Meanwhile, on the 30th floor, deep in the sleek executive suite of Proto AI, Kaius glanced at his watch. Again.
" Austin hasn't arrived yet?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
Benjamin, his assistant, didn't even blink.
That was the fourth time Kaius had asked in the past hour.
He kept his voice neutral. " Not yet, Boss."
Kaius turned back to his computer, but only for a second. Then his phone buzzed.
Benjamin answered. After a brief exchange, he hung up and looked up from his screen.
" Ms. Voss has completed her onboarding with HR," he reported. " She's currently on the 28th floor, with the Computer Engineering team."
Kaius stood up and adjusted his tie, even though it was already perfect.
" I'm heading to the 28th floor. I want to check in on the engineering
