"I don't want you as a consultant, Mei," Elena said, her voice low and direct.
"I want to invest."
The air crackled with the weight of her words.
Raj's jaw dropped.
"Invest?" I echoed, unsure I'd heard correctly.
"In you," she clarified.
"In your algorithm."
"In the company you're about to build around it."
My mind reeled.
A company?
Investment?
This morning I was just an independent developer hoping not to be humiliated.
"I... I don't have a company," I stammered.
"Details," Elena waved a dismissive hand.
"We'll form one."
"My firm, Vasquez Capital, specializes in disruptive technologies."
"Your adaptive interface algorithm isn't just an improvement; it's a disruption."
"It has applications far beyond educational software – healthcare, automotive interfaces, smart homes... the potential is enormous."
She saw the bigger picture, the one I hadn't even dared to fully imagine yet.
"We'll provide seed funding – substantial funding."
"Access to our network, legal team, strategic advisors."
"Everything you need to scale this, to take on the giants."
She wasn't offering a job; she was offering a partnership.
A chance to build something real, something lasting.
"This is... huge," Raj breathed, looking at me with awe.
"It is," Elena agreed, her gaze still locked on mine.
"But it requires commitment."
"Building a company is harder than winning a coding challenge."
"You'll face obstacles you can't even imagine right now."
I thought of Blake Reynolds' face as he left the stage.
The icy fury in his eyes.
He wouldn't take this defeat lying down.
TechNova, with its billions in resources and legions of lawyers, wouldn't just step aside and let a newcomer disrupt their market.
Winning the challenge was just the first battle.
The war was just beginning.
"Blake Reynolds won't make it easy," I said quietly.
"No, he won't," Elena acknowledged, her expression hardening slightly.
"Men like Blake believe the world owes them success."
"They don't react well when someone proves them wrong, especially someone they underestimated."
"He'll try to crush you – legally, financially, through the press."
"Are you prepared for that?"
It was a sobering question.
Was I ready to trade the relative anonymity of being an independent developer for the brutal, high-stakes world of tech startups and corporate warfare?
I thought about my cousin, about all the people struggling with interfaces not designed for them.
I thought about the dismissive attitudes I'd faced my whole career.
I thought about the elegant simplicity of the code I'd written, code that could actually make a difference.
This wasn't just about me anymore.
It was about the idea.
It was about proving that innovation could come from anywhere, that talent mattered more than pedigree.
"Yes," I said, meeting Elena's gaze with newfound resolve.
"I'm prepared."
A slow smile spread across Elena's face.
"Good," she said.
"Then let's get started."
She extended her hand.
I took it.
Her grip was firm, confident.
A promise of the future.
Raj clapped me on the shoulder, his eyes shining.
"CEO Mei Zhang," he grinned.
It sounded foreign, unreal.
We walked out of the backstage area, leaving the fading buzz of the conference behind.
The future stretched before me, bright with possibility but shadowed by the challenges ahead.
Elena's offer was a lifeline, a rocket ship.
But Blake Reynolds was still out there.
And I had a feeling this victory, as sweet as it was, had just painted a much larger target on my back.
The game had changed.
And the stakes were higher than ever.