Komoreby

20 | A Rock Star

If there's one man whose name will go down in the annals of history for not one, but several era-defining inventions, that is none other than Enrico Solheim. A household name in the business world, he is the thirty-year-old business magnate, tech genius and visionary that Future Today magazine listed under "the most influential people under the age of forty". His is not a story of rags to riches; to the contrary, it is one of success from the very beginning.

His influential family owns several companies, including a well-established hedge fund firm, though the Solheim name was widely known for being the largest shareholder of Solheim Corporation, which was founded by Enrico's grandfather Pietro Solheim. As of today, Solheim Corp. holds significant swathes of real estate, including office buildings and hotels, such as Solaris Towers in the tech hub and eco-city Komoreby.

Evanna shifted in her seat, and her eyes continued skimming the article. The screen cast a bluish-white sheen on her face.

Showing intellectual prowess from a young age, Solheim started inventing and dabbling with technology at the tender age of thirteen when he started assembling aircraft. By fifteen, he aspired to build a warp drive to overcome the limitations of light speed. Graduating from the University of Komoreby with a double degree at the age of twenty, his fascination with speedy transport eventually led him to found Helion, an infrastructure company, through which he introduced his revolutionary vactrain concept.

The article went on to describe ZipTube. She clicked the search results tab and scrolled down.

When the Sky is Not the Limit: Helion Chief and Centibillionaire Enrico Solheim Eyes Orbital Infrastructure with Skyhook.

Enrico Solheim's Interest in Skyhook Wanes: a Blow to the Space-Faring Dream.

Brains and Heart go Hand-in-Hand: Enrico Solheim's Biggest Philanthropic Endeavor Yet.

She paused—then clicked open the article.

Enrico Solheim, founder and CEO of Helion, is not new to the philanthropic scene. He took his support for scientific research to new heights by funding the construction of a particle collider at HEPLOK, a high energy physics laboratory based on the outskirts of Komoreby. The ambitious project had been stagnating due to insufficient funds and is considered crucial for exploring the mysterious world of quantum physics. His commitment to humanity's progress has been applauded, especially since it came at a time when he is focusing on bringing his brainchild ZipTube to fruition, as well as founding yet another startup according to some sources.

Evanna leaned back—and winced at the pain that blossomed when her back made contact with the chair. You can get Rind's help and go home, Ev. Then no more Lycans and caning and all of this stupid crap.

As she headed downstairs, hope kindled within, and she got to work on the next task she had planned that Monday evening.

After school, Evanna had obtained supplies from a grocery store to whip up her chosen delicacy of chocolate truffles. To her dismay, it had turned out too sweet. She now busied herself with round two.

Her phone stood propped up on her octopus tripod to display the recipe. The dark, granite countertop was smeared with chocolate and coated with a dusting of cocoa powder. A half-empty can of coconut cream and various utensils added to the chaos around her. As she worked, her thoughts strayed back to Solheim. Thanks, dude. That machine wouldn't even be built if it weren't for you then. And just like you to doubt his intentions, Mom. Just 'cause he's a rich guy.

"Mom! Aunt Jan!" Evanna yelled. "I need another baking tray!"

"It's up there," her mom shouted back.