Chapter 2

Ava stood by her car, the sun warming her face. The voice on the phone, Noah Hayes, waited patiently for her response. In her first life, she never had any contact with him. He was just a name, a rival Liam frequently cursed.

Her first instinct, born from the raw trauma of her recent... memory, was to say no. To cut ties with everyone connected to that world.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hayes," she said, her voice firm. "I'm not taking on new projects at this time."

She couldn't risk it. She didn't know the details of his situation, only that it was linked to Liam's. The pain of betrayal was too fresh, the memory of the system overload too visceral. She needed to stay away.

"I understand," Noah said, without any hint of pressure. "If you change your mind, my offer stands. I believe my case is... different from Thorne's."

He hung up, leaving Ava with a sense of unease. Different how? She pushed the thought away and drove off, determined to build a new life, a quiet life, far away from the Thornes and their drama.

A week later, an invitation arrived. It was for a major tech gala, an annual event where the industry's biggest players gathered to preen and posture. Normally, the reclusive Ava would have thrown it away without a second thought. But this year, two names on the host committee caught her eye: Thorne Industries and Hayes Innovations.

She had to go. She told herself it was just to observe. To see the consequences of her decision playing out. To confirm that she had done the right thing by walking away.

The gala was a sea of glittering gowns and sharp tuxedos. Ava, dressed in a simple but elegant black dress, stayed on the periphery, a ghost watching a play she had rewritten. She saw Mrs. Thorne moving through the crowd, her smile tight, her eyes constantly scanning the room. When their gazes met for a fleeting second, Ava saw a flicker of desperation in the older woman's eyes, a silent plea. Mrs. Thorne clearly hadn't given up hope that Ava might change her mind. Ava gave a slight, polite nod and turned away.

Then she saw them.

Liam Thorne was near the center of the ballroom, his high-tech wheelchair a dark island in the vibrant crowd. And by his side, her hand possessively on his shoulder, was Chloe Davies. She was beautiful, with fiery red hair and a confident smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She was basking in the attention, playing the part of the devoted partner.

"Don't you worry, my love," Chloe's voice carried across the room as she leaned down to kiss Liam's cheek. "My groundbreaking AI, 'Prometheus,' is nearly complete. It won't just repair your system, it will make it better than ever. Soon, you'll be walking again, and we'll show everyone what a real empire looks like."

Her words were for Liam, but her eyes scanned the crowd, daring anyone to challenge her.

A respected neuro-technician, Dr. Alistair Finch, who was standing nearby, cleared his throat. "Miss Davies, with all due respect, integrating a developmental AI into a critically unstable neural interface... it's incredibly risky. The potential for cascading failure is immense."

Chloe laughed, a sharp, dismissive sound.

"Dr. Finch, your caution is why you're a tenured professor and not a billionaire innovator," she said, her tone dripping with condescension. "You see risks. Liam and I see the future. And as for the so-called genius Ava Reed," she said, her voice growing louder, projecting for effect, "I heard she took one look at Liam's case and ran away scared. Some miracle worker. She probably couldn't even fix a broken toaster."

A few people chuckled nervously. Ava, standing partially hidden behind a large floral arrangement, felt a cold calm settle over her. She watched Chloe preen, enjoying her moment. The fool. Chloe had no idea what she was playing with. She thought she was a master of technology, but she was just a child with a bomb.

Chloe' s eyes then landed directly on Ava. A malicious smirk spread across her face. She had seen her.

"Well, well, speak of the devil," Chloe said, her voice syrupy sweet. "Miss Reed. I'm surprised to see you out. I thought you'd be hiding in your lab, counting your failures."

The murmur in the room died down. All eyes turned to Ava.

Liam looked over, his expression a mixture of contempt and anger.

"Ava," he sneered. "Still peddling your snake oil? Or did you finally admit you're a fraud? Chloe is the real genius here. Her love for me fuels her innovation. Something a cold, calculating machine like you would never understand." He then looked back at Chloe with a look of adoration. "She will fix me. She is my future."

Ava wanted to leave. This was exactly the kind of drama she had hoped to avoid. But as she turned to walk away, Chloe's voice stopped her.

"Leaving so soon? I know! Let's make things interesting."

Chloe's eyes glittered with a nasty light.

"Let's have a little wager, shall we? A bet. My Prometheus AI against your... whatever it is you do. I will have Liam walking in one month. And when I do," she paused for dramatic effect, "you will get on your knees, right here, in front of everyone, and declare that I, Chloe Davies, am the greatest tech mind of our generation, and that you are nothing but a washed-up hack."

The room was silent, thick with tension. It was a brutal, humiliating challenge. And Chloe had thrown the gauntlet down in the most public way possible.