Chapter 6: Behind Glass Walls
1345 Words
LOLA’S POV
I stand beside Orion as the elevator doors slide open onto the executive floor.
Everything about Starsign Tech reflected precision. The marble floors gleamed beneath soft white lights, glass walls stretched from floor to ceiling and employees moved with quiet efficiency.
There were no loud conversations, no cluttered desks and no frantic rush-only discipline.
‘This way.’, he said.
I followed, notebook in hand, taking in every detail of the office.
‘You’ve built quite an empire.’
He chuckled.
‘I’ve built a company. People decide to call it an empire.’
I scribbled his remark into my notebook.
Every word counts.
‘And why would you say that?’
‘Well, let's just say I prefer to keep things simple.’
I was impressed by his statement.
He definitely doesn't seem like the villain he’s painted to be.
He led me into a sleek conference room overlooking the city’s skyline.
A confidentiality agreement lay neatly on the table.
‘You’ll have access to most departments,’ he explained, ‘but certain research projects remain classified.’
I looked up from the document.
‘So there are secrets.’
‘There are patents worth billions of dollars.’
‘Same thing.’
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
‘You’ll find I don't smile often, Ms. Castle.’
‘I wasn’t trying to make you.’, I replied.
‘You almost succeeded.’
For a brief moment, the tension in the room eased, then Orion’s expression became serious again.
‘I have one rule.’, he started.
‘I’m listening.’
‘If you find something suspicious…’
‘I publish it,' I interrupt.
‘No.’
His voice is stern and his eyes meet mine.
‘You tell me first.’
I frowned.
‘That clearly sounds like censorship.’
‘It sounds like protecting evidence.’
I think about what he says and I nod.
‘Fair enough.’
I sign the agreement after going through it clearly and take note of all the hidden clauses just in case he decides to get sneaky and file some sort of lawsuit. You can never be too careful there.
He takes me to the executive wing.
‘I hope you don’t mind the introductions, he says,’it’s only right for my employees to get accustomed to someone who’s clearly going to be around here more often.’
‘I don’t mind.
Three people–2 guys and a lady lined up to meet us.
‘Good day Ms. Castle, I'm Adrien Malone, Chief Technology Officer.’, a guy who I remember seeing with Orion at the convention extends his hand for a shake.
‘Nice to meet you Mr. Malone.’
‘Please, call me Adrien.’
‘Are you always so friendly?’I ask, smiling.
‘Well, most of the time.’, he replies, returning the smile.
‘So you’re the famous journalist.’
‘I’m not famous.’
‘You’ve certainly become famous around here.’
He laughs.
‘You’re the only reporter who’s refused to disappear.’
I smiled politely.
He had a very friendly and approachable air to him.
I liked it.
‘I’m Victor Hale, Chief Financial Officer.’
He didn’t look up from his tablet.
He clearly wanted to get this meeting over with.
He stretched out his hand and I took it.
The handshake was brief and his smile was forced.
‘Welcome.’
‘He clearly doesn’t talk much.’, i thought to myself.
Something about him felt uneasy.
He hurried back into his office to deal with whatever.
The blonde woman fixed her top.
She looked elegant, perfectly composed.
She didn’t have a strand of hair out of place.
She greeted me with effortless professionalism.
‘It’s lovely to finally meet you.’, she says.
I nod in response, returning her handshake.
I notice that her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
It’s fake.
Orion guided me through the heart of Starsign Tech.
I watch engineers develop artificial intelligence capable of diagnosing disease in seconds.
Another team demonstrated drones designed for disaster relief.
I'm taken to another lab where I see cybersecurity analysts monitoring global cyber attacks in real time.
I’m definitely impressed.
‘This isn’t what people think your company does.’ I say.
Orion looks sideways.
‘What do they think we do?’
‘They think you’re building surveillance software.’
‘And what do you think?’
He pauses, waiting for my response.
I hesitate.
‘I haven’t decided.’
I can’t read the expression on his face.
‘Good.’
As we walk past one of the secure laboratories, I notice an engineer hurriedly closing a computer window the moment Orion and I approach.
He looked nervous, too nervous.
When Orion greeted him, the young man avoided eye contact
This piques my interest.
‘Does he always look terrified?’, I ask quietly once we’ve left.
Orion looks back.
‘No.’
I make a mental note of the employee’s name; DANIEL CROSS.
ORION’S POV
Instead of sending Lola to the company cafeteria, I surprised her.
‘You’ll eat with me.’
She blinked.
‘I thought billionaires only had meetings over expensive dinners.’, she said in an amused voice.
‘I’m not like other billionaires. I prefer lunch.’
My private dining room overlooked the city.
I told the chef to keep the meal simple.
It consisted of rice, steamed vegetables, fresh fruit; no extravagant display.
She laughed softly.
‘I expected gold-plated plates,' she said.
‘I don’t own any.’
‘You’ve disappointed me.’
‘I’ll try to recover.’, I replied in an amused tone.
The conversation between us became easier.
We ended speaking about life forgetting about the accusations.
I found myself opening up to her about my life; telling her about how I studied computer engineering on scholarship.
I also found out that she grew up in a modest neighbourhood where her late father had taught her never to compromise the truth.
As the conversation went on, I found myself beginning to admire her. I noticed the little things; her laugh, the way her nose scrunches up when she smiles, her piercings…
STACY’S POV
From the hallway, I watch quietly as Orion and Lola have their lunch.
My smile fades.
I pick up my phone and type a short encrypted message.
She’s getting closer than expected.
A reply comes almost instantly.
Keep her distracted.
I quietly slip my phone back into my pocket before anyone notices and walk back to my desk.
LOLA’S POV
After lunch, Orion brings me into his private office.
One wall displays awards, while another held books on technology, philosophy and business.
No family photographs, no personal decorations.
Only one framed picture faced away on a side table.
This piqued my interest.
‘May I?’
He hesitates, then nods.
I turn the frame around.
It showed a younger Orion with a beautiful woman, both laughing on the beach while displaying her engagement ring.
‘So he was engaged?’, I think to myself.
Before i can ask any questions, he gently took the photograph from my hands.
‘That belongs in the past.’, he said in a sad voice.
A voice that I had never heard before.
‘I’m sorry.’, I say quietly.
‘You weren’t supposed to know.’
He places the frame back in the drawer and locks it.
The room falls silent and for the first time I don't see a billionaire but a man carrying old wounds.
As we prepared to leave his office, I noticed his computer screen flash.
A notification appeared.
PROJECT HELIOS
ACCESS DENIED
FILE NOT FOUND
He frowned.
‘That’s impossible.’
He searched again.
The project folder had vanished.
I notice his expression darken.
‘I didn’t delete it.’, he says, trying to assure me.
I look at him.
‘You think someone else did?’
Before he could answer me, every light on the executive floor flickered.
The emergency alarm sounded.
A computerized voice echoed throughout the building.
Security alert! Unauthorized access detected. Executive lockdown initiated.
Heavy steel doors slid shut throughout the floor.
Employees froze.
Orion instinctively steps in front of me.
‘Stay behind me.’, he says.
For the first time since entering Starsign i realize the danger wasn’t outside the building.
It was already inside.
- Writer
