Simulated Love (2024)

Chapter 7

Elijah

Arriving at work earlier than usual, I noticed a commotion coming from the meeting room. Intrigued when I overheard Maggie's name being mentioned, I found myself alone in the corridor with my ear pressed against the door.

"Maggie is the best candidate for Channel Manager," Evan said.

"She is but a lot of the guys here wouldn't be happy with a girl being in charge of them. Making her a lead was hard enough, but to oversee the entire YouTube channel."

"But it was her idea," Evan said.

"It was, but only we know that. For all the guys know, it was Dean's idea."

"And like Dean said, it's not like suggesting we do a YouTube channel was a brilliant idea. Anyone could've thought of it. She just so happened to say something first."

"True."

"I think it's better if we give it to a guy. Maggie will be okay."

Sounds of agreement filled the room.

"Think about it. Maggie is still the best candidate," Evan said.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall, and without another thought, I ripped my ear from the door and made my way to my office to begin my meeting with Chase.

"Good morning," I greeted.

There was no sunlight in his background, and it came to me it was late for him. I didn't care to correct myself, though.

"Hey."

"Alright, so let's get to it. What do you got?" I asked.

"Actually, I want to talk to you first."

I leaned in closer. "I'm listening."

It took him a while to speak. "I will not create anything for the game unless the plot changes."

"Here we go."

"It's just not working for me. I don't want to participate in a meaningless game. This is the first opportunity I have gotten, and I don't want people to see me or my company as a joke."

I wanted to keep playing along, but I couldn't. My smile gave it away. "I understand that. I do. My company wanted me to create a bad game that would sell, but I'm not doing what they want anymore. Everything I told you before, scratch that. We are doing things our way."

He smiled. "Okay. Yeah. I like that. Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I'm doing this for myself not to please you."

"I understand."

"Now go on and show me something you've come up with. We don't have all day."

"I don't have anything."

"You don't even have anything from your previous projects?"

"Oh. Well, I do have something."

"Let's see."

It took him a while to bring it up, but eventually, he did, sending the email to me. The file was titled, "Love Theory." When I opened the file, a burst of vibrant images flooded my screen, accompanied by the faint sound of upbeat music playing in the background. The visuals showcased a variety of in-game cosmetics, brought to life through subtle animations. As I went deeper into the file, Chase explained what I was looking at from the vivid characters and the plot. However, it did not impress me.

"This shit is boring. The concept isn't anything spectacular and the characters look half-assed. No one would want to play as them. The animations are clean. I'll give you that much, but if you're making a game with me, this shit can't slide."