The Unsolicited Merger

Chapter 5: The Rival Shark Bites

The steam from the guest suite’s walk-in shower was still clinging to Ezra’s skin when the door clicked open. He was halfway through tugging on a pair of silk-lined trousers that probably cost more than his college tuition.

Suthira stood in the doorway, already dressed for the gala in a gown of liquid silver that looked like it had been poured onto her body. She held a black silk tie in her hand, her amber eyes scanning him with a slow, appreciative hunger.

"You’re running behind, Ezra," she said, her voice dropping into that velvet-over-gravel register. "The car is downstairs."

"It’s hard to move fast when my muscles feel like they’ve been through a tectonic shift," Ezra replied, reaching for his shirt. "You’re a demanding boss, Suthira. I think I need a hazard pay clause."

"You’ve already received your bonus for the day," she countered, stepping into the room. The scent of her sandalwood perfume immediately dominated the humid air. "Turn around. Let me do the tie."

Ezra obeyed, his back to the mirror as she stepped into his space. Her fingers were cool against his throat as she looped the silk.

"I’m not used to this," Ezra muttered, looking down at her. "The suits, the galas, the... whatever this is between us."

"It’s a partnership," she whispered, tightening the knot just a fraction too much, forcing him to tilt his head back. "Tonight, you aren't the guy with fourteen dollars in his bank account. You’re the CEO of Fin-Intelligence. You’re the man who convinced Suthira Khem to gamble a hundred million."

"I’m a guy who’s one wrong word away from being found out as a fraud," Ezra said, his heart skipping a beat as her thumb traced his jawline.

"Then don't say the wrong word. Lie to them the way you lied to me." She leaned in, her lips brushing his ear. "Make them believe you’re the most dangerous man in the room. Because as long as you’re with me, you are."

"Is that a promise or a threat?"

"It’s an instruction," she said, finally releasing his tie. She patted his chest, her hand lingering over his heart. "Now, put on the jacket. We have a rival to humiliate."

*

The Metropolitan Museum of Technology was a hive of buzzing servers and even louder egos. Neon blue lights cut through the cavernous hall, reflecting off the polished chrome of retired satellites and vintage supercomputers.

Ezra felt Suthira’s hand slide into the crook of his arm, her grip possessive.

"Stay close," she murmured as they stepped onto the black carpet. "The vultures are circling."

"Ezra? Ezra Mahardika? No way. I thought you were working in a basement in Queens!"

A man in a vibrant emerald velvet suit detached himself from a group of models and sauntered over. He had teeth that were too white and hair that was too perfectly coiffed—Leo Vance, Ezra’s college roommate and the man who had stolen his first patent for a smart-fridge interface back in junior year.

"Leo," Ezra said, his voice tightening. "I see you’re still dressing like a background character from a disco movie."

Leo laughed, a loud, grating sound. "And I see you’ve finally found a sugar mama! Suthira, darling, you look radiant. But really? Ezra? I heard about the goldfish thing. It’s all over the forums. 'Fin-Intelligence.' Is it a comedy routine or a tax write-off?"

"It’s a market disruptor, Leo," Suthira said, her voice coming out like a sheet of ice. "Something your 'Cat-Cortex' app seems to be struggling with lately."

Leo’s smile faltered for a microsecond before snapping back into place. "Oh, we’re doing fine. We just hit four million downloads. My AI actually maps feline aggression. It’s useful. Unlike a mood-ring for a carp."

"Four million downloads for a reskinned laser pointer app," Ezra shot back, feeling the heat rise in his chest. "I saw your latest update, Leo. The latency on the 'Meow-Translator' is nearly three seconds. By the time the app tells the owner the cat is hungry, the cat has already eaten the owner’s toes."

"At least I have a product that exists, Ezra!" Leo stepped closer, his voice dropping to a condescending whisper. "Look, I’m feeling nostalgic. Why don't you come work for me? I’ll buy out your 'debt' to Suthira. I need someone to handle the boring backend stuff, and we all know you’re great at being invisible."

"You want to buy him?" Suthira asked, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"I’m doing you a favor, Suthira," Leo said, turning his charm on her. "You’ve clearly been charmed by the 'scrappy underdog' act. But Ezra is a liability. He’s a dreamer who can't execute. Let me take him off your hands. I’ll even throw in a five percent stake in Vance Labs."

Ezra felt a surge of cold fury, but before he could speak, Suthira let out a soft, melodic laugh. It was the most terrifying sound Ezra had ever heard.

"Five percent of Vance Labs?" Suthira mused, tilting her head. "That’s... what? Twelve million dollars? Leo, you’re insulting us both."

"It’s a generous offer for a guy who was eating ramen a week ago!" Leo snapped.

"I have a better offer," Suthira said. She pulled her phone from her silver clutch and tapped the screen twice. "I spent the car ride over here doing a bit of shopping. It turns out your lead investors at Sequoia-East were very eager to liquidate their positions after your last quarterly report showed that 'Cat-Cortex' was being used primarily by bots in Eastern Europe."

Leo went pale. "What are you talking about?"

"I bought Vance Labs, Leo," Suthira said, her voice calm and clinical. "I closed the deal sixty seconds before we walked through those doors. I own your patents. I own your servers. I even own that ridiculous velvet suit you’re wearing."

The surrounding crowd, which had been eavesdropping, went silent. Ezra stared at Suthira, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.

"You... you what?" Leo stammered.

"And as the new majority shareholder," Suthira continued, stepping toward Leo until he was forced to back up against a display of early IBM processors, "I find your leadership to be... redundant. You’re fired, Leo. Effective immediately."

"You can't do that! This is my company!"

"It was your company," Suthira corrected. "Now it’s a subsidiary of Khem Capital. I think I’ll have Ezra look through your code tomorrow. He can decide which parts are worth keeping and which parts should be deleted. My guess? It’s all trash."

Ezra looked at Leo—the man who had bullied him, cheated him, and looked down on him for a decade. Leo looked like he was about to vomit.

"Ezra, tell her!" Leo pleaded. "We were friends, man! You can't let her do this!"

Ezra adjusted his cufflink, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his face. "Actually, Leo, I think the latency on your career just hit zero. Suthira, does the building have security, or should I walk him to the curb myself?"

"Security will handle the trash," Suthira said. She turned to the crowd, her voice projecting with effortless authority. "Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce the future of neural interfaces. This is Ezra Mahardika. And if any of you have a problem with his vision, you can talk to my acquisitions department."

She didn't wait for a response. She grabbed Ezra by the lapel of his jacket and pulled him into a deep, bruising kiss right there in the center of the gala. It wasn't a polite peck; it was a claim. Her tongue brushed his, and the heat of it sent a shockwave through Ezra that made his knees weak.

The cameras flashed, the light blindingly white. Ezra didn't care. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him, returning the kiss with a ferocity that told the world exactly who he belonged to.

When they finally broke apart, Suthira’s eyes were glowing with a dark, triumphant fire. She leaned in, her lips hovering an inch from his.

"Was that 'manic' enough for you?" she whispered.

"I think you just broke the internet," Ezra rasped, his heart hammering against his ribs.

"Good. Now let’s get out of here. I’m bored with these people, and I have a much more private celebration in mind."

As they turned to leave, a hand caught Ezra’s shoulder. It was Leo, looking disheveled and broken as security guards closed in on him.

"Ezra, wait!" Leo hissed, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and pity. "You think you’re special? You think you’re the first 'visionary' she’s bought?"

Ezra paused, frowning. "Shut up, Leo. You lost."

"Ask her about Marcus!" Leo shouted as the guards began to drag him away. "Ask her what happened to the guy who built her last logistics AI! She doesn't build companies, Ezra! She builds cages! You’re just the latest pet in the glass box! Ask her why the last one disappeared!"

The doors to the gala swung shut behind them, cutting off Leo’s voice.

Suthira didn't miss a beat. She led Ezra toward the waiting Maybach, her hand sliding down to grip his firmly.

"Don't listen to him, Ezra," she said, her voice as smooth as silk. "Losers always try to poison the well."

Ezra looked at her—at the woman who had just spent hundreds of millions of dollars to protect him. She looked perfect. She looked devoted.

But as the car pulled away into the night, Ezra couldn't help but remember the encrypted terminal he’d seen earlier. Subject Ezra. Phase 2 Complete.

"Suthira?" Ezra asked, looking out the window at the passing neon.

"Yes, darling?"

"Who was Marcus?"

The silence that followed was only a second long, but in that second, the temperature in the car seemed to drop twenty degrees.

Suthira turned to him, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "Nobody important, Ezra. Just a man who didn't know how to follow instructions. But you... you’re different. Aren't you?"

She moved closer, her hand sliding up his inner thigh, her touch possessive and heavy. Ezra swallowed hard, the lust and the fear warring in his gut.

"Yeah," Ezra whispered, leaning into her touch even as his mind began to race. "I’m different."

But for the first time since he’d signed the check, Ezra wondered if the goldfish wasn't the only one in the tank.