Page 2 of The Alien’s Mate

“This is Dr. Bryce,” said Mr. West and presented a middle-aged woman with a stern face. “She’s the leader of Project Titan. Dr. Bryce, this is Miss Lila Vernon, one of the finalists for the position of laboratory assistant.”

The woman looked at Lila, sized her up, and nodded. “Nice to meet you, Miss Vernon.”

“A pleasure,” nodded Lila and shook the woman’s hand. As the doctor turned her back and urged the two to follow her, Lila asked, “What is Project Titan?”

“It’s the project you’ll be working on, should you be hired,” said Mr. West. “Until then, the purpose of Project Titan will remain undisclosed. I hope you understand.”

She nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Project Titan is growing bigger than we first could ever imagine,” said Dr. Bryce when they arrived at her desk. Her steel eyes landed on Lila. “If we play our cards right with this, it could change the way we see the world. It could change everything .”

Lila swallowed, her heart racing. She had no idea what it was about, but she wanted in.

Ten minutes later, she was back in Mr. West’s office. The man had a pleased smile on his lips as he unbuttoned his jacket and sat down behind his desk.

“How do you like the facilities, Miss Vernon?”

“They’re amazing, sir,” said she. “I never… I never thought I’d be here. I remember looking at this building as a kid, just when you’d developed the game-changing treatment for Spellburg’s Disease. My dad was so impressed—he’d worked with several patients that could have lived if your medication existed earlier. My mom said it was a miracle, that it was a staple in our human evolution, that the next step was to find a cure for cancer.” She smiled. “At that moment, I knew I wanted to be there when that happened. I knew I wanted to work here, at Howland & West, and I knew I would have to work hard to get here.” She looked him dead in the eye. “Mr. West, I know I don’t have my PhD yet. I don’t even have my Master’s, but I have dedication. I could study and work at the same time, I could get that PhD, and I could do it just for you and Mr. Howland. I really, really want to work here.”

Mr. West observed her hesitantly. He eyed her, and a crease formed between his brows. Lila was terrified, thinking that she might have said too much; did she come off as begging? Did that put him off?

Finally, the man leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I like you, Miss Vernon. Your lack of education is indeed a problem, but it’s not a massive problem for the role you’re applying for. No, for all intents and purposes, you’re…” He smiled. “The perfect candidate.”

Lila swallowed hard. She didn’t even dare to dream.

“If you’re interested,” said Mr. West, “I’d like to offer you the position.”

The floor disappeared from beneath her. She was floating in mid-air, floating in the heavens. Did he just offer her a job? At Howland & West? She croaked, cleared her throat, and nodded. “Yes—yes! Thank you, Mr. West!”

The man smiled. “I’m glad you accept. Now, before we make it official, I want you to go home and think it over, properly.” His gaze suddenly turned serious. “A position here is not a regular occupation. You will have to sign several NDAs that will bind you to secrecy and silence. I hope you understand that we cannot take any chances. There are many people out there that would pay millions to know what we’re up to, that would do anything to get a glimpse into our highly classified research. Everyone working at this company has signed these contracts, and we will take serious legal action if anyone breaks them. More than that, to be able to do what we do, we must make difficult decisions. Sometimes, we have to do things that others might consider unethical.”

“Such as what, Mr. West?”

The man tightened his jaw. “That information is classified, but everything we do, we do for the sake of the future. You must decide while still being kept in the dark about certain things; if that is something you can live with, then you might start to evaluate whether or not to accept. Your salary will be no problem; we pay our employees generously. It’s the ethical problem that might be a deal-breaker, I’m afraid.”

Lila nodded. “I understand.”

“Now,” sighed Mr. West, “I meant it when I said that you’re the perfect candidate for this project. I would love for you to join us while we make history, but it’s up to you. Why don’t you go home and think about it, and give me a call on Friday with your decision.” As he rose, so did Lila.

“Thank you so much, Mr. West. I promise to consider everything we’ve talked about today.”

“Good.” Mr. West nodded and pressed a button on his phone. Shortly after, Margery opened and gestured for Lila to exit. “I look forward to your call.”

As Lila left the office, her heart was pounding. This was everything she’d dreamed of. Everything.

CHAPTER 2

The moment she’d stepped out of the Howland & West Industries building, she’d felt a coldness inside of her, as if she’d left the place where she belonged. When she got home to her small studio apartment, she felt trapped. She had never been so certain of anything—she wanted that job.

The things Mr. West had told her about the secrecy, the contracts, and the unethical practices did disturb her, but not enough to discourage her from her dream. She knew that sacrifices had to be made for the greater good, and she wouldn’t let that deter her.

When Friday finally arrived, she waited until one in the afternoon, and then she called Mr. West. She thanked him for the opportunity and said that she would take the job. He was pleased to hear it and told her to return to Howland & West on Wednesday the following week to sign the contracts.

Those were the longest few days of her life.

When Wednesday arrived, she made sure to dress appropriately in a pen skirt, neat blouse, and a blazer. She felt so grown-up wearing it, as if she wasn’t just a twenty-four-year-old trying to figure out who she was. Now, the woman who looked back at her in the mirror knew exactly who she was—a scientist at Howland & West. Well, a laboratory assistant, at least.

Even on the subway, she felt so mature, so far from those youngsters sitting in their torn shirts and worn-out Jordans—even if they were probably closer to her age than the men and women dressed in suits. For a moment, she wondered what they thought of her—did they look at her as an imposter? Was she one?