All Chapters of THE BILLIONAIRE EMPIRE : Chapter 51
- Chapter 60
105 chapters
Chapter 51: Project Humanaut
Alex shoved Jonah out of the way and ran into the compound with Clara. A police siren blared immediately close by. Jonah ran into the building and shut the door. Alex gently took the closest turn into the bush with Clara. He knew they might get into trouble if the police is involved. Jonah came out of the building with his men immediately the sound of the siren faded. He ordered the men to look everywhere for them. They ran in all directions searching for Alex and Clara. By the time they got to another abandoned section of the building, very far from where Jonah was with Atlas men, Clara was already tired and could barely walk. The whole place was wrecking of smoke. Part of it was set ablaze earlier by a team of armed men from Atlas because they wanted to hide whatever they could that Clara had on them, since she wasn't co-operating. Smoke still curled faintly from scorched corners. Alex led Clara through the darkened hallways, her hand in his. Every step echoed, a rhythm of tension
Chapter 52: Recruitment
Monitors hummed in a low, steady chorus, and the faint smell of burnt plastic lingered from repairs the day before. Alex leaned over the wiring table, his fingers moving in a rhythm that had once felt natural, before the scandals, before Neonetics, before everything had fallen apart. Now, it was purposeful. Focused. Clean.Clara stood beside him, clipboard in hand, scanning applications on her tablet. She is back to full health after getting treated by Dr Lena. Each name from the scan carried a story: someone burned out from big tech, someone haunted by a failed project, someone desperate to make amends. This wasn’t about resumes; it was about intent. Heart. Willingness to do the right thing.“This one’s promising,” she said, pointing at a profile. “Caleb Mendoza. Interned at a major AI lab, got burned out after a mentor’s misconduct. He’s raw, but… honest.”Alex studied it. “Honesty is rare in this field. Most people just want the title, the paycheck. We need honesty, even if it come
Chapter 53: The First Demo
The room was quiet except for the hum of servers. Rain streaked the shattered windows, drumming in uneven rhythms against the metal frames. Monitors glowed blue, illuminating the faces of the small Humanaut team. Alex stood at the center, hands slightly trembling, his pulse hammering in his chest. Today, Humanaut would meet the world for the first time, not as code on a screen, but as a tool to help someone in real life.Clara was beside him, her hand brushing his briefly before she turned to the team. “Remember,” she said, calm but firm, “this is a controlled test. Nothing manipulative. Nothing invasive. Humanaut listens, supports, and guides. That’s all. Are we ready?”A chorus of quiet affirmatives followed. Caleb gave Alex a nervous thumbs-up, Vera checked her tablet one last time, and the others nodded.Alex exhaled. “Okay. Let’s do this.”The volunteer was Mara, the young woman they had first tested the prototype on. She sat in a chair with a tablet balanced on her lap, hands t
Chapter 54: Media Skepticism
Rain still streaked the windows, but the facility hummed with quiet energy. The team had spent the night analyzing Mara’s session, tweaking Humanaut’s response patterns, and running simulations. Alex barely slept. The warning from Erevos gnawed at him, a cold shadow beneath his excitement. But he pushed it aside, there was work to be done.Today, Humanaut would face the public, in the first real test outside the lab. Not volunteers. Not controlled sessions. Reporters. Skeptics. Critics.Alex sat at the head of the room, Clara beside him, as a small group of journalists shuffled in. Cameras clicked, lights flickered. Alex’s chest tightened. He hadn’t expected the media to descend this early.Clara whispered. “They’ll test everything. Your patience. Your integrity. And they’ll doubt it all.”Alex exhaled. “I know. But we have to show them. We can’t hide anymore. People need to see Humanaut can do good, real good.”The lead journalist, a sharp-eyed woman named Lydia Vance, adjusted her
Chapter 55: Crowdfunding
The office was quiet except for the soft clatter of keyboards. The team had spent weeks preparing this moment, Humanaut’s first attempt to reach the public directly. No controlled tests, no volunteers carefully guided by Clara. Today, real people would see it, judge it, and decide if it mattered.Alex sat at his desk, staring at the crowdfunding dashboard. Hundreds of people had already clicked through the early preview. Some left comments, some shared it on social media. The numbers were small at first, tens, then hundreds, but each one felt like a spark of hope.Clara leaned against the doorway, sipping her coffee. “It’s fragile, Alex. But the interest is real. You can feel it, can’t you?”Alex rubbed his temple. “I can. But what if they don’t understand? What if they see this as just another tech gimmick?”Clara’s eyes softened. “Then we show them. We show them what Mara felt. What everyone who’s worked with Humanaut has felt. The truth is stronger than doubt.”Alex took a deep
Chapter 56: Neonetics Retaliates
The first time Alex heard from Jonah in months, it was a legal threat. His phone buzzed, a sharp intrusion in the quiet lab. He frowned at the screen: “Jonah Reyes, lIncoming Call.”Clara, seated across from him, raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to answer?”Alex hesitated, feeling the old rush of anger, fear, and resentment twist in his gut. He doesn’t get to touch this. Not now. Not ever.But he pressed “Accept.”Jonah’s voice was calm, almost casual, but underneath lay a simmering menace. “Vale. Congratulations. I see Humanaut’s making waves. I also see your little crowdfunding campaign. Cute.”Alex’s hands clenched around the edge of the table. “What do you want, Jonah?”“Reality,” Jonah said smoothly. “You took our research, our methodologies, and ran off to play savior. That’s fine. But you’re interfering with Neonetics’ property. Atlas Capital doesn’t like interference. And you, Alex, have created a liability we can’t ignore.”Clara’s hand tightened on his arm. “Property?” sh
Chapter 57: The Courtroom
The courtroom was packed with with people. Alex’s palms were clammy against the smooth surface of the bench in front of him. He adjusted his tie, a pale gray, modest, deliberately unassuming, and tried to focus.Clara sat beside him, her posture calm, hands folded neatly on her lap. Her presence was a tether to the ground. Without her, he would have been a storm of nerves, adrenaline, and guilt.Across the room, Jonah sat in a sharply tailored suit, exuding confidence. He didn’t need to speak to assert dominance. The casual ease with which he reviewed his notes, the way he glanced around the room like a king surveying his kingdom, spoke volumes. Atlas Capital’s backing was clear. Every glance he threw was a calculated assertion: I hold the power. You are beneath me.This wasn’t just a courtroom. This was a battlefield. Neonetics claimed intellectual property theft, misappropriation of AI code, and “misleading the public.” The language was precise, legal, and designed to terrify.The j
Chapter 58: The Verdict
The courtroom was colder than it had been the previous session, or maybe it was just Alex’s nerves making it feel that way. Every polished wooden surface, every brass hinge, every shadow seemed to press down on him. He tugged at his tie, tried to straighten his posture, but the weight in his chest refused to lift.Clara sat beside him, calm as ever, though he could feel the tension coiled in her hands. They were clasped together on her lap, knuckles white, and every so often she gave a gentle squeeze, a quiet reminder that he was not facing this alone.Jonah leaned back in his chair across the room, the picture of controlled composure. But even he wasn’t immune to the tension that crackled through the courtroom. His jaw twitched slightly as he reviewed his notes one last time, scanning lines of code and legalese that Alex had long ago tried to bury in memory.The judge entered, robes swishing softly. Her presence commanded silence. The entire courtroom seemed to hold its breath.“Cour
Chapter 59: Growing Love
The office was quiet, the hum of servers and the faint clicking of keys filling the space. It was late, later than Alex usually stayed, but sleep had eluded him for days. The verdict still lingered in his chest like a heartbeat he couldn’t quiet.Clara sat across from him, elbows on her knees, leaning forward. She was reviewing code, headphones in, but every few seconds, her eyes would flick up to meet his. There was something in her gaze tonight, something soft, careful, alive, that made his heart skip.Alex rubbed his eyes and stretched, trying to shake off the tension that never quite left him. “I think… I think I forgot what it feels like to just sit and breathe,” he admitted. His voice was low, vulnerable in a way he hadn’t allowed himself to be in months.Clara smiled faintly, pulling out her headphones. “You’ve been carrying too much,” she said, almost gently. “It’s okay to stop for a minute.”He looked at her, really looked at her, and saw the subtle traces of fatigue, the f
Chapter 60: Her Collapse
The office was buzzing with the low hum of late-night activity, but Alex barely noticed. Humanaut’s new interface had gone live hours ago, and the early reports were promising. Users were engaging, providing feedback, and sharing stories of genuine impact. Yet none of it mattered right now.Clara sat across from him, clipboard in hand, reviewing logs from a therapy session simulation. The dim glow of the monitors cast sharp shadows across her face, highlighting her concentration, and, now that Alex looked closely, subtle traces of exhaustion.“You’ve been pushing yourself too hard,” he said, voice taut with concern.Clara glanced up, eyes flicking to his face, her lips curving into a small, reassuring smile. “I’m fine. Really. Just a long day.”“Clara, don’t...” Alex started, but she waved him off, turning back to the screen.He watched her for a moment, the way her fingers moved over the keyboard with effortless precision, how her brow furrowed just slightly when she spotted inconsi