Big Data: A Startup Thriller Novel

Chapter 1

I was at the New York Stock Exchange to ring the opening bell when I saw the gunman. Henry grabbed my shoulder and when I turned, he was moving his lips. But I couldn't make out the words in all the chaos.

I met Henry that morning. I'd been instructed to come to the stock exchange's side entrance, a nondescript door in an alleyway.

"I'm your liaison," Henry said, grinning wide. He pulled out a business card. "Been here before?"

I shook my head and brushed my hair off my face. I took the card, handing him one of my own. For ten years, I'd been handing out the same cards. But this would be one of the last that still read "CEO."

"Well, I guess everyone sees the trading floor. I'll give you a real behind-the-scenes tour."

I said, "It's every entrepreneur's dream to do this once in their career."

Henry let out a high-pitched laugh. "I have a good feeling you'll be doing this more than once."

Henry held the door open for me, and I stepped into a small concrete room with a security guard in one
corner and an old timecard machine on the wall.

The guard checked my ID, patted me down, and waved me through. Henry guided me through the cement corridors. The doors were all red, the same shade of a barn and unmarked. It felt like a maze.

"I have to admit, I'm pretty nervous."

"Oh, don't be. Tons of people ring the bell. Opening and closing. Twice a day, every day. I mean, you're still a big deal, don't get me wrong. It's not every day we get a high-powered Latina CEO walking through these doors. Yesterday, it was the Sugar Plum Fairy from the Met, believe it or not. But all you have to do is press the green button."

I wasn't nervous about pressing a button. I was nervous because ringing the bell was my last official duty as CEO of Ancien. It was my last day. The board of directors had already hired the new guy, and he'd been shadowing me in meetings. Getting to know the staff. Working on smaller projects here and there. In just a few more hours, the sun would rise on the West Coast, and Thor Massino would officially take my place.

"Is Thor here?" I asked.

"He got here an hour ago. He's waiting in the coffee room. Didn't want the tour, just the Wi-Fi password. Can I introduce you to our head of IT?"

Thor probably wanted a head start on his new position. No doubt he was writing a barrage of important emails to important people. After all, that's what I should have been doing.

"No."

Henry scrunched his nose and looked awkwardly down at his watch. "Oh, well. I didn't realize how late it was. Need the restroom?"

"That'd be great."

Poor guy. Taking life so seriously. Rules. Schedules. Why didn't more people realize how silly it all was? Impossible bosses. Impossible family members. Impossible strangers. Everyone trying to please everyone else. It wasn't until I stopped playing by other people's rules and started making my own that I got anywhere in life.

The only thing that differentiated the bathroom door from all the others was that its red color was broken up by a small white-stenciled woman.

"If you can, make it fast. I needed to get you to hair and makeup five minutes ago," Henry said as I walked in.

I stood in front of the mirror in a cold sweat. Maybe there was still time to back out. What if I just didn't show up? Maybe they wouldn't ring the bell, and the IPO wouldn't go through. My company would stay mine. Then I realized how crazy I sounded, and I splashed some cold water on my face. I had to get it together. This was going to happen—the train had already left the station. There was no turning back. This was merely a formality. If I didn't ring the bell, Thor would take my company public, and he would take all the credit. Grab all the glory from the decade of hard work I'd poured into this company. Ten years and this was how the board thanked me? By replacing me? Of course, they didn't call it that. But that's what it was.

There was a knock on the door. "Miss Valencia, you okay in there?"

"Coming."

"Luna, happy to see you," Thor said.

I forced a smile but said nothing. The place was buzzing. We stood on a raised platform overlooking the trading floor. It smelled like sweat and money. The air conditioner blasted behind my neck, which usually would have bothered me, but today, the cold air felt fresh under the spotlights.

"Okay, you two," said Henry. "The cameras are over there." He pointed toward the center of the trading floor's ceiling. I could barely make them out, nestled between the blue-screened monitors hanging everywhere. It was like standing in a Buffalo Wild Wings made for money geeks. "You don't need to say anything. Just smile, wave, and push the button."

Thor waved at men on the floor. The perfect politico. A sea of suits were casually talking to each other. In a few minutes, when the bell rang, it would be chaos. But in that moment, there was nothing to do but hang out. A few of them even waved back.

"It's easy. There are three buttons. At nine thirty, press the green button and the bell goes off. If the green button doesn't work, push the red button."

"What's the third button for?" I asked.

Henry cocked his head and squinted.

"You two will be great. Just remember to relax and smile. Two minutes to show time," he said. "I'll be waiting behind this curtain."

I was not ready. This was not right. Such a stupid event. This was not how it was supposed to happen. Why was I doing this? Just rolling over and giving up my company without a fight. A company I had worked so hard to build from nothing. I'd been warned—been told to be careful about who I let on to the board of directors. But every time we raised money, it was a deal-breaker if the investor wasn't given a seat. And now I had to lie in the bed of my making.

"Everything okay? You look nervous."

I didn't respond.

Thor had a warm and gentle demeanor, but I had spent enough time with him to see it was all a facade. He was a rat. No, a super rat. Everyone else had bought the act, but not me. He didn't like other people any more than I did—he just knew how to hide it better. Sure, it was easy to like him. He was so damn good at being phony. But deep inside, I knew this guy was rotten.

"You know, you've done an amazing job building this company. I have to admit, I've always been jealous of people like you. Founders who can create something as powerful and amazing as Ancien. You built something to be proud of. I promise I will do everything I can to take good care of it. But today is all about you, Luna. Enjoy your moment."

As Thor spoke, vomit inched up my throat. And not just because of the platitudes. The light on the dashboard turned green: this was it. It was time to press the button. The crowd below me began to yell. I reached my hand toward the button and froze. That was when I saw the gunman.