Chapter 40
Chapter 40:
Elias was in a board meeting. His secretary entered, carrying a tray.
“Your coffee, sir,” she whispered, placing a cup down.
“Take it away,” Elias ordered. “Bring me Matcha p>
The room went silent. The executives looked at each other. Elias Thorne hated tea. He famously called it “dirty leaf water p>
“Sir?” The secretary was confused. “You… hate tea p>
“Bring me Matcha,” Elias repeated. “I need to understand the taste p>
Julian hid a smile behind a file folder. He knew why. Aurora drank Matcha. Elias was trying to calibrate his senses to hers.
When the green sludge arrived, Elias took a sip. He grimaced.
It tasted like grass and seaweed.
He drank it anyway.
Scene Shift: Sterling’s Office.
Sterling was pacing. His right hand was in a splint, wrapped in blue bandages. He was popping painkillers like candy.
“Look at this!” He screamed, pointing at a screen with his good hand.
Pulse Interactive’s stock chart (private valuation) was vertical.
“Where did they get five million dollars?” Sterling raged, his voice cracking. “I blocked them! I told every bank in the city to blacklist them! Who has pockets that deep p>
Isabella, sitting on the sofa filing her nails, shrugged. “Maybe they have a mole? Someone inside your company helping them p>
Sterling stopped pacing. His eyes widened.
“A mole p>
G3t th3 r34l st0r¥ @ g4ln0v3ls.c0m
He thought back to the coffee shop. He thought back to the broken finger. He thought back to the divorce.
“It’s her,” Sterling whispered. “Aurora p>
“The ninja girl?” Isabella asked.
“She stole my secrets,” Sterling concluded, his delusion taking root. “She’s a spy. She must have been trained by corporate espionage agents. That’s why she knows martial arts. That’s why she knows my business moves p>
It was logically impossible. She had left years ago. But Sterling needed a villain. He couldn’t accept that he was incompetent.
“I’m going to sue her,” Sterling decided, a manic grin spreading across his face. “Corporate Espionage. Theft of Intellectual Property. I’ll bury her in lawsuits p>
Back at the Penthouse, night had fallen.
Aurora sat on the floor of the empty living room. She had set up her chessboard.
She was playing against herself. She picked up the Black Queen.
“Check,” she whispered to the empty room.
Her phone rang. It was Victor.
“We’re live,” Victor shouted over the noise of the office in the background. “Beta launch is live p>
“Numbers?” Aurora asked.