Chapter 4

The massive doors of the expo hall began to hum, preparing to open. Liam gestured for the crowd to part, creating a clear path for Sarah.

She held a piece of advanced tech in her hand, a powerful-looking device Liam didn't recognize. She looked down on everyone around her, her chin held high.

"Watch closely!" she declared. "Once I breach this security barrier, you'll all be bowing to my protégé!"

She aimed the device and fired a pulse of energy at the transparent security barrier. A loud boom echoed through the convention center. The energy wave was powerful, rippling across the barrier's surface, but the field held firm, not even flickering.

Sarah faltered, her confidence wavering for a fraction of a second. She tried again, then again, repeatedly striking the barrier with energy pulses. Each blast was met with the same immovable resistance. The barrier remained intact.

The attendees, who had been silenced by Liam, now began to murmur and mock her.

"Some high-tech gear she's got there. Completely useless!"

"Can we go in now? Some of us have actual projects to show."

Alex tugged on her arm, his bravado gone, his eyes welling up with tears. "Why isn't it working? Mentor, did Liam tamper with it? He's always hated me and doesn't want me to succeed. He said he would help you, but he's clearly sabotaging us!"

Under Alex' s frantic provocation, Sarah's gaze on Liam turned from frustration to icy fury. She angrily threw her useless device to the ground.

"I knew you wouldn't play fair!" she shrieked at him. "Help Alex, now! The CEO approved my project; even after all this, I can still get it launched. Alex has to get in!"

In front of thousands of people, she screamed at him, showing a complete disregard for his reputation and his new position. Liam just smiled faintly.

"The CEO appointed me to supervise the expo," he said calmly. "Helping you would be cheating. I wonder, would the other participants agree to that?"

Her face darkened with rage. She grabbed his arm and dragged him aside, her voice a low, furious hiss.

"Can't you see Alex is struggling? I've never done this before; I didn't know it would be so difficult!" She thought he was her key, her solution, and her attitude softened just a fraction. "You got this supervisory role to help me, didn't you? That has to be it. Come on, tell me what to do."

Liam sneered, staring directly at her. "Didn't you just confidently say you could launch ten companies if you wanted to?"

She frowned, her annoyance growing. Then, her eyes darted down and fixed on the supervisor's badge on his belt. With a sudden movement, she snatched it from him.

"This badge is from the CEO," she said, a wild look in her eyes. "With this, no one can stop me and Alex, right? If the CEO blames you, I'll just say I found it. This is your fault for not helping me!"