Page 1 of Daring Destiny

Prologue

Brennan - Present Day

WhatthefuckamI doing here?

Never, in a million, billion years, could I have predicted I’d end up at my fifteen-year high-school reunion. I mean, who even has a fifteen-year reunion?

Uh, my disorganized, indifferent class, that’s who I guess.

We blew past our ten-year and I didn’t even notice. No interest. High school sucked, it wasn’t for me.

I never fit in.

Until recently, my all-consuming focus has been the company I founded when I was at Foster Business School, Cognify AI. We revolutionized the real estate industry by turning market data into actionable insights for realtors, offering predictive analytics, personalized property recommendations, and immersive virtual tours, all through an intuitive, graphical interface. We scaled the technology into the hospitality industry, making my company the highest-grossing technology company in the world after we went public.

Shit.

I’m such a fucking turd.

Even my own thoughts sound like elevator pitches.

Chill out, man.

I’m trying to, for fuck’s sake. Which is why I’m standing here in the renovated cafeteria at Garfield High with a whiskey in hand and a polite smile plastered on my face. I’m completely out of my comfort zone. Social outings like this make me cringe. I suck at small talk. It’s pointless. Irrelevant.Boring.

I wouldn’t have bothered, except for one reason.

Astrid.

Just thinking her name sends a little thrill down my spine. And, a lightning bolt of remorse.

She was my low-key obsession back in high school, The ultimate in main-character energy. An ice-blonde goddess who glided through the halls, dressed like a superstar as if she owned the place. Kind and compassionate to everyone. Hot as fuck. Every guy wanted her.

Especially me.

Unfortunately, a socially awkward, slightly overweight kid never stood a chance with an it-girl like Astrid. No, she was hooking up with Jake Thompson, the asshole basketball superstar who treated her like garbage but looked like a Greek god.

He’s not here tonight, of course. Mr. Big-Time NBA superstar couldn’t be bothered.

Oh, how times have changed. Tonight, I’m wearing the BDE crown on my own, I guess. Last month,Wirednamed me the most influential tech CEO of the past decade. I guess it’s true, but it’s weird for someone who deliberately stayed out of the spotlight to suddenly be recognized everywhere.

Hence, why I’ve parked myself in a dark corner. Too many classmates I don’t care for suddenly want to be my best friend.No fucking thank you. Clout chasers arenotmy jam. As soon as Astrid sees I’ve made the effort, I’ll make my escape.

Whoa. There she is. She looks incredible, as usual. My God, after all these years it’s uncanny the way she has an effortless way of looking like a million bucks.

Tonight, she rocks a shimmery black dress. It dips low enough to enhance her impressive cleavage but not enough to be obscene. Her long, blonde hair falls in waves over her shoulder. Other than the dark eyeliner, which makes her green eyes pop, her face is clean and natural. Even her jewelry is classy. Simple gold earrings and a matching bracelet. Sky-high black heels make her slim, toned legs look like they go on forever.

God. It’s like she walked straight out of some fashion magazine.

It’s hard to believe it was three-ish years ago when she reached out to me through my brother Connor, the bass player in Seattle’s biggest band, Less Than Zero. Coincidentally, she was his realtor. Sold him a multimillion-dollar house on Hunt’s Point, where the richest people in the Seattle area live. When Connor mentioned she wanted to get in touch, I thought it was a joke.

Why would the high-school “it” girl want to talk to me? A guy she never acknowledged?

I did what any self-respecting guy with a past like mine would do.

Ignored her.

She was persistent, though. Turned out she wanted help with this reunion. Apparently, convincing a bunch of thirty-somethings to relive their glory days wasn’t as easy as it sounded, even for the most popular girl in the class. She had a brilliant idea and I was, apparently, the one who could help her.

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