Declan's POV
My eyes couldn't believe what the saw as I came out of the restaurant.
"That's a fucking limited edition," I blurted out, as I carefully scanned the car which Daisy had come with.
I squared my shoulders.
It was only five years. How the fuck did she get to this level? I was pretty sure that the Helios dude was the secret. But that family never gave anything without taking something of greater value. What the hell did Daisy exchange for this?
When I get to my office, I loosened my tie and plopped down on my revolving seat.
"Tricia," I called my assistant and she looked up from her desk.
"Sir?"
"Run me a check on FuturaLabs. I need a detailed report of her financial flow, and also let me know if she's open for funding," I demanded.
"Right away, sir," she responded.
Adjusting her medicated glasses she focused on her monitor. The random clicks of her keyboard found a way to keep me waiting for her feedback.
"Sir, I've begun the analysis. The system is scanning for company data," she announced.
I asked her as my fingers restlessly tapped the table, "how long will that take?"
"About five minutes," she quickly answered.
I let out a sigh. "Get me a cup of coffee."
She scurried to the coffee machine in my office — my love for coffee made me install one in my office — and returned a moment later with a full cup of creamy coffee.
"Thanks," I said as she passed it over to me.
I took a sip and relished the creamy taste as it momentarily took my mind off the assignment that was still running on the computer.
"I'm unable to find any data about their financial flow," Tricia reported and I spat out coffee from my mouth.
"What?"
"Also, they aren't open for funding yet. But there are rumors that they could be going public soon."
I banged my fist on the table. "I knew it!"
Grabbing my phone from the table, I went towards my window. "The fucking Helios are pushing her up the ranks. That Helios swindler has definitely placed a bet on the success of her project."
I crossed my arms over my chest, squaring my shoulders. "But what happens when she fails? I know she has no way of paying back everything he must have supported her with?"
A sigh left my lips and my shoulders drop.
"It's not adding up," I groan.
Confusion was written all over Tricia's face as she stared at me from her desk. She knew nothing about what I was blabbing about.
But I felt happy that I had finally figured something out. Nothing else could explain the same Daisy whom I knew her capabilities like my own name would suddenly skyrocket in the field which even I couldn't singlehandedly thrive.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I turned to Tricia and told her. "Schedule another proposal to be sent to FuturaLabs by tomorrow. She might change her mind by then."
"Understood," she responded and I left the office.
I left the office and took the stairs that led past the emergency room and to the garage.
Tucking a hand into my pocket, I rummaged for my car key and made sure I hadn't rushed out of the office in vain.
I walked up to my car when I finally reached the garage. One glance at the window which vaguely reflected my image, I saw I had a smile on my face. Was it excitement from the little puzzle I'd uncovered?
I slotted the key into the ignition of my Ford fiesta and the engine revved with a turbo sound. Shifting the gear selector to reverse, I exited the garage and then took a turn into the highway.
A curated playlist of country songs was already waiting for me, and it felt like the right thing to play because all along the drive, my head is clouded with thoughts of Daisy.
Like a clear summer sky, the memories of our first encounter still lived clean in my head. The first day I saw that slim blondie who wore an eyeglass of yellow frames.
I never really had time for girls back then. But when she met me seated at the cafeteria and browsing my system, I felt like she earned a minute of my time at a glance.
I can still remember the ember of her voice when she asked, "Are you Declan Erlington?"
She had come with some questions, and from answering all of them, we ended up in a extensive technical discussion which she begged to have with me another day.
I did too, but I didn't get to say it first.
Daisy's willingness to learn and grow made me take huge interest in her. And teaching her became a hobby for me.
We'd attend Hackerfests and Devcouncils together. And most oftentimes, she visited my apartment and we challenged each other in coding.
That was a little while before I realized I had something for this girl and I decided to take things further with her. She was the sweetest and purest soul I knew then.
"Motherfucker, watch how you drive!" A bike scooted past me and quickly titled my steering away from him.
Fuck! My head was all messed up thinking about Daisy.
I curved into a street by my left and turned off my car engine.
Burying my face on the steering wheel, I gritted my teeth hard. Five years had separated us, but she was finally back now. Her potential had grown now, but it could never measure up to what the two of us were capable of when we worked together. She was aware of that.
Stefan Helios had been able to awaken a bigger part of her genius, but she didn't need him any longer. She'd crash if she let him keep pushing her.
Rumors had been flying around that FuturaLabs artificial intelligence would bring a revolution to the society. People were already dreaming of the benefits, setting a high standard which she might have thought to be achievable because of her connection to the Helios family.
The truth was, in the next six years, artificial intelligence wasn't getting to the point her fans were expecting from her. But that all depends if she puts me in the picture or not.
A pang of disgust turns my stomach as another thought flashes through me. Whatever Daisy was developing wasn't actually going to be her's. I was pretty sure she didn't know that the family she was dealing with had amassed tech from several employees who lacked the funds to source their own projects.
I wasn't going to let that happen.
I shoved my phone out of my pocket and dialed a number, waiting patiently for a response from the other side.
"Declan…" his voice echoes.
"Hey. I need a quick favor from you," I said, going straight to the point because neither of us had time to waste on frivolities. "Stefan Helios. I need to know if he is married or not."
"From the Helios family?" He asked.
"Yes." I answered, hoping to get a fast response.
And I did. A negative one.
"Sorry, Declan. The Helios family keep their documents discreet," he responded.
"Fuck," I growled.
I could feel frustration boiling in my veins even though I had slightly anticipated a negative response.
That sketchy Helios family... I wasn't going to let them use Daisy. Not on my watch.