SILICONE HEARTSTRING: A TALE OF LOVE AND DISRUPTION

ph

ribs like an animal caught in a cage. The familiar buzz of the newsroom barely regi

view with Alex Vega played in my mind-a whirlwind of piercing blue

o life, a notification a

come when you least expect them. The future just g

? My fingers hovered over the keyboard, itching t

look like you'v

s writer, leaning against my desk. His easy

w?" he asked, v

e words snagged in my throat. Instead, I

omforting presence-in a bizarre ki

y, I did. T

He's. God, Jamie, he's brilliant. Infuriating. Charisma

Jamie

hink. He has this vision for the future that is just so compelling. And the

hey all say?" Jamie

re in Alex's eyes when he spoke about blockcha

s like someone's got a cru

are. "Don't be ridiculous

inced. He opened his mouth t

," I said decisively.

off, leaving me to my thoughts and the intermit

something - anything - to justify my initial suspicions about VegaTech. Bu

gh neighborhood in Oakland." My gut told me to fact-check this one fu

ame and went, but I barely noticed, too engros

he

e Victoria, our editor-in-chief, looming over

sed the staff meeting?" she

a lead," I stammer

. You've been distracted ever since you took on this V

ed, more forcefully than I int

ore she let out a sigh. "You have until the end of the week to show

throat tigh

ure piled in, and the more I tried to get it together, the s

l

ble to sit still. The interview with Sophi

aid, running a hand through my hair. "The que

maddeningly calm. "So let her dig

. "You know it's

ting tone I hated. "We've weathered worse storms th

but the words died on my l

she fought me - it was intoxicating. Terrifying. Fo

ugh me," I said soft

my brain. Something Sophia had said. growing up

oice was a distant

drawer. My fingers closed around a worn leather journal-a relic

us asked, a note of alar

, in my own messy scrawl: "Blockchain for the peo

n slowly dawning on his features.

to reply, but my phone buzzed,

I answere

e. "I have some information about So

phone tightened

y," the voice said. "Meet me at Pier 3

ne wen

d racing a hundred miles per

ce cut into my tranc

made up. "I have to go

the old journal tucked under my arm, th

ph

ked up from my computer. Save for a few night owls h

felt gritty, and my stomach growled in protest of the mi

hone buzzed. Dad? The timest

he line before I could even say he

en aback. "What? Dad, wha

urgent. "It's not what you think. There's an old

t case? Dad, what do

rust me, Soph. L

ne wen

the phone in disbel

e? My father, a retired detective, had never me

nothing like the cutthroat tech mogul I'd read about. The discrepancies in his

ed to make s

fted my bag and noticed that something seemed to catch my ey

. A USB drive was inside, along

lex Vega. Be caref

he drive up to my computer. After

stakable, was Alex Vega. But this scene unfolding before me

ispered, not pull

but the picture was more complex-and d

one thought remained in my head: