Chapter 5

Moira's POV I hadn't responded to Dillan's offer yet. It wasn't easy to accept such high praise after being away from the field for so long. I had sacrificed a lot to win Jude's heart, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how far I had strayed from myself. If I rejected Dillan's offer, I would be ignoring the part of myself that loved design so much. Didn't I want to shine again like I used to, and rise to become better, as Dillan said? "How about it, Moira? I'm not offering you this because you were my junior. I thought about it, especially how well we worked together in college." He added, "As additional information that I hope will change your mind a little— Blitz AI's success is mostly thanks to you." "Me?" I asked in disbelief. "I didn't do anything, Dillan. You don't need to exaggerate." "It's true, Moira. Do you remember the last design we worked on? It was put on hold because you chose your fairy-tale life, where you'd be happy after marrying your dream prince. I used the remaining, abandoned design." Dillan activated the pad in his hand and showed me one of the images, which I recognized clearly. "This is the result of your genius, Moira. I named it Moi-Ra." "Is this the AI device we developed before?" I asked. He nodded. I looked at the screen with a surge of emotion and pride. That was right. I had learned some coding from Dillan and applied what I could to create a generating device to help professionals. The tablet-shaped device, with its interface design and internal system, could generate simple commands and produce fictional or non-fictional images or text as needed. Everything was available at your fingertips. "This product sells quite well, especially after I improvised by pairing it with robot mode," he added. "Robot? Do you mean like a service robot?" I asked curiously. He looked around, then whispered something in my ear. "Sex robot." He laughed loudly, prompting me to laugh along. "It's a pretty crazy idea, but I'm satisfied. That product is the best-selling one. It turns out that many lonely people need a friend to release their pent-up desires. And some customers buy it as an aid." "No way... I don't think I need to ask any more questions." I laughed. "No, you have to hear this, it's serious. One of our colleagues who works in sexology recommended it." "You must be joking." "I'm serious. And it's all because of you. Thanks to your wild idea." I just nodded faintly at his last statement, full of over-the-top praise for me. However, I wasn't sure everything would be the same from now on. "I need your help, Moira. You were the star of the class. You were the professor's favorite, remember? Shine again." "Um... OK. I'm in." "Seriously?" "Yes. I don't want my seniors beg as if I deserve it. You can test me before deciding to put me in a certain field. I want fair treatment, considering my abilities may not be the same as they used to be," I said. Dillan waved his hand in disagreement. "For me, your talent never fades, just like the designs you create. No matter how much we improvise, the initial framework is yours, and we still use it. My employees even admire your work, Moira. I want to know what else we can create in the future. A house- cleaning robot? You'll definitely need one later." I just laughed at his enthusiastic words. Instantly, my heart surged with the same enthusiasm. The ringing of a cell phone broke the silence between us. He checked the screen and, with a disappointed look, put the device back in his jacket pocket. "I'm so glad to see you, Moira. But unfortunately, I can't stay much longer. I have something I need to do," he said, and I nodded, following him as he stood up from his chair. "Hmm, I think I have a good idea. How about you take on your first task today? I'd be thrilled to have your on board." "What is it? If I can, I'll be happy to help." He took out his phone and scrolled for a moment before speaking again. "Can you come with me to meet another design genius I'm interviewing today? You have a good sense, and your judgment is always spot-on." "B,,,but I'm not officially an employee of your company yet, Dillan. And... I'm new there. How could I possibly—" "Look at this. This is her work. What do you think?" Dillan asked, showing an image on the screen. I was familiar with that image. It wasn't much different from what I had created during my college days. Unfortunately, I had lost the database without realizing it. That was how I first met Jude. It was a long story I would rather not recall. A coincidence, but I agreed if Dillan called this job applicant a genius designer. "I think it's OK. However, you should test her yourself, right?" "Well, OK. I'll let you know how it goes. By the way, welcome to Blitz AI. See you Monday. Don't forget." *** I walked listlessly toward the academy exit. Without realizing it, someone greeted me and approached with a few others. I just rolled my eyes. I never expected this day to come. Jane, Jude's sister, stood before me with her usual condescending gaze. She had never liked me since the first time they found out I was pregnant with Jude's child. So, it was no wonder she always tried to cause trouble whenever she met me. "You're here? What are you doing? Are you looking for another prey to sleep with and then demand responsibility?" asked the woman in a scornful tone. Her gaze had never changed, always treating me as insignificant. However, I had no energy to deal with her, especially here. "It's none of your business, Jane. One thing is for sure, I'm not here to cause trouble." "Really? If that's the case, tell me your purpose." I just sighed and was about to leave, but again, she made me stop in my tracks. "Don't you care about Mirielle? Jude said you haven't come home for days. What else have you been doing? Mirielle keeps asking about you. What kind of mother are you?" What was this now? I didn't want to live with guilt, but I also didn't want to keep giving in to their wishes and let them underestimate and humiliate me. "Who is she, Jane?" asked one of the women who came with Jane. Jane just shrugged. "Someone I know. But you don't need to know, because she's nobody," she replied coldly. "What do you want exactly? If you're done, I'm leaving now. I have important things to do." "Wait! I'll see you Monday. It will be Aaron's birthday, and I want you to cook a meal for the celebration. That way, you can also meet Mirielle instead of wandering around places where you shouldn't be." What? Why did she always underestimate me as if I never deserved to be appreciated, even a little? For those who didn't know, Jude had always been the golden student at Night Hunter Academy. I'd never heard anything bad about him except for his extraordinary agility and high intelligence. As for me, no one knew I had been the star of the technology and design department because my work was always behind the scenes. However, it didn't matter. All I needed was to make sure Jude signed our divorce papers and everything ended, so I could be free from all this chaos.