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minutes. I have an announcement, and I want everyone there.”
    Thirty minutes later Art and Christine walked into the conference room, where a startled and nervous group of managers gathered around the table, sitting in silence.
    â€œI’ll make this short so everyone can get back to work,” Art said. “You may have heard some rumblings about some changes, so let me set you all at ease. Mantric has made an offer to buy MobiCelus. Since you are all surfing the web constantly, I’m sure you know of this company. I’ve spoken with the CEO, Dylan Johnson, and his team has agreed, in principle, to our offer. We’ll be finalizing the contract in the next few weeks, so many of you will be seeing new faces around here. They are Boston-based and will keep a presence in that office—at least for now. Eventually we hope to move all aspects of the company here, but that will not be in our first phase. Some of you will be doing some traveling back and forth over the next few months, so be prepared for that. Any questions?” He scanned the sea of wide eyes staring back at him.
    Sandeep Nigam, Chief Technology Officer, slowly raised his hand. “Excuse me, Mr. Williams. Can you tell us how this acquisition will occur with regard to our departments?”
    Sandeep was a legend. Born in India, he had attended the prestigious India Institute of Technology. After moving to the U.S., Sandeep quickly established himself as a technology genius and became legendary in technology circles. He was one of the original engineers at Apple, where he made his initial mark before establishing his credentials at Google. Then Art Williams had recruited him to join Mantric. And yet, as smart as he was, Sandeep’s lack of self-confidence hindered his growth into other opportunities. He’d climbed to his current position and seemed perfectly happy to remain there, but he was always looking over his shoulder.
    â€œI don’t have a lot of details because we haven’t finalized them. However, in your case, we will be bringing Tony Caruso into the department. He is currently your counterpart at MobiCelus, and he will be reporting to you. My understanding is that he is brilliant in mobile computing, especially in the design and development of new products, so I’m sure he will be an asset. Any other questions? If not, Christine and I will be filling you in as we bring this down to the wire. Shouldn’t be much longer. As you know, we are also working on the IPO, and so you can all expect some very busy months ahead. Thank you for your time.”
    Art did not wait for any further questions. He nodded to Christine, who gathered up her papers and rose from the table, not acknowledging anyone.
    * * *
    Sandeep hurried out of the conference room, close behind Art and Christine, and rushed back to his office. He closed the door and sat at his desk, where he immediately spun around to the side table and opened up his browser.
    He Googled “Tony Caruso.” Several hits appeared before him, and he began with the first—a reference to MobiCelus and its officers, with a brief history of the company. The second and third hits displayed papers Tony had published regarding the fallibility of some mobile devices. Sandeep scrolled through five more postings but garnered nothing specific about the man, only that his brilliance would bear watching.
    Sandeep closed his browser and pushed himself back to the desk, where he remained deep in thought for the remainder of the day.

Chapter 3
    January 21, 9:00 a.m. Boston
    With the terms of the acquisition set, things moved quickly. Positions changed, some for the better, some not. Dylan had watched as Art skillfully placed people in the roles he felt best suited them in the growing organization, and although Dylan did not agree with everything, he stood by and quietly watched.
    The plans had moved with swift accuracy since earlier in the month when everyone agreed to