Chapter 4
1070words
He would never passively watch while Karen and I strengthened our alliance, especially with Iron Dome Defense approaching a pivotal moment.
News of the military's open bid for the "Border Security System" project hit the Vanden family like a bombshell, sending shockwaves through our ranks.
The project wasn't just financially massive—it represented unprecedented military partnership opportunities. Whoever secured it would gain decisive leverage in the family's power structure.
In my previous life, Samuel had won this contract through external financing, undercutting competitors and delivering technically flawed solutions. The resulting failures had tarnished the Vanden name while allowing Samuel to funnel resources to his personal ventures, gutting the family business. Karen, despite superior technology, had been sabotaged and resource-starved by Samuel, barely getting a chance to compete.
This time around, history would not repeat itself.
"How's the Iron Dome proposal progressing?" I asked Karen through our encrypted channel, hearing the faint hum of lab equipment in the background.
"Prototype optimization is complete. Simulation results are excellent." His voice remained steady, but I caught the subtle undercurrent of excitement—the researcher's thrill of breakthrough. "But Samuel—"
"I'll handle Samuel," I cut in firmly. "Just make sure your system demonstrates overwhelming superiority at the demonstration. And the data backups—are they secure and physically isolated?"
"Yes. Multiple redundancies and air-gapped backups for all core data and designs, as you suggested." He paused. "You think he'll target our technical assets?"
"It's not a suspicion—it's a certainty," I replied coldly. "When Samuel can't win fairly, he cheats. Focus on your tech. I'll handle the politics."
I hung up and sprang into action.
My previous life's memories revealed the fatal flaws in Samuel's seemingly perfect proposal—to cut costs and impress certain reviewers, he'd implemented an unstable algorithm and used substandard sensors with high failure rates.
These defects could be masked during controlled demonstrations but would catastrophically fail in real-world deployment.
Rather than exposing this directly and alerting Samuel, I worked through Marcus Lee and other allies with deep industry connections to reach out to respected retired experts and senior engineers with no ties to Samuel.
Through their networks, I circulated an anonymous technical analysis highlighting the potential catastrophic failures in Samuel's approach, ensuring it reached key members of the bid committee.
The report named no names but provided such precise technical critiques that it planted serious doubts in the minds of the military's exacting reviewers.
Simultaneously, I leveraged every media and PR contact at my disposal to subtly position Iron Dome Defense as the undisputed leader in UAV security technology throughout tech and financial circles.
The day of the bid presentation arrived with palpable tension filling the air.
The massive demonstration hall was packed with military brass, industry experts, and Vanden family leadership. Grandfather presided from the head table, his expression inscrutable.
Samuel strutted in wearing an impeccably tailored suit, confidence oozing from his practiced smile. His presentation team was slick, their pitch polished and persuasive, hammering home the low cost and supposed value proposition.
When Karen's turn came, he approached in his simple dark workwear, accompanied by just a handful of key engineers.
He used no flashy rhetoric—just calmly outlined Iron Dome's design philosophy and technical specifications before launching straight into the demonstration.
The sleek silver-gray drone shot upward like a hunting falcon, navigating the holographically simulated border terrain with breathtaking precision.
Crystal-clear real-time footage, millisecond target acquisition, adaptive tactical evasion, exceptional battery life, and military-grade signal security—each capability highlighting exactly where Samuel's solution fell short.
When the simulation shifted to extreme weather and electromagnetic interference scenarios, Samuel's drones suffered obvious lag and control failures while Iron Dome performed flawlessly.
The data spoke for itself.
As Karen presented certification after certification from respected independent testing authorities, the military experts exchanged knowing glances and approving nods.
Every vulnerability highlighted in my anonymous report was thrown into stark relief by Iron Dome's flawless performance.
When the announcement came that Iron Dome Defense had won the contract, a stunned silence fell over the room before erupting into murmurs.
Samuel's smile froze on his face, his hand beneath the table clenched into a white-knuckled fist.
The look he shot Karen contained such naked hatred it could have burned through steel.
Karen maintained his characteristic composure, acknowledging me with just the slightest nod.
This wasn't merely winning a contract—it was demonstrating to the entire family, especially Grandfather, Karen's true value and the superiority of his technological vision.
As Karen's star ascended, Samuel's carefully cultivated image showed its first irreparable cracks.
Samuel's retaliation came faster and more viciously than even I had anticipated.
Barely a week after the bid, Karen discovered several key Iron Dome research accounts frozen under the pretext of "corporate financial restructuring."
Simultaneously, two of his key engineers received extraordinarily generous offers from Samuel's shell companies—along with thinly veiled threats against their families.
"I'll unfreeze the accounts," I assured Karen, hearing the controlled rage in his voice. "As for those engineers—I've already moved their families to our Swiss estate under the cover of a 'corporate retreat.' They're perfectly safe. And I have something that might help solidify your team's loyalty."
One of my moles in Samuel's inner circle had risked everything to record Samuel explicitly discussing how to poach or intimidate Iron Dome's key personnel.
When Karen played this recording for his core team, the wavering engineers were horrified and outraged. Not only did they immediately reject Samuel's offers, but team solidarity actually strengthened beyond what money could buy.
"He's desperate now—a cornered animal," Karen said grimly, sounding tired but resolute. "Ella, we can't keep playing defense. We need to strike back."
"I know." I watched the city lights below the Vanden tower, my resolve hardening. "It's time to prepare our endgame. We need to accelerate our investigation into Samuel's financial crimes and your mother's murder."
A weighted silence hung between us before Karen responded, his voice low and determined: "Agreed. About my mother's accident… I've uncovered new leads."
After hanging up, I felt time pressing down on us like never before.
With each defeat, Samuel would only grow more desperate and dangerous. We needed to finish this before he escalated to something truly unforgivable.
Our family power struggle had reached its critical point—the moment when everything would be decided.
