Chapter 17: A Vision in the Boardroom

Chapter 17: A Vision in the Boardroom

I stood outside the boardroom of Drake Technologies, my heart racing. The room ahead seemed huge, a place where big decisions were made. I adjusted my blazer, took a deep breath, and pushed open the heavy glass doors. Inside, the smell of leather and ambition hit me as I walked in, my heels echoing on the shiny floor.

"Dr. Chen-Drake," someone called out. I turned and saw Victoria, the new board member, her eyes sharp and focused on me. "Glad you could join us."

I nodded, forcing a smile. There was something about Victoria that always made me uneasy, though I couldn't quite figure out what it was. I sat down next to Ethan, and for a brief moment, our eyes met. The spark between us was undeniable, despite the fact that our marriage was more of a business arrangement than anything else.

"Now that we're all here," Ethan began, his voice commanding everyone's attention, "let's talk about the Q3 projections."

As the meeting went on, my mind started to drift. The financial numbers on the screens seemed to blur together. I blinked hard, trying to focus.

Suddenly, a rush of energy coursed through me. The boardroom disappeared, replaced by a swirl of numbers, graphs, and market trends. They spun around me, forming patterns. I gasped, gripping the armrests of my chair. This vision was stronger than any I'd had before. I saw something terrifying—a crash bigger than anything in history was coming.

"Olivia?" Ethan's concerned voice snapped me back to reality. "Are you alright?"

I blinked, and the boardroom came back into focus. Everyone was staring at me, looking confused and worried. But Victoria's expression was different—she seemed curious, even suspicious.

"I'm fine," I managed to say, though my voice was shaky. "Please, continue."

Ethan hesitated but then went on with his presentation. I grabbed my notebook and started scribbling furiously, trying to capture what I had seen before it slipped away.

The rest of the meeting was a blur. When it was over, as the board members began to leave, Ethan caught my arm.

"What happened?" he whispered, his brow creased with worry.

I glanced around to make sure we were alone. "Another vision," I whispered back. "But this one was different. Stronger. Ethan, I think I saw-"

"Dr. Chen-Drake," Victoria's voice interrupted. We turned to see her standing in the doorway, a small smile on her lips. "Could I have a word with you?"

Ethan's hand tightened on my arm. "Can it wait, Victoria? We were just-"

"I'm afraid it can't," she cut him off, her eyes locked on mine. "It's quite urgent."

I gave Ethan a reassuring squeeze on the hand. "It's okay. We'll talk later."

I followed Victoria out of the boardroom, feeling a knot of unease in my stomach. We walked in silence down the long hallway, our footsteps echoing off the walls.

She led me to her office, a place I'd never been before. It was stark and minimalist—no personal touches, just sleek furniture and high-tech gadgets.

"Please, sit," Victoria said, motioning to a chair in front of her desk.

I sat down, watching as she closed the door and activated an electronic lock. A soft hum filled the room, and I realized she had turned on some kind of privacy shield.

"Now then," Victoria began, settling into her chair with an unnatural grace. "Let's talk about what really happened in that boardroom, shall we?"

My heart raced. "I'm not sure what you mean."

Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Come on, Olivia. We both know you experienced something more than just a dizzy spell. Your pupils dilated, your heart rate spiked, and your brain waves… well, let's just say they were very interesting."

A chill ran down my spine. How could she know about my brain waves?

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

Victoria leaned forward, her gaze intense. "I think you do. And I think you've been having these… episodes for a while now. Ever since you married Ethan, maybe?"

My mind raced. How much did she know? And how did she know it?

"What do you want?" I asked, deciding to cut to the chase.

Victoria's smile widened, showing perfect white teeth. "Oh, Olivia. It's not about what I want. It's about what we can achieve together. I know about the quantum computer project. I know about Ethan's secret society. And I know that you're the key to unlocking something far greater than either of you can imagine."

My blood ran cold. This was impossible. No one outside of a select few knew about the quantum computer, let alone Ethan's involvement with the secret society.

"Who are you?" I whispered, my voice trembling.

Victoria stood up and moved around the desk with fluid, almost inhuman grace. "I think the better question is, who are you? Or rather, what are you becoming?"

She reached out, her fingers just barely touching my temple. In that instant, another vision slammed into me like a tidal wave.

I saw cities crumbling, markets collapsing, reality itself tearing apart. But in the middle of the chaos, I saw something else. A figure, standing at the center of the storm, reshaping the world with just their mind.

The vision faded, leaving me gasping for air. Victoria stood over me, her eyes glowing with a strange light.

"You felt it, didn't you?" she asked, her voice soft. "The power. The potential. You're evolving, Olivia. Becoming something more than human. And I'm here to guide you."

My mind spun, trying to make sense of everything. This couldn't be real. And yet, deep down, I knew it was.

"What are you?" I managed to ask, my voice hoarse.

Victoria's smile was mysterious. "I am the bridge between what humanity is and what it can become. And you, my dear, are the key to crossing that bridge."

She walked to the window that looked out over the city. "The question is, are you ready to take that first step? To leave behind the limitations of your old life and embrace a future beyond your wildest dreams?"

I stood on shaky legs, my heart pounding. Everything I thought I knew about my life, about reality itself, was falling apart. And at the center of it all stood Victoria, offering answers but raising even more questions.

Before I could respond, a sudden tremor shook the building. The lights flickered, and a deep rumble filled the air.

Victoria turned back to me, her face unreadable. "It seems," she said calmly, "that the future is arriving sooner than expected."

The window behind her shattered, sending glass flying across the room. As the wind whipped around us, I saw the city outside. My blood ran cold.

The sky had turned a strange shade of violet, with cracks like shattered glass spreading across it. And through those cracks, I could see… something else. Other worlds, other realities, merging with our own.

Victoria held out her hand to me, her eyes glowing with that eerie light. "The choice is yours, Olivia. Stay here and face the collapse of everything you know, or come with me and help shape the new world that's coming."

As the room crumbled around us and the boundaries between realities blurred, I stood frozen, faced with an impossible decision that would change not just my life, but the fate of the entire world.