Chapter 18: The Successor
The newly established Lin Foundation was housed on the fiftieth floor of the Aegis Tower, a bright, open-concept space dedicated to funding and legally protecting young, independent developers. Mara had seeded the foundation with a billion dollars of her own capital. Its mandate was simple: ensure that no brilliant mind could ever be crushed, stolen from, or silenced by a corporate monolith again.
It was late Thursday afternoon when Mara walked into the Foundation's interview room. Sitting at the table was a twenty-two-year-old MIT graduate named Chloe. Chloe was clutching a battered laptop to her chest, her posture defensive, her eyes darting nervously around the luxurious room. She looked exhausted, cornered, and brilliant. She looked exactly like Mara had five years ago.
"Chloe," Mara said, taking a seat across from her and offering a warm, disarming smile. "I've reviewed the predictive climate models you submitted. They are extraordinary."
Chloe swallowed hard. "OmniCorp doesn't think so. I interned for them last summer. They claim my core algorithm was developed using their proprietary hardware, and they’ve filed an injunction to seize it. I don't have the money to fight them, Ms. Lin. They told me if I don't sign over the rights, they'll blacklist me from the industry."
Mara’s eyes hardened, a familiar cold fire igniting in her chest. Victor Thorne was up to his old tricks, bullying the vulnerable to pad his bottom line.
"OmniCorp thrives on fear, Chloe," Mara said, leaning forward. "They rely on the assumption that you will break before they run out of lawyers. But you aren't going to fight them alone."
Chloe looked up, a flicker of desperate hope in her eyes. "I'm not?"
"No," Mara said, sliding a sleek, black folder across the table. "The Lin Foundation is going to put our entire legal weight behind you. We will bury Victor Thorne in so much counter-litigation his board will spin. In the meantime, I am offering you a fully funded fellowship here at Aegis to finish your climate model. You will retain one hundred percent of your patents, and you will be credited for every line of code you write."
May you like
Tears welled up in Chloe's eyes. She let out a ragged breath, her grip on her laptop finally loosening. "Why are you doing this for me? You don't even know me."
"Because once, a very long time ago, someone told me I would leave with nothing," Mara said softly, her voice steady and resolute. "I made a promise to myself that I would never let another woman be backed into that corner. Welcome to Aegis, Chloe."
