Chapter 142
Curtis was still in a daze after hanging up the phone, absently glancing toward Victoria’s office.
Could it have been Victoria?
Inside Victoria’s office, Ailie was gossiping away when Curtis’s assistant appeared at the door.
“Ms. Ailie, Mr. Garcia would like to see you.”
Victoria was more than happy to have Ailie whisked away-she’d been hoping for some peace to get back to work.
“What does he want with me?” Ailie asked, casting Victoria a conspiratorial look. “Hey, do you think he wants me to talk you into something? Don’t give in unless he offers you a cut of the money.”
Victoria, already nursing a headache, waved her off. “Just go, will you?”
Ailie practically skipped out of the office, grinning. When she reached Curtis, he looked at her with a complicated expression.
“So, Mr. Garcia, what’s on your mind?”
Ailie was ready, striking a pose that all but said, “Come on, beg me.”
Curtis frowned. “What’s really going on between Victoria and her husband?”
Ailie’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
“Wait, seriously? That’s what you called me over for?”
She’d expected him to ask her to put in a good word with Victoria, maybe persuade her to fix the code, sweeten the deal with a bonus or something-not this.
What game was Curtis playing?
“Ailie.” Curtis’s tone was grave.
Just the mention of McNeil had Ailie rolling her eyes in disgust.
“Relax. There’s absolutely zero chance of them patching things up. Honestly, it’s probably time for the divorce paperwork.”
That jerk McNeil was always playing the doting boyfriend with Violet-if she were Victoria, she’d have exposed those two cheaters ages ago.
Curtis stroked his chin, deep in thought.
“Is it possible Victoria wrote the program, used Quantum Core Technologies to launch it, then planned to sabotage the game so her husband would have to buy it back?”
Ailie blinked, totally lost. That sounded like some kind of long con.
She eyed Curtis warily. “Uh, Mr. Garcia, are you sure you’re not just overworked and imagining things?”
Victoria and McNeil teaming up to scam Quantum Core Technologies? In her opinion, it was more likely Violet and McNeil were in cahoots.
Ailie was confident in Victoria: “Mr. Garcia, really, you’re overthinking this. Victoria’s husband? Please. There’s no way those two are working together.”
She paused, then added helpfully, “But you’re right to be cautious. No harm in keeping your guard up-better safe than sorry.”
Curtis was frustrated. Two million dollars, for an app that was now essentially worthless—he wouldn’t pay even two thousand, let alone two million.
He suspected Victoria only because Quantum Core Technologies had invested exactly two million dollars in the game’s development; any other costs came later, out of McNeil’s pocket.
Only a handful of insiders knew this. Victoria, as the program’s developer, was one of them. If anyone stood to gain from reviving the game, it’d be her.
He couldn’t help doubting Victoria.
But he also couldn’t bring himself to confront her. Victoria had never benefited from the project; the company had stolen her work, and the official credit went to someone else.
Even if Victoria took the code and refused the two million, he’d have nothing to say.
Bottom line: if the competitor paid two million for the game, that meant Violet, whose name was on the project at the time, lost all rights to it.
From then on, no matter which company relaunched the game, neither Violet nor Quantum Core Technologies would have any claim.
Curtis didn’t take three days to mull it over-he figured everything out in just a few hours before calling his contact back.
“Alright, let’s handle this online and get the paperwork done.”
Only after arranging everything did Curtis finally head to Victoria’s office.
She was still working, so absorbed in her screen that she didn’t notice Curtis standing there.
“Victoria.”
Curtis cleared his throat, and only then did Victoria look up to see him.
“Mr. Garcia?”