Northgate. At the business summit.
Silas Thorne was scheduled to give a speech soon, so he was reviewing his notes. He had set a special notification for Joyce Monroe's messages, so he saw it the instant it arrived.
He stared at it for a few seconds, the corners of his mouth just starting to curl up when the message was quickly retracted.
Another message followed right after:
[Thorne, sorry. My friend was just joking.]
"You're about to go on stage. Whose message has you so engrossed?" Kian Jacobs, sitting beside him, asked. "Is it something important that has to be dealt with right now?"
"My wife."
"Joyce is looking for you at a time like this?"
Kian Jacobs felt a sense of relief. It seemed the two of them were getting along well.
"Actually, yes. There is something."
Kian Jacobs said nothing. He had no desire to be a part of this couple's 'play,' so he went back to playing Snake on his phone.
But then Silas Thorne said, "Kian, I need you to do me a favor."
