Page 53 of Champagne Nights

“We’ll see you then.”

Noon had approached, and I headed to the conference room to meet with my product development team.

“Good, you’re all here.” I took a seat at the head of the table.

“Why the urgent meeting, Ethan?” Rob asked.

“Did you know that there are over four hundred and forty thousand people in New York alone that are visually impaired?”

“Umm. No. I didn’t know that,” Rob spoke.

“And over two hundred and eight million worldwide.”

“Interesting,” Terrence spoke as he stroked his chin. “So what does that have to do with Klein Technology?”

“I want us to develop an app, not just an ordinary one. This app we design will have the ability to scan an entire indoor area and tell the person the layout of the space, guiding them in the direction they need to go and alerting them of objects that are in the way of their path.”

“Apple already has something like that.”

“But it’s not suitable for the visually impaired person. It’s not voice-over compatible. This app would be, and it would also store previous routes, which could be very useful in hotels, malls, and other large buildings.”

“I don’t know, Ethan,” Rob spoke.

“You don’t know?” I glared at him. “You will make it work. I’ve already started the coding.” I threw the paper in my hand down on the table. “Look it over and go from there. This can be done. I know it can. Think of how much Apple would pay for something like this. They can’t do it, but we can. And as a little incentive to get your asses in gear on this, once it’s complete, I will throw in a ten-thousand-dollar bonus to each of you for your hard work.”

“Are you serious?” Terrence asked in shock.

“Dead serious. Now get to work. I want an update in three days. If you have to work all night on this, do it. I want this done quickly.”

“May I ask why this is so important to you?” Rob asked.

“It’s just something that I think visually impaired people need to make their lives a little easier.”

Rob laughed. “Since when do you care about blind people, Ethan?”

I shot him a look from across the room.

“I have a friend who is completely blind. That concludes this meeting. Now get out of here and get to work.” I looked at my watch. “I have to leave for an appointment.”

Chapter Twenty

Aubrey

The school day came to an end, and I was exhausted. Ian walked into the room just as I was packing my bag.

“Hello, princess. Are you ready to leave?”

“Yeah.” I sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

He walked over and touched my chin, lifting my head slightly.

“Are you still thinking about him?”

“Maybe. I can’t help it, Ian. He swept me off my feet.”

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