Chapter 6 - THE SECOND MEASURE
The ride back to the city was quiet,
the driver didn't talk,
and the city lights blurred,
into long,
neon streaks against the window.
I looked at the watch on my wrist,
the tourbillon still ticking,
a tiny heart that didn't care about billions,
or Ferraris.
My phone began to vibrate,
a steady stream of messages from relatives,
I hadn't spoken to in years.
“Audrey, we should grab lunch!”
“Thinking of you, cousin!”
“So proud of your success!”
I deleted them as they came in,
the digital noise feeling like static,
interfering with the peace of the night.
Then,
a message from my father.
“I’m sorry, Audrey.”
“I should have looked closer,
long ago.”
I didn't reply immediately,
I wanted to sit with the feeling of the silence.
I thought about the office,
the whiteboards covered in code,
the smells of coffee and overworked servers.
That was where I belonged.
The billions were just a byproduct,
a score in a game I played for the sake of the craft.
When I reached my apartment,
a modest place in a quiet building,
I felt a sense of relief.
There were no chandeliers here.
No silver plates.
Just my books,
my laptop,
and the view of the city I had conquered.
I sat on the balcony,
the cold wind biting at my face,
and looked at the skyline.
The lights of the skyscrapers,
represented thousands of people,
all striving for the same things my family craved.
I realized that I had won,
not because of the valuation,
but because I didn't need the validation.
I was Audrey,
the girl who took the bus,
and owned the world.
I picked up the phone and dialed my COO,
Sarah.
“Is everything ready for the Tokyo launch?”
I asked.
“Everything’s on schedule,”
she replied,
her voice steady and professional.
“But Audrey,
did you see the news?”
“The valuation just went up again in the pre-market.”
I looked at the watch,
the constellations shifting slowly,
marking the passage of time.
“I saw,”
I said.
“But it doesn't change anything.”
“I’ll be in at eight.”
I hung up and felt the weight of the crown,
not a gold one,
but one made of responsibility and purpose.
May you like
The dinner was over.
The real work was just beginning.
