Page 27 of The Thorne at My Side
Before I drift off to sleep I send a note to DCFox.
TalkShopGirl:I'm a pretty risk averse person. I play it safe. But I also follow my intuition. I'm at a crossroads at work. I could continue down the path I'm on, stick to what I believe, double down. Or I could pivot and travel down a road I haven’t been before. One that challenges my long-held beliefs.
I know without specifics it is difficult for you to weigh in but I wanted your take. I wanted to see what you'd say. What do you do when you have a life-altering choice to make?
CHAPTER 10
Daddy Issues
AUSTIN
What do I do when I have a choice to make? Well, I'm not sure. I haven't had a lot of choices in my life. Not major ones anyway. College was pretty much picked for me, my condo was recommended to me by my family's real estate agent. My job was mine before I even graduated thanks to nepotism in the name of legacy.
I guess starting the AI Media project was a choice I made. But at the end of the day, Dad told me to build something new that would make the company money and I did.
What if you have to choose between TalkShopGirl and whatever is happening with Maggie Collins?
I shake my head to clear the thought. Maggie and I collided and put our work frustration into those kisses. That’s all. It was just two incredibly hot kisses. And it doesn’t matter that she felt fucking perfect in my hands. And the fact that I’m thickening now just thinking about it is irrelevant.
DCFox:Honestly my life has been pretty well plotted out. You’ll understand more once my secret identity is revealed.
I’m envious of the fork in the road you’re facing. Knowing how predictable my life is I’d tell you to take the path unknown but I also understand the apprehension that brings.
I turn the phone off after sending the message and slide it onto my nightstand. TalkShopGirl has texted me at night a few times recently. I like that she’s thinking of me before bed. It feels intimate. I stare at my ceiling and imagine her awake now, lying in bed. I don’t fight the image of Maggie Collins as it appears. I drift off remembering how her body felt lined up to mine.
???
As I walk up to my dad’s office I adjust my shirtsleeves and try to shake off the no response from TalkShopGirl that I woke up to. I won’t deny that it has put me in a sour mood all morning.
"Good morning Austin. He's ready for you," Darlene, my dad's assistant, says as she steps out of his office. "I'll bring breakfast soon."
"Thanks Darlene," I tell her with a warm smile. Darlene has known me for more than half my life and I love seeing her familiar face around the office. She may be the longest female relationship my dad has ever had. Probably because she comes equipped with a highly sensitive bullshit detector and doesn’t let him get away scott free.
"Take a seat, son," Dad says as he finishes writing something on a slip of paper before folding it and setting it to the side. "I was just on the phone with Stan III. As you know he’s the chairman of the board over at The Chronicle and he was callingto share some news."
"That sounds ominous," I say as I settle into the chair on the other side of his desk.
"Mhmm," Dad murmurs, "He was telling me something interesting about this AI Media business."
"What did he have to say?" I ask as I try to hide my nerves. I’m still developing my shrewd business sense but it is pretty clear this is a threat.
"He's preparing to sue all theselittleAI companies that have popped up lately for copyright infringement." Dad finally looks me cold in the eyes.
"What?" I demand as my crossed leg falls to the floor. A lawsuit could ruin AI Media.
"After talking to a buddy in the justice department he got to thinking. He claims his newspaper didn't give permission to have the robot read everything they published and spit it back out, without sources, to users. It’s going to be a class action lawsuit with three other national papers."
Fuck. That argument is clear enough for the general public to understand it and form their own opinions. They wouldn’t need a lawyer or an influencer to explain it to them and they’d stop downloading AIM as a result. But, on the other hand, in the age of social media reporting do people, everyday people, really care about properly attributing sources?
"What does this mean for us? Are you going to sue as well?"
"I want to join this lawsuit because it’s a smart move for the future of traditional news but it means we’re buck naked and bent over because of your little experiment. "
"Understood, sir." I reply, feeling like 10-year-old me wearing a suit that’s too big. Like I’m being scolded for something I’ve poured all my energy into for the last three years. A project I believe in. And in one fell swoop it feels like a total waste of time.
And I can tell my dad feels the same way.
"They're preparing the suit for the end of the month. You’ll need to make sure we aren’t at risk by then."
