Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
No shit. “You’ve kept an eye on him. What do you know?”
“According to page six of the social register, he’s busy representing Hologrid Hub at every high-end function in town. Named one of the ten most eligible bachelors in Silicon Valley, he’s still in mourning for his younger brother.”
Right. Hendrix and Cal had hated each other. “What number is he?”
“One,” Garik says. “Of course, now that you’re out, you’ll probably end up back on top again.”
Like I care about that. Even back in the day, that part of my life amused me. Now it irritates me. “I’m not eligible.”
“You’re serious about that?”
“Da,” I say, dropping into Russian because this matters. I don’t believe in love and certainly have no intention of allowing any woman to dissuade me from my path. But there’s something about Rosalie Mooncrest that calls to the darkest part of me. I have no clue if she’s a decent lawyer and couldn’t care less. She’s soft and kind, and there’s intelligence in her too-blue eyes. Even after one night sleeping next to her, I feel her beneath my skin. The life I’ll build will be solid and true, and it’ll need goodness in it for my children. I plan to have many to ensure the longevity of Hologrid Hub, and she’s the one I want for this life. There’s no need for me to question why.
Who cares? It is as it is. I’ll have both my personal and professional lives in place, solid, and impenetrable.
Garik hands me his phone. “Here’s the latest annual report and stock earnings of Hologrid Hub.”
I hold the device and then press on the screen. My phone seven years ago certainly lacked several of these impressive abilities. “I need to update my phone.”
“They cost more than a grand these days.”
I also need to access my money. Sooner rather than later. I would’ve given much of it to Garik, if possible, but my greedy stepbrother had managed to have it frozen the second the jury had declared me guilty.
Somebody had gotten to the jurors, because the evidence against me had been full of reasonable doubt. Mostly. I shook myself out of the memories and read through the reports . . . on a screen. Hendrix has done a good job with the company. Not as good as I can do, because he doesn’t have the connections with the amethyst servers that run through my blood faster than any electrical charge.
Hologrid Hub uses a next-gen platform so users can meet in holographic form and do whatever they want with one other. There’s a sexual component to the platform that has not been explored enough, and I plan to change that. The more users to the platform, the more power to my amethysts, which leads to more power and strength, not to mention health, for me. I won’t live forever, but I also won’t be struck down by disease or deterioration too soon.
I finish reading as Garik takes another turn into the northern part of San Francisco and a rough looking storage facility with multiple pods, once painted white that now has rust scarring down each face. “Who killed Cal?”
Garik lifts one shoulder. “Not sure. Your younger half brother had a problem with women telling him no. Your stepmother had to settle several assault cases against him, and those that couldn’t be settled . . .”
No doubt Hendrix or his enforcers had taken care of the problem. “Has Hendrix discovered the killer?” If so, surely he killed them.
“Hell if I know.”
I thought through what Rosalie had said about Thorn Beathach possibly killing Cal. Beathach runs Malice Media, which is currently in the number one spot. It’s a next generation platform that uses neural interface tech to share thoughts, emotions, and experiences directly. In other words, it translates neural data into shareable formats. His AI is more advanced than mine—for now. “What about Thorn Beathach?”
Garik nods. “Maybe. The gossip rags hinted at an arranged marriage between Cal and Alana Beaumont, and now she’s living with Beathach. Word is out that if anybody touches her, they die and not quickly. She’s under his protection.”
Alana has always had protection. Her family owns Aquarius Social, an emotion sharing based platform. They’re currently in second place, and Thorn’s company, Malice Media, in first. Are they going to combine their platforms? I don’t see how, but it’s something to consider.
I dig deep to see if I have a need to avenge Cal’s death. Maybe. I hated him, but we shared blood.
However, I have more urgent matters to handle. Irritation cuts through me at my lack of a following. If I make a proclamation about Rosie’s safety, it might plant a bull’s-eye on her back. I need to consolidate power fast, and that means spilling blood. A lot of it. “You ready for this?”