40. Not All Lies

**DAY TWO**

“Good morning John, Patricia, Mark, Henry, Andrew. Let’s get down to crack this bull.” I begin without delay.

I share the pictures, along with the PDF detailing the materials used in constructing our company’s best-selling product- Smart Kitchen Countertop.

“How could it get burn, when it has been tested virtually indestructible?” Mark inquires.

“Yea, the material we have been using are crystal quartz, which is stronger than granite and it seamlessly integrates with our AI system.” Patricia points out.

“Exactly, then how did it burn?” I ask calmly.

“I can’t believe it either. We have applied an extra coat to make the countertop glazed and scratched proof. Yet, it surprises me that it burned through the deep layers of coating.” Andrew analyses after reviewing the pictures.

“It is impossible, considering the countertop contains 93% crushed quartz crystals and only 7% resin. And it has been proven to be inflammable numerous times in testing.” Henry counters.

“But it’s not. And that’s the problem we need to solve.” I point at the blue elephant in the room, while they still continue to admire Emara’s burning skills.

“How could that even be possible?” Mark scratches his forehead in confusion.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes, wondering why the hell I even bother paying them.

“Alcohol.” I interject, sitting up straight to capture everybody’s attention.

“Alcohol?” John asks with a baffled face, just like others.

“Yes. Alcohol can dissolve resin because of its solvent properties.” I reveal, sending another set of PDFs which states the chemical reaction when alcohol, resin and fire combine.

I deducted after observing spiced rum near the burnt countertop last night, which probably caused the fire in first place.

*Hm.. I should hire Emara for testing instead of these double-degree candidates!*

“Alcohol and fire are good friends, which are enemy of resin. And as our product contains 7% resin, this interaction is adequate to cause damage.” I explain to them.

“Oh, in that case, we need to coat another layer on the top to prevent alcohol-related burns, but it will increase the cost of production.” Mark affirms.

“Hmm. Arrange a meeting with Parkson from the accounting department. I will send him the follow up to ensure the margin remains same between the cost of production and the cost of product.” I inform Mark, who nods in accord.

“Got it. Also, do you want me to send someone to replace that countertop? We can use it for further testing.”

“No need. Use a prototype for testing instead.” I straight away reject his suggestion.

I don’t want that countertop to be replaced, not because it is tainted with Emara’s memory, but because I don’t want any disturbance in my home right now.

Plus, I already like the design of the countertop and I don’t care about the burn mark.

*I like how it is.*

After concluding the meeting, I forward the PDFs and pictures to my assistant, for her to deal with the further process.

*‘Sir, do we have an internship department? Someone called to inquire about his sister applying for interview rounds here.’*

I stare at the mail for a long ten-seconds, before it clicks me and I instantly reply, *‘Forward his number to me.’*

Checking the number, I see it is registered under Ethan Stone’s name, confirming my doubt.

*That’s Emara’s brother.*

I dial the number on my phone, and take a deep breath before hitting the call.

After two rings, I hear a, “Hello?”

“Hi, this is Dakota from Highbar Systems.” I introduce myself. “I am calling regarding the inquiry you made about our internship department.”

“Yes, my sister Emara Stone has been applying for an internship at your company. But they mentioned there is no such department.” Ethan replies, formally.

“Our internship program is still in the testing phase and hasn’t been officially announced yet. Hence, it is not coordinated with the HR department for now.” I explain my lies to him.

*Actually, not all lies.*

We were planning for internship, only to discard that idea later.

“May I know which department you are from?” Ethan asks with a hint of curiosity in his tone.

“I am the chief executive, Dakota Black.” I re-introduce myself, in the right way.

There is a moment of silence, followed by a moment of realization from Ethan’s end. “Oh, yo-ou are Dakota Black, the one who won AI Innovation Awards for his startup!”

“Yea, that’s me.” I reply to him with a smile.

He knows me. *Great!*

“Oh, God! I-I can’t believe I am talking to you. I am-m Ethan Stone from Washington University. Me and my friends always talk about your work, and the campaign of Ever-Evolving is just mind blowing.”

A sense of pride ripples through me after knowing I am looked up as a role-model for the newer generation.

Also, did he say Washington University?

“Thank you, Ethan. It’s good to hear that your group admires our hard work.” I reply to him, while opening a new tab in the browser and searching his name on the official site of the university.

I get a little surprised to see him in the same year as Emara. Are they.. *Twins?*

“You are truly inspiring, Mr. Black.” I hear him say, as I lean back in my chair and read his academic report, which mainly consists of As in every semester.

“I aspire to be like you one day, which is why I am studying machine learning alongside my main studies. Your work is a huge inspiration to me.”

An effortless smile curve my lips and I reply, “That’s excellent to hear. In fact, I would like to extend an offer to you. After you graduate, consider applying to HighBar. Your skills would be a valuable addition to our department, and I would be happy to recommend you.”

Good brains are all we hunt for.

“Wow! I feel so honoured. Thank you so much. I will definitely think about it.”

Not going to lie, but I am really impressed by Ethan’s manners and his enthusiasm for edge-cutting technologies, something Emara clearly lacks despite being a computer science student.

Also, he has better communication skills than her, which is another surprising ingredient.

“You are not weird like your sister.” Words slip out of my lips, noting the stark contrast between the two siblings.

“Nobody is weird like my sister.” Ethan chuckles from the other end of the line, and we both share a laugh together, thinking alike.

“I couldn’t agree more.” I retort, searching for Emara’s record on the university’s website.

I sit up straight, focusing on her academic report, which mostly shows Cs and even some Ds, particularly in her first year.

*She barely passed that year!*

“Ethan, why does your sister have such low scores in every semester?” My voice laces with concern, after seeing her poor grades.

“Why don’t you try to help her out with studies?” And I almost scold him out for it.

“Ah! I encourage her to study with me, but she is always preoccupied with herself until it’s one day before the exam. But I can assure you, Emara is smart. And once she develops an interest in a subject, she would dive into research and master it in a single night. I have seen it.”

*Hmm.. Just like today.*

I didn’t expect her to wake up early and prepare a breakfast for me on time. She can be really surprising sometimes.

“The only drawback is that she is very emotional, which most girls are, but Emara being an extra spoon, she make decisions based on her feelings than logic, which gets her in trouble, almost every time.”

*Just like when she chose to sacrifice my life to save the love of her life!*

*Errh!* I still can’t bring myself to forgive her for that.

*And neither can I.*

“And now that she is far away from home for the first time, and travelled all by herself to apply for an internship in your company, we couldn’t be more proud of her. However, we are also worried too as she is not contacting us.”

“What do you mean?” I ask him, genuinely bothered.