60 An Invitation Among Adversaries
The next day, ra was reviewing a code sequence when Julian burst into her office. His expression was unusually tense.
“We’ve received an invitation,” he announced, waving his phone.
ra looked up from her screen. “For what exactly?<b>” </b>
“Lunch with the Paxon brothers and Newman.”
ra raised her eyebrows. The Paxon brothers were pioneering brainputer interface technology. Their work wouldplement YodaVision’s developments perfectly.
“That’s excellent news,” she said, already mentally rearranging her schedule.
Julian grimaced. “There’s more. Damien will be there.”
ra’s fingers froze over her keyboard. She didn’t need to ask which Damien. There <b>was </b>only one whose mere mention could make her pulse stutter.
“With Vivienne, I assume?” she asked, keeping her voice neutral.
Julian nodded. “Apparently the Paxons are considering multiple investment options.
.horne Industries is their primary interest, but Newman mentioned our work to
them.”
ra turned back to her screen, trying to process this information. A meeting with her soon–to–be ex–husband and her half–sister. In public. While discussing business.
“We should decline,” Julian said. “I can meet with the Paxons separately.”
ra stared at the lines of code on her screen, not really seeing them. The old ra away, letting Damien
would have avoided the confrontation. She would have them. The old ra
dominate yet another professional space.
“No,” she said firmly. “We’re going”
Julian looked surprised. “Are you sure? It will be awkward.”
“It’s a business lunch with potential p artners, ra replied, straightening her
21:14
60 An Invitation Among Adversaries
shoulders. “My personal situation with Damien is irrelevant.”
“<b>And </b>Vivienne?”
ra met his gaze. “We’ll be professional. We can behave like strangers.”
Julian studied her face, clearly concerned. “If you’re certain.”
“I am,” she said, her voice steady despite the quickening of her heartbeat. “What time is lunch?”
The restaurant was one of those exclusive establishments where tables were spaced <b>far </b>enough apart to ensure privacy for business discussions. ra smoothed down her navy dress as she and Julian approached the entrance.
“You look great, Julian assured her. “Confident. Professional.”
ra nodded, grateful for his support. They paused at the entrance, and through the ss doors, she could see them already inside.
Damien stood tall <b>in </b><b>an </b>impably tailored suit, his <b>dark </b>hair perfectly styled. His posture exuded power and control. Beside him, Vivienne shone in a crimson dress that entuated her curves, her hand casually resting on <b>Damien’s </b>arm as sheughed at something someone said.
ra took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”
As they entered, <b>ra </b>kept her expression neutral, though she couldn’t help noticing how Vivienne’s smile faded when their eyes met. The other woman quickly whispered something to Alistair Dubois, who was <b>also </b>present, before turning away.
Damien looked up, his expression unchanging as he registered ra’s presence. His eyes moved over her briefly before shifting to Julian.
Newman spotted them and waved them over enthusiastically. “Croft! Vance! Come meet the Paxons!”
Two men who must be the Paxon brothers turned to look at them with interest. Lennox stood nearby, her calcting gaze taking in ra’sposure.
Alistair’s expression darkened slightly as they approached. He leaned toward Lennox,
90 An Invitation Among Adversaries
whispering, “I didn’t realize she would be joining”
Lennox’s lips pressed together in disapproval. “Newman must have invited them directly.”
Julian stepped forward confidently, extending his hand to the older Paxon brother. “Julian Croft, CEO of YodaVision. This is my business partner and Chief Technology Officer, ra Vance.”
“Erik Paxon, the man replied, shaking Julian’s hand firmly before turning to ra. “Ms. Vance, I’ve read your paper on emotional pattern recognition in AL. Brilliant work.”
“Thank you,” ra replied, feeling a small burst of pride.
The younger Paxon brother, Marcus, joined in. “We’re excited to discuss potential synergies between ourpanies”
Newman gestured toward the private dining room. “Shall we head in? I’ve arranged a
wonderful menu.
As the group began moving toward the dining area, Damien finally acknowledged their presence with a curt nod. ‘Croft.”
“Thorne,” Julian replied equally tersely
Their <b>eyes </b>held for a moment before Damien turned away, guiding Vivienne with a hand on the small of her back
<b>ra </b>felt a pang watching the familiar gesture but quickly suppressed it. This was
business, nothing more.
In the <b>private </b>dining room, Damien pulled out a chair for Vivienne before taking his seat beside her. Their movements were practiced,fortable–a couple ustomed to each other’s presence.
Julian deliberately sat next to ra, creating a buffer between her <b>and </b>the others. As everyone settled, waiters appeared with menus and water.
“The steak here is exceptional” Damienmented to Erik Paxon. “I rmend it
rare.”
Vivienne leaned against him slightly. “Damien always knows the best choices at every
restaurant.”“
60 An invitation Among Adversaries
ra studied her menu intently, ignoring the familiar way Vivienne said Damien’s
<b>name </b>
“What looks good to you? Julian asked quietly.
“The salmon, I think,” ra replied, grateful for the distraction.
Alistair and Lennox exchanged nces across the table, seemingly relieved by ra’sposed demeanor.
As the waiter took their orders, the conversation turned to business. Erik Paxon described theirtest breakthrough in neural interfaces, while Marcus outlined their
<b>vision </b>for the future.
“That’s where I see potential coboration with both yourpanies,” Erik exined. “Thorne Industries has the manufacturing capabilities, while YodaVision’s emotional intelligence algorithms could revolutionize our user experience.
Damien nodded. “We’ve been following your work closely. Thorne Industries is prepared to offer significant resources to elerate your development timeline.”
*Resources are important, Julian agreed, “but so is innovation. At YodaVision, we prioritize creative solutions over brute force approaches.”
The subtle dig wasn’t lost on Damien, whose jo tightened almost imperceptibly.
Vivienne leaned forward. “Creativity is valuable, certainly, but scale matters too. Thorne Industries call implement solutions globally.”
“Scale without refinement leads to propagating ws,” ra countered, speaking for the first time. All eyes turned to her. “What YodaVision offers is precision and nuance.”
Erik Paxon looked intrigued. “Could you borate, Ms. Vance?”
ra met his gaze confidently. “Our adaptive algorithms can recognize ny–seven distinct emotional states. That level of emotional intelligence would transform how users interact with your neural interfaces.
“Impressive,” Marcus murmured.
Damien’s expression remained unchanged, but ra noticed his knuckles whiten slightly around his water ss.
60 An Invitation Among Adversaries
“Thorne Industries has its own emotional recognition technology in development<b>, </b>Vivienne Interjected quickly. “We’ve been making significant progress<b>.</b><b>” </b>
“Under whose leadership?” Julian asked innocently. “I wasn’t aware Thorne had expertise in that area<b>.</b><b>” </b>
The tension at the table thickened.
“We’ve assembled a talented team, Damien replied smoothly. “And we’re always looking to expand our capabilities through strategic partnerships<b>.</b><b>” </b>
The first course arrived, momentarily distracting everyone. As they began eating. Newman steered the conversation toward safer topics, discussing industry trends and market projections.
ra ate methodically, acutely aware of Damien’s presence across the table. She kept. her focus on the Paxon brothers, contributing to the conversation when appropriate but otherwise maintaining professional distance.
During a brief lull, she noticed Vivienne leaning close to whisper something to Damien. He nodded slightly, his hand briefly covering hers on the table. The casual intimacy stung more than ra wanted to admit.
“The work you’re doing with adaptivenguage models is fascinating” Marcus Paxon said, drawing ra’s attention back to business. “How do you handle ethical considerations around emotional maniption<b>?</b><b>” </b>
This was ra’s wheelhouse. Sheunched into an exnation of YodaVision’s ethical framework, her voice growing more animated as she described the safeguards they’d implemented.
“We believe technology should enhance human connection, not rece it, she
concluded.
Erik nodded approvingly. “I appreciate that perspective. Too manypanies rush into development without considering long–term implications.”
A subtle nce passed between the brothers, <b>and </b>ra sensed they were genuinely impressed.
As the main course arrived, she caught Damien watching her with an unreadable expression. When their eyes met, he quickly looked away, turning to answer a question
<b>60 </b>An Invitation Among Adversaries
<b>from </b>Newman<b>. </b>
The lunch continued with a delicate dance of business and subtlepetition. Julian- skillfully highlighted YodaVision’s strengths while Damien emphasized Thorne Industries‘ resources <b>and </b>global reach.
Through it all, ra maintained herposure, neither avoiding Damien nor seeking his attention. She focused on the Paxon brothers, making her case with quiet confidence.
As dessert was served, she noticed Vivienne growing increasingly tense beside. Damien. The other woman’s smile seemed more forced, herughter a touch too bright.
“We should set up follow–up meetings with both your teams,” Erik Paxon announced as they finished their coffee. “Your approaches are different but potentially
“We’d be delighted,” Julian replied.
Damien nodded. “My team will contact yours to arrange details.”
As the lunch drew to a close, Alistair approached ra while Julian was engaged with
the Paxons.
ou’ve been very… professional today,” he observed, his tone suggesting surprise.
“Did you expect otherwise?” ra asked coolly.
Alistair shrugged. “Given the circumstances, some might find it difficult to maintainposure.
Before ra could respond, she noticed Vivienne leaning toward Alistair and Lennox a few steps away. Though Vivienne spoke softly, ra could clearly hear her words.
“Don’t worry,” Vivienne whispered with a smirk. “With Damien Thorne here, she
wouldn’t dare act out.
21:14