---- Chapter 21 Athena POV: Hardin's smug, triumphant expression made my stomach turn. He truly believed he held all the cards. He thought | was the same weak, naive girl he had controlled for three years. He was wrong. A small, cold smile touched my lips. "Thank you, Hardin," | said softly. He looked confused. So did Eliot. | pulled out my phone, my fingers moving with practiced ease. With a few taps, | pulled up the social media account for PixelVixen and hit "share" on a post from a long-dormant, anonymous account. My followers were momentarily confused, then intrigued. They clicked the link. The anonymous account was a digital archive. My digital archive. It contained the line-art, the base code, the initial character sketches-every single step of the creation process for every game | had ever designed. It was a meticulous, date -stamped record of my entire career, a habit I'd started in college to track my own progress. ---- The record stopped abruptly three years ago. In the caption of my shared post, | wrote: "Proof is in the process. Some things can't be stolen, they have to be earned. Special thanks to my dear friend Eliot Serrano for helping me recover this lost account." | looked up from my phone, my small, cold smile still in place. "| believe the term is 'checkmate' ' The internet exploded. The story was too juicy, too dramatic to ignore. A beloved, legendary artist returning from a mysterious hiatus, only to be embroiled in a plagiarism scandal with a corporate behemoth. And she had receipts. All of them. Within minutes, #CarinaSparkslsAThief was the number one trending topic worldwide. Her social media accounts were flooded with a tidal wave of righteous fury from my fanbase. | put my phone back in my purse. "Eliot," | said, my voice calm, "| think I'm ready to go home now." Hardin just stood there, his face a mask of disbelief. He tried to grab my arm as | walked past. "Athena, wait..." Eliot slapped his hand away. "Don't touch her." The balcony, once the stage for our dramatic confrontation, was now eerily quiet. A sick, panicked feeling began to churn in Hardin's gut. He pulled out his own phone. ---- The screen lit up with a barrage of notifications. News alerts. Missed calls. Frantic texts. The top headline, from a major gaming industry journal, read: "PixelVixen Exposes Morrison Dynamics 'Phoenix Engine' as Stolen IP; Accuses Creative Director Carina Sparks of Long -Term Plagiarism." His thumb trembled as he tapped the link. His phone immediately began to ring. It was Arthur. "Sir!" he shouted, his voice frantic, barely audible over the sound of chaos in the background. "It's a catastrophe! PixelVixen-she just released irrefutable proof that Ms. Sparks stole the Phoenix Engine! The forums are on fire! Our stock is in freefall!" Hardin's jaw tightened. "Get it under control, Arthur." "We can't!" Arthur wailed. "Her fanbase is massive! They're burying us! The board is calling for an emergency meeting. They want to oust you! Sir, you need to come back. Now!" Hardin's face was a thundercloud of fury and despair. He looked up at me, his eyes wild. "Is this what you wanted, Athena? To ruin me?" | met his gaze, my own eyes cold and clear. "You dug your own grave, Hardin. | just handed you the shovel." | paused, letting the full weight of my next words sink in. "And for the record? Carina didn't just steal my work. She and her mother stole my ---- kidney. While | was unconscious in the hospital, you so kindly arranged for me." The last bit of color drained from his face. "What?" "Oh, you didn't know?" | asked, my voice dripping with false sympathy. "You should really ask her about it. And while you're at it, ask her about the men she hired to attack me in the alley. The ones she was so disappointed you saved me from before they could 'finish the job'." He stared at me, his mouth opening and closing, but no words came out. "Don't worry, Hardin," Eliot said, a cruel, satisfied smile on his face. "I'm sure the board will understand. You'd better hurry back and save your company. Oh, wait." Hardin's hand, gripping his phone, was white-knuckled. He looked from Eliot's smug face to my cold, unforgiving one. A desperate, pleading look entered his eyes. "Athena," he whispered, "I will fix this. I'll come back for you." He turned and strode away, his movements stiff and robotic. "Don't bother!" | called after his retreating back. "If | ever see you near me or my family again, | will get a restraining order so fast it will make your head spin!" He faltered for a fraction of a second, his shoulders slumping, but he didn't turn around. He just kept walking, faster now, until his figure was swallowed by the shadows of the city. ---- He was gone. Finally, truly, gone. Title: A Princess? No! I'm the Female General! In "A Princess? No! 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