Chapter 11
The twentieth day.
Skyline Data signed our fourth client.
Total contract value: eight million dollars.
Mr. Evans from PrimeEdge Capital called, sounding three times more enthusiastic than last time.
"Mr. Carter, have you thought about a Series A round? I've got a few firms really interested—" he said.
"It's still too early. Let's wait until the product's been running smoothly for three months," I replied.
"Alright. But I'd keep an eye on what StellarTech's up to," he said.
"What are they up to?" I asked.
"They're looking for another tech team to rebuild their core system. Word is, they dropped two million dollars outsourcing it to some company in Shenzhen," he said.
"You really think they can pull it off?" I asked.
"Hard to say. That company's pretty average, but they came cheap. Michael's in a rush to show results, so he's not too worried about quality," Mr. Evans replied.
"Let him do it," I said. "Let's see if he can actually make it work."
I hung up.
Susan came back from outside, holding a file folder.
"From the court," she said, handing it to me. "Emily's responded—she's refusing the divorce. Says the marriage isn't broken."
"The marriage isn't broken?" I echoed.
"Her exact words," Susan said.
I stared at the document, the text printed in neat, precise letters.
"Is she refusing to divorce, or is she just scared?" I asked.
Susan leaned against the table, arms crossed.
"My guess? She's scared," Susan said. "You've got patents, a company, and clients now. If she divorces you right now, she'll try to grab your patents and company shares when they split everything up. But if it goes to court, the fact she turned on you at the shareholders' meeting will come out. That'll wreck her reputation."
"So she's just dragging her feet," I said.
"Yep. She's stalling—waiting for you to back down, or until she finds some better leverage," Susan replied.
"Then let the court decide," I said.
"You sure? Taking this to court will drag on for at least six months," Susan said.
"I'm not in a hurry," I replied.
'Honestly, I wasn't in any rush.'
'Right now, I had way more important things on my plate than a divorce.'