Page 8 of Fake It For Glory

JENSEN

Iran the program, looking at the coding and reading it like someone would read a book. I saw bugs that would prevent my AI technology from running correctly. I saw the little things that no one else could see. My job was to find the bugs and send them off to my developers to fix. I couldn’t afford to roll out the technology if it was littered with problems. It had to be perfect.

I scrolled through the code, my eyes scanning every single line of text. It was a tedious job, but I was determined to find every last bug. After hours of searching, I finally found it—a single missing semicolon that was causing all sorts of errors.

I quickly sent off the bug report to my developers and waited anxiously for their response. In the meantime, I decided to take a break and grab a cup of coffee. As I walked to the break room, I couldn’t help but think about the potential of my technology. It had the power to change the world, but only if it was flawless.

I sat down at my desk with a fresh mug. No sooner did I take a delicious, caffeinated sip than my door opened. My sister, Hattie, walked in with a cardboard tray with two coffees. “How did I know you were in need of a blast of caffeine?”

“Oh, the good stuff,” I said and got to my feet. I pushed the mediocre breakroom coffee to the side and eagerly accepted the coffee she offered. “Thank you.”

“So, I saw you Monday,” she teased.

“You saw me?”

“On the morning show,” she said and sipped her coffee. “You did good.”

“Why does it sound like you’re about to add, but I could have done better?”

“Because you could have done better,” she said.

“How so?”

“You were speaking geek.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”

“It wasn’t bad,” she said like it was a compliment. “I guess you can’t take the geek out of the kid. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or the fancy suits you wear.”

I balled up my napkin and tossed it at her. “Very funny.”

“Okay, you’re a nerd. There’s no fixing that. I’ll still love you, but we need to talk about your calendar. We’ve got a busy few weeks.”

Hattie worked as my other assistant, and she was more like my mother. She had a soft nature. She told me what to do but was gentle. She was more like my other half. She knew me. She knew all about me.

Hattie knew about those things I didn’t like to talk about. She knew the hell I went through when I was growing up. My sister was the popular, gorgeous cheerleader and I was the geek. I had no friends. I was an ugly duckling. I was the super-smart nerd that graduated high school at the ripe age of fourteen. I was a square peg in every sense. Hattie was the one that helped me navigate social norms. She was the one that ran interference when my awkwardness became too obvious.

“We?” I asked. “We have a busy few weeks?”

“You know what I mean,” she said. “You’ve got a lot of publicity stuff on your plate, and I just want to remind you this is what you asked for. I warned you this might be a lot. Are you sure you’re up for stepping into the spotlight?”

“I’m fine. I can handle it.”

That was why I had Hattie at my side. She looked after me. She understood just how much I hated the whole idea of being in the public eye.

“Okay, we have the official launch party at Madison Square Garden, but before that, you have a series of events before the big shindig.”

I couldn’t help but groan. “Small talk.”

Hattie gave me a sympathetic smile. “Yes, small talk. But you know the drill. Smile, shake hands, and try not to offend anyone. You’re a genius, but you’re also a public figure now. You can’t just hide in your office and avoid people forever.”

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “I know, Hattie. I’m not a total recluse. I just… I don’t like all the attention. It’s overwhelming.”

“I understand,” she said. “But you’re also a young, successful entrepreneur. People want to see the face behind the company. They want to hear about your plans for the future. They know you’re crazy smart. They need to feel okay about putting their future in your hands. You need more investors to achieve all the goals you have. Your AI is going to change the world. Have you realized that?”

I nodded, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment swell within me. Hattie was right. My AI had the potential to change the world. And I had worked tirelessly to make it happen. But now that it was actually happening, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of doubt. What if I wasn’t ready for all of this? What if I failed?

Hattie must have sensed my unease because she gave me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, you’ve got this. And I’ll be right here with you every step of the way. This is a big deal. You need more support to achieve the big dreams you have. Part of getting people to invest in your dream is selling the dream. I know you’re going to do everything you set out to do.”