Chapter 3

A collective inhale swept through the convention hall. The schematic on the screen was not just a concept, it was a fully realized blueprint, complete with material specifications and quantum equations that made the top physicists in the audience feel like schoolchildren.

The venture capitalist who had won the bid was on his feet, his eyes wide with disbelief, his paddle shaking in his hand. "Is... is this real?"

Jake, the auctioneer, was a professional. He knew a fake from the real deal, and his gut, along with the stunned silence of the industry titans around him, told him this was very, very real. He quickly had his team run a verification.

"Authentication is complete," a voice announced over the hall' s speakers. "The design is original, unpublished, and theoretically sound. Its estimated market value is... incalculable."

The venture capitalist let out a whoop of pure joy. He had just made the score of a lifetime.

Mark' s face had turned a pasty white. "That' s impossible! Where did she get that? That' s Vance Corporation property! She must have stolen it!"

From the back of the hall, where Ava stood wreathed in shadows, her voice cut through the air, low and cold. "My daughter doesn' t steal."

She hadn' t moved, hadn' t raised her voice, but the statement hung in the air with the weight of absolute law. Every head turned towards her.

Ava' s heart was a knot of pain. Watching her daughter be forced into this desperate gamble was torture. Every fiber of her being screamed to storm the stage, to tear Mark limb from limb. But she held back. Lily needed this. After the humiliation, the betrayal, she needed to prove, on her own terms, that she was not a victim. She needed to win. Ava would let her have this victory, this moment of reclamation. She would be the silent guardian, the safety net, but the triumph had to be Lily' s.

Mark, however, was not ready to concede. He recovered quickly, his manipulative mind spinning a new narrative.

"She' s a thief!" he shouted, pointing a trembling finger at Lily. "That design was developed in a Vance lab, using Vance resources! She' s trying to pass off our corporate assets as her own!"

He turned to the winning bidder. "That schematic belongs to me! If you try to use it, my lawyers will bury you!"

The venture capitalist' s face fell. He looked from Mark' s furious expression to Lily' s calm defiance.

Before Jake could intervene, Ava' s voice came again from the shadows, still quiet, yet carrying an unmistakable authority.

"The rules of the auction were set. A bid was made and accepted. A prize was offered and authenticated. The transaction is complete. Mr. Auctioneer, enforce the rules."

Jake flinched. He didn't know who this woman was, but the power in her voice was absolute. He also had a professional reputation to maintain. He felt a surge of integrity, or perhaps it was just fear of the woman in the back.

"Mr. Vance, the terms were clear and public," Jake said, his voice firm. "The bid was for a creation from Lily Thorne, not from the Vance Corporation. The creation has been presented and verified. The transaction stands."

He nodded to the venture capitalist. "Congratulations, sir. The schematic is yours. As per the agreement, you now have the right to remove the first restraint."

The man, emboldened, grinned and strode towards the stage. Mark' s security guards moved to block him, but a sharp look from Jake, who was now terrified of the mysterious woman' s disapproval, made them hesitate. The man walked past them, approached Lily, and with a flourish, touched the glowing cuff on her right wrist. It hissed and deactivated, falling away.

One arm was free.

Lily flexed her fingers, a small, triumphant smile playing on her lips. She looked at Mark, her eyes holding his. "One down, Mark. What' s next?"

The crowd was buzzing, the energy in the room completely transformed. They were no longer watching a public execution, they were witnessing a legendary comeback.

"Second round!" Jake bellowed, fully embracing the spectacle. "The prize is the removal of the left restraint! The price, another secret creation from the mind of Lily Thorne! Who will bid?"

This time, hands shot up all over the room. The initial skepticism had vanished, replaced by a frenzied greed.

"I will!" shouted a tech CEO from Japan.

"I' ll double whatever he' s offering in principle!" screamed a Silicon Valley mogul.

The bidding wasn' t about money, but the intensity was the same. It was a battle of wills, a contest for a piece of the future.

Finally, a powerful European industrialist won the second round. All eyes turned to Lily.

Mark watched, his jaw clenched so tight a muscle pulsed in his cheek. This wasn' t happening. She was supposed to be broken, finished.

Lily closed her eyes again. "System, execute Protocol Phoenix. Release asset two."

A new image replaced the quantum encryption key on the main screen. It was a bio-mechanical interface, a neural link that allowed for seamless, instantaneous data transfer between the human brain and a machine. It was another world-changing invention, something out of science fiction made real.

Once again, the hall was stunned into silence.

The verification team confirmed its authenticity. It was real.

The European industrialist looked like he had won the lottery. He approached the stage, a look of awe on his face as he undid the restraint on Lily' s left wrist.

Two down.

Lily now sat in the chair unbound, her hands resting in her lap. She looked small and fragile on the large stage, yet she radiated an aura of immense power.

She had turned her own public crucifixion into a showcase of her genius.