“Of course we’re going with VP Sophia!”

“Where Sophia goes, we go.”

Their replies were exactly what I expected.

After packing up, I went to hand Richard my resignation.

From the doorway, I overheard him speaking with Emily.

“What if Sophia really quits?” Emily asked.

“She won’t. I know she’s secretly in love with me. All I need to do is crook a finger, and she’ll willingly work herself to death for me.”

“But does she even have $9 million?”

“That’s her problem. She took $10 million from me last time—I’ll get it back.”

“You’re brilliant, Richard. I admire you so much.”

Their flirtatious whispers and moans made me nauseous.

I straightened my clothes and walked in.

They were half-dressed; Richard looked momentarily flustered.

“Richard, I’m here to resign. I won’t be coming in tomorrow.”

I slammed my resignation letter on his desk.

“The $9 million fine will be wired to the company account within a week.”

Without hesitation, I turned to leave.

“Wait, Sophia! Think this through!”

He grabbed my arm, disbelief written on his face.

“As soon as you pay, your Chief Engineer position is still yours.”

“No thanks. I’m not interested.”

I tore off my company badge and threw it on the floor.

“Then… how about just $5 million?”

“Are you really quitting over three ice creams and a fine?”

“Emily was only thinking of the company. We built this together—can you really abandon it?”

“Richard, don’t forget—I have a cousin who studied abroad, won plenty of awards. He can handle the projects Sophia worked on,” Emily cut in, eager to drive me out.

Richard loosened his grip on me.

“Really?”

“Of course, Richard. Don’t you trust me?” Emily cooed, draping herself against him.

I knew her so-called cousin well: a graduate of some third-rate overseas college, parading fake awards.

If he became Skyline’s Chief Engineer, the company was doomed.

As soon as I resigned, my employees came in one by one to hand over theirs.

Seeing his core team side with me, Richard exploded.

“So that’s it, Sophia? If I can’t have you, you’ll destroy me?”

“You’re taking away half my company—are you trying to bankrupt me?”

I shrugged. “They’re leaving of their own free will. Not my problem.”

“Why don’t you ask your precious Emily what she’s been doing since she arrived?”

“I… I did it all for the company!” Emily stammered.

“Oh really? Like fining people $200 for being one minute late, $300 for staying in the restroom over ten minutes, $500 for taking a private call?”

Other employees shouted in agreement:

“Exactly! With Emily here, working became unbearable. Even Richard wasn’t this cruel.”

“Get out, all of you!” Richard roared. “I was too soft before. You broke the rules—you should be punished! These days, with high salaries, I can always hire new people.”

I sneered inwardly. “We’ll see if you can really compete once I make my move.”

The next day, my team and I reported to Ethan Walker’s company.

Seeing us, he was stunned.

“Sophia Anderson, I thought you were joking. I can’t believe you actually brought me an entire team.”

“There’s more.”

I opened my laptop and showed him the new blockbuster product I had just developed.

“This product is yours now.”

His eyes lit up as he threw his arms around me.

“This is worth billions! Sophia, you’re like a genius. Has Richard Collins completely lost his mind to let you go?”

I pushed him away. “Nine million. As promised.”

“Easy.”

Within a minute, my account pinged with a $10 million deposit.

I transferred $9 million straight into Richard’s personal account.

From that moment, we were square.

“This is my highest courtesy to you. See? I’m far more generous than Richard will ever be.”

“Next month at the tech product launch conference, I guarantee this product will become the industry’s ultimate breakout.”

My eyes shone with confidence.

Richard, just wait and see how I defeat you.

The day of the conference arrived. As soon as I entered the exhibition hall, I ran into Richard and Emily Parker.

I hadn’t planned to acknowledge them, but Richard approached first.

“Sophia, so you’ve left me only to join my defeated rival? Impressive.”

“We’ll see who the real loser is once the product competition begins.”

“Richard, try not to take the loss too hard.”

Emily added smugly, “My cousin brought back a unique new design from overseas. Sophia, this time you don’t stand a chance.”

Little did they know, they were about to become the laughingstock of the entire hall.

During the product showcase, other companies revealed their innovations—several were quite strong, worthy competitors.

When it was Skyline Technologies’ turn, the entire audience held their breath.

For the past five years, Skyline’s new products had set the industry trend. Before the presentations even ended, investors would rush to secure deals.

“Sophia, even without you, Skyline remains an industry leader.”

“Oh really? Richard, let’s wait and see.”

Minutes passed, but instead of excitement, investors began scrolling on their phones, unimpressed.

Richard grew restless.

“Emily, this is your cousin’s design? Why aren’t they buying it?”

Half an hour later, murmurs spread through the crowd.

“Skyline’s product is underwhelming this year.”

“Isn’t this just a recycled overseas design? How did it get passed off as new?”

“Didn’t you hear? Their chief engineer, Sophia Anderson, left and joined a rival.”

“No wonder. Looks like Skyline’s days are numbered.”

Richard clenched his fists, barely holding back his rage, glaring daggers at Emily.

“And now, FusionTech Corp will present their product.”

“Sophia, don’t get cocky. I don’t believe you’ve built anything worthwhile since leaving me.”

The big screen lit up, showing a machine shaped like a cheetah leaping across the display.

The room erupted.

“Wait—that’s the cheetah drone we’ve struggled to develop for years!”

“Sophia is incredible. A true innovator!”