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Or so the thinking goes

After the paramedics revived Professor Xavier, my parents, Theo, and Paul had to answer questions from the physics faculty for almost three hours The president of the university has pleaded with Mom and Dad not to issue any public state So far they’ve agreed, even though reporters have kept calling, and their questions have beco the public mood has shifted from breathless anticipation to doubt Wyatt Conley hasn’t eneral public knows, he’s still going about his usual routine, a thirty-year-old CEO ears jeans instead of stuffy suits His boyish face grins froazines He even agreed to continue providing funding forforward--or so he told the dean, who passed this info along to us probably hoping we’d decide ere just being paranoid jerks about the guy

The other side of Conley lies just beneath that glossy surface

Not long after that ot our first visit froeneral counsel of Triad Corporation

Her nalobal business while wearing blue jeans, it was because he had people like this behind hialese Ms Takahara stood in our house as if she couldn’t believe she’d been sent on an errand this pedestrian; no doubt she spentto academics seated around a table that had been painted in rainboirls by me and Josie ere little kids Despite this, her professional demeanor never faltered

"The folders before you represent Mr Conley’s best offer," she said Her gray business suit had a slight glimmer to it, like the skin of a shark "You’ll find paperwork regarding several Swiss bank accounts, one for each of you The amounts of money within--"

"Would stun a maharaja," Theo finished for her, then whistled, like,Paul shot hied "It’s true"

Ms Takahara seeed "If Miss Caine will accept Triad’s offer of employment, I’m instructed to turn these accounts over to you, effective immediately"

My mother handed her folder back unopened "In other words, this is the price Wyatt Conley has set on our daughter," she said "His offer is declined"

The chill in Mom’s voice would’ve cooled Siberia in winter To Ms Takahara’s credit, she wasn’t fazed Instead, she looked at me "The offer is Miss Caine’s to accept or refuse"

I slid my folder across the table, back to the lawyer "Then tell Mr Conley that Miss Caine refuses"

Finally Ms Takahara hesitated She couldn’t have seen many people turn down that kind of ht it over "You can also tell Conley to bite me"

So that’s how that conference ended

Ms Takahara brought the next offer directly to my parents at the university, supposedly for the to bribe the they’d value far more than money--this time, he promised information

"All the research froht as we stood in line for pizza at the Cheese Board Collective "He pro they’d learned so far Experimental data, theoretical work, every bit of it"