Page 13 of Return on Love

“What’s the storage?”

“1 TB SSD.”

“Impressive. Load times must be non-existent for you.”

He smiles. “I’m Bill, by the way. Nice to meet you. Looks like you know your shit. You’re here for the demo, I guess. That’s what Gabs usually gets people here for.”

Gabriel nods. “Yes. So, if your geeky conversation is over, let’s get started.”

Bill settles down again in front of his amazing system while I take a seat nearby, looking at him with envy. “This is our flagship game—Moore. Ryan developed it after Piggies, which was our first game developed by Ryan, Boris and Clyde. Boris and Clyde opted for corporate jobs, but Ryan founded MooreGames.”

I want to tell him I know Piggies and Moore. I’ve played them. Like a lot. Of course, then I didn’t know who was behind it. Perhaps I wouldn’t have played it so much if I’d known. I’m sure I’d also ranted about some of its features. I thank my stars no one knows me as YodaPrincess here, or things would get bad. Worse than they already are.

Despite what I think about Ryan, I have to admit Moore is a fun game. Hell, even after so many years, people still play it. It came out of nowhere, and within weeks of its launch, it became a ‘thing’. Piggies was a kiddish game, a mindless one, where you just had to kill some piggies and score points. It was addictive, no doubt, but Moore was different. It was a fun game, a treasure hunt. Duh! To get to the treasure, you had to answer questions. Based on your answer, a path appeared in front of you. The questions were puzzle-like, but had no wrong answer. In a way, it was like life. Your future was determined by your choices. You collected experiences, information, and friends and made enemies. You could choose to kill or try to transform your enemy into a docile character by trading and various other means. There wasn’t much violence. It was a multi-player game, but you could also play with AI, and new difficulties on the path kept it interesting. It was rarely ever the same if you played it again. In short, it was a path-breaking kind of game when it was first released.

I watch as Gabriel and his team member play the game. I want to prompt them to do certain things to help them reach the treasure faster. But I hold my tongue. They don’t need to know that RamBam and I have spent countless hours playing this game together.

I get to play next, and I try hard not to play like an expert. I force myself to make a few blunders, but play well enough to garner their respect.

“You’re a natural,” Gabriel says as we exit the game room. “And from your conversation with Bill, I see you’ve done your homework.”

I notice Ryan’s gaze follow us as we cross the floor. He’s like the Big Brother out here. Or Sauron, if I may call him that. Needs to keep an eye on everything. It’s almost lunchtime, and I accompany Gabriel to a small sandwich place on the ground floor of the building.

“You’re scheduled to meet Ryan at around 4. The game room is needed by the testing team for the evening. So, you can look at the games’ metric data if you like. I can also share some info on our competitors.”

“Can I meet some of your coders?”

“Um. Coders?” Gabriel certainly didn’t expect that. “Well, you can. Of course. But d’ya think your first day is a good time for that?”

“Why not? I’d like to meet the people who create the magic,” I reply, licking my lips after the last bite of the sandwich.

“I… I think they’re busy with Ryan today. You can probably meet them later in the week. What say?”

I glance at Gabriel, feeling a hint of confusion about his reaction. Is he intentionally keeping me from meeting the most crucial team in the company? It doesn’t quite add up. Am I over-analyzing his expressions, reading too much into them when there’s probably nothing there? I guess so. Besides, I can address any concerns directly with Ryan when I meet him.

I have a couple of hours to kill before my meeting with Ryan, and since I can’t play the games anymore, I decide to dive into the files Gabriel has emailed me. Thankfully, the task also helps keep my nerves in check before I face my nemesis again.

As I peruse through the data over the years, I’m shocked, to say the least. I wonder how this deal passed through the partner’s desk. The numbers don’t tell a very promising story. No other game since ‘Moore’, has even come close to achieving the same user metrics. One game, ‘SpaceMoore,’ did reasonably well, but it wasn’t a phenomenon like Moore. This was a red flag. I hope they have something spectacular lined up, or else it’s hard to see why I’m even here. My firm rarely invests unless there’s a proven track record; we’re not venture capitalists. The numbers from the last two quarters are still missing. Gabriel said they need to sign off before sending them to me. I hope they show some significant uptrend.

It’s almost time for my meeting with Ryan, and I find it impossible to concentrate on anything. I can’t afford to say anything foolish, not again. I create a mental checklist of topics to discuss with him. Starting with, well, an apology. I don’t want him to think I purposely insulted him in front of his team. And I genuinely need this win, I remind myself again. If that means apologizing to someone like Ryan, I’m ready to do it.

I straighten my dress, look at my hair in the reflection on my blank laptop screen, and walk towards the least anticipated meeting in my lifetime. I’m barely out of my room when I spot Ryan emerging from his own. He’s wearing his coat. Is he planning to leave? His room is on the other end of the floor and mine is closer to the exit. I make a dash for it and catch up with him before he’s out the door. I can’t help but give myself a mental pat on the back. One point for me.

“I thought we were supposed to meet. Like right now,” I say, as I stumble a little on my heels. Thankfully, there’s a cubicle wall near me, and I steady myself on time.

His spine goes rigid as he sees me, reminding me of a mischievous child caught in the act. He turns to face me, and I stare at his blue eyes. His face tenses up a bit as he gazes at me with a look that says he had probably forgotten about me being there.

“And thank you for the other day. After the party, y’know,” I mutter.

He continues to stare, expressionless. Does he even remember it happened, or was he too sozzled to remember anything? Worse. Was it not him who held me? My face burns up a little.

“I thought we had a meeting right now,” I mumble again.

“I’m sorry… Eva.” He says my name as an afterthought, as if it took some effort to get those two syllables out of his mouth. “There’s a family emergency, and I have to leave. We’ll reschedule.”

He continues walking to the door. I follow him like a fool, almost running behind him to keep pace with his enormous strides. So much for being the boss of him by controlling the funding!

We’re out of the door, and he’s waiting for the elevator, his eyes glued to his phone.

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