Chapter 63 - The Shadow Investor
The evening before the Silicon Summit, an exclusive VIP gala was held at a modern art museum overlooking the glittering skyline of San Francisco. High-ranking executives, billionaire venture capitalists, tech founders, and international media personalities mingled beneath towering glass ceilings, sipping champagne and discussing the future of artificial intelligence.
Marcus stood near the edge of the grand hall, wearing a sharp, custom navy-blue tuxedo that Damian had insisted on purchasing for the occasion. Beside him stood Damian and Viktor, blending seamlessly into the affluent crowd while maintaining the absolute, unyielding posture of bodyguards who missed nothing.
A man in his late forties, wearing an immaculate designer suit and a charming, predatory smile, approached them with a crystal flute of sparkling water in hand. His silver-streaked hair and piercing blue eyes gave him an aura of sophisticated authority.
"Dr. Marcus Vance-Gomez, I presume," the man said smoothly, extending a manicured hand. "It is an absolute honor to finally meet the brilliant mind behind the foundation's decentralized AI architecture. I'm Julian Vance—no relation to your esteemed patron, of course—managing director of Apex Vanguard Capital."
Marcus froze for a fraction of a second, recognizing the name immediately from corporate intelligence briefs. Julian Vance was a notoriously aggressive venture capitalist known for hostile takeovers, patent theft, and aggressively strong-arming independent research labs into selling their intellectual property for pennies on the dollar.
Marcus kept his expression neutral, shaking the man's hand briefly. "Mr. Vance. I wasn't aware Apex Vanguard invested in non-profit philanthropic foundations."
"We invest in disruptive technology, Doctor," Julian replied, his smile remaining unnervingly fixed, though his eyes darted coldly toward Damian. "And your upcoming keynote presentation tomorrow morning outlines an algorithm that could completely revolutionize global energy distribution. Naturally, a technology of that magnitude shouldn't be locked away in a charitable foundation. It belongs in a commercial ecosystem. My firm is prepared to offer a blank check for exclusive proprietary rights to your source code."
Damian stepped forward smoothly, inserting himself directly into Julian’s personal space. The sheer, overwhelming aura of dangerous authority radiating from Damian made Julian instinctively take a half-step back.
"The boy's research is not for sale, Julian," Damian said, his voice dropping into a cold, lethal register that made the surrounding ambient noise seem to vanish entirely. "And if your firm attempts another unauthorized digital ping against our foundation's servers like you did this afternoon, you won't be negotiating contracts with lawyers. You'll be answering to federal investigators."
Julian’s charming facade cracked for a split second, revealing a flash of genuine panic before he quickly recovered his composure. He forced a tight, brittle smile, nodded stiffly, and turned away into the crowded room.
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As Julian melted into the shadows of the gala, Marcus let out a slow breath. "He knows about the algorithm. He’s planning something big for the summit tomorrow."
"Let him try," Damian murmured, his eyes tracking Julian's departure. "We're ready for him."
