36. Iris
Chapter thirty-six
Iris
I text Faith that I’m so impressed with the library she created at her school. She came up with the idea, asked for help, and saw it through to the end. Jazmine was right about asking for help and not doing it alone. I look up to see Liam waiting for me at the Central Park reservoir. I’d grabbed my workout gear from the office and asked him to meet me for a run.
“Shooting Stars is looking for cybersecurity employees,” he says. “I asked my friend.”
“Raphael was offered the CISO job there,” I say. “Should we start?”
The water is dark blue-gray, and the sky is completely overcast, obscuring the setting sun.
“You need to stretch first,” he says.
“Are you sure you’re younger than me?” I ask.
“I’m younger but wiser. I watch you make mistakes and learn from them,” he says. “Like when you pulled your groin muscle and then moaned about it for months.”
“Thanks a lot. Do you think giving up the Dream CISO job is a mistake?” I ask. “And that groin injury was really painful.”
“Not necessarily,” he says. “But you have to be happy with whatever you choose.”
I stretch my leg out, using the green bench for its height, as Liam reaches to the sky with his hands. Little sparrows hop near my feet, searching the ground for crumbs. They flutter away.
The plaque on my bench reads His Path .
What is my path?
Isn’t this my dream—to be the CISO of an entertainment company? I’d resolved not to be with a guy who can’t support my dream.
I should be happier, then.
Liam gestures with his head. We jog north on the brown dirt path, side by side. Liam is matching his stride to mine. I’m definitely in worse shape than I used to be. We started jogging together in high school because my dad didn’t want me out at night alone. Liam was scrawny back then but still tall. He’s a good partner because he’s quiet, allowing me time with my thoughts. I wipe my runny nose with my sleeve. It’s cold, but I’m warming up now. I let my hood fall back.
Through the bare trees, the buildings of Central Park are visible to the west. Patches of green grass under crumpled brown leaves line either side of the path. Farther uphill on the east side is the reservoir, with its one-way running path.
Down here, the path is wide, with plenty of space for people to walk or run in either direction.
Do I think Sebastian is the one? And if he is, isn’t that worth giving up this job? It’s just a title, in the end. Maybe Jazmine is right—that it’s an easy decision. If I got this CISO title at such a young age, I can do it again. But I won’t find another Sebastian.
Sebastian sitting in my room, totally supporting me.
Sebastian coming out to Dyker Heights.
The ergonomic mouse.
“My loyalty is to you.”
Liam glances at me. “We need to do this more often. You’re getting slow in your old age.”
“Old age.” I harrumph. But I pick up my pace.
We turn the wide corner to a view of both the lit-up brown, beige, and white buildings of the East Side and the gray metal skyscrapers in midtown lining the southern view. The clouds cover the tops, only the blinking red warning lights on top visible. They’re so tall, reaching for the sky.
But would I want to live in one?
No. I definitely prefer my Lower East Side neighborhood, where everyone looks out for each other. Or the community on the Upper West Side Lily cultivated with the garden and the library.
Liam and I haven’t been running lately because I’m always working.
This is the time for me to advance my career, but I also don’t want to spend my thirties in an office staring at a screen.
We jog down the east side of the track, passing the Guggenheim, its fa?ade one of the most recognizable landmarks in all of Manhattan. Not long now to go. I’m definitely breathing heavier than Liam, but I just have to put in that last push.
My sneakers crunch on the gravel. We pass a couple walking hand in hand and someone with AirPods talking out loud on a call.
We turn again. All I can hear is my harsh breathing and my feet hitting the dirt on this narrow path on the south end, hemmed in even more by parked police cars. A police station is somewhere around here. And finally, we’re back where we started. We walk it off.
“Did you decide what to do?” Liam asks.
“I’m going to call Raphael and see if he needs a Deputy CISO at Shooting Stars,” I say.
“For what it’s worth, I think that’s the right call. I like Sebastian,” Liam says. “And they escorted you out, Iris. They shouldn’t get the benefit of your expertise. They sound like a bunch of idiots. And now they’re setting rules about who you can date. Just no . Let them promote that Hank guy. And then we should hack into their systems and—”
“We work for good, not for evil,” I say, resting my hand on his arm.
“It’s still a fun fantasy.”
I perch on the green metal bench—the His Path bench—and text Raphael.
“You need to stretch again,” Liam says.
I dutifully get up and do so.
Raphael calls me back, incredibly enthusiastic. “I just called Shooting Stars, and you can interview right now. They’re going to be there late tonight. Where are you? Their offices are right by Columbia University.”
“I’m sweaty and in workout clothes,” I say. “But I’m at the reservoir, and Liam lives by Columbia.”
“You can shower at my place and then go,” Liam says.
“I don’t have clothes.”
“You can borrow my girlfriend’s clothes. They should fit.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in an hour,” I tell Raphael.
I stare at Liam. “You have a girlfriend?” I punch him playfully. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
“It’s early yet. And introducing her to the three of you is not for the faint of heart.”
“All the more reason to introduce her. She shouldn’t be faint of heart. You’re the best brother ever.”
“I’m also your only brother,” he says.
T he windows of the Shooting Stars offices overlook 110 th Street. The H-Mart sign and the green subway globes glow across the street in the dark.
“The ISP seems to have contained it for now,” Pearl says, running her hand through her curly hair. Shooting Stars was in the middle of a denial-of-service attack when I arrived, so they interviewed me about what steps I would take, using the real-life scenarios, relaying them via Pearl, the junior member of the two-person team.
“You want to make sure you continue to monitor your other network assets,” I say. “Sometime hackers use distributed denial of service attacks from multiple hosts to deflect attention from their intended target. Make sure you look out for other anomalies or indicators of compromise.”
“I will,” she says.
She’s very earnest and clearly talented, if swamped, at this under-resourced information security department.
The CEO smiles at me from across the conference room table. I’m never good with guessing age, but I looked up her bio on my way over here. She’s in her early fifties, attractive, and well-dressed in a crisp cream suit.
“It’s lucky you came when you did,” Christy says. “This wasn’t the interview I planned, but you definitely passed the test with flying colors. Thank you for helping us out. I’m glad Raphael recommended you come in.”
She leans forward. “As you can see, we desperately need to hire more people. I guess I was hoping we were flying under the radar and wouldn’t be subject to attacks like the bigger companies, but we’re a good target because we’re so vulnerable. Pearl keeps giving me vulnerability reports.”
“Those aren’t just to scare you. They also help us react faster,” Pearl says.
“I hope you will consider joining us as Deputy CISO,” she says. “The job is yours if you want it. Given that you were just appointed CISO at Dream, maybe you don’t want to be a Deputy CISO.”
A phone beeps, and Christy checks her phone.
“And it looks like I might be able to fill another spot on our executive team,” she says. “I love it when a plan comes together.” She shakes my head. “Anyway, the job is yours. I’ll have HR send you the written terms, and you can decide.”
“Thank you so much,” I say.
“I thought Dream was doing well, but it seems a lot of employees are leaving. We’re certainly getting a lot of inquiries,” she says.
“My understanding is the situation is good again, but there was a concern that L’Etoile was going to close the company down,” I say.
“I presume you’ve met Sebastian Davies in Legal? What do you think of him as a lawyer?”
“Is Sebastian applying for a job?” I ask. My heart does a little flip. He’s also trying to stay together.
“Yes,” she says. “I expected him to apply sooner, after I talked to his father.”
“His father?”
“His father recommended him. I know his father from back when I worked at my last film company, so I thought he might know some good lawyers I could entice over.”
“Sebastian is a smart lawyer.” I give an example of Sebastian’s analysis when we were dealing with an intrusion a month ago. “But we’re also dating, so I’m not impartial either.”
“And you both don’t want to stay at Dream and work together?” she asks.
“The company prohibits our dating,” I say.
She nods. Her phone beeps, and she checks it.
“I have to go, but it was a pleasure meeting you.” She leaves the room, saying thank you to Pearl and asking her to call with any updates.
She nodded . Would this company prohibit our relationship too? Probably, right? I need to talk to Sebastian.
He’s willing to quit and find another job!
We might succeed.
My whole body feels so much lighter.
Pearl offers to see me to the elevator. I pick up my coat and bag and find my way out of the building. It’s dark outside, but the shops are lit up on Broadway. College students congregate outside a bar, deciding whether to go in, while two figures in hooded coats with large backpacks scurry by.
I was too quick to dismiss Sebastian’s plea that there had to be a third way. Maybe Patrick was right, that I am too quick to put my career first. But to see Sebastian become bitter—like Patrick did… I definitely didn’t want that. But Sebastian isn’t Patrick.
This is the perfect solution. I already know Raphael and I work well together, and it gives me more of the work-life balance I want. And hopefully Sebastian will take me back. And he doesn’t have to quit his job at Dream, but I am so grateful he also looked for another job.
I need to see him in person.