Page 131 of The Revenge Game

Cheryl looks between us, her forehead creasing. “Alright, there’s a lot to unpack here. Drew, is this some kind of practical joke you’ve played on Xander?”

I don’t know what to say. My carefully constructed world is collapsing around me. I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster thathas just crested its highest peak, with that sickening moment of suspension before the inevitable plunge.

Xander rolls his eyes again, then gets out his phone.

“Here.” He holds up his phone to show Adam and Cheryl.

On his screen is a video of me at last year’s TechCrunch conference. I’m on a panel flanked by Catherine Zhang and Sundar Pichai. My voice is confident and polished as I explain NovaCore’s revolutionary approach to database management. On-screen, I’m wearing designer glasses instead of my current frames, but there’s no mistaking it’s me.

Adam makes a noise that sounds like a squeaky toy being stepped on.

Cheryl’s eyes widen, and she looks from the screen to me, then back to the screen. “Is this some kind of deepfake?”

“I can explain,” I start, but then stop.

What the hell can I actually say to make this better? There’s no way I can tell my colleagues the truth before I tell Justin.

“Actually, no, I can’t really explain.”

Silence hangs in the air like morning fog over the Thames, thick enough to choke on.

“Are you telling me you are actually Andrew Yates?” Cheryl asks.

“Yes, I’m Andrew Yates. Obviously, I lied on my résumé. I apologize for that.”

Adam’s face has gone through an impressive range of colors, finally settling on a shade that suggests he’s either about to faint or spontaneously combust.

“You… You’re…” He keeps opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish experiencing an existential crisis.

“Yeah.” I push my glasses up my nose. “I wrote the code that underpins NovaCore. Which, returning to our initial conversation, is why I like to think I do have enough experience to optimize the marketing system.”

Adam looks like he’s mentally replaying every condescending explanation he’s ever given me about the system I created, his face cycling through fifty shades of mortification.

“And you’re doing an undercover TV show?” Cheryl says.

“No. That part isn’t true. There’s no TV show.”

“There’s not?” Xander looks like he’s just been told his breakfast, second breakfast, and mid-morning snack have been canceled.

“No. There’s no show.”

“So why did you pretend to be a regular IT guy when you’re tech royalty? Is it some kind of weird millionaire hobby?”

Was getting revenge on my high school bully some kind of weird millionaire hobby? I guess you could claim that.

“I…ah…wanted something to do,” I say.

I look at Cheryl. “Obviously, I completely understand if me lying on my résumé means you need to terminate my employment?—”

“Are you kidding me?” Xander interrupts me. He turns to Cheryl. “You’re seriously going to fire Andrew Yates? You have one of the brightest tech minds in the world working for you at fifteen pounds an hour. Are you completely mad?”

Cheryl bites her lip. “I’ll have to talk to the CEO about this.”

“I appreciate I’ve put you in a difficult position,” I say, standing. “Please let me know the results of your conversation.”

I leave the office, my legs shaking so much I can hardly walk.

It’s over.