‘Yeah, Leo’s a major investor in the city,’ Ethan said. ‘How do you know him?’
The three of us – Katy, Zola and I – shared an awkward glance and, acting in silent agreement, each chugged down another glass of champagne. We stood watching Leo swagger around like John Wayne at the party.What a small fucking world, I thought.
A moment later, I felt a light tap on the shoulder.
‘The mics are set up for you all.’ Brooke smiled, edging us towards the front.
‘Great.’ I nodded, looking at Katy and Zola. ‘You ready for this?’ I asked, suddenly feeling a ball of nerves fly around my stomach.
‘Of course!’ Zola added. ‘C’mon, we’ve worked so hard on this. Own the moment, ladies.’
‘OK, let’s go.’ I led my friends towards the front of the stage. ‘We need to speak slowly, remember?’
Zola laughed. ‘You’re the one with the accent, babe. I got this.’
The three of us stood centre stage overlooking the courtyard packed full of investors, press and influencers, who all seemed to have their cameras at the ready.
We waited until the music naturally ended to begin. I could see Jimmy front and centre, beaming up at me encouragingly, alongside Fee and Travis.
Zola lifted her mic and, as confident as ever, she began.
‘Welcome, everyone, to the pre-launch party of the world’s latest way of dating. My name is Zola and joining me on stage this evening are my two best friends and colleagues, Katy and Ella. Tonight we are going to introduce you all to our innovative and unique new dating app – Stars and Swipes.’
A polite round of applause filled the space, and I felt myself grin widely. I couldn’t believe we had actually pulled this app off in such a short space of time. I stepped forward to continue my part of the introduction speech.
‘I’m sure many of us in the room have had the unfortunate experience of using dating apps, which come with so many obstacles. Does the person you’re meeting look like their photographs? Is this stranger safe to spend time with? Does anything they say on their profile have even a passing acquaintance with the truth? The problem is – we simply don’t know. It’s all down to chance. It can be downright scary to open yourself up to the possibilities of heartbreak without all of these unknowns muddying the waters even further.’ I paused for a second, glancing down at Jimmy, who was nodding after every word I said. ‘But what if we could have a way of answering our most important questions up front? Stars and Swipes is a brand-new app built on an AI tool that enables users to research each date before meeting them in person and, what’s more, to access crucial feedback on the past experiences of others. With this app, we’ve formulated a safe way to date, opt out of time-wasters and avoid dangerous individuals.’
Katy stepped up beside me for her part. ‘Not only does Stars and Swipes expose the untrustworthy men and women of the dating scene, it also offers users far more information than the generic dating apps out there. We’ve done our research, extensive research, and included the vital data points that are important to all Americans, like religion, goals, political affiliation, right down to favourite basketball team – or whatever sport you guys like to watch.’ A few bursts of genuine laughter filled the space, and Katy’s face lit up. I watched Travis grin as she spoke. ‘If you would all take out your phones and scan the QR codes set out on each table, we’d love to give you a demo on how easy and accessible Stars and Swipes really is.’
People began rustling in their pockets and handbags, pulling out their smartphones.
‘Smashing it,’ Zola muttered under her breath, noticing how engaged and receptive the audience was.
I nodded happily, agreeing with her and giving Katy a nudge of encouragement too.
Suddenly, a swarm of message notifications fell over the phones in the room. A cacophony of beeping and vibrating filled the packed space. I watched guests nudge one another, pointing and tipping their heads in our direction. Some gasping, some giggling. I looked at Jimmy as he glanced around, attempting to shush the rapidly rising noise level.
‘Sorry, guys. It’s probably best if you put the phones on silent for this,’ Katy said. ‘I know you’re all really important and have a lot of people wanting to contact you, but if you could please give us a few more minutes.’
A flash of cameras blinded me. I held my hands over my eyes. What the fuck was going on?
‘Hey!’ Jimmy called out to the press. ‘Enough!’
‘Mr Link, do you have anything to say on theDeuxMoiheadline about your new app?’ a reporter called out.
‘What? What headline?’ He seemed frustrated and on the edge of anger as the crowd surged around him, shoving mics and cameras in his face. ‘Can we let the demo continue?’
‘Are these allegations true?’ another reporter asked.
‘Mr Link, were you aware of any of this?’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Guys, what’s going on?’ Katy whispered as I watched Jimmy pull his phone from his pocket. Immediately, his expression changed.
‘I have no idea,’ Zola mumbled. ‘Ella?’
I could feel myself shaking with worry. ‘I don’t know.’
