All Chapters of I Was Done Being Their Backup Plan: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

That night, I went back to my apartment.I packed everything Damian had left at my place over the past ten years into cardboard boxes.Spare shirts. Old albums. The pen he always used. And an entire box of manuscripts he'd never taken back.Ten years of accumulated things filled seven boxes.I contacted a realtor. I was going to sell the apartment.At three in the morning, he posted a group photo from the restaurant.Chloe was wearing his jacket, leaning on his shoulder.Ethan was cutting cake for her.Sebastian was crouched beside her, tending to her scraped knee.The caption was one line.[What a day. At least our little princess isn't scared anymore.]I closed the post and personally delivered the last box to Moretti Company's front desk.The next morning, Chloe sent a voice message to the family group."Sis, are you still mad at me?""Last night Damian and our brothers stayed with me because they were afraid I'd have nightmares.""I already told them to go back to you, but they sai

The night before I left, I went back to the Moretti estate.I needed to retrieve the jewelry and photo albums my mother had left me.The keypad code hadn't been changed.But when I pushed open the bedroom door, I stood in the doorway for a long time without going in.My room had become Chloe's walk-in closet.The graduation photo on the wall was gone.My trophies had been thrown into a cardboard box.The bedspread my mother had sewn for me by hand was now under the shoe rack.Chloe walked out of the bathroom in my silk pajamas.When she saw me, she covered her mouth."Sis, why didn't you tell me you were coming?""This is my room."She bit her lip."Ethan said your room was empty anyway.""I had too many clothes, so he let me move in."She added softly."You wouldn't begrudge me an empty room, would you?"I walked to the vanity.The bracelet my mother had left me was on Chloe's wrist."Take it off."Ethan and Sebastian pushed the door open just then.Ethan frowned."I told her to wear

The next morning, the group's technical department was in chaos.The core system flashed an authorization expiration notice.All the lab equipment entered countdown mode.Ethan threw the documents onto the conference table."Work around those three patents.""I need an alternative by today."The technical director's face was pale."Chairman, we can't work around them.""The underlying algorithm, the sensor components, the calibration system—they're all connected.""Forcing a replacement means redoing the entire project."Ethan frowned."The company employs all of you, and none of you can match one person?"No one in the conference room spoke.The technical director pushed a stack of old files forward."The first version of the model was made by Ms. Vivian.""The three subsequent upgrades were also hers.""We were only responsible for testing and implementation."Sebastian flipped through the files.At the bottom of every page was Vivian's signature.The earliest date went back eight ye

(Third Person POV)Only a black screen remained in the conference room.Sebastian lowered his head.His reddened eyes were faintly reflected on the screen.Sebastian began organizing the old project files.The partners demanded the inventors be reconfirmed.He thought it was just a matter of adding a few names.But the deeper he dug, the paler he became.The first-generation device from eight years ago.Vivian.The algorithm upgrade from six years ago.Vivian.The technical report that solved a major failure three years ago.Still Vivian.But on the publicly released brochures, the R&D lead was listed as Sebastian.He'd won awards.Been on the cover of financial magazines.In interviews, he said he'd stayed up two months straight for the project.But during those two months, he was abroad with Chloe at fashion shows.Vivian was sleeping in the lab.His secretary came in with documents."Mr. Sebastian, the partners are demanding a public correction.""They also want you to address it pe

Half a year later, the new project was officially launched.I stood backstage at the launch event.As I adjusted my cuff, the bracelet on my wrist was visible.It had been repaired.The cracks were still there, the repair not perfect.But it looked more like mine than ever before."Chief, it's time," my assistant said.I nodded.The stage lights came on.On the big screen, my name was clearly written.Chief R&D Officer.Vivian Moretti.Applause rose from the audience.I walked to the center of the stage and completed the final product demonstration.The live camera swept across the audience.Damian sat in the last row.My two brothers sat on the other side.They didn't contact me.They didn't try to break into the backstage.After the launch, a reporter asked me:"Dr. Moretti, where did the original inspiration for this technology come from?"I glanced down at the bracelet."From my mother.""She told me that broken things can be fixed.""But once fixed, you don't have to pretend the c