Chapter 1
"I don't care if she is out for lunch. Find her and get that stupid bimbo in my office now!" Jack Thorne slammed down his handset in a fury. 'This is why I should be making all of the hiring decisions around here,' Jack thought, running his hand through his full head of graying black hair, still reeling from his decision to allow his partner, David Miller, to recruit Melanie Watkins to the firm. Melanie was making big splashes in the law world and even appeared on the cover of a national law magazine as the face of a new crop of young, ambitious lawyers. The problem, Jack thought, was that she was a woman, driven by emotions and lacking that level of adaptable intuition needed to survive long-term in this industry. Jack's beliefs were reinforced after the telephone call he had just received from one of his oldest clients.
Hiroki Yamamoto of Yamamoto Industries was a traditionalist. He had a world-view similar to Jack's, so the business relationship lasted ten years without a hitch. Jack had sent the attractive Melanie to deliver a revised contract to Yamamoto's offices, a task far below her pay grade of Junior Partner but would teach her a lesson in humility and paying her dues. Although Melanie tried to minimize her appearance, she was a bombshell. Her naturally flowing golden blond hair is usually pinned up into a bun, although she wears it down at the office due to Jack's insistence. Her blue eyes would have been mesmerizing if not for the naturally large lips forming a constant pout on her face. She was 'blessed' with naturally large D-cup breasts, unusual for such a small athletic frame and long legs that seemed to make up most of her 5'9" height. The suits and flat-styled shoes she chose to wear attempted to reduce the effect of her appearance as much as possible, and she has so far held her ground despite Jack's suggestions.
Jack figured that the delivery would be the perfect task for Melanie. The negotiations and revisions had already been made, and all she needed to do was deliver the contract and smile that pretty smile of hers. Hiroki would love that, Jack thought. But it turned out that even this simple task was too complex for her. During her visit, Mr Yamamoto harmlessly brushed his hand against her knee, and she had the gall to smack his hand away. Not only that, but she dared to reprimand him and tell him that she wasn't there to be fondled and ogled. What exactly did she think she was there for, Jack thought, her intellect? Jack outwardly chuckled at his most recent thought just as he heard a timid knock at his door. Despite his seething rage at potentially losing a valuable client, a veiled grin appeared on his face. Putting his employees in their place was one of Jack's favorite tasks, and he wouldn't hold back on this one.
❖
"... If you ever endanger my firm like that again, you'll be dancing on a pole for cash. Do I make myself clear? Now, leave!" Twenty minutes after Melanie hesitantly entered Jack's office, she ran out of the room with bloodshot eyes, her minimal makeup running. Jack believed that tears had no place in an office environment, and he sure as hell wouldn't show sympathy for someone who couldn't take a little bit of dressing down. He again picked up his handset and dialed through to his personal assistant. "Pam, set up a meeting with David for first thing tomorrow morning. I need to discuss hiring practices. After that, have my Porsche brought to the front. I have an appointment at the New U Clinic."
Hanging up the phone, he opens the top left drawer of his large African blackwood desk and pulls out a pamphlet. He grins, reading the main header of the paper in his hand, 'New U Clinic - Protecting You From Life & Death.' The New U Clinic was a state-of-the-art medical facility that offered the most innovative treatments to its extremely wealthy customer base. Only Billionaires and their families could usually afford to deal with the clinic, but Jack was gifted a lifetime insurance subscription after he saved his wealthiest client billions during a messy divorce. The biggest perk of the subscription was access to their secretive beta cloning program. This program allowed the clinic to create a perfectly healthy clone of your body using your DNA. Should anything happen to your original body, such as a debilitating illness, your mind could be transferred into the cloned body with no adverse side effects. Jack had donated his DNA and provided a body scan to the clinic last week, and he needed to give a second body scan tonight before they started to work on his cloned body.
Jack checked his emails one last time before shutting his PC down and locking away the contents inside his desk. Picking up his suit jacket and flinging it over his shoulder, he slipped his cell phone out of his navy blue trouser pocket, selected a name from his address book, and put the phone to his ear. After a brief pause, he smiled as he heard the voice of his wife, Regina, on the other end of the line. "Hey, sweet cheeks. I'll be home a little later this evening; I have some business to take care of first. I've invited some of the guys over for a poker game later; make sure you prepare some of those teacakes that Jerry raves about. I can't wait to try out those new lips of yours later. Love you, bye."