Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Stan was so worked up, he nearly sprayed the table with spit.
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Geneva, totally grossed out, pushed her plate away, her appetite shot. She wrinkled her nose. “Why’s that my problem? I’m trying to eat, so how about you beat it?”
Stan’s face went red. “You heartless witch! Is your sister less important than your damn food?”
Geneva smirked, her eyes icy. “You tell me. She doesn’t give a crap about me, so why should I play the sweet big sis?”
What a freaking hypocrite,‘ she cursed silently.
Stan choked on his comeback, his temper flaring. “I don’t care what your deal is–you’re coming with me to the police station now to get her out!”
“Not happening,” Geneva said, folding her arms.
“It’s one lousy word to save Tabitha! Why you gotta be such a pain in the ass?” Stan roared, pounding the table. “Geneva, I swear, if you don’t-”
He didn’t get to finish his threat. Quick as a flash, Geneva grabbed her half–eaten plate of spicy noodles and smashed it right in his face.
When she pulled the plate away, noodles slid off, leaving Stan dripping with red oil, looking like a total clown.
His hotshot CEO vibe? Toast.
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Geneva stared him down, voice cold as ice. “I told you, don’t come at me with that bullshit. I’m not here for it, got it?” She turned and strutted out like she owned the place.
Stan stood there, stunned, sauce stinging his eyes. ‘That damn woman! She’s gonna pay big time!‘
The restaurant went quiet. After a beat, a guy sauntered over and clapped Stan on the shoulder.
“Damn, Mr. Wheeler, that’s a bold new look,” he said, grinning ear to ear.
It was Floyd from Taylor Group, whose company owned the hotel. He’d just dropped by to check things out and walked into this juicy drama.
Taylor Group and Wheeler Group had been rivals forever, so Floyd didn’t hold back. He roasted Stan mercilessly, and when Stan wasn’t looking, he snapped a quick pic of the noodle–covered CEO.
With a wicked smirk, Floyd tossed it online, letting the whole internet gawk at Stan’s “epic” new style.
Floyd practically skipped away, giving himself a mental high–five. ‘Man, I’m a straight–up legend.‘
That afternoon, Salena stormed into the hotel like a category–five drama queen, hell–bent on strong–arming Geneva into bailing Tabitha out of the
slammer.
But Geneva? She was barricaded in her room, sipping her coffee and treating Salena’s meltdown like white noise.
Security finally had enough and gave Salena the boot, leaving her to stomp off in a huff, mission unaccomplished.
Floyd, who’d been lurking and soaking up the chaos, was straight–up gobsmacked. ‘The woman with the nerve to chuck a plate at Stan’s smug face is a Motley?‘
Hold the phone he didn’t even know the Motley family had a second daughter hiding in the wings.
By the time Geneva rolled into the hotel restaurant for dinner, Floyd was itching for a closer look. He slid into the seat across from her, staring like she
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Chapter 14
was the star of a blockbuster thriller.
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Geneva didn’t flinch, calmly demolishing her meal while he played amateur detective. Only when she’d polished off her last bite did she lean back, hitting him with a stare that could stop traffic.
“You done eyeballing me, Mr. Taylor?” she said, voice smooth as whiskey.
Floyd nearly choked on his drink. “Hold up–you know who I am?”
And her voice–why is it ringing bells in my head?‘ he wondered.
“Mr. Taylor,” she said, a sly grin creeping in, “that system I hooked Taylor Group up with still running smooth?”
Floyd’s brain did a full–on crash and reboot. “No freaking way–you’re the hacker?!”
‘The coding legend who saved my bacon is a woman? A Motley woman?‘ His head was still spinning when he flashed back to her plate–hurling showdown
with Stan.
“Is there bad blood there?‘ he thought. ‘Is that why she had my back back then?‘
Before he could piece together the puzzle, Geneva slid a sleek folder across the table like it was no big deal.
“Been twiddling my thumbs lately,” she said, casual as if she’d just baked cookies. “Whipped up a little project. Need someone to jump in. Since you’re here, give it a look.”
ipped open the file and almost fell out of his chair. “Solar freaking batteries?!”
terpiece–every detail laid out like a neon sign. Floyd didn’t just get it; he felt it.
a total scam: they died in two seconds, guzzled power like nobody’s business, and good luck finding a charger when they were
were the worst offenders.
powered, self–charging batteries? That was the kind of genius that could rewrite the rulebook and make billions.
Floyd could already see it: a tech revolution that’d turn the industry on its head.
And Taylor Group, the ones to crack it first? They’d be rolling in it, leaving Wheeler Group choking on their dust.
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“Can we for real make a battery like that?” Floyd asked, practically bouncing in his seat.
Geneva grinned and lobbed her phone at him. “Check it. Solar battery’s in there. Go nuts.”
Floyd caught the phone and gave it a quick look. Just a regular phone, nothing screaming “high–tech.”
But as he started messing with it, his mind was blown. The thing ran smoother than a hot knife through butter, and the internet? Freaky fast. Prime for
gaming.
He spotted his favorite game on the screen and dove in. No lag, no hiccups, and with that insane connection, he was killing it.
Thirty minutes later, he peeked at the battery–still 100%. Another half–hour? Yup, still full.
And his eyes didn’t even have that gross, gritty feel from screen overload.
Floyd stared at Geneva, jaw on the floor. “Hold up, you made this phone?”
She shrugged like it was nothing. “Yeah, just tinkered a bit. Sped it up, boosted the signal, threw in some eye–protecting voodoo.”
Floyd was straight up gobsmacked. ‘Tinkered a bit? Tech geeks were out there pulling all–nighters for half this performance.
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“Well, why aren’t we churning these out? We’d be swimming in cash!” he asked.
Geneva leaned back, rolling her eyes. “Materials are a pain to track down. Mass–producing? Total nightmare.”
And the cost? Nobody was dropping a hundred G’s on a phone.
Batteries were the move. Truth be told, she hadn’t even wanted to
with Stan and his annoying crew.
But who knew how long she’d be stuck in this weird–ass world?” They kept popping up like roaches, getting on her last nerve.
Throw them a crisis–like a company implosion–and they’d be
o busy to hassle hol
Floyd gazed at her, ready to crown her tech goddess. She was the real deal.
But then a thought hit him. “Okay, but why’d you pick me to roll with?”
He shot her a flirty smirk, running a hand through his hair. ‘Bet she’s got the hots for me. Man, being this fine’s a struggle.‘
Geneva caught his cocky vibe and nearly laughed. Whatever cheesy rom–com this dude was scripting in his head, it was wild.
She shut it down with one bombshell. “I’m Stan Wheeler’s wife.”
Floyd’s face froze like he’d been slapped. “Say what?”
His brain went into meltdown mode. “But… Stan’s married to Tabitha. She’s, like, not you.”
Geneva flashed a sly, devilish grin.
Floyd’s imagination kicked into overdrive, spinning a messy, soap–opera–worthy saga of love, betrayal, and revenge.
Is Geneva out to burn her cheating husband to the ground?‘ he thought.
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