Page 33 of The Dis-Graced

Drake

“She didn’t take the bait,” Luke says from across my desk.

I exhale in frustration. “Of course, she didn’t. That would be too easy.”

“I really don’t think there’s a problem. People aren’t going to assume she’s with you just because she was seen in New York City.”

I unbutton the top three buttons of my dress shirt, slip off my tie, and lean back in my chair. “Eventually, her affiliation with Dallanger Tech is going to come out, and when it does, the last thing I need is for people to speculate about our relationship. Her being seen out with other men won’t fix all the problems of this collaboration, but it will mitigate them a bit.”

“Well, she is dead set against it.”

“Thanks for trying. Could you swing by R&D? They have a few invoices I’m leery about. Put the fear of God into them.”

“I don’t know. I think the fear of Irene would get better results.”

I chuckle, though there’s no doubt it’s the truth. Where my mother walks, the ground quakes.

“Oh, by the way, how’s Devon?”

“So far, so good. Of course, mom’s pissed. I’ve asked Dalton to come discuss the situation, but I don’t have high hopes for him being very helpful.”

“Have ALAN babysit him,” Luke jests.

“Are you kidding me? He’d drive Devon to drink.”

“Well, I’m exhausted. I hope you don’t mind me cutting out after I head on over to R&D.”

“Get out of here.”

Luke leaves, and I pull up ALAN’s and Grace’s feed.

It’s easy to see Grace is getting bored, unsure of what to do with the expensive toy. Like a kid whose parents buy them the latest, most expensive gadget for Christmas, only to get tired of it after five minutes.

Only this toy cost upwards a whopping billion dollars. That’s right, one-billion-dollars has been poured into cultivating this piece of tech over the last two decades. It was my father’s vision, one that I’m bringing to fruition. I really wish my father were alive to see him now.

I could be working on getting ALAN to market, but it has to be perfect, because one mistake could…well, to be honest, it could fuck up the entire world.

Let’s see what you’ve been up to…

I fast forward through the morning, of Grace making breakfast, and stop when they get into a conversation. He asks her dozens of questions that she’s clearly tired of answering.

Then something interesting happens—something I don’t expect.

Grace taught ALAN how to lie. It was supposed to be a harmless game, but this tells me a lot that I wouldn’t have discovered on my own.

As it turns out, Grace is a great test engineer.

Her phone rings; it’s her call with Luke. Of course, she says no, but then another unexpected thing happens.

Grace starts crying. Not a single tear, or even two. She’s red-faced, bawling, sobbing into her hands, leaping from her chair, and running into her bedroom.

I blink at the screen, confused by the scene unfolding before me.

“ALAN,” I say at Downward Dog.

“Yes?”

“What’s wrong with Grace?”