Chapter 1

Eight figures!

Thanks to my dad’s VC fund,

that's what my startup, Aetheria, was worth after I graduated.

I’m a total tech geek,

always hated networking and public speaking.

So I pushed my boyfriend, Leo, to be the face of the company.

Big mistake.

The charismatic CEO.

He has been playing that part to the outside world ever since.

Over time, his ego spiraled out of control.

He actually believes this company can't function without him.

All of a sudden, he calls an emergency board meeting.

Saying it’s for "Corporate restructuring."

He sidelines me to the very edge of the boardroom table.

He begins talking about his major blueprint.

Then he turns the entire table against me.

Armed with a flashy pitch deck, he plays the righteous hero.

"Board members, as harsh as this may sound,

I propose the immediate termination of our co-founder and CTO —

Miss Chloe Sterling."

“Her long-time absence from critical pitches brings zero value to our market growth,

which makes her Aetheria’s biggest liability.”

“To put it bluntly, she’s holding us back!”

"I will bring in a new tech partner to take us to the next level."

Then, he leans down, whispering with toxic satisfaction:

"Babe, once the board votes you out, your equity will be diluted to nothing."

"This company is mine to take now. Just sit back and be a good little trophy wife."

I stare at him, unfazed.

Then, I open my laptop and mirror my screen to the projector.

"You think I’m just a clueless nerdy girl you can step on?"

"I just didn’t want all those networking, and you’ve been my free puppet.

Did you seriously think you call the shots at Aetheria?"

...

The smug smirk vanishes from Leo's face.

He stares at the screen, completely frozen.

He’s looking at a bulletproof, super-voting Founder’s Agreement, signed in red ink by my father — Julian Sterling.

The new tech guy waiting to replace me turns ghostly pale.

"How... how do you actually have super-voting power?

Even your damn emails had to be handled by your assistant!"

Mr. Harvey, my dad’s general counsel and a board member himself,

adjusts his gold-rimmed glasses, dropping the hammer.

"Miss Sterling owns the exclusive patents to every single core algorithm of Aetheria."

"Furthermore, under the Series A terms, her Golden Shares grant her absolute veto power over the entire board."

Mr. Harvey hands me a stack of documents, then shoots Leo a death glare.

"Mr. Martinez, what do you think you’re doing? Is this board a joke to you?"

"You colluded with outsiders to dilute a core founder’s equity."

"This is corporate fraud! You’ve breached your fiduciary duties!"

"I can strip you of every asset, every stock option, and ruin your career before dinner!"