Page 141 of The Revenge Game

We were both hiding in plain sight, weren’t we? Both so scared of showing our real selves that we built fortresses out of fake personas and careful lies.

The announcement for my stop barely registers through the fog of exhaustion and regret.

Obviously, word about my real identity has spread quickly at DTL Enterprises.

The receptionist, who usually barely acknowledges me, is now practically bouncing in her seat, her face lit up like I’m a celebrity guest onAndy Cohen.

“Good morning, Mr. Yates!” She practically sings my name. “I just want you to know that my nephew is absolutely obsessed with coding, and I was wondering—I mean, only if you havetime, of course—if you might sign his copy ofWiredmagazine?” She fumbles in her desk drawer, producing a magazine.

I manage what I hope passes for a polite smile as I quickly scrawl my signature on the cover.

“You know, I always thought there was something different about you,” she continues, leaning forward conspiratorially. “The way you fixed the printer that time without hitting it first was suspicious behavior for regular IT support.”

I mumble something about needing to check IT tickets and practically flee to the elevator.

But the elevator doesn’t provide a reprieve. The doors open to show Sarah, who takes one look at me and bursts out laughing.

“So, the guy who helped me recover my wedding photos is actually a tech mogul?” She wipes tears from her eyes. “Here I was thinking I was mentoring you about office politics.”

“You were mentoring me about office politics,” I say. “I actually learned a lot from you.”

She gives me a smirk. “I think this definitely means you’re shouting lunch next time.”

“I think I can manage that,” I say as I exit the elevator.

The IT department is even worse. Now that he knows there’s no TV crew, Xander has abandoned his professional clothes in favor of returning to his Dragon’s Sphere chic, but he’s swiveling in his chair with an anticipatory smile. It’s like he can’t wait to see what plot twist today will bring.

Adam hovers by my desk, clutching a stack of papers that look suspiciously like printed copies of my MIT thesis. “Drew—I mean, Mr. Yates—I’ve been reviewing some of your earlier papers on optimization protocols, and I had a few thoughts about?—”

The help desk notification chime cuts him off. I’ve never been so grateful for the sound. My eyes snap to the screen.

Ticket from: Sales Department

Issue: Printer malfunction

I’m out of my chair before either of them can speak, nearly knocking over Adam’s carefully arranged stack of research papers in my haste.

“I’ll take this one,” I call over my shoulder, already halfway to the door.

“But it’s just a printer issue,” Xander protests. “Surely the great Andrew Yates has more important?—”

I close the door on his words. My heart pounds against my ribs as I climb the stairs. What will I say if I see Justin? What can I possibly say that I haven’t already poured out in garbled voice messages?

The sales department is its usual chaos of ringing phones and competitive energy. Dave is demonstrating what appears to be his attempt to break the office record for most rubber bands shot at Pete’s coffee mug in under thirty seconds, but I barely register it.

Because Justin’s desk is empty.

“Where’s Justin?” I ask.

Dave tries to look serious but ends up looking like he’s struggling with a particularly challenging math problem. “Oh, mate, you just missed him. He was here first thing, went straight to Roger’s office, and asked for emergency leave to go home. Apparently, he was scheduled to go back to the States next week anyway. He’s just brought it forward.”

The words hit me like a physical blow, forcing all the air from my lungs. I have to grip the edge of Dave’s desk to stay upright, my knuckles turning white against the laminate.

“Oh. Right,” I say.

“Is it true you’re basically tech royalty pretending to be one of us peasants? Because, if so, I’ve got this brilliant idea for an app that rates stapler-throwing techniques.”

“Sorry, I’m not quite in the right headspace to be pitched tech ideas right now,” I reply.