Kennedy is doing fairly well, although he’s still learning. He’s not as smart as you, you know.”
I smiled meekly even though I wanted nothing more than to take a swing at his head with my club. Instead, I took his spot and positioned myself to take a swing. The ball went far, and we made our way in search of it.
“I’m afraid I’m not that smart, sir.”
We would be doing a lot of beating around the bush today. I looked over to Fiona, who was closely behind us and watching the game with rapid interest. I’ve never found golf interesting, and I don’t see how she could either.
“I see you’ve got a new one.” He cocked his head.
I shrugged. It was safe to say I didn’t have the greatest reputation regarding secretaries. I went through them quicker than I can comprehend. They seemed to forget they were hired to do a job and tried to flirt with me.
I have a tolerance limit. So far, Fiona was the only one I’ve had who took her job seriously. It puts me at ease.
“She looks young.” Mr. Bullocks said. “Where’s she from?”
“She’s actually from here.”
“Oh, really. That’s decent.”
I didn’t bother commenting on it, returning the attention to the conversation we should be having. But Jude Bullock had a better idea. He stopped and turned to Fiona.
“Can you get me a bottle of water?”
“Right away,” Fiona said, sparing me a look before turning and walking away. The skater skirt she had on swayed as she moved.
“She has nice hips.”
I stood frozen because that was the last direction I expected the conversation to take, especially since this was a married man with children Fiona’s age. “What?”
He didn’t get the chance to reply because Fiona came back bearing water and a smile.
When he received the bottle from her, he said, “Thank you. You are sweet,” maintaining eye contact like a creep.
I hated that I couldn’t punch him without incurring my father’s wrath. I might have to start looking for new investors.
“Thanks for the compliment.” Fiona smiled, but there were way too many teeth for it to be sincere. It looked like she was threatening the man, but he took no notice of it.
“About Susan,” I said immediately, pulling his attention back to me before he said something that would make Fiona punch him.
It was crazy how, at that moment, I thought that if it were to happen, even though I would be expected to fire Fiona, I’d rather get a new business partner.