I didn’t cry. I just kept picking up pages, one by one, until I found the last sheet — the cover letter with my real signature on the source code. I slid it into my cardigan pocket and walked to the back wall. Diane smirked. “Oh honey, you can go. We’ve got it from here.” Trevor added, “Yeah, grab us some coffees on the way out, sweetheart, three sugars.” The room laughed. Then the glass doors hissed open. A tall woman in a charcoal suit walked in, followed by two men in earpieces and the head of legal carrying a sealed folder. The laughter died in one breath. The woman didn’t look at Diane. She didn’t look at Trevor. She walked straight past the CEO, past the projector still glowing with Diane’s stolen slide, and stopped in front of me. She held out her hand. “Ms. Chen. We’re ready for the founder’s signature on the acquisition. The board is waiting downstairs.” Diane’s face went white. Trevor’s mouth opened and no sound came out. The CEO stood up so fast his chair rolled backward into the wall. I took the pen. The woman turned to the projector, tapped the screen where Diane’s name sat above MY code, and said quietly, “Legal will want this preserved. Every version. Every timestamp.” Trevor tried to laugh. “Wait — she’s — she’s the junior analyst —” The woman finally looked at him. “She’s the majority shareholder of the company that just bought yours. As of nine minutes ago, she signs your paychecks. Or doesn’t.” Diane lunged for the laptop to close the slide. Security stepped between her and the desk. I picked up the last sheet of paper off the floor — the one with my signature — and placed it gently on the table in front of Trevor. “You dropped this,” I said. “Pick it up.”
