Quant by Richard F. Weyand

Author:Richard F. Weyand [Weyand, Richard F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B091FXVTCK
Goodreads: 57671470
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Published: 2021-04-08T18:00:00+00:00

Anna Glenn was growing concerned. Bernd Decker’s relationship with Janice Quant was clearly very close, and had been for some time. Quant wasn’t so old as to be out of range, and her power as the Chairman of the World Authority could be intoxicating to men. Some men, anyway.

Glenn and Decker had both been thirty-one when they got married, after a relatively brief courtship. He was already famous as a computer designer, and had more money coming in than he knew what to do with. Glenn was also accomplished, as a fashion designer. She was well-regarded enough that her initials on a piece would ensure big-ticket prices in luxury apparel stores.

It was the second marriage for both of them, and they had by long agreement not discussed those earlier failures. It was understood by both of them that their own careers, to whom they both devoted most of their time, had doomed those earlier relationships.

Their own relationship was structured around their careers. It took account of the long hours and drive that had made them both successful. And children had been out of the question. It worked for them, but that structure also made Glenn feel less anchored to Decker than she might in a traditional marriage.

And, of course, Decker less anchored to her.

About a month after Quant took the chairmanship, Glenn confronted Decker about it over a rare breakfast together.

“Bernd, do I have anything to worry about with regard to Janice Quant?”

“No. Not at all.”

“You’re sure.”

“Yes, Anna, I’m sure.”

Glenn looked skeptical.

Decker didn’t want his closeness with Quant to harm his relationship with Glenn. They had been together almost twenty years now, and he was very comfortable in the relationship.

At the same time, he didn’t want Glenn to feel at all threatened by Quant. It wasn’t fair to Glenn, for one thing, and it could cause problems for him with Quant.

He had to tell her.

“Look. Anna. Janice Quant is not what she seems to be.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you ever seen her? Actually seen her, not in a simulation?”

Glenn thought about it.

“I’m not sure. Some of that footage looked pretty real.”

“Trust me. You’ve never actually seen her. And you never will.”

“Why not, Bernd?”

“Because Janice Quant is not a fifty-seven-year-old senior administrator.”

“Then what is she?”

“She’s my daughter.”

Glenn started, then considered. That made a lot of sense, actually. How close they were. How Quant – in the times she had seen them talking – seemed to defer to Decker, rather than the other way around. How Decker seemed to have a soft spot for her. Glenn had not had children in her first marriage, but Decker had never said one way or the other.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Bernd?”

“We had agreed not to talk about our first marriages. So I didn’t. But it also has to be kept secret for another reason.”

“What’s that?”

“The Chairman of the World Authority – who holds all executive power in the world government – is not a seasoned fifty-seven-year-old senior administrator. She’s a very bright woman in her twenties who spoofed the system.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.