Chapter 2

I was waiting for HR to finish my paperwork, but Chloe demanded that I conduct a full handover first.

She insisted I wait for Dexter to arrive, claiming he was an elite tech expert from Silicon Valley.

By now, the entire office was buzzing with drama.

Watching Chloe act so entitled, everyone was whispering behind her back.

If this were the past, I would have stepped in to quiet the rumors and defend her.

Now, I did not give a damn.

I was on my way out anyway, and whatever happened here was no longer my problem.

The worse Chloe's company looked, the easier it would be for my new venture to thrive.

While I was wrapping up my resignation, I was already plotting my own startup.

I did not have much capital yet, but with my memories from the future, I knew every single tech trend and market wave that was about to hit.

In this industry, exclusive information was the ultimate weapon, and I already had all the right connections.

Chloe and I had built this business from nothing, but while she merely issued orders from her corner office, I was the one working the trenches.

I had personally prospected every major client, negotiated the deals, and overseen every single line of code from inception to deployment.

Because of that, I had zero fear about my future prospects.

Even if Chloe tried to blacklist me again, she would soon realize she did not have the power to stop me.

Just as I finished printing the handover documents, loud shouting erupted from the main bullpen outside.

I walked out to see what was going on.

My entire development team was red in the face, furiously arguing with a young guy in an overpriced designer suit.

"What's the issue here?" I asked, stepping between them.

"Lucas, this clown claims our testing algorithms are all wrong!" one of my senior devs yelled. "He forced his own buggy script into the server, and the moment he ran it, the entire system crashed!"

"Look at the monitor! It's completely infected with malicious bugs! What kind of Chief Technology Officer does that? He's clearly here to sabotage us!"

I looked at the arrogant young man standing there with his chest puffed out, dripping with luxury brands from head to toe.

It was Dexter Hayes.

Dexter flushed with embarrassment and anger.

"What the hell do you code monkeys know? This is the most advanced architecture from top-tier foreign labs! The system will reboot in a minute, so shut your mouths if you don't understand real innovation!"

"Furthermore, your CEO hired me with a massive salary to be your Vice President! You'd better show some damn respect!"

"If anyone steps out of line again, pack your crap and get the hell out of my building!"

At his threat, the room fell dead silent.

I suppressed a grin and stepped forward.

"He's completely right, everyone. Ms. Crawford spent top dollar recruiting Dexter from elite overseas circles. You all should humble yourselves and learn from our new VP."

Hearing my words, Dexter raised his chin triumphantly, shooting an arrogant glare at the entire room.

"Did you hear that? Even Lucas admits it! Let me tell you, I'm usually a very chill and open-minded guy."

"However, I have zero tolerance for insubordination. If you don't follow my rules, you're fired on the spot, and Chloe will back me up one hundred percent!"

I gave a subtle nod toward my team, catching their furious, defiant expressions, and gave them a discreet look to calm down.

"Alright, everyone, today is Mr. Hayes's first day. Let's give him a warm welcome!"

With that, I started clapping.

A few scattered, reluctant claps echoed through the room, dripping with contempt.

This was only the beginning.

As the lead architect, my technical prowess was unmatched, and I had already earned a solid reputation across the local tech sector.

If I were not that good, Chloe would never have spent years manipulating me into doing all her heavy lifting.

My authority in this company was built on sheer, undeniable technical dominance.

The team respected me because every skill I had was forged through relentless problem-solving.

Whenever a project hit a wall, I was the one who fixed it.

What did Dexter have?

Nothing but daddy's trust fund and an unearned ego.