Chapter 3

"Enzo, put the phone down!"

Wanda snapped out of it and ran toward me. She tried to snatch my phone away.

I sidestepped her. The camera stayed locked on Chris.

"Say it," I uttered coldly.

Chris avoided my gaze and stammered, but he couldn't get a single word out.

When Wanda failed to snatch the phone, she started throwing a fit.

"Fine. Fine!"

She pointed at me. Her entire body was trembling with anger.

"Enzo, we're going cold!"

With that, she grabbed Chris and stormed out without looking back.

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

This was her usual tactic to force me into apologizing.

Every time we argued, she would say we're going cold and block me on everything.

Within three days, I'd have no choice but to reach out because of work.

Then came the apology and reconciliation.

She was certain this time would be no different.

After all, the company we built together revolved around its core technology, the Nord Ark system. It was my life's work.

She believed that for the sake of my career, I would never dare to truly fall out with her.

She thought I was still the same Enzo she could control at will.

I looked at the closed door and slowly lowered my phone.

I saved the silent video that had captured everything.

'Going cold, huh?'

This time, I wouldn't be the one to reach out.

A week later, it was the review meeting for the company's core project, the Nord Ark system.

My team and I had pulled countless all-nighters for it.

Every line of code carried our effort and sacrifice.

As the project lead, I was about to go on stage to present, but Wanda beat me to it.

Dressed in a sharp business suit, she wore a polished smile.

"Greetings, dear investors and colleagues.

"Today, I'm honored to introduce our newly appointed technical director, Mr. Chris Luther."

I froze.

Chris? Since when did he become the technical director?

Behind me, my team erupted in murmurs.

Chris walked onto the stage in a brand-new suit. He looked composed and confident next to Wanda.

Wanda looped her arm through his and announced warmly, "The breakthrough progress of the Nord Ark system is entirely thanks to Mr. Luther.

"It was he who provided the revolutionary inspiration and core architecture!"

There were whispers in the room.

My team members' faces were filled with shock and anger.

I stared at the two of them on stage. All I could feel was a chill rising from my feet to the rest of my body.

Theft. This was blatant theft.

Chris stood next to her with a seemingly modest smile.

"It's all thanks to the team, especially Wanda, who gave me so much support."

He even glanced in my direction. There was a trace of provocation in his eyes.

I clenched my jaw and looked at them coldly.

The investors began whispering among themselves.

A senior investor, Mr. Lionel, adjusted his glasses and raised a question.

"Mr. Luther, I've heard a lot about you.

"I'm particularly interested in the underlying logic of the Nord Ark system, especially its data encryption algorithm. Could you elaborate?"

The smile on Chris' face disappeared.

He stammered, and his eyes darted around.

"W-Well, the algorithm is quite complex.

"I-It mainly uses a new type of encryption model–"

He couldn't even produce a single proper technical term.

The atmosphere in the room turned awkward instantly.

Wanda quickly stepped in. "Mr. Luther has just taken over the project. He's still getting familiar with the details."

Mr. Lionel frowned. He was clearly dissatisfied with the answer.

He asked a few more questions about system stability and future iterations.

Chris' answers were even worse. They were full of holes and completely off track.

The investors' expressions darkened.

Just as things were about to spiral out of control, I calmly stood up.

All eyes were on me.

I didn't look at Wanda or Chris.

I walked to the front and picked up the microphone.

"Mr. Lionel, I'll take those questions."

I answered every one of them with clear logic and precise structure.

From the core algorithm to system architecture and future commercial applications, every detail was laid out perfectly.

The investors nodded frequently. Their looks of approval were obvious.

At the end, I pulled up the system's backend demo.

"To ensure the originality and security of the system–"

While I spoke, I casually displayed the core code page.

At the bottom of the code was a clear digital signature.

[Enzo.]

There was also a precise timestamp for the finalized version.

It was generated one week ago.

That was when Wanda had blocked me. It was the period we had gone cold.

There was no way Chris, the so-called new technical director, could have completed it.

The conference room fell silent.

Every investor's expression had changed.

They looked at me, then at Wanda and Chris, whose faces had gone pale.

Their eyes were filled with curiosity and scrutiny.