Chapter 4

Victor's eyes reddened with panic.

"I don't care what method you use. Sophie cannot embarrass herself in front of all these people."

I looked at him coldly.

"She can't be embarrassed. What about me? This is my life's work, and you want me to hand it over to her, then teach her step by step how to steal it from me?"

Victor raised his hand and slapped me across the face.

The crack of the slap rang sharply through the noisy venue entrance.

People around us turned to stare. My face whipped to the side.

Victor pointed at me, his voice shrill.

"Lydia Webb, don't push your luck. Without my company, your worthless code isn't worth a penny.

"I'm telling you now. If you don't hand it over today, I'll divorce you and leave you with nothing."

Sophie grabbed Victor's arm.

"Maybe Lydia should present after all. I can step back."

As she spoke, she deliberately stepped back and brought her high heel down hard on my laptop bag.

Then she ground her heel into it twice.

A sharp crack sounded. The screen inside the bag shattered.

Sophie's face filled with fake panic.

"Oh no, Lydia, I'm so sorry. I didn't see your bag there."

Victor glanced at the crushed bag and snorted.

"It's broken, so what? It's just a computer. How much can it cost? I'll buy you ten when we get back."

He stared at me, his eyes full of threat.

"Lydia, I'll ask one last time. Are you handing over the code logic or not?"

I looked at the deformed laptop bag on the ground.

That laptop had been Victor's third-anniversary gift to me.

Now, like our marriage, it was shattered beyond repair.

I pulled a USB drive from my pocket and handed it to him.

"Basic code and the presentation flow. Take it."

Victor snatched it from my hand and rolled his eyes.

"Wouldn't it have been easier if you'd handed it over earlier? You had to take a slap before you'd behave. No self-respect at all."

He turned and pulled Sophie inside.

"Come on, Sophie. Let's go prepare. Don't worry. With this USB drive, those reviewers will be easy to handle."

Sophie turned back and gave me a triumphant smile.

I stood there and took out my phone.

"Attorney Bennett, has the authorization revocation notice been sent?"

"Mrs. Palmerston, it has been sent to the company's legal department."

I hung up and turned toward the rain outside the venue.

Without the core encryption key, that system would not last three minutes in a code-combat test.

I took a cab to the airport and sat in the waiting area, watching planes lift into the sky beyond the window.

My phone stayed quiet.

Victor was probably still basking in the joy of thinking he was about to win a billion-dollar contract. He had no time to bother with me.

I opened my tablet and logged into the internal livestream of the bidding venue.

On the screen, Sophie was standing onstage, speaking smoothly through the PowerPoint.

Victor sat in the first row below, gazing at her with admiration.

At the judges' table, several technical experts whispered to one another, their brows furrowed.

"Ms. Lowell, your theory is impressive," the lead judge said, tapping the table. "But we need to see actual code-combat ability. Please connect to our test system and begin the first round of attack and defense."

Sophie nodded confidently and inserted the USB drive I had given her.

The system started. A basic defense interface appeared on the big screen.

Victor led the applause from below, his face full of pride.

But before the applause faded, the big screen suddenly flashed a blinding red.