Burning the Patents of Betrayal Chapter 06
In the private room sat a man with sharp, chiseled features.
It was James Quincy, Julie’s most formidable rival.
Over the years, relying on the core patents I had developed, Julie had repeatedly crushed him in the marketplace.. The grudge between their two companies ran deep.
I took out the backup recording chip and slid it across the table.
“This is the original recording of one of Julie’s smuggling deals from three years ago. With this, you’ll have more than enough to bring her down. But I have two conditions.”
James’s expression turned serious. He gestured for me to continue.
I met his gaze directly.
“First, I want Julie completely destroyed. Every cent of patent fees she’s stolen from me over the years-I want it all back, with interest. I want her reputation in ruins.
“Second, I need an investment to restart the new energy project my father never got to finish.
“I have the complete core technical data and improved designs-but I need funding and a production line.”
At the mention of my father’s project, a dull ache tightened in my chest.
That year, I went abroad to study, only for disaster to strike out of nowhere my family went bankrupt.
Unable to bear the blow, my father jumped to his death. My mother followed soon after.
That was why I had placed all my hope in Julie, my childhood sweetheart.
But over the years, I had started to suspect that what happened back then… might not have been unrelated to the Black family.
James studied me for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.
“Good! None of that is a problem. Compared to gaining another enemy, I’d much rather gain a friend. If someone’s willing to stand with me against Julie, why would I say no?”
He signed the investment agreement without hesitation. The initial funds were transferred that very day, along with a team of elite researchers sent to assist me.
The evidence was quickly submitted to the authorities through special channels.
The investigation came down harder and faster than expected.
Multiple accounts of Black Corporation were frozen. Their shipping warehouses were sealed. Senior executives were summoned one after another for questioning.
Within a single night, the company’s stock price plummeted forty percent. Partners terminated contracts one by one, and banks began calling in their loans.
The business empire Julie had painstakingly built over the years began to crack-fractures spreading beyond repair.
And this was exactly the opportunity I needed.
I reached out to my father’s former subordinates.
The moment they heard I intended to restart the old project, almost all of them agreed without hesitation.
We rented an abandoned factory on the outskirts and converted it into a temporary lab and production line.
With James’s elite team and my father’s old crew working together, the project advanced at astonishing speed
During the day, I led the team through technical breakthroughs. At night, I recalculated data over and over, revising our plans.
The wound on my waist would ache fiercely at times. I’d swallow a couple of painkillers and push through.
Whenever exhaustion crept in, I would think of the unbearable agony on that operating table-of my kidney being carved out of me.
I would think of Chuck’s arrogant expression at the wedding.
And I would find the strength to keep going.
Three months later, the new product passed testing successfully. Cheers erupted throughout the lab. For the first time in a long while, I felt a glimmer of relief.
Only then did I finally have time to catch up on news about Julie. To my surprise, she had somehow weathered the storm of the investigation. Although the company had been severely weakened, no legal action had been taken against her personally.
My phone was also flooded with countless messages from her.
[Adam, come back. Let’s talk this through.]
[I won’t hold this outburst against you. I know you’re hurt.]
[This little setback won’t break me. The Jiang family’s foundation is still solid.]
[As long as you come back to me, we can go back to the way things were.]
[As for Chuck… I hope you won’t be jealous anymore. The three of us can live well together, can’t we?]
Reading those messages, I let out a cold, incredulous laugh. Just how confident was she to believe I would always love her humbly-that even after she had my kidney removed, I would still come crawling back to her?
I contacted James directly.
“It looks like the investigation alone isn’t enough. She still thinks she can turn things around.”
On the other end, James chuckled.
“Perfect. It’s about time we scheduled the product launch. Why don’t we join forces and give her a grand ‘gift’?”
We worked out the details carefully.
Once the product officially launched, James and my new company would announce a deep strategic partnership and move to completely corner what remained of Black Corporation.
The launch event was set for a week later.
James pulled every string he had, inviting the most powerful figures in high society and the most prominent media outlets.
On the day of the event, the venue was packed.
I stepped onto the stage steadily, clearly presenting the technical advantages of the product.
Applause rose in waves. Camera flashes flickered nonstop.
Just as I was about to announce my partnership with James, the side door of the hall suddenly burst open.
Julie entered, impeccably made up and dressed in a sharp black business suit.
Accompanied by two lawyers, she strode forward and snatched the microphone from the host.
“I demand that this launch event be stopped immediately! The core technology of this product has been stolen from Black Corporation’s unpublished reserve patents!”
