Chapter 7

Webster's laughter carried through the phone, steady and seasoned, like someone who had seen it all.

He had watched countless people walk away from their companies for money. But this was different. I was probably the first to have buried a clause designed to blow up on a specific target.

"Ms. Andrus, aren't you worried Baxter will come after you?" he asked, curiosity creeping into his tone. "A man like him, once cornered, can become unpredictable."

I leaned back in my lounge chair and watched the last stretch of sunlight fade across the water.

"Mr. Benson, he already cornered me," I said. "That one-dollar bonus was his way of declaring war.

"He thought I was weak. He thought I couldn't survive without that job.

"That's why he felt free to humiliate me and take credit for my work."

I let out a quiet breath. "All I'm doing now is giving that one dollar back to him. And I have enough leverage that he won't even get the chance to fight back."

The line stayed quiet for a while.

"Well said," Webster replied, clearly impressed. "So what's your plan?

"I don't need Pathward Ventures to be fully operational today. But I do need that 300-million-dollar project to move forward without losing a single day.

"As long as you can guarantee that, I'll have my legal team handle any mess that comes your way."

That was exactly what I needed. "Mr. Benson, my lawyers are already in touch with your legal team about the contract.

"The moment you sign, Baxter's contract becomes worthless.

"As for the project, you don't need to worry. Before I left, I gave my core team a signal.

"They're waiting for me. The moment I give the word, they'll bring everything with them and move to Pathward Ventures.

"I've already secured an office space. It's right across from Baxter's building. The lease is signed for three years."

Webster laughed again, louder this time. "You even picked the office, huh? Valda, you're really not holding back."

I smiled at the ocean. "He's the one who said the company doesn't keep useless people. Since he thinks I'm useless, I'll go be useful somewhere else."

After I hung up, I opened WhatsApp and sent a message to a small group of five: [The hunt has begun.]

The chat exploded almost instantly.

Jeffrey replied first: [Finally. Valda, we've been waiting.]

The others followed. The past few days had been unbearable for them.

Baxter had been losing his temper nonstop. Since he could not find the files, he had been throwing things, yelling at everyone, and even ordering security to search personal bags.

The pressure and distrust had pushed the team to the brink of collapse.

My message was the way out they had been waiting for.

Just then, my phone buzzed again. It was Colin from Skyline Capital. [Ms. Andrus, have you made a decision?

[I just heard Mr. Benson has paused his work with Baxter. You're even more impressive than I thought.]

I typed back: [Mr. Norris, word travels fast. But I've changed my mind. I won't be joining Skyline Capital.]

He called me immediately. "Ms. Andrus, is our offer not enough? If you want more equity, we can discuss it."

"It's not about the offer, Mr. Norris." I stood up, letting the cool sea breeze brush against my face. "I want to play this a different way.

"I'd like to invite Skyline Capital to invest in my new company, Pathward Ventures."

There was a brief pause.

"Invest in your company?" Colin sounded surprised, and then intrigued. "You're starting your own firm, huh?

"If you're launching with Mr. Benson's project, the valuation could be huge.

"But you know Baxter won't sit back. He's already looking for lawyers. He plans to sue you for stealing trade secrets."

I laughed. "Trade secrets? All the key patents are filed under my name.

"When I joined the company, the contract never stated that my inventions belonged to them.

"Baxter was greedy and naive. He wanted to save money on filing fees, so he skipped proper protection. That decision just made everything mine, legally."

Colin let out a sharp breath. "So you've been making sure you had a backup plan for the past three years."

"No," I said evenly. "That wasn't a backup plan. It was my way to the top."

I paused and asked, "And now it's ready, Mr. Norris. Do you want in?"