Page 8 of The Dis-Graced
Drake:I’ll say something to him, but it’s Elliot. She’s going to have to learn to grow a thick skin if she ever wants to work again.
Luke:Yeah, I know. I just don’t like seeing her mistreated.
Drake:Have you thought up anything for her to do? I still haven’t found a project for her to take on.
Luke:Maybe you could initiate a charitable cause?
Drake:I already have so many.
Luke:How about a lifestyle-tech piece?
Drake:Architectural? Like a Home Digest?
Luke:No, like the AI we’ve been developing.
Drake:ALAN? That will prove to be way too controversial. And Elliot wouldn’t want word of it getting out.
Luke:I kind of think it’s perfect. At some point, you’re going to have to go forward with the information, and what better time is there? Eventually, someone else will come out with their own version of AI, and you’ll be seen as a knock off. Plus, if Grace does a fluff piece, people will dissect other aspects of your association. By doing something huge, everyone’s going to be focused on the technology. They aren’t going to say anything negative because they’ll be scared to lose out on future interviews.
It’s not a bad idea. The more they want information from me, the less critical they’ll be.
Drake:You know what, that might work. Give her a project that’s so big that no one will care who’s presenting it, and they’ll be too scared to write a slam piece.
Luke:Do you want me to draw up the talking points?
Drake:Talking points? No. This is going to be so controversial that I want her to draw her own conclusions. I’ll have her spend some time with ALAN, and she’ll alert us to any blind spots we may have missed. Then we can decide how to address them.
Luke:Great, when are you going to tell her?
Drake:Give me a few days. I’m going to strip part of ALAN’s code and give her a watered-down version. I want to make sure we go about this the right way, safely. I’m going to make it a bigger test, outfitting cameras in all the areas ALAN will have access too, the most advanced ones we have, ones that can detect a pulse. I want you to know that if word of this gets out, I’ll have her ass.
Any excuse to have that sweet ass…
Luke:You have nothing to worry about. I know what the headlines say, but my sister is trustworthy. I promise.
Drake:Well, even if it does get out, it will just be the concept and not the tech. I’m doubtful anyone else will be able to replicate ALAN anywhere close to where he’s at now.
Luke:Shit, the baby’s crying.
Drake:Go to little Annabelle, I’ve got this covered.
Chapter 3
Grace
I want more than anything to build a time machine, go back two weeks, and slap a little common sense into me. But life doesn’t offer do-overs.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve hit the snooze button. I don’t even know why I bother to set my alarm. It’s been three days since I’ve signed my non-disclosure agreement, and Drake has yet to contact me. I still know nothing about the project I’m supposed to be working on, that is, if Drake hasn’t decided to renege on his offer after our blunt conversation. A small part of me actually wishes he would because the last thing I want is to be stuck in a room with Drake Dallanger ever again.
If that’s true, why have you been dreaming about him?
Oh, fuck you, Inner Monologue!
It’s not a lie, though. Drake must be exhausted from all the laps he’s been running in my mind. Wow, that’d dad joke-level cringe. If he had been nice, my desire would be completely justified because he’s capital H-O-T—HOT. But he’s a jerk that doesn’t deserve any of my mind space.
At twenty-six, I went from having an award-winning career as a journalist to becoming an industry pariah, and it’s not even for something that I’ve done wrong, but no one cares about my side of the story. Heck, I haven’t even told my side of the story because it’s so far fetched that I know no one will believe it. I have no idea how Brigger Steele ended up in my hotel room because I was supposed to be meeting up with my fiancé, Frank. The love of my life, or at least who I thought was the love of my life.
Now, he’s…I don’t even know. He won’t return my calls.
