His Cybernetic Secretary

5. Xavier

It was crazy, but Xavier was done playing games.

Calling in this chit with Alumicorp had been a brilliant move. Not only did it strengthen the relationship between the two companies, but it had the potential to change everything.

He could already see the numbers. Productivity levels climbing, efficiency improving, and in turn profitability soaring. That was the part that excited him most- the possibilities. He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city stretched out beneath him in a glittering maze of lights and movement. He lifted his glass, taking a slow drink as he considered just how smart this move had been.

Alumicorp owed him. And now they were going to make good on it. His gaze drifted back toward the candidate files spread across his desk. He picked up one, skimmed the information, then moved to the next. Names. Qualifications. Experience. References.

Nothing particularly memorable until his eyes passed over one name. Chrysanthemum. He paused for barely a second. What a strange name. He knew she was a candidate, of course. He had seen her name before. But there was nothing about the file that immediately demanded his attention. She didn't particularly stand out among the others—not on paper, anyway.

His eyes moved on, his lips lingering on the glass as he took another drink. Then his thoughts shifted. Dante. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He wondered how Dante was going to react when he realized who they were picking up from Alumicorp.

That could be interesting. Very interesting.

Xavier looked back out over the city, his expression settling into something thoughtful. He trusted Dante to do his job. Mostly. But this was Dante, and there were certain situations where Xavier knew better than to assume his friend would simply behave himself. Especially this one.

He exhaled quietly, swirling the drink in his glass. "Don't make me regret this," he muttered, though whether he meant Dante or the entire arrangement, even he wasn't entirely sure.

Either way, the wheels were already turning.

There was no going back now.