The silver car pulled up in front of the towering ArcanTech Industries building, and Cael couldn't help but stare.
The structure was massive, its dark glass walls reflecting the morning sky. Steel towers flanked the sides, linked by elevated bridges that seemed to float between the upper floors.
At the main entrance, a metallic sign reading "ArcanTech Industries" gleamed in the sunlight, and two uniformed guards stood by the automatic doors, eyeing everyone who entered.
Cael stepped out of the car, clutching the tape-wrapped blue sphere.
Mr. Torres, the driver, hopped out quickly and opened the trunk to help him retrieve his things.
"Here you go, young man," Torres said, his deep, professional voice steady as he handed Cael the box with care.
"Thank you, Mr. Torres," Cael said, nodding. He turned to Mrs. Elena, who was already climbing out of the front passenger seat. "And thank you, Mrs. Elena. Seriously, I don't know how to thank you enough. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have made it on time."
Mrs. Elena smiled, the wrinkles around her eyes deepening.
"No big deal, kid. Just make sure you shine in that meeting, alright?" She winked, like they were in on a secret.
Aria, still in the back seat, leaned out the window.
"Hey, Cael," she said, her tone softer than before. "Text me when you're done, okay? I wanna know how it went…"
Cael blinked, caught off guard.
"Uh… sure, I will," he replied, flashing a nervous smile. "Thanks, Aria. And thanks to all of you for everything."
Aria nodded, and the car began to pull away slowly.
Mrs. Elena gave him one last pat on the shoulder through the window.
"Good luck, kid!" she called as Mr. Torres sped up, the car vanishing into the capital's traffic.
Cael stood on the sidewalk, staring at the ArcanTech building.
He still couldn't believe it.
He'd made an important connection just by mentioning his invention. Mrs. Elena and Aria Valen, a famous singer, now knew about his project.
If everything went well, if ArcanTech accepted the sphere, his life would change.
'Tonight, Yuna and I are eating steak till we burst,' he thought, a grin spreading across his face. 'Or who knows, maybe we'll even move to a decent apartment.'
Cael was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly tripped on the first step of the entrance.
"Ow!" he yelped, catching his balance just in time. The box wobbled in his hands, and the sphere almost slipped. "Focus…" he muttered, shaking his head.
He couldn't afford to screw up now.
Not when he was this close.
Cael climbed the steps carefully and pushed through the automatic doors, which opened with a soft hum.
The ArcanTech lobby was even more impressive than the exterior. The floor was polished white marble, so glossy it reflected the ceiling lights.
In the center, a circular fountain sprayed water into a pool glowing with blue LED lights. The walls were adorned with metallic panels etched with geometric patterns, and at the reception desk, a young woman in a pristine uniform looked up from behind a counter.
"Good morning," the receptionist said, her smile professional. "How can I assist you?"
Cael approached, tucking the box under his arm.
"Uh, hi. I'm Cael Blackwood. I have an appointment for a presentation at ten."
The receptionist nodded and began typing on her computer.
"One moment, please, I'll verify your appointment," she said, her smile unwavering.
"No problem," Cael replied, setting the box down carefully.
He took the chance to pull out his phone and check for messages.
The screen showed several notifications, and his stomach lurched when he saw five missed calls from Lena. There were also multiple texts from her, sent over the last thirty minutes:
[Where are you?]
[What are you doing?]
[Answer me]
[Why didn't you turn on your GPS like I told you?]
Cael frowned, a pang of guilt hitting him.
He checked the time: 8:41.
Thanks to Mrs. Elena's car, he'd arrived much faster than expected.
The bus to the capital usually took an hour and a half, but now he had time to spare.
His presentation was at 10:00, and he'd planned to arrive thirty minutes early to set up.
Cael wanted every detail to be perfect, for the sphere to blow everyone at ArcanTech away. But now, seeing Lena's messages, he felt like he'd already messed up.
The receptionist looked up.
"Mr. Blackwood, your appointment is confirmed. Please proceed to the 12th floor, Conference Room B. Here's your ID badge."
She handed Cael a plastic card with a clip and his name printed on it.
"Thanks," Cael said, clipping the badge to his shirt.
He picked up the box and started typing a quick reply to Lena:
[I'm fine, just got to ArcanTech. Everything's good.]
But before he could hit send, his phone buzzed with a new call.
Lena's name flashed on the screen, and Cael swallowed hard.
He answered, balancing the phone on his shoulder while holding the box and sphere.
"Cael?" Lena's voice was sharp, dripping with anger. "How dare you worry me like this? Do you know what it took to get you this opportunity? And you can't even answer the damn phone!"
Cael felt his cheeks heat up.
"I'm sorry, Lena," he said, lowering his voice so the receptionist wouldn't hear. "I was busy trying to get here. I didn't mean—"
"Busy?" she cut him off, her voice rising. "Busy doing what? I told you yesterday to turn on your GPS, to keep me updated on where you were. Is it that hard to follow a simple instruction? This is important, Cael! This isn't a game."
Cael clenched his teeth, feeling a mix of guilt and frustration.
The truth was, he'd forgotten to turn on the GPS. He hadn't slept at all last night, working on the sphere until dawn, and his head was a mess.
"I'm really sorry," he said, trying to stay calm. "I forgot, okay? But I'm here now, and I made it, Lena. The sphere works. It works! This is gonna be huge."
Lena let out a scoff.
"So what if you made it? That doesn't matter if you can't follow directions, Cael. You think ArcanTech is gonna take someone seriously who can't even show up on time without giving me a heart attack? You need to learn to be responsible."
Cael's free hand curled into a fist.
He wanted to defend himself, to tell her he'd worked nonstop, that he'd caused a neighborhood blackout just to get the sphere working.
But he knew arguing wouldn't help.
Lena was furious, and when she got like this, there was no reasoning with her.
"Alright," he said at last, his voice tight. "I'm heading to the 12th floor, Conference Room B. Where are you?"
Lena paused, as if debating whether to keep chewing him out.
"I'm on the 15th floor, wrapping up some things," she said finally. "Go to the 12th and get ready. Don't do anything stupid, Cael. This is your one shot. Don't blow it."
"Got it," Cael muttered, and the call ended.