Chapter 3: Three Million for His Game

The sales associate's face tightened. Their card reader had just worked for another customer-it shouldn't be acting up. Since Liana Carver was a regular who bought a bag almost every month, it didn't make sense that she couldn't pay for one now. The associate fetched another terminal and held it out. "Liana, could you try entering your PIN again?" Liana keyed in her birthday once more, pressing each number with exaggerated care to avoid a slip. She hit confirm. The screen flashed the same verdict: wrong PIN. The associate kept her voice gentle. "Liana, maybe try a different card? If we try again, your card might get locked." Liana touched her wallet as if it could steady her. Years with Micah Baron had taught her to spend like money grew on trees. She had almost forgotten that her take-home pay was only about $650 a month. In Broadmoor, where every square foot cost an arm and a leg, she couldn't even rent a decent apartment, much less shop in a luxury mall or be a VIP at the Louis Vuitton Store. The associate's glance, well-meaning as it was, made Liana want to vanish. Humiliation clung to her skin. A fresh spike of anger pricked at Micah. He must have changed the PIN behind her back and said nothing. She felt like everyone in the store was staring at her. Those gazes seemed to laugh in silence, as if to say, Look at that broke girl, coming to the Louis Vuitton Store with no money. She needs a reality check. Micah had set her up for a public fall. Liana made a private vow: If Micah came begging to get back together, she wouldn't forgive him easily. On Messenger, his familiar avatar rose to the top of her chats. A new message from Micah. "Hah." She snorted and deleted it without even opening it. He had blocked her so decisively yesterday. What was he doing messaging her now? She would make sure he understood she wasn't some girl who could be won over with a snap of the fingers, nor someone who replies whenever he feels like texting. He would pay the price. Across town, Micah was eaten up with anxiety. His team's project had gone live that afternoon, and so far everything was running smoothly. As the director, he was doing a final risk check. His people were competent and diligent. Work wasn't the weight on his chest. The anxiety came from a wedding he'd been preparing for almost half a year. Nine days to go. Every day, relatives, friends, and classmates flooded his Messenger with congratulations. In nine days, where was he supposed to find a bride? What was he going to do-rent a stand-in? If he ran out of options, even that sorry excuse of a plan might end up his last resort. Ring, ring, ring. The call pulled him back. Archie Carrington's name lit the screen. "Micah, that game demo we built together caught the eye of Mystic Games, one of the top studios in the country. They want to buy the source code and the concept for three million dollars. It's too big for me to decide alone. Can you meet tonight so we can figure it out?" Micah's eyebrows shot up. "Three million?" For the average person, three million isn't a small sum. It could buy the kind of penthouse in the downtown financial district Liana had daydreamed about. But his ambition didn't stop at three million, and his idea of a life worth living was more than a wife, kids, and a cozy home. From design to development, architecture to the final round of testing and bug-hunting, every stage, every algorithmic choice had been hand-built by him and Archie. You can't put a price on that kind of sweat equity. He wanted to grow the game, keep adding new gameplay and features, let gamers everywhere know its name. He shot Archie a reply: "Seven. The usual spot." After work, he headed straight for the same bar as the night before. Archie was stuck in traffic. Micah ordered two drinks and slid into yesterday's booth. A few stray images flickered at the edges of his mind. Yesterday. He had drunk too much, stumbled to the restroom, and then the night had taken a sharp, hazy turn. He pulled a pair of earrings from his jacket pocket. The jade was fine-grained and luminous, warm against his fingers-the kind of creamy white known as mutton-fat jade, prized and expensive. His grandmother had owned a pair, a family heirloom, not nearly as flawless as these. A collector had once knocked on their door offering a seven-figure price. Micah turned the earrings over, studying every curve, trying to read the owner in their quiet glow. What kind of woman would hand over something so valuable as if it meant nothing? He didn't notice Liana and her best friend, Callie, slip into a booth across the aisle. The moment Liana stepped in, she spotted Micah, a delicate glint cupped in his hand. Callie nudged her with an elbow. "Liana, don't you dare forgive him just like that. Jewelry and gifts are the bare minimum. Get used to him treating you right. If you make up too soon, he'll think you're easy to placate, not worth the effort, and he'll take you lightly." Liana gave a cool snort. "I'm not forgiving him. He crossed a line. Letting him buy his way out would be letting him off cheap." Callie lit up. "When he comes over to talk, ignore him. Keep him on the hook." "That's exactly the plan." They each ordered a cocktail and drifted into the easy chatter that passed between women. On the surface, Liana talked. In truth, every few seconds she stole a glance at Micah's booth and watched him examine the earrings. Credit where it was due, his taste, for once, hadn't fallen flat. She liked those earrings. But they looked familiar. Where had she seen them? An image flashed. Were those the same earrings worn by the ice-queen CEO of the Brewsley Group? Two days ago, that very CEO had scolded her to tears. She wouldn't be mistaken. Liana's heart did a small leap. Earrings like that didn't come cheap. Micah must have bled for this peace offering. He might even have emptied whatever secret stash he kept. Her resolve softened a shade. If he came over to talk, she would at least meet him with a smile. Micah, for his part, felt none of the twin gazes trained on him. Archie arrived half an hour late. "So, what do you think? Three million isn't pocket change. Do we take the money or keep the game?" Micah had already made up his mind at the office. "I don't want to sell, Archie. Let's register a studio of our own. We can rope in a few talented juniors from the Corvaina University Computer Science Department and build this into something big." Archie chuckled and held out a fist. They fist-bumped. "Great minds. I'll text Camilo and see if he has time this weekend. We can go pay him a visit and ask him to recommend a few people." Both of them had been star students at Corvaina University. They'd met during a competitive programming event and bonded over the same obsession. Micah smiled. "It's been ages since we saw the professor. I actually miss him." They talked a while longer about the game, then headed their separate ways. As Micah passed Liana's booth, he spotted her. His expression hardened. He kept his eyes straight ahead and walked on, treating her as if she were a stranger. The two women stared after him, wide-eyed, as he walked out of the bar.