Chapter 237
ALEXANDER
+25 Points
My phone vibrated against the surface of the conference table for the second time in less than five minutes.
I didn’t look down immediately. I was in the middle of a meeting, seated across from a man who had flown in that morning, his tablet open, stylus hovering as he waited for my response. Still, tension coiled tight in my chest the moment I caught the name flashing on the screen. Derek.
I exhaled slowly through my nose. Whatever it was, it would have to wait. I couldn’t afford to look distracted. Instead, I slid the device closer to me and typed a quick message under the table.
What’s up?
I returned my attention to the client, straightening in my chair.
“As I was saying,” I continued smoothly, “the adaptive firewall doesn’t just respond to breaches–it predicts them. The Al learns from attempted intrusions in real time, so by the third or fourth attempt, it’s already anticipating the pattern.”
The client nodded, interest sharpening in his eyes. “So you’re saying it evolves faster than human oversight ever could.”
“Exactly,” I said. “Human teams are still necessary, but this reduces reaction time to milliseconds. For a company handling sensitive data across continents, that difference
matters.”
He leaned back, clearly impressed. “And the rollout timeline?”
“Six weeks for full integration,” I replied. “Four, if your internal systems are already compliant with our architecture.”
He glanced down at his tablet, making a note. “That’s… ambitious.”
I allowed myself a small smile. “That’s what you’re paying us for.”
My phone buzzed again.
The silence between words stretched thin, and the itch under my skin became impossible to ignore. I glanced down.
P:
<Chapter 237
Two minutes had passed.
Derek’s message sat there, stark and simple.
She’s fine. Saw her leave the house, and was followed to a hair salon.
For a moment, everything else fell away.
+25 Points
Relief hit me first–like a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding finally tearing free from my lungs.
She was fine.
Alive. Walking into a hair salon, of all mundane things.
Then the second realization followed immediately after, quieter but sharper.
She was ignoring me.
I felt it settle in my chest–not panic this time, but something colder, more personal.
I masked the shift in my expression easily. Years of training had taught me how.
“Of course,” I said, refocusing. “We can customize the interface to your internal protocols. No unnecessary features, no clutter.”
The client smiled, satisfied. “I appreciate that. Too many tech firms oversell.”
“We prefer precision,” I replied.
We wrapped up shortly after that. Handshakes, promises… a follow–up meeting scheduled for the following week. By the time he walked out of my office, my mind was already far away.
I waited until the door closed before reaching for my phone again.
Helen was fine.
And she had chosen silence.
I leaned back in my chair, staring up at the ceiling for a long moment. My mother had always been many things–strategic, composed, fiercely intelligent–but passive avoidance had never been one of them. If she didn’t want to talk, there was always a reason. A calculated one.
Which meant this wasn’t nothing. I was right to think she knew something.
I stood, grabbing my jacket as I left the office. As I walked toward the elevator, I pulled out my phone and dialed Faye’s number.
2/4
< Chapter 237
She picked up on the first ring.
“Hey,” she said, her voice warm, familiar in a way that grounded me instantly.
“Hey,” I replied. “How are you doing?”
I could tell she was smiling. “I’m very well.”
“Good,” I said. “I won’t be back early today.”
+25 Points
There was a pause on the other end. Just a second–but I knew her well enough to hear the surprise in it.
“Oh,” she said carefully. “Okay.”
I could picture her expression without seeing it. The way her brows would draw together slightly. The questions forming behind her eyes, the ones she wasn’t asking.
“I’m going to see my mother,” I added.
Another pause. Longer this time.
I knew what she was thinking. The tension between Helen and me wasn’t a secret. Neither was the way I tended to compartmentalize my life, keeping things neatly boxed away, shared on a need–to–know basis.
And for most of my life, that had worked.
I’d lived like I was alone–even when I wasn’t.
But something about Faye made that impossible to maintain.
The silence on the line pressed in, not uncomfortable, but weighted. I realized then that she wasn’t prying because she trusted me. Because she respected my boundaries.
And somehow, that made not explaining feel worse.
“You sound surprised,” I said.
She gave a small, almost hesitant laugh. “A little. I just didn’t expect-”
“I know.”
I slowed my steps as I reached the elevator, watching the doors slide open. I stepped inside. “I need to talk to her,” I continued. “She hasn’t been answering my calls since last night.” That was more than I usually offered. Normally, I would’ve left it at that–no context, no
< Chapter 237
explanation. But the words kept coming, unprompted.
“I’ll explain everything when I get home,” I added, surprising even myself. “I promise.”
There was another pause, softer this time.
“I’d appreciate that,” Faye said gently.
I closed my eyes briefly.
“Alright,” I said quietly.
“Okay. Take care,” Faye replied.
+25 Points
I called Derek back the moment I slid into the driver’s seat.
He picked up almost immediately. “Alpha.”
“Derek, I just saw your text,” I said, pulling out of the parking lot as the security gate lifted. Where exactly was she seen?”
There was a brief pause on the line, the faint sound of movement on his end. “The hair salon?”
“Yes,” I said. “Send me the location.”
“I can,” Derek replied carefully, “but there’s a chance she’ll already be home by the time you get there. From what my officer said, she didn’t seem like she planned to stay long. If she’s already left, there may not be much point in going to the salon first.”
“I know,” I said evenly. “But send it anyway. I’ll head to her house after. I need to start there.”
Derek exhaled softly, like he understood more than he was saying. “Alright. I’ll send you the location immediately.”
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