Chapter 2 - The Stolen Genius
Three years ago, Marcus Vance wasn't a millionaire. He was a low-level assistant at a tech startup called Lumina, founded by a brilliant but trusting engineer named Arthur Hayes. Arthur was Clara’s father.
Arthur had developed a revolutionary compression algorithm that was going to change cloud computing forever. He treated Marcus like a son, teaching him the business, sharing his blueprints. But when the prototype was finished, Marcus didn't celebrate with him. Marcus stole the hard drives, patented the algorithm under his own newly formed LLC, and triggered a hostile legal freeze that bankrupted Arthur.
Arthur lost his company, his home, and eventually, his will to live. He died of a heart attack six months later, leaving Clara with a mountain of medical debt and a burning, unquenchable rage.
Marcus built an empire on her father’s grave.
Clara processed the payment, grabbed a porcelain espresso cup, and walked back out to the dining room. She set the macchiato down in front of Marcus.
"Your coffee, Mr. Vance," Clara said softly.
May you like
Marcus didn't even look at her. "Dismissed."
Clara walked away. She didn't care about the insult. She had his financial skeleton key in her pocket. The demolition of Marcus Vance had officially begun.
