The Billionaire’s Invitation

******Lyra********

I turned my head to look where the voice came from, as my gaze landed, it fell on a 6-foot mesmerizing figure. I couldn't even look straight into his eyes… gosh… he was breathtaking.

“I’m Damian Miles,” He repeated, his voice sounded like someone used to being obeyed,after he realised that I was deeply lost in thought. I blinked hard, realizing I’d just been staring.

He extended his hand forward for a handshake, something about his hand quickly caught my gaze, his hand wasn't flesh, not skin, it was made of iron. And in my head I was like so it was a Robot that made me dumbfounded.

“The new student, right?” He added, and quickly took his hand away when he realized I didn't shake his hand and it was taking a long time. His lips curved faintly, reflecting that he wasn't offended—just amused.

“No!” I quickly added. “I’m not a new student, and I need to get out of this place,”

I don't even know how I uttered those statements, but deep down I knew it was out of frustration, because everything that had been happening wasn't normal.

“What do you mean?”

“I want to leave!!!!”

He moved closer to me, his warmth captured my whole existence, it sent a chill down my spine, and narrowed his gaze at me.

“You came by yourself last night to register. You don't remember, do you?” He said quietly.

“Register?!”

“Yes, you did. Not that you were being kidnapped or anything, there are evidence to back it up,” He said and turned his back, prepared to walk out.

But, I heard, my head booted “oh! Yeah! I need to see the evidence, you are talking about,” I spoke out, dragging myself to him.

“Okay, you can follow…”

I didn't even let the fine ass robotic man finish his statement, I had already walked side by side with him. Not less than 2 minutes of walking through the glassy compound, and walking past the group of students I saw earlier, to my surprised, none of them look our way, they were all focused on the water practical that they doing.

“Why are they so focused,” I mumbled under my breath.

“They hate distraction,” The man said quietly.

My chest tightened, and my body jerked, because I was sure my statement didn't make a sound at all, so, how come he heard what I just said?

“Well, it seems everyone here is a robot,” I said in my thoughts again.

“Robot?!” He said, with astonishment laced in his voice.

Before I could utter any word or make any body language, we stopped at something that absolutely stole my breath, it was an elevator, but not like any I have ever set my eyes on. It glowed like a liquid light, shifting with every reflection.

“Absolutely mesmerizing,” I whispered.

He moved closer to it, and a light gleamed and his image was revealed on the screen.

“Facial recognized,”

“Damian Miles, Welcome,” a voice said. It came out of the elevator. And it opened widely, he stepped in while I followed gently.

After some minutes, the elevator stopped, and we stepped out of it. Outside, there were more students in each classroom as we walked past, one thing I noticed was that they were all using headphones, including the teacher in front of them.

Suddenly, he stopped in front of a door, and entered, as I stepped in my gaze landed on the woman from earlier sitting on a robotic chair.

“Welcome,” She said curtly while bowing her head a little.

But, instead of answering or a simple smile of recognition on Damian’s face, he pressed a pin code on a door and entered. I quickly followed him in.

As we stepped into the space, I was more astonished than what I had been seeing since, Although, it was a computer room, but quite different from what I have been seeing, it had an HD screen but split into sections.

“This is the computer room,” he said.

“Mike,”

As he mentioned the name, I looked around to see if I had missed something, because I was very sure no one was inside where we were.

“Give me the details of the new students that was registered last night,”

My chest tightened, still confused, then a voice came in. The voice was digital, it was deep, calm, and disembodied.

“Lyra Hales,”

Then, I saw myself on the screen, the same clothes I had on while coming back from my pastry store and I was still wearing, standing in front of a table, like a reception office, signing a document. Smiling, and after I returned the document back to the same caramel-skinned lady I had been seeing around.

My body jerked, sweat streamed down from my forehead to my nose. “how come, I didn't remember? What had happened? “

Damian turned toward me, adjusting his tie like he was preparing fir a meeting, not a breakdown.

“Welcome to the Academy of Conscious Machines,” he said smoothly. “ Founded by me.”

His gaze was narrowed into my eyes, as if, he was reading something in my face.

“And, in case you're wondering,” he added, “eighty percent of us here are human,” he declared.

“But…..” I said with my voice trembling.

“And according you signed…..” he quickly cut in, but now, his voice had softened, “if you can't remember, it's a life contract,”

“You make any attempt to leave….then you die,” He said warmly.

“Die how?” I quickly protested. “I’m not even from this generation.”

Instead of acting surprised or anything, he bursted into a very wild laugh, the sound of his laugh echoing all over the room.

“You are funny, Lyra,” he said, while still watching me. His eyes didn't seem softened, but they were…calculated.

I frowned, unsure whether to laugh or to scream, nothing about all this was funny.

“Well, if you would like…. Instead of staying here,” He said, “I will offer you a place in my home.”