Ryan looked surprised. “Sure, sure. I appreciate the exclusive.” His hand was soft and damp.
“Let’s sit.” Iris tugged her hand free.
She nodded toward Tyler, indicating he should take the armchair. Iris gestured Ryan to precede her to the sofa.
“Okay, I’ll jump right in.” Ryan flipped open his satchel and unpacked an audio recorder. He pressed a couple of buttons on the machine then turned toward Tyler. “This is the Tyler Anderson interview. Today is Friday, June fifth. Ty, how are you enjoying ‘Osiris’s Journey’’s gameplay reveal?”
Iris gave a mental nod. He’d started with the softball questions just as she’d anticipated based on her research of the reporter’s interviewing style. She sat back on the opposite end of the sofa and observed the interview. Tyler did a fantastic job. He was comp
osed, concise and confident. Everything she could have hoped.
“‘Osiris’s Journey’ will be available on all current platforms simultaneously,” Tyler said.
“All on the release date?”
Tyler nodded. “Yes, on July tenth.”
Ryan glanced over his shoulder at Iris before he turned back to Tyler. “Will the game be ready in time?”
Tyler looked puzzled. “It’s ready now.”
“Are you sure?” Ryan glanced briefly at Iris again.
Iris’s brows knitted. Why does he keep looking at me?
“I’m quite sure.” Tyler’s frown deepened.
Ryan arched a brow. “But ‘Osiris’s Journey’ has failed its product tests.”
Iris blinked her surprise. She sat straighter on the sofa, fisting her hands to keep from interjecting. Let Ty handle this.
Surprise cleared the frown from Tyler’s sharp sienna features. “Your information is wrong.”
Ryan slid another look toward Iris. “I don’t think so.”
“You saw the reveal in the presentation.” Tyler sat forward.
“We all know there are ways to fake a game’s readiness for the press.” Ryan looked stubborn.
The claim was too outrageous for Iris to remain silent any longer. “Where did you get your information?”
The shaggy reporter stared at her in surprise. “I’ll never reveal my sources.” His tone was almost comically sincere.
“Your sources have given you bad information.” Tyler bit the words. “With minor enhancements, the game will be ready for release July tenth.”
“‘Minor enhancements’?” Ryan chuckled. “You said the game was ready now.”
“We could put it on the market today.” Tyler spoke with strained patience. “But these enhancements will make the game more robust.”
“What evidence do your sources have to prove ‘Osiris’s Journey’ failed its testing?” Iris demanded. “Or are you just taking their word for it?”
Ryan looked at Iris in confusion. “No, they sent me the test results.”
“The hell they did.” Tyler sounded as though his head was about to explode.
The reporter dug into his satchel again. “Here. Look.”
Tyler scanned the stack of papers Ryan handed him. He looked shocked. Iris rose to look over Tyler’s shoulder. Her eyes widened. Her lips parted in shock. How did the reporter get ahold of these documents? The information was printed on Anderson Adventures electronic letterhead. Adding insult to injury, printed across the top in big block red letters was the word Confidential.