Silence! I Am the Trillionaire Boss

Chapter 7: Intellectual Property!

The security guards charged out; the six of them moved as one in a wave of dark uniforms and raised batons. Their faces were set, confident. This was their job. Handle the disturbance and remove the unwelcome guest. They fanned out slightly, attempting to surround Blake, cutting off his escape towards the street.

Blake didn't back away. He didn't even change his relaxed posture. His eyes, however, were sharp and calculating. They were tracking each man and their movement. The air around him seemed to tighten, but there was not a strand of fear in his lungs.

 .

.

.

The six guards were all taken down in a matter of minutes. The store was filled with their cries as they groaned in pain while clutching their broken and paralyzed limbs. None of them were getting up anytime soon. This was not a fight but instead, it had been a slaughter fest, with quick, brutal, and utterly decisive strikes that left the lady who was being detained in shock with her hand over her mouth. Blake stood among the fallen guards, his breathing even and not a drop of sweat on his brow. The batons lay scattered on the ground, useless.

Blake pulled out his phone. "Gerald. Send a cleanup crew to my location. I had to take care of six... inconvenienced security guards. Also, make sure to contact the owner of the store and smooth it out. Whatever it takes."

"Well, of course, sir. I will get on it," Gerald's voice was instantly responsive. 

Blake turned to the lady who had slumped down on her knees with her hand over her mouth in disbelief at how Blake just defeated the six guards effortlessly.

"Are you alright?" Blake asked, his voice calm.

She nodded, still wide-eyed. "They... you... how?"

"Don’t worry about that," Blake said. "Let's find somewhere to settle down and talk."

He led her away from the scene, finding a quiet bench in a small, manicured square nearby.

"My name is Joyce," she offered, her voice still shaky. "Joyce Stunner."

"Blake," he replied. "Tell me about this 'UniWallet.' And why that scum Harold would try so hard to silence you."

Joyce took a deep breath. "It's... it's everything. It's an interoperable digital wallet. It connects different central bank digital currencies, making cross-border trade... compliant with seamless remittances." Her voice gained a touch of its earlier passion. "I spent years building it. With every penny I had. My family... they sold their farmland and took out loans for this."

She fumbled with a laptop bag, pulling out a sleek device. She opened it, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "Look." She turned the screen towards him. The screen was filled with complex diagrams, lines of code, and numerous timestamps. "It is my intellectual property. I wrote the source code. Look at my original reports and source files. It's all here, my life’s work." Her voice cracked. "Without this... we're ruined—my family and I."

Blake studied the screen, then looked at her. The desperation in her eyes was raw. "How did Jacobson get it?"

"I... I went to him," Joyce admitted, her gaze dropping. "To pitch this project with hopes of an investment from him. He seemed interested and said his team would 'evaluate' it. During the testing phase... I didn't realize... they duplicated the source files." She swallowed hard. "Then he just... dismissed me. Said he was no longer interested."

Her hands clenched in her lap. "Next thing I know, I see the news. Harold Jacobson. Signing a deal with Days Corp. for his ‘revolutionary fintech product,' UniWallet." Tears welled in her eyes. "I confronted him. Like you saw. But he just... laughed and said I have no power. That he'd silence me if I dared report him to the authorities or try to sue." A tear tracked down her cheek. "He's right. What can I do?" She buried her face in her hands, sobs shaking her.

Blake waited a moment, letting her cry. "He won't get away with it, Joyce."

She looked up, her eyes red-rimmed. "He does this a lot, you know. Steals others' ideas and then silences people." She searched his face. "How? How can you promise that he won’t get away with this? He's Harold Jacobson. A powerful multi-billionaire." She hesitated. "Who... who are you, Blake?"

"Just someone who doesn't like bullies," Blake said, keeping his voice light. "Don't worry. I'll handle it."

She looked at Blake; doubt filled her eyes. Yes, Blake was a skilled fighter, but this wasn’t the kind of fight that needed his martial art skills, unless he wants to karate his way through all of Harold’s billions, army of lawyers, and friends in high places. She thanked him but resolved that he couldn’t help her beyond this level.

Just then, a black car pulled up. Gerald stepped out, looking impeccably calm despite the likely chaos he'd just handled. He walked straight to Blake, a slight bow of his head.

"Boss. The cleanup is in progress. The store owner has been... compensated. He won't dare press charges." Gerald's gaze flickered to Joyce, a question in his eyes.

Joyce stared at Gerald, her eyes wide again. Gerald. Everyone knew Gerald. The man who runs Days Corp. The man behind the mystery CEO. And he was bowing to Blake.

"Joyce, this is Gerald," Blake said simply. "Gerald, this is Joyce Stunner. She created UniWallet."

Gerald's eyebrows rose fractionally.

"Gerald," Blake continued, "take Joyce with you and get her story. I want all the details. Everything about Jacobson's 'evaluation' process and postpone the meeting with Jacobson."

"Postpone?" Gerald asked.

"To tomorrow afternoon," Blake clarified. "And make sure Joyce is there too."

"Understood," Gerald said, turning to Joyce. "Ms. Stunner, if you'll come with me?"

Joyce, still looking shell-shocked, nodded mutely and followed Gerald to the car.

Blake's phone rang again. This time it was Chelsea.

"Blake? Hey! Did you finish shopping?"

"Uh, not quite," Blake said, watching Gerald's car pull away. "Got a little... sidetracked."

Chelsea chuckled. "Well, don't take too long! Listen, my family's having a meeting tomorrow morning. General assembly. You need to be there. Bright and early."

"Family meeting?"

"Yep. The whole London family. Get ready for the lions' den." Her tone was teasing. "And tonight? Be early for the ceremony, okay? It's going to be a roller coaster of a night."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Blake said.

 ~~~

Later that night at seven o'clock. The Chels Corp HQ event hall buzzed with the energy of a thousand conversations. Chandeliers glittered, reflecting off polished surfaces with photos adorned on the walls—glossy, triumphant shots of Rose Hackley, the star of the night, and other key players in the Chels Corp deal.

Blake walked in, dressed in a suit that cost more than the taxi driver made in a year. As he stepped out, he was not given any introduction. As to the people, he was just another unimportant guest. He grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waitress while observing the scene.

"Well, well. Look who cleaned up nice."

Blake recognized the voice and turned. Andrew Hackley stood there, a smirk on his face; Steven Hackley was also beside him, equally smug. They looked him up and down, a clear assessment in their eyes. They were the brothers of Rose and sons of Elizabeth.

"Didn't think Thailand's prisons were so lenient on hardened criminals," Steven added, taking a sip of his drink.

Blake raised his glass slightly. "Andrew. Steven. Good to see you. Welcome to the party."

Andrew and Steven burst into laughter. "Our party, Blake," Andrew corrected, wiping a tear from his eye. "Our sister's glorious party. What are you even doing here?"

"I was invited," Blake said simply.

"Invited?" Steven scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. We know Rose finally grew a spine and broke it off with you. After years of us telling her to do just that."

"She wouldn't invite her good-for-nothing ex-con to the ceremony of the year," Andrew stated, shaking his head in mock pity. "Unless... she invited you to watch and see what you’ve lost."

"Yeah," Steven chimed in, leaning closer. "To watch the mystery CEO of Days Corp put a ring on her finger." He clinked his glass against Andrew's. "The moment you went to prison, we knew there was no hope for you. It was the perfect chance to save Rose."

"We pressured her," Andrew added, a proud glint in his eye. "In hopes that she would get rid of you. And then to top it all off... the CEO came along and saved her future."

They clinked glasses again, their faces alight with greedy anticipation. "Once she marries him, the whole family will be set for life!"

Blake just smiled a slow, private smile. “If only you knew.” He said to himself.

Suddenly, the announcer's voice boomed over the sound system, cutting through the chatter. "Ladies and gentlemen! Kindly give me your attention! Soon, we will be honored to welcome Ms. Chelsea London, the impeccable CEO of Chels Corp. and the esteemed granddaughter of the mighty London family!"

A pause, and then the announcer's voice dropped slightly, a note of excitement. "...and she'll be accompanied tonight by her new man!" The voice regained its formal tone. "Everyone, please maintain decorum. Ms. London wishes for her companion to feel welcome and comfortable on this momentous evening!"

All eyes turned to the entrance.