Chapter 4

Alexander got exactly what he wanted — a spot in Astor Group's R&D department.

With his genuine talent and his relentless, almost obsessive drive, he carved out a solid position for himself in the department within just one month.

He was desperate to prove himself to me.

He pushed himself hard every single day, staying at the office late into the night.

Rumors started circulating around the company — that he was the future son-in-law of the Astor family, a rare tech prodigy.

Every time we crossed paths in the hallway, he'd look at me with that pointed, meaningful gaze.

He thought it would make me feel threatened. That I'd come running back to him.

What he didn't know was that every move he'd made was exactly what I had planned for.

Because Astor Group was about to launch the development of its "Deep Sea" AI medical chip.

In my past life, it was this very project that became the spark that burned the Astor family to the ground.

Alexander had used his position in the R&D department to quietly steal the core source code for "Deep Sea."

He then handed it over to a shell tech company that Chloe had secretly registered under a fake name.

In the end, Astor Group didn't just miss its window in the market — the massive R&D funds poured into the project couldn't be recovered, and the cash flow collapsed entirely.

My father had scrambled to save the company, borrowing from every direction he could, until they finally maneuvered him into a corner with no way out.

This time, I was the one who made the first move.

I granted the senior researchers in the R&D department access to the core code repository for "Deep Sea."

Of course, that code had been carefully... dressed up by a top-tier hacker I'd hired.

On the day of the Annual Tech Summit, every seat in the venue was taken.

Alexander stood at the entrance in a perfectly tailored bespoke suit.

He radiated the sharp, hungry energy of someone who was absolutely certain he was about to win — nothing left of the disheveled wreck I'd seen at that casino.

When he spotted me walking toward him, he stepped forward to meet me.

"Vicky," he said, lowering his voice with the condescending air of someone doing her a favor. "All you have to do is swallow your pride right now, apologize to Chloe, and promise to stop going after her. In return, I'll hand over a core piece of technology I hold to Astor Group—free of charge—and protect Astor Group's standing in the industry."

He thought he had Astor Group by the throat.

He thought he'd finally found a way to crush me under his heel and force me to submit.

I looked at him standing there, so full of himself, and almost laughed.

"Alexander, are you out of your mind?" I shot back without an ounce of courtesy.

His expression darkened. He reached out to grab my shoulder.

"Victoria, don't make this harder on yourself than it has to be. You have no idea what you're walking into. Don't make me be the one to tear that pride of yours apart."

I stepped aside, avoiding his hand, and stared at him coldly.

"Go ahead. I'd love to see you try."

The summit officially began.

Tech companies took the stage one by one to showcase their latest innovations.

When the host announced "Starlight Tech"—the name of Chloe's shell company—a wave of murmurs rippled through the room.

After all, it was a brand-new company that no one had ever heard of.

But when Alexander walked onto the stage as Starlight Tech Chief Technology Officer and unveiled their AI medical chip called "Nova" the entire room went silent.

Because Nova's specifications and architecture were nearly identical to Astor Group's "Deep Sea" chip—matching it almost point for point, and even edging it out slightly in certain processing speeds.

Alexander stood beneath the spotlight, his gaze burning as he looked down at me from the stage.

He was waiting for me to look shocked. Desperate. Shattered.

Waiting for me to crawl to him and beg.

Chloe sat nearby, the satisfaction on her face impossible to hide.

The investors in the audience were buzzing, throwing offers at Starlight Tech left and right.

The host announced with barely contained excitement, "Starlight Technologies' Nova chip is, without a doubt, a landmark breakthrough in medical technology!"

Thunderous applause. Alexander looked at me through the crowd, his eyes gleaming with the arrogance of a man who thought he'd already won.

"Victoria," he mouthed slowly. "I told you you'd regret this."

I ignored him. Instead, I reached into my bag and pulled out a slim laptop.

I stood up and walked straight toward the stage.

I grabbed the microphone right out of the host's hand.

"Congratulations to Starlight Tech," I said, my voice steady and clear, "for successfully unveiling a ticking time bomb that could blow up the entire global healthcare system."