Velvet chains

Chapter7

The Second Betrayal

The morning after hit Zara like a ton of bricks. She walked into her room expecting to find some peace, but her phone was buzzing non-stop. Notifications piled up, each one more frantic than the last. Emails, missed calls, and an urgent flagged message from her legal team that screamed for her attention.

With shaking hands, she opened it. NDA Breach. Internal Leak.

Her heart sank.

As she scrolled down, her heartbeat quickened. A confidential pitch deck from Adeyemi Innovations was out there for the world to see. Not just any pitch deck, but her pitch deck—the one that detailed her groundbreaking AI-powered energy solution aimed at rural communities in Nigeria. This was not just a project. It was the culmination of years of hard work, countless nights spent coding and perfecting her design. It was supposed to be her legacy.

And now it was out in the open.

Without thinking twice, she darted out of her room and nearly ran into Damian in the hallway.

“What happened?” he asked, grabbing her arm to steady her.

“My pitch deck was leaked,” she managed between clenched teeth.

His expression shifted from confusion to shock. “Tari did it again?”

“No! This wasn’t him,” she shot back, her voice tense. She hurried into the study, her mind racing, trying to connect the dots as she moved. “Tari didn’t even have access to that file. Only a few trusted people did.”

Damian was already at his laptop, typing furiously, a look of concern etched on his face. “Could it be an outside hack?”

“No.” Her reply was instant, but it came out softer this time. “It didn’t come from outside.”

Panic began to creep into her chest. She replayed the events from the previous night in her head, and the truth whooshed over her like a wave.

Amara. Her best friend. The one who had been by her side through thick and thin, pulling all-nighters, crunching the numbers that fueled their startup, and always cheering her on before major pitches. Amara had even been in her room just last night, claiming she was backing everything up, saying she would keep things safe.

And somehow, Zara had trusted her.

The impact of this betrayal was worse than anything Tari had ever done. This pain cut deeper than Damian leaving her years ago. This time, the knife was plunged in by someone she considered family, someone who knew her inside and out.

Zara sank down into a chair, feeling almost like she collapsed into it instead of sitting. She blinked rapidly, fighting off the tears that threatened to spill.

“She knew how important this was to me,” Zara whispered, her voice trembling. “She knew.”

Damian stayed quiet, arms crossed, his jaw set. He wasn’t there to fix it. He was simply there, standing beside her, sharing the weight of the moment.

After a heavy pause, he spoke up. “We’ll handle it. Together.”

But she shook her head firmly. “No. There’s no way to fix betrayal. All we can do is survive it.”

Two hours later, she was in a secure video call with her legal team, her demeanor shifting back to that of a fierce leader. Her eyes sharp, her voice steady, she faced the situation head-on.

“One of the options is to file a takedown request,” one of the lawyers explained. “But let’s be honest, the damage is done now. The patent might be compromised. We can’t reverse what’s already out there.”

“Investors are getting skittish,” another lawyer added. “We’ve already received three anxious calls in the last hour alone.”

Zara stood her ground, refusing to be intimidated. “Then we shift. We build something new. Something better. And we do it publicly. Quickly. Loudly.”

Damian glanced at her, clearly impressed. “That’s a bold move.”

As she gathered her notes, her voice dropped to a confident, determined tone. “If they want to question my worth, they’ll see it through the code, the rollout, and our results. I don’t need Amara, or anyone else who doesn’t see me as the powerhouse behind this company.”

He watched her transform back into that fierce version of herself, sitting straight with a fiery resolve. And for the first time in a long while, he didn’t feel like she needed him.

She seemed capable enough on her own.

Later that night, he found her in the library, the room a mess of blueprints and scribbled notes scattered all over the place. She was curled up on the leather couch, lost in her work, her focus fierce as she scribbled down ideas.

After a bit of silence, he broke it. “You know, I always thought I left because I didn’t want to let you down.”

Zara glanced up but didn’t say anything.

“But now,” he continued, taking a breath, “I think I left because I was scared of who you'd turn into without me.”

Her pen paused, and she locked

eyes with him. “Good,” she replied flatly. “You should be scared.”