Silicon Valley Billionaires

The day began as both ordinary and extraordinary. The sun shined through the windows of my office as I assembled my lab kit—special gloves, laptop and notes. All of it would have to be decontaminated before I entered the lab, but that was part of my daily ritual. The California sunshine and the fact that I had work to do were normal, but to me, that didn’t make them any less remarkable. I brushed my long blonde hair until it hung neatly over my shoulders, and smoothed my black sweater under my lab coat, preparing myself. Today would be the day my prototype finally worked.

I hoped.

Nodding at Stephanie, my assistant, I headed briskly to the lab. We were running another test that day. Hopefully, this would be the test that proved my invention could do what the world so desperately needed it to do.

But there were one thousand, one hundred and ninety-nine failed tests before it.

I went through the doors to the enclosed space, where I would be sprayed down with decontaminants to ensure the sterility of the lab. Everyone who worked at Paragon Laboratories entered through this space. The entrance was similar to the tube travelers walked through at airport security, where they were asked to put their arms over their heads to be scanned. At Paragon, people put their arms over their heads and were sprayed with an odorless sanitizer, ensuring no fibers or bacteria from the outside world invaded our precious testing ground.

My lab workers greeted me as I entered. At eight in the morning, most of them had already been here for hours. They were running preliminary tests, assembling data, and generating the reports necessary to keep our investors and the FDA apprised of our research.

At the end of the day, I would review all the new material, compile it, then have it electronically locked on my laptop so no one could access it without my direct permission. I always made sure our technology, valued at eight billion dollars, stayed secret. But the dollar amount associated with my invention didn’t interest me, even though I owned the majority stake in Paragon. My invention was my life’s work, my life’s mission, and its ability to help people was the only thing that mattered to me.

I headed directly toward Eva, our head researcher, deep V forming between her eyebrows as she read the data on her computer.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

She looked up, startled. “Nothing. Sheesh, Lauren, you scared me.”

I looked past her to her screen, searching for signs of trouble. “Why are you frowning like that?”

“Because my eyes are tired, and I’m scrunching up my face to compensate, okay? Nothing’s wrong. We haven’t run the test yet. We set everything up. We’re just waiting for you.” Her face relaxed into a smile. “Are you excited?”

I shrugged. “I think I’m more anxious than excited.”

“It’s going to go well. All the signs have been pointing to this.”

We’d run thousands of tests on our prototype, a patch that would scan cells in the human body for signs of disruption, doing the work of a CAT scan and other expensive tests for a fraction of the price, in a fraction of the time.

A thousand tests on our prototype, and not one had worked. Not yet.

Still, every one of those failures had brought me closer to success. Our most recent round of trials had come close. Since then, we’d been working around the clock to update the prototype. I knew what didn’t work, and I was so close to finding what did.

So close, I could taste it.

Eva tucked one of her curls behind her ear and looked at me expectantly. “Are you ready?”

I nodded. “Let’s begin.” I licked my lips nervously, then set up my own computer. I had a private one, separate from the network, on which I kept my own calculations and observations, as well as the most up-to-date configurations of the patch. I maintained this information off the grid to protect it from internal and external hacking threats.

My sister, who knew me better than anyone, said I did it because I was a paranoid control freak. She wasn’t wrong.

I grabbed a small headset off the table and turned on the microphone. “Finn, go ahead.” My directions were piped into a sealed room where the prototype would be tested. The room was adjacent to ours and visible from the lab.

Finn, one of my long-time lab workers, gave me the thumbs-up. He put his gloves on, hit a button on the wall, then a door automatically opened. Test Subject 1,201 entered the room, wearing a johnny. Finn had the man sit down, then assembled the various wires and suction cups on him that would monitor his breathing, heart rate, and stress levels. The test subject sat patiently as Finn arranged the myriad devices.

Finally, Finn seemed satisfied and turned toward us, waiting for instruction.

“Go ahead,” I ordered.

I held my breath as he picked up the patch, removed the backing, and gently placed it on the test subject. Screens lit up above the testing room, ready to display the information from the patch to the rest of us.

“Are all his signs normal?” I asked Eva as data from the monitoring equipment scrolled down her screen.

“He’s perfect. Everything is steady. Nothing should interrupt the output of information.”

I watched the screens above the test room. Finn sat, calmly monitoring the report on his computer. Eva continued to watch her screen. Test Subject 1,201 sat back with his eyes closed. He didn't know the specifics of the trial, but he knew we were testing a medical diagnostic device. Per my legal team's protocols, he’d signed a ten-page nondisclosure and confidentiality agreement. Still, he looked relaxed, probably happy to earn an easy thousand dollars for his participation.

I wished I could relax. Instead, I stared at the monitors and waited. A full minute passed. I grimaced, hating the feeling of disappointment forming in my stomach—a feeling I knew all too well.

It’s just another problem you need to eliminate. I tried to soothe myself as the seconds ticked by. If it doesn’t work this time, it’s still something you can fix. You’re so close.

The monitors flickered and came to life. Data suddenly started streaming—the data I’d been waiting for.

“Oh my God.” Eva moved to stand beside me. “It’s working.”

The patch read the test subject’s cells. Any red flags would be highlighted. Once I perfected the reports to weed out imperfect but harmless mutations, I would be able to tell whether this man had cancer, pre-cancer, or any other number of diseases.

For the first time, after years of research, testing, FDA compliance reports and one-hundred-hour work weeks, the patch finally worked.

“Yes, it’s working.” I wrapped my arms around my chest as if I were trying to give myself a congratulatory hug. “It’s finally working.”

* * *

I went back to my office and watched the sun make its way across the sky. I looked briefly at the picture of my parents on my desk, thinking how thrilled they would be with my success.

Thrilled, but not surprised.

That was how I felt too. I’d been working toward this day for six years. I’d pushed everything else to the side—school, sleep and any semblance of a social life. I’d dropped out of MIT my junior year because I’d known then that I was meant to do this work. Before taking on investors, I’d used a large portion of my inheritance to fund my research. It was worth it—creating this technology to help people would make the world a better place. That deep belief and single-minded determination had gotten me through the past six lonely years.

Stephanie buzzed through on my intercom, interrupting my reverie. “Your sister’s here to see you.”

“Send her in.”

Hannah, my younger sister, bounded through the door and pulled me in for a hug. “So excited.”

“Uh. Hi.” I laughed and tried simultaneously to breathe through her tight hug. “I guess you heard about the test.”

“I ran into Eva and accosted her.” She pulled back and studied my face. “Don’t be mad, okay?”

“I’m not mad. Eva knows it’s okay to tell you. You and only you.” I smiled at Hannah fondly. Three years younger than me, with the same blonde hair and blue eyes I had, she was also highly intelligent—but that was where our similarities ended. Our co-workers found me reserved and cerebral, while outgoing and chatty Hannah charmed them. Her personality was why I’d hired her as Paragon’s director of publicity. She gave Paragon’s interviews, which were few and far between, and closely monitored any stories about us in the press.

“Are we going to take this thing public finally?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Not yet. We need to do more extensive testing to confirm these findings. We need to be sure that we have enough successful clinical trials completed to obtain all the necessary FDA approvals. After that, we need to do another round of fundraising with our investors and raise the capital to bring the patch to market. Then we’ll finalize a plan about announcing the technology to the rest of the world.”

“But our secret won’t be a secret for that much longer.” Her eyes glittered. “It’s so exciting—the whole world’s finally going to know what a genius my sister is!”

“Calm down.” I patted her shoulder. “We still have a long way to go. And I’m not really keen on sharing anyway.”

Hannah tilted her head, scrutinizing me. “But that’s what you want, isn’t it? Why aren’t you more excited?”

I smiled, trying to reassure her. “I am excited. I just want to take it one step at a time. And the prototype’s been my baby for so long, it’s going to be hard to let it out into the world.” I got up and walked over to the window, looking out at the acres of carefully maintained lawns surrounding our building. “I like being under the radar. You know that. Once this goes public, everyone’s going to know who we are.”

Unlike other entrepreneurs, I didn’t crave the spotlight. I shied away from fundraisers and promotional opportunities. I’d never given an interview, and I refused to comment publicly about Paragon and the research we did.

Still, I loved running my company. It had been difficult for me to reach out to our board members and the venture capitalists that funded our research, but I’d known it was necessary to make my vision a reality. I’d built an amazing team of investors, directors, and employees. We prided ourselves on the work we did there. We all wanted to make the world a better place.

I would do anything for Paragon and for the prototype. But fame didn’t interest me, and money only did to the extent that it could fund my research.

Hannah came up beside me. “Maybe you can…relax a little now?”

I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. “What on earth does that mean?” Of course, I knew precisely what she meant, but I wasn’t about to take the bait.

My sister frowned. “You could…take a vacation? Go to a spa? Go on a date?”

I snorted. “I can’t do anything frivolous like that. It would be a waste of my time, and you know it.”

“Enjoying life isn’t a waste of time. You haven’t taken a vacation in six years. You should go to the Caribbean and drink adult beverages, preferably the fruity ones with little umbrellas. And you should bring a hot guy.”

“Enough,” I snapped, then immediately felt bad. I turned to her and forced myself to look conciliatory. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so sharp with you. My baby sister.” I tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

She frowned again. “I’m serious. The phrase ‘you need to get out more’ has never been more on point.”

“This is the only place I want to be. If I took a vacation, or even if I just went home early, I’d still be wishing that I was here. This is where I’m meant to be.”

Hannah rolled her eyes. “Well, lucky for you, it’ll be here when you get back.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

She smiled, mischief in her eyes. “Oh yes, you are. You have a lunch today, remember? With Gabriel Betts.”

“What?” I pulled up my schedule, and there it was, for today at one o’clock. I cringed. “Can’t you do it? I don’t have time.”

“I can’t do it. He wants to talk about technology, remember? That’s why we agreed that you’d be the one to meet with him.”

I held my cell phone and looked at her pleadingly. “But that was three months ago. Today of all days, I can’t leave the lab. Call him and cancel. Please.”

She grinned. “Actually, today of all days, you can leave the lab. Your prototype worked. For the first time ever. There’s absolutely no reason you can’t go to lunch. Besides, Gabriel Betts is hot. He’s a billionaire technology geek too, so who knows? You two might really hit it off.”

I glowered at her. “Stop it.”

“One o’clock at Grove in the Valley. Take a driver. Take security. You might wanna put on a little more lip gloss.” She smiled sweetly as I seethed. “He really is gorgeous. Google him and see for yourself.”

She sashayed out of the room, and I went to my computer, furiously googling Gabriel Betts, the CEO of Dynamica, a Silicon Valley-based company that produced lab-related technology that was used all over the world. I’d never met him before, but based on the pictures I found of him online, my sister was correct. He was absolutely gorgeous.

Still seething, I went to put on more lip gloss.

“This is it, Ms. Taylor.” The driver pulled up outside of Grove, and a valet waited to open my door.

“Would you like me to come in?” asked Timmy, my personal security guard. I counted the rolls on the back of his beefy neck while I tried to gather my courage.

Five. Five neck rolls. “No. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be right outside.”

I didn’t doubt it. Timmy and his fleet of men protected me twenty-four-seven. At first, I’d thought it was crazy when my board of directors insisted on that level of security, but as time had gone on and the potential for our device had grown, I’d understood their concern. Only I could perfect the science behind our technology. The investment in our security team ensured my safety.

I accepted the valet’s hand. “Ms. Taylor, your table’s ready inside.”

Out of practice when it came to interacting with strangers, I smiled at him awkwardly and headed into the restaurant. Hannah had eaten there several times with one or more of her many male admirers. In her words, “the food was awesome.” I usually ate a salad from our cafeteria at my desk for both lunch and dinner, so I had no idea what “awesome” meant these days. Luckily, the smells from the open kitchen were wonderful, so I resigned myself to being pleased. At least with the food.

The young hostess had multiple piercings and tattoos. “Ms. Taylor?” I tried to look at all of them at once while she waited patiently. “Mr. Betts is waiting for you.”

She brought me to my table, and I saw Gabriel Betts from behind, sitting and waiting. I hesitated for a moment. He looked large and muscular, almost too big for the small table. I swallowed hard, remembering his handsome face from the photos I’d scrolled through online.

What the hell was I going to talk to him about?

He must have felt me staring at him, because he turned around and flashed me a wide smile. “Lauren, I’m so happy you could make it.”

I forced myself to smile as he stood up, towering over me. I shook his hand, noticing how large and strong it was. I gulped. “It’s my pleasure, Gabriel.”

“You’re taller than I expected,” he said. “And even lovelier than your pictures.”

I took my seat, blushing furiously. “Um…thanks.”

He had short, thick dark hair, dark brown eyes, and just enough lines on his face to make it interesting rather than just blandly handsome. In person, he was what my sister would deem extremely gorgeous.

Or even worse, sexy.

I tried to stop staring at him. I reminded myself that I was the CEO of a large company that employed more than one hundred workers; that I had security guards because my head was filled to the brim with trade secrets worth billions of dollars. I couldn’t turn into a quivering, salivating Chihuahua just because Gabriel Betts was tall and handsome. I could manage to have a normal conversation with this man over lunch.

I hoped.

Gabriel’s dark brown eyes twinkled as he smiled at me. “It’s funny that our paths have never crossed before.”

I took a sip of water. “Not really. I don’t get out much.” Ever. I don’t get out ever.

“So you admit to being reclusive.” He had an easy-going, confident way about him—a way that only insanely gorgeous, successful, and brilliant male Silicon Valley CEOs must have.

I quickly scanned the menu, needing to look away from him. “It’s not that I’m reclusive. I’ve just been busy working.”

“Would you like me to order for us? I come here pretty regularly.”

“That’s okay. I can do it myself.” My tone sounded bristly and curt to my own ears.

Gabriel gently pushed my menu down. “I’m sure you’re more than capable of ordering for yourself. But I’d like to order some of my favorites to share. But only if that’s all right with you.”

“That’s fine, but I need to be back to the lab in an hour.” I looked at my watch, wishing it were already time.

He motioned for the waiter. “Any dietary restrictions?”

“I don’t eat beef, pork, or chicken.”

He smiled and my stomach tied itself in a knot. “Fish and shellfish okay?”

I nodded, trying not to be flattered by his careful attention. “Thank you for asking.”

“You’re very welcome.” His smile broadened, and I noticed a lone dimple located on the left side of his face. For some reason, this annoyed me. A lot.

He ordered all manner of things, some of which I’d never heard of before, and he also ordered wine.

I stopped the server when he went to fill my glass. “No thank you.” To Gabe, I said, “I don’t drink alcohol when I’m working.”

Gabriel motioned to the waiter and my glass was immediately filled, against my will. “You don’t have to finish it. Just enjoy it to taste.”

I frowned at him, but he continued to smile at me pleasantly. “I’m not trying to boss you around, I swear. I just want you to enjoy your lunch.”

I wanted to enjoy it too. But he might have been too handsome to eat across from.

The servers placed sashimi and lobster dumplings in front of us, along with a delicious-looking salad with roasted poblano peppers and shaved Parmesan.

Gabriel held up his wineglass, and I raised mine too.

“Cheers to finally meeting.”

I tentatively tapped my glass against his. “Cheers.”

I took a sip of the wine, which was heavenly, as he started putting food on my plate. I took a bite of the sashimi and tried to ignore its simple deliciousness. I could feel myself getting wrapped up in the food, the wine, our sunny seats in the restaurant, and the man across from me. But I needed to stay focused on Paragon and all the work waiting for me back at the office.

Gabriel was saying something about the food when I cleared my throat. “I don’t mean to be rude, but if we’re going to talk about business, we should do it soon.”

“I’m sorry. I get a little excited about taking a break during the day. Especially with a beautiful woman.”

I almost choked on my dumpling.

“Once I go back to the office, I’ll be there until ten—and I’ll forget to eat dinner.”

I finally managed to swallow. “You do that too?”

“Of course. I do it most days.” He took a sip of wine, and I tried not to watch him, but I found myself staring nonetheless. His handsome features smoothed out as he sat quietly for a moment. It looked as if he were considering what to say next. “So…regarding why we’re here. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time. Paragon’s an interesting business.”

I took another sip of wine. “It’s not that interesting. It’s just a laboratory, really. It’s only interesting if you’re a scientist.”

He nodded. “I’m a scientist. And I went to school in Cambridge too. Harvard.”

“How did you know I went to school in Cambridge?”

He looked at me as if I might be a little bit crazy. “Everybody knows you went to MIT.”

Everybody? Everybody who?

“I didn’t graduate,” I said quickly. I never wanted to pretend to be someone I wasn’t.

“Me neither. I attended Harvard. Sporadically.” He chuckled. “I came out to California to start my business. My undergraduate studies weren’t going to help me get the funding I needed to research and implement my technology. So I decided to cut my losses and come out here to see what I could make of myself.”

“That’s exactly what I did.”

“I know.”

I looked at him sharply. “How did you know that?”

“It’s this little thing called the Internet—you may have heard of it. Did you google me before you came here today?”

“Of course.” The words tumbled out before I could stop myself.

“Well, I googled you too. That’s how I know you’re an MIT dropout.” His eyes flickered with mischief. “Were you only looking at my pictures?”

I coughed instead of answering. The truth was, I had only looked at his pictures and his brief bio. In addition to information about his company, Dynamica, his bio had listed his height (six foot three), his weight (two hundred thirty pounds), and his age (thirty-two).

“Also, I know about you because people talk. Silicon Valley’s not that big—there’s a lot of curiosity about you and Paragon. I also happen to know one of the professors at MIT pretty well. You were his student before you dropped out.”

I put down my fork before I dropped it. “How do you know that?”

“Because I called him and asked him if he’d ever met you. I was doing my due diligence in advance of our meeting. I asked him what you were like.”

“Which professor?”

He speared another lobster dumpling. “Alexander Viejo. He’s engaged to my mother. They’re getting married later this year. He said you were brilliant, by the way. One of the brightest students he’s ever had.”

I looked at him, surprised. Alexander Viejo was a famous biochemist. I’d audited one of his senior-level classes my sophomore year and found him fascinating. “He’s marrying your mom?”

Gabriel nodded. “She lives up in Boston—that’s where I’m from, originally. My father passed away when I was ten. I’m happy that she finally met someone great…who can also consult for my business.”

Damn. I would have loved to have Professor Viejo consult with Paragon. I cursed myself for not getting to him first.

The waiter appeared and refilled our glasses. Despite my protests, I’d managed to finish all my wine. Gabriel had the decency not to tease me.

“I’m sorry to hear about your father.” Dead parents were the last things I wanted to talk about, so I quickly maneuvered the conversation back to business. “What exactly is it that you find interesting about Paragon?”

He laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”

I shook my head, confused.

He leaned over the table toward me. “Everyone’s interested in Paragon. You have the whole industry on pins and needles, just waiting to see what you come up with. Because my business is entwined with lab technology, I have, of course, been paying attention to what you’re up to. I know that with a board of directors like yours, you’ve got to be developing something good.”

I smiled at him. “We are. I’m not going to tell you the specifics because they involve trade secrets, but your instincts are correct.”

“They usually are.” There was that dimple again, and I sucked in a breath. “I was hoping you’d be willing to discuss a partnership opportunity with me. That’s why I wanted to meet with you. I knew a little bit about your background, which, as we’ve discussed, is similar to mine. I’ve watched you from afar for a few years now. Even though you’re very private, Lauren, people still talk. People in the industry admire your work ethic, and they admire how you keep your technology close. I admire those things too. You’re one of a very elite group of female CEOs in the biomedical industry. You’re building your empire on your own, and you have a great shot at success because you’re extremely intelligent and extremely driven.”

I swallowed. “Thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say. I’d been so wrapped up in my research and testing for the past few years, I hadn’t really paid attention to the outside world. I still found it baffling that the outside world knew anything about me at all, or cared.

“Even though I don’t know specifically what you’re working on at Paragon, I do know that it’s something great. Otherwise you wouldn’t have kept it completely secret for so long—not with the list of investors that you’ve got. I can help you. We can help each other.”

“How’s that?”

The waiter brought more food, grilled salmon and ahi tuna, but my appetite had gone. He was offering me a partnership with Dynamica, and I didn’t do partnerships. I needed to break it to him.

I motioned to the waiter for the check. “I’m sorry, but Paragon isn’t taking on partners. Not now, not in the foreseeable future.”

The muscles in Gabriel’s square jaw clenched. I wondered vaguely what it would be like to run my fingertips over the small amount of stubble on his chin—but the thought was ridiculous. I needed to get away from him and back to the safety of my lab.

“My company has the international business contacts that you’ll need when you take your technology public. If you partner with me, you’ll have access to my entire network. The reach of your invention will be global almost immediately. Think about it.”

I would think about it, even if I didn’t want to. I’d started building a list of international distributors, but it was nothing as established as what Gabriel was offering. I sat back and studied his face—handsome, strong, and utterly convinced of what he was saying.

“What’s in it for Dynamica? What’s in it for you, Gabriel?”

“Money. Power. Influence.” A slow grin spread across his face. “And by all means, please call me Gabe.”