Chapter 2

"I gave her a hard time?"

I forwarded the screenshots of Chloe’s messages and friend request straight to his phone.

"If you're not using your eyes, feel free to donate them to science."

Silence dragged on the other end for three seconds.

"Just... stay away from her," Julian muttered, pausing before adding, "And don't bother showing up at the Global Tech Summit next week. Astra Tech is headlining. Don't make things awkward for everyone."

"Are you scared of seeing me there?"

"I'm trying to save you the humiliation. Without Astra Tech, you don't have any resources left. Showing up empty-handed will only make a fool out of yourself."

I let out a soft laugh.

"Julian, do you own the summit?"

"You—"

"Whatever you say. If anyone's going to be humiliated, it won't be me. Don't say I didn't warn you."

I hung up.

The next day, I asked Marcus Sterling out for coffee.

He was our lead angel investor from the seed round, and nowadays, Julian’s buddy.

Yet back then, I was the one who drafted the pitch deck and staked him out three times at this exact cafe just to secure our initial check.

Marcus showed up thirty minutes late.

"Evelyn, long time no see."

"Yeah. Long time."

He skipped the pleasantries. "Julian filled me in. Evelyn, to be frank, your technical chops are undeniable, but managing a corporate machine has never been your strong suit.”

“Leaving it to Julian lets the right person do the right job. It keeps things dignified for everyone."

"Staying out of office politics equals incompetence? Dignified?"

"I know you feel wronged," Marcus sighed. "But be realistic. Without Julian handling the public eye, courting investors, and carrying the brand, could code alone take Astra to an IPO?”

“ He’s the face of the company. As a woman, what more do you really need?"

I set down my coffee cup.

"Marcus, do you remember what I told you when I first sat across from you six years ago?"

He blinked.

"I said I was going to build an autonomous driving system that would completely turn this industry upside down. You laughed."

Marcus kept quiet.

"I'm here to tell you: I built it."

A subtle twitch shifted across his face. "What do you mean?"

I stood up, pulled an envelope from my tote bag, and laid it on the table.

"Our new product launch is next Wednesday. Here's your invite. Come or don't. Your choice."

Without waiting for his response, I turned and walked out.

Behind me came the sharp rustle of paper unfolding.

I didn't look back.

Outside, the midday sun was blinding.

I slipped on my sunglasses just as my phone buzzed with an Ins notification.

[Your close contact @Julian Vance_ Astra Tech shared a new post! Check it out~]

I tapped in.

It was a photo of Julian and Chloe sitting side-by-side in his corner office, the massive Astra Tech logo glowing behind them.

The caption read: [A new journey begins. So grateful to have you by my side. @ChloeReed]

The comments were already flying:

[Congrats Julian! The new girl is ten times hotter than your ex!]

[Lmao official announcement! Bet the ex-wife is sobbing into her pillow right now.]

[Heard the ex was just an awkward lab nerd. She was never on Julian's level anyway.]

[Just bought three more call options on Astra! Let's go!]

I closed the app.

Then, I dialed a number I hadn't reached out to in a very long time.

"Hey, Victoria. It's Evelyn. I need a favor. I'm hosting a product launch next Wednesday, and I want your media team on it."

Victoria’s voice turned dead serious.

"Evelyn, I can run the coverage for you. But you know as well as I do that Julian has deep roots in this town. Unless you're holding an absolute royal flush, you won't survive him."

I took a breath. "Victoria, I just redefined Level 4 autonomous driving."