First Class to Her? Access Revoked!

I was flying to New York for a billion-dollar project bid, rushing around to check our luggage, when my husband suddenly said, "Switch to the next flight. "The airline announced the flight was overbooked, so I already canceled your ticket." I froze. There were three of us traveling together. The female assistant was the one on standby. By rights, she should have been the one bumped. My husband explained, "Sophie's health is weak. She can't handle a transfer, and it'll be good for her to see a major bid up close. "Besides, you're just the technical consultant. It won't matter if you're late." What he didn't know was that without my core encryption key, that contract could never be signed. Chapter 1 "Victor Palmerston, I'm the one who actually received the invitation. You're seriously making me switch flights for someone who's only tagging along?" Victor frowned, impatience flashing through his eyes. "Sophie only graduated not long ago, and her health isn't good. The transfer wait is five hours. How is she supposed to handle that?" Sophie Lowell tugged at Victor's sleeve, her eyes reddening. "Mr. Palmerston, maybe I should be the one to switch flights. Lydia is the technical consultant. The project can't happen without her. I'm just an assistant. It doesn't matter if I'm late. At worst, I'll spend the night at the airport." She coughed as she spoke. Victor immediately took her hand, his tone softening. "Don't be ridiculous. You just had a fever last week. The doctor said you shouldn't overexert yourself. This is a company decision. She doesn't get to object." Then he turned to me, his gaze hard again. "Lydia Webb, do you think the whole company stops turning without you? Sophie studied computer science too. She's already read through your proposal. Even if you're not there, she can cover for you. "I'm taking her in first class so I can explain the bidding process to her on the way. Stop making a scene." Sophie spoke up. "Lydia, don't be mad. I know you've always had a problem with me because Mr. Palmerston promoted me too quickly, but I really do want to contribute to the company. If you don't want to give me the encryption key, I won't force you." Victor's expression darkened completely. He pulled my passport and economy-class ticket from his bag and threw them straight at my chest. "Change your own ticket. You must get to the New York hotel before five this afternoon!" The passport hit the floor with a dull thud. I crouched down and picked it up. I watched Victor pull Sophie's suitcase and walk toward the first-class security lane without looking back. Sophie glanced over her shoulder at me, the corner of her mouth lifting into a smug smile. I stood there as other travelers stared at me with curious eyes. Seven years together. Three years of marriage. To support his business, I quit my high-paying job at a major tech company and worked behind the scenes to develop his core system. Now, for one little assistant, he had publicly trampled me under his feet. I took out my phone, refunded the ticket he had thrown at me, and bought myself a late-night flight. By the time I landed in New York, it was already eight at night. Rain was falling outside. I dragged my suitcase into a cab and went to the hotel Victor had booked. At the front desk, I handed over my ID. "Hi. I'm checking in. The reservation is under Victor Palmerston." The receptionist checked the computer and looked up. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Mr. Palmerston booked three rooms. One was canceled this afternoon, and the remaining two have already been checked in." I froze. "Canceled? Who's staying in the other two rooms?" The receptionist smiled politely. "One is Mr. Palmerston's room. The other belongs to Ms. Lowell. Mr. Palmerston also upgraded Ms. Lowell's room to an executive suite, saying it would be more comfortable for her to rest." Chapter 2 My hand stiffened around my ID. Victor knew I would arrive tonight, but he had not even left me a place to sleep. I took out my phone and called him. "You got here?" His voice was casual. "I thought you were throwing a tantrum and weren't coming. "Sophie isn't adjusting well to the city. The standard rooms have poor soundproofing, so I canceled your room and upgraded hers to a suite. Just find a budget hotel nearby for one night." I forced down my anger. "Every hotel nearby is full because of tomorrow's bid. Where am I supposed to stay?" Victor clicked his tongue impatiently. "Sophie is fragile. Can you try to be a little considerate of other people?" "I'm in the lobby. "You have five minutes. If you don't come down, I'll call our partner and cancel the deal." In less than five minutes, the elevator doors opened. Victor stepped out in a bathrobe, his hair still half-damp. Sophie followed behind him in a woman's silk nightgown that obviously did not fit her. It was mine. I had packed it in Victor's suitcase as a spare. I stared at the nightgown on Sophie. Victor followed my gaze, and something unnatural flickered in his eyes. It quickly turned into righteous irritation. "Sophie's checked luggage had a problem. Her clothes got soaked, so I let her borrow yours. Don't look at her like that." Sophie shrank behind Victor. "Lydia, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was yours. I'll take it off right now." She reached for the buttons, but Victor grabbed her hand. "Take it off for what? You'll catch a cold. It's just one lousy piece of clothing. Lydia, is this really necessary?" I looked at the man I had loved for seven years and suddenly found him completely unfamiliar. "Fine. She can have the clothes. What about the room? You want me to sleep on the street?" Victor frowned, his tone almost charitable. "Sophie's suite has a couch outside the bedroom. Make do there tonight. Once tomorrow's bid is over, we'll go home." I laughed from sheer anger. "You want me to sleep on the couch in her suite? Victor Palmerston, I'm your wife, not your servant." Victor's face darkened. "Lydia, if it weren't for this project, I wouldn't even bother with you right now. Since you're here, give tomorrow's presentation script and core data to Sophie. She'll present onstage." For a moment, I thought I had heard wrong. "What did you say? You want her to present? I spent three months on this project. I wrote every line of code myself. What does she know?" Sophie lowered her head, looking wronged. "Mr. Palmerston, forget it. Lydia doesn't trust my abilities. I shouldn't make things harder." Victor patted her shoulder and turned to glare at me. "Tomorrow is a billion-dollar project. The room will be full of the top decision makers in New York. If you get onstage, you'll only embarrass me. "Sophie has the right image and she speaks well. If you give her the data, she can read from the script." I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms. "Without my live demonstration, you won't get past the technical review." Victor lost his temper completely. He pointed at my nose. "Lydia Webb, do you have to fight me over everything? The company is mine. The project belongs to the company. You eat my food and spend my money, and now when I ask you to hand over some data, you act difficult. Are you trying to rebel?" I looked at his furious face, and the last warmth in my heart cooled into ice. "Victor, your startup capital came from me selling my old family house. All the core technology over the last three years was provided by me for free. And now you're saying I live off you?" Chapter 3 Victor's eyes flickered. Then he raised his voice to hide his guilt. "We're husband and wife. What's yours is mine. Now take out your computer and copy the files for Sophie." I stepped back and held my laptop bag against my chest. "No." Victor sneered and waved at the lobby security guard. "Security. This person isn't a hotel guest, and she's harassing us. Please remove her." The guard came over and looked me up and down. My clothes were soaked from the rain, and suspicion filled his eyes. "Ma'am, please leave." Sophie tried to intervene. "Mr. Palmerston, it's still pouring outside. Lydia will get sick." Victor snorted. "Let her get soaked. Maybe once enough water gets into her head, she'll finally wake up. Lydia, if you don't hand over the materials today, don't even think about coming through this door." The guard pushed me toward the revolving doors. I did not resist. I let the force move me outside. Cold rain drenched me instantly. Through the glass doors, I watched Victor take Sophie toward the elevator. Sophie turned back and gave me a look of undisguised mockery. I stood in the rain for a long time, until my fingers were numb from the cold. Then I took out my phone and dialed a number. "Hello, Attorney Bennett? Draft a divorce agreement for me." The voice on the other end sounded startled. "Mrs. Palmerston, are you sure?" "I'm sure. Also prepare a notice revoking technical authorization. Send it to Victor's company legal department at exactly nine tomorrow morning." After I hung up, I sat overnight in the twenty-four-hour convenience store across from the hotel. At three in the morning, my phone lit up. Sophie had sent me a photo. In the photo, Victor was asleep on the couch, Sophie's jacket draped over him. The caption read, "Lydia, thanks for the clothes. They're very warm. I'll take good care of Mr. Palmerston." I looked at the picture and blocked her immediately. At eight the next morning, the entrance to the bidding venue was packed. I had changed into dry clothes and walked to the entrance with my work badge. Victor and Sophie were standing at the check-in desk. Sophie was wearing a custom designer business suit, the one Victor had flown to Paris to order for her last month. Back then, he said it was backup attire for an important occasion. So this was what he had meant. When Victor saw me, his expression shifted. He strode over. "You finally remembered to show up?" He lowered his voice, every word a warning. "Are the materials ready? We're about to go in. Don't mess this up for me." I looked at him calmly. "The materials are ready, but I'm not giving them to Sophie." Victor's face went pale with anger. Before he could erupt, Sophie hurried over. "Mr. Palmerston, something's wrong. The organizers changed the technical review rules this year. They need a live code-combat test, not just a PowerPoint presentation." Victor froze. "Why didn't anyone notify us in advance?" Sweat broke out on Sophie's forehead. She looked at me. "Lydia, what do we do? I don't know how to write low-level logic code." Victor grabbed my arm so hard his nails dug into my skin. "Lydia Webb, you heard her. Write the underlying logic for Sophie. Hurry!" I shook him off and looked at his anxious face. "The underlying logic is the core of this project. Without months of familiarity, it's impossible to operate. Do you really think she can learn it on the spot?" Chapter 4 Victor's eyes reddened with panic. "I don't care what method you use. Sophie cannot embarrass herself in front of all these people." I looked at him coldly. "She can't be embarrassed. What about me? This is my life's work, and you want me to hand it over to her, then teach her step by step how to steal it from me?" Victor raised his hand and slapped me across the face. The crack of the slap rang sharply through the noisy venue entrance. People around us turned to stare. My face whipped to the side. Victor pointed at me, his voice shrill. "Lydia Webb, don't push your luck. Without my company, your worthless code isn't worth a penny. "I'm telling you now. If you don't hand it over today, I'll divorce you and leave you with nothing." Sophie grabbed Victor's arm. "Maybe Lydia should present after all. I can step back." As she spoke, she deliberately stepped back and brought her high heel down hard on my laptop bag. Then she ground her heel into it twice. A sharp crack sounded. The screen inside the bag shattered. Sophie's face filled with fake panic. "Oh no, Lydia, I'm so sorry. I didn't see your bag there." Victor glanced at the crushed bag and snorted. "It's broken, so what? It's just a computer. How much can it cost? I'll buy you ten when we get back." He stared at me, his eyes full of threat. "Lydia, I'll ask one last time. Are you handing over the code logic or not?" I looked at the deformed laptop bag on the ground. That laptop had been Victor's third-anniversary gift to me. Now, like our marriage, it was shattered beyond repair. I pulled a USB drive from my pocket and handed it to him. "Basic code and the presentation flow. Take it." Victor snatched it from my hand and rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't it have been easier if you'd handed it over earlier? You had to take a slap before you'd behave. No self-respect at all." He turned and pulled Sophie inside. "Come on, Sophie. Let's go prepare. Don't worry. With this USB drive, those reviewers will be easy to handle." Sophie turned back and gave me a triumphant smile. I stood there and took out my phone. "Attorney Bennett, has the authorization revocation notice been sent?" "Mrs. Palmerston, it has been sent to the company's legal department." I hung up and turned toward the rain outside the venue. Without the core encryption key, that system would not last three minutes in a code-combat test. I took a cab to the airport and sat in the waiting area, watching planes lift into the sky beyond the window. My phone stayed quiet. Victor was probably still basking in the joy of thinking he was about to win a billion-dollar contract. He had no time to bother with me. I opened my tablet and logged into the internal livestream of the bidding venue. On the screen, Sophie was standing onstage, speaking smoothly through the PowerPoint. Victor sat in the first row below, gazing at her with admiration. At the judges' table, several technical experts whispered to one another, their brows furrowed. "Ms. Lowell, your theory is impressive," the lead judge said, tapping the table. "But we need to see actual code-combat ability. Please connect to our test system and begin the first round of attack and defense." Sophie nodded confidently and inserted the USB drive I had given her. The system started. A basic defense interface appeared on the big screen. Victor led the applause from below, his face full of pride. But before the applause faded, the big screen suddenly flashed a blinding red. Chapter 5 "Warning! Defense system collapsed!" "Warning! Core data exposed!" In just ten seconds, the entire system was paralyzed. All that remained on the screen was a string of garbled code. The hall erupted. Sophie panicked. She hammered at the keyboard, cold sweat forming on her forehead. "What's going on? It was working fine just now! Is something wrong with this computer?" The lead judge stood up, his face dark. "Ms. Lowell, this is your company's core technology? It can't even withstand our most basic test virus. Are you wasting our time?" Victor shot to his feet and rushed onto the stage. "Impossible! Our technology is industry-leading! There must be something wrong with your test system!" The lead judge sneered. "Mr. Palmerston, our system has been tested countless times. Every other company today passed smoothly. Only yours collapsed on contact. "More importantly, your system doesn't even contain a basic encryption key. This is an industry joke." Victor froze. Then he turned to Sophie. "Where's the key? Didn't Lydia give it to you?" Sophie was nearly crying. She pointed toward the camera. "I don't know! Lydia only gave me what's on the USB drive. She must have set me up on purpose! She gave me a fake system!" Victor shook with rage and pulled out his phone to call me over and over. On the livestream, his handsome face twisted with fury. My phone screen lit up with his name. I watched calmly and did not answer. Once. Twice. Three times. Then he realized I had already blocked him. Below the stage, a representative from the organizer walked up and took the microphone. "Mr. Palmerston, given that your company is suspected of technical fraud in this bid and has wasted valuable review time, we are canceling your company's qualification. "In addition, according to the bid intent agreement we signed, your company must pay fifty million dollars in breach-of-contract damages." Victor's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor. Fifty million was enough to bankrupt his company completely. He looked up in despair and screamed at Sophie. "Didn't you say you knew the proposal inside and out? Didn't you say you understood it? You useless idiot!" Sophie stumbled backward in terror and fell to the ground. The lead judge watched the farce and shook his head. "Mr. Palmerston, what we valued most this time was the underlying architecture patent your company submitted earlier. "But we just verified that the patent does not belong to your company. It belongs to an independent developer named Lydia Webb. "Without her authorization, you have no right to use this technology at all." Victor's head snapped up, disbelief filling his eyes. "What did you say? Lydia Webb? She's just a technical consultant. How could the patent be hers?" The lead judge projected a document onto the big screen. "This is the patent office record. It is written in black and white. Half an hour ago, Ms. Lydia Webb officially sent us a notice withdrawing authorization." Victor stared at my name on the screen, his face deathly pale.