"Ms. Valkyrie, Mr. Dowe is here to see you."
Miranda had been expecting Jonathan to appear. She was faintly surprised that he'd shown up so early. Usually he made a point of waiting until she was forced to ask him to come. "Wait five minutes Kira, then send him in."
"Yes, Ms. Valkyrie."
Miranda looked out on the harbour. The dying light played fitfully on the slow ripples of the water contained in the bay. The ripples in water mirrored Miranda's state of mind. The thin visible layer hiding much deeper and stronger currents underneath. Miranda has worked very hard to reach her position. She would do anything to keep it and she made sure everyone understood that.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden pounding on her door. Miranda sighed inwardly. "Let him in Kira."
The door swung in silently and Jonathan Dowe burst through it. "What in the hell are you playing at Miranda? What do you mean by keeping me waiting? We're married, or have you forgotten that?"
"No. I've not forgotten. But your memory seems to have convenient lapses."
Jonathan reddened involuntarily at her words, but he was past trying to maintain
any sense of propriety in his personal life. Their marriage had run it's course years ago, but the cost of extricating himself from the arrangement was far too high. Too high personally, and far too high financially. His mother had warned him about Miranda, but he'd been too headstrong and rebellious to listen to her. Now he was paying for that rebellion. Daily.
Swallowing his bile Jonathan said, "I didn't come here to fight Miranda."
"You didn't? Then why, exactly, did you barge into my office?" Miranda turned to face her supposed husband. Jonathan was one of those men whose good looks were so natural, that any attempt to enhance them surgically would have ruined them. Jonathan had also waited longer than normal to start the prolong treatments. His raven hair was streaked ever so slightly with grey at his temples, giving him an air of natural authority that had made him an ideal leader for every polictical party in the last four elections. That is if he had any interest watery political power. His physique had always made Olympians envious, but it was the ever so subtle crinkles in the corners of his piercing grey eyes that made women of any age clay in his hands.
Jonathan regarded Miranda's beauty. Her's was a face that could launch ten thousand ships. Her slim, yet sultry figure was one of her tools. She used her form hugging dresses the way a surgeon uses a scalpal, cutting straight to the weakness in the men she exploited, leaving them hollow and bewildered. As devastating as her beauty was, it was her piecing intellect that made her truly dangerous. That and her unrelenting drive to succeed regardless of the cost to either herself or others. An intoxicating trait when you're climbing the corporate ladder, but terrifying when you've reached the top and are determined to stay there.
Jonathan was determined to make Miranda listen. "Look, Miranda..."
"What did you call me?" Miranda cut him off with an icy snap. "You're addressing an officer the company. In her office."
Jonathan sputtered and began again. "Ms. Valkyrie," Jonathan bit the words off, "I've been doing some research into these rumours..."
"The rumours surrounding new technology being developed at Zetatech. Technology that will put a serious dent in our market share if we allow Zetatech to compete their work." Miranda fixed Jonathan with a withering look. As if anything he knew about, she hadn't already spent millions to know. Sighing at Jonathan's naivety, she continued, "Jonathan, Zetatech has been on the company's radar for a long time. They've been on mine even longer. Jorge Gundensen built Zetatech from nothing. From less than nothing, and now they're poised to become a major pain in our collective backsides. Did you truly think I wouldn't know everything that was going on in Zetatech?"
Jonathan fumed silently at Miranda's words and tone. She moved to her desk and sat, motioning Jonathan to do likewise. As much as it galled him to submit to any of her commands, Miranda was clearly ahead of him. Again.
Miranda and Jonathan regarded each other in silence for a moment. Leaning back into her chair Miranda asked, "So, Jonathan, what do you think you know?
Miranda had been expecting Jonathan to appear. She was faintly surprised that he'd shown up so early. Usually he made a point of waiting until she was forced to ask him to come. "Wait five minutes Kira, then send him in."
"Yes, Ms. Valkyrie."
Miranda looked out on the harbour. The dying light played fitfully on the slow ripples of the water contained in the bay. The ripples in water mirrored Miranda's state of mind. The thin visible layer hiding much deeper and stronger currents underneath. Miranda has worked very hard to reach her position. She would do anything to keep it and she made sure everyone understood that.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden pounding on her door. Miranda sighed inwardly. "Let him in Kira."
The door swung in silently and Jonathan Dowe burst through it. "What in the hell are you playing at Miranda? What do you mean by keeping me waiting? We're married, or have you forgotten that?"
"No. I've not forgotten. But your memory seems to have convenient lapses."
Jonathan reddened involuntarily at her words, but he was past trying to maintain
any sense of propriety in his personal life. Their marriage had run it's course years ago, but the cost of extricating himself from the arrangement was far too high. Too high personally, and far too high financially. His mother had warned him about Miranda, but he'd been too headstrong and rebellious to listen to her. Now he was paying for that rebellion. Daily.
Swallowing his bile Jonathan said, "I didn't come here to fight Miranda."
"You didn't? Then why, exactly, did you barge into my office?" Miranda turned to face her supposed husband. Jonathan was one of those men whose good looks were so natural, that any attempt to enhance them surgically would have ruined them. Jonathan had also waited longer than normal to start the prolong treatments. His raven hair was streaked ever so slightly with grey at his temples, giving him an air of natural authority that had made him an ideal leader for every polictical party in the last four elections. That is if he had any interest watery political power. His physique had always made Olympians envious, but it was the ever so subtle crinkles in the corners of his piercing grey eyes that made women of any age clay in his hands.
Jonathan regarded Miranda's beauty. Her's was a face that could launch ten thousand ships. Her slim, yet sultry figure was one of her tools. She used her form hugging dresses the way a surgeon uses a scalpal, cutting straight to the weakness in the men she exploited, leaving them hollow and bewildered. As devastating as her beauty was, it was her piecing intellect that made her truly dangerous. That and her unrelenting drive to succeed regardless of the cost to either herself or others. An intoxicating trait when you're climbing the corporate ladder, but terrifying when you've reached the top and are determined to stay there.
Jonathan was determined to make Miranda listen. "Look, Miranda..."
"What did you call me?" Miranda cut him off with an icy snap. "You're addressing an officer the company. In her office."
Jonathan sputtered and began again. "Ms. Valkyrie," Jonathan bit the words off, "I've been doing some research into these rumours..."
"The rumours surrounding new technology being developed at Zetatech. Technology that will put a serious dent in our market share if we allow Zetatech to compete their work." Miranda fixed Jonathan with a withering look. As if anything he knew about, she hadn't already spent millions to know. Sighing at Jonathan's naivety, she continued, "Jonathan, Zetatech has been on the company's radar for a long time. They've been on mine even longer. Jorge Gundensen built Zetatech from nothing. From less than nothing, and now they're poised to become a major pain in our collective backsides. Did you truly think I wouldn't know everything that was going on in Zetatech?"
Jonathan fumed silently at Miranda's words and tone. She moved to her desk and sat, motioning Jonathan to do likewise. As much as it galled him to submit to any of her commands, Miranda was clearly ahead of him. Again.
Miranda and Jonathan regarded each other in silence for a moment. Leaning back into her chair Miranda asked, "So, Jonathan, what do you think you know?