George hasn't seen Estelle for a while.
PWL's sales have been booming, and as the top salesperson, he has been quite proud, waiting for Estelle to praise him, but she never came. Unable to hold back his curiosity, he secretly went to ask Marry, and learned that Estelle had been busy working on a chip, and had even canceled the sales department's commendation meeting. The bonuses and performance incentives would be directly credited to their paycards.
Without the opportunity to show off, even getting paid was somewhat unsatisfying. George responded with a disappointed "Oh", then asked, "What kind of chip?"
"The chip for Crescent." Marry said happily, "Do you know Crescent? He's the robot that General Manager Grey likes..."
Crescent? George remembered; they had met once in a mall.
He was tall and handsome. At the time, he teased Estelle, and she tried to cover it up by saying he was a relative's child. Later, when he talked to Marry, he realized that he was actually her service robot. However, for some reason, he had apparently been scrapped last summer, with the chip completely shattered, leaving no possibility of duplication.
"Really? His chip wasn't already..."
"General Manager Grey fixed it again." Marry said proudly, "Come on, our General Manager Grey is so capable, fixing a chip is a piece of cake for her."
That explained it. George nodded in agreement. Seeing his excited expression, Marry suddenly felt uneasy and said anxiously, "Hey, don't go telling others! General Manager Grey hates it when I gossip. She'll scold me if she finds out."
George promised readily, then promptly sold the information to Charlie at a high price. Losing something in one place, he gained something elsewhere. Since General Manager Grey couldn't satisfy his vanity, General Manager Hoffman could made it.
A week later in the evening, George arrived at Estelle's home in his small pickup truck, and the movers unloaded the charging pod from the truck.
Estelle crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame. Her right eyelid twitched, and she frowned, asking, "What's this?"
George respectfully replied, "This is a birthday gift from General Manager Hoffman."
"My birthday is in July, and it's only March now."
"It's a belated birthday gift from last year."
"..."
Estelle couldn't argue. She looked at the charging pod, knowing full well what was inside without needing to guess.
She turned and called Soren, "You seemed to promise me that you wouldn't interfere in my affairs anymore."
Soren's background was filled with laughter and noise, probably from another gathering with government officials. He held a cigarette in his mouth and chuckled, accepting her mood without argument: "I was wrong, it won't happen again."
As the saying goes, one can't hit some one treats you great. Estelle couldn't do anything about it. Soren added, "The other day, I had Charlie help me sort through old data, and I happened to find his production records. It just so happened that the head of the lower-level production line came to talk business with me, so I casually asked him to make one. But I only had the bio-mimetic torso made, not the chip. Chips are too expensive, and I don't have much money. Miss Grey, you'll have to make it yourself."
He was thorough. Estelle laughed, "Is that so? What a coincidence."
"Of course," Soren shamelessly brushed it aside, "How have you been lately?"
"Fine," she said.
"I see that PWL is doing well," Soren said, "Next month's government order, I'll get it for you."
Someone came to offer Soren a toast during their conversation, and after a few quick words, he hung up the call.
Hearing the sound of a car outside, George had already driven away in his small pickup truck. Estelle faced the solitary charging pod, helpless. The charging pod did not have an iris lock, so she gently lifted her hand and opened it.
A pale blue light surrounded the robot as he lay with his eyes closed. Estelle gazed at his face calmly, unable to describe her feelings, only feeling as if time had passed her by.
But her chip wasn't fully ready yet. Even with the body, she could only let him stay in the charging pod for the time being. A minute later, Estelle closed the pod door, pushed him along with the pod into the storeroom, and returned to sit on the sofa. Soon after, her phone vibrated, and she received a message from Sera: "The wedding is the day after tomorrow, remember to come."
Estelle replied with an "OK". Soon after, Sera called her back, "OK? What does just simple 'OK' mean?"
Estelle smiled."I see. Congratulations."
General Manager Grey was sparing with words, and Sera was used to it. She rolled her eyes and said, "By the way, when you come to the wedding the day after tomorrow, don't bother dressing up."
"Why? You're so pretty, are you still afraid I'll steal your spotlight?"
"No for that, it's not that. Calvin has an industry partner who has a crush on you and wants Calvin to introduce you two. I know you're not in the mood for this right now, but Calvin does have business with him, and there are too many interests involved, making it hard to refuse. So, I'm sorry, but you'll may have to endure it, please. Think of it as doing me a favor. Chat with him for a bit the day after tomorrow, then find an excuse to distance yourself afterward."
Estelle nodded. "I understand, thank you."
Sera sounded apologetic, "Thanks, I'll take you out for dinner sometime."
"What, it's not a big deal," Estelle smiled lightly, "Besides, how do you know I won't like him? Maybe he's great, and I might be interested."
"He is excellent, but he's just too ugly," Sera evaluated objectively, "You've had Crescent, how could you possibly be interested in him?"
Estelle didn't have time to respond before Sera realized her slip and quickly changed the subject. After a few more words, she hung up the call as if fleeing. The living room fell quiet, and Estelle held her phone, lowering her hand, and looked toward the storeroom.
She just needed a male companion for the wedding, not because she was eager to see him.
With that thought, Estelle returned to her room, retrieved the half-finished chip, and inserted it into the robot's chip slot.
The program started, and the male robot slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on her.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I'm Estelle," she answered, "your owner."
