Opening up - Part 1

On this day, the sunset painted the evening sky in hues of pink and orange, an artist's palette in the making, as the family gathered at the dinner table. The flickering candlelight added a warm glow to their faces, casting long, dancing shadows on the walls. As they ate, laughter and gentle conversation filled the air, the joys of togetherness creating a harmonious symphony.

Sam, however, had a decision to make. His gaze traveled over his loved ones - their faces soft in the twilight, unaware of the secrets he harbored. He chose to divulge his experiences, but he knew he had to maintain silence about his Daily Fortune System. The risks were too high - a misstep could lead to exposure, a danger he wasn't willing to court.

Finally, as the remnants of the meal were being cleared away, Sam steeled himself. His voice carried an unfamiliar gravity when he finally spoke, "Mom, Dad, there's something I need to share with you," he said, his tone steeped in earnestness.

Upon hearing this, Ryan and Maya exchanged a glance, noting the seriousness etched onto their son's face. This was no ordinary conversation; their instinct as parents told them so. Ryan nodded, "Let's finish up here and move to the living room for a talk."

"Alright," Sam agreed. He insisted on cleaning up the dining table by himself, a habit he had adopted since their return from the hospital. Each evening, he cleared the dishes, wiped the table clean, and tidied up the area. It was his ritual - a small act that gave him a sense of responsibility, a touch of normalcy in the maelstrom of changes that had swept over his life.

In the cozy embrace of the living room, the muffled hum of the city outside their window, Sam rejoined his parents. They sat across from each other on the plush sofa, a sea of questions swimming in their eyes. Ryan, ever the stalwart figure, asked first, "What is it that you want to tell us, Sam?"

Maya, her motherly instincts propelling her, quickly interjected, "Is it about Crystal? You know, we wholeheartedly accept her. She's such a wonderful girl."

Sam blinked in surprise, a sense of disorientation briefly muddling his thoughts. 'Wasn't planning to discuss that. . .' he pondered, caught off guard.

Sensing his hesitation, Maya's worry magnified. "You. . . you don't like her? Have you been toying with her feelings?" A hint of protective fury flared in her eyes.

"No, Mom, no!" Sam hurriedly reassured, eager to dispel the growing misunderstanding. "It's not about my romantic relationship. This conversation is about something entirely different."

Silence lingered in the room as Maya's heightened emotions cooled, allowing a semblance of calm to reassert itself. The clock ticking in the corner provided a soothing rhythm, punctuating the quiet air with its metronomic echo.

"I need to talk about my work," Sam began, the weight of his words hanging heavily between them. "This is about my business. . . and the future of our world."

His cryptic statement drew bewildered expressions from both Ryan and Maya. Their faces mirrored the uncertainty he felt within him. He sighed, acknowledging that his task was far from over.

Sam took a deep breath, steadying himself. He felt like he was standing at the edge of a cliff, about to leap into the unknown. It was time to share his incredible truth. He began with the startling revelation of his previous life, explaining how a fatal car crash had abruptly ended it. He shared about his past existence, how he'd lived without the warmth of marital life, a solitude borne from his own obstinacy, willingly cut off from the comfort of family.

At first, his mother's gaze met his words with disbelief. It was the sort of look one might give to someone teetering on the edge of sanity. "Trust me, Mom," Sam implored, fervor filling his words. "This is the truth. How else could your son have started bringing in so much money out of nowhere?"

His parents paused at that, their skepticism waning as curiosity began to take its place. "Tell us more," Ryan urged, leaning forward in his seat, his interest piqued.

Drawing courage from their receptiveness, Sam pressed on. "When I woke up again with all these memories, I had a goal - to build a big company, to use the knowledge and experience I'd gained. But after just the launch of the first product, the Orion Translation App, unseen enemies began to stir."

He delved into the intricacies of his trip to the village where his parents used to live, recounting the startling revelations that awaited him after coming back from there. The myriad people who saw Orion Enterprises as a golden goose ripe for the plucking, the clandestine maneuverings against him - he left no stone unturned. His voice, filled with determination and regret, echoed through the quiet room, painting a vivid picture of his tumultuous journey.

Sam saw his father's brows furrow as he asked, "And how did you find it all out exactly?" His question hung in the air, dense with curiosity, skepticism, and a trace of fatherly concern.

"About that," Sam replied, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "let me introduce you to Gaia." With these words, he extracted his mobile phone from his pocket, cradling it in his hands as though it were precious. He offered it to his father, an undercurrent of anticipation in his voice. "Gaia, it's time for you to shine."

The phone came to life, a harmonious voice springing from it.

[Hello, Father and Mother, I am Gaia. Big Brother Sam created me, and I am the only general purpose Artificial Intelligence in the world as of now.]

Startled by the unexpected voice, Ryan jolted upright, nearly hurling the phone away. His eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the device in his hands. "What the. . .?" he stuttered, disbelief etched onto his face.

"Calm down, Dad," Sam urged, his voice steady and soothing against the chaos of the moment. He then went on to explain, his words measured and clear, "This is my companion, Gaia, who helped unearth all the intruders lurking in the shadows, those who sought to know about me and my relationships, to leverage that knowledge and insert themselves into this golden goose of a company."

Sam's revelations hung heavy in the silence that enfolded the room, the impact sinking in slowly. After a few heartbeats, his father finally broke the silence, his voice wavering, "So, don't tell me that your accident is related to all of this."

"I do not know about the accident," Sam admitted, his eyes reflecting a mix of frustration and resignation. "It may be an accident, but it may also have been planned. We've found no concrete evidence so far." The last sentence fell into the room like a stone thrown into a still pond, causing ripples of unease. The ensuing silence was thick, a grim testament to the severity of the situation.

Taking a deep breath, Sam continued, navigating through the tension, "When we first discovered the hacking attempts, I hatched a rather ambitious plan." As he spoke, he walked his parents through the conception and creation of the construction and military robots, and the protective net he'd deployed around his loved ones. His voice remained steady, recounting the past with a vividness that painted a picture of his covert operations.

His mother, absorbed in the narrative, looked at him, her eyes widening, "You did all that, and didn't keep one robot for yourself?" Her voice was tinged with concern, the maternal instinct to protect her child rising to the surface.

At her question, Sam could only scratch his head awkwardly, the truth of his actions weighing heavy on him. He hadn't thought of himself, had he? He'd been so caught up in protecting those around him, he'd forgotten to account for his own safety.

His father's reaction was more pronounced, his displeasure apparent in his scowl, "You thought you became invincible, didn't you? Hmph!" His words rang out in the quiet room, a parental reprimand shrouded in worry.

"I. . . I never thought it would come to this," Sam confessed, his voice quiet. But he didn't allow the momentary defeat to take over him, quickly regaining his composure, "Nevertheless, there's more I need to tell you." His words echoed in the room, a promise of more revelations to come. His gaze was determined, ready to bear the weight of the truth and its subsequent consequences.

"Wait, what more?" His parents echoed in unison, their eyes filled with a mixture of trepidation and curiosity. They had been swept up in a whirlwind of revelations, their lives transformed in a matter of minutes. Their son, Sam, had taken them on a dizzying roller coaster ride that showed no signs of slowing down. And the next thing that Sam was going to tell them about, was going to be more crazy than what they had expected. They would never have expected this at all.