ETHAN'S POV
"Try not to fall in love with me. I know it's hard," I said, flashing a grin that had won over more hearts than I could count and earned me possibly some restraining orders.
The intern giggled, tucking a strand of caramel-colored hair behind her ear as she trailed me through the glass corridors of MindHack Studios. Her name was—wait, did she say Rachel? Rebecca? Eh. She'd tell me again when I asked her to dinner.
"You're looking astonishing tonight" The words were smooth out of my mouth, my blue eyes fixed on her.
The new intern giggled. Of course she did. They always do. Rookie mistake. She was already halfway into my charm trap and I hadn't even hit her with the half-smile yet.
I leaned against the console with what I liked to call casual-CEO energy, arms crossed just enough to highlight my toned forearms. Thank you, gym membership I never use. "You're Rachel, right?" I asked with a smile that made my eyes light up.
"It's Becca," she said, smiling shyly. Even her voice sounded like a Disney princess and I clutched my chest dramatically. "Becca Lune."
"Becca," I repeated smoothly, like I'd known it all along. "A beautiful name. It's for a beautiful woman… hmm?"
She flushed. This was going to be too easy.
"This is the tech bay," I continued smoothly. "And that—" I pointed at a glowing console, "...is where I once accidentally caused a minor power outage in five cities. Fun night." I smirked, running a hand through my hair.
"Oh my God," she gasped, starry-eyed. "You're so bad."
Effortless. I winked. "Not bad. Just... exceptional with a side of spontaneous genius."
From behind a monitor, Jerry muttered without looking up, "And a side of an STD probably."
"Don't be jealous, Gerald," I called out, ignoring the snorts around the room. "Not everyone can be God's favorite aesthetic experiment."
"New girl, run while you can," another voice chimed in. "He flirts, flatters, and forgets your name before dessert."
The intern laughed nervously and I draped a casual arm over her shoulder. "Ignore them. They're just bitter because they wake up every day and still aren't me."
Before I could deliver my next line of irresistible charm, a cold voice cut through the chaos, leaving me rigid.
"Ethan."
I turned, barely suppressing a wince as I schooled something that was akin to a respectful smile. Mr. Lockwood, aka The Fun Vacuum here and also the boss, stood at the entrance of the lab, hands behind his back and scowl firmly installed on his face.
"Walk with me. I need you in testing."
Damn.
"Bossman," I said, pushing off the console with the smile still on my face. "Right after I show Racheㅡi mean Becca, where we keep the secret company jet."
His eyes narrowed. "Now."
Okay, ouch.
I patted Becca's shoulder. "Don't miss me too much."
"I—uh—okay," she stammered, eyes wide.
Jerry fake-coughed the words, "RIP, Becca."
Lockwood didn't speak as we walked. Not that I minded. Silence gave me time to admire my reflection in the glass panels lining the corridor. Damn, I looked good today. The navy button-up was doing miracles for my jawline. Hair? Perfect. Smile? Killer.
Maybe I was narcissistic but I sure was hot.
We entered the Testing Wing and it was cooler, quieter, more sterile but it was my favorite place in this damn company.
In the center of the room, and on a sleek chrome pedestal sat the latest prototype of the NeuroDive VR helmet. Our crown jewel. Sleek, black, and faintly humming with power. It looked like a futuristic motorcycle helmet merged with a supercomputer.
Lockwood gestured to it with all the enthusiasm of a man offering me a funeral invitation. "Final test. Tonight. Before launch."
I cocked a brow. "You finally trust my pretty face and genius brain?"
"I trust you because you're expendable," he replied, deadpan. "And arrogant enough to volunteer."
"That's not even offensive. That's just facts." I shrugged.
Lockwood sighed. "This is your game, Ethan. Empire Eternal. Your baby. Your ego trip. If this helmet fries a customer's brain tomorrow, your neck's on the line."
That was very unlikely to happen so I waved it off. "Relax. I'll give it a little spin again before I go home. Everything will be perfect."
He stared at me for a second too long. Then shook his head and walked out.
An hour later, I sat across from Dev, my co-dev, code guru and a professional pessimist. We were by far two different personalities but we managed to coexist without ripping each other's head off.
There goes my chances with the new intern also. Fuck this.
"So... you still think this helmet's gonna be our golden goose?" he asked as he typed away.
"It's a revolution," I said. "We've already sold the game to half of East Asia on preorder. This add-on will make players feel like they're actually in the palace. Not just playing it."
"Or it'll short-circuit and you'll wake up thinking you're Marie Antoinette."
"I'd still look good in a corset." I clicked my fingers at him.
Dev rolled his eyes and flopped into the chair beside me, yawning. "You sure about this? This thing still has bugs."
"It's called adventure, Dev. Also, confidence." I sighed, staring it down.
"It's called brain fry." He countered.
I tossed him a protein bar. "You monitor the waves. I'll take the plunge."
He glanced at the helmet. "This isn't even a core feature. It's a money-sink."
"No, it's the moneymaker," I corrected. "The game is already hot. Add full-sensory immersion? People will sell kidneys to play."
He snorted but didn't reply.
I snapped the helmet wires into place. "Alright. Let's get this over with."
"You're seriously testing it yourself?" He seemed reluctant about the idea but it wasn't my first time doing this and it wouldn't be my last just because the goddamn thing had developed a bug yesterday. We had fixed it. It was fine.
"Better me than some teenage influencer who'll start sobbing if they can't pause the game to tweet," I said, lowering into the chair. "Monitor my brain waves, Dev, don't fuck up. If they spike weirdly, unplug me."
He gave a thumbs up. "I'll call your mom if you start foaming."
"Tell her I died hot." I smirked.
I leaned back. Closed my eyes. The helmet locked into place with a soft click.
Heartbeat: steady. Breath: shallow. Mind: brilliant.
Sighing, I closed my eyes.
And then—BZZZRRRT!
A loud crackling sound ripped through the lab. Sparks flashed at the edge of my vision, almost blinding me and the interface blurred.
"Ethan?!" Dev's voice was distant.
"Wait, wha—" I opened my mouth but the words never made it out in time.
The world folded in on itself. Colors imploded. Sounds seemed reversed. My chest seemed to constrict, making it harder to breathe.
Then nothing.
No light. No pain. Just silence.
A Complete void.