Chapter 3
I headed downstairs, got in my car, and punched in the address for Rivergate Tower. The GPS said it'd take forty minutes.
Afternoon traffic was a mess. I got stuck at three red lights.
Then, my phone lit up with a call from Frank. I glanced at the screen but didn't pick up.
He called again. I hit decline.
The third time, I turned my phone off.
By 2:50, I pulled up to Rivergate Tower. The whole building was wrapped in glass, towering forty stories high.
The receptionist checked my appointment, stuck a visitor badge on me, and sent me straight up to the twenty-sixth floor.
The conference room wasn't huge, but one whole wall was glass, giving a killer view of the Seris River.
Three people were sitting across the table from me.
The guy in the middle stood up. "Ryan, I'm John, head of the Project Management Office."
We shook hands, and he motioned for me to sit.
I sat down, pulled the documents out of my backpack, and set the blue folder on the table.
John opened it, flipped through a couple of pages, and nodded. "Matches the filing records. It's the original file."
The woman with glasses next to him took it and looked it over. "I'm Elina, from the Legal Department."
She slid a document across the table. "This is the patent authorization status report we got from the Intellectual Property Office."
I took it and read through it. Everything was spelled out clearly:
Patent Holder: Ryan Lewis
Licensed Party: Innovatech Design Group
License Type: Exclusive License
License Period: from March 15 two years ago to March 14 last year
Renewal Status: None
"This report was issued this morning," Elina said.
John leaned back in his chair. "Ryan, I'll be honest with you. Your computational model is the foundation of the entire project.
During the review, the expert panel gave this technology the highest marks. Without this module, the proposal wouldn't qualify for the contract."
"I know. I've been developing this model for two years," I replied.
"That's exactly the issue," the other guy spoke up. "Innovatech landed the contract today, but their patent license expired two days ago. When they submitted the bid, they technically had no right to use it.
"I'm with Project Compliance. If Innovatech went in with an expired license, the award could be contested. We could get dragged into it as well. We can't afford to take that risk."
The three of them all turned their attention to me.
John laid it out clearly. "Ryan, we need to confirm one thing. Are you willing to grant a new license?
"If you are, it could go to Innovatech or any other party. If not, this whole project might have to start over."
I looked out the window. The Seris River shimmered in the sunlight.
Across the river, a billboard stood on an empty lot. It read, "Rivergate Seris River Complex, Coming Soon."
I'd spent a year and a half researching that site. Soil reports, load analysis, seismic ratings... All of it was my work.
I turned back to them. "Let me sleep on it."
John nodded. "Alright, but we're on a tight schedule. There's only a short window for project approval. We need your answer no later than the day after tomorrow."
When I walked out of Rivergate Tower, the daylight was already fading.
I sat in my car for five minutes.
I powered my phone back up and saw seventeen missed calls from Frank and two from Howard.
There was a WhatsApp message from Gordon Mitchell.
Gordon was a veteran engineer in the Structural Department. He'd been at the company three years before me, and we'd been office mates for six years.
His message was simple. [Come out. Let's talk.]
I called him back. Gordon picked up right away.
"Where are you?" he asked, keeping his voice low.
"I'm leaving Rivergate Tower," I replied.
"You went to Rivergate Tower?" Gordon paused. "No wonder Frank lost it and smashed a cup in the office this afternoon."
"He knows?" I asked.
"Someone from Rivergate called. They said they wanted to talk to you directly. They didn't accept the contact Innovatech listed. Frank's face turned sour right away," Gordon said.
"Why's he so pissed? Didn't he sack me?" I said.
Gordon sighed, "Ryan, listen. This wasn't some spur-of-the-moment decision."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Gordon said, "Last month, Frank and Howard grabbed dinner together. I only heard about it later from someone in admin.
"After that dinner, Howard got promoted to deputy director and took over project assignments. Frank handed over all three of your projects to him."
I gripped the steering wheel.
"You were the one who put together the bid, and Frank knows it. But the biggest profits come after the contract's won, during the execution phase, and he doesn't want to share any of that with you," Gordon said.
"So he fired me first," I said.
"Exactly. He cut you loose, kept your proposal, and now all the credit and bonuses from the execution phase go straight to him and Howard. He planned it out perfectly," Gordon said.
I didn't say anything.
"And there's one more thing," Gordon said, lowering his voice more. "At today's celebration dinner, Frank gave a speech, saying he personally led the team that pulled off the proposal. He never once mentioned you."
I stared at the streetlights reflected in the windshield. "Wasn't my name on the announcement in the group chat?"
"That was posted by admin, but Frank had it taken down. The old announcement's been deleted and swapped out for a new one. Your name's nowhere to be found," Gordon said.
"I see," I said.
"So, what are you gonna do?" Gordon asked.
"I haven't decided yet," I replied.
"I've heard a bit about your patent situation. Frank's got the Legal Department looking into your license agreement, trying to find some angle. Be careful," Gordon warned.
"Yeah, I know. Thanks, Gordon," I said.
"You know, in all my eight years here, there aren't many folks who genuinely look out for you," Gordon said. "Do what you think is best, but don't let them take advantage of you."