Hello, passengers. The plane will land in Electronic City in five minutes. Please make sure you have all your personal belongings...
Exiting the aircraft, Estelle Grey saw a distant orange-pink dawn on the horizon.
She followed the ground markers toward the arrival hall, the surrounding voices like a noisy river. She pulled her suitcase along slowly, and the early spring chill of Electronic City greeted her as the automatic doors opened. She adjusted her collar, and in that moment, she spotted Aiden Watson's car.
Inside the car, the warmth felt like another spring.
As she fastened her seatbelt, Aiden offered her a cup of coffee. She didn't take it, instead warming her hands by breathing on them. Aiden paused for a moment before placing the coffee back on the holder. "A top AI engineer like you, why don't you even have an assistant to carry your luggage?"
Estelle glanced at him, her voice cool. "The boss of a top technology company isn't also here to pick someone up personally."
Aiden was taken aback, then suddenly laughed. He turned around to start the car, catching a glimpse of Estelle reaching for the coffee. The rough texture of the paper cup reminded him of historical coffee shops, and he guessed that Estelle would appreciate it. Indeed, she stared at it for quite some time, running her fingers over it.
"The coffee is cold. Have you been waiting long?"
"Not really," Aiden said, looking ahead. "Just a few rounds of a game to pass the time, not nearly as tedious as board meetings."
It was true that board meetings were boring, but she didn't recall him having a habit of playing games.
Estelle fell silent, not saying anything. Soon, the car left the ring road and passed by the skyscrapers of Electronic City, which seemed like fleeting blue auroras.
Feeling sleepy, she couldn't help but yawn. Aiden immediately asked, "Tired?"
Estelle folded her arms and closed her eyes, responding with a soft "Yes." Aiden continued, "The materials for the International Expo were submitted early, and the list of participants had already been set, so we couldn't change it. You've worked hard these days. If you're very tired, I'll take you home first…"
"I know, you've said it many times," Estelle interrupted him. "It's fine, let's go to the company first."
Aiden didn't say anything more, turning the steering wheel and returning to the right turn lane.
Looking up at the road signs, the right turn sign at the crossroads read "Stella Technology Company." A red light appeared, and he stopped, gazing at the sign lost in thought. It wasn't until the green light came on and the cars behind impatiently honked that he came to his senses and pressed down on the accelerator, turning right.
During the time of one red light, Estelle had already fallen asleep, leaning against the side of the car. Aiden parked the car under the shade next to the building, intending to wake her, but when he looked over, he remained silent.
Estelle had striking features, but it wasn't the gentle kind of beauty.
Her beauty was sharp, always carrying a sense of aggression, much like her preference for extremely bitter coffee or her fondness for intensely strong alcohol.
Aiden acknowledged that he couldn't handle such strong drinks, nor could he manipulate someone like Estelle. In a daze, his phone vibrated repeatedly, indicating an incoming call. He was about to hang up when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Estelle frown and realized she had woken up.
Aiden moved his finger back to the answer button.
"Yes, Marry. I've had a quick look at the contract on my way. Don't rush to sign it, I'll be there soon. Also, ask HR to pull Estelle's file. I'm going to a meeting. Come to the main lobby to meet her now."
Estelle had just woken up and was feeling somewhat annoyed. She rubbed her temples with her fingertips. Aiden glanced at her and softened his voice. "Okay, that's it. We can discuss any other matters once I get there."
He hung up the call. Estelle said, "I heard from Mr. Smith that THG has been selling well recently. Congratulations, Boss Watson, on your flourishing business."
"THG's success means your research and development bonuses won't be lacking," Aiden said calmly, then asked, "When did you become such a light sleeper? Even phone vibrating can wake you up?"
Estelle smiled. "Isn't it always like this?"
Before Aiden could respond, Estelle unfastened her seatbelt, turned around, and got out of the car.
The dark blue reflective exterior of Stella Technology Company reached high into the sky. Estelle looked up, seeing a sun like pale water reflected off the building. It was blinding but not particularly warm. The spring breeze was strong, still holding the chill of winter.
Aiden's secretary, Marry Woods, stood outside the company. Aiden gave her some instructions, and Marry turned to swipe her access card, escorting Estelle inside.
Estelle saw the LED poster on the partition wall, advertising the new product experience exhibition for the second-generation female robot, THG. In the vast exhibition hall, visitors came and went, mostly middle-aged men in their forties or fifties. The salesmen department bustled around, introducing and explaining the products. The hall was crowded and noisy with a large amount of people, occasionally punctuated by the loud, meaningful laughter of the men.
"Mr. Watson is going to a meeting on the ninth floor. I'll take you in this elevator to the third floor, where HR is located," Marry said.
The elevators on both sides of the elevator bay faced each other. The west elevator went directly to floors above the eighth, while lower floors required using the east elevator.
Marry pressed the button for the east elevator, and the red numbers descended. The metallic elevator door shone like a mirror, and Estelle watched the reflection of Aiden's back on the door.
"Mr. Watson asked me to retrieve your personnel file. Is there a change in your position?" Marry held her folder and smiled softly. "I remember how hard you worked, Miss Grey, during the years when THG was still in development. Thankfully, now that it's finally on the market, the profits are excellent, and orders are pouring in… If Mr. Watson doesn't promote you, you really should give him a good talking-to."
With a soft "ding," both elevators arrived almost simultaneously.
Estelle stepped in and stood still. Turning around, separated by a dozen meters, she faced Aiden in the opposite elevator.
The metallic walls of the elevator reflected their surroundings, shimmering like a dream.
Seconds later, the elevator doors slowly closed, and Aiden's face disappeared into the metal crease. As the elevator ascended, a soft female voice from the advertisement speakers sounded.
"THG service female robots, giving you unparalleled love throughout the night."
"I haven't been promoted." After a long pause, Estelle replied, "I'm here to resign."
