Chapter 14

Helena’s POV

You know the worst part? It wasn’t even loud!

I mean, yeah, it sounded, but not enough to cause any tension.

But in the quiet office, it felt like a fire alarm going off.

Barron’s eyes lifted slowly from the tablet and for a brief second, I froze.

What could possibly be so important right now that whoever was calling couldn't just get the hint?!

My heart began to pound as the vibration continued for another second before stopping completely.

“I’m sorry, sir,” I said quickly in the lowest possible voice I could muster. “It won’t happen again.”

Barron held my gaze for a brief moment, then, he simply nodded once and looked back down at the tablet.

“Where were we?” He asked calmly and I gulped hard.

“The retention risk test, sir,” I replied as calmly as I could.

“Right,” he simply said, then tapped the screen again and rotated the tablet slightly towards me.

“If we assume the engagement spike collapses after the first interaction, the entire user acquisition model becomes unreliable,” he continued.

I leaned forward again, trying to pull my focus back to the numbers.

“The problem wouldn’t just be retention,” I added carefully. “It would also affect conversion rates in the first week,” I added briefly.

His gaze lifted to me again before nodding quickly. “Explain,” he ordered.

I pointed towards the graph on his screen.

“If the early interaction spike is misleading, then the projected user loyalty curve is inflated. That means the marketing projections will also be inaccurate,” I started slowly while Barron watched me closely with every word I spoke.

For a moment, I almost forgot about the phone.

And just like it was waiting for me, it vibrated again.

The sound cut through the room just like before. Then Barron’s hand paused mid-movement on the tablet.

Slowly, very slowly, his eyes lifted towards me again.

I felt my stomach drop.

“I—”

The phone buzzed again, not even letting me finish.

This time his patience snapped.

“Ms. Helena,” He called out in a sharp tone that made me sit straighter immediately.

The way he said my name somehow got my spine straightening instantly.

“Yes, sir,” I replied like I didn't know what he was talking about.

“If whatever is contacting you is more important than this meeting,” he said sharply, “you are free to step outside and deal with it.”

My face burned. “I’m really sorry, sir,” I muttered with my head bowing every 5 seconds.

The vibration stopped again and the room fell quiet again.

I cleared my throat and reached into my bag, pulling the phone out quickly.

“I’ll silence it,” I murmured and Barron didn’t respond.

I glanced down at the screen and my breath caught between my throat.

Granddad.

My fingers froze above the silence button. He hadn’t called me since the day I left home. Not even by mistake, not even a message.

So why on earth would he be calling now?

My heart began to beat faster, and for a moment, a dozen thoughts raced through my mind.

Was something wrong?

Had something happened?

I stared at the screen as it began ringing again.

I lifted my eyes up and noticed Barron still watching me.

Then I forced myself to inhale slowly. This wasn't the right time for this.

I couldn’t deal with that conversation here and certainly not in front of him.

So my thumb hovered over the screen, then declined the call before completely silencing the phone.

But the silence that followed felt heavier than the call itself.

I quickly set the phone face down on the desk. “I apologize again, sir,” I murmured.

Barron studied my face for a moment longer than usual.

Something in his expression shifted slightly, like he was trying to read the writing on my head.

Could he? I couldn't tell, and neither could I get an answer as Barron cleared his throat but didn’t comment.

“Let’s continue,” he finally said and returned to his tablet.

Relief washed over me quickly and we returned to the data.

Gradually, the tension eased off as Barron walked through several additional projections, and we tested different onboarding variables against the predicted user behavior models.

I suggested different adjustments and he challenged me all the way.

We debated numbers, strategies, and even risk tolerances.

At some point, the earlier interruption faded into the backgrounhy556d.

Or at least, it appeared to.

But every now and then, my eyes drifted towards the phone laying silently on the desk.

Granddad called after all this time. But why now?

I pushed the thought away and forced myself back into the discussion.

Hours passed without either of us noticing.

The sky outside the glass window darkened completely.

The sky from the large window dimmed till it was literally nothing left.

Eventually, Barron leaned back slightly in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

I glanced at the clock on the wall.

8:05 AM.

My eyes widened slightly, we had been working for hours.

Barron closed the tablet and exhaled quietly. “That’s enough for today,” he announced and I nodded.

I nearly celebrated as I was terribly tired and my brain had been nearly stuffed with numbers.

“We’ll review the revised projections tomorrow,” he added.

“Understood, Mr. Hale,” I replied and began gathering my tablet and stuff before standing..

Barron remained seated, watching me for a moment.

“You handled the analysis well tonight,” he said in a gentle voice.

The compliment caught me off guard and I nearly hooked on the spot.

“Thank you, sir,” I replied with a bow and he offered a small nod in response.

“That will be all for today,” he announced and I turned, walking towards the door as he said nothing further.

My hand felt slightly unsteady as I reached for the handle and opened the door.

I closed it shut after me but regretted as the hallway outside was way worse than before.

It was as empty as before and I stepped out, closing the door behind me and finally releasing the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

My legs suddenly felt weak, maybe it was the exhaustion, maybe it was the pressure of the meeting.

Or maybe it was the thought still circling in my head.

Granddad. Oh shit, I remembered I hadn't called him nm 7

I leaned briefly against the desk and pulled my phone from my bag. He 

The missed call notification still glowed on the screen.

After a moment of hesitation, I pressed the call button.

I walked towards the ee elevator doors slowly, opening it just as the phone began ringing.

I stepped inside as it rang till it rang off.

Two rings.

Three rings.

The elevator began descending.

“Hello?” I said quietly when the call connected but he didn't say a word.

The doors opened again a moment later as I reached the lower floor.

I stepped out, still holding the phone to my ear.

“Granddad, I—”

I barely took two steps forward before a voice suddenly cut through the quiet corridor.

“So we meet again.”