Chapter 9 #2
“What?” she asked defensively, worried she’d offended him. “It’s just what Kayn says when I tell him the same thing.”
Rafe gave a soft grunt and strode toward another elevator.
“You aren’t going to tell me?” Ahri hurried after him.
“I guess you can say all the Beta Boys have the same problem.” He pushed the elevator button.
“The Beta Boys.” She laughed, remembering the name of their original company.
“Now they call us the Billionaire Boys,” Rafe said in a disgusted tone. “I liked the old name better.”
The elevator opened to a very pregnant woman.
“Perfect timing.” She stepped out. “Orianna has a list of applicants for you to review.”
“Anyone look good?” He stepped into the elevator.
“A couple.”
“I’ll leave you in Cass’s capable hands. See y’all later.”
The door closed, and the woman turned to Ahri. “Welcome to REKD Gaming.” She indicated a corridor to the right. “I’ll give you a Cook’s tour before we go back to our area. I’m Cass, by the way.”
“Were your parents fans of that 1960s singer?” Ahri asked.
“I’m surprised you’ve heard of Mama Cass, but no. My name’s actually Cassiopeia,” she said. “My parents had a thing for mythology. I will not be naming this little girl after anyone from Greek legends.”
Cass stopped in front of a large overhead photo of the complex.
“The building is designed a little like a wheel but missing the outer rim. Each wing has the private quarters of one of the owners, but they also hold the offices for the main departments—Programming, Art, Music, and Storyline. Everything blends into the center here.”
“I don’t know how they keep track of everything,” Ahri said.
“It helps that Rafe is brilliant at this stuff.”
“And that’s not intimidating at all.” Ahri blew out a breath. She was good at what she did, but no one had ever called her brilliant. What if she messed up and it looked bad on the company?
“Don’t worry.” Cass shot her a knowing glance. “He’s patient with us mere mortals, and you only have to worry about Rafe. The other guys have their own support staff.”
“That’s something, I guess.”
“But Rafe also carries the biggest burden because he’s the CEO. The other guys only have to worry about their departments.”
“How are you doing all this alone?” Ahri asked.
“Olaf was the king of organization and worked long hours before he left to set everything up for us. We have a good automation program which helps with the routine stuff. This way.”
Ahri followed her into a small cafeteria with tables and chairs in the center. Computer desks with large monitors lined the outside walls. A few had people playing REKD.
“Each floor has a couple of PC cafés,” Cass said. “Have you played REKD yet?”
Ahri almost mentioned that she’d played the game since its earliest version but bit back the comment. Cass had given no hint that she knew Ahri’s true identity.
“Yes, I play often.”
“Good because it’s a requirement for employment. Understanding the game is important to every job here.”
“That’s an interesting approach, but I guess I can see that,” Ahri said. “How many people work here?”
“Over a thousand in this location, and there are nearly fifteen hundred worldwide. That’s changing, as we open new offices.”
“Worldwide?” Ahri felt a twinge of guilt that she didn’t already know this about her brother’s business.
“We’re a global company, with fourteen offices. A new one will be opening this fall in London. They’ve recruited people for this office from all over the country.”
“You don’t have a Southern accent. Where do you come from?” Ahri asked.
“All over since I was an Army brat, but I came with my husband. He’s one of the musicians and works with Ezreal.”
“I don’t think Ez likes me.” Except for that one sympathetic look, he’d barely acknowledged her, even though he’d been over to Francie’s for dinner three times in the last two weeks.
“You’ve met him already? Don’t worry about him; he’s a sweetheart. That’s just Ezreal’s way. He’s really shy and stutters when he’s nervous.” Cass shot Ahri a sidelong glance. “He’s especially that way around women he doesn’t know. I think he was bullied as a child.”
“Kids can be so mean.”
“That’s probably why he was eventually home schooled.” Cass pointed to some plaques on the wall. “One thing that you’ll be handling are the charities. The company works with several, but each of the guys has their own endowment set up, and it’s Rafe’s staff that coordinates and oversees them all.”
Kayn had mentioned something about it once. She’d been glad that her brother wasn’t blowing all his money on stupid things but was using it to help people—and quietly too. Few people knew how much money he’d donated to charity.
“Something I feel bad about leaving to you is the Midsummer’s Eve Event,” Cass said.
“I’m guessing it’s on Midsummer’s Eve.” Ahri grinned
“Smart girl. Yes. It’s a big cosplay event here at the complex. We’ve invited the North American pro teams to attend, and there’s going to be a banquet that night to honor our biggest fans who’ve helped to spread the word about the game.”
“It sounds like a lot of fun.” Ahri took a deep breath. “And a lot of work.”
“Right on both accounts. Depending upon when this little lady makes her appearance, I may or may not be able to attend, but I don’t live far away. You can always reach me by phone.”
“That’s a relief.” Ahri hoped she hadn’t gotten in over her head.
“Anyway, back to the tour. You’ll notice a room on each floor that’s filled with computers like here in the cafeteria.
Three evenings a week you can come in for noob training.
There are coaches to help you get better at the game.
As I said before, deep understanding of the game really does impact business decisions. ”
“Okay.” All this was way deeper than anything Ahri had ever considered. “I won’t need newbie-level help.” Her brother had already taught her more than any coach could, she was sure.
“Good. You’ll fit right in.” Cass shot her an approving glance. “Let’s move on.”
While a little overwhelmed, Ahri found herself excited by the energy of the place. She thought she’d like working here.
“Well, boss,” Cass said as she slipped into a seat across from the conference table when everyone else in the meeting had left. “I think you’ve got a good one there.”
“Glad to hear it.” Rafe leaned back in his chair, curious to hear what his assistant thought of Ahri.
He fought a twinge of guilt at keeping her identity from Cass because she’d proven herself discreet while working with him.
Bill had been emphatic, though. No one besides the guys, the security staff, and Orianna could know Ahri’s true identity.
“At first she did look a little intimidated by the size of the organization, but as I introduced her to some key staff, she seemed to get acclimated.” Cass gave a soft laugh.
“There’s no guarantee she won’t go home tonight and decide this isn’t for her, but I doubt it.
You can tell your mother that hers was a good recommendation.
I feel confident leaving my responsibilities to Ahri while I’m gone. ”
“I’ll pass it on. You might want to tell her yourself. I think it’d be good for her to hear.” Rafe chose his words carefully. “I can’t share details, but I know from good sources that she’s been through a tough time.”
“Then this is the perfect place for her.”
“What makes you say that?” Rafe was curious about Cass’s input. She’d been there since they’d moved to Boone, coming to work for him after she’d been in another department a few months.
“Because this place has such positive energy. I’ve never worked anywhere that I’ve loved this much.
How can you beat a place where the employees bring this much enthusiasm to the job?
I wasn’t a gamer when I started, but I’m hooked now.
” Cass grinned. “My husband says that’s strengthened our marriage. ”
“Having shared interests is a good thing.” Rafe thought about his stepsister, Samantha, Alex’s daughter from his first marriage.
Sam had married Rafe’s roommate. They were such fans of the Magical Realm books that they’d exchanged their vows at the theme park.
He powered off his tablet. “I can’t imagine marrying somebody who didn’t also love this.
I’ve known too many people who didn’t have enough to keep them together. ”
Cass’s expression turned reflective. “My mother hated basketball and didn’t think my father’s obsession with it would be a big deal. That was until basketball season came along, and she became one of those sports widows.”
“But I thought you mentioned them celebrating their thirtieth wedding anniversary last month.”
“They did. If they had split, I wouldn’t have been born. By the end of the basketball season, my mother was ready to leave him. She called home to make sure they’d take her. Grandma told her she could come back, or she could learn to love what he loved.”
“Really?” For just a second, Rafe wondered if having common interests would have helped his mother and father’s relationship but cast the idea aside. His father’s problems had gone far deeper than that.
“Yes. Mom spent the summer reminding herself of why she loved Dad. During her free time, she learned everything she could about basketball. When the next season came around, she was right there beside him on the couch. She got him season tickets for Christmas.”
“That’s really nice, but it sounds a little one-sided,” Rafe said.
“My father was so excited that she’d been willing to do that for him that he got her season tickets to the symphony.
She admitted to me that she still doesn’t love basketball, but she loves sharing time with my father.
He could take or leave the symphony, but he enjoys the time with her.
” Cass shrugged. “She said it’s all about give and take. ”
“Smart woman. I’ll have to keep that in mind if I ever find someone I want to spend my life with.” An image of Ahri flitted across his mind, and he pushed it aside. It was much too early for that. He rose, and Cass did too.
“I’m glad to hear you say that. You need a life outside of REKD, Rafe. You never hear of people on their deathbeds wishing they’d spent more time in the office.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve gotten that quote before.
” Rafe turned off the light and pushed back the flush of irritation.
He was getting sick and tired of people always telling him that.
He and the guys had created something amazing here that engaged millions of people around the world.
They had pro players who spent hours, just like Olympic athletes, practicing and honing their skills, who made careers playing his video game. That was a huge life accomplishment.
“But is it enough?” Cass asked, almost as though she could read his mind. She turned and left without another word.