After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 351

“Malvin, if we go along with these changes, aren’t we basically committing a crime? This is evidence that’s going straight to court,” the lead engineer said, his voice low and careful.

“Honestly, if we just admit we borrowed some ideas at the beginning, we might be able to save the system. Worst case, we rename it and start fresh on the development,” someone else offered.

“We spent five years building this. Five years of our lives. They can’t expect us to just toss it aside. And rushing these code changes is risky, way too risky.”

“If we want to win the lawsuit, we have to do it. That’s what Waldo wants,” Ted said, facing the team. “And you can’t handle what happens if you refuse.”

The engineers exchanged uncertain looks. “Alright, we’ll do what we can,” the lead engineer finally said.

But they all knew this wasn’t a real solution. It felt hopeless.

The moment Ted left, the lead engineer slumped over the table, frustration etched into his face. “Is everyone losing their minds? We did all the heavy lifting. Shirley just supervised. Now she gets the profits, and all we get is a tiny cut. On top of that, we’re supposed to risk everything for her. I don’t think it’s worth it.”

The others turned to him, waiting for direction. He was Talbot, Shirley’s right hand and the real brains behind this version of Resonance AI.

Talbot felt it was all so unfair. Shirley was the one in the spotlight for Resonance AI, she’d even landed Waldo. Meanwhile, he and the rest of the team had nothing to show for it. And now, they were supposed to take the fall for her too.

“We’re not changing a thing. Just hand in the original version on time. At least that way, we’re not breaking the law,” Talbot said, his tone firm.

The team nodded. “Yeah, if it comes to it, we’ll just leave The James Group and find something new.”

Shirley, alone in her office, felt like she was about to snap. She pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to rub away the pounding headache.

She knew that forcing changes to the code would mean giving up on Resonance AI entirely, but she refused to admit she was a plagiarist. If she lost now, her career was over. She’d be blacklisted, laughed at in every corner of the industry.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify