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I look at him, panic gripping me, and shake my head as I turn in my seat. “No, Gray. You can’t. I know I didn’t really get this job because I earned it, but I was hoping no one would know. I really want a chance to prove myself.”
Gray glances at me briefly and nods. “I see. All right. I’ll drop you at the HR department instead, okay? They’ll get your employee pass made and show you around. You probably won’t do much on your first day. It’s mostly just paperwork, meeting your colleagues and getting up to date on our current project. Your manager will fill you in.”
I nod, the nerves truly kicking in now. He parks the car in what appears to be his designated spot and turns to look at me. “Aria,” he says, his expression tense. “I need you to promise me you’ll tell me if you’re struggling. Tell me if you need help. Hell, tell me if someone is being a dick to you. I promised Noah I’d look out for you, and I have every intention of keeping that promise.”
His sincerity startles me. I know Gray’s loyalty to Noah knows no bounds, but I’ve never had his intensity directed atme.
“I promise,” I whisper, my heart racing.
Gray looks into my eyes, his gaze unwavering. He seems to have found what he’s looking for because he nods resolutely. “Very well,” he says. “Let’s go, shall we?”
16
Aria
I’m overwhelmed in all the best ways by the time I’m led to what is about to become my very own desk. The six screens that have been set up at my desk almost bring tears to my eyes. This… this is what I’ve always imagined. I can barely believe this is real.
“Your department has been dubbed The Elites,” Sam tells me. Until I met her, I was convinced that every single person who works for Human Resources is useless, but she proved me wrong.
“In reality, it’s called the Developmental Operations Department. No one knows what you guys actually do, to be honest.”
She chuckles and I can’t help but smile. “Let me introduce you to your manager,” she says, nodding at the guy that’s walking up to us. I try my hardest to stay calm, but I’m failing.
“Hi,” he says, holding out his hand for me. “I’m Riley.”
“I know,” I blurt out. My cheeks heat rapidly, and I’m mortified. But Riley merely smiles, some of the ice that was previously present in his eyes melting. I clear my throat awkwardly and shake the hand he’s still holding out for me. “I’m Aria,” I manage.
I can’t believe I’m shaking Riley Paulson’s hand. I’ve admired his work for a while now. He developed a social media app that has become a household name. The algorithms behind it are stupidly innovative. The way he’s managed to keep people on the platform, and the way he monetized it… it’s crazy. When Grayson hired him, it ended up becoming front-page news, primarily because no one has been able to figure out why a guy that rich would want to work for someone else.
“I wasn’t aware we’d be hiring anyone new until Grayson informed me this morning. Here’s the thing, though. I can’t find anything about you. No notable accomplishments, not even an impressive illegal digital footprint. Every one of us here was hired because of something we did that no one else could… but you? Tell me why you’re here.”
I panic. I didn’t think this far ahead. I thought I’d just prove myself through my work, that I’d just work hard and keep my head down. I didn’t think anyone would ask me outright what makes me think I deserve to be here.
“Questioning my decisions, Riley? When did I grant you the authority to do that?”
I turn to find Gray leaning against the doorframe of what appears to be his office. I didn’t think Gray and I would even be on the same floor, but it looks like we are. So much for keeping my distance from him at work.
Riley looks at Gray, a silent exchange occurring between the two of them. When he looks back at me, his expression is unreadable. “Let me introduce you to the rest of the team,” he says, before turning and walking away. I rush to follow him, and when he stops by the desk nearest to mine, I almost crash into him. I don’t remember the last time I embarrassed myself as thoroughly as today.
My eyes widen when I recognize yet another person I idolize. “Elliot Evans,” he says, rising to his feet to shake my hand. This time I manage to keep from blurting out that I know exactly who he is. But the amused look in his eyes tells me I’m not doing a great job at hiding my adoration. Elliot is one of the best system hackers that I know of, and I can’t make sense of what this team even is. The developer of a famous social media platform and now a system hacker?
I follow Riley as he moves to the next desk, and this time I manage to hide my excitement a bit better, even though I’ve been cyber stalking the tall blonde standing in front of me for years now. “Laura,” she says. I nod, praying my cheeks aren’t flaming the way I think they are.
“Laura is our machine learning engineer,” Riley tells me, moving along before I even have a chance to shake her hand. He’s gone before I manage to say anything to her, and I’m at a loss. Is the introduction done?
“Follow him,” Laura says, winking at me.
I’m flustered as I do as she says. This team… these are some of the smartest minds. The stuff they could do together, it’s unreal. What was Gray thinking, having me join them?
Riley leans against my desk, and I hesitate before taking my seat. The way he stares tells me he isn’t happy with my presence, and I can’t blame him. I don’t deserve to be here.
“Grayson has never done this before, so I’ll choose to trust him for now. If I find out the only reason you’re here is because you’re fucking the boss, I’ll fire you. Grayson won’t be able to stop me, unless he’s willing to let me walk away.”
I glare at him, disappointment washing over me. I’ve looked up to Riley Paulson for years, but he’s… a dick. “If you speak to me that way again, Grayson won’t have to fire you,” I tell him. “HR will do it for him.”
Riley’s eyes widen, and then he laughs, startling me. “You might just survive,” he tells me as he leans over to grab my mouse.
“Here,” he says, opening a document. “Finish this script. I didn’t get to interview you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t test you. Grayson might have given you a way in, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get to stay.”
