I roll my eyes cartoonishly, finishing off my glass and leaning back against the burgundy booth. “Imagine how awkward a double date would be.” Smiling at the idea of us both being happy, the twins and the cousins. I wonder if Dominic and Oliver will have a conversation about everything soon; I guess if Dominic offered him a promotion when he tried to quit, there must still be a door that’s open for a relationship outside of work.
Spencer laughs, rubbing his face. “Oh my god or at Christmas?! What a nightmare. The six of us and deaf Granddad Bob saying “Who’s that?” every few minutes would be torture.”
“Monthly newsletter–worthy for sure.” I sit back in the booth seat, my hands in my lap. “Maybe even the end-of-year highlights.”
I smile, thinking about us two little nobodies bringing home a gigantic American and an aristocratic billionaire. Our smiles dwindle as, in sync, our minds shift to our parents.
Spencer clears his throat, mulling on the question for a few seconds. “Have you spoken to Mum and Dad?”
Maybe I should respond to my parents; maybe now I’ve let go of the past, it’s time to move forward with them too.
A sigh escapes me. “Not since her birthday. They’ve been calling me after I posted the video, but I’ve been sending them to voicemail. I’m not in the right headspace for a lecture.” My phone also barely works right now with all the notifications blowing it up.
“They’ll come around.” He squeezes my hand.
I look down into my drink, watching the ice melt. “And if they don’t?”
“You’ll have me...” He bites his lip, considering something for a few seconds. “...And if they don’t talk to you, their darling son won’t give them any updates about his big new role with BBC America.”
I blink and shake my head, stunned into silence. “I’m sorry, what?”
He laughs, wiggling his eyebrows. “I got the job.”
I slam my hand onto his arm. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“I only found out yesterday!” He shrugs, a massive smile plastered across his face. “It felt mean rubbing it in when your life was falling apart.”
I sigh, the guilt of being so vocal about my struggles over the past few weeks while choosing to ignore his makes me feel sick. It was a dick move. “You know you didn’t have to do that. I will always be happy for you, even if I’m in the bloody gutter. I’m sorry if I made you feel like I wouldn’t support you.”
“Thanks,” he says sheepishly as he fiddles with the collar of his shirt.
I lean in, knowing he probably can’t tell many people about the news until it’s officially announced. “What’s the role?”
His mouth turns upward into a sly smile. “It’s a period drama; my character is a plucky inventor trying to get his idea off the ground.”
I scrunch my face and scoff a laugh. “Are you being serious?”
“They said my interpretation of the character felt very natural.” He sucks in his cheeks.
We stare at each other, both in paused amusement, waiting for the other to break first. Of course Spencer would nail the audition; I didn’t doubt that. I knew he was a talented actor, but having seen his improvisational skills up close and personal has reinforced my faith in his career choice. I used to think pursuing a career like that was an incredible risk, with the ultimate odds of success slim to none. But now I realize, the life I’ve chosen to pursue is no different.
“I wonder where you learned that from.” I tap my finger against the table. “When does filming start?”
“In a couple of months, but it’s in New York... so I won’t be able to do those extra office hours now...” he says. “Do you think Wyst will survive without me?”
I smile at my brother; the never-ending well of pride just got a little bit deeper. “I think Wyst is going to be okay without either of us.”
Chapter 33
FROM THE OFFICE OF DOMINIC ODERICCO:
After much deliberation over Ms. Cole’s statement and her stepping down as CEO, we have decided to disqualify Wyst as a finalist from TechRumble. Wyst will not receive the allocated prize money, and Odericco Investments will choose another from our list of finalists to receive the third-place prize, to be awarded in the coming days.
However, we would hasten to admit that Ms. Cole’s actions are a reflection and consequence of the current tech landscape. Only 11 percent of all applicants to TechRumble are female-founded or female-led companies. There is a major bias toward men within the tech industry. We cannot award Wyst a place in the final three of TechRumble. We will, however, include Wyst in a selection of female-owned businesses for our new venture, the FemTech Fund. Investment exclusively for companies prioritizing the improvements in the quality of life for women and women’s issues. More to be announced soon.
Dominic Odericco
Oliver’s chest rises and falls in deep movements as I read the statement out loud. We both scanned the draft Dominic’s new assistant sent me last night but seeing it across the Odericco Investments website and social media felt like reading it in a different language. It’s 7 a.m. The sun is barely ready to rise, and despite both of us waking up unemployed this morning (my new role working with Dominic starts in a month and Oliver’s culinary course starts next week), our internal clocks are still set to wake up in a cold sweat of panic about whatever emails have landed while we were asleep.
