Dad's best friend secret baby

Chapter 34

Evie

Maxwell shifted in his chair beside me as we watched a drone simulation in the quality control laboratory.

It was one of the few times I actually got to work with Maxwell.

The code for the drones was mostly completed, so there wasn't any need to review anything. But now they were working on a few final codes and needed my attention. I was trying to give it to them.

I watched—forced myself to watch—the simulation as it played.

This time, it was different from the last. The drone was performing a civilian evacuation.

It was a new improvement. Tall, animated buildings, narrow streets, and a central designated area hummed, signifying the evacuation zone in front of me.

Animated civilians in bright red clothing were spread across the digital area. Some were clustered together, while others were everywhere.

It was the aftermath of an explosion.

As the drone guided civilians from the scene of chaos to the designated area, I checked for alignment with evacuation protocols.
According to the notepad before me, there were evacuation protocols the drone had to follow to be considered reliable.

Movement. The drone's movement seemed coordinated. The next was cues. It used a bright red light to guide the civilians to safety. The third was obstacles. It avoided collision and actually led the civilians to safety.

But there was one thing out of the books.

The drone somehow lacked urgency. "Urgency." I turned to Maxwell, and the other three team members turned to me.

The drone's response to the panicked crowd seems a bit calculated.

"Calculated?" Maxwell asked.

"Yes, Maxwell. All the other features are just perfect, but this drone looks like it lacks urgency, which in the end makes it look like we're prioritizing something else aside from the primary objective."

John, a blonde-haired man, sighed. "I think I noticed that too. It must be a glitch in the decision-making algorithm."

The other two nodded.

"I'll report to the software development team. The meeting has ended."

I was relieved when all five of us rose. I immediately moved to hurry out when Maxwell called me.

"Great job," he smiled. "You have a keen eye for detail."

I gave a small smile. "Thank you, Maxwell."

He nodded, and I exited the lab.

When I entered the hallway, I inhaled a deep breath, and my stomach instantly dropped at the thought that I had to report the outcome of the meeting to Ethan.

Ethan had been even more closed off. He barely addressed me, whether as his secretary, nanny, or myself.

It yanked my stomach in knots— made me sick to my guts. I was sick— tired of everything.

I never thought I'd say this, but maybe it was inevitable.

I wanted to go home, to leave it all and bask in the abode of my own home—to bask in the warmth of Dad's arm.

I didn't want to be this miserable anymore. I couldn't be. I was tired of looking out for people and not getting the same energy in return.

Instead of heading to Ethan's office, I headed to mine first. When I was in my space, I collapsed into my chair, all kinds of emotions rising in me.