Chapter 29 #2
Jamie continues, “Using advanced voice recognition technology, I have matched this voice to recorded conversations of Dr. Langley.” The screen splits, showing a comparison of Langley speaking during a meeting and the voice from the break-in.
The match is undeniable. I feel a small surge of satisfaction as murmurs ripple through the room.
Langley’s fists clench on the table, his knuckles white.
“This is not proof,” he snaps, his composure cracking completely. “Four letters aren’t enough to prove a speech pattern. This is a ridiculous attempt to pin something on me.”
Jamie doesn’t miss a beat. “During the night of the attack, Dr. Stanley’s health tracker recorded a distinct irregularity in the intruder’s heartbeat pattern. It resembled the heartbeat pattern of someone with a slight cardiac irregularity.”
“Hasn’t he mentioned his heart issues before?” one of the board members whispers to another, casting a sidelong glance at Langley.
Langley’s eyes narrow, but a flicker of panic crosses his face.
Gotcha.
“After detecting this unusual heartbeat pattern during the attack, I cross-referenced it with data from Dr. Stanley’s health tracker for every person who had ever entered her apartment.
This particular irregularity is uncommon, and only one individual matched it.
The data strongly indicates that the person who attacked her was Dr. Langley. ”
The room erupts into a flurry of whispers, the board members visibly shaken by the evidence presented. Langley’s face drains of color, his earlier bravado crumbling under the weight of the undeniable proof.
Hendricks steps forward. “I can confirm that the footage is authentic,” he states. “Dr. Langley coerced me into providing him the spare key my daughter had to Dr. Stanley’s apartment.”
“This is all fabricated!” Langley’s composure shatters completely. “You think you can frame me?” he shouts, desperation etched in every word as he glares at the guys. “Just because you can’t handle not being the golden boys of Elysium anymore?”
Misha meets my eyes for a brief moment before speaking up. “You’re the one who couldn’t handle not being the golden boy,” he says coolly. “You stole from Dr. Stanley because you knew her work would outshine anything you could ever produce.”
The chairman leans forward. “Dr. Stanley, if what you claim is true and you can prove your ownership, we will take immediate action.” He retrieves a laptop from his briefcase, quickly navigating a few screens before sliding it over to me.
My heart skips a beat.
This is it.
Oliver leans in, connecting this laptop to the conference room’s display, too, so everyone can see what I’m about to reveal. My hands tremble as I enter the access codes, but the guys are right beside me, their presence grounding me as I dive into the core of the AR project.
Seconds stretch into what feels like hours as I dig deeper into the code, meticulously searching for the marker I left behind. And then, there it is—the sequence, my signature, hidden in plain sight, unmistakable and irrefutable.
“There. That’s my copyright marker. It’s been there from the beginning, embedded in the core code,” I announce as I type in the final command.
‘Ctrl-Shift-A-S.’
The room falls silent, every eye glued to the screen as they wait for what’s to come.
Code by Dr. Amelia Stanley. Unique ID: ASAR-4F29-2024-0918.
All rights reserved.
Gasps ripple through the room, but I don’t look up. I don’t need to. I can feel the impact of that simple line of code, the proof that I’m the rightful creator of this project.
But I’m not finished.
“In addition to the Fibonacci sequence,” I continue. “I embedded a cryptographic signature. This signature can be verified using my public key, leaving no doubt that I wrote this code.”
I execute another command, and the signature is verified on the screen.
Cryptographic Signature: Verified using Public Key.
Author: Dr. Amelia Stanley.
The evidence is irrefutable.
It’s as if the walls are closing in around Langley, who sits across from me, his face growing redder with each passing second.
The board members lean in, scrutinizing the screen. The chairman nods slowly, a grim expression settling on his face. “It’s conclusive. The work is yours, Dr. Stanley.”
Relief floods me when I glance at Grey, who gives me a barely perceptible nod. He stands and walks over to the door to open it.
“Officers,” he says, and two police officers step into the room.
Langley’s eyes widen in panic as they approach him. “You can’t do this! This is a setup! I’m innocent!”
“Dr. Edward Langley,” one of them says, voice firm. “You’re under arrest for intellectual property theft, assault, and breaking and entering.”
Langley’s face pales. He tries to protest, but his words falter as they pull him to his feet and begin reading him his rights. They calmly but firmly cuff him, and as they lead him away, his wild eyes lock onto mine.
I stare back, unflinching, head held high.
He tries to maintain some semblance of dignity, but the sight of him being escorted out is almost cathartic.
Oliver leans in close again, whispering with a grin, “Guess we’re not the only criminals in the room, after all.”
I can’t help the small, victorious smile that tugs at my lips as I watch Langley being led away.
We did it.
We really did it.
The management board, still reeling from the shock, begins to murmur amongst themselves, their whispers a low hum that fills the room. But I’m not listening. My heart is racing, my mind buzzing with the urge to jump up, squeal, and pull my guys into a tight hug.
The CEO finally finds his voice, though it wavers as he tries to regain control of the situation.
“Dr. Stanley,” he begins, his tone forced into something resembling authority.
“We sincerely apologize for the wrongful actions taken against you. We recognize your significant contributions to the AR project and would like to formally acknowledge your work when we release it.”
I can feel the weight of every gaze in the room pressing down on me, waiting for my response. I take a steadying breath, meeting the CEO’s eyes directly. “I appreciate the acknowledgment,” I say slowly, deliberately. “But I have no interest in releasing my work with Elysium.”
The CEO’s face hardens, the pretense of friendliness slipping away as his mask cracks. “You developed this project while employed with us. There will be repercussions if you refuse.”
Before I can respond, Grey leans forward.
“Dr. Stanley was hired as a system integration specialist at the Smart Home Development Department. What she does in her own time is none of your business.” The CEO’s mouth opens to argue, but Grey isn’t finished.
“She may have benefitted from working for Elysium and its resources, but proving that will be difficult at best. And just so you’re clear, all four of us are quitting. Effective immediately.”
I smirk at Misha as we all stand as one, gathering our things.
The Elysium executives exchange panicked glances, the reality of the situation dawning on them.
“Dr. Stanley may have grounds to quit under these… unexpected circumstances,” another board member finally speaks up.
“But the rest of you are under contract. We have a binding agreement for you to develop this AI with us and launch it under Elysium. You can’t just walk away. ”
“We’ll see about that.” Grey’s smile is cold, almost predatory. “Our lawyer is already drafting a proposal for arbitration. And don’t be surprised if we turn it into a demand for damages. Elysium promised us a safe environment to work on our project, and it’s clear now that it was anything but.”
The CEO, trying to regain control, straightens in his seat. “If you want to play it that way, then we’ll hold both the AI and AR projects until our lawyers find an agreement. Nothing moves forward until this is resolved.”
Oliver laughs, a sound that catches everyone off guard. He pulls the laptop cord free and glances at Grey, who smirks back.
“Of course, do that,” Grey says with a shrug and an air of finality.
We turn to leave the room, the tension thickening behind us as we stride down the hallway, and I glance at Oliver. “Are we really just leaving the projects with them?”
Oliver’s grin is sly, almost mischievous. “While you guys were on it proving a point, I was busy pulling both projects over to our own servers. Every bit of code, every asset… we own it all. And to top it off, I wiped every trace of it from their servers. They’ll have nothing left to hold onto.”
My eyes widen as I process what he’s just said. “You did that while we were in there?”
Oliver nods, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “Grey and I have been preparing for this possibility for a while. It’s all about being one step ahead. Now, they can sit in that room and argue all they want, but there’s nothing left for them to hold over us.”
Stepping outside, the weight on my chest lifts, dissipating into the crisp air. Everything feels lighter—the world brighter, the future suddenly full of possibility.
“Thank you,” I manage, my throat tight with emotion. The words barely seem enough to convey the depth of my gratitude, but they’re all I can manage right now.
Misha grins, slinging an arm around my shoulders in that familiar, comforting way of his. “We’re a team, Amelia. We’ll always have your back.”
Walking away from the towering building, I glance back one last time.
It’s a symbol of all I’ve endured, of the battles fought and won.
But instead of regret or anger, all I feel is a profound sense of relief.
I turn away, facing forward—toward the future, toward the life I get to build with these incredible men by my side.
But what will that future even look like?
I haven’t asked before.
“So… what now?”
“Now,” Grey says, taking my hand. “We crash at Grandpa’s for a while, talk to him and some lawyers. Then we find a place of our own, set up shop, and start our own company. We’re going to push out the AI and AR and make something that Elysium could only dream of.”
Misha’s arm tightens around my shoulders. “We’ll be millionaires, getting fat and happy together.”
“And then we’ll see what an AI-operated, lensless AR can do,” Oliver smiles at me, and I can’t help the rush of excitement that bubbles up inside.
The future suddenly seems so tangible, so close.
So full.
For the first time in a long while, I feel a sense of anticipation. “And what will our company be called?” I ask, a smile tugging at my lips.
The guys exchange looks, and then they all just snicker, leaving the question hanging in the air.
“What?”