The Divorce Papers Gave Him The Shell And Gave Me The Future Chapter 03

The Divorce Papers Gave Him The Shell And Gave Me The Future Chapter 03

Valerie gasped on the other end of the line. “Skylar. Is that true?”

“Live demo at the launch. I achieved true vehicle-to-infrastructure integration. Completely removed the need for high-definition maps.”

“Okay.” Valerie’s voice was excited now. “Skylar, if you really did this, then the whole game just changed. Let me coordinate. We’re going big.”

I hung up and walked toward the parking garage.

Passing a Corner Mart, I saw a TV playing a financial news segment through the window.

Ethan was being interviewed.

He wore a perfectly tailored suit and spoke smoothly into the camera.

“Apex Dynamics will focus on the future of mobility. Our goal is to commercialize L4 autonomous driving within three years.”

The reporter asked, “I understand your former co-founder, Skylar Chase, is an expert in this field. Will her departure affect your R&D progress?”

Ethan’s smile didn’t waver.

“Skylar is a fine engineer. But Apex is a team. It’s not about any one person.”

“Do you have any message for Ms. Chase about her future?”

“I wish her the best in finding where she belongs.”

His smile was flawless.

I stood there, staring at that familiar face on the screen.

The Ethan who’d stayed up all night writing code in that studio loft six years ago. The one who said, “We’re going to build something that changes the world.” Chapped lips but eyes burning bright.

That Ethan was dead. The man on that screen had killed him.

Two days until the launch.

I had Leo and Derek working around the clock with me in the new office.

The new company was called Skyline Intelligence. Housed in a three-story building in the old industrial district. Rent was $2,200 a month. Pathetic compared to Apex’s private tower.

But the servers in this building ran the most advanced autonomous driving algorithms on the planet.

“Boss, the real-world test data is in.” Derek pushed through the door.

He had dark circles under his eyes, but his face was electric with excitement. “Urban scenarios: 99.3 percent pass rate. Highway: 100 percent. It crushes everything on the market.”

“Cut a demo reel for the launch.”

“You got it.” He plugged in a USB drive. “Hey, one thing though.”

“Go ahead.”

“I got a call from a recruiter this morning. Double my current salary to go to Apex. Ethan’s been aggressively poaching. He’s offering big money to everyone who left with us.”

Leo looked up. “He’s scared.”

“Yeah, he’s scared.” Derek laughed coldly. “Scared we’re going to build something better. Too proud to come ask for help. So he’s throwing money around to lock people down. And to look good for investors.”

“Then why are you two still here?”

Derek grinned. “Because I follow the boss.”

Leo smiled too. “My first job out of grad school was with Skylar. No amount of money can buy me away.”

I looked at them, and something warm swelled in my chest.

That afternoon, Valerie arrived.

She’d been in media for over a decade and carried considerable weight in the industry.

She brought a camera crew for a profile interview.

“Skylar, you need to step into the spotlight now.” She sat across from me as the crew set up.

“Apex got your launch invitation. Ethan is already planting stories. If you don’t fight back in the media, even if you show the product, they’ll call it stolen from your old company.”

“I know.” I straightened my jacket. “Let’s do it.”

The camera light turned red.

Valerie began. “Ms. Chase, can you tell us why, after leaving Apex, you chose to start over?”

I looked into the lens.

“Because I couldn’t let it go.”

“Couldn’t let what go?”

“The code. The designs. The all-nighters in the lab.” I paused. “The core technology at Apex Dynamics, from the first line of code to the latest algorithm architecture, I wrote all of it.”

“When I left, the technology died. This industry needs someone willing to do the hard work. That’s why I’m back.”

“Ethan says Apex’s technical team is stable. That L4 development is continuing. What do you say to that?”

“I wish them well.”

After the interview, Valerie sent the crew to edit the footage.

She walked over and lowered her voice. “Skylar, I just heard something. Ethan scheduled a last-minute press conference for tomorrow afternoon. The day before your launch.”

Leo frowned. “He’s trying to steal your thunder.”

“Not just that.” Valerie said. “He invited a lot of investors. Samuel Cooper will be there too.”

I was quiet for a moment.

“Let him have his press conference. The product speaks for itself.”

But the next morning, something happened.

The venue for our live demo suddenly canceled our contract.