Chapter 1
The first time I pitched my world-changing technology, I was sitting in a conference room surrounded by New York’s top influential personnel who had spent the last hour trying to find a reason it would fail. I stared at the enormous screen as streams of data moved across it, connecting patterns faster than any human could process. My prototype had taken four years to build, multiple sleepless nights, equipment broken in frustration and more cups of coffee than I could count.
Now it worked.
“Impossible,” someone uttered. “Run it again.”
I smiled, pressing a key on my laptop. “Gladly.”
The software, Aegis, restarted, analyzed the new dataset and produced the same prediction within seconds. The initial silence was deafening, and then, the room suddenly broke out in murmurs. I leaned back in my chair, trying not to look too pleased with myself.
“It could revolutionize predictive technology,” one investor said in awe. “Are you absolutely certain that this won’t fail?”
I laughed. “W&M doesn’t release products that turn out to be disappointments, sir. We’ve tested this particular prototype so many times, and I can assure you that it’s a game changer. You did see what was displayed on the screen, didn’t you?”
A few people laughed and I smiled politely in return, finally turning to look at my partner sitting beside me. Jason was beaming with pride, and I resisted the urge to hug him. He was one of few who kept encouraging me to keep going, even when I didn’t feel like it anymore.
I stared at the ring on my finger. I’d been postponing the wedding because I wanted this project to be done and over with, and now that it was, I was finally going to get married to the man I’d been in love with since college. In that moment, I stopped thinking about work and about my future as Mrs Ariana Whitmore.
Like clockwork, I recalled Valerie's message about her return to New Jersey. she had been on a work trip and was making it back in time to celebrate the good news. The smile on my face grew wider as I pictured her st the celebratory dinner Jason and i had planned after the meeting, and her being my bridesmaid a few months later.
Valerie Bennett had been my best friend since college, supporting me whenever I felt inadequate. I couldn't wait to see her again.
“Have I ever told you just how brilliant you are?” Jason whispered in my ear, sending chills down my body. “The senator just walked out and promised a few millions, Ariana.”
I nudged his arm.“This is a team effort, Jase. You’re a major contributor, remember?”
“And you’re the one person that made it all happen, baby.”
I laughed. “Whatever you say.”
The questions continued, and I tuned into what each person was asking, answering with as much certainty as I could muster. While I was certain about Aegis, she was still technology, and the chances of failure were minimal but present. However, there was a clause in the prepared contract to this effect, ensuring both parties enjoyed full benefits.
I made the mistake of looking at the seat at the very end of the conference table, making eye contact with ones that refused to look away since I first noticed them. He was younger than most of the investors, dressed in a dark suit, with neatly styled brown hair and an expression that was impossible to read.
He’d stared all through both presentations, when I’d answered the first set of questions, and when I was talking to Jason. To make things worse, that irritating facial expression remained- amused and unsettling.
I frowned and returned my attention to the owner of Jadaa, who seemed particularly interested in my work. Perhaps it was because I was a woman just like her, but thankfully, the questions she fired at me were pretty easy to answer.
A few minutes later, I glanced over again. He was still staring.
I leaned toward Jason.“Who is that?”
Jason followed my gaze. “Him? He’s a Sterling representative.”
Sterling Industries, one of our rival companies. It all made sense now. Everyone here was a potential investor, while he was a potential thief.
“Your tone suggests you invited them, Jase,” I said in disbelief. “What if word gets out before we want it to, or something worse?”
“You’re overthinking it, Ariana. Everyone here is an investor, even Sterling. Once this goes out into the market, best believe they’ll play a good role in its publicity. After all, they have more connections abroad. And, I took legal precautions. The prototype’s safe.”
For some reason, his response didn’t pacify me as well as I’d hoped, but I nodded and resumed engaging those present, while making sure to ignore the Sterling rep. It went on for one more hour before Jason called it a day, receiving pledges and promising courtesy visits to speak more on the project. I nearly slumped in my seat when the last investor left, glad the part I had to play was over.
I’d wowed those interested, and Jason would sweet talk them out of their money. We’d been doing this for six years now, slowly rising to the top of the tech industry. While Aegis happened to be our fourth successful technology, she was already shaping up to be the product that would officially put our company on the global map.
The sound of my phone ringing caught my attention, and I grabbed my purse, fishing it out immediately.
“Hello?” I said as soon as I swiped right.
“Miss Monroe, the police are here,” Lydia, the receptionist and a good friend of mine whisper-yelled. “They’re looking for you, and they…”
Before I could hear the rest of her sentence, the doors opened and three policemen stepped into the conference room. Jason walked up to them immediately, trying to stop them from moving in any further.
“How may we help you, officers?”
The one in the middle, a man in his mid-30s dressed casually, stepped foward, practically standing in Jason’s face. ‘I’m Detective Hall, Mr Whitmore. We’re here because we received intel that Miss Monroe had breached government information.”
“What?” I said, pushing past Jason to confront the detective. “That’s not true at all, detective. Who the f**k gave you this intel?”
“With all due respect, miss, that’s none of your business,” he answered rudely, before snapping a finger. One of the officers grabbed me by the arm, placing a handcuff around my wrist.
“Ariana Monroe, you’re under arrest for unauthorized access to classified information, unlawful acquisition of government data and the theft and attempted distribution of the afore mentioned.”
“Hold on just a minute. What proof do you even have of this, detective? Ariana isn’t…”
The detective flashed a piece of paper in Jason’s face and he grabbed it while I stared at him in disbelief. Was he truly searching for proof that I’d done what the charges against me claimed?
“Jason,” I started, my voice sounding like a plea. “Tell them that it’s not true. You know I’d never do this.”
The handcuffs were snapped into place as I struggled, while the detective read out my rights. Jason, on the other hand, kept reading as though his life depended on it, and when he looked at me, his face told me all I needed to know.
He didn’t believe me.
In that moment, my heart broke, and tears streamed down my face as I was escorted out by the police. All I could think about was the look in Jason's eyes, the look of a man who had already decided that I was guilty before I had even been given a chance to prove I wasn't.
The man who swore he’d stand by me through anything.
I should have known it was all a lie- Jason knew just what to say to get whatever he wanted. Just like that, I decided in that moment to change the vow I’d made to myself to marry him, instead choosing to make him regret abandoning me the way he did.
