AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Start with your father.’
‘My father took something of mine and used it for his own purposes.’
He looked at her as if to say, ‘Is that all?’ and she wanted to scream.
‘What, he withheld your pocket money?’
‘Don’t be crass,’ she replied, this time very consciously echoing his own words once fired at her down the phone.
‘What, then?’ he demanded, his patience clearly wearing thin.
‘He took my technical specs for a more efficient drone tracking system.’
The look on his face might have been comical had it not been so painful.
‘What?’
She’d known he’d have trouble either understanding her or believing her, either way he clearly needed more of an explanation.
‘Five years ago I was studying a graduate degree at the ENS in Sciences, specialising in mathematics and computer sciences. Please don’t look at me as if I’ve just sprouted a second head. It’s...patronising and infuriating.’
‘I’m not being patronising,’ he said defensively. ‘I have clearly only known you as a successful humanities entrepreneur. The computer science thing doesn’t seem to fit.’
‘I happened to be very good at“thecomputer science thing”, thank you.’
‘Which begs the question,’ he replied, as if she had only proved his point.
‘As a child, it became quite clear that I had an affinity with computers and technology. To me, they always made sense. There was clarity in ones and zeros, an unwavering logic. I liked the challenge they presented and revelled in working around and within them to get what I wanted. As part of my degree at ENS, I knew that I would have to find an internship to support my education and thought that Paquet Industries would be perfect.’ She had told herself that then, and told Loukis the same lie now. But, really, it had been more than that—she just didn’t want to open that painful truth to herself, or Loukis.
‘I had been using their workshops to work on my dissertation project. One of the senior managers had seen what I was working on and the next thing I knew it was taken from me. Used in a...used in a very different way from what I had intended.’ She felt the familiar rush of anger, the ache of her father refusing to speak to her.
‘Because you had signed an intellectual property waiver for work done while interning.’
Surprised, she looked up at Loukis, immediately appreciating the quick mind that had made his own company such a shocking international success.
‘Yes.’
‘I get how that must have been frustrating, but, what? This is about money? Recognition for your designs?’
‘No, it’s not that!’ She knew that was how it would have been seen had the news got out with no acknowledgement of the wracking guilt she still faced to this day. She couldn’t, wouldn’t share with Loukis what her plans had been used for, horrified by the sheer thought of his reaction, but she could try to make him realise why, could try to make him understand.
‘I...growing up with my father wasn’t...’ She took a deep breath. This was so much harder than she’d thought it would be. ‘He was a difficult man. Exacting, focused...’
‘Demanding?’ Loukis prompted.
‘No, actually. He wasn’t. Because he never really expected anything of me other than to be seen and not heard. He’d always wanted a son to pass on Paquet Industries to, but after me, my mother was unable to fall pregnant again. So, in a way, I became a representation of his failure, I think. I can only guess, because he hardly credited me with such an honest explanation or outpouring.
‘And in my childlike logic, I thought that if I could prove myself of use, if I could harness my skills for my father’s company he might... He might finally see me as worthy.’ She shrugged as if her innocent conclusion didn’t hold such a world of pain within it.
‘And Marc Moreau? Who is he?’
‘He works for the Ministère de la Jeunesse et des Sports,’ Célia said, trying not to flinch at Loukis’s tone.
‘The Ministry of Sport?’
‘And youth affairs, yes.’
Loukis frowned, as displeased. ‘Okay. Let’s try this again. Who is he to you?’
