Thing

The Second Case

The man pressed his back against the leather of the luxurious armchair in a futile effort to calm his racing heart. To any onlooker, he was the picture of wealth and sophistication: a middle-aged man in an expensive, tailored suit sitting in a voluminous chair with a slender bottle of priceless wine clutched gently between three of his fingers.

It was true- he had once been both of these things and much more. But, now, he was finding himself unable to concentrate on what was being said at important business conferences, and more prone to stutter in front of his peers and even the media. His bank account, too, once described as a "bottomless pit of dough," had seen better days.

In short, Richard Simon Darkly was a disaster waiting to happen.

And it was all because of one woman. One she-devil who had torn his empire down while simultaneously building her own into the clouds.

Hexana Saralee Ingle.

The name alone was enough to send a shiver down Richard's spine, and bring a bitter taste to his mouth. He clenched his teeth to prevent an angry growl from escaping his lips as the lights on the stage brightened, focusing in on the event's MC, a bright-eyed young woman in a tight, blue dress and stilettos whose face could be its own cosmetics company.

Richard remembered the days when he was idolized by such creatures.

Now, he was certain that they all laughed behind his sorry, bankrupt back.

"Good evening, everybody, and welcome to IngleCon 2035! This year, we are celebrating our tenth annual IngleCon! Let us get ready to begin an extra special night of all things Ingle Tech. Our noteworthy guests include Kevin Han, Chairman of GoogolPLEX. For those of you who haven't been following the news lately, that's the division that used to be called Google, before Ingle Tech bought it last month."

Kevin stood from his seat a few rows down from Richard, bowing his head in acknowledgement as the attendees of the convention clapped for him with gusto.

Google, too? What did Ingle want to do, purchase the universe?

Richard couldn't imagine life without the friendly, all-knowing search engine. However, now that Google- GoogolPLEX- was a subdivision of Ingle Tech, he knew that he would never dream of utilizing their most popular feature ever again.

"Richard Darkly, Founder and CEO of Sylph Electronics!"

The crowd applauded, for courtesy's sake, but when Richard stood to accept the recognition, he did not see a single face that wasn't twisted into a mocking smirk or a sympathetic frown.

Poor old Darkly, they all seemed to say.

It was all Richard could do not to turn red in the face.

He now knew why Hexana had invited him to IngleCon.

She wanted to see his shame and humiliation firsthand.

That vile piece of scum.

"And, last but very far from least is a name that needs no introduction...our keynote speaker, the actual, legimate, real Hexana Ingle herself!"

Cheers of unbridled enthusiasm exploded in every single corner of the hall, and there was not a single person left in their seat. Signs, banners, confetti cannons, and fists joined together in the air as the audience expressed its deep, heartfelt longing for the presence of its technological goddess.

Richard, inspired by a sudden burst of defiance within him, made a show of crossing his arms across his chest and planting his backside firmly upon his chair. Several months earlier, he had silently vowed that he would not, under any circumstances, become another boot-licking Ingle slave.