Chapter 4
"Because my last job wasn't exactly something to be proud of," I said, locking eyes with Hugh.
Hugh raised an eyebrow, his interest clearly piqued.
"Tell me more," he said.
"Five years ago, I worked as a senior programmer in the core project team at the Calhoun Group," I said.
The Calhoun Group belonged to Eugene. It was one of the country's leading tech giants.
Hugh's expression turned serious.
"And then?" he asked.
"Then, I was convicted of leaking confidential company information and sentenced to five years in prison," I said.
I spoke offhandedly, as if I were recounting someone else's story.
A long silence hung in the office.
He looked at me, his eyes showing shock and curiosity, but not a hint of contempt.
After a while, Hugh asked, "So, you were set up?"
"Yeah," I said quietly.
"Any proof?"
"Still searching."
He went quiet again.
I figured this interview was probably doomed.
I stood up. "If there's nothing else, I'll head out."
"Wait." Hugh stopped me.
He pulled a contract out of his drawer.
"Here's the employment contract. Three-month probation period, 10 thousand dollars a month. After that, 15 thousand dollars each month, plus project bonuses," he said.
I was stunned.
"Aren't you afraid I might..." I started.
"Afraid of what?" Hugh chuckled. "Afraid you'll leak company secrets again? We're a small company. There's nothing worth leaking."
He slid the contract across the desk to me.
"I only care about your skills. You've got what it takes," he said.
"And..." He paused, his eyes sparkling behind his glasses. "I find your story fascinating.
"I want to see what kind of splash a genius cast aside by the Calhoun Group can make."
I looked at him, and somewhere in my heart, the ice finally cracked.
I picked up the pen and signed my name on the contract.
From today, I was no longer a prisoner.
I was now a programmer at Stranger Technology.
*****
On my first day, Hugh threw a tough problem at me.
"We're working on an AI image recognition algorithm, but the accuracy isn't improving. Take a look and see if you can fix it," he said.
I spent the whole day digging through their code.
The next day, I delivered a completely new algorithm.
After Hugh and the tech team ran their tests, the whole crew was stunned.
The accuracy jumped from 85% all the way to 99.7%.
This result even outperformed the highest numbers the Calhoun Group had ever released.
Hugh stared at me like I was some kind of monster.
"Seriously, how did you pull that off?" he asked.
"I simply tweaked a few core parameters and rebuilt the neural network," I explained.
"That's it?" The tech lead looked at me, disbelief written all over his face.
"Yep, that's all," I replied.
Everyone in the office looked at me like I was some kind of legend.
Hugh made a call right then and there.
"Iona, from today on, you're the head of our tech department. And your salary just doubled," he announced.
I didn't turn him down.
I had earned it.
*****
That afternoon, the company threw a little welcome party for me.
Hugh raised his Coke and said to everyone, "Stranger Technology finally has a real genius in the house."
Everyone was cheering and making a fuss, the atmosphere was electric.
I wasn't really used to this kind of scene, so I stood in the corner with my drink, keeping to myself.
A female colleague came over and whispered, "Miss Calhoun, you're incredible! Where did you work before? Must've been a big company, right?"
Before I could answer, another voice jumped in. "She used to work at the Calhoun Group."
It was Doris.
She showed up at our office door out of nowhere, dressed in a Chanel suit, with a bright smile and her eyes fixed on me.
Eugene was right behind her, looking grim.
The office went dead silent.
Everyone kept glancing back and forth between the three of us.
"Miss Eaton, Mr. Calhoun," Hugh said, frowning as he walked over. "To what do we owe the honor of your visit?"
"We're here to see someone," Doris replied.
She fixed her gaze on me, not even bothering to hide her hostility.
"We're here for Miss Calhoun," Doris clarified.
She raised a folder in her hand.
She continued, "Heard you guys brought on a new tech director? Just a heads-up, Mr. Stafford. It's always smart to check someone's background before you hire them.
"I mean, not every company would risk hiring someone who spent five years in prison for leaking trade secrets."