The room shifted.
Logan smiled too quickly. “Absolutely. Collaboration is everything.”
Peter gestured toward me. “This is Chase Everett. He’s the architect behind the infrastructure this platform depends on. Full transparency, he’s the reason I’m still in this room.”
You could feel the air leave Logan’s lungs from across the room.
I walked forward, calm, hands loose at my sides.
Logan recovered enough to say, “Right, Chase has been consulting on some backend—”
“Partnering,” I corrected. “Not consulting.”
Silence.
I addressed the room. “Everett Tech holds protected strategic rights in this platform. Any investor discussions should reflect that accurately. There have been some recent paperwork discrepancies, but those are being resolved.”
Peter nodded. “With my full attention.”
Logan tried to laugh, but it came out thin. “There’s been some confusion around classifications—”
