Instead of backing down, Gale's face twisted with fury, his composure finally snapping completely under the pressure of the moment building steadily around him with every passing second. He stepped toward Ethan, jaw clenched tight, pointing a finger inches from his face without any hesitation left in him at all now."You're trying to destroy my company," Gale snarled, spittle flying with the force of his anger finally boiling over completely in front of everyone still watching him. "This whole thing, the sabotage, the accusations, all of it, you planned this from the beginning just to humiliate me in front of everyone I've ever worked with in this entire industry, everyone who once respected me and my name."Ethan did not flinch or roll his chair backward even an inch, meeting Gale's furious gaze without a trace of fear showing anywhere on his calm, composed face throughout. He simply watched Gale with a steady, level gaze that seemed to unsettle the man further with every passing sec

Ethan sat by the wide window of Lena's villa, papers spread across the small table in front of him. He held a pen loosely between his fingers, sketching rough shapes of a company that still existed only in his head. His legs rested still under a blanket, but his mind had already started running faster than his body could keep up with.Lena walked in with a cup of tea and placed it near him. She glanced at the papers scattered across the table and asked what he was planning."A company," Ethan said, without looking up. "Something that belongs to me. Not to Dream Tech. Not to anyone else."Lena sat across from him, her expression calm and thoughtful. "You know I can fund whatever you need. My family has more money than we know what to do with. You wouldn't have to worry about a single thing."Ethan's jaw tightened. He kept his eyes on the papers instead of looking at her. "I don't want your family's money, Lena." His voice was quiet but firm, carrying a weight that came from somewhere d

While Ethan built his team, Gale was drowning in a different kind of chaos back at Dream Tech. He had spent the past several days contacting outside programmers, promising generous payments to anyone who could fix the failing sections of the Nebula system.None of them succeeded.One consultant, a nervous young man named Davide Moretti, sat across from Gale's desk shaking his head. "I've gone through the architecture for hours. Whoever built this embedded security layers that don't behave like anything standard. I can't safely modify it without risking a total collapse of the system."Gale slammed his fist on the desk, his face turning red with rising fury. "Then figure it out! I'm not paying you to sit here and tell me what you can't do."Davide flinched but held his ground, his voice trembling slightly. "With respect, sir, this isn't a matter of effort. It's a matter of understanding a system only one person actually built from the ground up."Gale's jaw clenched at the unspoken nam

A young executive named Rico Valenti walked toward Ethan with three businessmen trailing behind him. He was tall, well dressed, and carried himself like a man who had never been told no in his life. He stopped directly in front of Ethan's wheelchair and looked down at him with a wide, arrogant smile."I am Rico Valenti, CEO of Valenti Systems," he announced loudly, making sure everyone around could hear. Then he tilted his head and let his eyes drop to the wheelchair. "And you must be Ethan. The great programmer who got kicked out of Dream Tech and decided to start his own little company from a hospital bed."His friends laughed. Rico looked at the wheelchair with an exaggerated expression of pity."Tell me something," Rico continued, lowering his voice just enough to sound casual. "Do they allow dogs into this event now? Because I could swear I just saw a stray rolling in on wheels."The men around him burst into laughter. Gina's face turned red with anger, and she stepped forward, b

Enzo Valenti did not move. He stood right where he was, his chest rising and falling with fury, and turned his head slowly to look at every businessman in the hall. He was not done. He wanted everyone in that room to hear what he was about to say, and he wanted them to remember it."Let me tell you something about me," Enzo said, his voice booming across the silent hall. "I have been in this industry for over thirty years. I have built partnerships with companies that your little brain cannot even imagine. One phone call from me, and every investor you have ever dreamed of will refuse your call. Every supplier will shut their doors. Every partner will walk the other way."He pointed his thick finger at Ethan's face. "You are finished. You just do not know it yet."Several businessmen who had been standing near Ethan a few minutes earlier quietly moved away. They lowered their eyes and shuffled to the other side of the hall without looking back. Some of them had greeted Ethan earlier t