A WOMAN OF GREAT INFLUENCE
The scent of perfume and the sharp click of heels filled the air, turning every head toward the woman who had long been absent. Maya was welcomed warmly by her employees.
"Welcome back, Miss Maya," greeted the two guards stationed at the main entrance.
"Good morning, Miss Maya," echoed the voices of the male and female officers at the reception desk — the usual place where visitors made inquiries, scheduled appointments, or were received as guests of importance at DE PHILIPS CORP.
Maya returned all their greetings. No one could say for sure when Maya had grown more approachable with her staff. Perhaps it had started when Arden encouraged her to be more sociable, especially with her employees, so that operations would run more smoothly. If workers could communicate easily with her — the once notoriously cold Maya — the company would function all the better.
Without Maya, they would be nothing. She wielded immense influence over their lives. If DE PHILIPS CORP were ever to shut down, they would all lose their jobs. With generous salaries and abundant perks, the company attracted a flood of talented professionals eager to work under Maya's leadership. Even ordinary people took their chances.
Yet everyone knew: working under Maya required absolute commitment. Otherwise, termination would be swift and merciless. Maya had no patience for excuses and wasted no time in dismissing those who failed to meet her expectations. That was why her employees feared her.
Ding. Ding.
The elevator chimed as it raced toward the upper floors. Despite Maya's long absence from the day-to-day operations, everyone continued working diligently, as though her eyes had never left them.
She pressed the button for the 20th floor with her slender fingers, making her way to Mr. Bills' office. The last time she had seen the old man was two days after Arden's death. She wondered if he was still in good health, if his hair had turned whiter, or if time had carved more lines into his face.
Maya exhaled deeply, placing a hand over her chest to steady herself. Too much had happened in this place.
She scanned her access card, and the glass doors slid open. Inside, she found Mr. Bills removing a chip from a computer and installing it into the left chest of a robot that resembled an alien. Its head was metallic and rounded, with glowing red eyes and large triangular ears. Its neck was shaped like a short cylinder, and its torso resembled a pentagon. Its lower body was square, equipped with wheels for movement. Cylindrical arms ended in fingers eerily similar to a human's, and its exposed interior revealed a tangled web of wires. A crooked smile had been sketched on the robot's metal face with white ink — a rough touch from Mr. Bills.
"Hello, Mr. Bills. What are you working on? I don't recall leaving any instructions for a new robot, aside from the special orders we've already received," Maya remarked, eyeing the robot carefully.
Mr. Bills shook his head, a glimmer of relief in his eyes at the sight of Maya's return.
"Hello, Maya. You look well. No, there were no new orders — I built this robot as an experiment," Mr. Bills explained, tapping keys on his computer to bring the machine to life.
Maya studied the robot, curiosity knitting her brow as she turned to him.
"An experiment? What do you mean?"
The old man paused his work and explained to Maya, the owner of DE PHILIPS CORP, that while their robots were exceptional, they still faced a major hurdle: they had yet to create a material that could mimic human or animal skin and remain durable on a robot's body. Any material they had tried so far would eventually melt, burn, or deteriorate. They hadn't yet discovered a substance that could endure over time.
Maya nodded thoughtfully as she listened. It was true — DE PHILIPS CORP's final products were always left as exposed metal, painted black or other colors as per client requests, but never featuring lifelike skin or textures.
Mr. Bills then pulled the robot's spring-like, wired arm and showed Maya the latest breakthrough — a mysterious new material he was testing for durability. Curious, Maya reached out and touched the robot's hand. It unmistakably felt like human skin.
Mr. Bills smiled, watching Maya's surprise and awe as she marveled at the startling realism of the robot's hand.
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