The Brain Chip Affair

Chapter 3 - Key Employees

Harvey had left John's penthouse at 12:30 am the earlier night. He was a muscular guy, with messy black hair, rectangular silver-edged glasses resting on tip of his nose.

When he reached his home, he found his wife waiting for him in the bedroom, her delicate figure illuminated by the table lamp. Harvey had married Rachel at the age of 28. His wife was four years younger than him.

Rachel was tall and slim, with straight, brown, shoulder length hair, large amber eyes. She lay curled up in the bed, half covered under a blanket, a novel lying in her lap.

"I had asked you to sleep, Rach. You don't have to stay up for me." Harvey tightened his lips.

"It is 1:30 am, Harv. It's not too late. Besides, I didn't want to sleep alone." Rachel protested.

"So, how was the party?" She asked eagerly.

"It was amazing. We had a blast." Harvey yawned lazily.

"It was held in John's house, right?"

"Not house, Rach. Penthouse!! With an infinity pool. This is the first-time John held a party at his place. Although, I think he regrets it.

When I left, his infinity pool was filled with young couples and John seemed helpless to solve the problem." Harvey chuckled.

"Did Nancy sleep?" He asked Rachel.

"Yes. She wanted you to kiss her goodnight, you know. I had a hard time getting her to bed." Rachel told him.

She was wearing a playful frown on her face.

"I will kiss her goodnight now." Harvey left the room and went to see his sleeping daughter.

Nancy was three-years old, mischievous and bratty. She adored her father over her mother. Rachel always scorned Harvey for not being strict with his daughter, while Harvey simply ignored her. He kissed his sleeping daughter on her forehead and returned to his bedroom.

Setting the alarm for 7:30 am, Harvey retired in his wife's arms. Harvey and Rachel had been married for over six years and yet, they still loved each other like newlyweds. They spent their weekends together where they turned off all their electronic devices and spent their time reading and snogging. 

 Harvey always ensured that he took time out of his busy schedule, taking Nancy on play dates. Rachel loved the fact that he spent considerable time with his daughter. Harvey was the ideal husband.

He was the chief operations head in his company, a very important position and was always busy with work. But he always allotted time for his family, when he simply deactivated his brain chip and ignored work. He cared about Rachel and Nancy more than anything.

Harvey woke up at 7:30 am the next day. He activated his brain chip and started reviewing his daily work schedule while still in bed. Rachel had cooked pancakes for breakfast. As usual, the three of them enjoyed their breakfast together.

Harvey managed to convince Nancy to get ready for her pre-school. He kissed Rachel goodbye, dropped Nancy at her pre-school and drove over to Brain-Corp.inc.

Charles woke up at 8 am that morning, feeling little dazed. It was dark and cold in his bedroom. As he rubbed his eyes, Charles suddenly realized that he was not sleeping alone. He felt the presence of someone sleeping next to him, covered under the white bed-sheet.

Charles could make out the figure of a woman, the bed-sheet outlining her soft, curvy body. He tilted his head to his right, slowly peeled down the bed-sheet and gasped audibly. He was sleeping next to an unknown, naked woman. Maintaining his composure, he gently got out of his bed, trying not to disturb his companion.

As he stood next to his bedpost, Charles realized that he was completely naked, except for his gold wristwatch. He took out his watch and placed it on a nearby table. His stare remained fixated on the girl in his bed as he tried to recall her name.

She seemed calm, peaceful as she slept. Her brown locks of hair formed a messy tangle near her shoulders. She had a very pretty face, an attractive dainty body.

Charles was certain that he had met her at the party, but he could not recall her identity. As he struggled to remember, he vaguely realized that he had flirted with some waitress and that someone had accompanied him as he left the party. He remembered that they had entered his car together.

However, Charles could not remember anything else. The details were blurred. He had been drinking heavily and his memories seemed hazed.

Suddenly, Charles felt a strong ache in his temples. Massaging his temples in a circular direction, he trotted to his kitchen. He squeezed some lemons inside a stout glass, poured soda in it and drank it in a single gulp. Rubbing his eyes, he slowly settled in a long chair.

Next, Charles started pondering on how to deal with his one night stand. He needed to get to his office by 10 am. Charles had a habit of reaching late. It helped that he was the public relations head in the company. No one ever berated him as he was brilliant in his work.

He decided to wake up the girl and send her home. Charles reached his bedroom and slowly opened the heavy, dark drapes. He could hear soft murmur as the girl squirmed to her right, shielding herself from the incoming light.

Charles gently woke her up, calling her 'sleeping beauty'. As she stretched her arms, he softly kissed her forehead, smiling sweetly as she stifled a yawn. Charles had decided to play it nicely. He prepared breakfast for her, flirting with her the entire time.

As they ate, he asked for her number and promised to date her. The waitress was infatuated with Charles, with his smooth conversation skills, his flirty nature, his apparent wealth. He did his best to keep her happy. They barely knew each other and yet, they both acted lovey-dovey. He accidentally overdid it and they ended up having a quick sex session in the shower.

Charles promised to date her and offered to drop her home. He dressed up, dropped the girl at her place and went to his office. 

Charles was a seasoned womanizer. He was a flirt by nature and could never stay content with a single woman. He was 27 years old, with good looks and a pleasant personality.

Charles was accustomed to sleeping next to unknown women. He spent his weekends drinking and flirting with strangers, which almost always ended in a one night stand. He avoided a long-term relationship with anyone. He was young, full of life, a natural playboy.

As he drove to his workplace, Charles started pondering on the upcoming marketing campaign in the South-East Asian countries. South-East Asia was a lucrative market due to the large number of potential consumers, a rapidly growing upper-middle class population.

Charles's primary work profile was to maintain corporate relations with the media. However, John had seen his potential and had asked him to work with the marketing department. He had happily accepted the offer and now faced even greater work pressure.

Every day after work, Charles retired into high profile nightclubs to relieve his stress, where he drank and spent money on women. He was a compulsive spendthrift, addicted to debauchery.

(Beautiful huh?!! Both of these characters are polar opposites of each other. Their personalities are in a stark contrast with each other. 

Harvey is the family guy while Charles is the womanizer.

Well...this was an important topic..Trust me, their personalities will play a huge role in the character development and the evolution of the plot.

The next chapter is going to be an detailed analysis of brain chips. It won't be boring, I promise you. It will describe how awesome brain chips really are!!!

And finally, the chapter after that is where hell breaks loose!!!!

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