that had dismantled a global threat, but the cost was time, time stolen from her daughter. She walked through the sterile, white corridor of the pr

arp suit, met her at the g

g is ready for your debriefing

A headline from a major tech convention caught her eye. The name of the hos

e saw t

as L

to a sleek, minimalist chair in the center of a brightly lit stage. Her

fingers tightened on the tablet, the m

orne Exposed as Fraud, Groundbreaking AI Code A

r mind racing to process the words. Public disg

estrange

the Vance tech empire. She had never fully trusted hi

ntellectual property theft. He claimed she had stolen the very co

as a woman Ava didn't recognize. The caption identified her

olling, her heart pounding against her r

that after the fragmented code was sold off to the highest bidders, Lily would be finished. Blacklisted. He painted a grim picture

deserves," Mark had said, h

red into a spiderweb of cracks. The handler took a half-step bac

d Ava' s lips. It was a soun

nsation on his skin, a raw, primal fear that his training had never prepared him for. He saw the look in Ava' s eyes, a look he

look of a

naturally calm, a stark contrast to t

ur debrie

said, her gaze fixed on something

r stride purposeful and deadly. The shattered tablet fe

ights, and the low hum of thousands of conversations filled the cavernous space. On

hat looked like glowing cuffs. Her groundbreaking code, her life' s work, was being projec

ck man named Jake, wa

a unique opportunity! To own a piece of the

s, laughed and cheered. They saw a fallen star, a piece

aking in the attention. He

integrity! We are liquidating these stolen assets to recou

is arm, smiling for the cameras, a

erate, silent plea for help. She saw only vultures,

of the hall, a c

onal kiosk. Then another. People screamed and scrambled

ce. Her face was a mask of cold fury. Her eyes were locked on

t, but he felt the shift in the room' s atmosphere. The

he looked up, first at Mark, then at

disbelief and then a wave of overwhelming

s voice was a

as she looked at her daughter. Then, her gaze snapped

ed with the buzz of excitement

er. The reckoning