Chapter 128 #128
Chapter 128
~Dwayne's POV~
"You're driving yourself home?" I asked Shailyn as we stood by her car.
"Yes. It's safer that way."
"I don't like it."
"I know. But if we show up together, Dante will get suspicious."
She was right. I hated it, but she was right.
"Text me when you get there," I said.
"I will."
"And if anything feels off—"
"I'll call you immediately. I promise."
Shailyn got into her car, giving me one last look through the window.
Then she drove off.
I watched her taillights disappear down the street.
"You're going to follow her anyway, aren't you?" Luke asked from behind me.
"Of course I am."
"Thought so."
I got into my car and pulled out, keeping a safe distance behind Shailyn's vehicle.
We drove like that for twenty minutes. Shailyn took the main roads, nothing suspicious, everything normal.
When she turned into the Belmar estate gates, I pulled over a block away.
Watched until her car disappeared inside.
My phone buzzed.
Shailyn: Home safe. Dante's in his study. Going straight to bed.
Me: Good. Lock your door.
Shailyn: Already done.
Me: Sleep well.
Shailyn: You too.
I sat there for another five minutes, making sure everything was quiet.
Then I drove home.
Sleep didn't come easy.
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, mind racing through tomorrow's plan.
The board meeting. The pre-presentation. The first real move against Dante.
Everything had to be perfect.
Around two AM, I finally drifted off.
\---
My alarm went off at six.
I got up, showered, dressed in my best suit.
Today was important.
Today was the beginning of the end.
Luke called as I was knotting my tie.
"You ready?" he asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"The presentation materials are loaded. Everything's set."
"Good."
"Dwayne?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't let Dante get in your head. Stick to the plan."
"I will."
"And remember—you're two steps ahead of him. He doesn't even know what's coming."
"I know."
"Good luck."
"Thanks."
I hung up and headed downstairs.
The house was quiet. Most of the family still asleep.
I grabbed coffee and a piece of toast, eating quickly.
My phone buzzed.
Shailyn: Good luck today. You're going to be amazing.
Me: Thank you. How are you feeling?
Shailyn: Nervous. Excited. Ready to watch Dante's face when you drop the bomb.
Me: It's going to be satisfying.
Shailyn: I wish I could be there.
Me: Me too. But this is safer.
Shailyn: I know. Just, be careful.
Me: Always.
I finished my coffee and headed out.
\---
The office was already buzzing when I arrived.
People rushing around, preparing for the board meeting.
Dante's assistant stopped me in the hallway. "Mr. Belmar, the meeting starts in thirty minutes. Conference room three."
"I know. Thank you."
He looked nervous. "Mr. Frank Belmar requested all department heads have their presentations ready."
"Mine's ready."
"Good. He's been... tense this morning."
I bet he was.
I went to my office and pulled up the presentation one last time.
Everything was there. Every detail. Every innovation.
The AI project that I had been working on in secret, not even the major one.
The one Dante didn't know existed.
Luke appeared in my doorway. "You good?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Ready to watch the show." He grinned. "This is going to be epic."
"Let's hope so."
"It will be. Trust me."
We walked to the conference room together.
The board members were already seated. Father at the head of the table. Gramps beside him.
Dante stood near the presentation screen, looking confident.
Too confident.
"Ah, Dwayne," Father said. "Good of you to join us."
"Wouldn't miss it."
I took my seat.
Dante's eyes followed me. Calculating. Suspicious.
"Alright," Father announced. "Let's get started. Dante, you're up first."
Dante stood and clicked through to his presentation.
"Thank you all for coming. Today I'm excited to present our latest innovation, the H-GPT Advanced Integration System."
My jaw tightened.
He continued, laying out features, benefits, projected revenue.
The board members nodded, impressed. I'm sure he didn't do any himself.
"This system will revolutionize how we approach AI integration," Dante concluded. "And position us as leaders in the industry."
Applause.
Father smiled. "Excellent work, Dante. This is exactly the kind of innovation we need."
"Thank you, sir."
"Any questions from the board?"
A few technical questions. Dante answered them smoothly.
Lying through his teeth about work he didn't do.
"Wonderful," Tyler said. "Next up, Dwayne. You had something to present?"
I stood. "I do, actually."
Dante's expression flickered. Just slightly.
"I've been working on a complementary project," I said, walking to the front. "One that builds on the H-GPT framework but takes it in a new direction."
"Oh?" Tyler leaned forward. "What kind of direction?"
I clicked to my first slide.
"Adaptive Learning Protocol. ALP for short."
Dante's eyes narrowed.
"This system doesn't just integrate AI," I continued. "It learns from user behavior. Adapts in real-time. Creates personalized experiences that evolve."
The board members were paying attention now.
"How does this differ from the H-GPT system?" one of them asked.
"H-GPT is reactive. ALP is proactive. It anticipates needs before the user expresses them."
"Impressive. How far along is development?"
"Beta testing starts next week."
Murmurs around the table.
Dante stood up. "Wait. I wasn't informed about this project."
"It was a personal initiative," I said smoothly. "Developed independently."
"Independently? Using company resources?"
"Using my own time and resources, actually."
"That's not—"
"It's completely within company policy," I interrupted. "Employees are encouraged to innovate. It's in the handbook."
Father held up a hand. "Let him finish, Dante."
Dante sat back down, fuming.
I continued through the presentation. Feature by feature. Innovation by innovation.
Everything I had worked on together.
The board was eating it up.
"This is remarkable," one board member said. "The market potential is enormous."
"Agreed," another chimed in. "This could be our flagship product."
Dante's face was getting redder.
"There's one more thing," I said, clicking to the final slide.
"The ALP system includes proprietary algorithms that can't be replicated. Meaning we'd have exclusive market advantage for at least five years."
"Five years?" Father's eyes lit up. "You're certain?"
"Completely. I've already filed the patents."
Dante shot to his feet. "What the fuck is this?"
The room went silent.
"No! This is, this is sabotage! He's trying to undermine my presentation!"
"I'm presenting a separate project," I said calmly. "One that happens to complement yours."
"Bullshit. You're trying to steal my spotlight!"
"Your spotlight? I thought this was about what's best for the company."
"It is—"
"Then why are you so threatened by innovation?"
His hands clenched into fists. "I'm not threatened—"
"You seem threatened."
"Dwayne—"
"Enough!" Father's voice boomed. "Both of you. Sit down."
I sat.
Dante remained standing.
"Dante," Gramps said quietly. "Sit."
He finally sat, jaw clenched tight.
Father looked between us. "These are both impressive projects. We'll need to discuss implementation strategy."
"Thank you, sir," I said.
Dante said nothing.
The meeting continued. Other department heads presented their updates.
But the tension never left the room.
Dante stared at me the entire time.
I stared back.
Checkmate, brother.