She nodded, stood, and disappeared into the rain.
I remained inside the booth.
The financial documents proved Shirley’s involvement.
The honeypot logs proved Colin’s attempted intrusion.
The audio established their intent.
I tightly held the phone containing the final piece of evidence.
Exactly 48 hours remained before the largest technology launch event on the West Coast.
The planned smear campaign began exactly as expected.
Anonymous posts flooded Seattle’s prominent technology forums, claiming that my machine-learning algorithm had been stolen.
Small industry websites published damaging, unverified rumors.
They alleged that I had exploited a younger, gifted developer and falsely presented his intellectual property as my own.
My phone vibrated continuously.
Concerned investors.
Confused board members.
Reporters demanding answers.
I instructed my public-relations staff to release no statements and reject every interview request.
I ignored the escalating emails.
I maintained complete silence and allowed Colin and Shirley to build their false public narrative as high as possible.
Inside Vera’s secure conference room, everything was strictly operational.
She stood at a long mahogany table and compiled the physical evidence against them.
She assembled a large, carefully indexed legal binder.
Every item was organized to support its authenticity and admissibility.
The first section contained verified network records from Kurt’s decoy server, documenting Colin’s unauthorized access and data extraction.
The second contained financial evidence connecting the cameras to Shirley’s credit card.
The third held a certified transcript of the recording establishing their plan to manipulate the legal system and extort control of my company.
The final and largest section contained my complete four-year source-code history, including verified timestamps proving my original authorship.
Vera closed the binder and explained our next steps.
She said the matter wouldn’t immediately begin with a large federal investigation because those proceedings could require extensive review and formal processes.
We needed an immediate law-enforcement response within the two-day window.
Vera contacted the Seattle Police Department’s cybercrime investigators and the county prosecutor’s office.
Using her professional network, she secured an emergency private meeting with the lead investigators.
She submitted a detailed report describing the unauthorized computer access, privacy violations, and ongoing intellectual-property theft.
The verified technical evidence allowed local investigators to establish jurisdiction and begin preparing legal action.
The authorities quietly coordinated a plan for the launch event.
We spent the remaining hours reviewing the technical presentation.
Vera transferred a read-only forensic copy of the evidence to a bonded multimedia company.
She coordinated with the venue’s lead audiovisual technician.
The main projection system would accept the encrypted presentation when I gave a specific physical signal.
There would be no damaged files.
No technical failures.
Everything followed a precise sequence.
At the same time, Vera finalized civil filings designed to freeze financial assets when investigators acted.
I returned home late that evening.
The hidden cameras continued transmitting Kurt’s prerecorded footage.
I entered the bedroom and placed a duplicate evidence binder on the dresser.