He shifted uncomfortably.
“Your mother might have mentioned you had offices here. I thought, given our history—”
“Given our history,” I cut in, “you should remember that I don’t appreciate people who underestimate me.”
“I never—”
“You said, and I quote, ‘Tech is a man’s world, darling. Stick to consulting where they appreciate diversity hires.’”
I pressed the intercom.
“Maya, please escort Mr. Harrison out and update security protocols.”
As he was led away, my actual 9:00 a.m. arrived.
Sarah Chin, the notorious venture capitalist known for backing unicorn startups.
“Entertaining morning?” she asked, nodding toward the retreating figure.
“Just clearing out old misconceptions.”
I pulled up our presentation.
“Shall we discuss the future instead of the past?”
The meeting with Sarah went brilliantly, but it was just a warm-up for what came next.
At noon, I had a board meeting, my first since the Forbes article dropped. The boardroom was full when I entered.
Our investors, mostly older men who had initially doubted me, now sat up straighter when I walked in.
Funny how a few billion dollars changes people’s posture.
“Before we begin,” I said, taking my seat at the head of the table, “let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes, the Forbes article was strategic. Yes, the timing was deliberate. And no, this doesn’t change anything about how we operate.”
Marcus, my CFO, pulled up our quarterly numbers.
The growth charts looked like mountain ranges. Steep, impressive, undeniable.
“As you can see,” I continued, “our decision to operate in stealth mode while building our technology base has paid off. We’re not just ahead of the market. We are the market.”
One of our early investors, a man who’d once suggested I bring in a more experienced CEO, cleared his throat.
“The numbers are impressive, but the publicity changes things. Your family—”
“My family is irrelevant to this company’s operations.”
I pulled up another slide.
“What is relevant is our next move: Project Nexus.”
The room fell silent as I outlined our new AI architecture technology that would make our current success look like a warm-up.
Halfway through my presentation, Maya slipped me a note.
Your sister’s in the lobby. Says she’s not leaving until you talk to her.
I kept presenting but sent a quick message to security.