"Enzo, put the phone down!"

Wanda snapped out of it and ran toward me. She tried to snatch my phone away.

I sidestepped her. The camera stayed locked on Chris.

"Say it," I uttered coldly.

Chris avoided my gaze and stammered, but he couldn't get a single word out.

When Wanda failed to snatch the phone, she started throwing a fit.

"Fine. Fine!"

She pointed at me. Her entire body was trembling with anger.

"Enzo, we're going cold!"

With that, she grabbed Chris and stormed out without looking back.

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

This was her usual tactic to force me into apologizing.

Every time we argued, she would say we're going cold and block me on everything.

Within three days, I'd have no choice but to reach out because of work.

Then came the apology and reconciliation.

She was certain this time would be no different.

After all, the company we built together revolved around its core technology, the Nord Ark system. It was my life's work.

She believed that for the sake of my career, I would never dare to truly fall out with her.

She thought I was still the same Enzo she could control at will.

I looked at the closed door and slowly lowered my phone.

I saved the silent video that had captured everything.

'Going cold, huh?'

This time, I wouldn't be the one to reach out.

A week later, it was the review meeting for the company's core project, the Nord Ark system.

My team and I had pulled countless all-nighters for it.

Every line of code carried our effort and sacrifice.

As the project lead, I was about to go on stage to present, but Wanda beat me to it.

Dressed in a sharp business suit, she wore a polished smile.

"Greetings, dear investors and colleagues.

"Today, I'm honored to introduce our newly appointed technical director, Mr. Chris Luther."

I froze.

Chris? Since when did he become the technical director?

Behind me, my team erupted in murmurs.

Chris walked onto the stage in a brand-new suit. He looked composed and confident next to Wanda.

Wanda looped her arm through his and announced warmly, "The breakthrough progress of the Nord Ark system is entirely thanks to Mr. Luther.

"It was he who provided the revolutionary inspiration and core architecture!"

There were whispers in the room.

My team members' faces were filled with shock and anger.

I stared at the two of them on stage. All I could feel was a chill rising from my feet to the rest of my body.

Theft. This was blatant theft.

Chris stood next to her with a seemingly modest smile.

"It's all thanks to the team, especially Wanda, who gave me so much support."

He even glanced in my direction. There was a trace of provocation in his eyes.

I clenched my jaw and looked at them coldly.

The investors began whispering among themselves.

A senior investor, Mr. Lionel, adjusted his glasses and raised a question.

"Mr. Luther, I've heard a lot about you.

"I'm particularly interested in the underlying logic of the Nord Ark system, especially its data encryption algorithm. Could you elaborate?"

The smile on Chris' face disappeared.

He stammered, and his eyes darted around.

"W-Well, the algorithm is quite complex.

"I-It mainly uses a new type of encryption model–"

He couldn't even produce a single proper technical term.

The atmosphere in the room turned awkward instantly.

Wanda quickly stepped in. "Mr. Luther has just taken over the project. He's still getting familiar with the details."

Mr. Lionel frowned. He was clearly dissatisfied with the answer.

He asked a few more questions about system stability and future iterations.

Chris' answers were even worse. They were full of holes and completely off track.

The investors' expressions darkened.

Just as things were about to spiral out of control, I calmly stood up.

All eyes were on me.

I didn't look at Wanda or Chris.

I walked to the front and picked up the microphone.

"Mr. Lionel, I'll take those questions."

I answered every one of them with clear logic and precise structure.

From the core algorithm to system architecture and future commercial applications, every detail was laid out perfectly.

The investors nodded frequently. Their looks of approval were obvious.

At the end, I pulled up the system's backend demo.

"To ensure the originality and security of the system–"

While I spoke, I casually displayed the core code page.

At the bottom of the code was a clear digital signature.

[Enzo.]

There was also a precise timestamp for the finalized version.

It was generated one week ago.

That was when Wanda had blocked me. It was the period we had gone cold.

There was no way Chris, the so-called new technical director, could have completed it.

The conference room fell silent.

Every investor's expression had changed.

They looked at me, then at Wanda and Chris, whose faces had gone pale.

Their eyes were filled with curiosity and scrutiny.

After the meeting ended, Wanda called me to her office.

The moment the door shut, she started shouting furiously.

"Enzo! What the hell was that?

"You did that on purpose, didn't you? You wanted to humiliate me in front of the investors!"

She swept everything off her desk in one motion.

"You embarrassed Chris! Do you even know how hard he's worked?"

I looked at her furious expression. She felt like a stranger.

'Hard work? Did he work hard to steal someone else's work?'

I said nothing and just watched her coldly.

My indifference and silence only fueled her rage.

She stormed up to me and pointed a finger at my face.

"I'm giving you an ultimatum!

"Apologize to Mr. Lionel and the others right now! Tell them you weren't in your right mind today!

"Then go apologize to Chris! Beg for his forgiveness!

"Otherwise, I'll replace you with Chris as the lead for Phase Two of Nord Ark!"

She thought this was still my weak spot.

She thought my life's work was something she could use to control me.

She believed that with this threat, I would obediently submit like before.

She looked at me. Her eyes were full of arrogant certainty.

She was waiting for me to give in and beg for mercy like I always did.

I looked at her expression that had turned awry from rage.

Suddenly, I laughed.

It wasn't a sneer or snort out of mockery.

It was genuine laughter born of relief.

"Sure," I said softly.

Wanda froze.

She clearly hadn't expected that response.

In her mind, I should've been furious or desperate.

I wasn't supposed to be this calm or accepting of her absurd demands.

I didn't say another word.

I turned around, opened the door, and walked out.

Behind me, a satisfied smile slowly appeared on her face.

She thought I had caved.

She thought I couldn't let go of Nord Ark or our company.

She thought she had won again.

I heard her reaching for her phone and sending Chris a voice message.

"Chris, Phase Two is yours.

"Watch how I deal with him."

I walked through the glass doors and looked up at the sky.

The sunlight was a little harsh, but to me, it was the brightest day I had seen in five years.

All this should've ended long ago.

The next morning, Wanda and Chris walked confidently into the company's largest conference room.

They were there to launch Phase Two of the Nord Ark system.

As the new project lead, Chris was ready to unveil his grand vision.

Wanda sat at the head of the table. She scanned the room with a victor's smile.

But as time ticked by, the room remained mostly empty. There were only the two of them and a few admin staff from other departments.

No one from the core Nord Ark project team showed up.

Wanda's expression darkened.

She picked up her phone. She was about to call and demand answers.

At that moment, the door opened.

My assistant, Zac, walked in.

His expression was stern as he walked up to the table.

He slammed a thick stack of documents and a lawyer's letter onto it.

That made a loud thud.

Wanda and Chris both flinched.

"Zac, what are you doing? Where's Enzo?" Wanda demanded.

Zac adjusted his glasses. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried across the room clearly.

"Ms. Lynch, this is the collective resignation letter of the Nord Ark core technical team. Thirty members in total.

"Mr. Underwood and the rest of us officially resigned yesterday."

He paused and pointed to the legal letter.

"As for this legal letter, it states that all ownership and intellectual property rights of the Nord Ark system belong solely to Mr. Underwood.

"Your company is currently suspected of serious infringement. Please cease all usage immediately, or we will pursue legal action.

"For further matters, our lawyers will be in touch."

With that, Zac turned around and left. The room was left in absolute silence.

Wanda and Chris were completely shocked and flabbergasted.