The boardroom was tense when we arrived. Ellis looked surprised to see Octavia accompanying me.
“Before we discuss my contract,” I began, “Miss Winters has information critical to the company’s security.”
Octavia connected her laptop to the projector with shaking hands. As the emails appeared on screen, gasps and mutters filled the room. Ellis’s face darkened with every slide.
“Where is Garrison now?” he demanded.
“Security is escorting him from the building,” Octavia replied, voice steadier than I expected. “I’ve also initiated emergency protocols to lock down all systems he had access to and contacted our legal team about pressing charges.”
Ellis turned to me.
“Did you know about this?”
“I discovered evidence of tampering during recovery, but Miss Winters identified the external connection.”
The half-truth came easily. Let Octavia have that small win. I had bigger targets.
“This is outrageous,” one board member exclaimed. “We could be facing massive liability.”
“If clients learn their data was deliberately compromised, not to mention the competitive intelligence that’s been leaked,” added another.
I cleared my throat.
“There’s more.”
I connected my flash drive.
“While recovering systems, I discovered that my adaptive infrastructure actually prevented three major cyberattacks last year through its self-healing protocols. Attacks that were never reported because the system handled them automatically.”
I displayed the security logs, the timestamps, the blocked intrusion attempts.
“These security features weren’t in any documentation,” Ellis noted.
“They were proprietary innovations I was still refining. Innovations that are part of my broader biomimetic computing methodology. Which brings me to my contract revisions.”
I distributed copies of my counteroffer. The room fell silent as they read.
“This is unprecedented,” Ellis finally said.
My terms were clear: one, full ownership of my biomimetic computing intellectual property, with the company receiving a perpetual but non-exclusive license. Two, creation of a new Chief Innovation Officer position reporting directly to the board, not to Octavia. Three, fifteen percent royalty on all implementations of my methodology, both existing and future. Four, public recognition as the creator of the technology in all company materials. Five, a seat on the board of directors.
“You’re leveraging our crisis for personal gain,” one member accused.
“I’m establishing fair value for innovations that saved this company from complete collapse. Twice. Once from external attacks you never knew about, and once from internal sabotage.”
I leaned forward.
“My technology is worth billions. You’re getting it at a discount.”
Ellis studied me.
“And if we refuse?”
