“That Car Is Worthless” the CEO Said — Then a Single Dad Did the Impossible
Chapter 7
Aaron Blake was found two days later.
He was hiding in a motel nearly three hundred miles away.
When police brought him back, he asked to speak only with Victoria and Ethan.
Aaron looked terrified.
“I didn’t sabotage the prototype.”
Victoria sat across from him.
“Then why did you run?”
“Because they told me they’d kill me.”
“Who?”
Aaron swallowed.
“Graham Pierce.”
Victoria’s face went still.
She had suspected him.
Now she had confirmation.
Aaron continued.
“He’d been selling information to a private investment group.”
“Which one?”
“Northstar Capital.”
Ethan looked at Victoria.
Northstar was Sterling’s largest rival.
Aaron handed over a flash drive.
“They wanted the motor design.”
Victoria took it.
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because I have a family.”
Ethan understood immediately.
“What did Graham promise you?”
“Money.”
“How much?”
Aaron lowered his eyes.
“Two million dollars.”
Victoria stood.
“That’s not enough to destroy a company.”
Aaron looked up.
“He promised me more.”
“How much?”
“After Sterling collapsed.”
Silence.
Victoria’s jaw tightened.
Graham wasn’t just stealing technology.
He was planning to sabotage Sterling from the inside, drive down its stock price, then buy it cheaply.
The consequences could be catastrophic.
Victoria ordered an internal audit.
But Graham struck first.
That afternoon, the board received documents accusing Ethan of stealing proprietary technology before joining Sterling.
The accusation went public.
News headlines exploded.
MECHANIC TURNED ENGINEER ACCUSED OF CORPORATE THEFT
Investors panicked.
Victoria called Ethan into her office.
“Sit down.”
Ethan stayed standing.
“They’re lying.”
“I know.”
“Then why does everyone else believe them?”
“Because they have documents.”
Ethan looked at the files.
Some of the dates were real.
Some were forged.
But the story looked convincing.
Victoria stepped closer.
“I’m going to clear your name.”
Ethan shook his head.
“No.”
“What?”
“You shouldn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because the board already thinks I’m a liability.”
Victoria’s voice hardened.
“I don’t care what the board thinks.”
“You should.”
She stared at him.
Ethan continued.
“If this destroys your company, Lily and I will leave.”
Victoria’s expression changed.
“You’re giving up?”
“No.”
He placed a notebook on her desk.
“This is the original development journal.”
Victoria opened it.
Every experiment.
Every failure.
Every modification.
Every date.
Everything.
It proved Ethan had developed the technology long before Sterling ever knew him.
Victoria looked up.
“This clears you.”
“Maybe.”
“Then why do you look worried?”
“Because someone knew about my notebook.”
She froze.
“The stolen notebook?”
“Yes.”
“What’s missing?”
Ethan pointed.
“Only the pages documenting the control architecture.”
Victoria went silent.
That meant Graham didn’t need the entire system.
He already had the part he wanted.
The final piece was still inside Ethan’s head.
That night, Victoria received another message.
Give us the motor design, or Lily disappears.
She stared at the screen.
Then deleted the message.
She didn’t tell Ethan immediately.
Instead, she called security.
She doubled protection around Lily.
And for the first time in her life, Victoria made a decision that wasn’t about profits.
She was going to take Graham down.
No matter what it cost her.
