Chapter 12
Hancock looked years younger–his features softer, his posture looser–but right now, none of that made him less intimidating.
Standing in front of him was a tall, slender girl with cropped hair and thin–framed glasses. Her expression was icy as she stared him down.
“That’s my research,” she said coldly. “Who told you it was okay to take it and negotiate business deals behind my back?”
Hancock forced a smile. “Come on, Minna, does it really matter whose it is? We developed it together, didn’t we?”
“The idea was mine. I ran the experiments. You just helped with the paperwork and jotted down a few numbers. What makes you think you have any right to make decisions about what happens to my work?”
Minna refused to back down an inch.
Hancock’s smile faded. His jaw tightened. “Minna Jones, don’t push your luck.”
“We’re about to graduate. I’m only thinking about our future! What’s the point of clinging to your invention? The only way to maximize its value is to find a solid company willing to invest and develop it with us. Isn’t that obvious?”
“I’ll say this one last time–That. Is. Mine.”
Minna’s tone was glacial. “The patent is in my name. You don’t even know the core of the technology. Who do you think you’ll partner with? As long as I’m alive, no one gets to touch it without my permission.”
“And by the way, we’re done. From now on, you and I have nothing to do with each other.“}
She turned on her heel and walked away.
Hancock didn’t move. He stared after her, his eyes growing colder by the second. For a moment, something sharp and dangerous flickered in his gaze–a glint of malice that vanished as quickly as it came.
I watched him from across the street, realization dawning. In my previous life, I’d once overheard Julie asking Daniel how he managed to keep someone as talented as Hancock under his thumb.
Daniel had just laughed, lounging by the pool with her in his arms. “Because he needs something from me,” he’d said.}
But there was something else, something far more important.
In that other life, I’d never once heard the name Minna Jones.
I made it my mission to meet her.
We arranged to meet at a quiet café far from her university. She sat down across from me, eyes wary but direct.
She didn’t waste time. “Ms. Gardner, I know why you’re here. But my work isn’t for sale.“>
“Why not?” I pressed gently.
She hesitated for a moment before answering. “Right now, it’s only a prototype.”
I stopped, coffee cup halfway to my lips.
“I know business people care about profit,” she continued, “but that doesn’t matter to me. What matters is what I can accomplish in the end–how my work could change the world. That’s the only thing that matters.”
I studied her face–the fresh, unadorned features, the quiet fire in her eyes. There was something dazzling about her, a brilliance that couldn’t be hidden.}
She was meant for greatness. She should have been remembered as a pioneer in her field.
But in that other life, because of the greed of two men, she died in a foreign country–erased from history, like dust swept under a rug.
“Ms. Gardner, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”
I reached out, stopping her with a gentle gesture.”
Looking into her eyes, I spoke sincerely. “Ms. Jones, I want to fund your research and provide whatever resources you need. All I ask is that, when your work is finished, you help me with a small favor.”
“Your invention will remain yours. History will remember your name. Is that enough?“&
The day I returned home, the first snow of winter was falling in thick, silent flakes.
Dragging my suitcase out of the airport, I immediately spotted a massive billboard nearby.
Julie’s face, perfectly made up stared down from the advertisement.
While I’d been building my business overseas–preparing to go toe–to–toe with Daniel Gardner as he took over his family’s empire–he hadn’t exactly been idle, either. After failing to get a special admission or even pass the entrance exams, Julie still managed to worm her way into the film academy, courtesy of Daniel’s connections. She’d made her debut in the entertainment industry soon after.
Some people never change.
I smirked and slid into the waiting car.
The city was blanketed in a thin layer of snow as the driver took me straight to my company’s building.
