SWNOVELXO Chapter 133: Betrayal on the ‘Horizon’
Later that evening, Evan Kimura slouched at the cluttered desk, eyes glued to a laptop screen. Lila Torres sat across, her braided hair loose from a long day, typing furiously on a secondhand keyboard, refining NeuraNest's neural net code.
The room felt smaller today, tension coiling beneath the surface like a wire about to snap.
"How's it going?" Evan asked her.
Lila exhaled tiredly. "It just feels like every time I get rid of one coding web, the spider creates a new one."
"Don't worry, you'll get it done. You always do. Just try to do it before tomorrow."
His laptop suddenly pinged, and he saw a new email flashing. He glanced at Lila, then angled the screen away, his jaw tightening as he read:
'From: Ryan Anders, Horizon Strategies and Investments. Subject: Opportunity for NeuraNest.'
The message was crisp, saying that Horizon Strategies had "re-reviewed" their demo, and was impressed by their "vision.'
Now, they were offering $200,000 to secure them as investors, with terms to discuss in person. Evan's pulse quickened.
$200,000! That was $140,000 more than what that prideful bastard, Darren Steele, was offering.
His heart began to pound with excitement. He closed the laptop with a snap, avoiding Lila's curious glance.
"Something up?" she asked, her voice tired but sharp, fingers pausing mid-code.
"Nah," Evan said quickly, forcing a grin. "Just spam. You know, scams and crap."
Lila frowned, her eyes lingering, but she shrugged and turned back to her screen.
Evan continued to think. This was $200,000 that was on the line here, and besides Horizon's name carried weight compared to Darren's company that he'd barely ever heard of until yesterday.
He took a peek at Lila.
She would never go for it; she'd cling to Steele, because that's how she was, all about loyalty and stubborn dreams.
But that was stupid to Evan. There was nothing that mattered more than getting the most cash out of this. All he saw now were dollar signs, and a ticket out of this damned basement.
He opened the laptop and sent a reply—'Happy to meet. Name the place.'
Then he looked at Lila again. His throat dry with guilt.
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That evening, Evan pushed through the glass door of a modest LA diner with checkered floors and neon signs buzzing over booths.
The smell of fries and cheap coffee hit him as he spotted Ryan Anders and Tamara Johnstone in a corner, their polished presence jarring against the vinyl seats.
He recognized them both as this was not his first time meeting them. Also, they were very popular and business TV.
Evan slid into the booth, his hands jittery, his plain shirt clashing with their polished attires. "Uh, Mr. Anders, Ms. Johnstone," he stammered, a nervous grin breaking through. "Didn't expect a place like this. Thought it'd be, y'know, fancier."
Anders' lips curved to a condescending smile. "Fancy's for closers, Evan," he said, voice smooth, reserved, every word calculated. "We're here to talk potential. Your demo caught our eye— again."
Tamara leaned forward, voice warm and clipped. "You came alone."
"Y-yes." Evan answered uneasily. "Lila is unfortunately no longer part of NeuraNest. She had to focus on her sick father."
Tamara narrowed her eyes. "I see. Well, your software is remarkable, Evan. Truly. You're the visionary behind it, aren't you? Turning neural nets into something… accessible. That's a brilliant idea."
Evan's chest puffed, greed overriding nerves. "Yeah, that's me," he lied, voice too loud. "I mean, Lila's great with code, but the big picture? That's my thing. Built it from scratch."
Anders' eyes flicked to Tamara, a shared glance of predators smelling weakness. "Impressive," he said, sipping his whisky. "We might have been blind to it before, but I assure you, Horizon sees value in visionaries. We're prepared to offer $200,000 for exclusive investment rights to NeuraNest. We'll have shares to your code, your brand. Plus 20% equity in our version, backed by our capital. You'd be a partner, not a grunt."
Evan's jaw dropped, his fingers twitching. "Two hundred grand? So you were being serious? That's… whoa. I mean, yeah, I'm in."
Anders leaned closer, voice dropping, cunning threading every syllable. "Good. Deliver the code by Friday. It should be the full package, no delays. We'll go through it and handle the rest. Then we'll tell you where to go from there."
Evan nodded, awestruck. "Friday's perfect," he said, voice shaky but greedy. "You got a deal."
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Later, after Evan had left, Anders and Ryan remained, sharing a drink.
Anders raised a glass to Tamara, the city's lights glinting off his whisky. "To NeuraNest," he said, his proud smirk unshakable. "I think trademarking it will be an ironclad idea. That way, Steele will have no way of claiming Investor's Right."
Tamara swirled her wine, her sharp features tense despite the victory. "All these bold ideas, Ryan," she said, concise, her feminine lilt masking worry. "You should know my board's watching every move. If this flops, I'm done as CEO — interim or not."
Anders' eyes gleamed as he gazed at her from head to toe, admiring her feminine beauty, the way her brown cashmere gown hugged her body. "There's nothing to worry about, Tamara. It won't flop. I can already tell that Evan's a greedy pup. He'll hand us the keys."
He leaned closer, his hand brushing hers, voice lowering. "And besides, if it's the CEO position you want so badly, you know... My backing's your anchor. This win could lock your chair— but letting me vie for you, will certainly give you an edge."
Tamara gave him a side glance and chucked, mocking, and at the same time, polite and classy.
She took his hand off hers. "I know all about your escapades with women, Ryan. You could get any woman in the world but you keep going after those you deem a difficult catch. Am I a difficult catch, Ryan?"
He smiled at her. "You should know."
Tamara sighed. "Let's keep it professional, Ryan," she said, her tone soft but final. "The deal's enough for now."
Anders chuckled, unfazed, raising his glass again. "As you wish, darling. To crushing Steele, then."
She clinked his glass, her unease buried under ambition, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of doubt.
---
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the Steele Complex's glass dome, bathing Darren's office in a warm glow. He stood by his desk, tie loose, his charcoal suit jacket draped over a chair.
Lila sat across, clutching a written memo of NeuraNest as agreed. Amelia hovered nearby, reviewing terms in the contract. The room was quiet, save for the faint hum of air conditioning.
"Evan didn't come with you?" Darren asked, noticing the boy's absence.
Lila shifted, her hands twisting. "Yeah, he's under the weather," she said, avoiding his gaze. "Said I could handle it. I've got his proxy."
Darren's brow arched, unconvinced, his dark eyes boring into her. "Proxy, huh? Lila, can you be honest with me?"
She flinched a bit, hugging the file in her hand. "Huh? Honest."
"Yes, honest." Darren said, leaning in. Amelia watched.
"This software — NeuraNest — it's yours, isn't it? Not Evan's. You're the one bleeding for it."
Her lips parted, caught, but loyalty held her tongue. "No, I mean... Evan helped," she said, voice small. "He bought our first server, pitched with me. It's… both of us."
Darren leaned closer, softening his tone a bit but keeping it firm. "Helping doesn't mean it's yours. You saw the way he spoke yesterday, he made it all seem like it was his idea. Why do you just allow that? I've seen your code, you're very talented and you don't owe him your spotlight."
Lila's eyes glistened, her jaw tight. "He's my friend," she whispered. "I can't just… out him."
Darren exhaled, straightening, respecting her grit even if it frustrated him. "Fair enough," he said, sliding the contract to her. "Sign it. Let's make this real."
She scrawled her name, then Evan's proxy, her hand steady despite the weight. Darren looked at Amelia and she handed Lila the rest of the deal: $35,000.
"Now that's over," Darren began. "You need to get to work. But first—" He pulled a folded receipt from his pocket, sliding it across. "Your dad's medical bills. Paid in full, $5,000, as of this morning."
Lila froze, staring at the receipt, her breath hitching. "You… what?"
Darren's voice was low, earnest. "You're my ally now, Lila. I take care of mine. If you want, I can send a team to move him to Holloway Medicals. All his medical care will be free there, as long as you're with me."
Lila was shocked. Her eyes welled, a tear spilling as she clutched the paper. "I… " she choked out, voice breaking. "Hey, can I hug you?"
Darren paused, taken aback by the request. He glanced at Amelia who smiled and nodded her head. "Alright."
Slump!
Lila instantly engulfed him in a tight hug. "Thank you so much! Thank you!"
"It's ugh— fine."
When she let go of Darren, he looked down at her, gaze intense.
"Listen. I'm only your business partner but you should know that life is going to be different for you now. You should start to stand up for what's yours."
He narrowed his eyes at her like a strict uncle. "Always. No one else gets to claim your work. Got it?"
She nodded, wiping her cheek. "Got it."
"Good. Go code. I'll see you tomorrow."
Lila stood, clutching the receipt like a lifeline, and left, her steps lighter despite the basement waiting.
With a cold expression on his face, Darren watched her go, multiple thoughts brewing inside his mind.
Amelia stepped closer. "What are you thinking, sir?"
Darren remained still. "I don't know, Amy," he replied with a heavy voice. "But there's something going on here."