“I’m surprised you’ve heard of Mama Cass, but no. My name’s actually Cassiopeia,” she said. “My parents had a thing for mythology. I willnotbe naming this little girl after anyone from Greek legends.”
Cass stopped in front of a large overhead photo of the complex. “The building is designed a little like a wheel but missing the outer rim. Each wing has the private quarters of one of the owners, but they also hold the offices for the main departments—Programming, Art, Music, and Storyline. Everything blends into the center here.”
“I don’t know how they keep track of everything,” Ahri said.
“It helps that Rafe is brilliant at this stuff.”
“And that’s not intimidating at all.” Ahri blew out a breath. She was good at what she did, but no one had ever called her brilliant. What if she messed up and it looked bad on the company?
“Don’t worry.” Cass shot her a knowing glance. “He’s patientwith us mere mortals, and you only have to worry about Rafe. The other guys have their own support staff.”
“That’s something, I guess.”
“But Rafe also carries the biggest burden because he’s the CEO. The other guys only have to worry about their departments.”
“How are you doing all this alone?” Ahri asked.
“Olaf was the king of organization and worked long hours before he left to set everything up for us. We have a good automation program which helps with the routine stuff. This way.”
Ahri followed her into a small cafeteria with tables and chairs in the center. Computer desks with large monitors lined the outside walls. A few had people playing REKD.
“Each floor has a couple of PC cafés,” Cass said. “Have you played REKD yet?”
Ahri almost mentioned that she’d played the game since its earliest version but bit back the comment. Cass had given no hint that she knew Ahri’s true identity.
“Yes, I play often.”
“Good because it’s a requirement for employment. Understanding the game is important to every job here.”
“That’s an interesting approach, but I guess I can see that,” Ahri said. “How many people work here?”
“Over a thousand in this location, and there are nearly fifteen hundred worldwide. That’s changing, as we open new offices.”
“Worldwide?” Ahri felt a twinge of guilt that she didn’t already know this about her brother’s business.
“We’re a global company, with fourteen offices. A new one will be opening this fall in London. They’ve recruited people for this office from all over the country.”
“You don’t have a Southern accent. Where do you come from?” Ahri asked.
“All over since I was an Army brat, but I came with my husband. He’s one of the musicians and works with Ezreal.”
“I don’t think Ez likes me.” Except for that one sympathetic look, he’d barely acknowledged her, even though he’d been over to Francie’s for dinner three times in the last two weeks.
“You’ve met him already? Don’t worry about him; he’s a sweetheart. That’s just Ezreal’s way. He’s really shy and stutters when he’s nervous.” Cass shot Ahri a sidelong glance. “He’s especially that way around women he doesn’t know. I think he was bullied as a child.”
“Kids can be so mean.”
“That’s probably why he was eventually home schooled.” Cass pointed to some plaques on the wall. “One thing that you’ll be handling are the charities. The company works with several, but each of the guys has their own endowment set up, and it’s Rafe’s staff that coordinates and oversees them all.”
Kayn had mentioned something about it once. She’d been glad that her brother wasn’t blowing all his money on stupid things but was using it to help people—and quietly too. Few people knew how much money he’d donated to charity.
“Something I feel bad about leaving to you is the Midsummer’s Eve Event,” Cass said.
“I’m guessing it’s on Midsummer’s Eve.” Ahri grinned
“Smart girl. Yes. It’s a big cosplay event here at the complex. We’ve invited the North American pro teams to attend, and there’s going to be a banquet that night to honor our biggest fans who’ve helped to spread the word about the game.”
“It sounds like a lot of fun.” Ahri took a deep breath. “And a lot of work.”
