“Are you okay?” She grimaced, taking her seat next to me.

It would be easy to answer her question, but I wanted to stick to the work relationship we had between us. “Yes, I’m alright. What do I have planned today?”

Fiona swiftly pulled out her iPad as if she had been anticipating the question. “A meeting at two pm, and the email from the German company regarding the possible testing of a new drug using the AI we developed is still pending.”

I nodded; it had completely skipped my memory. “What else?”

“Mr. Yoon is launching his book on the benefits of AI to society. You’re an esteemed invited guest.”

“I’ll not be able to attend. Send an email to the organizer, some flowers, and a congratulatory card to Mr. Yoon.”

“Noted.” She tapped on her iPad. “You also have a game of golf. It’s Tuesday.”

And Tuesdays really were the bane of my existence. It wasn’t one of the meetings I could afford to miss; the people I met at these golf games liked to do the long dance before they decided if they wanted to throw their support behind you. I also needed their support, especially if the AI managed to reach a peak state where it could diagnose a patient and tailor the drugs to meet their specific problems.

“You have a business meeting with K and Q Enterprise at three.”

“I’ll speak to them on the phone.”

She nodded again. “I’ll remind you again in five minutes.”

“Anything else?”

Fiona shook her head and clicked the iPad shut. “That would be all.”

Before I could get another word out, she offered me a smile. “I’ll wait in the car.”

***

The members of the golf club were my father’s contemporaries, and apparently, they were the kind of men who wanted you to listen to them first.

That actually was not a difficult thing to do, but you’d ultimately never be allowed to speak. However, sometimes the situation was different; when they wanted you to speak, you should.

“So, how’s the new product launch going?” asked the chairman of BRAIN, Jude Bullock, a big, animated man. His small, beady eyes were fixed on the golf ball as he took a swing.

“It’s going well,” I responded. “We hope to make good progress with Susan by the end of the year. So far, she’s able to tell the pills apart by shape, but we hope to go further than that. And Susan is quite sufficient, being a self-learning AI and all.”

Jude nodded his head and turned to look at me. “Did you see that shot?”

“Yes, I did.”

“It was a fantastic shot. I’ve been getting a lot of practice. You should tell your father to join us someday. Just because he’s retired doesn’t mean he should stop showing up. But I suppose that’s what it means to have a great son. Kennedy is doing fairly well, although he’s still learning. He’s not as smart as you, you know.”

I smiled meekly even though I wanted nothing more than to take a swing at his head with my club. Instead, I took his spot and positioned myself to take a swing. The ball went far, and we made our way in search of it.

“I’m afraid I’m not that smart, sir.”

We would be doing a lot of beating around the bush today. I looked over to Fiona, who was closely behind us and watching the game with rapid interest. I’ve never found golf interesting, and I don’t see how she could either.

“I see you’ve got a new one.” He cocked his head.

I shrugged. It was safe to say I didn’t have the greatest reputation regarding secretaries. I went through them quicker than I can comprehend. They seemed to forget they were hired to do a job and tried to flirt with me.

I have a tolerance limit. So far, Fiona was the only one I’ve had who took her job seriously. It puts me at ease.

“She looks young.” Mr. Bullocks said. “Where’s she from?”

“She’s actually from here.”

“Oh, really. That’s decent.”

I didn’t bother commenting on it, returning the attention to the conversation we should be having. But Jude Bullock had a better idea. He stopped and turned to Fiona.

“Can you get me a bottle of water?”

“Right away,” Fiona said, sparing me a look before turning and walking away. The skater skirt she had on swayed as she moved.

“She has nice hips.”

I stood frozen because that was the last direction I expected the conversation to take, especially since this was a married man with children Fiona’s age. “What?”

He didn’t get the chance to reply because Fiona came back bearing water and a smile.

When he received the bottle from her, he said, “Thank you. You are sweet,” maintaining eye contact like a creep.

I hated that I couldn’t punch him without incurring my father’s wrath. I might have to start looking for new investors.

“Thanks for the compliment.” Fiona smiled, but there were way too many teeth for it to be sincere. It looked like she was threatening the man, but he took no notice of it.

“About Susan,” I said immediately, pulling his attention back to me before he said something that would make Fiona punch him.

It was crazy how, at that moment, I thought that if it were to happen, even though I would be expected to fire Fiona, I’d rather get a new business partner.

Chapter Three

Fiona

The weather had merely bragged. It didn’t actually rain throughout the day; however, a cold chill hung in the air as Christian’s gloomy mood pervaded the atmosphere. I noticed he was not doing too well, but I couldn’t think of a way of asking what was bothering him without making it too obvious.

Allison’s call came in when Liam, Christian’s driver, drove inside Christian’s front yard. I waved Christian goodbye and hurried down the road, putting a distance between me and Christian before picking up the call.

“You sound out of breath,” Allison said as soon as I said hello. “I hope Christian is not giving you a hard time.”

“No. Not at all,” I said as I made my way through the gates and finally into the house. I kicked my shoes off and lay down on my sofa.

This corporate girl has managed to keep her job today. Brownie point for me.

“Good. He can be very rude sometimes,” Allison said about her brother, whom I’ve realized I still have a crush on.