The Algorithm of Us

CHAPTER ONE: THE ARRIVAL

The glass doors of Langston Tower opened with a hush of air, welcoming Lucien Reed into a world built on silence, steel, and billion-dollar secrets. He moved like a shadow—quiet, controlled, every step measured. Black boots. Dark suit. A faint scar slicing through his left brow like a warning label.

He didn't come here for small talk.

Nathaniel Langston, tech mogul and CEO of Langston Innovations, was already waiting in the private lobby. His handshake was firm, but his eyes were tired—creased with worry only a father could wear.

"Mr. Reed," he said, his voice smooth and low. "I appreciate you coming so quickly."

Lucien nodded once. "You said it was urgent."

"It is." Nathaniel glanced toward the elevator, his jaw tightening. "It's about my daughter. Delilah."

Lucien's expression didn't shift. He'd been given only the essentials: Executive protection. High-value client. No publicity.

"I assume there's a threat," Lucien said.

Nathaniel hesitated. "Not yet. But that doesn't mean there won't be." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Delilah... she's brilliant. Graduated MIT at twenty, helps run one of our most sensitive AI research programs. But she's—" his voice faltered "—fragile in ways you can't see on paper."

Lucien arched a brow.

"She doesn't do well with... the world." Nathaniel's voice was quiet now. "Crowds, attention, even noise. She's... afraid. Of almost everything outside these walls."

Lucien didn't react, but he filed the detail away. Not a typical protection job. This wasn't about physical threats. This was about someone who lived her life under siege, even without enemies.

The elevator dinged.

Nathaniel stepped in, and Lucien followed.

"She's not thrilled about having a bodyguard," Nathaniel said as the doors slid shut. "She didn't even want to come work here. But I couldn't leave her alone anymore. Not with the way the company's been drawing eyes."

Lucien didn't ask what kind of eyes. He'd find out soon enough.

When the elevator opened, they stepped into the penthouse suite that served as both a private residence and a quiet sanctuary. It was sleek and minimalist—but not cold. Soft rugs, warm light, books everywhere.

And in the far corner, curled in a window seat with a laptop and noise-cancelling headphones over her ears, was Delilah Langston.

Lucien stopped.

She didn't look up at first. She was small—not weak, but withdrawn, like someone who'd learned to take up as little space as possible. Her long sweater sleeves were pulled down over her hands, and her posture was a careful shield.

"Delilah," Nathaniel said gently.

She flinched, pulling the headphones off slowly. Her eyes—big, storm-gray, and wide with quiet panic—landed on Lucien.

He saw it instantly. The tension. The suspicion. The fear that wasn't theatrical or dramatic—it was something quieter. Something lived-in.

"I told you I didn't need anyone," she whispered.

Her voice was soft. Measured. Every syllable chosen carefully, as if she were afraid of being wrong.

"You don't have a choice," Nathaniel said, stepping beside her. "This is Lucien Reed. He's not here to control you—just to protect you."

She stood slowly, clutching her sleeves. "Protect me from what?"

Nathaniel hesitated. "From the people who want what you've built."

Lucien watched her. Smart. Wary. A mind too quick to trust the world.

"I won't get in your way," he said quietly. "I'm not here to hover. Just to make sure nothing touches you."

She looked at him. Really looked at him. And for a second, something flickered behind her eyes. Doubt. Fear. Hope, maybe.

Then she nodded, barely.

Nathaniel stepped back. "Lucien will shadow you during your first week at the office. He'll be discreet."

Delilah's hands twisted in her sleeves. "I don't like being followed."

Lucien's voice was calm. "Then you'll hardly notice me."

She glanced away, as if retreating into herself again.

Nathaniel exhaled. "You'll be safe with him. That's all I want."

Lucien understood. He wasn't just protecting a billionaire's daughter.

He was protecting the only thing in Nathaniel Langston's world that couldn't be rebuilt if broken.

And as he looked at Delilah—so quiet, so guarded—he knew this job wasn't going to be about weapons or fists.

Absolutely — here's Chapter Two, continuing the story of Lucien and Delilah. We start to explore their early dynamic as opposites, while slowly peeling back Delilah's inner world.