Vote for My Rival? Watch Me Revoke 32 Patents

Synopsis

"StellarTech CTO election, last item on the agenda," Richard Carter announced. The projector cast two names side by side on the screen. Alex Carter. Michael Grant. I sat in the third seat on the left side of the long table, my laptop still open. The encryption protocol code I'd worked on until 4.AM last night was still on the screen, the cursor blinking. I looked up and shot a glance across the table. Michael was leaning back in his chair, his suit perfectly tailored, cufflinks catching the light. He was spinning a Montblanc pen slowly, like he was just enjoying himself. "As usual, let's do a show of hands," Richard said. He sat at the head of the table, his salt-and-pepper hair perfectly styled, tapping his fingers on the table. My father-in-law. The chairman of StellarTech. "All those in favor of Alex continuing as CTO, raise your hands," Richard said. Seven hands went up. I counted twice. Seven votes. Last week, eleven people swore they'd back me—but now four votes are gone. Those four? They were either pretending to read documents or just staring at the table. Not a single one dared to look at me. "All those in favor of Michael taking over as CTO, raise your hands," Richard said. Nine hands went up. Just one vote short. The only sound in the room was the air conditioning. Richard's eyes swept the room, lingering on the ones who still hadn't raised their hands. "Anyone else want to vote?" he asked. No one spoke. I glanced to my right. Emily sat there—my wife, and StellarTech's vice president. She wore a cream-colored suit, her hair neatly pinned up, her eyes glued to her phone. She set her phone aside. She looked up. Our eyes met for a moment. There was nothing in her eyes. She raised her right hand, fingers pressed together, not even a hint of hesitation. "I support Michael," she said. Every word landed like a blow to my chest.