Chapter 16: The First Stone Cast
The rejection of Robert Miller's offer was a line drawn in blood. The following days were deceptively calm. Jason, likely reined in by his father, gave Elias a wide berth, his glares now containing a new, almost respectful hatred. The storm, Elias knew, was not gone; it was simply gathering its strength, choosing its moment.
He used the calm. The money from his growing list of clients was no longer just cash in a drawer. He had found his entry point—a little-known, bleeding-edge tech company called "NetSolve" that was about to land a contract that would send its stock soaring 400% in three months. It was a risk, a bet on the precise memory of a future that was now malleable, but it was the most solid opportunity he could recall. He transferred almost his entire savings into a new brokerage account and placed the order. The die was cast.
His focus was so absolute that he almost missed the first, subtle stone cast from the Miller fortress.
It was Eleanor who brought it to him, her face pale, holding a printed email.
"It's from the Dean of Admissions at Carlton University," she said, her voice trembling. "My early application. They've... they've put it on hold."
Elias's blood ran cold. Carlton was her dream school, a top-tier architecture program. "On hold? Why?"
"They cited 'anomalies' in my extracurricular record. They're requesting verification and additional documentation for my... my 'founding role and operational responsibilities' in the 'Digital Bridge Initiative'."
The world tilted. *Digital Bridge*. The name he had created, the proposal that existed only on Dr. Evans's desk and in his own private files.
"How do they even know about that?" Eleanor whispered, her eyes wide with fear. "It's not on my application. I only just helped you brainstorm the name!"
The pieces clicked into place with a sickening finality. This wasn't a blunt instrument. It was a scalpel. Robert Miller hadn't gone after Elias directly. He had gone after Eleanor. He had found the one thing she wanted most and injected a poison of doubt into it, using the very venture Elias was most proud of as the weapon.
"He's implying you inflated your credentials," Elias said, his voice dangerously quiet. "That you're lying about your involvement to get into college."
Tears welled in her eyes. "But I didn't! I would never! Eli, this could ruin me. If Carlton thinks I'm a fraud, other schools will hear about it..."
He pulled her into his arms, his mind racing, cold fury warring with a protective dread. This was his fault. His ambition had painted a target on her back. The king's war had endangered his queen.
"Listen to me," he said, his voice firm against her ear. "We will fix this. This is what he does. He finds a pressure point and pushes. We will push back."
He drove straight to Dr. Evans's office, not waiting for an appointment. He laid the printed email on her desk and explained the situation, his narrative crisp and furious.
"Mr. Miller approached me," he stated, laying his own card on the table. "He offered me a bribe—an internship—to stay away from his son. I refused. Days later, this happens. This is retaliation, Dr. Evans. And it's targeting an innocent student to get to me."
Dr. Evans's face was a mask of grim outrage. She picked up the phone. "Get me the registrar. And pull the internal correspondence logs for the 'Digital Bridge' proposal. Now." She looked at Elias, her eyes hard. "We will draft a letter to Carlton University on official school letterhead, signed by me, verifying that the 'Digital Bridge Initiative' is a legitimate, school-approved student-led enterprise, and that Miss Shaw was indeed a key consultant in its foundational stages. We will also mention that we are aware of certain... external pressures... being unfairly applied to our students."
It was a declaration of war from the school itself. Elias had an ally.
An hour later, he held the drafted letter in his hand. It was a shield. But it was a reactive one. Robert Miller had made the first move, and it had been brilliant, almost undetectable.
As he walked Eleanor home, the signed letter in her backpack, the victory felt hollow.
"He'll try something else," Elias said, the weight of the future heavy on his shoulders. "This was just a test. A probe of our defenses."
Eleanor stopped, turning to face him. The fear in her eyes had been burned away, replaced by a fierce, clear resolve. "Then we'll be ready," she said, her voice steady. "You're not in this alone, Eli. This is my future, too. And I'm not letting him take it from me."
She wasn't just his anchor anymore. She was his ally. His partner in the trenches. The foundation they were building together had just been stress-tested, and it had held. But Elias knew, with a chilling certainty, that the first stone had been cast. The siege of their future had begun.