Chapter 4
Wednesday.
At the convention center.
I was dressed in a dark gray suit, with a name tag reading "MedVision Technologies, Alex Carter, Founder" pinned to my chest.
The venue was packed.
The opening forum hadn't even started yet, but there was already a long line at the registration desk.
Brian was by my side, helping me dodge all the small talk and unnecessary greetings.
I grabbed a coffee and found a quiet corner to wait for the event to kick off.
That was when I caught sight of someone I knew all too well.
Sophie.
That was Emily's bestie.
What was she doing here?
And she wasn't alone, either.
Emily was right there with her.
I kept a straight face.
I took a sip of my coffee, keeping my head down.
They hadn't noticed me yet.
Sophie was holding a resume, probably here to apply for a job. There was a recruitment area set up at the event.
Emily was probably just here to keep her company.
She looked a bit thinner, and a little pale, like she hadn't been sleeping well lately.
I stayed put in my corner.
I didn't go over, didn't say hi, and didn't bother to hide, either.
I just kept doing my own thing.
Two minutes later, Brian came over.
"Mr. Carter, the forum's about to start. Your seat's in the front row with the other VIPs," he said.
"Got it," I replied.
I stood up.
Brian led me through the crowd.
As we passed by Emily, she was looking down at her phone.
She didn't notice me.
But Sophie glanced up.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught her reaction, she froze for a second, then spotted my name tag.
Her mouth parted slightly.
I didn't stop.
I headed straight for the front row.
The host started introducing the guests.
"Our third guest tonight is Mr. Alex Carter, founder of MedVision Technologies. In just three years, MedVision has become the benchmark for AI-Powered Medical Imaging Analytics in the province, with last year's revenue breaking 30 million dollars."
The audience applauded.
I nodded and settled into my seat in the front row.
I caught a glimpse of the fifth row out of the corner of my eye.
Sophie was furiously typing out a message.
Emily was still lingering by the entrance.
But I knew, in less than three minutes, she'd know everything.
Her ex, the so-called "ordinary programmer" who pinched pennies every month just to send her 5,000 dollars for school was the founder of a company pulling in over 30 million dollars a year.
Halfway through the forum, I stepped up for a fifteen-minute talk.
I shared some real-world stories about how AI was actually being used in local clinics.
More than two hundred people were watching from below.
After I finished, someone from the audience passed me the mic for questions.
I took three or four questions from the crowd.
When I stepped off the stage, Brian was waiting for me at the side.
"Emily's outside. She looks pretty rough. Sophie just told her something," Brian said.
"That's got nothing to do with me," I said.
"She might come looking for you," Brian said.
"If she does, I'll see her," I replied.
I sounded totally indifferent.
I walked out of the VIP area and grabbed a sandwich from the refreshment table.
I'd just taken a bite when I heard someone call my name.
"Alex?"
I turned around.
Emily was standing about ten feet away.
She stared at my name tag, her lips trembling.
"MedVision Technologies is really your company?" she asked.
I finished chewing my sandwich.
"Yeah," I replied.
"You've always been the owner of this company?" she asked again.
"Yeah," I said.
"Then why did you..." Her voice started to tremble.
"Why did you tell me you were just a programmer? Why did you live in a rented apartment? Why did you only send me 5,000 dollars a month and say you were barely scraping by?" I said.
I looked at her.
"Because you said you'd stay with me even if I was just an ordinary guy," I continued.
She looked like she'd just been slapped.
She took a half-step back.
"I wanted to see if you really meant it," I said.
I tossed the sandwich wrapper aside.
"And now you know the answer," I added.
"Alex..." Emily wanted to say something.
"Emily, we're done here. You chose Michael. You thought he was the better man. So go enjoy your perfect life with him," I said.
"You lied to me for five years!" She suddenly raised her voice.
People nearby turned to look.
I didn't move.
"What exactly did I lie about? Every month, I sent you 5,000 dollars, covered your rent, booked your flights, did you ever lack for anything? Were you ever strapped for cash?" I yelled.
"But you're loaded! If you had all that money, why did you only give me 5,000 dollars?" Emily said.
That was when it finally clicked for me.
She wasn't mad about being lied to.
She was just regretting it.
Regretting she didn't get more out of me.
"Because 5,000 dollars was enough for you. You weren't some investment project to me. You were my girlfriend. I paid for your education because I wanted to, not because I expected anything in return," I said.
"So what now? Are you here to flaunt it?" she asked.
"This is my company's event. I'm just here because it's my event," I replied.
She was stunned.
Yeah.
MedVision Technologies was one of the organizers of this industry summit.
That was me.
This whole place? I paid for it.
I wasn't here to show off.
I was just living my own life.
She was the one who stepped into my world.
"Alex, you're really going too far," she said.
With that, she turned and walked off quickly.
I watched her walk away.
Who was really the one out of line here.
Brian walked over and handed me a glass of water.
"You good?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm good," I replied.
I took a sip of water.
My heart was as still as a stagnant pool.
No anger, no bitterness, no sense of loss.
I just felt nothing at all now.
After the event, there was a dinner party.
I sat at the head table, flanked by a few partners from the investment firms.
The conversation was all about industry trends and whatever was hot in policy right now.
Some people brought up the AI lab at Northbridge University.
"Michael Reed's team used to have some impressive results, but lately I heard they're facing some issues."
"Yeah, it's an academic integrity thing. Apparently, one of his PhD students was flagged for plagiarism in their thesis."
"Is it still worth investing in?"
"It's a long shot. Once your academic reputation takes a hit, forget about commercializing anything."
I picked up some food with my fork and kept quiet.
Brian nudged me under the table.
I knew exactly what he was getting at.
I shook my head.
I wasn't about to kick someone when they were down.
And I sure as hell wasn't going to step in and bail them out.
If they had nothing to do with me, they could fend for themselves, whatever happens, happens.
*****
After the dinner, I drove home.
On the way, I got a message on WhatsApp.
It was from an unknown number, but I could see the profile picture.
It was Michael.
[Mr. Carter, I saw your name at the event today. I honestly had no idea MedVision Technologies was your company. Did your company turn us down because of me and Emily?]
I stared at the screen for five seconds.
I shot back: [No. Your project just isn't worth anything.]
He didn't reply.
I tossed my phone onto the passenger seat.
When I got home, I took a shower and lay down on my bed.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the whole river was lit up with city lights.
This place got great sunlight every morning.
I didn't have to pretend I couldn't afford a place like this anymore.
Early the next morning, a message popped up in the company group chat.