The Desire Variable | Rewrite

⸻ TWENTY-NINE ⸻

After the first series of rounds, while there's a break for the winning robots to get some maintenance, I excuse myself to go to the bathroom. As I come back, a familiar voice stops me in my tracks.

"Congratulations on this morning's presentation," Hugh says, his sneering tone making my skin crawl.

Fighting the displeasure he ignites in me, I face him and force a smile on my lips. "Thank you. It was a resounding success."

"Alexander told me the app was mostly your work. Is it true?"

"Yes, it was a personal project until Kelex bought it from me."

"It's impressive. A shame you didn't look at your options before selling. We would have bought it for much more than Kelex could ever afford."

His remark irritates me irrationally. "Everything isn't about money," I dryly retort.

"Of course not. But Avoss has the means to make such a tool accessible worldwide with a snap of its finger."

"Well, Avoss also sells private data and supposedly secure information to Fortune 500 companies, among many other unethical things."

My jab amuses him. "Ah, you don't like us very much, do you? I wanted to offer to double your salary to get you to work for us."

Given his tone, I have no doubt that he's dead serious, so I look at him with widened eyes. Working for Avoss is an opportunity of a lifetime. People would kill for such an offer—especially for double my current pay.

"Maybe I misjudged you. Perhaps I can convince you," he notes, mistaking my silence for something it's not.

"No. I'm happy where I am."

"Once more, Kelex won't get you very far. Money-wise or career-wise. While sleeping with your boss may help you climb the ladder, it's a very short ladder you're working with."

Air leaves my lungs as if he hit me in the guts. How does he know? Did he guess? Did they discuss this yesterday after I left Lex's room in a hurry?

"I'm—I don't know what you—"

"Save your breath. I'm not an idiot. You do whatever you want, but if you'd rather get a job that values you for your actual work rather than your bedroom skills, give me a call," he coldly says, handing me his card.

I glare at it like it's venomous and then glare at him. Who the fuck is he to say those things? When Hugh understands I won't take his card, he slides it back into his chest pocket. "Whenever you aspire to more than someone who sleeps around to succeed, you know where to find me," he concludes, leaving me alone.

He has no idea what he's talking about. I'm not sleeping with Lex to succeed, and he isn't using his position to take advantage of me. We're doing it because we can't help it, because we need each other.

Someone bumps into me, taking me out of my thoughts. With a groan, I shake my irritation away. Hugh is a prick, and what he thinks doesn't matter. But deep down, I know he won't be the only one thinking I'm doing it to get somewhere professionally. For God's sake, Kelex just bought my app for a quarter of a million.

What about my colleagues? They're reasonable people, but it ought to be suspicious that I'm already leading a massive project shortly after getting the job. Shit, they'll imagine things started before the sale or that Lex had me upstairs with him for that. My professional image would be ruined by all this.

I feel like an empty shell of myself as I return to my chair before the second round starts. I should have thought about all this before we started having sex. I should have focused on the big picture rather than giving in because the dick was too good.