Still reeling from Lance's words, I clenched my fists under the table. What was he playing at? General? Was this some kind of game to him?
"I was under the impression," I managed to choke out, "that I'd be managing a foundation for disabled individuals. Is that not the case?" I could feel my teeth grinding together as I attempted to maintain my composure.
His smirk never left his face. If anything, it widened slightly at my obvious irritation. Yet his gaze felt odd, not like he was seeing me for the first time, but as though... No, it couldn't be. I shook the thought from my mind.
Just then, something shifted. His ever-present smile remained, but for a moment, it felt like the room's temperature dropped. A chill ran down my spine as a formidable aura seemed to radiate from him. The shock of it took my breath away. But as quickly as it had come, it vanished, leaving me doubting if it was real.
Shaking off the unnerving feeling, Lance said, "Let's take a walk," standing and beckoning for me to follow. My annoyance and curiosity warred with each other as we left through a different door from the one we'd entered, stepping into a hallway that looked like something straight out of a science fiction novel.
White walls, clean lines, futuristic design, it was all so surreal. Even the lighting seemed off, the area brightly lit with no discernible light source.
At the end of the hallway, we entered another room, dominated by a large, waist-high box. Lance moved to stand in front of it, his back to me. "On the surface," he started, waving his hand in the air. A holographic keyboard appeared before him, and I gasped in shock. "You will be running the foundation."
"But how...?" I stammered, my eyes wide. I had seen this kind of technology in movies, but to witness it firsthand was another story.
Ignoring my astonishment, Lance continued typing away, humming a tune under his breath. A tune that felt all too familiar. It stirred something within me, a sense of nostalgia. But why would this man know a tune so closely tied to my family?
My thoughts were interrupted as the box in front of him came alive with holographic displays, each showing graphs, files, data, and information. "But beneath the surface," he continued, turning to face me, "You will have directive authority of it all."
My knees buckled, and I sunk to the floor. The room spun around me as the weight of his words sank in. What exactly had I signed up for?