Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 51193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
His head snaps in my direction. A nasty look scrolls across his face. “What are you talking about? I didn’t copy from anyone. The Fallen Universe is mine. I created it while I was in college and then expanded on it after I met your mother.”
“Isn’t that what she has on you? There’re a lot of similarities between your games and some classics.”
He shakes his head. “If you look close enough, every game has at least one thing in common with another. You can’t exactly reinvent the wheel, only come up with your own version. The merger has nothing to do with my games.” He waves off my concern. “I’m merging with 10X Games because it will take our company from three billion to over twenty after we launch our first joint game.”
“But you don’t care about money.”
“I don’t, never did. But I have shareholders who care, and they voted for the merger. I had no say in the matter.”
“How did you vote?” I ask.
“I voted yes. If I hadn’t, the board would have removed me as CEO.”
“But it’s your company,” I whisper.
“That’s the problem with taking a company public. The board controls everything. They can replace me if they want. If I hadn’t voted in favor of the merger, I would have been doing our shareholders a disservice. The board could’ve made a case that I’m an incompetent CEO.”
“So, now what? You just hand your company over to Cece’s dad?”
“No, I’ll still be part of the company, but I’m working on something else for you, Mike, and Grace. I hope you will consider joining us.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“A new company.” Dad reaches across the couch and squeezes my hand. “I want you to be the lead developer and the CTO. What do you say?”
My mouth falls open in surprise. All of this is so… sudden. He wants me to be the Chief Technology Officer of his new company, and I haven’t even graduated from college yet.
“Who’ll run the company?”
“Mike will be the CEO and Grace the COO. They will handle the day-to-day operations. I want you to focus on developing new games.”
“What about you? Kevin Carmichael is the CEO of 10X. So where does that leave you?”
“I’ll retire after the merger and let Kevin handle everything.” He moves his hands to my back and pulls me closer. “I was thinking we could do this together, you and me. Like it used to be when you were younger. I have a few more billion-dollar ideas up my sleeve. So what do you say? Want to do this with me?”
I lean into him, hugging him tight. “I knew you didn’t rip off those games,” I say against his neck, and he laughs. After his body stops shaking from laughter, I continue, “There’s nothing I want more than to work with you.”
He kisses my cheek, squeezing the life from me.
“You want to ease up, Dad?” I ask, laughing.
He chuckles, releasing me from his grip.
I learned everything I know from him. Before I went to college, we spent hours together every day, and when he couldn’t be with me in person, he always video chatted with me. Just thinking of sketching out new worlds and ideas together brings a smile to my face.
“Are you ready?” he asks.
“To boldly go where no man has gone before…” I joke, quoting the opening of Star Trek: The Original Series, our favorite television show.
Our laughter fills the room, shaking through us.
“So, you think you can fix my game?”
He lifts my laptop from the table and scans the code in front of him. “I’m giving her all she’s got, Captain,” he quips, referring to Scotty from Star Trek.
I shake my head, laughing, and my dad joins me.
Man, we’re legit nerds. You wouldn’t know it by looking at us, though there’s no denying it.
“I can’t wait to get started,” I tell him.
He slaps my back. “Me, too, Jamer.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Shannon
On my way home from class, I get a text from Jamie asking to meet him in the game room at the SAC. It’s an odd request, even for him. It’s been five days since Jamie begged me for another chance, and I’m finally ready to give him one.
Typing out a quick reply, I change directions.
Why does he want to meet at the SAC? The last time we spoke, he promised to make a grand gesture to show that he’s serious. Greasy food and foosball aren’t exactly romantic. I rush through the open doors at the Student Activity Center and follow the crowd upstairs.
When I step inside the game room, I’m surprised to find Jamie and a few of our friends—Jordan, Bex, Jemma, and Taylor are standing next to Preston, Drake, Tucker, Trent, and Jamie. No one else is in the room, which is unusual at this hour.
I approach Jamie, giving him a confused look. “What’s going on?”