Chapter 16
No.1
The black Maybach glided to a silent stop in front of the Core Club in Midtown Manhattan.
The doorman, wearing a crisp uniform, immediately stepped forward and pulled the heavy car door open.
Elisa stepped out onto the pavement. She wore the black Tom Ford suit. The sharp tailoring accentuated her posture. She wore the jacket draped over her shoulders to conceal the bandage on her right arm. Her black stilettos clicked against the concrete with lethal precision.
She walked past the security desk without a glance,her aura so commanding the guards simply nodded.
She took the private elevator to the top floor.
The doors opened into a sprawling, dimly lit private suite. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the glittering city skyline.
Alastair Cromwell stood by the glass. He was the CEO of Aethel Intelligence, a man who controlled billions in tech capital.
No.2
He turned around. When he saw Elisa, his eyes widened in genuine shock. He was used to the quiet, unassuming girl from the MIT labs. The woman standing before him looked like a corporate assassin.
Alastair crossed the room and pulled her into a tight,respectful hug.
"Faye," Alastair breathed. "You look...lethal."
"I feel lethal," Elisa said smoothly, stepping back.
They sat at a sleek glass table. Alastair poured two glasses of sparkling water. He noticed the stiff way she held her right arm, but he knew better than to ask.
Elisa didn't waste time with small talk. She reached into her leather bag with her left hand and pulled out the military-grade solid-state drive.
She slid it across the glass table. It stopped inches from Alastair's hand.
No.3
Alastair stared at the metal casing. His breathing hitched. This was the holy grail. The missing architecture that had stalled Aethel's valuation for three years.
Elisa pulled out a slim tablet, connected the drive,and typed in her thirty-six-character dynamic passcode.
The center of the glass table lit up. A massive,complex three-dimensional holographic logic tree projected into the air, glowing with a soft blue light.
It was Project Chiron. The most advanced medical diagnostic Al in the world.
"The current architecture your team is using has three fatal flaws in the neural pathway," Elisa said,her voice rapid and clinical. She pointed to three red nodes pulsing in the hologram. "If you run a
nationwide diagnostic sweep, the system will crash under the data load."
Alastair stared at the hologram, mesmerized. "Can you fix it?"
No.4
"I can rewrite the core in two weeks," Elisa said,her eyes locking onto his. "But I want full autonomy over the R&D department. And I want absolute veto power over any corporate application of Chiron."
Alastair didn't hesitate for a single second.
He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a thick legal contract. He slid it across the table along with a heavy Montblanc pen.
"Chief Technology Architect," Alastair said. "The board already approved it. We were just waiting for you to come back to life."
Elisa picked up the pen with her left hand. It was awkward,but she managed.
She flipped to the signature page. She didn't write Elisa Chambers. She signed a single, sharp word:Faye.
Alastair smiled. He closed the folder.
No.5
His expression turned serious. He reached back into his briefcase and pulled out a thick, gold-embossed envelope.
"We have a slight complication with the rollout,"Alastair said, sliding the envelope to her. "Aethel is the primary sponsor for the National Medical Charity Gala this Friday. We are supposed to demo
a basic version of Chiron to secure hospital contracts."
Elisa opened the envelope. She pulled out the heavy cardstock invitation.
Her eyes scanned the elegant cursive font. They stopped dead on the bottom line.
Co-hosted by the Chambers Family Foundation.
A cold, sharp smile touched the corners of Elisa's red lips.
No.6
August would be there. He never missed a chance to parade his wealth at a medical gala. And now that he had broken Julian's engagement, he would absolutely bring Allena to cement her status as a "star doctor" in high society.
"Is there a problem?" Alastair asked, watching her face closely.
"No problem at all," Elisa said, sliding the invitation into her bag. "I will be there as your technical advisor. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Miles away, in the snowy mountains of Aspen,August sat in a leather armchair by a roaring fireplace.
He was aggressively twisting his platinum cufflink.①His phone was pressed to his ear. Simon was on the line.
"Sir, Aethel Intelligence rejected our buyout offer again," Simon reported nervously. "Their CEO says their lead architect, Faye, refuses to allow
Chambers Group to acquire any shares."
No.7
August's jaw tightened. He hated being told no.He hated this mysterious 'Faye' who dared to block his capital.
"Find out who this Faye is," August ordered coldly."Everyone has a price."
Allena walked into the room, wearing a silk robe.
She draped her arms over August's shoulders.
"August," she pouted. "Are we going to the medical gala on Friday? I need to show everyone I'm still a top doctor after all this drama."①
August looked at the fire. He thought about the power he needed to project.
"Yes," August said, pulling Allena onto his lap."We're going. And I'll make sure you're the center of attention."