After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 82

Catherine followed Magee across the room, feeling the eyes of several white-haired, sharp-looking gentlemen turn toward her. Each one greeted her arrival with a warm smile.

“Dr. Jay, this is Catherine,” Magee said respectfully. “She’s the youngest AI algorithm specialist at Nexus Dynamics, the one I told you about on the phone.”

Dr. Jay looked her over with a focused, approving gaze. “I’ve read all your papers. They’re fresh, insightful, and well-argued. Honestly, I never imagined the author would be this young.”

Catherine smiled, calm and self-assured. “Thank you, Dr. Jay. Those papers were just early drafts from five years ago. I still have plenty to improve.”

“Impressive. Humility like that is rare at your age,” another academic said, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses. “Would you be interested in the NexGen Tech Fellowship we sponsor?”

Magee leaned closer and whispered, “That’s the country’s top tech talent program. Only ten people get in each year.”

Catherine’s heart skipped a beat. These renowned scholars were inviting her personally?

“You’re more than qualified, Catherine. All of us voted for you,” the gold-rimmed academic added.

Grateful, Catherine nodded. “It’s an honor. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

The older academics beamed at her, their eyes full of approval. The mood was suddenly easy and warm, as if everyone in the circle understood how special this moment was.

A little ways off, Waldo watched with a complicated look. He’d never seen Catherine so at ease, so confident among the giants of the tech world. When she was with him, she’d never shown this kind of brilliance.

Upstairs, in a private suite on the second floor, two men stood by the window. One was young, the other already well into middle age.

The younger man watched the group below, his gaze settling on Catherine’s delicate figure. There was a hint of a smile in his eyes.

“That’s her?” the older man asked, squinting through the glass.

“Yeah, that’s her.”

“You two really do have a special connection.”

A gun lay between them, its weight deciding who would live and who would die.

That’s when he saw a slim figure walking by, phone pressed to her ear.

In that desperate moment, all he wanted was to save one last compatriot before he died. He shouted at her, warning her to get away.

Catherine froze in fear and dropped her phone. He thought she’d run, but she didn’t.

Instead, she did something he’d never forget. She darted forward, grabbed the gun from the ground, and raised it with trembling hands, aiming straight at his opponent.

Without glancing back, she yelled over her shoulder, “Get out of here!”

She didn’t know how to use the gun, but it was enough to scare off his attacker. After the man ran, she dropped the weapon, her legs giving out before she sank to the ground, hugging her knees, shaking and sobbing.

It was obvious. Through everything, she’d never really seen his face.