Chapter 4

"Chloe, come on up. Everyone’s here. It looks ridiculous with you hiding down there."

When my mom finally unlocked the door, she sounded completely drained of patience.

I walked up the stairs. The living room was packed with relatives. Plates of chips and dip sat on the coffee table, and the TV was casting the live stream of the launch event.

Aunt Clara was the first to notice me. She looked me up and down.

"Oh, Chloe! Look at you. Why do you look so pale? Are you sick?"

My mom jumped in before I could speak. "She’s just feeling a bit under the weather. She was resting downstairs."

"Ah, no wonder you couldn't make it to the venue. Look at how amazing Lily is on stage! So elegant. Chloe, you really should learn a thing or two from your sister."

Uncle George grabbed a handful of chips and chimed in. "I heard this entire AI concept was Lily’s idea? Incredible, Robert! Your youngest isn't even twenty-five, and she’s already changing the tech world."

"Yes, yes! Lily has always been the bright, creative one since she was a little girl," my dad beamed.

Nobody looked at me.

I sat on a chair in the corner of the room, keeping my phone hidden on my lap. The timer read 04:51.

"Chloe, go pour some drinks for everyone," my mom ordered, waving her hand at me.

I didn't move.

"Chloe!"

Aunt Clara laughed, trying to play peacemaker. "Oh, let her be. Young people have tempers. Chloe, don’t be upset. Once your sister is famous, the whole family wins. It’ll even be easier for you to find a good husband!"

Uncle George nodded. "Exactly! Once people hear you're Lily’s sister, they’ll treat you with respect."

My mom walked over and forced a glass of champagne into my hand.

"Come on, everyone! Raise a glass! To Lily’s bright future!"

Everyone stood up, raising their glasses.

My mom glared at me, demanding compliance.

I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life.

Standing in a room full of relatives who were cheering for the people who stole my life, I was forced to raise my glass and toast to my own robbery.

The timer ticked to 01:30.

On screen, Ethan was making the final announcement.

"And now, we have come to the most exciting part of the evening: the live, real-time data integration. We are going to connect our AI to the live data feeds of three major metropolitan cities, running a full-loop demonstration right before your eyes."

The crowd erupted in applause. Lily sat in the VIP front row, clapping with a sweet, innocent smile.

In the living room, my family cheered along.

00:47.

00:30.

00:15.

Aunt Clara leaned over and patted my shoulder. "Chloe, you just focus on supporting your sister from behind the scenes. Some people are born for the stage, and some aren't. It’s just fate."

The timer hit zero.

On the massive projector screen, Ethan pressed the button to launch the live stream integration. The three data flow indicators on the system UI lit up one by one.

Green. Green. Green.

Everything looked perfect.

The first set of real-time calculations popped up on the screen. The audience gasped in awe.

Ethan turned to the camera with a confident smirk.

But I noticed something he didn't. In the bottom right corner of the screen, the latency metric jumped from 0.3 milliseconds to 47 milliseconds.

The average viewer wouldn't understand what that meant.

But the logic bomb I had written was already freezing the database pipelines from the inside out, doubling in speed every single second.

"Aunt Clara," I set my glass down, my voice flat. "You said I should stay behind the scenes?"

"Yes, honey. Why?"

"Nothing. I just think that advice is a little too late."