Setting: SILICON VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

Date: February 2nd, 2026. (12 days until launch)

Patrick had logged out and got himself ready in record time after being called on by his wife to get out of the system. He showed rather quickly and already had something to wear laid out before he even logged into the game to do his GM duties. He had promised to take her out for dinner tonight, and hadn’t forgotten. When helping players and doing his job, sometimes he lost track of time. Emma didn’t seem upset when he took the VR helmet off, probably because she put out and understood that he didn’t forget and that was enough to keep her calm. Once he was dressed and ready to go, Patrick made his way downstairs and his lovely wife was waiting for him.

“Looking good,” Emma said, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Let’s go.”

“Yes ma’am,” Patrick said, as they shuffled into the garage and into his car.

It was a quiet drive up to Emma’s favorite Italian restaurant, but once they had settled into their table and placed their order, that’s when the conversation started and things got interesting.

“How is work going?” she asked.

“It’s about the same,” Patrick answered, “People are a little nervous but that’s to be expected with the big launch coming up.”

“And when is that?” Emma asked.

“That would be the 14th,” he answered, “I realize it sucks to be working so much on Valentine’s Day, but it always all hands on deck for an expansion.”

“That’s alright,” Emma said, as she sipped her wine. “I meant to talk to you about that anyway.”

“You did?” Patrick asked, somewhat curious.

“Well, I’m worried about mom.” Emma confessed, “This is her first Valentine’s day since dad passed away and I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I took off to spend some time with her. You’re going to be very busy anyway and we can do something after when it dies down.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” Patrick said, relieved he wasn’t going to be told off for working that weekend. “I’ve also been clocking some serious OT the last few weeks, so how about we splurge on some theatre tickets?”

Emma smiled at the thought. “I’ll check the listings and see what’s on stage. That’s a very sweet of you.”

“And you’re right,” Patrick said, “I am going to be very busy with the expansion, so this is a win-win for us both. And once the expansion is launched and moving smoothly, I should be able to dial down the hours and spend more time with you as well. I just really appreciate your understanding. This is a big expansion for us, and the company has a lot riding on it.”

“Don’t be so melodramatic, Pat.” A voice called out from behind. “You’re acting like our stock will plunge if they find a few small bugs.”

Patrick turned around and was surprised to see his boss, more like his boss’ boss, Gregory Janssen, standing right behind him. Patrick was at a loss for words, as he hadn’t talked to Gregory for a while, but there he was being friendly and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Sorry to interrupt, but it’s been a while.” Gregory paused for a moment, “This is the wife you’re always talking about?”

“All good I hope,” Emma said, trying to be polite.

“Or course,” Gregory said, as he took one of the tables vacant seats. “I’m Gregory Janssen, the CEO of Patrick’s workplace.”

“Emma Andrews,” she calmly replied, “A pleasure to meet you.”

“Mine as well,” Gregory said with a smile. “I hope you’re not too angry that we’ve been taking up a lot of Pat’s time. He has been a valuable asset for us. We’d be leagues behind if it wasn’t for his support. And for the record, while the expansion is big for us, we’re not going to go under anytime soon.”

“That’s good to hear,” Patrick replied, sighing. “I didn’t want to make any emergency calls to my stock broker.”

“No need,” Gregory said, “The beta testing is going well, so it might be a light launch weekend for you guys.”

“Well, Emma is going out of town that weekend.” Patrick informed his boss, “She’s going to spend time with her mom, so the launch will not be interrupting anything. That will leave me free to work hard to make sure we have a good release in two weeks.”

“That sounds great,” Gregory said as he stood up to leave, “I appreciate your support, Emma. Taking lemons and making lemonade is the sign of a fairly reasonable person. I owe you flowers for being such a stand up gal.”

“That’s sweet,” Emma said, trying to look alright with it. “Thank you.”

“Sorry again for the interruption,” Gregory said, as he stood up. “Enjoy your evening.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Patrick said, as he and his wife watched him stagger away.

“Is he drunk?” Emma whispered, shocked by what had happened.

“I think so,” Patrick said, looking at his boss as he strolled away. “I know he gets about as nervous as a cat when expansions get close to launch, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen him like that though.”

“Wow, that was awkward,” Emma said, sipping her wine again.

“You’re telling me,” Patrick said, sighing. “I hadn’t talked to him in years, and suddenly there he was. That was a little stressing.”

“Should you make sure he’s alright?” She asked him.

Patrick half stood up to see if he was still in sight, but he couldn’t see him.

“I’m not sure,” he admitted to his wife, “He usually travels with a guy that is his driver and all around assistant. Chances are that person will make sure he gets home safe and sound. I’m just shocked he’s like this so close to the launch. Usually he’s sober and balls to the wall this close to a new release.”

“That’s a bit odd,” Emma said, “Did something happen?”

“Maybe,” Patrick replied, sitting back down. “He seemed to be in a rather chipper mood, so maybe he got some good news and was celebrating.”

“Maybe,” his wife said, “Let’s hope so.”