Chapter 4

The Sterling Capital conference room buzzed with energy as I stood at the whiteboard, marker in hand. Jessica sat to my right, tablet poised for notes, while four other Sterling executives leaned forward in their chairs. The morning light streamed through floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the battle plan I was about to unveil.

"Blake Technologies has three critical vulnerabilities," I said, drawing a triangle on the board. "Their investor relationships, their engineering talent, and their public image. All three were maintained primarily by me for the past decade."

I tapped the marker against the first point. "Without me, Christopher has already…