After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 16

Lawrence grabbed his phone and car keys, then stepped outside.

Catherine followed him to the door, watching as he left.

Across the street, under the awning, Lawrence got into a plain SUV. As he pulled out of the driveway, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and picked up. “Hello,” he said.

“Lawrence, we’ve finished screening the passengers from the cruise. We think we’ve found the person behind Resonance AI.”

“Who?”

“It’s Shirley.”

“Shirley?” Lawrence echoed, the name hanging in the air. His eyes turned cold and sharp. He remembered her from the cruise, how she looked delicate, but her gaze was always calculating.

“Yes. Based on what we know, Shirley studied computer science at a top university overseas. Over the past six months, she’s secretly met with several well-known international AI labs. The middleman that The James Group has been dealing with lately also points to her.”

Lawrence drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, his focus razor-sharp.

The first time anyone had heard of Resonance AI was in a video that surfaced five years ago. It looked like just another business AI system, but underneath, its design and potential for independent learning had huge value, especially for the military and national security.

That’s why he’d boarded the cruise ship. That night, after nearly five years of silence, the unique energy signature from Resonance AI had shown up again. The signal was traced right there, to the ship. And Shirley had been there too.

Could she really be the creator of Resonance AI? The timing and the place fit perfectly.

“He can be angry all he wants. Catherine’s always been stubborn. He can’t do anything about it,” Alice said, a flash of satisfaction in her eyes. She used to think Catherine was smart, but now she just seemed foolish. Passing up a billionaire like Waldo for a guy with nothing to his name.

“Shirley, you’re the Director of Engineering at The James Group now. That changes everything. Waldo went straight to save you first, not Catherine. That means you’re already more important to him. The title of Mrs. James is practically yours.”

Shirley took the apple, biting into it without much thought. All she tasted was bitterness.

Director of Engineering? What a joke.

She was the only one who knew how she’d gotten that job. Waldo hadn’t hired her for her skills, but because she’d set up a convincing illusion with Resonance AI.

He thought she was the genius behind it all. He believed the secret to Resonance AI was in her hands.