Lot of Questions

In the conference room, Simon walked over to his designated seat, a scowl on his face. 

"You look like someone just stoned you." William Blake, his personal assistant, said, noticing the awkward glances from those who walked in after Simon. 

"How long is this supposed to take?" Simon grunted, picking up his phone. 

"Uhm, about four hours. You already knew that. What’s wrong? Or rather, did something happen?" William asked. 

"It's of no significance," Simon muttered. 

"But it seems to bother you, so I wouldn’t call it significant," William stated. 

"Drop it, okay?" Simon shot him a sharp look, which cut the conversation short. 

The event host took to the stage, beaming with a smile as she said, "Good day, everyone. Thank you all for being here. It is such an honor to welcome such a distinguished guest." 

After a brief recognition of key organizations and an introduction of the judges, the host’s tone shifted. 

"And now, I have an exciting announcement. We have the honor of presenting a brilliant mind in the cybersecurity space—one whose name alone makes this bid even more intriguing." 

"I wonder who that is," William mused aloud, glancing over at Simon, who remained glued to his phone. 

"Representing the Gary telecommunications group... Vectra!" The event host announced. 

The room erupted with applause and excited murmurs as cameras flashed. 

Simon looked up, shocked to hear Vectra was in New Jersey; if anything, the Parker group had heard a lot of great things about her. Vectra was someone he had intentions of meeting one of these days. 

As he turned, his breath caught. Again. His heart slammed against his ribs as his thoughts raced in confusion. 

Reporters were having a filled day as cameras flashed endlessly trying to capture the moment. 

"Oh my god, she is the one." 

"She's rarely in the spotlight, but I think she is the one." 

"She is the mastermind behind the AI-powered threat detection the military uses.” 

The whispers in the room only heightened the moment. 

William leaned towards Simon and whispered, "I didn't see that coming. How did the Gary group manage to pull that off?" And isn't that...” 

"Shut the f*ck up," Simon snapped, still staring, with his mind in chaos. 

There was no way Anna was Vectra; that would be absurd, Simon thought, his eyes narrowed at her across the room. 

Behind Anna, the rest of the team walked to their different seats, but Nancy was nowhere to be seen. 

The presentation began, but Simon barely absorbed a word. His thoughts were tangled as he tried to figure out exactly what was going on. 

"Simon, I think it's your turn to comment," William whispered, interrupting his thought. 

A contestant stood on the stage waiting for Simon to speak. 

The rest of the judges looked at Simon in awkward silence, wondering why Simon Parker seemed distracted. 

Simon leaned towards the mic in front of him and said, "No questions. Thank you." 

The event host smiled, covering up the awkward silence as she quickly said, "Okay, thank you for that wonderful presentation, EasyComms. Now to present the Gary Group Telecoms bid, we have Vectra!!" 

The energy in the room heightened as Anna made her way to the stage, each step a confident and powerful statement. 

"Thank you all for being here today. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you. Today, I want to convince you of two things: first, that our innovative telecommunications system is the best in its class; and second, that investing in it is not just an option—it’s a necessity." Anna had a firm smile on her face. 

By the time she was done presenting, the whole room was silent, everyone captivated by the brilliance behind it. 

"I told you she was the best," Clayton whispered to Michael from their seat. 

Michael had a satisfied smile on his face, his lips spread out in a grin as he looked at Anna in awe. 

Simon cleared his throat as he leaned towards the mic, drawing everyone's attention to him. 

"Hmm, I think you missed out on something crucial," Simon said, his lips lifted at the corner in a smirk. 

"What is he doing? That was brilliant," Michael muttered under his breath in anger. 

"I'm sure it's nothing," Clayton stated nervously. 

"What might that be, Mr. Parker?" Anna asked, folding her hand as she walked casually to the left side of the screen, giving him room to point out anything on her slide. 

Simon crossed his leg, a smirk on his face as he said, "You say investing in it is a necessity, but you have not in one slide mentioned how this innovation that pretty much is for everyone is going to generate a substantial ROI. I mean, if it is made available to everyone, doesn't that mean it is practically being given out for free?" 

Anna let out a small chuckle, tilting her head as if considering his words. 

"Ah, Mr. Parker, Perhaps all the technical terms were too complicated; let’s break this down, shall we?" She said, turning to the screen before he could respond. 

“Hahh,” Simon let out a low chuckle that didn’t quite reach his eyes at her jab. 

Anna spread her hand as she started, "This idea is all about controlled access and strategic deployment—two things that separate a market leader from just another player. Our system is an exclusive system designed to fight against a single vulnerability. High-risk industries would pay top dollar to access this, so why not just tap into the broader market? I mean, everyone needs security these days; I mean, even my grandma won't connect to a wi-fi today without asking if it is hacker-proof.” 

There were a few chuckles in the room at her last words before she continued. 

“Now let me ask you, Mr. Parker, are you suggesting that only those who can afford it are entitled to protection of their most sensitive communications?” Anna asked. 

The room went silent for a moment. Simon leaned back, rubbing his chin, but Anna wasn’t done. 

"Because if that’s the case," she continued, tilting her head, "then perhaps you might have a lot of questions to answer from the public." 

A few murmurs spread through the room as eyes flickered toward Simon, waiting for his response. The media team zoomed in on Simon as Anna put him on the spot. 

Simon stood up suddenly, his eyes unreadable as he stared at Anna. 

"Oh oh!” William muttered under his breath.