Chapter 16 She Is Still Her

An hour later, Audrey stood before a villa. The door opened to reveal a man in loungewear and gold-rimmed glasses. There was a quiet, scholarly grace about him. It was Otto. "Aud. Come in." He stepped aside and gestured her in. As soon as they sat down, Audrey didn't bother with small talk. She got straight to the point, inviting him to partner with her on the Deep Diver Project. Otto listened without interrupting. He didn't agree, but he didn't shut her down either. He poured her a glass of water. Behind his gold-rimmed lenses, his gaze stayed calm. "Aud, your project's got real potential. I'm interested." He paused for a beat before he continued, "But before I make up my mind, I want you to take part in a competition. Denstove's international robotics competition kicks off next week. "Think of it as your chance to show me what you've got. Let me see where you stand right now." Denstove's robotics competition was the biggest robotics competition in the world, the one she and I