Chapter 3

The smug look in Axel's eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by shock and disbelief.

Todd's mouth dropped open. All the color drained from his face.

The others were frozen in place, like statues.

"W-What did you just say?" Axel's voice shook as he forced the words out through clenched teeth.

My grin grew even wider. "Exactly what it sounds like. The Atticus Core is the backbone of everything we make. I filed the patent myself. It's only protected for eight years.

"And it'll be eight years come tomorrow. So starting the day after tomorrow, Atticus Core will go public. Anyone, any company, can use it, no strings attached."

Every word I said hit them like a sledgehammer, shaking them to their core.

I saw Axel start to sway on his feet. He grabbed onto the table to steady himself.

"No, impossible," he roared. "I checked every company record. The patent is supposed to be permanent. You're lying."

I shook my head and gave him a look of pity.

I said, "You were looking at the company's trademark. That never expires. But the patent for Atticus Core? At most, it's good for twenty years.

"Back when I filed it, I went with eight years just to speed things up. Only Todd and I ever knew about this."

I turned to Todd.

He was slumped in his chair, face ashen, his eyes hollow and lifeless.

He'd been so busy stabbing me in the back, so obsessed with figuring out how much of the company he could snatch for himself, that he'd forgotten the one thing that could decide the fate of the whole company.

Todd only made it this far because of me. The partner I once thought would have my back turned out to be nothing but a clueless, short-sighted idiot.

Ninety percent of Northstar Tech's value came from having the exclusive rights to the Atticus Core.

Without it, the company was just a worthless, debt-ridden shell.

After all their plotting and backstabbing, all Axel and his team got was a ticking time bomb ready to blow.

And as the bomb was about to go off, I walked out with the "get out of jail free card" they'd handed me, leaving them to deal with the fallout.

"Knock yourselves out." I waved at them, flashing a bright grin. "Have fun!"

With that, I didn't look back, opening the door and leaving.

Behind me, the conference room exploded with Axel's frantic shouting and Todd's hopeless cries.

To me, these sounds were the sweetest symphony in the world.

I walked over to my desk. It had already been cleared out.

My computer, my books, even the little plant I'd been looking after, were all gone. All that was left was a single cardboard box, sitting forlornly in the corner.

Inside were just a handful of my personal stuff: an old mug I'd used for five years, a pen, and a photo frame.

The frame held a picture of Todd and me back when we first launched the company. We were both grinning, our eyes full of dreams about the future.

I took out the photo, looking at it for a few seconds. Then, I ripped it right down the middle and dumped both the photo and the frame straight into the trash.

Hugging the cardboard box, I walked out of the building I'd poured eight years of my life into.

The sunlight outside was almost blinding.

I squinted, taking a deep breath of fresh air. No more chilly AC, no more suffocating tension from the conference room for me.

I breathed in the scent of freedom.

My phone started buzzing like crazy.

I didn't even have to look. I knew it was Axel and Todd blowing up my phone.

I let it ring.

I scrolled through my contacts, found their names and hit delete. And just to be sure, I blocked every way they could ever reach me.

From now on, our paths would never cross again. We were finished. No more ties, ever.

*****

I didn't go home.

The apartment I'd rented near the office, just so work would be easier, was crammed with memories of Northstar Tech.

Everything in there felt like a reminder of my failure.

I needed somewhere I could clear my head and just forget about it all.

I wandered aimlessly down the street.

Finally, my phone stopped buzzing. The world was quiet again.

I ducked into my usual pasta joint. The place was tiny, with barely enough room for five tables.

The owners, an old couple, knew me well.

"Miss Malone, you're off work so early today?" the female owner called out warmly.

I smiled. "Yeah, from now on, I'll be off this early every day. I just quit."

The female owner paused, her expression turning worried. "Why did you suddenly quit? Did something go wrong at work?"

"No, I just need a break," I replied. I didn't feel like explaining. "I'll have my usual pasta."

"Coming right up," she replied with a smile.