Leo's Daughter: Mistress of the Web

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Leo Olympos had a splitting headache so crushing he thought his head might cave in—that or he would go completely mad.

      The throbbing in his head had begun about nine months ago after a lifetime free of any aches and pains. At the time, his company, Olympos Communications Network, had been offered the chance to merge with a smaller, but very attractive, communications network, Net Is Working. Leo had been seriously interested in the company for a long time, and had given a merger a great deal of considered thought, so he jumped at the opportunity to finally own this young, vibrant, new network.
      Instead of merging with the new company, he took over the company completely—well, he had to admit that he’d always fancied owning Net Is Working. It was only after everything had been signed and the deal sealed that he'd started to suffer from these prolonged headaches.
      When he consulted his doctor, who performed a thorough examination, Leo was given no real explanation about the cause of the headaches.
      After numerous tests and a great deal of prodding and poking, Leo was declared one hundred percent fit with no illnesses, allergies, high blood pressure or medical problems of any kind.
      So what was wrong with him?
      Nothing.
      But the headaches didn’t go away—they worsened, and so did his temper or, more accurately, his ill temper.
      The company directors were the first to notice the change in personality—from a fair, just, tolerant Managing Director to a bad-tempered, unreasonable, irritable boss, who was becoming increasingly unpopular.
      But he was the boss.
      He may have been losing the total admiration of the board but Leo still commanded and received their respect.
      For one thing, the take-over of Net Is Working had been a complete success and the small company was growing daily and attracting a great deal of outside interest. The parent company was also thriving and bringing in new business daily. At work, Leo was under no pressure at all, and yet the pressure in his head was sometimes so great, he thought his skull might explode and shatter into a million pieces.
      The prescribed medicine from the doctor had been totally ineffective. Not that this surprised Leo. There was, after all, nothing wrong with him. Having nothing wrong with you should provide some comfort but this fact only made him worry more. The more he worried the more irascible he became and his closest friends started to avoid him.
      His work colleagues couldn’t avoid him, but they were quickly learning to say very little in the weekly board meetings. Whenever a board member dared to suggest a new venture or a different approach, Leo had very quickly become argumentative and critical. Fortunately, everything was going well and the company wasn’t suffering by simply maintaining the status quo.
     

To read the rest of the story, Leo's Daughter: Mistress of the Web is now available in Universe Pathways -- a Greek Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine. The English version of the magazine is printed four times a year. A preview of the latest edition can be viewed by clicking on this image:

 

 Leo's Daughter: Mistress of the Web is on page 167.